Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - V. The Swedish Reformation under Gustaf Vasa and his sons Eric and John (1520—1592 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.
2i8 V. THE REFORMATION (A.D. 15201592).
everything to renew and transform life from within, and not
merely the life of the individual, but that of the whole
community."
Olaus was indeed a fine, strong, consistent character, to
whom Sweden owes a great debt ;
but it owes an equal debt
to his quieter and less democratic younger brother,
Laurentius, who may be called the Cranmer of Sweden,
as Olaus was its Luther. It is unfortunate that no modern
life of Laurentius has been written, nor, as far as I know,
is there even a good modern sketch of his life like Dr.
Schiick s sketch of Olaus.
At his consecration it is said that Laurentius received
his bishop s staff from the king s own hand, who thus
revived the old pretensions of the twelfth century
sovereigns. The king had taken the possessions of the
see into his keeping, but restored to Laurentius a consider
able part of the temporalities of the see, and the right to
ride with fifty attendants. The cost of the latter he gener
ously converted into exhibitions to fifty young students.
The first eight years of his episcopate were not eventful, but
in 1539 the king turned bitterly against the two men whom
he had trusted as his two former chancellors. Olaus had
offended him by the freedom of speech which he used in
the pulpit, where he called the king tyrant and miser, and
also in a printed book denounced the habit of profane
swearing in terms which were known to apply to the
king. Gustaf wrote to the archbishop, 24th April, 1539:
"
Sermons ought to consist not in railings and invectives
against ceremonies, but in the faith of Christianity, in the
doctrines of brotherly love, godly living, patience in suffer
ing and so on. Christ and Paul enjoined obedience to
rulers; Swedish priests, on the contrary, preach con
tumacy, giving the king the blame of all the swearing in
use, that the people may be offended. God s Word, how
ever, teaches first to warn privately, and exhort to improve
ment; but here you commence with open maledictions,
both from the pulpit and in print. As you, therefore, treat
the matter so unwisely, we order that from this time no
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
