§ 13. ZWINGLI DURING THE PESTILENCE.
Din Haf i bin icli, Macli ganz aid- brich. Dann niinmst du bin Den Geiste min
"Von dieser Erd,
Thust du's, dass er nit boser wcrd,
Aid - andern nit
Befleck ihr Leben fromra und Sitt.
II. Mitten in der Krankheit.
Trost, Herr Gott, trost!
Die Krankheit wachst,^
Well und Angst fasst
Min Seel und Lyb.*
Daruni dich schyb^
Gen mir, einiger Trost, mit Gnad !
Die gwiiss erlost
Ein jeden, der
Sin Jierzlich B'ger
Und Hoffnung setzt y
In dich, verschiitzt.
Darzu diss Zyt all Nutz und Schad.
Nun ist es um ;
Min Zung ist stumm,
Mag sprechen nit ein Wort ;
Min Sinn' sind all verdorrt,
Darum ist Zyt,^
Dass du min Stryt"
Fiihrist f iirhin ;
So ich nit bin
So stark, dass ich
Mijg tai)ferlich
Thun Widerstand
Des Tiif els Facht '^ und f ref ner Hand.
Doch wird min Gmiith
Stat bliben dir, wie er audi wiith.
III. Zur Genesun/f.
G'sund, Herr Gott, g'sund !
Ich mein', ich kehr
Schon vviedruni her.
Ja, wenn dich dunkt,
Der Siinden Funk'
Werd nit mehr bherrschen mich uf
Erd, So muss min Mund Din Lob und Lehr Ussprechen mehr Denn vormals je, Wie es audi geli' Einfaltiglich ohn' alle G'fahrd. Wiewohl ich muss
Des Todes buss
Erliden zwar einmal
Villicht mit gross'rer Qual,
Denn jezund wiir'
Gcschehen, Herr !
So ich sunst bin
Nacli^ gfahren bin,
So will ich doch
Den Trutz und Poch ^
In dieser Welt
Tragen frohlich um Widergelt,ii
Mit Hiilfe din,
Ohn' den nut^^ mag voUkommen syn.
I. In the Beginning of his Sickness.
Help me, 0 Lord,
My strength and rock ; Lo, at the door
I hear death's knock.
Uplift thine arm,
Once pierced for me, That conquered death.
And set me free.
1 Gefass.
4 Leib.
" Streit.
1° Ungestiim.
2 Oder.
^ wende.
8 Anfechtung.
11 Vergeltung,
* wachst.
6 Zeit.
^ beinahe.
1- nichts.
46 THE SWISS REFORMATION.
Yet, if thy voice. In faith and hope
In life's mid-day, Earth I resign,
Recalls my soul, Secure of heaven,
Then I obey. For I am Thine.
II. In the Midst of his Sickness.
My pains increase ; Lo ! Satan strains Haste to console; To snatch his prey;
For fear and woe I feel his grasp ; Seize body and soul. Must I give way ?
Death is at hand, He harms me not.
My senses fail, I fear no loss.
My tongue is dumb; For here I lie
Now, Christ, prevail. Beneath Thy cross.
III. On recovering from his Sickness.
My God ! my Lord ! Though now delayed,
Healed by Thy hand. My hour will come.
Upon the earth Involved, perchance.
Once more I stand. In deeper gloom.
Let sin no more But, let it come;
Rule over me; With joy I'll rise.
My mouth shall sing And bear mj' yoke
Alone of Thee. Straight to the skies.
§ 14. The Open Breach. Controversy about Fasts. 1522.
Zwingli was permitted to labor in Zurich for two j^ears without serious opposition, although he had not a few enemies, both religious and political. The magistracy of Zurich took at first a neutral position, and ordered the priests of the city and country to preach the Scriptures, and to be silent about human inventions (1520). This is the first instance of an episcopal interference of the civil authority in matters of religion. It afterwards became a settled custom in Protestant Switzerland with the full consent of Zwingli. He Avas appointed canon of the Grossmiinster, April 29, 1521, with an additional salary of seventy guilders, after he had given up the papal pension. With this moderate income he was contented for the rest of his life.
§ 14. THE OPEN BREACH. 47
During Lent, 1522, Zwingli preached a sermon in which he showed that the prohibition of meat in Lent had no foundation in Scripture. Several of his friends, including his publisher, Froschauer, made practical use of their liberty.
This brought on an open rupture. The bishop of Constance sent a strong deputation to Zurich, and urged the observance of the customary fasts. The magistracy prohibited the violation, and threatened to punish the offenders (April 9, 1522).! Zwingli defended himself in a tract on the free use of meats (April 16). ^ It is his first printed book. He essentially takes the position of Paul, that, in things indifferent, Christi?fns have liberty to use or to abstain, and that the Church authorities have no right to forbid this liberty. He appeals to such passages as 1 Cor. 8:8; 10 : 25 ; Col. 2 : 16 ; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rom. 14 : 1-3 ; 15 : 1, 2.
The bishop of Constance issued a mandate to the civil authorities (May 24), exhorting them to protect the ordinances of the Holy Church.-'^ He admonished the canons, without naming Zwingli, to prevent the spread of heretical doctrines. He also sought and obtained the aid of the Swiss Diet, then sitting at Lucerne.
Zwingli was in a dangerous position. He was repeatedly threatened with assassination. But he kept his courage, and
1 Egli, Actensammlung, p. 77 (No. 237). Miirikofer (1.97) gives a wrong date (March 19, 1521) ; but Egli's printer made an error in correcting him by quoting vol. II. instead of I.
2 Von Erkiesen unci Fryheit der Spy sen (Z>e delectu et libera ciborum usu). Werke, I. B. 1-30 ; a Latin version by Gwalter in Opera Lat. I. 324-339.
3 Egli, p. 85 ; Strickler, I. 428. I give it here as a fair specimen of the semi-barbarous German of Swiss documents of that period. "Dass unser vatterlicher getriiwer rat und fruntlich ernstUch pitt ist, ir wollen die drgenuss und widerivdrtigkeit by iich selbs, den iiwern und andern furkommen und tick obgemeldten der hailigen kirchen ordnungen und guoten geivonhaiten in cristenlicher geainter gehorsami verglychen, die vollziechen und solichs by den iiwern zuo gesche{h)en, sovil an iich, verschaffen. Das halten wir dem Evangelio, der leer Pauli und dem hailigen unservi cristenlichen glouhen glychmassig. Ir tuond ouch daran iich und den iiwern ivolfart, von uns gnddigklich und friintlich zuo erkennen und zuo verdienen."