, by his counsel, by his
writings, by his correspondence, Zwingli wrought upon the government of
Zurich, which committed to him the drawing up of its opinions, and, as
appears from the protocols, usually gave him a voice, during the latter
years of his life, in the most important deliberations of a political
nature. When the thorough measures, which he wished and demanded, met
with resistance from those, who were yet averse to church-reforms, he
procured, by means of a fiery sermon, about the close of the year 1528,
the passage of a law compelling the members of Small and Great
Councils, man for man, to declare and avow their faith, and accept
preaching and the Lord's Supper in the Evangelical mode. Some were
excluded from the Small Council, who would not make this promise.
Equally clear, from his correspondence, is the great attention bestowed
by him on events occurring outside of the fatherland; the proceedings
of the Imperial Diet, the mandates of the Emperor, and the measures of
Austria. Even before the treaty of the _Buergerrecht_ was ratified with
Constance, he received hints from different quarters in regard to
secret negotiations carried on between the authorities of the Austrian
government and the Five Cantons. The apprehensions might perhaps be
exaggerated. But they struck him as important. Hence he did not strive
to conceal the possibility of war; and a historical work, which would
give a full portrait of so great a character, durst not suppress the
fact, that previous to the Conference in Bern he had prepared for such
an emergency a very elaborate plan of defence, which is still extant in
his own hand-writing.[1] He, who would censure him for this, should
not, on the other side, forget the courageous spirit which, at a time,
when Zurich stood almost alone in the Confederacy, still, relying only
upon the truth and justice of the cause to be defended, thought it
possible to maintain the battle against such overwhelming odds as then
existed. In this feeling the pamphlet was thrown off, from the
beginning of which we make the following extract: "The author has
pondered over this counsel for the honor of God and the good of
Christ's Gospel, so that wickedness and injustice may not get the upper
hand and put down the fear of God and innocence. In the first place, it
should be proclaimed in all parishes in the city and canton, that all
men earnestly beseech God never to let us counsel or act contrary to
His divine w