The latter years of Olavus were darkened through an unfortunate misunderstanding with the Swedish king. As a consequence of the reformer's sturdy opposition to Gustavus Vasa's plan to make himself the head of the Church, he fell into royal disfavor. When a plot against the king's life was discovered in 1540, Olavus was convicted of having guilty knowledge of it, and was condemned to die. Through the intervention of the populace of Stockholm, he was pardoned, but the king never forgave him. He was permitted to resume his work in 1543, and continued to preach the gospel with great zeal until his death in 1552. A Model Hymn of Invocation O Lord, give heed unto our plea, O Spirit, grant Thy graces, That we who put our trust in Thee May rightly sing Thy praises. Thy Word, O Christ, unto us give, That grace and power we may receive To follow Thee, our Master. Touch Thou the shepherd's lips, O Lord, That in this blessed hour He may proclaim Thy sacred Word With unction and with power; What Thou wouldst have Thy servant say, Put Thou into His heart, we pray, With grace and strength to say it. Let heart and ear be opened wide Unto Thy Word and pleading; Our minds, O Holy Spirit, guide By Thine own light and leading. The law of Christ we would fulfil, And walk according to His will, His Word our rule of living. Jesper Swedberg (1653-1735). A HYMN-BOOK THAT FAILED When the Swedish colonists along the Delaware gathered in their temples to worship God in the latter part of the 17th century, they sang songs from a hymn-book the use of which had been prohibited in Sweden. It was the much-mooted hymn-book of Jesper Swedberg. Originally published by the author in 1694 and intended for the Church of Sweden, it immediately came under suspicion on the ground that it contained unorthodox teachings and was promptly confiscated. This, however, did not hinder the authorities from sending the book in large quantities to America, and it was used on this side of the Atlantic for many years. Swedberg, who was born near Falun, Sweden, in the year 1653, was the first important hymnist of his native land. From the days of the Reformation no noteworthy advance had been made in Swedish hymnody until Swedberg began to tune his lyre. The official "Psalm-book" had been revised on several occasions, but the Upsala edition of 1645 contained only 182 hymns, far too few to meet the needs of church worship and private devotion. It was in 1691 that Swedberg received the royal commission to prepare a new hymn-book. He was fortunate in having the aid of such gifted poets as Haqvin Spegel, Petrus Lagerlof, Israel Kolmodin and Jacob Boethius in the execution of his task.