The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 185

The contrast between the two disputants was not without effect.
The calm, clear reasoning of the Reformer, so gently and modestly
presented, appealed to minds that turned in disgust from Eck’s boastful
and boisterous assumptions.
The discussion continued eighteen days. At its close the papists
with great confidence claimed the victory. Most of the deputies sided
with Rome, and the Diet pronounced the Reformers vanquished and
declared that they, together with Zwingli, their leader, were cut off from
the church. But the fruits of the conference revealed on which side the
advantage lay. The contest resulted in a strong impetus to the Protestant
cause, and it was not long afterward that the important cities of Bern and
Basel declared for the Reformation.

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