he Christian Faith, as preached by
him, which in the year of his death was dedicated to the King of
France: "Faith must be the source of our works. If it go before, then
the work is acceptable to God. If it be wanting, then all that is done,
is false, and hence not only displeasing to God, but an abomination.
Therefore Paul says: 'Everything, which is not of faith is sin.' Now
faith comes only from the Spirit of God; hence they, who have faith,
look to the will of God as to a perfect rule. For this reason, not only
those works, which are done contrary to the law of God, are blameable,
but those also which are done without regard to it. Whatever is done
thus without the law, _i.e._ with no regard to the Word and will of
God, is also not done of faith; what is not done of faith is sin, and
sin God abhors. Thus it comes, that even if any one performs a work
which God has commanded, giving alms, for example, but without
faith,[1] such a work is not pleasing to God; for when we go back to
the source from whence the almsgiving springs, which is not done of
faith, then we find that it has proceeded either from vain-glory, or a
desire to receive more in return, or from some other bad motive. And
who is not convinced that such a work is unacceptable to God?"[2]

After such expressions of the Reformer every one will be readily
convinced, that Zwingli wished to create no controversy, to achieve no
victory of the understanding, which only regulates and analyzes, at the
expense of pious feeling.[3] That war, which can only be called
religious, because the parties themselves very wrongly believed they
served religion thereby, was not allowed by Christianity, as it came
from the hands of its founder, not by the Church established by Him,
not by the unity of this Church, unity in her Master and Exampler
abiding yet in the Gospel and the hearts of all true believers. It was
actually of a political more than of a religious nature; for a Church
which exercises temporal authority, whose heads rule over land and
people, set up compulsory dogmas of faith and deliver to judgment
those, who do not submit to them, is also a political, a worldly power.
Or ought we regard the nuncios, who drive along in carriages drawn by
four horses, to be received by the thunder of cannon, as apostles, when
Christ would send them forth, staff in hand, without money, without
change of raiment?

Proceeding from this stand-point, Zwingli saw in the war, which he