the execution and its message God.241 Hylander here seems to balance between proclaiming the goodness of the forgiveness of Jesus with not inciting anybody to commit a crime in order to go to heaven by repentance and execution. The two goals of warning and preparation, however, also could be seen as not necessarily contradictory. A confession could also provide a cautionary example. An extreme example from Stockholm in 1828 and 1829 was the attitude of the gaol preacher Johan Niklas Holmgren towards Greta Stina Ersdotter who was suspected of murder. Holmgren had, based on the influence of a friend, the rector that had initiated the investigation of Greta Stina Ersdotter, both gotten the task to visit her and formed a personal judgement – she was guilty.242 The eternal salvation of her was the leading aim of Holmgren in his meetings with her. Bearing this presupposition of guilt, he saw as his duty under all circumstances to dissuade her from her certainty she was innocent, thus preventing her spiritual death.243 He not only was convinced that he knew the truth she had to admit or hide. He also saw as his task to bring her to confess her crime, not only to the priest and God, but also to the court. Only then had she fully confessed and fully ceased to serve the darkness. Only then could she be given the mercy and forgiveness of God.244 Holmgren was not alone in believing in the necessity of public confession. Ten years later Swen Skytt was to be executed for robbery and manslaughter near Kristianstad. Earlier the same day at Mass, he heard 241 Hylander 1805 p 69 sq. 242 Holmgren 1857 p 23 sq, 33. The rector in question probably was Matthias Nils Albert Isander of Odensala. 243 ”En sålunda förutvunnen tillförlitlig kännedom om Gretas själstillstånd gjorde det möjligt för fångpredikanten att kunna begagna de första ögonblicken av sitt sammanträffande med henne på ett för hennes själs väckelse och upplysning mest ändamålsenligt sätt. Han var nämligen härigenom satt istånd att kunna undgå obehaget att ens på minsta sätt, genom någon om också aldrig så liten eftergift, vid de av fången sökta undanflykter för att göra sin oskuld trolig, bidraga att djupare vagga henne in i sin andeliga dödssömn.” Holmgren 1857 p 33 sq. 244 ”Så länge detta ännu icke var gjort och därmed även en bekännelse avlagd inför hela världen, lika väl som inför hennes själasörjare, så hade hon icke rätt uppsagt mörkrets tjänst, kunde fördenskull icke heller fullt tillägna sig någon tröst av Guds nådelöften i hans ord. Blott den, vilken sin missgärning bekänner och övergiver, är löftet givet, att hon skall få barmhärtighet.” Holmgren 1857 p 53. 83
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