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In the choice of
instrumentalities for the reforming of the church, the same divine
plan is seen as in that for the planting of the church. The heavenly
Teacher passed by the great men of the earth, the titled and
wealthy, who were accustomed to receive praise and homage as leaders
of the people. They were so proud and self-confident in their
boasted superiority that they could not be molded to sympathize with
their fellow men and to become colaborers with the humble Man of
Nazareth. To the unlearned, toiling fishermen of Galilee was the
call addressed: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Matthew 4:19. These disciples were humble and teachable. The less
they had been influenced by the false teaching of their time, the
more successfully could Christ instruct and train them for His
service. So in the days of the Great Reformation. The leading
Reformers were men from humble life--men who were most free of any
of their time from pride of rank and from the influence of bigotry
and priestcraft. It is God's plan to employ humble instruments to
accomplish great results. Then the glory will not be given to men,
but to Him who works through them to will and to do of His own good
pleasure.
A few weeks after the birth of Luther
in a miner's cabin in Saxony, Ulric Zwingli was born in a herdsman's
cottage among the Alps. Zwingli's surroundings in childhood, and
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his early training, were such as to
prepare him for his future mission. Reared amid scenes of natural
grandeur, beauty, and awful sublimity, his mind was early impressed with
a sense of the greatness, the power, and the majesty of God. The history
of the brave deeds achieved upon his native mountains kindled his
youthful aspirations. And at the side of his pious grandmother he
listened to the few precious Bible stories which she had gleaned from
amid the legends and traditions of the church. With eager interest he
heard of the grand deeds of patriarchs and prophets, of the shepherds
who watched their flocks on the hills of Palestine where angels talked
with them, of the Babe of Bethlehem and the Man of Calvary.
Like John Luther, Zwingli's father
desired an education for his son, and the boy was early sent from his
native valley. His mind rapidly developed, and it soon became a question
where to find teachers competent to instruct him. At the age of thirteen
he went to Bern, which then possessed the most distinguished school in
Switzerland. Here, however, a danger arose which threatened to blight
the promise of his life. Determined efforts were put forth by the friars
to allure him into a monastery. The Dominican and Franciscan monks were
in rivalry for popular favor. This they endeavored to secure by the
showy adornments of their churches, the pomp of their ceremonials, and
the attractions of famous relics and miracle-working images.
The Dominicans of Bern saw that if
they could win this talented young scholar, they would secure both gain
and honor. His extreme youth, his natural ability as a speaker and
writer, and his genius for music and poetry, would be more effective
than all their pomp and display, in attracting the people to their
services and increasing the revenues of their order. By deceit and
flattery they endeavored to induce Zwingli to enter their convent.
Luther, while a student at school, had buried himself in a convent cell,
and he would have been lost to the world had not God's providence
released him. Zwingli was not permitted to encounter the
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same peril. Providentially his father
received information of the designs of the friars. He had no intention
of allowing his son to follow the idle and worthless life of the monks.
He saw that his future usefulness was at stake, and directed him to
return home without delay.
The command was obeyed; but the youth
could not be long content in his native valley, and he soon resumed his
studies, repairing, after a time, to Basel. It was here that Zwingli
first heard the gospel of God's free grace. Wittembach, a teacher of the
ancient languages, had, while studying Greek and Hebrew, been led to the
Holy Scriptures, and thus rays of divine light were shed into the minds
of the students under his instruction. He declared that there was a
truth more ancient, and of infinitely greater worth, than the theories
taught by schoolmen and philosophers. This ancient truth was that the
death of Christ is the sinner's only ransom. To Zwingli these words were
as the first ray of light that precedes the dawn.
Zwingli was soon called from Basel to
enter upon his lifework. His first field of labor was in an Alpine
parish, not far distant from his native valley. Having received
ordination as a priest, he "devoted himself with his whole soul to the
search after divine truth; for he was well aware," says a fellow
Reformer, "how much he must know to whom the flock of Christ is
entrusted."--Wylie, b. 8, ch. 5. The more he searched the Scriptures,
the clearer appeared the contrast between their truths and the heresies
of Rome. He submitted himself to the Bible as the word of God, the only
sufficient, infallible rule. He saw that it must be its own interpreter.
He dared not attempt to explain Scripture to sustain a preconceived
theory or doctrine, but held it his duty to learn what is its direct and
obvious teaching. He sought to avail himself of every help to obtain a
full and correct understanding of its meaning, and he invoked the aid of
the Holy Spirit, which would, he declared, reveal it to all who sought
it in sincerity and with prayer.
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"The Scriptures," said Zwingli, "come
from God, not from man, and even that God who enlightens will give thee
to understand that the speech comes from God. The word of God . . .
cannot fail; it is bright, it teaches itself, it discloses itself, it
illumines the soul with all salvation and grace, comforts it in God,
humbles it, so that it loses and even forfeits itself, and embraces
God." The truth of these words Zwingli himself had proved. Speaking of
his experience at this time, he afterward wrote: "When . . . I began to
give myself wholly up to the Holy Scriptures, philosophy and theology
(scholastic) would always keep suggesting quarrels to me. At last I came
to this, that I thought, `Thou must let all that lie, and learn the
meaning of God purely out of His own simple word.' Then I began to ask
God for His light, and the Scriptures began to be much easier to me."--
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 6.
The doctrine preached by Zwingli was
not received from Luther. It was the doctrine of Christ. "If Luther
preaches Christ," said the Swiss Reformer, "he does what I am doing.
Those whom he has brought to Christ are more numerous than those whom I
have led. But this matters not. I will bear no other name than that of
Christ, whose soldier I am, and who alone is my Chief. Never has one
single word been written by me to Luther, nor by Luther to me. And why?
. . . That it might be shown how much the Spirit of God is in unison
with itself, since both of us, without any collusion, teach the doctrine
of Christ with such uniformity." --D'Aubigne, b. 8, ch. 9.
In 1516 Zwingli was invited to become
a preacher in the convent at Einsiedeln. Here he was to have a closer
view of the corruptions of Rome and was to exert an influence as a
Reformer that would be felt far beyond his native Alps. Among the chief
attractions of Einsiedeln was an image of the Virgin which was said to
have the power of working miracles. Above the gateway of the convent was
the inscription, "Here a plenary remission of sins may be
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obtained."--
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 5. Pilgrims
at all seasons resorted to the shrine of the Virgin; but at the great
yearly festival of its consecration multitudes came from all parts of
Switzerland, and even from France and Germany. Zwingli, greatly
afflicted at the sight, seized the opportunity to proclaim liberty
through the gospel to these bondslaves of superstition.
"Do not imagine," he said, "that God
is in this temple more than in any other part of creation. Whatever be
the country in which you dwell, God is around you, and hears you. . . .
Can unprofitable works, long pilgrimages, offerings, images, the
invocation of the Virgin or of the saints, secure for you the grace of
God? . . . What avails the multitude of words with which we embody our
prayers? What efficacy has a glossy cowl, a smooth-shorn head, a long
and flowing robe, or gold-embroidered slippers? . . . God looks at the
heart, and our hearts are far from Him." "Christ," he said, "who was
once offered upon the cross, is the sacrifice and victim, that had made
satisfaction for the sins of believers to all eternity."--
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 5.
To many listeners these teachings were
unwelcome. It was a bitter disappointment to them to be told that their
toilsome journey had been made in vain. The pardon freely offered to
them through Christ they could not comprehend. They were satisfied with
the old way to heaven which Rome had marked out for them. They shrank
from the perplexity of searching for anything better. It was easier to
trust their salvation to the priests and the pope than to seek for
purity of heart.
But another class received with
gladness the tidings of redemption through Christ. The observances
enjoined by Rome had failed to bring peace of soul, and in faith they
accepted the Saviour's blood as their propitiation. These returned to
their homes to reveal to others the precious light which they had
received. The truth was thus carried from hamlet to hamlet, from town to
town, and the number of pilgrims to the Virgin's shrine greatly
lessened. There was
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a falling off in the offerings, and
consequently in the salary of Zwingli, which was drawn from them. But
this caused him only joy as he saw that the power of fanaticism and
superstition was being broken.
The authorities of the church were not
blind to the work which Zwingli was accomplishing; but for the present
they forbore to interfere. Hoping yet to secure him to their cause, they
endeavored to win him by flatteries; and meanwhile the truth was gaining
a hold upon the hearts of the people.
Zwingli's labors at Einsiedeln had
prepared him for a wider field, and this he was soon to enter. After
three years here he was called to the office of preacher in the
cathedral at Zurich. This was then the most important town of the Swiss
confederacy, and the influence exerted here would be widely felt. The
ecclesiastics by whose invitation he came to Zurich were, however,
desirous of preventing any innovations, and they accordingly proceeded
to instruct him as to his duties.
"You will make every exertion," they
said, "to collect the revenues of the chapter, without overlooking the
least. You will exhort the faithful, both from the pulpit and in the
confessional, to pay all tithes and dues, and to show by their offerings
their affection to the church. You will be diligent in increasing the
income arising from the sick, from masses, and in general from every
ecclesiastical ordinance." "As for the administration of the sacraments,
the preaching, and the care of the flock," added his instructors, "these
are also the duties of the chaplain. But for these you may employ a
substitute, and particularly in preaching. You should administer the
sacraments to none but persons of note, and only when called upon; you
are forbidden to do so without distinction of persons."--
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 6.
Zwingli listened in silence to this
charge, and in reply, after expressing his gratitude for the honor of a
call to this important station, he proceeded to explain the course which
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he proposed to adopt. "The life of
Christ," he said, "has been too long hidden from the people. I shall
preach upon the whole of the Gospel of St. Matthew, . . . drawing solely
from the fountains of Scripture, sounding its depths, comparing one
passage with another, and seeking for understanding by constant and
earnest prayer. It is to God's glory, to the praise of His only Son, to
the real salvation of souls, and to their edification in the true faith,
that I shall consecrate my ministry."--
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 6. Though
some of the ecclesiastics disapproved his plan, and endeavored to
dissuade him from it, Zwingli remained steadfast. He declared that he
was about to introduce no new method, but the old method employed by the
church in earlier and purer times.
Already an interest had been awakened
in the truths he taught; and the people flocked in great numbers to
listen to his preaching. Many who had long since ceased to attend
service were among his hearers. He began his ministry by opening the
Gospels and reading and explaining to his hearers the inspired narrative
of the life, teachings, and death of Christ. Here, as at Einsiedeln, he
presented the word of God as the only infallible authority and the death
of Christ as the only complete sacrifice. "It is to Christ," he said,
"that I desire to lead you--to Christ, the true source of salvation." --
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 6. Around the
preacher crowded the people of all classes, from statesmen and scholars
to the artisan and the peasant. With deep interest they listened to his
words. He not only proclaimed the offer of a free salvation, but
fearlessly rebuked the evils and corruptions of the times. Many returned
from the cathedral praising God. "This man," they said, "is a preacher
of the truth. He will be our Moses, to lead us forth from this Egyptian
darkness."-- Ibid.,
b. 8, ch. 6.
But though at first his labors were
received with great enthusiasm, after a time opposition arose. The monks
set themselves to hinder his work and condemn his teachings.
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Many assailed him with gibes and sneers;
others resorted to insolence and threats. But Zwingli bore all with
patience, saying: "If we desire to gain over the wicked to Jesus Christ,
we must shut our eyes against many things." --
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 6.
About this time a new agency came in
to advance the work of reform. One Lucian was sent to Zurich with some
of Luther's writings, by a friend of the reformed faith at Basel, who
suggested that the sale of these books might be a powerful means of
scattering the light. "Ascertain," he wrote to Zwingli, "whether this
man possesses sufficient prudence and skill; if so, let him carry from
city to city, from town to town, from village to village, and even from
house to house, among the Swiss, the works of Luther, and especially his
exposition of the Lord's Prayer written for the laity. The more they are
known, the more purchasers they will find." --
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 6. Thus the
light found entrance.
At the time when God is preparing to
break the shackles of ignorance and superstition, then it is that Satan
works with greatest power to enshroud men in darkness and to bind their
fetters still more firmly. As men were rising up in different lands to
present to the people forgiveness and justification through the blood of
Christ, Rome proceeded with renewed energy to open her market throughout
Christendom, offering pardon for money.
Every sin had its price, and men were
granted free license for crime if the treasury of the church was kept
well filled. Thus the two movements advanced,--one offering forgiveness
of sin for money, the other forgiveness through Christ,-- Rome licensing
sin and making it her source of revenue; the Reformers condemning sin
and pointing to Christ as the propitiation and deliverer.
In Germany the sale of indulgences had
been committed to the Dominican friars and was conducted by the infamous
Tetzel. In Switzerland the traffic was put into the hands of the
Franciscans, under the control of Samson, an Italian
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monk. Samson had already done good
service to the church, having secured immense sums from Germany and
Switzerland to fill the papal treasury. Now he traversed Switzerland,
attracting great crowds, despoiling the poor peasants of their scanty
earnings, and exacting rich gifts from the wealthy classes. But the
influence of the reform already made itself felt in curtailing, though
it could not stop, the traffic. Zwingli was still at Einsiedeln when
Samson, soon after entering Switzerland, arrived with his wares at a
neighboring town. Being apprised of his mission, the Reformer
immediately set out to oppose him. The two did not meet, but such was
Zwingli's success in exposing the friar's pretensions that he was
obliged to leave for other quarters.
At Zurich, Zwingli preached zealously
against the pardonmongers; and when Samson approached the place, he was
met by a messenger from the council with an intimation that he was
expected to pass on. He finally secured an entrance by stratagem, but
was sent away without the sale of a single pardon, and he soon after
left Switzerland.
A strong impetus was given to the
reform by the appearance of the plague, or Great Death, which swept over
Switzerland in the year 1519. As men were thus brought face to face with
the destroyer, many were led to feel how vain and worthless were the
pardons which they had so lately purchased; and they longed for a surer
foundation for their faith. Zwingli at Zurich was smitten down; he was
brought so low that all hope of his recovery was relinquished, and the
report was widely circulated that he was dead. In that trying hour his
hope and courage were unshaken. He looked in faith to the cross of
Calvary, trusting in the all-sufficient propitiation for sin. When he
came back from the gates of death, it was to preach the gospel with
greater fervor than ever before; and his words exerted an unwonted
power. The people welcomed with joy their beloved pastor, returned to
them from the brink of the grave. They themselves had come from
attending upon the sick
Page 180
and the dying, and they felt, as never
before, the value of the gospel.
Zwingli had arrived at a clearer
understanding of its truths, and had more fully experienced in himself
its renewing power. The fall of man and the plan of redemption were the
subjects upon which he dwelt. "In Adam," he said, "we are all dead, sunk
in corruption and condemnation." --Wylie, b. 8, ch. 9. "Christ . . . has
purchased for us a never-ending redemption. . . . His passion is . . .
an eternal sacrifice, and everlastingly effectual to heal; it satisfies
the divine justice forever in behalf of all those who rely upon it with
firm and unshaken faith." Yet he clearly taught that men are not,
because of the grace of Christ, free to continue in sin. "Wherever there
is faith in God, there God is; and wherever God abideth, there a zeal
exists urging and impelling men to good works."--D'Aubigne, b. 8, ch. 9.
Such was the interest in Zwingli's
preaching that the cathedral was filled to overflowing with the crowds
that came to listen to him. Little by little, as they could bear it, he
opened the truth to his hearers. He was careful not to introduce, at
first, points which would startle them and create prejudice. His work
was to win their hearts to the teachings of Christ, to soften them by
His love, and keep before them His example; and as they should receive
the principles of the gospel, their superstitious beliefs and practices
would inevitably be overthrown.
Step by step the Reformation advanced
in Zurich. In alarm its enemies aroused to active opposition. One year
before, the monk of Wittenberg had uttered his No to the pope and the
emperor at Worms, and now everything seemed to indicate a similar
withstanding of the papal claims at Zurich. Repeated attacks were made
upon Zwingli. In the papal cantons, from time to time, disciples of the
gospel were brought to the stake, but this was not enough; the teacher
of heresy must be silenced. Accordingly the bishop of Constance
dispatched three deputies to the Council of Zurich, accusing Zwingli of
teaching the people to
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transgress the laws of the church, thus
endangering the peace and good order of society. If the authority of the
church were to be set aside, he urged, universal anarchy would result.
Zwingli replied that he had been for four years teaching the gospel in
Zurich, "which was more quiet and peaceful than any other town in the
confederacy." "Is not, then," he said, "Christianity the best safeguard
of the general security?"--Wylie, b. 8, ch. 11.
The deputies had admonished the
councilors to continue in the church, out of which, they declared, there
was no salvation. Zwingli responded: "Let not this accusation move you.
The foundation of the church is the same Rock, the same Christ, that
gave Peter his name because he confessed Him faithfully. In every nation
whosoever believes with all his heart in the Lord Jesus is accepted of
God. Here, truly, is the church, out of which no one can be
saved."--D'Aubigne, London ed., b. 8, ch. 11. As a result of the
conference, one of the bishop's deputies accepted the reformed faith.
The council declined to take action
against Zwingli, and Rome prepared for a fresh attack. The Reformer,
when apprised of the plots of his enemies, exclaimed: "Let them come on;
I fear them as the beetling cliff fears the waves that thunder at its
feet."--Wylie, b. 8, ch. 11. The efforts of the ecclesiastics only
furthered the cause which they sought to overthrow. The truth continued
to spread. In Germany its adherents, cast down by Luther's
disappearance, took heart again, as they saw the progress of the gospel
in Switzerland.
As the Reformation became established
in Zurich, its fruits were more fully seen in the suppression of vice
and the promotion of order and harmony. "Peace has her habitation in our
town," wrote Zwingli; "no quarrel, no hypocrisy, no envy, no strife.
Whence can such union come but from the Lord, and our doctrine, which
fills us with the fruits of peace and piety?"--
Ibid., b. 8, ch. 15.
The victories gained by the
Reformation stirred the Romanists to still more determined efforts for
its overthrow.
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Seeing how little had been accomplished
by persecution in suppressing Luther's work in Germany, they decided to
meet the reform with its own weapons. They would hold a disputation with
Zwingli, and having the arrangement of matters, they would make sure of
victory by choosing, themselves, not only the place of the combat, but
the judges that should decide between the disputants. And if they could
once get Zwingli into their power, they would take care that he did not
escape them. The leader silenced, the movement could speedily be
crushed. This purpose, however, was carefully concealed.
The disputation was appointed to be
held at Baden; but Zwingli was not present. The Council of Zurich,
suspecting the designs of the papists, and warned by the burning piles
kindled in the papal cantons for confessors of the gospel, forbade their
pastor to expose himself to this peril. At Zurich he was ready to meet
all the partisans that Rome might send; but to go to Baden, where the
blood of martyrs for the truth had just been shed, was to go to certain
death. Oecolampadius and Haller were chosen to represent the Reformers,
while the famous Dr. Eck, supported by a host of learned doctors and
prelates, was the champion of Rome.
Though Zwingli was not present at the
conference, his influence was felt. The secretaries were all chosen by
the papists, and others were forbidden to take notes, on pain of death.
Notwithstanding this, Zwingli received daily a faithful account of what
was said at Baden. A student in attendance at the disputation made a
record each evening of the arguments that day presented. These papers
two other students undertook to deliver, with the daily letters of
Oecolampadius, to Zwingli at Zurich. The Reformer answered, giving
counsel and suggestions. His letters were written by night, and the
students returned with them to Baden in the morning. To elude the
vigilance of the guard stationed at the city gates, these messengers
brought baskets of poultry on their heads, and they were permitted to
pass without hindrance.
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Thus Zwingli maintained the battle
with his wily antagonists. He "has labored more," said Myconius, "by his
meditations, his sleepless nights, and the advice which he transmitted
to Baden, than he would have done by discussing in person in the midst
of his enemies."--D'Aubigne, b. 11, ch. 13.
The Romanists, flushed with
anticipated triumph, had come to Baden attired in their richest robes
and glittering with jewels. They fared luxuriously, their tables spread
with the most costly delicacies and the choicest wines. The burden of
their ecclesiastical duties was lightened by gaiety and reveling. In
marked contrast appeared the Reformers, who were looked upon by the
people as little better than a company of beggars, and whose frugal fare
kept them but short time at table. Oecolampadius's landlord, taking
occasion to watch him in his room, found him always engaged in study or
at prayer, and greatly wondering, reported that the heretic was at least
"very pious."
At the conference, "Eck haughtily
ascended a pulpit splendidly decorated, while the humble Oecolampadius,
meanly clothed, was forced to take his seat in front of his opponent on
a rudely carved stool."--
Ibid., b. 11, ch. 13. Eck's
stentorian voice and unbounded assurance never failed him. His zeal was
stimulated by the hope of gold as well as fame; for the defender of the
faith was to be rewarded by a handsome fee. When better arguments
failed, he had resort to insults, and even to oaths.
Oecolampadius, modest and
self-distrustful, had shrunk from the combat, and he entered upon it
with the solemn avowal: "I acknowledge no other standard of judgment
than the word of God."-- Ibid.,
b. 11, ch. 13. Though gentle
and courteous in demeanor, he proved himself able and unflinching. While
the Romanists, according to their wont, appealed for authority to the
customs of the church, the Reformer adhered steadfastly to the Holy
Scriptures. "Custom," he said, "has no force in our Switzerland, unless
it be according to the constitution; now, in matters of faith, the Bible
is our constitution."-- Ibid.,
b. 11, ch. 13.
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The contrast between the two
disputants was not without effect. The calm, clear reasoning of the
Reformer, so gently and modestly presented, appealed to minds that
turned in disgust from Eck's boastful and boisterous assumptions.
The discussion continued eighteen
days. At its close the papists with great confidence claimed the
victory. Most of the deputies sided with Rome, and the Diet pronounced
the Reformers vanquished and declared that they, together with Zwingli,
their leader, were cut off from the church. But the fruits of the
conference revealed on which side the advantage lay. The contest
resulted in a strong impetus to the Protestant cause, and it was not
long afterward that the important cities of Bern and Basel declared for
the Reformation.
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