The rekenynge and declaracion of the fayth and belefe of huldrike zwyngly byshoppe of ziiryk the chefe town of Heluitia, sent to Charles .v. that nowe is Emproure of Rome: holdynge a parlement or counsayll at Ausbrough with the chefe lordes and lerned men of Germanye, the yere of our Lorde M.D.xxx. in the moneth of July.

¶ The .xii article.

In the .xii. I beleue that fained lowde ••ye of

Purgatorie fyre to be a thynge so contumeli∣ous and iniurious vnto the free redempcion gyuen thorowe Christ, as it hath ben lucrose and profytable to auctors and inuentor•• therof. For yf it be necessary that our synnes muste nedes be purged with suche fyery tor∣mentes, then were Christe deade in vayne, then were grace and fauour voyde. Vvhiche what can be inuented more pernicious in all christen religion? either what christ haue they whiche wyll be called christen & yet fere they this fyre, yea smoke rather then fyre / but hell wherwith Ixion and Tātalus, the vnfayth¦full rebelles and stourdye aduersaries to god are punyshed for euer / I do not onely beleue but I knowe it also.* 1.1 For the verite, when he speaketh of the vnyuersall iudgemente he affyrmeth that after that iudgemente some shall go into fyre euerlastynge. Vvherfore af¦ter the generall iugement there shall be fyre perpetuall. By whiche saying, the Catabap¦tistes may the feblyer pretexe & cloke theyr errour with this theyr Perpetuum (wherby they teache,* 1.2* 1.3 that theyr perpetuum dure no lō∣ger then vnto domes daye. For here speaketh christe of the {per}petual fyre to burne after that iugement to torment the deuyll with his aū∣gels with the vngodly that contempne god,

with those myscheuous tyrūt{is} which oppresse the truth with lyes, not healpynge of fayth & mercy theyr pore neighbours beyng in neces∣site. These sayd articles constantly I beleue I teache, & defende, not by myne owne wor∣des but by the scripture of God. And I pro∣mes & professe (god wyllynge) so to do whyle I lyue: excepte any man can as apertly and playnly (as we haue now done) the same, say forth & confyrme the contrary by the very ho¦ly scriptures truly vnderstāden. For vnto v•• it is nolesse ioyous and plesaunt then trewe and iuste, to submytte these our sayinges vn¦to the holy scriptures and to the churche that iugeth by the spirite accordyng to the Scrip∣tures. We myght haue had declared these thī∣ges all plentuouslyer, and more at lēgth: but when the occasion wolde not suffer it, we are contented with these as they are, whiche we thynke to be suche articles as mē may lyght∣ly carpe and touche at (as it is nowe a dayes the cōmon maner) but yet shall there noman confute & plucke them quyte awaye. But yet who soeuer wyll tempt it to touche thē away he shall not escape quyte hīselfe, for yet haue we more armour in store which we shall bryn∣geforth, but for this tyme we haue suffyci••nt¦ly proued our parte. Wherfore (moste mygh∣ty

Emprour) and ye other prynces, Lordes and nobles,* 1.4 the lega••••s and heades of the cō∣mon weale / I beseche & praye you by Iesus christe the lorde and our brother, for his mer∣cy and ryghtwysnes sake / for his iudgement when he shall render vnto euery man as he is worthye / whiche seeth all mennes councele & myndes / whiche distroubleth and subuerteth the purposes of euyll Prynces, vngodly de∣lyberynge and agaynst God decreynge and enactyng, and wickedly cōmaundyng, euen our god (I saye) that exalteth the humble & casteth downe the proude, I desyre you (I saye) that ye neglecte not nor contēpne not the pore selye symplenes of me nowe monys¦shynge in tyme. For often tymes haue euen the verye rude deluers herbes and worte sel∣lers spokē in tyme that it behoueth. Yea and the verite hymselfe hath chosen weake & sym∣ple persons to promulge and preache hīselfe Besydes this, remembre that your selues be but men which your selues may both dyceiue and be dyceyued also of other. For euery mā is a lyer. And excepte a man he otherwyse taughte by thynspiracion of god then hym∣selfe either may knowe or desyre, there is no hope of hym / but that thorow his owne craft and councell he shall cast hymselfe down he∣delynge.

For full truely verely sayde the pro∣phete Ieremy. Beholde, the worde of the Lorde haue they cast awaye, what wysdome then may be lefte them? Vvherfore syth your selues be the standerd berers of iustyce, there oughte no man so clearely and so redelye to knowe and haue the wyll of God as you. Whiche where els can it be fetched thē out of his scriptures? Abhorre not therfore theyr sē∣tences whiche cleaue vnto the worde of god. For this thynge we se cōmonly chaunceth, y^t the more the aduersaries to y^e worde repugne and fyght agaynst it, the more it cōmeth in∣to fyght and falsnes is cast forth. But and yf there be any among you (whiche I knowe full well there be) whiche boldlye and stoutly deforme and accuse me vnto you to be of no knowlege nor learnyng, yea I wysse, and to be full of malyce to, so: yet cōsyder this thīge with youre selues. Fyrst whether we that fo∣lowe this waye of the gospell and the ryghte vse of the sacrament of thākes gyuyng haue euer insti••uted and ordred our lyuynge, that there can any good man hitherto doute whe∣ther we oughte not to be had in estimacion and place of good & faythfull mē. Also whe∣ther that euen from our cradles, haue we ben so far from wytte & lea••nynge, that all hope

of erudicion ought to be cast awaye from vs: Surely yet do we of neither of these thynges glorye nor boste our selues, whē Paule hym∣selfe affyrmeth to be the same that he was by the grace of god. Notwithstāding yet yf our lyfe hath chaunced to be a lytle prosperous and iocounde, yet dyd it neuer fall to tary in lust and shameles fylthynes, neither yet dyd it degener into cruelnes, pryde, or cōtumacy so that the testimonie of oure lyuynge hath so astoned the councels of oure aduersaries / that they haue reuoked & repelled them from theyr purposes agaynst vs. As for oure lear∣nynge and erudicion althoughe it be greater thē our enemies eyther maye beare resyste or without cōscience can cotnēpne, yet is it far inferior in our opinion, thē these that so fole hardely persecute vs, iudge it to be. But yet that we maye atayne vnto our purpose, we haue so laboured nowe not a fewe yeres and redde both the scriptures and other humayne letters, that what we nowe teache it is not vnaduysedlye nor rasshlye done, for we may lawfully prayse the grace and gyftes of god so lyberally diuyded vnto our congregaciōs. Dubtelesse so haue oure congregacions whiche heare the Lorde by vs, receyued the worde of God, that nowe all lying and false

dealynge are repressed, pryde and wantones are broken, rebukynge, chidynge,* 1.5 & dyuision are gone awaye from amonge vs. Whiche all verely yf these be not the fruites of the holye goste, what els are they?

But thou (oh moste myghtie Emprour, and all ye prynces & nobles) consyder what good fruite the visare of mannes doctrine hathe brought vs forth.* 1.6 These redemed & boughte Messes, as they haue encreased the libidinou¦se prodigious lustes both of prynces and of the people, so haue they brought in and am∣pliated the fylthye concupiscence and super∣fluous pryde of the Popes and Bishoppes, and augmented the insaciable glotonous vo¦myting mawes of the messe sayers. Yea what myschife is there that these bought and solde messes haue not kyndled? For the ryches hea¦ped togyther thorowe these messes who is a∣ble to scatter, excepte they be stopped & strā∣gled euen in theyr veynes. I besech god ther∣fore to reforme this thynge otherwyse, and better then ye all entende, whom gladly we call the best and moste myghtye, moste noble christen defenders of the fayth. &c. we so call you and beleue it so to be. But god brynge it so to passe, that ye wolde effectuouslye once endeuour your selues to cut awaye the rotes

of this masse and of al•• the errours and super¦fluous ceremonies of the churche, & also that ye once wolde ernestly labour, y^t this proude Rome with all her dyrte and dunge whiche she hathe thrusted into this christen worlde, and namely into your Germanie myght be forsaken & cast out. And what soeuer power ye haue hytherto stretched forth and execu∣ted agaynst the pure gospell / nowe bende the same agaynst the pernicious enforcementes of the wycked papistes: that vnto vs, iustyce whiche thorowe your idle neglygence is ba∣nysshed, and that innocencye whiche is ob∣scured and deformed with lyes & false crafty colours, myght be brought vs agayn. There is ynough and to moche cruell tyranye exce∣cuted alreadye, except to cōmaunde against the truth, to dampne, yea to tormente and slee, to steale and robbe / and to banyshe, be not cruell tyrannye and tyranous crueltye. This waye therfore syth it hath not well suc∣ceded with you, ye muste suerly seke and go to it by another waye. If this councell be of the Lorde, beware ye fyght not against god, but yf it be of any other, it wyll fall in her owne folyshenes. Wherfore se that you suffer the worde of God frely to be spredde and to spryng forth (Oh fōnes of men) who soeuer

ye be in whose power it lyeth not to lette and forbyde no not so moche as a grasse to growe and waxe. ye se it su••fycientlye this fruite of the gospell plentuouslye to be wa••red with the celestial showers, neither may it not be so repressed with any hate of men that it wyll be withred Consyder ye not what thynge your s••lfe moste couette, but what the worlde re∣quyreth, and asketh in the preachynge of the gospell. Take it in good worth, what soeuer this thing is, and shewe your selues by your councels and reforcementes to be the chyldren of God, and in goddes stede.

¶At z••ryk the iii.. daye of Iulye Anno Domi. M.D.XXX.

¶Vnto your Maiestie and vnto all fayth∣ful men, your obedyent and obsequious sub∣iecte Huldrycke zwinglius: by the grace, election, and sendynge of God, pastour and Byshoppe of zhryke, wyssheth peace.

AMEN.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Mathe. ••xv.
• * 1.2

  Euer∣lastinge.
• * 1.3

  Hel fyre is euer∣lastyng.
• * 1.4

  An ex∣hortaci∣on vnto the Em¦prour & his No∣ble pryn¦ces.
• * 1.5

  The fruites of the Gospell preched.
• * 1.6

  The frute of mannes doctrine