Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - VI. From the Upsala-möte to the death of Charles XII. The Great Kings and the Great Bishops (1592—1718 A.D.)
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
2S6 VI. GREAT KINGS AND BISHOPS (A.D. 15931718).
filled the sees of Abo and Vesteras were not men of great
mark, and had both accepted the liturgy. The choice of a
president was, therefore, to be made by election of the
members of the Council.
The number of priests who attended was 306, of whom
135 came from Upland, the nearest region. Some nine
teen came from Norrland, also in the diocese of Upsala,
and from as far as Pitea, the home of Nicolaus Olai. The
other six dioceses were represented as follows :
Linkoping
by twenty-nine, Skara by fifteen, Strengnas by fifty-one,
Vesteras by thirty-five, Vexio by nine, and Abo by thirteen.
To assemble such a body in the winter season from such
distant regions was a matter of obvious difficulty, and they
came dropping in rather irregularly. It was also con
venient that those on the spot should get to know one
another s minds better, and have opportunity to prepare in
a less formal way for the great work which lay before them.
The solemn opening, therefore, did not take place till ist
tMarch. It was preluded by a speech from the high
steward, Nils Gyllenstjerna, in the name of the Govern
ment. The duke was careful to keep himself in the back
ground so as to leave the assembly free to pass its resolu
tions, and himself free to criticize them. The steward
pointed out the dangers of disunion as seen in France and
the Netherlands. As regards the assembly before him, he
asked for (and received) an assurance that those who were
absent would feel themselves bound by the resolutions of
those who were present. He suggested that the clergy
should unite in some formulary of faith such as the Augs
burg Confession and old Archbishop Laurentius Confes
sion in regard to doctrine and ceremonies. He ended with
the remarkable words :
"
If the king in Poland comes hither
he must not be lord over our faith and conscience, but we
must abide in that agreement as to doctrine which is here
determined. Whatever is here agreed on in accordance
with God s pure Word and will must be set forth in a
Christian manner, and be subscribed by all.
Finally, I
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
