of these painful subjects, however, need we enlarge. They have all been treated of at sufficient length for the purposes of this history, in Dr. Milner's part of the work. We only here then remark, with respect to the last-mentioned of these evils which infested the church, that we have not yet arrived at that period at which my excellent predecessor finds reason to censure the intolerance of Zwingle and of the council of Zuric. Hitherto the disorders of the anabaptists had drawn upon them nothing beyond gentle chastisement in the reformed cantons, though in the popish states some of them had suffered a cruel death.1

Milner, v.

1 Ruchat, i. 277-291. Gerd. ii. 316-318. 496, 504-514. (1095, 1104--1114.) Zwingle published his treatise "De Baptismo" (I believe his first work on the subject,) in May, 1525.-The assertion of the fair translator of Hess's Life of Zwingle, that," had not the fanatics rendered adult baptism the badge of their sect, Zwingle would apparently have embraced it, as most conformable to the scriptural notion of that rite," may perhaps convey her own sentiments concerning the disputed question of baptism, but that it states a fact concerning the reformer I find no reason to believe. I apprehend it to be a mere gratuitous assumption. The three theses maintained by Zwingle at the great disputation with the anabaptists in November, 1525, at which Joner of Cappel, Schmidt of Kusnacht, Hoffmeister of Schaffhausen, and Vadian of S. Gallen, presided, were "1. That infants born of believing parents are the children of God, as they were under the Old Testament: 2. That baptism under the New Testament is the same thing with circumcision under the Old: 3. That the practice of rebaptizing cannot be sup ported from scripture; and that they who are rebaptized crucify Jesus Christ afresh." The last clause must be acknowledged to be a strange addition.

I cannot but express a hope and belief, that the very painful sentence which Dr. Milner (v. (1126,) 526,) quotes from one of Zwingle's latest works-" Cum interim somniantes Catabaptista merito somnium dormiant apud inferos, a quo nunquam expergefiant "-does not convey the dreadful

A. D. 1525.

CHAP.

XVI.

Though, then, we close the present chapter with an allusion to painful facts, we must remember with thankfulness that the general course of the events which it details is highly gratifying, and such as leaves the cause of the reformation in a very promising degree of establishment in Switzerland.

idea of consigning them to the everlasting pains of "HELL," but only that of somewhat indefinitely abandoning them to that sleep of the soul for which they foolishly contended. It does not need to be made worse than it really is.

CHAPTER XVII.

'PROGRESS OF THE SWISS REFORMATION TO THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR 1527.

A. D. 1525.

the refor

We have brought down the history of the reformation of Zuric to the middle of the year 1525. Let us now cast our eyes around upon Progress of the neighbouring cantons, and review the pro- mationgress which the same work was making in them. We shall notice only those places where, though powerful opposition might be offered, it was eventually overcome, and some decisive success at length obtained.

Berne may first claim our attention. Here at Berne; the advance was at present but slow. In April, 1524, the council, in consequence of the deviations from established usage which had taken place, published an edict forbidding the clergy to marry, on pain of deprivation; as also the eating of meat in lent, and speaking against the invocation of the saints. At the same time, however, they required the priests to put away their concubines, under a like penalty: and they assured the people of Zuric of their friendly disposition towards them.-The bishop of Lausanne having liberated an impostor whom the council had imprisoned for selling fictitious indulgences, they expostulated very freely with him: and, when he attempted to exact an impost from the priests of Morat out

CHAP.
XVII.

of the profits of the masses there celebrated,
they plainly told him that they would not suffer
it to be paid.-Disputes frequently arose in the
city on account of the contrary doctrines preach-
ed by the friends and the opponents of the re-
formation. Heim, a Dominican, having said in
the pulpit, "that Jesus Christ had not, accord-
ing to the dogmas of the new evangelist, alone
made satisfaction for us, but that each one must
make it for himself; " two of his hearers ex-
claimed that he taught false doctrine. The
offenders were committed to prison; and the
council caused both them, and Heim, and Sebas-
tian Meyer,' the reformer, to be brought before
them; and, having heard the two latter dispute
together for some time, they resolved, in hope of
promoting the peace of the city, to banish them
both from it. Meyer retired to Basle: 2 but
Haller still continued to prosecute his labours
at Berne. In the month of November the coun-
cil renewed, for substance, their two former
edicts, commanding that the gospel should be
faithfully preached, but that at the same time
the customary observances should be retained.
They, however, in this edict, made light of
papal excommunication, and of dispensations
and indulgences granted for money; observing,
that "what was lawful on the payment of money
could not be unlawful without it.'
But they
deprived three canons for marrying-or rather
two of them; for the third, Thuring Rust, abbot
of Troud, voluntarily resigned his preferment in
order to marry; and supported himself by a
mechanical trade, till on the establishment of
the reformation he became minister of Laupers-
weil. 3

1 Above, p. 382, 423.

2 Gerd. ii. 263 (c). 3 Ru. i. 218-226. Gerd. ii. 262-264.

In the former part of the ensuing year, the proceedings of the council were more decidedly favourable. As before observed, they adopted, but with considerable improvements, the scheme of reformation proposed by the Romancatholic cantons. In doing this, they allowed every one to think and act as he pleased respecting the recitation of the canonical hours, the doctrine of purgatory, and some other particulars they resolved not to deprive married priests they forbad absolutely the sale of indulgences, and the admission of strangers, sent by the court of Rome, to benefices: and, "as the bishops and other ecclesiastical judges did not punish offending churchmen as they deserved, but rather connived at their crimes, (by which means wickedness daily increased, and disturbed the good order of society,)" they determined in future to punish such persons in the same manner as their lay fellow-subjects. They also sanctioned the reading of the scriptures, and of books which were conformable to them: and they concluded with enjoining the different parties to live in peace, and to abstain from mutual reproaches.-In all this we read with pleasure of what tended to open the door to the admission and diffusion of divine truth: but on the present, as on many other occasions, we have to lament that we are so much more fully informed what governments and magistrates were induced to do, than what was more directly effected by the preaching of the gospel. Not only did a Carthusian monk, who was much respected, now surprise the people of Berne by quitting his order and marrying; but, towards the end of the year, Watteville, 1 Above, p. 509.

A. D.

1525.