IN CHURCH HISTORY. IO3 



Then, too, it does not always happen that those 

 who project reforms are wise, prudent and patient. 

 An attack upon an existing abuse is often apt to 

 be intemperate, or to carry with it the destruction 

 of some good thing which ought never to be 

 touched. 



Long before the period of the Reformation there 

 had been efforts at reform. Some of them were 

 wisely led, others were but blundering movements 

 in the right direction. 



Wicliffe in England (a. d. 1350), Huss in 

 Bohemia, and Jerome of Prague, had denounced 

 some of the corruptions of Rome, but their move- 

 ments were not always of the wisest character. 

 Wicliffe, however, will always be most gratefully 

 remembered for having given to the English people 

 a translation of the Bible in their own language. 

 He is called " the Morning Star of the Reforma- 

 tion," and justly deserves that title, although some 

 of his propositions were utterly impracticable. 



The reading of the Sacred Scriptures produced 

 great changes, opening the eyes of the people to 

 see how erroneous were many of the teachings of 

 Rome, and preparing the way for a return to the 

 primitive faith. But a return to the primitive 

 faith involved danger. There had arisen certain 

 orders in the Roman Church, principal among 

 them the Dominicans, who became active agents 

 for discovering and punishing by torture and death 



