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MARTYRDOM OF LEONHARD BERNKOP AT SALZBURG, A.D. 1542.-Copied from an old woodcut.

[See p. 146.

where he could neither see sun, moon, nor daylight. So that he could not tell whether it was night or day; sometimes he could tell that it was night by its being colder than before. The dungeon was moist and damp, so that his clothes became foul and rotted on his body, and for some time he was obliged to sit naked. He had nothing but a coarse blanket that had been given him; this he threw round his body, and sat in misery and darkness. His shirt was so much rotted as not to leave a single slip of it, except the collar of the neck, which he hung on the wall. When these children of Pilate had him brought out to see if he would recant, the brightness of the light was so painful, that he was glad when they let him go down again into the dark tower.... Thus he lay in this foul dungeon, where worms and vermin were his companions, for a long time; he protected his head with an old hat, that from pity had been thrown to him. No one had been confined in this tower for some years, so that the vermin had greatly increased, and caused him much terror until he had got used to it. The worms frequently ate his food. . . . Thus he lay in this foul tower the whole summer, until nearly Michaelmas day in the harvest. When they saw that the frost began to set in, they brought him out from thence, and led him into another prison, which could not possibly be worse. There he was obliged to stay for thirty-seven weeks, with one hand and one foot in the stocks, so that he was unable to lie down or sit, and could only stand. He also suffered much mocking and ridicule from the ungodly. ... At length an order was issued by the council at Innspruck, which the magistrates brought to read to him. The contents were as follow:-That since he was SO obdurate, and would receive no instruction, he should be sent to sea, to which he must go the following morning; there he would find how the obstinate were stripped and flogged. But Hans answered that he would confide in the

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Lord his God, who was on the sea as well as on land, to help him and give him patience. He was then released from prison, and suffered to go about the castle for two days, that he might learn again to walk. This he could not easily do, so very infirm had he become through lying in prison and in the stocks, fastened by locks and chains; for in this state he had lain two years within five weeks, and had for a year and a half never seen the sun.”*

Hans was committed to the charge of an officer, and they journeyed towards the sea. On the second day, while resting at a tavern, the officer became drunk, and Hans took advantage of the opportunity to effect his escape. He recovered strength and health, rejoined his brethren, was called to preach the Gospel, and died in peace in the year 1583.

Thus God's servants suffered in Germany. There were Baptists in Italy in this period, some of whom attained the honour of martyrdom. Julius Klampherer, who had been a Romish priest, was drowned at Venice in 1561. Franciscus van der Sach, a minister, was drowned with another brother in the same city, in 1564. Hans George, Count of Grovtenstein, who had fled to Germany some years before, and had returned to Italy in 1566, in the hope of inducing his wife to share his exile, was betrayed by some who recognized him, and thrown overboard on the voyage to Venice. "By faith he forsook all things, disregarding rank, preferring rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the honours and rewards of this world among his own people.Ӡ

* Martyrology, ii. 99, 104.

+ Ibid. 425.

SECTION IV.

Baptists in Switzerland-Zuingli-Concessions of Bullinger and MeshoviusDisputations - Drownings - Felix Mantz - Balthazar HubmeyerLouis Hetzer-Emigration to Moravia-Jacob Hutter.

THE

HE sketch which has been already furnished describes the position of the Baptists in Germany. We will now trace their history in Switzerland.

Zuingli, the excellent Swiss Reformer, was at one time on the eve of becoming a Baptist. But he resisted the arguments in favour of our principles, and became a violent opposer. The Government of Zurich adopted his policy. Zuingli was a good deal annoyed by the Baptists, for they not only pleaded for believer's baptism, but zealously maintained that none but real Christians were fit members of churches. The natural inference was, that as spiritual societies could not be governed by carnal men, the union of Church and State must be dissolved, and each party attend to its own affairs: the State, to things temporal; the Church, to things religious. This was going too far for Zuingli. He repudiated the idea of a spiritual church, regarding it as a sheer impossibility. He could not relinquish the notion that worldly power and law were requisite for the establishment of the faith. Hence he concluded that the Baptist theory must be treated as resistance to authority, and its supporters put down by the secular arm. Poor man he fell a victim to his own principles. He was slain on the battle-field of Cappel, while in official attendance, as chaplain, on the Protestant army, fighting against the Papists, October 11th, 1531.

It was about the year 1523 that the Baptists first appeared in Switzerland. Their numbers rapidly increased. The appeal to Scripture on behalf of their sentiments was rendered more forcible by the innocence of their lives.

Even Bullinger, who was strongly prejudiced against them, was compelled to confess it. "They had," said he, "an appearance of a spiritual life; they were excellent in character; they sighed much; they uttered no falsehoods; they were austere; they spake nobly and with excellence, so that they thereby acquired admiration and authority, or respect, with simple pious people. For the people said, ' Let others say what they will of the Dippers, we see in them nothing but what is excellent, and hear from them nothing else but that we should not swear or do wrong to any one, that every one ought to do what is right, that every one must live godly and holy lives; we see no wickedness in them.' Thus they have deceived many people in this land." Meshovius, adverting to the views of men at that time on this point, writes thus :-" Some they say, write what they wish of the Anabaptists; that they are given up to sedition, and plot the destruction of the Christian common weal. But how false this is, is clearly manifest from their lives, actions, and doctrine, since they neither swear, nor blaspheme, nor seek their own things; but you will see them promote those only which are of Christ, which are conformable to the Scriptures; and will any one say that these are not true, nor especially worthy of a Christian man ?"*

Public disputations were much in fashion at that time in Switzerland. They have rarely proved of any real service to the cause of truth, since it is obvious that the man who has the most fluent tongue, the readiest memory, the keenest wit, and the greatest amount of self-possession, is most likely to prevail, whether he is attached to the right or to the wrong side. Nor was it likely that either party would acknowledge defeat. Perhaps the only benefit that resulted from these disputations was, that many persons had an opportunity of hearing the truth who would not otherwise. have enjoyed it, and in some instances they were led to

* Quoted in Martyrology, i. 7, 8.

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