enim Christiani hominis est propter escam opus Dei destruere, Rom. xiv. 20. Quod si vero quosdam ex illorum numero invenire liceat, qui protervius sese renascenti fidei et religioni opposuerint, idque nullis omnino S. S. testimoniis instructi, iam et illos nullae privatorum hominum iniuriae nullaque vis exagitare debet; sed potius magistratus imperio permittendi sunt, qui de illis pro rei et personae ratione statuet. . .

VII

THE REFORMATION COMPLETED IN ZÜRICH,

1524-5

At the third and last Disputation, 19 Jan. 1524, the Council was advised that Canon Hoffmann and his friends had not made out their case from Holy Scripture (Egli, Aktensammlung, No. 483, 6; Bullinger, Reformationsgeschichte, i, § 84). They therefore gave, 19 Jan., these [No. 201] men of the Old Learning their choice between submission and banishment (Egli, No. 489) but they waited till Whitsuntide to carry reform further. Zürich, as yet, stood alone in the Confederation; and had to meet a remonstrance, 24 Jan., of the Diet of Luzern (Bullinger, i, § 85) by, 21 March, a [No. 202] defence of its policy (ibid. § 93). Finding it safe, at length, to go on, the Council, on Whitsun Eve, 14 May, abolished (Egli, No. 527; Bullinger, i, § 97) the WhitMonday procession to Einsiedeln. Next, in view of the Bishop's vindication, 25 May, of Images and the Mass (ibid. i, § 94), they provided, 15 June (Egli, No. 545), that it should be dealt with by A Christian answer of the Burgomaster and Council of Zürich (Zuinglii Opera, i. 604 sqq.), mainly from Zwingli's pen. They then spent June in [No. 203] casting out organs and relics (Egli, No. 547; Bullinger, i, § 98), and 2-17 July (Egli, No. 552) in putting away images (Bullinger, i, § 103). On 5 Dec. (Egli, No. 598) they (No. 204) dissolved the Religious Houses (Bullinger, i, §§ 129, 130); and, at Zwingli's suggestion (Opera, II. ii. 327) devoted their revenues to education and to relief of the poor. By Christmas 1524 only the Mass remained. But in the De vera et falsa religione Commentarius, which he addressed to Francis I in March 1525, Zwingli delivered a final attack upon it (Opera, iii. 239): and, after representations, II April, from the three city pastors and others, the Council, by a small majority, decreed, 12 April, its abolition (Egli, No. 684). That day, Wednesday in Holy Week [No. 205] Mass was said for the last time in Zürich (ibid.). On Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Day (Bullinger, i, §147) its place was taken by the [No. 206] Action oder Bruch des Nachtmals (Daniel, Codex Liturgicus, iii. 145 sqq.; Zuinglii

Opera, II. ii. 233 sqq.) which Zwingli had already published, 6 April, and afterwards, July 1531, described to the Most Christian King in the appendix to his Fidei Christianae Expositio (Opera, iv. 74; Niemeyer, Collectio Confessionum, 72 sqq.). On 19 June the Choir Office gave way to Bible Readings (Bullinger, i, § 160) or [No. 207] Prophesyings (ibid. ap. Zuinglii Opera, iv. 205). But the new order of things was ill received; and 26 March 1530 and 10 Aug. 1531 [No. 208] the Council had to enforce church-going by edict (ibid. Nos. 1656, 1780).

No. 201. The Council's treatment of the Old

Learning, 19 Jan. 1524.

Whereas in the Disputation with the Canons H. Anshelm Graf, Konrad Hofmann, Rudolf Hofmann, M. Erhart Battmann, and H. Heinrich Nüscheler it turned out that 'they had done nothing', all five had to be brought up before the Burgomaster and Council for the execution of the mandates, sentences, and decisions issued. 'Otherwise let men believe as they will. If they do [as ordered], my Lords will be the more gracious to them. But if they do it not, and afterwards are found in the city and on their benefices, then they will be put out of their benefices and shown the way out of the city.'

No. 202. The Council's defence of its proceedings, 21 March 1524.

At the end of their answer they say, 'In all that is possible for us and to which we are bound, as becomes pious members of the Confederation, we shall be glad to comply with your requests, and to wait upon you according to our bounden duty. But in what concerns the Word of God, our souls' salvation and our consciences, we cannot give way. . . .'

No. 203. The putting down of relics and organs, June 1524.

At the Great Minster in Zürich were shrines called the shrines of the blessed martyrs Felix and Regula. And as the common people were for it, the bodies of the blessed martyrs were kept and buried therein. But the honourable Council and the Citizens also ordered at this time, in June, that they should be put thence and out of the church: and, should there be any corpses therein, they should be honourably and quietly interred, or secretly dispersed in the bone house. . . .

At this time also the magistrates at Zürich ordered that there should be no more playing of organs in the city and in the churches; no ringing for the dead, and for and against the weather; no more blessing of palms, salt, water, and candles; and no more bringing to any one of the last baptism or extreme unction; but that all such superstitions should cease and be clean put away, inasmuch as they are all at variance with the clear word of God.

No. 204. The Dissolution of Religious Houses, 5 Dec. 1524.

The offer of the Abbess of our Lady's Minster, in respect of her surrender of her convent, to set her hand and seal thereto, was accepted with thanks, and put into immediate execution. The Abbess was to remain in the Convent and 'to be sufficiently provided, all her life long, as her needs and her station should require. . . .'

As regards the Convents of men, a document was drawn up and read generally before the Friars. The Friars of the Augustinian and of the Dominican House, if they would leave their Order and learn a trade, might have any possessions, which they brought in, given back to them: those who had no means were to be assisted out of the property of the Convent.

No. 205. The last Mass in Zürich, 12 April 1525.

On Wednesday in Holy Week the last Mass was celebrated in Zürich; and God's table was set up, and the Sacrament and the holy oil with other ornaments were taken out of the sacristies. All altars which were still in the churches were stripped bare; and all the week was no more singing nor reading, but all the books were taken out of the choir and destroyed. Yet what pleased one man well did not please his neighbour.

No. 206. Action oder Bruch des Nachtmals, 13 April 1525.

(i) Zwingli's Preface.-Whereas for a long time past it has been made sure and clear enough from the Word of God that

The organ in the Great Minster was broken to pieces, 9 Dec. 1527, Bullinger, i, § 222.

2 On 30 Nov. 1524 [cf. Egli, No. 5951.

The rest were gathered and provided for in the Carmelite Convent, 3 Dec. 1524 (Bullinger, i, § 129).

Christ's Supper has been seriously misused, it is therefore necessary that everything that is not in accordance with the Word of God should be put away from it. And whereas this memorial is a thanksgiving and a rejoicing before Almighty God for the goodness which He has shown us through His Son, and whosoever appears at this feast, meal, or thanksgiving witnesses thereby that he is of those who believe that they are redeemed by the death and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; therefore on Maundy Thursday the young people who now believe and have come to the knowledge of God and of His Word, and desire to begin this thanksgiving and supper, must betake themselves to the floor of the nave between the choir and the entrance, males to the right and females to the left, and the rest must remain in the aisles, the porch, and other places. As soon as the sermon is over, unleavened bread and wine shall first be placed upon a table on the floor of the nave, and then the ordinance and action of Christ, in accordance with His institution of this memorial, shall be recited openly and intelligibly, in German, as hereafter follows. Then the bread shall be carried round by the appointed ministers on large wooden trenchers from one seat to the next, and each shall break off a bit or a mouthful with his hand and eat it. Then they shall go round with the wine likewise; and no one shall move from his place. When that is done, in open and clear words praise and thanksgiving shall be offered to God in an audible and distinct voice: and then the whole multitude of the congregation shall say 'Amen' at the end. On Good Friday, people of middle life shall assemble in the place aforesaid on the floor of the nave, and the thanksgiving shall take place in like manner, men and women apart, as above. On Easter Day, the old folk likewise. The trenchers and beakers shall be of wood, that no pomp come back again. And this order, so long as it please our churches, we shall observe four times in the year, at Easter, Whitsuntide, autumn, and Christmas.

(ii) From the appendix to the Fidei Christianae Expositio,

1531.

Volo autem hic adiungere actionis formulam qua nos in celebranda Coena utimur, quo tua Maiestas videat, Christi nos verba non immutare, non vitiare, non perversa sententia depravare; sed ea prorsus servare in Coena quae et in Missa servari debuerant, haec sunt preces, laudes, confessio fidei,

communicatio ecclesiae sive fidelium, et spiritualis sacramentalisque manducatio corporis Christi; contra vero universa omittere quae ex Christi instituto non sunt: puta, Offerimus efficaciter pro vivis et mortuis: Offerimus pro peccatorum remissione, et cetera quae Papistae non minus impie quam

indocte adseverant.

Sequitur actio qua Tiguri et Bernae Basileae reliquisque Christianae civitatis urbibus, quantum ad substantiam pertinet,

utimur.

Primo praedicatur satis longo sermone beneficium Dei quod nobis per Filium suum impendit, et trahitur populus ad eius rei cognitionem et gratiarum actionem. Eo finito, ponitur mensa ante chorum, ut vocant, pro gradibus, ea sternitur mantili, imponitur panis azymus et vinum in crateras funditur. Deinde prodit Pastor cum duobus ministris, qui omnes convertuntur ad populum, ita ut Pastor sive episcopus in medio illorum stet non alia veste quam quae vulgo usitata est honestis viris et ministris ecclesiae. Tunc sic orditur Pastor alta voce, lingua vero non Latina sed vulgari, quo omnes intelligant quod agitur

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus sancti.

Respondent ministri nomine et loco totius ecclesiae, Amen. Pastor Oremus. Nunc genua flectit ecclesia.

:

Omnipotens aeterne Deus, quem iure universae creaturae colunt adorant et collaudant, suum videlicet artificem, creatorem ac patrem, da nobis miseris peccatoribus, ut eam laudem et gratiarum actionem quam unigenitus Filius tuus D. N. I. C. nobis ad faciendum instituit sincera fide peragamus. Per eundem D. N. I. C. &c. Amen.

Dia

Hic legit minister qui ad sinistram stat. Quod iam legitur scriptum est in priore epistola Pauli ad Cor. xi. [20–29.] Tunc respondent ministri cum ecclesia: Laus Deo. Pastor Gloria in excelsis Deo. Diaconus: Et in terra pax. Hypodiaconus1: Hominibus sana et tranquilla mens. conus: Laudamus Te, Benedicimus Te. Et caetera usque ad finem huius hymni complentur alternis agentibus ministris, versum pro versu, ecclesia omnia intelligente, et prius admonita ut quisque secum quae dicuntur in pectore loquatur ac reputet, in conspectu Dei et ecclesiae.

Diaconus dicit: Dominus vobiscum. Respondent ministri : Et cum spiritu tuo.

1 Men and women alternately in the German Action, &c. [Daniel iii. 150] at Zürich.