84 Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists
The city of Basle was an important place to the Protestant reform-
ers. Switzerland was one of the first countries of Europe to catch the
light of morning, and to announce the rise of reformation. And Basle
was one of those points on which the light of day concentrated its rays,
and whence they remarked, “I am much surprised that they perform
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no miracle to save themselves; formerly the saints worked frequent
prodigies for much smaller offenses.”
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Being the seat of a university, Basle was the favorite resort of
scholars. It also had many printing-offices. Here Zwingle received his
early education; here Erasmus published the New Testament which he
had translated from the original Greek into Latin; here Frobenius, the
celebrated printer, published the writings of Luther, and in a short time
spread them in France, Spain, Italy, and England; and here, too, John
Foxe spent a portion of his exile in getting some of his books through
the press. Poverty and persecution troubled him, and we fancy we see
him walking to and fro upon the surrounding heights, sympathizing
with earlier exiles, who said, “We sat down, yea, we wept, when we
remembered Zion.” While here he issued the first installment of the
“Book of Martyrs.”
As we looked upon our press, working off papers containing the
light of truth for the present time, we could but think how much greater
difficulties than we have met had been encountered on the same soil in
former times by the advocates of Bible truth. Every movement had to
be made in secrecy, or their work would be destroyed and their lives
imperiled. Now the way seems to be prepared for the truth to go forth
as a lamp that burneth. The Bible standard is raised, and the same
words that fell from the lips of the early reformers, are being repeated:
The Bible, and the Bible only, is the foundation of our faith.
In the providence of God, our publishing house is located on this
sacred spot. We could not wish for a more favorable location for the
publication of truth in the different languages. Switzerland being a
small republic, that which comes from here is not looked upon with
the suspicion that it would arouse if passing from one to another of the
large rival powers. Three languages are spoken here,—the French, the
German, and the Italian; therefore it is a favorable place for issuing
publications in these languages.
The grassy common in front of the office, of which we have spoken,
is reserved by the Swiss government for military drill. Here, day after