History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century Volume III Part 43

[595] Wie die Apostel von dem Engel Gottes gelediget. Bull. Chr. p.

261.

[Sidenote: THE PROPHET BLAUROCK.]

A monk, who had escaped from his convent, George Jacob of Coire, surnamed Blaurock, as it would seem, from the blue dress he constantly wore, joined their sect, and from his eloquence was denominated _a second Paul_. This daring monk travelled from place to place, constraining many, by his imposing fervour, to receive his baptism.

One Sunday, when at Zollikon, the impetuous monk interrupted the deacon as he was preaching, calling out in a voice of thunder: "It is written, _My house is a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves_." Then raising the staff he carried in his hand, he struck four violent blows.

"I am a door," exclaimed he; "whosoever entereth by me shall find pasture. I am a good shepherd. My body I give to the prison; my life I give to the sword, the stake, or the wheel. I am the beginning of the baptism and of the bread of the Lord."[596]

[596] Ich bin ein Anfanger der Taufe und des Herrn Brodes. Fussl.

Beytr. i. 264.

While Zwingle was opposing this torrent in Zurich, Saint Gall was soon inundated with it. Grebel arrived there, and was received by the brethren with acclamations; and on Palm Sunday he proceeded to the banks of the Sitter with a great number of his adherents, whom he there baptized.

[Sidenote: ZWINGLE TO THE PEOPLE OF ST. GALL.]

The news quickly spread through the adjoining cantons, and a great crowd flocked from Zurich, Appenzel, and several other places to the "Little Jerusalem."

Zwingle's heart was wrung at the sight of this agitation. He saw a storm bursting on these districts where the seed of the Gospel was just beginning to spring up.[597] Resolving to oppose these sentiments on baptism,[598] he wrote a treatise on that subject,[599] which the council of St. Gall, to whom it was addressed, ordered to be read in the church before all the people.

[597] Mich beduret seer das ungewitter. Zw. to Council of St. Gall, ii. 230.

[598] See Vol. I. p. 145 bot.

[599] Vom Tauf, vom Widertauf, und vom Kindertauf. Zw. to Council of St. Gall, ii. 230.

"My dear brethren in the Lord," said Zwingle, "the water of the torrents that issue from our rocks carries with it everything within its reach. At first it is only small stones; but these dash violently against larger ones, until at last the torrent becomes so strong that it carries away all it meets, and leaves in its track wailing and vain regrets, and fertile meadows changed into a wilderness. The spirit of strife and self-righteousness acts in a similar manner: it excites discord, destroys charity, and where it found beautiful and flourishing churches, leaves behind it nothing but flocks plunged into mourning and desolation."

Thus spoke Zwingle, the child of the Tockenburg mountains. "Give us the Word of G.o.d," exclaimed one who was present in the church; "and not the word of Zwingle." Immediately confused voices were heard: "Away with the book! away with the book!" shouted the mult.i.tude. After this they rose and quitted the church, crying out: "You may keep the doctrine of Zwingle; as for us, we will keep the Word of G.o.d."[600]

[600] So wollen wir Gottes Wort haben. Ibid. 237.

The fanaticism now broke forth into the most lamentable disorders.

Maintaining that the Lord had exhorted us to become like children, these unhappy creatures began to clap their hands, and skip about in the streets, to dance in a ring, sit on the ground, and tumble each other about in the dust. Some burnt the New Testament, saying: "The letter killeth, the Spirit giveth life." Others, falling into convulsions, pretended to have revelations from the Holy Ghost.

[Sidenote: JOHN SCHUCKER AND SONS.]

In a solitary house on the Mullegg near St. Gall, lived an aged farmer, John Schucker, with his five sons. They had all of them, including the domestics, received the new religion; and two of the sons, Thomas and Leonard, were distinguished for their fanaticism. On Shrove Tuesday (7th February 1526), they invited a large party to their house, and their father killed a calf for the feast. The viands, the wine, and this numerous a.s.sembly, heated their imaginations; the whole night was pa.s.sed in fanatical conversation and gesticulations, convulsions, visions, and revelations.[601]

[601] Mit wunderbaren geperden und gesprachen, verzucken, gesichten und offenbarungen. Bull. Chr. i. 324.

In the morning, Thomas, still agitated by this night of disorder, and having, as it would seem, lost his reason, took the calf's bladder, and placing in it part of the gall, intending thus to imitate the symbolical language of the prophets, approached his brother Leonard, saying with a gloomy voice: "Thus bitter is the death thou art to suffer!" He then added: "Brother Leonard, kneel down!" Leonard fell on his knees; shortly after, "Brother Leonard, arise!" Leonard stood up.

The father, brothers, and others of the company looked on with astonishment, asking themselves what G.o.d would do. Thomas soon resumed: "Leonard, kneel down again!" He did so. The spectators, alarmed at the gloomy countenance of the wretched man, said to him: "Think of what you are about, and take care that no mischief happens."--"Fear not," replied Thomas, "nothing will happen but the will of the Father." At the same time he hastily caught up a sword, and striking a violent blow at his brother, kneeling before him as a criminal before the executioner, he cut off his head, exclaiming: "Now the will of the Father is accomplished." All the bystanders recoiled with horror at the deed; and the farm resounded with groans and lamentations. Thomas, who had nothing on but a shirt and trousers, rushed barefooted and bareheaded out of the house, ran to St. Gall with frenzied gestures, entered the house of the burgomaster Joachim Vadian, and said to him with haggard looks and wild cries: "I proclaim to thee the day of the Lord!" The frightful news soon spread through St. Gall. "He has slain his brother, as Cain slew Abel," said the people.[602] The culprit was seized. "It is true I did it," he continually repeated; "but it is G.o.d who did it through me." On the 16th of February, this unhappy creature lost his head by the sword of the executioner. Fanaticism had made its last effort. Men's eyes were opened, and, according to an old historian, the same blow took off the head of Thomas Schucker and of fanaticism in Saint Gall.

[602] Glych wie Kain den Abel sinen Bruder ermort hat! Bull. Chron. i.

324.

[Sidenote: DISCUSSION AT ZURICH.]

It still prevailed at Zurich. On the 6th of November in the preceding year, a public discussion on the subject of infant baptism[603] had been held in the council hall, when Zwingle and his friends proposed the following theses:--

"Children born of believing parents are children of G.o.d, like those who were born under the Old Testament, and consequently may receive baptism.[603]

"Baptism[603] under the New Testament is what circ.u.mcision was under the Old; consequently, baptism ought now to be administered to children, as circ.u.mcision was formerly.

"We cannot prove the custom of re-baptizing[603] either by examples, texts, or arguments drawn from Scripture; and those who are re-baptized crucify Jesus Christ afresh."

[603] See note, Vol. I. p. 145.

[Sidenote: LIMITS OF THE REFORMATION.]

But the dispute was not confined to religious questions; they called for the abolition of t.i.thes, on the ground that they were not of Divine appointment. Zwingle replied, that the maintenance of the schools and churches depended on the t.i.thes. He desired a complete religious reform; but was decided not to permit the public order or political inst.i.tutions to be in the least degree shaken. This was the limit at which he perceived that word from heaven, written by the hand of G.o.d, "Hitherto shalt thou come, and no farther."[604] It was necessary to stop somewhere, and here Zwingle and the reformers halted, in spite of those headstrong men who endeavoured to hurry them farther still.

[604] Job x.x.xviii. 11.

But if the reformers halted, they could not stop the enthusiasts, who seemed placed at their sides as if in contrast with their discretion and prudence. It was not enough for them to have formed a church; this church in their eyes was the state. When they were summoned before the tribunals, they declared they did not recognise the civil authority, that it was only a remnant of paganism, and that they would obey no other power than G.o.d. They taught that it was not lawful for Christians to fill public offices, or to carry the sword; and resembling in this respect certain irreligious enthusiasts that have sprung up in our days, they looked upon a community of goods as the perfection of humanity.[605]

[605] Fussli Beytrage, i. 229-258; ii. 263.

Thus the danger was increasing; the existence of civil society was threatened. It rose up to reject from its bosom these destructive elements. The government, in alarm, suffered itself to be hurried into strange measures. Being resolved to make an example, it condemned Mantz to be drowned. On the 5th of January 1527, he was placed in a boat; his mother (the aged concubine of the canon) and his brother were among the crowd that followed him to the water's edge. "Persevere unto the end," exclaimed they. When the executioner prepared to throw Mantz into the lake, his brother burst into tears; but his mother, calm and resolute, witnessed with dry and burning eyes the martyrdom of her son.[606]

[606] Ohne das er oder die Mutter, sondern nur der Bruder, geweinet.

Hott. Helv. K. Gesch. iii. 385.

On the same day Blaurock was scourged with rods. As they were leading him outside of the city, he shook his blue cloak and the dust from off his feet against the state of Zurich.[607] It would appear that two years later this unhappy creature was burnt alive by the Roman-catholics of the Tyrol.

[607] Und schuttlet sinen blauen Rock und sine Schuh uber die Statt Zurich. Bull. Chr. i. 382.

[Sidenote: LIBERTY AND INTOLERANCE.]

Undoubtedly a spirit of rebellion existed; no doubt the old ecclesiastical law, condemning heretics to death, was still in force, and the Reformation could not in one or two years reform every error; and further, there is no question that the Romish states would have accused the Protestant states of encouraging disorder if they had not punished these enthusiasts; but these considerations may explain, although they cannot justify, the severity of the magistrates. They might have taken measures against everything that infringed the civil authority; but religious errors, being combated by the teachers, should have enjoyed complete liberty before the civil tribunals. Such opinions are not to be expelled by the scourge; they are not drowned by throwing their professors into the water; they float up again from the depth of the abyss; and fire but serves to kindle in their adherents a fiercer enthusiasm and thirst for martyrdom. Zwingle, with whose sentiments on this subject we are acquainted, took no part in these severities.[608]

[608] Quod homines seditiosi, reipublicae turbatores, magistratuum hostes, justa Senatus sententia, d.a.m.nati sunt, num id Zwinglio fraudi esse poterit? Rod. Gualteri Ep. ad lectorem, Opp. 1544, ii.

CHAPTER XI.

Progression and Immobility--Zwingle and Luther--Luther's Return to Scholasticism--Respect for Tradition--Occam--Contrary Tendency in Zwingle--Beginning of the Controversy--colampadius and the Swabian Syngramma--Strasburg mediates.

It was not, however, on baptism[609] alone that diversities were to prevail; more serious differences were to arise on the doctrine of the Lord's Supper.

[609] Vol. I. p. 145, bot.

[Sidenote: PROGRESSION AND IMMOBILITY.]

The human mind, freed from the yoke that had pressed upon it for so many ages, made use of its liberty; and if Roman-catholicism has to fear the shoals of despotism, Protestantism is equally exposed to those of anarchy. Progression is the character of Protestantism, as immobility is that of Romanism.