. With Muenzer they did not become personally
acquainted. Before they could accomplish this, he had traveled back to
Germany; but his influence on Swiss affairs is evident from two letters
sent to him soon after by Grebel and his friends.

"Dear brother Thomas," began one of them, "for God's sake, do not be
surprised, that we address thee without title and urge thee as a
brother to communicate with us by writing in the future, and that we,
uninvited and unacquainted with thee, have ventured to open up a
correspondence. God's Son, Jesus Christ, has prompted and impelled us
to this act of friendship and brotherhood, and to make known the
following points. Moreover thy work in two small volumes, on 'Faith
Feigned,' have encouraged us. Hence, if thou wilt take it kindly, it
shall be a source of good to us, if God will. Thou shouldst also know
that thou along with Carolostadtius art esteemed amongst us as the
purest proclaimer and preacher of the pure Word of God, although ye are
little thought of by the lazy theologians and doctors at Wittemberg. We
are also thus reprobate toward our learned pastors. With them
everything depends on man, everything is done by him, so that they
preach a sinful, pleasant Christ, and good discrimination is wanting to
them, as thou shewest in thy little books, which have beyond measure
instructed and strengthened us poor folks." But then, passing over the
chief point, re-baptism, which had won for them a party in Zurich, and
as a badge of confession, as a banner, had enabled them to keep
together--they thus continue: "Because thou also hast uttered thy
protest against infant-baptism, we trust thou actest not against the
eternal word, wisdom and command of God, according to which we ought to
baptise believers alone, and thou baptisest no child. If thou, or
Carolostadius will not write in full against infant-baptism with all
that belongs thereto, why and how we ought to baptise, then will I,
Conrad Grebel, try my hand and complete what I have begun, against
all who hitherto (except thee) have written on baptism at large and
deliberately, and maintained the senseless, blasphemous form of
infant-baptism; but if God do not prevent then am I, and then will I
and all of us be sure of persecution from the learned and other
people." Grebel also wrote to Luther and informed Muerner of it, in his
second letter, in which, moreover, he warns him not to preach
resistance against princes with carnal weapons. "