148
The Great Controversy
with renewed energy to open her market throughout Christendom,
offering pardon for money.
Every sin had its price, and men were granted free license for
crime if the treasury of the church was kept well filled. Thus the two
movements advanced,—one offering forgiveness of sin for money, the
other forgiveness through Christ,—Rome licensing sin and making it
her source of revenue; the Reformers condemning sin and pointing to
Christ as the propitiation and deliverer.
In Germany the sale of indulgences had been committed to the Do-
minican friars and was conducted by the infamous Tetzel. In Switzer-
land the traffic was put into the hands of the Franciscans, under the
control of Samson, an Italian monk. Samson had already done good
[179]
service to the church, having secured immense sums from Germany
and Switzerland to fill the papal treasury. Now he traversed Switzer-
land, attracting great crowds, despoiling the poor peasants of their
scanty earnings, and exacting rich gifts from the wealthy classes.
But the influence of the reform already made itself felt in curtailing,
though it could not stop, the traffic. Zwingli was still at Einsiedeln
when Samson, soon after entering Switzerland, arrived with his wares
at a neighboring town. Being apprised of his mission, the Reformer
immediately set out to oppose him. The two did not meet, but such
was Zwingli’s success in exposing the friar’s pretensions that he was
obliged to leave for other quarters.
At Zurich, Zwingli preached zealously against the pardonmongers;
and when Samson approached the place, he was met by a messenger
from the council with an intimation that he was expected to pass on.
He finally secured an entrance by stratagem, but was sent away without
the sale of a single pardon, and he soon after left Switzerland.
A strong impetus was given to the reform by the appearance of the
plague, or Great Death, which swept over Switzerland in the year 1519.
As men were thus brought face to face with the destroyer, many were
led to feel how vain and worthless were the pardons which they had
so lately purchased; and they longed for a surer foundation for their
faith. Zwingli at Zurich was smitten down; he was brought so low that
all hope of his recovery was relinquished, and the report was widely
circulated that he was dead. In that trying hour his hope and courage
were unshaken. He looked in faith to the cross of Calvary, trusting in
the all-sufficient propitiation for sin. When he came back from the