Huldreich Zwingli
HULDREICH ZWINGLI TO ALL THE MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST. Grace and peace from the Lord. Τί is an old saying, dear brethren, that success is the mother of evils, and this is profoundly true. For since even a little was conceded to the desires of certain ones through our idleness or blindness, these are now
[Zwingli’s Works, ///., 357-437. Translated from the Latin by Henry]
[Preble and George W. Gilmore.]
[On Monday, October 26, 1523, the Second Disputation was held in Zurich,]
[again between Zwingli and the representatives of the Old Faith and other]
[clergy, and in that Disputation for the first time_the Baptist party in Zurich]
[made their appearance. The subject of the debate was what position the]
[reform party should take in regard to the use of images in the churches and in]
[regard to the sacraments. The Baptist party in Zurich were the radicals. The]
[origin of this party was in a sort of inquiry meeting-—that is, some members of]
[Zwingli’s congregation used to meet in a private house and talk over the ser-]
[mons which they had heard from Zwingli, frequently in his presence. Zwingli]
[may have said in these gatherings a good many things which were not for]
[publication, but he had said enough in his public discourses to show this little]
[group of earnest men that he was on the side of a complete break with the Old]
[Church. Zwingli was a very cautious person, and while he saw plainly that his]
[opinions led logically to very radical reforms, he wished to make haste slowly]
[and come at the changes, which he knew would cause considerable sorrow to]
[many conservative people, by successive steps; but the little group referred to]
[wished to accomplish the same results at once, without tarrying for any, and]
[accordingly they started out without first preparing the people for such action]
[to do the things Zwingli had at heart. Thus they made an attack upon]
[churches and stripped them of their ornaments; they refused to observe the]
[church fasts; and what is of more interest in this connection, they declared]
[that the baptism of infants was unscriptural, and therefore should not be]
[observed. Zwingli was very much distressed at the precipitance of his enthu-]
[siastic friends, because such actions were on the side of disorder, and it was]
[very important to guard the growing Reformation from the charge of disorderly]
[conduct. At the same time he could not say that what they did was in itself]
[wrong, as he had himself advocated the removal of all ornaments from the]
[churches, and it is doubtless true that in his earlier addresses from the pulpit]
[he exposed the unbiblical character of the church doctrine upon the general]
so incapable of limiting those desires that they prefer to perish themselves and to destroy others rather than give up what they have begun. An example of this is furnished during the life of Christ among men, and this is repeated now in our times when he has relit the torch of his word, doubtless though to our good.
[subject of baptism, and probable that he inclined towards ruling out infant]
[baptism, as lacking biblical support.]
[The followers of a great teacher are frequently guilty of bringing their master]
[into compromising situations, because they make prominent what he thinks of]
[very small account, although it may be in the line of his teaching, and so Zwingli]
[found himself criticised severely in Zurich when his remarks upon infant baptism]
[were repeated. To those who were brought up to regard baptism as necessary]
[to salvation it was a great shock to be told that the ceremony had no validity.]
[To those who believed that the rite of baptism was the Christian obligation in]
[lieu of circumcision, and just as binding, to hear that there was grave doubt]
[whether it should be so considered was to knock the underpinning from their]
[faith. When Zwingli found that opposition to the popular belief and practice]
[upon this point meant that he would be exposed not only to clerical and lay]
[adverse criticism, but probably would lose him his influence with the city mag-]
[istrates, who were all friends of the Old faith on this doctrine, he devoted a]
[great deal of attention to it, with the result that he convinced himself that as]
[to the subjects of baptism he had been wrong, and henceforth he took the orth-]
[dox side. As Zwingli was an honest man and morally courageous, his change]
[of view should be accepted as sincere, and not as time-serving and hypocritical.]