Protestantism in Poland and Bohemia - James Aitken Wylie

in outline was the constitution and government of
the Protestant Church of Poland. It wanted only
two things to make it complete and perfect --
namely, one supreme court, or center of authority,
with jurisdiction covering the whole country; and a
permanent body or "Board," having its seat in the
capital, through which the Church might take
instant action when great difficulties called for
united councils, or sudden dangers necessitated
united arms. The meetings of the Grand Synods
were intermittent and irregular, whereas their
enemies never failed to maintain union among
themselves, and never ceased their attacks upon the
Protestant Church.
We must now turn to the course of political
affairs subsequent to the death of King Sigismund
Augustus, of which, however, we shall treat only
so far as they grew out of Protestantism, and
exerted a reflex influence upon it. The amiable;
enlightened, and tolerant monarch, Sigismund
Augustus, so often almost persuaded to be a
Protestant, and one day, as his courtiers fondly
hoped, to become one in reality, went to his grave
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