exhibit the distinct peculiarities and rights of church and state
before the assembly at Hasle, the more did they fall, perhaps to the
injury of their cause, into that confusion of ideas, which is
altogether unavoidable, when we do not know how to discriminate between
Christ's kingdom of faith and love, resting only on his Gospel,
intended both for this world and the other, whose very element is
freedom, and a government under tyrannic forms established by men in
his name. As a true knowledge of the first lies at the foundation of
the visible church, it alone can exert a beneficial influence upon the
life of the state; yea, without this influence nothing worthy of being
so called can possibly exist. The opposite, found in the latter, leads
only to discord.

But for such a discrimination of ideas that age was not at all
prepared. Prejudiced opinion and passion triumphed.--A multitude of
excited people, from all the vallies of the Oberland, streamed into
Hasle. "We ourselves," said they, "desire to uphold the faith, the
faith of the church, and be separate from the government. On this faith
only have we sworn allegiance; if it be taken away, our obligations are
dissolved. We will fall in with the Confederates, who hold fast to the
old pledges." Before the eyes of the _schultheiss_ and his companions,
in direct violation of the law, leaders were chosen, the ministers of
Grindelwald, AEsche and Gsteig driven out of their houses with their
families, mass-priests placed in their stead, the adherents of the
government threatened and compelled to fly, reports of the help
promised by their neighbors circulated on all sides--indeed, after
several weeks of agitation and violence, the greater part of the
Oberlanders, assembled at Interlachen, swore under no circumstances to
separate themselves from the real Catholic church, to seek justice from
none but the Seven Cantons of the Old Confederacy; to suffer no persons
to be punished except under their sentence; to keep possession of the
cloister and its domains, and to render mutual aid with their persons
and property.

Bern was thrown into great embarrassment. Berchthold Haller wrote to
Zwingli: "The Small Council has lost its head; it is given up by us
Evangelicals. We have to hunt up the members at their country-seats;
the vintage serves as an excuse for their absence and neglect of duty.
Those of the Great Council murmur, lament and rave; but even they can
find no remedy. They