Chapter 9—Light Kindled in Switzerland

A few weeks after Luther was born in a miner's cabin in Saxony, Ulric Zwingli was born in a herdsman's cottage among the Alps. Brought up among scenes of nature's grandeur, even in childhood his mind was impressed with the majesty of God. At the side of his grandmother he listened to the few precious Bible stories she had learned among the legends and traditions of the church. 5TC 103.2

At the age of thirteen Zwingli went to Bern, which at the time possessed the best school in Switzerland. Here, however, a danger arose. The friars made determined efforts to lure him into a monastery. Through God's intervention, his father received information about the friars’ plans. He recognized that his son's future usefulness was at stake, and he instructed him to return home. 5TC 103.3

Zwingli obeyed the command, but he could not be content very long to remain in his native valley, and he soon resumed his studies, traveling, after a time, to Basel. Here Zwingli first heard the gospel of God's free grace. Wittembach, a teacher of ancient languages, had been led to the Holy Scriptures while studying Greek and Hebrew, and so rays of divine light fell on the minds of the students under his instruction. He taught that the death of Christ is the sinner's only ransom. To Zwingli these words were like the first ray of light that precedes the dawn. 5TC 104.1

Zwingli was soon called away from Basel to begin his lifework. His first assignment was in a parish in the Alps. Ordained as a priest, he “devoted himself with his whole heart to the search for divine truth.”^{1James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 8, chapter 5.} 5TC 104.2

The more he searched the Scriptures, the more clearly he saw the contrast between truth and the false teachings of Rome. He submitted himself to the Bible as the Word of God, the only sufficient, infallible rule. He saw that the Bible must be its own interpreter. He pursued every aid to obtaining a correct understanding of its meaning, and he asked for the help of the Holy Spirit. “I began to ask God for His light,” he wrote later, “and the Scriptures began to be much easier for me.”^{2James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 8, chapter 6.} 5TC 104.3

The doctrine Zwingli preached had not come from Luther. It was the doctrine of Christ. “If Luther preaches Christ,” Zwingli said, “he does what I am doing.... I have not written one single word to Luther, nor Luther to me. And why? ... To demonstrate 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.”^{3J. H. Merle D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book 8, chapter 9.} 5TC 104.4

In 1516, Zwingli was invited to preach in the convent at Einsiedeln. Here he would exert an influence as a Reformer that would extend far beyond his native Alps. 5TC 104.5

Among the chief attractions of Einsiedeln was an image of the Virgin Mary. People said it had the power to work miracles. Above the convent's gateway was the inscription, “Here a complete remission of sins may be obtained.”^{4J. H. Merle D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book 8, chapter 5.} Crowds came to the shrine of the Virgin from all parts of Switzerland and even from France and Germany. Zwingli took the opportunity to proclaim liberty through the gospel to these slaves of superstition. 5TC 104.6

He said, “Do not imagine that God is in this temple more than in any other part of creation.... Can useless works, long pilgrimages, offerings, images, or appeals to the Virgin or the saints obtain for you the grace of God? ... How can a glossy cowl, a smooth-shorn head, a long and flowing robe, or gold-embroidered slippers be any help at all in forgiving sins?” “Christ,” he said, “who was once offered on the cross, is the sacrifice and victim that paid the debt for the sins of believers to all eternity.”^{5J. H. Merle D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book 8, chapter 5.} 5TC 105.1

To many it was a bitter disappointment to be told that their difficult journey had been in vain. They could not comprehend pardon that was freely offered through Christ. They were satisfied with the way that Rome had directed them. It was easier to trust their salvation to the priests and pope than to seek purity of heart. 5TC 105.2

But other people gladly received the good news of redemption through Christ, and in faith they accepted the Savior's blood as their atonement. They went home and told others about the precious light they had received. In this way the truth traveled from town to town, and the number of pilgrims to the Virgin's shrine greatly decreased. The offerings were reduced, and so was Zwingli's salary, which came from them. But this only made him rejoice as he saw that the power of superstition was being broken. The truth was gaining hold of people's hearts. 5TC 105.3

Zwingli Called to Zurich

After three years Zwingli was called to preach in the cathedral at Zurich, the most important town in the Swiss confederacy. The influence he exerted here would be widely felt. The churchmen proceeded to instruct him about his duties: 5TC 105.4

“You will make every effort to collect the revenues of the chapter without overlooking the least of them.... You will be diligent in increasing the income arising from the sick, from masses, and in general from every church function.” “As for the administration of the sacraments, the preaching, and the care of the flock, ... you may employ a substitute, especially in preaching.”^{6J. H. Merle D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book 8, chapter 6.} 5TC 106.1

Zwingli listened in silence to this instruction and said in reply, “The life of Christ has been hidden from the people for too long. I will preach on the whole of the Gospel of St. Matthew.... I will consecrate my ministry to God's glory, to the praise of His Son, to the real salvation of souls, and to their growth in the true faith.” 5TC 106.2

The people flocked in great numbers to listen to his preaching. He began his ministry by opening the Gospels and explaining the life, teachings, and death of Christ. “It is to Christ,” he said, “that I desire to lead you—to Christ, the true source of salvation.” Statesmen, scholars, craftsmen, and peasants listened to his words. He 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 out from this Egyptian darkness.”^{7J. H. Merle D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book 8, chapter 6.} 5TC 106.3

After a time opposition arose. The monks heckled him and sneered at him; others resorted to insults and threats. But Zwingli bore it all patiently. 5TC 106.4

When God is preparing to break the chains of ignorance and superstition, Satan exerts his greatest power to keep people in darkness and to fasten their shackles more firmly. Rome worked with renewed energy to open her market throughout the Christian world, offering pardon for money. Every sin had its price, and the church gave people free license for crime if it would keep the treasury of the church well filled. So the two movements advanced—Rome licensing sin and making it her source of income, and the Reformers condemning sin and pointing to Christ as the sacrifice and deliverer. 5TC 106.5

Sale of Indulgences in Switzerland

In Germany the infamous Tetzel conducted the sale of indulgences. In Switzerland the church put sales under the control of Samson, an Italian monk. Samson had already raised huge sums from Germany and Switzerland to fill the papal treasury. Now he traveled throughout Switzerland, draining the poor peasants of their meager earnings and demanding rich gifts from the wealthy. When he arrived with his wares at a town near Einsiedeln, Zwingli immediately set out to oppose him. Zwingli was so successful in exposing the friar's lies that Samson had to leave for other towns. Later, Zwingli preached zealously in Zurich against those who tried to sell God's forgiveness. When Samson approached the place, he used a clever maneuver to gain entrance. But when the people there sent him away without the sale of a single pardon, he soon left Switzerland. 5TC 107.1

The plague, or Great Death, swept over Switzerland in the year 1519. Many came to feel how useless and worthless were the pardons they had bought. They longed for a surer foundation for their faith. At Zurich Zwingli came down with the plague, and the report circulated widely that he was dead. In that awful hour he looked in faith to the cross of Calvary, trusting in the all-sufficient sacrifice for sin. When he came back from the gates of death, he preached the gospel with greater intensity than ever before. The people themselves had come from caring for the sick and the dying, and they felt the value of the gospel as never before. 5TC 107.2

Zwingli had come to a clearer understanding of the gospel's truths and had more fully experienced its renewing power in himself. “Christ,” he said, “... has purchased for us a never-ending redemption.... His suffering is ... an eternal sacrifice, and it has eternal power to heal. It satisfies the divine justice forever for all who rely on it with firm and unshaken faith.... Wherever there is faith in God, there is also a zeal urging and driving people to good works.”^{8J. H. Merle D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book 8, chapter 9.} 5TC 107.3

Step by step the Reformation gained ground in Zurich. In alarm its enemies arose to oppose it openly. They made repeated attacks on Zwingli, trying to silence the teacher of heresy. The bishop of Constance sent three deputies to the Council of Zurich, accusing Zwingli of endangering the peace and order of society. If the authority of the church were set aside, he urged, complete anarchy would result. 5TC 107.4

The council declined to take action against Zwingli, and Rome prepared for a fresh attack. The Reformer exclaimed: “Let them come on. I fear them like the rocky cliff fears the waves that thunder at its feet.”^{9James A. Wylie, History of Protestantism, book 8, chapter 11.} The efforts of the church officials only helped the cause that they were trying to overthrow. The truth continued to spread. In Germany its followers, discouraged 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 reduction of crime and the promotion of order. 5TC 108.1

Debate With Rome's Representatives

When they saw how little persecution had accomplished in suppressing Luther's work in Germany, the representatives of Rome decided they would hold a debate with Zwingli. They would make sure of victory by choosing not only the place of combat but the judges that would decide between the two sides. And if they could just get Zwingli in their power, they would see to it that he did not escape. This intention, however, they carefully concealed. 5TC 108.2

The debate was scheduled to be held at Baden. But the Council of Zurich, suspecting the plans of Rome's representatives and warned by the fires lit in the papal cantons to burn those who accepted the gospel, forbade their pastor to venture into such a dangerous situation. 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 great many scholars and church officials, was the champion of Rome. 5TC 108.3

The Roman side chose all the secretaries, and everyone else was forbidden to take notes, on pain of death. Even so, a student attending the debate made a record each evening of the arguments presented that day. Two other students undertook to deliver these papers to Zwingli at Zurich, with the daily letters of Oecolampadius. Zwingli answered, giving counsel. To avoid being caught by the guard at the city gates, these messengers brought baskets of poultry on their heads and were permitted to pass without trouble. 5TC 109.1

Myconius said that Zwingli “has labored more by his deep thoughts, his sleepless nights, and the advice that he transmitted to Baden, than he would have done by discussing in person surrounded by his enemies.”^{10J. H. Merle D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book 11, chapter 13.} 5TC 109.2

Rome's representatives had come to Baden in their richest robes and glittering with jewels. They ate luxuriously from tables spread with costly delicacies and choice wines. In contrast to this, the Reformers had simple, inexpensive food that kept them only a short time at the table. Oecolampadius's landlord sometimes watched him in his room. Finding him always studying or praying he reported that the heretic was at least “very pious.” 5TC 109.3

At the conference, “Eck haughtily ascended a pulpit splendidly decorated, while the humble Oecolampadius, poorly clothed, was forced to take his seat in front of his opponent on a crudely carved stool.” Eck's loud voice and limitless assurance never failed him. As the defender of the faith, he was to be rewarded by a handsome fee. When he didn’t have better arguments, he resorted to insults and even swearing. 5TC 109.4

Oecolampadius, modest and self-distrustful, did not relish the combat. Yet although he was gentle and courteous in conduct, he proved himself capable and unflinching. He held firmly to the Scriptures. “Custom,” he said, “has no force in our Switzerland, unless it agrees with the constitution. Now, in matters of faith, the Bible is our constitution.”^{11J. H. Merle D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, book 11, chapter 13.} 5TC 109.5

The calm, clear reasoning of the Reformer, presented so gently and modestly, appealed to minds that turned in disgust from Eck's boastful claims. 5TC 109.6

The discussion continued eighteen days. Rome's representatives claimed the victory. Most of the delegates sided with Rome, and the council pronounced the Reformers defeated and declared that they and Zwingli were cut off from the church. But the contest resulted in new energy for the Protestant cause. Not long afterward, the important cities of Bern and Basel declared for the Reformation. 5TC 110.1