9. The Swiss Reformer. 177
keep suggesting quarrels to me. At last I came to this, that I thought,‘ Thou must let all that lie, and learn the meaning of God purely out of His own simple word.’ Then I began to ask God for His light, and the Scriptures began to be much easier to me.” 244
The doctrine preached by Zwingle was not received from Luther. It was the doctrine of Christ.“ If Luther preaches Christ,” said the Swiss Reformer,“ he does what I am doing. Those whom he has brought to Christ are more numerous than those whom I have led. But this matters not. I will bear no other name than that of Christ, whose soldier I am, and who alone is my chief. Never has one single word been written by me to Luther, nor by Luther to me. And why?... That it might be shown how much the Spirit of God is in unison with itself, since both of us, without any collusion, teach the doctrine of Christ with such uniformity.” 245
In 1516 Zwingle was invited to become a preacher in the convent at Einsiedeln. Here he was to have a closer view of the corruptions of Rome, and was to exert an influence as a Reformer that would be felt far beyond his native Alps. Among the chief attractions of Einsiedeln was an image of the Virgin which was said to have the power of working miracles. Above the gateway of the convent was the inscription,“ Here a plenary remission of sins may be obtained.” 246 Pilgrims at all seasons resorted to [ 175 ] the shrine of the Virgin, but at the great yearly festival of its consecration, multitudes came from all parts of Switzerland, and even from France and Germany. Zwingle, greatly afflicted at the sight, seized the opportunity to proclaim liberty through the gospel to these bond-slaves of superstition.
“ Do not imagine,” he said,“ that God is in this temple more than in any other part of creation. Whatever be the country in which you dwell, God is around you, and hears you.... Can unprofitable works, long pilgrimages, offerings, images, the invocation of
244 Ibid. 245 D ' Aubigné, b. 8, ch. 9. 246 D ' Aubigné, b. 8, ch. 5.