it was reported that our gracious Lord of Constance was about to call together the scholars in his bishopric, also the preachers of the neighboring bishoprics and parishes, to advise, help and treat with them, so that a unanimous decision might be reached and each one wculd know what to rely on, but since until now by our gracious Lord of Constance, perhaps from good reasons, not much has been done in this matter, and since more and more disputes are arising among ecclesiasts and laymen, therefore once more the mayor, council and great council of the city of Zurich, in the name of God, for the sake of peace-and-Christian- unanimity, have fixed this day, and for the advantage of the praiseworthy embassy of our gracious Lord of Constance (for which they gave their gracious, high and careful thanks) have also for this purpose by means of open letter, as stated above, written, called and sent for all secular clergy, preachers and spiritual guides, together and individually, from all their counties into their city, in order that in the examination they might con- front with each other those mutually accusing each other of being heretics. But since Master Ulrich Zwingli, canon and preacher of the Great. Minster in the city of Zurich, has been formerly much talked against and blamed for his teachings, yet no one, upon his declaring and explaining his Articles, has arisen against him or attempted to overcome him by means of the Scriptures, and when he has several times also called upon those who have accused him of being a heretic to step forward, and no one showed in the least heresy in his doctrines, thereupon the aforesaid mayor, council and great council of this city of Zurich, in order to quell disturbance and dispute, upon due |,, deliberation and consultation have decided, resolved, and it is ip i their earnest opinion, that Master. Ulrich Zwingli continue and Me keep on as before to proclaim the holy Gospel: and the Correct tf" divine Scriptures with the spirit of God.in accordance with hi capabilities so long and so frequently.until something | better i is made known to him. F urthermore, all your secular clergy, spiritual guides and preachers in your cities and counties and estates shall undertake and preach nothing except what they can defend by the Gospels and other right divine Scriptures; furthermore, they shall in no wise in the future slander, call each other heretic or insult in such manner. Those which seem contrary and do not obey will be restrained in such manner that they must see and discover that they have committed wrong. Done the Thursday after Carolus, in the city of Zurich, on the 29th day of January, in the vear 7573.
Thereupon Master Ulrich Zwingli arose and spoke thus: * God be praised and thanked whose divine word will reign in heaven and upon earth. And you, my lords of Zurich, the eternal God doubtlessly will also in other affairs lend strength and might, so that you may in future advance and preach the truth of God, the divine Gospel, in your country. Do not doubt that Almighty God will make it good and reward you in other matters. Amen.
Whether this decision having been read pleased the vicar of Constance or not I really don’t know, for he spoke thus:f Dear gentlemen, much has been spoken to-day against the praiseworthy old traditions, usage and ordinance of the holy popes and fathers, whose ordinances and decrees have until now been held in all Christendom true, just and sinless.} To pro- * [“‘Zwingli spoke with great joy after the aforesaid decision had been read.’’ (Bullinger.)]
+ [‘‘And first here the vicar became angry, saying: My dear gentlemen, I read to-day Master Ulrich’s Articles for the first time, which before I had had no time to glance over.’’ (Bullinger. )] t[‘**‘ You know that it is true that before I or all priests had come to Ziirich no one knew your word, whereon the dispute was based, and I tell you that I would have thought sooner of death than that there should be a debate at Ziirich concerning the intercession of the saints. Hence you probably marked well that I said I thought I had come to Ziirich, but I see I am in Picardy, and this saying I explained to be from the herex N é \ Ps x Pf NW a Br THE FIRST ZURICH DISPUTATION. 95 tect and maintain this I have offered myself to the high councils. But now when for the first time to-day I have looked and glanced through the Articles of Master Ulrich (for I have not read them before), it seems to me truly that these are wholly and entirely at variance with and opposing the ritual (7. e., opposed to the praiseworthy splendor and glory of the churches done and decreed for the praise and honor of God), to the loss of the divine teaching of Christ. This I shall prove.
ZWINGLI.
Sir Vicar, do it. We would like to hear that very much.
VICAR.
It is written, Luke ix. 50: Qui non est adversum vos, etc. “He that is not against us is for us.” Now these praiseworthy services or splendor of the churches (like fasting, confession, having festival days, singing, reading, consecrating,* reading mass and other similar things) have always been decreed and ordered by the holy fathers, not against God, but only for the praise and tic Picard. Hence although I was not prepared nor thought about the matter, still I desired to argue concerning it, and show wherewith I had proved the im- prisoned priest to he in error whom you wished to make a bishop, so that you also might fall into the Arian heresy.’ (Faber.) And before he said: ‘ Master Ulrich had published the 67 articles only a day before this session, and before any one at Constance or any other city knew a word of it, and Master Ulrich also admitted it may perchance have been issued too late.’ Werner Steiner remarks in writing: ‘These (the Articles) were handed to him by the pastor of Frauen- feld ¢ on the journey hither, about 2 or 3 days ago.’ ’’ ] * [From the saying of Luke ix. not six words have been quoted. (‘¢ Gyrn- zupfen. Ja + Picard, the founder of an heretical sect of the Manichean order, the Picard- ists, in the 15th century. The customary charge of immorality was brought against them. It spread from its home in Picardy to France and Germany, finally to Bohemia, where it was ruthlessly lee by the great Hussite leader, Ziska, in 1421. i} DA fy a4 GS ha Ee one miles northeast of Zurie - IN „ eX 5 a A Put ei é MAY, MY oo ads 96 ZWINGLI SELECTIONS.
honor of God Almighty, and it seems very strange and unjust to me to consider and refute them as though wrong.
ZWINGLI.
When my Sir Vicar speaks and quotes from the Gospel, “ He that is not against us is for us,” I say that is true. “Now the customs and ordinances of the Church are ordered and decreed by men, not against God,” etc. Sir Vicar, prove that. For Christ always despises human ordinance and decree, as we have in Matt. xv. 1-9. When the Jews and Pharisees blamed and attacked the Lord because his disciples did not obey the doc- trine and ordinance of the ancients Christ said to them: “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradi- tion?’ etc. And the Lord spoke further: “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and knoweth me with their lips, but } their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” One sees >» here that God does not desire our decree and doctrine when \ they do not originate with Him, despises them, and says we 4 serve Him in vain, which also St. Paul shows to us when he “writes thus: Dear brethren, let no man beguile you by human _ wisdom and deceit, in accordance with the doctrine or decree AY, of men, in accordance with the doctrines of this world, and not _ those of Christ. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or Hs in drink, or in respect of a holiday, or of a new moon, or of the » Sabbath days. Which are a shadow of things to come,” etc. “S Col. ii. 16 ff. God wants from us His decree, His will alone, not our opinion. God the Lord cares more for obedience to His word (although they use the word “obedience” for human obedience) than for all our sacrifices and self-created church N usages, as we have it in all the divine writings of the prophets, W twelve apostles and saints. The greatest and correct honor to show to God is to obey His word, to live according to His ler not according to our ordinances igi best opinion.
a ‘N N ra THE FIRST ZURICH DISPUTATION. 97 VICAR.
Christ said, according to John xvi. 12: “TI have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.” Much has been inaugurated by the holy fathers inspired by the Holy Ghost, and especially the fasts and the Saturday by the twelve apostles, which also is not described in the Gospel, in which doubtlessly the Holy Ghost taught and instructed them.* ZWINGLI.
ZWINGLI.
Sir Vicar, prove from the Scriptures that the twelve apostles have inaugurated Saturday and fasts. Christ said in the afore- said place the Spirit of God will teach them all truth, without doubt not human weaknesses. For he spoke according to John xiv. 26: “The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you (the twelve apostles are meant) all things, and bring all things to your remembrance (advise and recall) whatsoever I have said unto you.” As if he said un- doubtedly, not what you think fit, but what the Holy Ghost teaches you in my name in accordance with the truth, not with human thoughts. Now then the holy apostles have never taught, inaugurated, ordered and decreed otherwise than as Christ had told them in the Gospel. For Christ said to them, ye are my friends if ye do that which I have decreed and commanded. This the dear disciples diligently did, and did not teach otherwise than as the right Master had sent them to teach and instruct, which is proven by the epistles of St. Paul and St. Peter. Hence your arguments cannot avail anything. For that I can say truly that I could name more than sixty in this room from among my * (“Also the saying John xvi. 12 I did not refer to, for I knew the verse did not belong here; just as little did I say about fasting Saturdays.’’ (Faber.) Hereupon Heinrich Wolf maintains he referred to the quotation from John xvi.: Christ still had many things to say to the disciples, but they could not bear it now, and Zwingli answered him, and showed how he had distorted the word of Christ. (“‘ Gyrenrupfen.”)]
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lords, laymen not learned in the Scriptures, who all could refute your argument as presented until now, and by means of the Gospel overcome and refute.
VICAR.
Very well, Master Ulrich, do you admit that, that one should only keep what is writ in the Gospel, and nothing besides? Do you admit that? ZWINGLI.
Sir Vicar, I pity you that you present such sophistical, hair- splitting or useless arguments. Perhaps I could also indulge in such devices, perchance I have also read it formerly in the sophists, hence I do not wish to be entrapped by such subter- fuges and tricks. I shall answer and argue with the pure Scrip- tures, saying there it is written. That is befitting a scholar, to defend his cause by the Scriptures.
VICAR.
You have read in St. Paul that he accepted and taught tradi- tions which formerly were not written in the Gospel.* [Zwingli *[«“ That I said and say still, that we are bound to hold many things that are not openly written, but which the Church holds and we believe, and furthermore have been reported by the teachers of the first churches as having come to us by order of the 12 apostles; thus I wished to prove that the forty days’ fast, also the Sunday which in the Apocalypse St. John calls ‘diem dominicam,’ was decreed by the 12 disciples; if we do not wish to despise, depose or suppress them, then it is fitting that what so many centuries by Christendom generally, also by the heretics, has been held we should also keep, even if it be not openly printed in the Scriptures.’’ Further- more he remarks: ‘‘It is a harmful error not to admit anything unless it be expressly described in the Scriptures. The Sadduceans also denied the resur- rection because it was not expressed in the Scriptures. I praise you all that you preach the Gospel and St. Paul, for that is the right rock. But what we have also from the time of the 12 apostles you should not cast so carelessly aside. If your speech were true we would be obliged to leave the ‘symbolo apostolorum,’ the ‘homoousio,’ yes from the persons in the Godhead, from free will; we no more could believe that Anna was the mother of Mary,’’ etc.
(Faber. )] (Faber. )] alien” At fk ALAND { 4 i: Lt A th AAA Ag a (LAs ge 10 {A ape THE FIRST ZURICH eet ta ow MM gp J A 8 gf interrupts: That we wish to hear.] For whee i en. among the Corinthians the custom of the sacrament as he ww. Pai received it from the Lord he said among other things: Cete cum venero, disponam. 1 Cor. xi. 34. “And the rest will I set in order when I come.” There St. Paul announces that he will further teach them to honor and to use the sacrament. But that such was true, and that the twelve apostles gave instruc- tions, presenting them as traditions which were not decreed by the Gospel, I shall prove from St. Paul to the Thessalonians. Master Ulrich interrupts, asking: Where is it written? The vicar answers: You will find it in the second chapter. Zwingli says: We will look at it. But it is not there; we will look for it in the last epistle. But very well, continue. The vicar answers: ‘Thus says St. Paul: Nos autem debemus gratias agere, etc. 2 Thess. ii. 13-15. “But we are bound to give thanks always to God of you, brethren beloved, etc., because God hath chosen you to salvation, etc., through belief of the truth, where- unto he called you by our gospel, etc. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions (7. e., teachings) which ye have been taught, whether by our word or our epistle.” [Here Master Ulrich said: He is misusing the Scriptures; I shall prove it.] Saint Paul says here that one should stand fast and hold the traditions, whether emanating from his words or his epistle. This is proof that he taught and instructed that which formerly had not been written, but clearly and openly invented.
ZWINGLI.
In the first place, when he says St. Paul gave traditions to the people of Corinth which before had not been decreed, I say no, for he says in the same place: “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you.” But when he says: “And the rest will I set in order when I come,” it does not mean what the vicar says; on the contrary he is punishing the Corin- thians on account of misuse and mistake in the taking and use 10o ZWINGLI SELECTIONS.
of the divine sacrament. For of the wealthy, who assembled in the churches for the sacrament, some overate themselves and became satiated, while the other poor people, at times hungry, had nothing to eat. This is what St. Paul complains of when he writes: What! have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? as if he were saying the sacrament is not for the necessity of the body, but as a food for the souls. Therefore St. Paul concludes: “And the rest will I set in order when I come.” Not that he wishes to teach otherwise than as Christ has ordered him, but in order to stop and better their misuse does he say this, which the Word shows: Tradidi vobis, etc.
Secondly, since Sir Vicar pretends that human ordinance and teaching are to be held, this also is not written in the Gospel; he refers to St. Paul to the Thessalonians, where he writes: “Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle.”” I say Paul did not speak, teach, write or instruct in anything except what the Lord had ordered him. For he testifies everywhere, and also proves it to be true, to have written or preached naught except the Gospel of Christ, which God had promised before in the Scriptures of His Son through the prophets.* VICAR.
Master Ulrich, you said in your Articles that the mass is no offering. Now I shall prove that for 1400 years “ missal”’ has been considered a sacrifice and called an offering. For “‘missa”’ is a Hebrew word, known by us as sacrifice, and also the apostles were known as “ missam sacrificium.”
Zwingli: Sir Vicar, prove that. Vicar: To-day I spoke asa Vicar; now I speak as a John. Zwingli: Yes indeed; had you long before to-day taken off your vicar’s hat it would have suited you well at times to-day; then one could have spoken * [““ And the traditions do not disagree with the Scriptures, so that when the apostles wrote one thing another was opposed to it.’’ (Bullinger.) ] A a N fe Ak h* \) THE FIRST ZURICH DISPUTATION. 101 with you as with a John.* I say that you should prove from the Scriptures that the mass is a sacrifice, for, as St. Paul says, Heb. ix. 12, 25, 26, Christ not more than once was sacrificed, not by other blood, but “ by his own blood he entered once into the holy place,” etc., nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priests in the Old Testament had to do for the sin of the people, for then must Christ often have suffered. Likewise, St. Paul writes, Heb. x. 12, 14, “But this man after he had offered one sacrifice forever sat down on the right hand of God.” \ Likewise, “ For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” Likewise, By so much does this sacrifice ’ surpass the sacrifices in the Old Testament fulfilled by the highs) priest, by so much more powerful is this declared to be that it was sufficient once for the sins of all people. Heb. vii. 22-274" Who is so unreasonable as not to note that Christ must never be — sacrificed in the mass as a sacrifice for us when he hears that the * (Hans Hab remarks: ‘‘ Faber attacked the Articles severely, but could not prove that they are unchristian. It happened thus, when after din- ner the decision was read: Just like the peasant boys, you first began in earnest after the matter was closed, and even then you did not wish to attack any Article, to make it unchristian by means of the Scriptures, as you attacked them, but you raised the Articles in your own hand and said: Now I do not wish to speak as a vicar, but as a John, and I say, Master Ulrich, that your Articles are not like unto the truth, and are not based upon the Gos- pel and the writings of the apostles.’’ Zwingli answered: ‘‘ Sir Vicar, if you had taken off your hat long ago one could have treated about something. But in answer to your speech I spoke thus: You shall prove your wicked speech with the deed, and do well and attack only one Article, so that we may not let this day pass by uselessly, for so well are these Articles founded that heaven and earth must break sooner than one of these Articles. Upon this you an- swered, as always before, this was not the place to debate, but you wished to debate in writing and have judges. Thereupon Zwingli answered he was indifferent whether one noted down everything that was spoken, but he wanted no judge over the word of God, for the word of God should judge the people, and not the people the word of God. About that you teased Zwingli, whether he would not take those of Zürich as judges? Zwingli replied, no—so much at this time, although much was still added thereto.’’ (“‘ Gyrenrupfen.”) ] y x4 # pre, a 102 ZWINGLI SELECTIONS.
Holy Ghost speaks from the Scriptures, For not more than once (semel) by one offering he entered into the holy place; otherwise he must die often? Now matters have come to such a state that the papists have made out of the mass a sacrifice for the living and dead, contrary to the joyful Scriptures of God; they wish to protect this also, so that they may defend their name of scholar or their avarice. We also know well that “missa’” does not come from Hebrew or Greek; but you present nothing from the Scriptures. VICAR.
I will do that and prove it before the universities, where learned judges sit. And choose a place, be it Paris, Cologne or Freiburg, whichever you please; then I shall overthrow the Articles Die sented by you and prove them to be wrong.
ZWINGLI.
I am ready, wherever you wish, as also to-day I offered to give answer at Constance, if a safe conduct (as to you here) is prom- ised to me and respected. But no judge I want, except the Scriptures, as they have been said and spoken by the Spirit of God; no human being, whichsoever it be; and before you overthrow one Article the earth must be overthrown, for they are the Word of God.
VICAR.
VICAR.
This is a queer affair. When, e. g., two are quarreling about an acre or about a meadow, they are sent before a judge. Him they also accept, and you refuse to allow these matters to come before a judge. How would this be if I should propose that you take my lords of Zurich as judges? Would you not accept these and allow them to judge?
ZWINGLI.
In worldly affairs and in quarrels I know well that one should go before the judges with the disputes, and I also would choose and have as judges my lords of Zurich, since they possess justice.
But in these matters, which pertain to divine wisdom and truth, I will accept no one as judge and witness except.the.Scriptures, the Spirit of God speaking from the Scriptures,, VICAR.
How would it be if you chose a judge and I also one, both impartial, be it here or somewhere else, would you not be satisfied what these two recognized and pronounced as true sentence?
Hereupon Sir Fritz von Anwyl, major-domo of the bishop of Constance, spoke: Must we then all believe as those two, and not hold otherwise?
Hereupon there was a laugh, so that the vicar became silent and answered nothing. But when it had again become quiet the vicar spoke thus: Christ in the Gospel * says, Matt. xxviii. 20, He will remain with us even unto the end of the world. In another place [ Matt. ], xxvi. 11, he says: “For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.’ Now if there were no one who decided concerning these sayings, who could know how one should grasp these two sayings thus opposed to each other? One must then have a judge. ¥ ) I ig « fa d rays MM Me ZWINGLI. | \ \ The Spirit of God decided itself from the Scriptures that the ), Lord is speaking of two kinds of presences, of the corporal and} é the spiritual. The Scripture speaks evidently of the corporal,;»’ presence or bodily attendance of Christ, and declares that Christ” _ died, was buried, arose on the third day, and having ascended to the heavens sits on the right of his Father. Hence one notices |), readily from the Scriptures how one shall understand that when/“ the Lord says: “Me ye have not always.” In the same fashion, Tu when He says He will remain with us even unto the end of the’ world, the Scriptures teach that Christ is the word of God, the wisdom, the will of his heavenly Father, the truth, the way, the *[‘*I shall not be with you always, and then.’’ (Bullinger.) ] 104 ZWINGLI SELECTIONS.
light, the life of all believers. ‘Therefore one evidently sees that spiritually he remains with us unto the end of the world. Hence one needs no other judge besides the divine Scriptures; the only trouble is that we do not search and read them with entire earn- estness.* Thereupon Dr. Martin of Tübingen speaks, saying: You interpret the Scriptures thus according to your judgment, another interprets them another way; hence there must always be people who decide these things and declare the correct mean- ing of the Scriptures, as this is symbolized by the wheels of Eze- kiel LAS?
nA. a Po Vas: ZWINGLI.
AAN “U do not understand the Scriptures different!y than it is inter- ( ‚‚preted by means of the Spirit of God; there is no need of human judgment. We know that the ordinance of God is spiritual, Rom. vii. 14, and is not to be explained by the reasoning of man (| in the flesh. For the corporal man in the flesh does not under- "| stand the things which are of the Spirit of God. 1 Cor. ii. 14. _ Therefore I do not wish to have or accept a man as judge of the “Scriptures.
4M VICAR.
d yf J Arius and Sabelius would still walk on earth or rule if the / matters had not been brought before judges.
ZWINGLI.
I shall do as the fathers, who also conquered by means of the * [““In regard to the quotation from Matt. xxvili. 20, Zwingli gave you (Faber) the following answer: It is true that Christ has promised to remain with us to the end of the world. That he also keeps his promise faithfully, ye pious brethren in Jesus Christ, you should have no doubt. God is with us probably as with no council. For we keep His word, and seek the truth from his word alone. Those who do that, God is with them.’’ (Luchsinger in ‘“ Gyrenrupfen.”)].
+ [“ The Scriptures decide themselves in the presence of men.’’ (Bull- inger.)]
Ar f? f Lj / AAA / „He ge THE FIRST ZURICH DISPUTATION. 105 Scriptures, not by means of human understanding.* For when they were disputing with Arius they did not accept men, but the Scriptures, as judges, as one finds. When Arius said it is also proven by the Scriptures, as he thought, that the Son of God is less than the Father, John xiv. 28, the dear fathers sought the Scriptures, allowing them to judge, and showed that it was written, John x. 30, “I and my Father are one.” Also, xiv. 9, 10, “ He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me?” Also, “ The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” Such declara- tions of the Scriptures the dear fathers considered, and showed that Christ-had-two-natures, human and divine, and ‘proved’ by the Scriptures, | not by the _ judgment. of en, that the saying which Arius quoted, The Father is more than I, referred to the humanity of Christ and the later sayings spoke of the Godhead, as was shown by the Scriptures themselves, and the Scriptures: interpreted the Scriptures, not the fathers the Scriptures. Thus. St. Augustine overcame the Arians, Manicheans, etc.; Jerome the Jovians, Pelagians; Cyprian his opponents and heretics, at the * [““Did you not also hear that thereupon Zwingli answered: A council never overcame a heretic except with the Scriptures, for it would have been useless if one had tried to overcome Arius in another fashion except by the Scripture. Hence he also stood there, demanding that one listen to the Scriptures in regard to all the Articles; these should be judges over him, and according to that he would allow all Christians to recognize not only several, but all, whether he had used the Scriptures rightly or not; and he asked who was judge between Hilary and Arians, between Jerome and Jovian, between Augustine and the Manicheans; with nothing besides the Scriptures they proved their cause, and thus allowed it to come before all people without a single judge. And what you attacked afterwards, just as if he had boasted of great abilities, that you invented. For Zwingli spoke of the rest who were there thus: There are in the hall probably men as learned in Hebrew, Greek and Latin as at Tiibingen, Basel, Freiburg and elsewhere.’’ (Hans Hab in ‘‘Gyrenrupfen.”) He adds thereto: ‘‘ Zurich has probably as many people learned in the three languages as he and his papists in a heap, and who understand the Scriptures better than those at Lyon and Paris.’ ] 8 A MAD AD, kr N ‘ i fe ay AY pe. Atrot N 2 (+ aii ur | zur M LH AN \y ae I, M np Gime de LOO ce yp ZWINGLI SELECTIONS.
same time with books referred to and Scriptures quoted, so that the Scriptures, and not they, were the judges. The Scriptures are so much the same everywhere, the Spirit of God flows so abundantly, walks in them so joyfully, that every diligent reader, in so far as he approaches with humble heart, will decide by means of the Scriptures, taught by the Spirit of God, until he attains the truth. For Christ whenever he argued with the learned Jews and Pharisees referred to the Scriptures, saying: «Search the Scriptures.” John v. 39. Also, “What is written in the law.” Lukex. 26, etc. Therefore I say the matter needs no human judge. But that at various times such matters gener- ally have been brought before human judges and universities is the reason that the priests no longer desired to study, and paid greater attention to wantonness, at times to chess, than reading the Bible. Hence it came about that one considered those scholars and chose them as judges who had attracted unto them- selves only the appearance or diploma of wisdom, who knew naught concerning the right Spirit of God or the Scriptures. But now through the grace of God the divine Gospel and Scriptures ‚have been born and brought to light by means of print (especi- ally at Basel), so that they are in Latin and German, wherefrom every pious Christian who can read or knows Latin can easily inform himself and learn the will of God. This has been attained, God be praised, that now a priest who is diligent may learn and know as much in two or three years concerning the Scriptures as formerly many in ten or fifteen years. Therefore I wish all the priests who have benefices under my lords of Zurich or in their counties, and have them exhorted that each one is diligent and labors to read the Scriptures, and especially those who are preachers and caretakers of the soul, let each one buy a New Testament in Latin, or in German, if he does not understand the Latin or is unable to interpret it. For I also am not ashamed to read German at times, on account of easier presentation. Let one begin to read first the gospel of St. Matthew, especially the THE FIRST ZURICH DISPUTATION. 107 v., vi. and vii. chapters. After that let him read the other gospels, so that he may know what they write and say. After that he should take the Acts. After this the epistles of Paul, but first the one to the Galatians. Then the epistle of St. Peter and other divine texts; thus he can readily form within himself a right Christian life, and become more skillful to teach this better to others also. After that let him work in the Old Testament, in the prophets and other books of the Bible, which, I understand, are soon to appear in print in Latin and German. Let one buy such books, and never mind the sophistical and other empty writings, also the decree and work of the papists, tell and preach ‘to the people the holy Gospel, written by the four evangelists and apostles, then the people will become more willing and skill- ful in leading a peaceful Christian life. For matters have reached such a state that also the Jaymen and women know more of the Scriptures than some priests and clergymen.
Thereupon spoke a priest, decan of Glattfelden: Shall one then not read Gregory or Ambrose, or cite their writings in the pulpit, but only the Gospel?
ZWINGLI.