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252 VI. GREAT KINGS AND BISHOPS (A.D. 15931718).
Before his death King John had promised that there
should be no more persecution on account of the liturgy,
and that he would permit the summoning of a free Church
Council. He died i;th November, 1592, and Charles took
on the regency of the kingdom until his nephew, Sigis-
mund, should appear in Sweden, drawing the Council of
State, according to his abiding principle, into conjoint
responsibility with himself. The regency was confirmed
by Sigismund, and was proclaimed to all the provinces of
the country. Charles at once began to make use of his
power, and he saw that no time must be lost if the elements
of religious freedom were to be secured before the advent of
a Romanist as king. The new union compact, under
which Sigismund succeeded to a second crown, was even
more dangerous than the old. The counter-reformation
was in full progress. The conversion of Henry IV. of
France was probably already known or suspected in
Sweden, and the new pope, Clement VIII. (1592 1605),
\vas busy in Poland with plans for the re-conquest of the
northern kingdoms to the Roman obedience. It was also
essential to the stability of any settlement in religion that
Sweden should now choose for itself, and not merely follow
the lead of the government of the day and of the Council of
State. Such assent might, perhaps, have been obtained,
but it would only have strengthened the habit of servility in
matters of religion which had done much harm in the past,
and might do immeasurable harm in the future. The
council, therefore, which was to be summoned, must be
free ;
and it shows the sagacity of Duke Charles that he
from the first insisted on this characteristic of the assembly
which he at once determined to summon. It must also
choose for itself certain definite standards of doctrine and
worship which could be set before the Romanist king for
his acceptance, and as conditions of his recognition as
does not give the Hebrew, and Magnusson :
I.e., pp. 180-1, who
prints the Greek incorrectly. But between the two the whole
can be made out.
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