THE BAPTIST M OV EM ENT I N T H E C ON TI N E NT OF EUR OPE

A CONTRIBUTION TO MOD ERN HISTO RY

EDIT ED B Y T HE

R H USHB OOKE M A EV . R R . J . , . .

LONDON

THE CAREY PRE 1 FURNIVAL RE E E C. SS, 9, ST T, . THEK G GA E PRE OU HAMP O ROW W C IN S T SS, 4 , S T T N , .

I 9 1 S

PR E FACE

THE preparation o f thi s b ook was undertaken in the early part of last year at the request Of the Publica tion Departments Of the Baptist Missionary Society f and the Baptist Union o Great Britain and Ireland , and the original intention was to issue it in the

of 1 1 . autumn 9 4 Its appearance has , however, been postponed for several months owing to the outbreak of to the war , which has made it impossible Obtain the manuscripts of some who had promised their co - operation , and has in other cases involved serious postal delays . M oreover , the Editor was himself detained abroad for the three months immediately f following the Opening o hostilities . For the plan of the book and the selection of He contributors the Editor is responsible . has also written the introductory chapter and the Appendix ,

. . of I . s translated Chapters I I and I I I Part , and o far revised the work of all his coadjutors as to ensure consistency and eliminate needless repetitions . The general idea has been that the chief section of the book (Part I . ) should be devoted to the central , and by far the most important , Baptist movement in Europe , namely, that which origi vi PRE FAC E m ated eighty years ago in Hamburg , and has power fully affected the northern and eastern portions of the Continent ; and that this should as far as possible be exhibited as an organic whole . Johann Gerhard

n cken one of O is, in truth , Of the great figures eccle siastical history, and British Baptists , for whom this book is written , will desire to render ungrudging tribute to the service and influence of their German

- - co religionist and his fellow countrymen . Other movements , neither closely related with the German nor even interconnected among themselves , have been remitted to the shorter chapters forming Part I I .

out In carrying his general idea , the Editor had purposed to entrust the chapters to writers who

of or were natives , workers in , the various regions described, and in almost every instance he has been

. of able to fulfil his intention In the case Hungary , sectionalism has played s o conspicuous and un

a happy part , that it was clear from the outset that an impartial description could be secured only from a neutral pen , and an Englishman was therefore asked to write the chapter . The important section dealing with Russia was originally allotted to o n e who has laboured for many years in connection with the various groups o f Baptists i n that great land ; but this gentleman had never been natur alize d of , and the outbreak the war happening to find him in Germany , he was obliged to serve in the ’ Kaiser s army . H is promised contribution is un PRE FAC E v ii

available , and in this instance the Editor had to

to . . . modify his plan . He is indebted the Rev C T

Byford for writing the chapter now inserted .

Special acknowledgments are due to the Rev .

B e n ande r n ot Principal , who has only contributed directly to the book , but has assisted the Editor in correspondence where the direct postal connection with England has been interrupted ; and an exce p tionally grateful acknowledgment must be extended

not to the Rev . F . W . Herrmann , who has permitted grave international differences to hinder his co operation . Limitations of space have forbidden the treatment

Of many interesting topics , and especially any full

of consideration the social , political , and religious conditions of the various lands in their influence upon the reception Of the Baptist message . I nci dental and occasional references to such subjects

f o or will be found , and the Appendix has O fered pp t unit f r y o some remarks of a general character . It is the hope of the Editor that the present volume may enlarge among British Baptists knowledge Of and sympathy with their Continental brethren , and that in the future the demand for a more com prehensive history will arise .

J . H . R . Ma rch 1 1 , 9 5.

CONT E NTS

PREFACE

PART I T HE C E NTR A L M OVE M E NT CHAPT E R

THE . d or I . PIONEER By the E it

T HE V T . R v . I I . MO EMEN IN GERMANY By the e

. H e m ann F . W rr APPENDI% : IN FLUENCE OF THE GERMAN MOVEMENT UPON OTHER LANDS

THE T OF T D E I I I . S ORY SOME MINOR COMMUNI IES ( N K H W TZ ST MAR , OLLAND, S I ERLAND, AU RIA)

V . E V T W R ev . P n a I TH MO EMEN IN S EDEN . By the ri cip l

E Benan der C . .

APP C S : W S PT STS ENDI E S EDI H BA I IN FINLAND,

PETR OGR AD , ETC.

V. THE V T R SS R ev . . . MO EMEN IN U IA . By the C T Byford APPENDI % BAPTIST WOR K AMON G NON RUSSIAN SLAVONI C PEOPLES AND THE BAL K AN RACES GENERALLY

. THE V v V T H G . R e I MO EMEN IN UN ARY By the .

. ord C T . Byf CONTE NTS

PART I I OTH ER M OVE M E NTS CHAPTER PAGE

- . SP K P S . th R v I AMONG FRENCH EA ING PEO LE By e e . D ub a r R . r y

IN T . R ev . Kem m e Lande s I I . I ALY By the . W l

W . R v . Pr nc a . Oi IN e . e . . I I I . NOR AY By the i ip l J A , M A

V IN P . R ev . uan Uh r I . S AIN By the J

T G . R e . . . O V. IN POR U AL By the v J J livei ra

APPE N D I%

THE S T B S SP T PO I ION , PRO LEM , AND PRO EC S OF

EUROPEAN BAPTISTS . By the Editor B A P T I STS I N E U R O P E

PART I

THE CENTRAL MOVE ME NT

C HAPTE R I T H E P I O N E E R

JOHAN N G E RHAR D ONCKE N has long been known in ” Britain as the Father of the German Baptists ; “ f but he is far more . Father O the Continental ” Baptists would scarcely be an exaggerated title ; ou r indeed , as story unfolds itself, it will appear that the movement he inaugurated has exercised no slight n influence even beyond the European co tinent . It is , however, with that continent that this history is concerned , and especially with the main stream o f

Baptist life and activity , which traces its rise to 2 1 8 Hamburg , and to April 3, 34, when the first

Onck e n German Baptist Church was constituted , and , who had been baptized in the E lb e o n the previous i day, was chosen as its pastor . Other personal nflu e nce s have played a part ; minor movements have added their contribution to the main current ; but the summary statement may at once be made that almost the whole of the Baptist Church membership 2 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE of to - day is found in communities established by

- Oncke n and his fellow Germans , or by those who were directly influenced by them . His name must stand at the head Of what may be distinctively named the modern Baptist movement o n the continent Of

Europe . In a second part Of this book we shall

Speak of communities, comparatively isolated and weak , some of which date back to years pre f n k ceding the advent o O c e n ; but the living, m energetic , aggressive evangelistic ovement , whose registered adherents—church members and Sunday scholars —are known to exceed three hundred thousand , and probably (when reliable statistics Of the still imperfectly organized Russian work are available) will be found to approximate to half a million , has its beginnings in his activity . The communities with which the German movement h as l no direct connection probably number, at a libera estimate, less than adherents in all . r on The pioneer was born at Va el , in Oldenburg,

r 2 6 1 800 . his Janua y , Shortly before his birth , father, who had taken part in political conspiracies aiming at the overthrow of the Napoleonic rule , had found it necessary to take refuge in England , where he died a few years afterwards . Johann Gerhard spent his early years in his native town , but of the conditions under which they were passed little is known . He owed something to the religious in fl ue nce Of one or a grandmother, and to two friends . He was confirmed in the Lutheran Church in his fourteenth year ; but in the atmosphere of Luther a nism he acquired little beyond the habit of church TH E PIO N E E R 3 — going and through the effective moral discourses ' — of th e local minister a sensitive conscience that caused him considerable disquiet . At a later period

of he records how, in spite good resolutions , he had found it impossible in the autumn season to resist the temptation o f the ripe fruit in the orchards % ‘ ” Shortly after the power o f the Corsican had in been broken the Battle Of Leipzig , a Scottish merchant visited Varel in order to collect monies c of due on a count , goods smuggled into the district ’ during N apoleon s blockade , and his visit proved a ’ - turning point in On cke n s life . H e took a liking to

' b o and the y, i nvited him to come to Scotland , that “ of . he might make a man him I n September , 1 81 l ad For 3, the reached Leith . nine years he of remained in the service his patron , accompanying him on journeys through Scotland , England , France , G of and ermany, and laying up a store information for fli tu re yea rs . This settlement in Great Britain was destin e d to have most important issues for his d of religious evelopment . The first care his employer h a d been to procure the lad a Bible , though he him

‘ s elf was n r - . o Bible reader ; and the deepest impres i s ions which Scotland produced upon the mind of O n cken were due to the Presbyterian atmosphere in which he found himself. Certain English books

e Ne e r h help d to strengthen these impressions . v t e s les , the decisive hour of his experience struck only

' h e h ad after been transferred to London . There he h lodged wit an Independent family at Blackheath ,

’ i a nd t one of m the the prayers in the ho e , as well as

‘ of the public worship at the Independent chapel , 4 BAPTI STS IN E U ROP E

arrested him . His conversion followed soon after VIS It wards , and was directly occasioned by a to a

o n R m . 1 Methodist chapel and a sermon o viii . . His was a complete and whole - hearted surrender to of the grace God in Christ , and there followed at once the resolve to devote himself to the propagation ‘ of the message that had brought pe ace after his o f f prolonged season doubt and o search . His first of service took the simple form tract distribution , which was carried o n with intense devotion and self

. th at i ns e a f denial A biographer informs us , t d o r l spending in food the shilling a lowed for dinner , he contented himself with a penny roll , and applied the balance to the purchase of tracts 1 2 In 8 3 his work in his fatherland commenced . He had been accepted by the Continental Society G as a missionary to ermany , and settled in Hamburg as a member of the English Reformed Church in

. that city . Almost immediately, with the encourage

of . t exer ment the pastor, Mr Ma thews , he began to cise his gifts of speech in small gatherings at a private house . His first sermon was delivered to on 1 82 eighteen people January 4 , 4 , and the occasion

of . . was signalized by the conversion C F Lange , al afterwards o ne Of his most v ued helpers . I n less than two months the meetings aroused such a degree of popular interest that the room was overcrowded , and the police , at the instigation Of the local clergy , n k n forbade their continuance . O c e promptly turned o f to preaching at street corners , in the rooms or restaurants , wherever he could gather a handful Of hearers ; but the attention O f the authorities T HE PION E E R 5

caused him incessant annoyance , and he feared the extreme measure of expulsion from the city . To m s et make this legally i possible , he up in the year

1 82 8 a small bookselling business , and succeeded , as a responsible resident , in securing registration as a f citizen o Hamburg .

Oncke n was not yet a Baptist . As we have seen , the influences that played upon him in Great Britain had come from Presbyterian , Independent , and

o f Methodist sources , but there is no trace contact with Baptists . For ten years after his return his work was carried on upon what may be described “ ” as Evangelical Alliance lines . As agent Of the

Edinburgh Bible Society , he gave himself energetic ally to the distribution of Bibles and in the circu

as of lation Of tracts , as well in the carrying on evangelistic meetings wherever Opportunity afforded , he was indefatigable . Among other achievements , he assisted the sympathetic minister of the parish Of o f St . George to establish , with the aid a grant from

- the British Sunday School Union , the first Sunday school in Germany . In this school Dr . Wichern , Of h is as after the close University course , served a teacher , and his experiences there prepared him to “ become the founder of the celebrated Raubes ” Haus . The earliest direct reference t o Baptist leanings is associated with a Visit to Bremen in the year 1 82 6 . I n this city Oncke n was supported in his evangelistic

P He was ab e to e o in 1 8 fi ea s a e e ce n l r p rt 79 , fty y r ft r r ivi g th e a o n m en a h e h ad d s b u ed n o ess an pp i t t, th t i tri t l th co es pi . 6 BAPTI STS I N E UROPE

f of o . services by a number pastors , one whom (Mallet) was so deeply impressed by his power that al s o he urged him to undertake theologic studies , as to become a Lutheran clergyman , and Offered to n cke n bear the whole cost Of his training . O de clin o n ed this generous proposal other grounds, but he remarked at a later period : I already had doubts about infant baptism . These doubts grew with his f closer study o the New Testament , and he withheld convic his first child from the font . Gradually the tion took shape that the loyalty to the Bible which lay at the basis of his religious life demanded that he should accept baptism as a believer . Accord i n l 1 82 g y, in 9 , we find him in correspondence with

Haldane Of Edinburgh , but he recoils from Hal dane ’ s advice that he should follow the example Of

John Smyth by baptizing himself. He could find no New Testament authority for such a procedure ; and it is characteristic Of the man , whose reverent caution matched his daring , that he should wait five years “ for a Philip ” rather than make a false

- move which might afterwards mar his life work . Correspondence with Ivim ey in London led only to the suggestion that Oncke n should come over to

England for baptism , and this was impossible . It was from America that the long- desired Philip appeared . On cke n , during the years Of waiting, had made the acquaintance Of a s ea - captain named Calvin on Tubbs , and returning to America this man

‘ reported concerning him t o the American Baptist

Missionary Society of Boston . The substance of the TH E PI ON E E R

Y t o . of report was repeated by Dr Cone , N ew ork , f Professor Sears , o Hamilton College . Sears came to Europe in the year 1 833 and saw Oncke n ; but as the latter was about to undertake a journey t o

Poland , action was deferred until the following year . 2 2 1 8 On cken six Then at last , on April , 34 , and o n e hi others , Of whom was s wife , were baptized by

Sears in the Elbe . On the next day the American visitor completed a task whose historic importance th e he could not at time have realized, by formally constituting in Hamburg the first German Baptist

Oncken its . church , with as pastor We have referred to the beginnings Of persecution

- ncken during the pre Baptist activity of O . The irregularities Of his enthusiastic procedure had angered the clergy , and they stirred the police 1 82 on against him . I n 9 fines began to be imposed on the obstinate preacher , and , since he refused difli principle to pay , his goods were seized . Minor cultie s with the authorities were incessant but they were as nothing in comparison with the storm that broke about the head of the man after he had avowed himself a Baptist and had begun to proclaim the truth he held .

’ The evangelical society (Ni edersachszsche k tat esellscha t g f ), whose secretary he had been for years , disowned him ; the school which he had assisted in founding cast him off ; his connection with the

I ndependent Church was broken . The police at first did little ; they had , indeed , never willingly taken action ; the law had always been set in motion at O f the instance of the clergy . The Chief Police , % 8 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

H walke r udt , was a tolerant man , notably disinclined t Oncken o persecution . To this man repaired after f con his baptism to report the fact , and the O ficial tented himself with drawing up a formal minute o f

. Oncken the visit . But collision was inevitable was indefatigable in his activity ; in little more than two years the membershi p of the church had risen to

- o f sixty eight , and , with the support the American s Bapti ts , who had made him their missionary in was Germany, he undertaking a vigorous propaganda

W . herever he could find an Opening I n September, 1 8 37 , the storm burst fiercely upon the Hamburg community . Hitherto baptisms had been semi private , and had taken place at night ; but malicious

Oncke n whisperings had to be silenced , and there fore , for the first time , administered the ordinance l in broad daylight in the E be . The Clergy were enraged , and the police were compelled to take t oo action . The mob , , was excited , until a riot on the occasion Of a meeting for worship involved Oncke n in grave danger, and led to an Ofli cial order

of forbidding the public assemblies the Baptists . The tolerant Chief Of Police himself pointed out to Oncke n r i va te that p assemblies were still possible , and for some months tickets of admission were used by the members . Within a year of the riot their

- number had increased to ninety seven .

Heavier trials were , however, to follow. The church had in vain petitioned the Senate for toler ation ; and the death Of Hudtwalke r was followed by o f the appointment a new Chief Of Police , Dr . Binder , who frankly expressed his intention to destroy the

I O BAPTI STS I N E UROPE

of city , and rendered many thousands persons home less . On cken repaired to the authorities , and placed his new premises at their disposal for the reception of of the sufferers . In View the public need , the ff to O er was accepted , and for several months refugees the number of about seventy were sheltered , fed , and clothed , by the members Of the Baptist community . The Senate forwarded a letter of thanks t o On cke n Of was and , although the formal grant freedom for a

was . time withheld , persecution henceforth impossible

“ ” “ The sectarians had in the day of trial proved themselves among the bravest and most self- sacri ficin was u n g, and to treat them as bad citizens thinkable . Oncke n was again incarcerated in 1 843 at the ’ of instance Of the clergy . The sentence four weeks was : imprisonment , however , a mere form within four days he was unconditionally released . After twenty years the fight for freedom had been won in

Hamburg . We have told at some length the story Of the ’ pioneer s earlier years . H e will appear continually in the course of our history ; and here a brief outline of his achievements must suffi ce . When appointed by the American Baptists as their representative , Oncke n was expressly commissioned to travel in the interests of the movement . The labours he under took were immense . Already , during the period we of have described , when the claims the work in

Hamburg might well have restrained him , he is found in Oldenburg , in Marburg , in Stuttgart , in

Denmark , in East Prussia, extending his journey as THE PIONEER I r

far as Memel , and wherever he went he left Baptist 1 8 churches in his train . In 47 he baptized the

Swedish Baptist pioneer, N ilson . Of the journeys during these and later years i n Holland , Switzerland ,

Russia , the Balkans , and H ungary , we cannot speak ; or Of his frequent visits t o Great Britain to gain funds for his work . He paid a prolonged visit to America 1 8 1 8 in the years 53 and 54 , and was received with high honour . His work as an organizer, his activity in book publication and in ministerial training , his association with the beginnings of the foreign o f missionary work the German communities , must here be passed over ; it will receive attention in the

’ i h a 1 ZtIr c 2 88 . next chapter . H e died at on J nuary , 4 Some characteristics Of the pioneer German Baptist have already been indicated in this outline hi of s activities . Deep religious earnestness , a sense of the grace of God in the Lord Christ akin to that of the Apostle Paul , a fervent love Of the

Scriptures , a passion for souls , were united with an al most inexhaustible energy , considerable powers Of organization , eloquent and persuasive speech , and a courtly grace of manner that Opened the way to ’ of men s hearts . Opponents his work have marvelled at his richly - dowered individuality ; and not only

- of his fellow Baptists , but multitudes evangelical

Christians , have had abundant reason to glorify the

grace of God in him . Limits of space forbid detailed biographical

t o of n ke n reference the coadjutors O c , of whom his more will be told hereafter . He was happy in

. can comrades The famous triumvirate , which never 1 2 BAPTISTS I N E U ROPE

be forgotten by German Baptists , and which gained

of K leeblatt - e the nickname the (clover leaf) , consist d k nc e n KOb ner . . . Of O , , and G W Lehmann Julius KOb ner , a Danish Jew, who had already become a on of Christian in profession , was w by the preaching Oncke n , and baptized by him in the year 1 836 . He is distinguished as poet , author, and preacher .

. Of G . W Lehmann , Berlin , was an untiring and e fli cie nt organizer, the champion Of liberty of con science and broad charity. Already an earnest

i of ncken f Chr stian and a friend O , the baptism o the latter led him to consider the teaching of the

N ew Testament , with the result that he was baptized 1 by his friend in 837 . Lehmann died Shortly before Oncke n KObner , and Shortly after him . Of both we shall hear in the next chapter . C HAPTE R I I

T HE M OVE M E NT IN G E RM ANY : ITS P RO GRESS AND C O NS O L I D AT I O N

BY THE R EV W H . F . . ERRMANN

GOD works through men for the establishme nt O f

His Kingdom . When He willed to call into e xis e tence a new movement in Germany , and to s t in

- relief a long forgotten Biblical teaching , H e elected men full Of the Spirit and of power . Alongside On cken , the born organizer , who firmly established

KOb n e r the movement , came , the songful theologian , o n whose fluent pen carried the literary polemic ,

- wh o i i n and Lehmann , the far seeing diplomatist , the course of the development bridged over many f ' t o a di ficulty . We will endeavour describe the ‘ leading personalities and to characterize th e various periods of the movement .

’ ‘

ucken s E ar li est oad to . 1 . G C ju rs

was on e 1 1 1 806 Julius Kohner born Ju n , , at O Fii ne n Odense , in the Danish island f , and was the ‘ o f h c o n s n o the Jewish Rabbi in t at place . The l v icti on him at took shape within , an early age that the Christian religion was better and more Spiritual 1 3 1 4 BAPTISTS I N E U ROPE than the dead mechanical Judaism in which he had of been trained . At the close Of his period train ing as an engraver, he entered upon a wandering life which brought him for a time into contact

L ii beck . with Pastor Dr . Geibel in He formally 1 82 6 declared himself a Christian in Hamburg , in , but without any deep inner experience . After his

- marriage he settled in Schleswig Holstein , where, in addition to following his calling , he began to write for the theatre . The Hamburg Senate having offered prizes for the best essays on the suitable Of KOb ner employment orphan children , elaborated the thesis that straw - plaiting would prove a most effective and useful occupation ; and his essay not only secured the first prize , but led to his wife being summoned to Hamburg to instruct orphans in the

f - art O straw plaiting . The migration to Hamburg ’ KOb ner S proved Of the utmost importance for future . He resided in the immediate neighbourhood Of the

- Baptist meeting house , and speedily heard that the leader of this small and strange community was a remarkable orator . H e visited a service in order to Oncke n listen to , and the sermon at once seized upon him , awakening a consciousness Of sin , and f leading to a fundamental change o heart . On 1 1 8 6 n k n May 7 , 3 , he was baptized by O c e . His for accession represented a great gain the cause , for, through his training in the Hebrew faith , KObner had acquired an extensive knowledge of the

Scriptures , and he possessed in addition a thorough

- and many Sided education . He was a man of clear and a sharp underst nding, exceptionally lively imagi TH E M OV E M EN T I N GE RMANY 1 5

nation , considerable poetic gifts , and fascinating eloquence . By his spiritual songs and by many other forms Of literary work he rendered invaluable service for nearly half a century , until his death as a pastor in Berlin in the year 1 884 . Gottfried Wilhelm Lehmann was born in Ham

n 2 1 . burg O October 3, 799 Shortly after his birth to his parents migrated Berlin , where his father, O or an engraver in copper, hoped to find wider pp was tunitie s for the exercise of his art . The hope of doomed to disappointment , Since the storm war soon afterwards broke forth from France upon

Of . Europe , and brought ruin to every form art During the calamitous time the boy Gottfried was taken in charge by an uncle who was living in comparative comfort in Friesland . Here he came into association with Mennonites and other earnest

God . Christians , and by them was led to On his return to Berlin , young Lehmann devoted himself ’ to his father s calling , visited the Academy , and became an enthusiastic student Of foreign languages,

. For literature , and music the culture o f his devo tional life he connected himself with a community Of believers which met regularly for mutual edifi ca tion . His keen interest in Bible distribution led t o a correspondence with Oncke n as agent Of the

Scottish Bible Society, and this correspondence ’ laid the foundations Of their friendship . On cke n s baptism occasioned for a time some degree of estrangement ; but Lehmann , as a sincere seeker after truth , turned to the study Of the questions ’ raised by his friend s action . Afterwards he invited 1 6 BAPTI STS IN E U RO PE

D of ucken to Berlin , to explain in a gathering his friends the N ew Testament conceptions of baptism and church order. The clear exposition convinced 1 1 8 Lehmann , and on May 3, 37 , he , his wife , and ncken four others , were baptized by O in the Rum m e lsbur g Lake , outside Berlin . On the following be day the church in Berlin , of which Lehmann i n elli was . t came pastor, constituted His clear of gence, firm will , large power organization , active enthusiasm , strict fidelity to conscience , and vast for capacity for work , admirably fitted him the position to which he was called . He developed into a leading preacher and effective pulpit orator . H e died as pastor in Berlin in the year 1 882 . By the founding of communities in Hamburg and of Berlin , a foothold was secured in two the most of important centres German life , from which the movement might extend in every direction . It was also providential that at the outset the services of other outstanding men should have been gained

Johannes Elvin , who distinguished himself for many years as a Sunday - school leader and superintendent o f the school in Hamburg, and Jacob Braun , a former Mennonite , who is looked upon as the father f o choral melody in the German Baptist churches .

- Preaching, song, the Sunday school , and the dis of semination books and tracts , were four of the mightiest factors in the extension of the movement .

2 R a i d E t . p x er nal D evelopm ent (unti l

The warm neighbour- love which the Hamburg church displayed towards the homeless sufferers by

1 8 BAPTI STS IN E U ROP E

baptists , there arose everywhere energetic Baptist churches , which carried on a mission rich in blessing for the non - churchly and non - Christian populace , and had great influence in the reawaken to ing Of the State Church . This was due the fact “ ” so that every Baptist was also a missionary, that even the expulsions effected by police action con tributed to the spread of the testimony . After the Great Fire there came large numbers Of young people , from all points of the compass , to seek work o f in Hamburg . Through the incessant activity the Baptist church in that city many were led to

Christ , and at once began to take part in the dis trib u i t on of . tracts They were attacked , arrested , Oncken and expelled by the police . supplied them with Christian literature, and they returned to their homes as missionaries to form small Baptist churches . In this period (before 1 848) twenty- six churches

o f . As arose, and around each a circle stations towns such as Breslau , Stettin , Bremen , Elbing ,

Memel , Cassel , Marburg, Bitterfeld , Oldenburg , and others , were supplied with pastors , the large centres of population became from the beginning the central of points Baptist missionary activity, thus ensuring for the movement a firm basis . In 1 847 the twenty six churches had already members . The extension was not equally rapid in all dis

- t ri cts . I n the earlier days the N orth West , Middle ii rtte m be r and East Prussia, and W g, were the dis t ricts which gave readiest heed to the message . The work in East Prussia , a district peculiarly susceptible

to religious influence , advanced with notable , rapidity TH E M OVE M ENT IN G E RMANY 1 9 after the founding of the church in Konigsberg in 1 8 57 , and at the present day this remains a grow k ing work . In other districts , such as Mec lenburg ,

Saxony, and Bavaria , the movement was long re ffi ial strained by the O c policy of repression , and n ow these lands are even , despite much self

sacrificin . g labour , in some degree unfruitful

li i u r eedom 3. R e g o s F

The year 1 848 forms a landmark in the history of i ntrodu the German Baptists , since it brought the c of tion religious freedom . Until then there was no of free exercise religion , but at best a certain measure f of o toleration . Freedom Of the press and public meeting was unknown . A strict censorship , and of O r the supervision the police, restricted the ppo t un itie s of Baptist influence . Every outside move ment , however pure or holy, was suppressed in the ffi interests Of the State Church . O cials permitted themselves to be stirred by the leaders o f the Church to most regrettable measures . Meetings were assailed and dispersed by rude mobs , and the police afforded

f - no protection . The furniture o the meeting places was smashed , and the preachers roughly handled . f Assemblies were in many cases o ficially forbidden , and worship had Often to be conducted in cellars , woods , and caves . Fines were accumulated , and of o the goods the brethren seized t cover costs . The children of Baptists were forcibly taken from ’ their mothers arms , and carried to the churches for christening . 2 0 BAPTISTS I N E U RO PE

But the end of these comfortless conditions was f of approaching . Freedom o belief and conscience are sacred rights Of every man , certain to be attained in some way if not voluntarily granted . Already in the eighteenth century a reactionary spirit had commenced to assert itself in Germany , occasioned

’ by the French philosophy Of the Aufklci rung and the r Parisian temper . The c y for freedom now filled 1 8 the air . In the Parliament of Berlin ( 47) the of powerful opposition , demanding liberty the press

o f . . and faith , triumphed King Frederick William IV displayed leanings towards reform , and a law was passed providing a legal method of declaring sever ance from the State Church . N evertheless , a bloody revolution was needed before genuine religious liberty was assured . This revolution swept through the land f al like a hurricane , secured a high degree o politic liberty , and finally established religious liberty . The 1 8 8 constitutional documents Of December 5, 4 , and 1 1 8 0 to January 3 , 5 , assured the individual freedom o f religious confession , and to the community free dom of religious fellowship , as well as Of family and public worship . It was further provided that civic and national rights should be independent of opinion f in matters o faith . Thus at a stroke (as at Philippi) ’ all the doors were opened , and every man s bonds were loosed . The churches could emerge from

- of their hiding places , and the trumpet the Evangel could be clearly sounded . The announcement of this liberty sent an electric thrill through the land . b efl a ed n Houses were gg , and from ma y a tower the ” sound Of the choral music Nun danket alle Gai t ) TH E MOVE M E NT I N G E RMANY 2 1

floated down upo n the city beneath . This period marks the commencement o f the public activity of the Baptist communities . The results of the freedom appeared in two dire c — tions an aggressive missionary activity and the firmer organization o f the churches among them

. Of On cken selves In respect the missionary activity , “ says : If hitherto we have needed grace to suffer and to endure, we need it doubly now for joyous and full self- dedication to the work Of spreading the t e Gospel . The churches began to labour in their spective districts with the greatest vigour . Many new

fields were attacked , and the movement was aided not a little by the gifts of England and America .

n k e n Lehmann and O c made numerous journeys , extending from Denmark to Memel and into Switzer f land , for the forming o new communities and the ’ f n strengthening o existing work . A seam e s mission n was set o foot in Hamburg. The work of Bible and tract distribution likewise registered a great advance , so that over twenty thousand Bibles and a million

. 1 8 8 tracts were annually circulated In May, 4 , the first regular journal had already commenced to Mi i o l t D as ss nsb a t . appear , Elvin visited the churches

of - in the interests Sunday school organization . On 1 1 8 1 1 July , 5 , there were 4 churches with 1 members , 37 teachers , and scholars . The second effect o f the religious freedom was the organization of the churches, the independence of the local community being carefully respected . 1 8 8 Already in July , 4 , Lehmann had summoned repre sentatives of the Prussian churches t o a con 2 2 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

ference in Berlin , at which they formed themselves

into a corporation . Two decisions reached on this

occasion were of special importance . The first was that two- thirds of the total contributions should be

- applied locally , and one third should be transmitted

to the American Board for foreign missionary work . Thus the new movement was definitely associated f with the evangelization o the heathen . The other de cision appointed Wilhelm Weist , as the first itinerant of missionary within the area the associated churches , f to devote himself to the founding o new stations .

Many were established as a result , especially in the

east . The work in East Prussia rapidly grew, and

the effects were felt as far as Posen , Silesia , Poland ,

and Russia . But it was not enough to have secured the organi z ation 1 8 Of the Prussian movement . Already, in 49 , fifty- six representatives of the work throughout Germany and Denmark had met in conference at

Hamburg . This was the first Union meeting

B undeskon erenz ( f ) , since all the churches now united in a Union Of the Associated Churches of Baptized ” Christians in Germany and Denmark (B i md der verei nigterz Gem ei nden getaufter Chr isten i n D eutsckland ’ nd e ar ri D ii n m k) . The area Of the Union s operations

: was divided into four Associations Prussia , with Ber

- lin as centre North West Germany, with Hamburg

- as centre ; South Central Germany, with Einbeck as

centre ; and Denmark , with Copenhagen as centre . The Objects of the Union were described as con fe s sion of Oncke n (a confession faith prepared by , KOb ner 2 , and Lehmann was adopted) ( ) strengthen TH E M OV E M E N T I N GE RMANY 2 3 ing of the fellowship ; (3) missionary activity ; (4) the preparation of statistics . It was further decided that the various Associations (Verei nigungen) should meet —an yearly , and the Union every three years arrange ment which still holds . This method of organization marked an essential advance .

A F ate ul R eacti o 4 . f n ( 1 850

- The long desired freedom was not left undisturbed .

The Governments regained power, and strove to over

- throw the newly granted constitutions . Legislation was initiated in the interests of privileged classes ; and political guardianship and persecution of dissi

- dents were re enforced . The political tendencies f n ew were felt in the sphere o religion , and a period ’ of ff su ering for conscience sake opened , which in m any districts proved more severe than the period 1 before 848. Exceptionally heavy penalties were “ ” attached t o the assumption of clerical functions of or the celebration public worship , baptism , ’ the Lord s Supper) . In some districts such as Han over , hardships were added by the pastors refusing to marry Baptists . Slights were also put upon them f r u in connection with funerals . The forms o pe sec tion included the breaking - up Of the assemblies ; of ffi systematic bullying on the part the police , o cials , and mayors ; the imprisonment of preachers and church - members their treatment as common criminals ; distraints and con fi scations ; compulsory baptism of children ; floggings ; expulsions ; and other measures which it is almost shameful to record . The 2 4 BA PTISTS I N G E RMANY

withholding of police protection encouraged mob

violence , and in connection with the attacks upon meetings some preachers were s o seriously misused

that their escape from death was truly providential . Proceedings against the evildoers led only t o ridicu l o usly mild penalties the authorities went so far as t o to refuse to administer the oath Baptists , and to of deprive them ordinary civil rights . It was a

O com terrible time , a baptism f blood for the m uni ie t s . In no German state were the brethren left k in peace . The persecution was fiercest in Mec le n B k fi c ebur . burg, Schleswig , Hesse , and g Protests n addressed to the ruli g princes proved , almost with ou t exception , vain ; in Oldenburg alone was tolera

tion secured . Many members were forced to emigrate

to America . I n general , a Spirit of fine heroism ,

Christian patience , and forgiveness , was displayed by of all . Meanwhile , efforts for the establishment a

lasting freedom were incessantly made . Dr . Steane, of the representative the English Baptist Union , when taking part in an Alliance meeting in Elberfeld , 1 8 1 in 5 , referred in his address to the persecution of the Baptists , and urged the assembly to express its practical sympathy with these but the decision was an indirect refusal of his request . At the instigation of of Lehmann , Pastor Kuntze , Berlin , severely criticized the policy Of persecution in a periodical ,

K i r cke des H er rn of (the Church the Lord) , and 1 8 this action , with the formation in 53 of a German f branch o the Evangelical Alliance , prepared the way for the change . I n Prussia, Mr . Barnard , the American Ambassador in Berlin , addressed to

2 6 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

American , Dr . Baird , also travelled to Berlin in order

to interview the King in the interests Of the Baptists .

He was invited to the royal table , and thus found an

unusually favourable opportunity Of stating his case . To the Alliance deputation which visited him in Cologne the King promised an immediate investi ation of P am g the facts , and through the russian bassado rs he urged like action upon other German

states . influen Dr . Steane worked from England through

tial persons with unabated ardour , and at length

King Frederick William IV . was induced to express

a wish to visit a meeting Of the Alliance in Berlin . 1 8 This took place in September , 57 , and proved an

important ecclesiastical and political event . At the close of the congress Sir Culling Eardley had a fare of well audience the King , and it was arranged that a standing committee Should be formed in Berlin to make direct representations to His Majesty Should

further persecution take place . The issue was , how

ever, otherwise decided . Four days afterwards the ’ King s illness supervened , and Prince Wilhelm be

came Regent . The reaction ceased , and a new era

began . Attacks upon religious assemblies were for bidden the children of Baptists were freed from the necessity of receiving religious instruction in the schools . Various petitions to the Parliament led to the passing in 1 875 of a law permitting the local churches to obtain the status of corporations , and advantage has been freely taken of this . In Hamburg legal recognition had already been secured as early TH E M OVE M E N T I N G E RMAN Y 2 7

1 8 8. as as 5 In other States , such Saxony and

Bavaria , a degree of freedom has also gradually been achieved .

P eace l ev lo m ent . 5. fu D e p During the Sixties the persecution as a rule died out , although it still continued in Brunswick , the electorate Of Hesse , Schwarzburg Rudolstadt ,

B ii ckebur . g, Mecklenburg, and Saxony The coming of peace permitted of remarkable spiritual advance in 1 86 many parts . In the Mark of Brandenburg , in 3, 2 04 persons were baptized in a single church and its stations , and the revival spread through the whole of

Pomerania to East Prussia . It was equally marked in the farthest ( Mazurian) district of East Prussia , adjoining the Russian frontier ; but nowhere was it so powerfully felt as in the metropolis of East

Prussia , Konigsberg . Here the most conspicuously successful preacher was the ex - schoolmaster Ber wh o 1 86 6 neike , entered upon his ministry in , and remained at work in Konigsberg until his deat h in

1 8 1 fi v e 9 . There are now in this city churches with

members , and it forms the most important centre of Baptist influence in the east . To the three great centres of Baptist development

KOn i sb e r —a Berlin , Hamburg , and g fourth came to — 1 8 be added Barmen in Westphalia . Here in 52 a church was founded which proved the cradle of a powerful mission in the leading industrial district of

. KO n Germany There b e r laboured for thirteen years , on 1 86 and his departure for Copenhagen , in 5, in order to lead the Danish work , he was followed by a 2 8 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

d preacher of marke originality, W . Haupt , who

on - carried the work for twelve years . To day there

- are in this industrial district twenty seven churches , that in Gelsenkirchen , with members , being the largest . This period Of prosperity lasted until about the fo year 1 895. From that time the net increase has r f various reasons proved smaller . The revival o the o f State Church , and its imitation of the methods the ’ - dissenters (Sunday schools , young people s unions ,

- prayer meetings , led to the retention in its ranks o f many who had been converted under m of Baptist influence . Further , many co munities religious persons have been formed in Germany , and a strong rivalry exists between them . The Gem ei nschaftsbewegung (an evangelical movement taking shape in the formation of societies of b e lieving persons) has endeavoured to offer within the State Church everything necessary for the e dification of of believers . The extension Of the power social democracy, even in the country districts , has largely withdrawn the labouring Classes from Baptist in fl ue n e c . The expansion of the German mission work will appear from the following figures : in 1 86 3 there were members ; in 1 86 7 there were 87 churches with stations and 1 8 0 1 0 1 members ; in 7 , churches with mem Of 1 1 bers . At the close 9 3 Germany possessed

members in 2 1 3 churches . The Sunday schools contained scholars instructed by

teachers . There were 332 chapels . The total contributions for the year amounted t o TH E M OVE M E NT I N G E RMAN Y 2 9 marks and the value of the property was somewhat over The development of the work has necessitated a development of organization . The connections with the neighbouring lands have been gradually loosened .

Denmark , Sweden , and Poland , were left outside the

Union , as these lands felt themselves strong enough to establish their separate national organization . Within the purely German Union the churches are linked in Associations whose boundaries have been determined by geographical considerations , whilst the local churches continue self- governing in regard ff to internal a airs , and the Union , by means of its triennial meetings and its Executive (Vereinigte B un desverwaltun g) , exercises a brotherly and advisory influence . The need of more chapels had made itself deeply felt , and with the growth in numbers and in the spirit Of self- sacrifi ce the provision o f buildings was secured . The numerical increase intensified also the

- need of well trained preachers . Although from the outset Oncken had realized that the testimony of the members must needs be supplemented by trained service for the deepening of the common life and the extension Of propaganda , it was but Slowly that this o f as idea laid hold the Baptists a community . Many of the most earnest Of the brethren dreaded the sub s titution of a caste of priests for a universal priest hood , and feared ecclesiasticism and the limitation of the operations of the Holy Spirit . But gradually ’ Oncken s View prevailed . The earliest students were

t o of 1 8 - 0 called Hamburg for the winter 49 5 , and 30 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE received from Oncke n the most necessary elementary f instruction . Such were the remote beginnings o the ’ . six o f college For some years , months courses train on 1 1 0 ing were provided ; but October , 88 , a per ’ manent seminary , with a four years course, was opened in Hamburg , in which several hundred students have now been educated . I n view of the enlarging demands , the building was extended in the 1 1 year 9 4, and now accommodates over a hundred men . The publishing house in Cassel is also of great n k n denominational significance . O c e had bequeathed to the Union his publishing business , with which was connected the German representation of the Scottish

Bible Society . The work developed and flourished

of . under the capable leadership Dr Philip Bickel , h w o came over from America to take charge Of it . The Publication Department has become an out Of — es eci standing feature the German work , and p ’ — ally through the issue Of Spurgeon s sermons has f been o great benefit to the whole land . The Christian Tract Society is a speci al branch that has wrought much good . A further important undertaking was the support

of . elderpastors , and thewidows and orphans Of pastors I nvalidenkasse was To meet this the established , and proved of great use , although the available sums were very small . Contributions by Baptists in England and America laid the foundation Of a chapel - building u of of has f nd , which by means loans free interest assisted many churches to the ownership of their buildings . The appointment Of Union evangelists TH E M OVE M E N T I N G E RMANY 31

“ and the initiation of the tent mission have con tributed not a little to advance the denomination , both directly through conversions , and indirectly by drawing public attention to the work of the Baptists . The flourishing Sunday - school work is well organ iz ed of through the vigilant activity the statistician , ’

. . Y J G Lehmann , and the oung People s societies are extending and consolidating their work . For many years the care o f orphans has been not effectively undertaken , in an institution , but through families voluntarily Offering their services ; and problems concerning the care o f their aged members are now occupying the minds of the

Baptists . The deaconess work initiated by Eduard its Scheve is constantly widening , and the Calls for further extension are numberless . The Baptists have thus become a mighty factor in of the evangelization Germany, and will doubtless increasingly prove such . As the influential court

. . K rum m ache r preacher, Dr . F W , significantly said ” The Baptists have a future .

Ap p E ND I H T x T O C AP E R I I .

The i nfluence of the Ger m an B aptist m ovem ent upon

other l ands ; m issi ons to the hea then .

Like Sparks from an anvil , the truths rediscovered by Oncke n and his followers flew forth in every direction from Germany to lands beyond her borders . The Hamburg church made early attempts to evangelize in the then Danish possession o f 32 BAPTI STS IN E U RO PE

- 1 8 Schleswig Holstein , and in 49 founded in Pinne berg the first church in this region . At the o f On cke n e suggestion , the American and For ign Bible Society had sent in 1 848 a colporteur to for Schleswig , and his journeys prepared the way the later work . From his conversion in 1 849 until 1 88 his death in 7 , the innkeeper Claus Peters was

f - the soul o the mission in Schleswig Holstein . In

KObner 1 Denmark , had already in 839 made pioneer 1 8 ncke n attempts to carry on mission work . In 47 O wh o baptized in Hamburg a Swede , F . O . N ilson , afterwards commenced the movement in his own

. 1 8 Kob ner land By a journey to Holland in 44, laid a foundation in that country. o n In Memel , the easternmost post German soil , a movement commenced among men of two different — nations the Lithuanians and the Letts . The Open 1 8 ing Offered itself in strange fashion . I n 54 a great fire in Memel destroyed among other buildings three churches , one Of which was the church of the

Lithuanians . These asked the Baptists to arrange a service for them , and the request was granted , the Lithuanian brother Albrecht being entrusted with c the leadership . The Chur h authorities, however , regarded with disapproval the services in the Baptist chapel , and obliged the people to obtain another

- meeting place . These Lithuanian services remain nevertheless a feature Of the church in Memel , and from this centre a few Lithuanian churches have been founded in the neighbourhood. The first Russian Baptist was a ship ’ s carpenter akobsohn from Libau , named J , who, whilst working

34 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE they returned home to bear witness t o their own people .

1 8 1 . . u In May, 5 , the deacon , I W Kr ger, emigrated to America , in order to commence mission work among the Germans in Peoria , but before that time —partly on account of persecution and partly with a View to social betterment—German Baptists had settled in the United States ; some four hundred 8 0 im were already there by the year 1 5 . The portant development of the German Baptist work of in America lies , however , beyond the scope this volume . The organization of German churches in South 1 86 1 of Africa commenced in the year , but the story these also lies outside our limits . A word as to the missions to the heathen under taken by the German churches must be added , not with a view to detailed description Of labours beyond

se t the borders Of Europe , but in order to forth the o f Spirit the home churches , and the energy with which they have devoted themselves to the discharge

of . 1 8 0 On cken the Great Commission In 7 , sent a missionary to China to undertake work there , but on ’ of the breakdown the missionary s health , the enter

'

. 1 8 0 prise passed into other hands I n 7 , the Union Conference in session at Hamburg resolved to com Kaffirs mence a mission among the in South Africa , but this attempt had soon to be abandoned . The Zenana Mission in India h as aroused a sympathy which is energetically sustained ; in recent years twelve or thirteen Bible - women have been main ai t ned in that land. TH E M OV E M E NT I N G E RMAN Y 35 The chief interest belongs nevertheless to the

. 1 88 mission in the Cameroons I n December , 4, an address delivered in Berlin by D r. Bentley drew attention to the Cameroons , and the first collection was taken . From that time the Baptists have kept w the needs Of that land in vie . Under the clear of Sighted leadership Eduard Scheve , the missionary o f society the German Baptists was founded . On

8 1 8 1 . December , 9 , R Stephens and his wife landed the as first missionaries in Victoria , and since then

Over fifty have been sent out . Their labour and n ot sacrifice have been in vain , and the work has ’ of grown beyond the limits its founders expectation . C HAPTE R I I I

T H E STO RY OF S O M E M I N O R B APT I ST C O M M UN I T I E S

T HE OV E E T I N D E K HO D SW TZE R M M N NMAR , LLAN , I D US T LAN , A RIA

B W . Y TH R Ev F . H E . ERRMANN

% 1 . D enm ar k.

AT the commencement of the nineteenth century a barren rationalism had extinguished the spiritual life of of Denmark . N evertheless , there were signs 1 80 better times . In 3 a young parish minister , who on Z later became Bishop of the diocese of ealand , “ M n t r of G d . . s e o P y , found the peace , which J — passeth all understanding his own expression

1 1 1 . r ndtoi who and in 8 N . F S . G u g, became the of f l l w on father the o kehOjsko e movement , as c verted . Also among the common people a move

. so ment had begun In Jutland , near Vejle, the called Strong Jutes vigorously opposed the

Th e i nform ation as to th e rel ati on s of Onck en and K ohner

h F . W . rr with th e D ani sh m ovem ent (furn i sh ed by t e R ev . H e

M . m ann h as b e en a uab su e m e n e d b r . P O se n om ) v l ly ppl t y l , fr w om th e ar cu ars as to th e n erna is or of th e c u c es h p ti l i t l h t y h r h , am oun n to ab ou two i ds of hi s s ec ion a e bee n ti—g t th r t t , h v E D . d erive d . SOM E M I N O R BA PTIST C O M M U NITI E S 37

- con rationalistic State Church clergy , and preached

. Fii ne n version and faith in Christ On , a poor t o Shoemaker, Hans Swane , was a faithful witness

one of . the truth , and his converts , Chr Madsen , o became a powerful preacher . In the western part f Z of ealand was also a company believers , chief f o . among them Count Holstein , H olsteinborg of These different groups believers , without separat for ing from the State Church , held meetings mutual e dification of ff l , and persisted in Spite O icia dis approval . 1 8 Kobner as In 39 , who a born Dane was keenly for interested his Fatherland , undertook a journey to Denmark in order to gain a Closer knowledge of these believers . He met with a friendly reception , and was f f a forded extensive oppo rtunities o preaching . At one of on Fii ne n his meetings , his native island , one of a discussion arose as to baptism , and those present let fall the remark that KOb ner ought to MOn r go to Copenhagen and visit ste , in whom he

own KObner would find a man after his heart . accepted the saying as a pointing of the Divine

finger . He travelled to Copenhagen , and found there a group of believers gathered about the e m MOnster h o graver , a man w was a convert from the Z on Western ealand group , but had become convinced , of Biblical grounds , the impropriety of infant baptism , KOb ner though as yet he knew nothing of Baptists . of took advantage the Opening , and endeavoured to clarify their ideas . After his departure he main t ained a correspondence with the group , and its members finally decided t o leave the State Church . 38 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

Thereupon Oncke n and Kob ner travelled to Copen 1 8 hagen , and in October, 39 , baptized eleven persons

to form the first Danish Baptist Church , with

Monster as its leader . Persecution immediately out broke , and the meetings were strictly forbidden

by the Government . The tiny flock nevertheless 1 8 0 increased in numbers , and in 4 , in the course of Oncke n Kob n r a second journey , and e were able

to baptize ten persons more . Shortly before this , ’ Monster s brother, a theological student , had been

n converted and baptized in Hamburg . O cken and KOb ner prolonged their journey into the island of I n 1 8 Langeland, where the latter had already 39 o f established contact with a group believers , and

of these eight were now baptized . Here also hatred ff for manifested itself, and a reward was o ered the

seizure of the two heretical visitors . They escaped

just in time to evade arrest . In Aalborg (Jutland) there were also a few be lievers - , among them a sergeant major in the army ,

FOlt ve d . A sister of h is wife was among the ten

1 8 0 . baptized in Copenhagen , June, 4 A friend of

FOlt e d v , a blacksmith , needed an assistant , and in

FOltved answer to a letter from , Monster sent over six one Of the first eleven , with the result that bap

i m s on 1 1 8 0 . t s took place there October , 4 A church l e wa Fo tv d s . was formed , and chosen pastor When of this became known , the storm persecution broke furiously upon the Baptists . Monster was imprisoned , whereupon his brother Adolf undertook the leader Oi 1 8 1 ship the community until , in March , 4 , it was dissolved by the police . Undeterred by the Offi cial S O M E M IN O R BAPTI ST C O M M UNI TI E S 39

attitude , Adolf Monster baptized eleven persons in the following May, and for this he also was committed

. of On cke n to prison At the suggestion , a deputation 1 8 1 visited Denmark in September , 4 , and presented o f t the King a petition on behalf o the Baptists , 00 f signed by 4 English pastors ; but this e fort , and of the exertions Elizabeth Fry , achieved no success . Not until the close o f November were the prisoners set free, and then they were forbidden to preach .

Ignoring the prohibition , they resumed their activity , and a powerful movement arose . Adolf Monster , after baptizing a further Sixteen persons , was again incarcerated, and a like cause led to the rearrest of his elder brother . A deputation from America 1 8 2 (August , 4 ) failed to secure them liberty of action MOn st er i m indeed , P . was afterwards three times prisoned . In the same year a law was promulgated Offering to the Baptists a place of refuge in Fredericia (where also descendants of the Huguenots were allowed to live) . I n this place alone the Baptists were to be permitted to administer baptism and the ’ Lord s Supper, and to make proselytes . In addition , the law enacted that the children of Baptists must be christened either by the Baptists themselves or else in the Lutheran Church , and that the children of mixed marriages must also be educated in

o f Lutheranism . The refusal obedience led to the o f fourth and fifth imprisonments Monster, as well o f as to the incarceration baptized persons . I n Copenhagen progress was checked by an u m i n 1 8 happy division 45, by which the seceding party of laid the foundation the present first Church . 40 BAPTISTS I N E U ROPE

From 1 845 persecution gradually ceased . In 1 849 a liberal constitution was secured for the of ersecu kingdom , and with it liberty conscience ; p

tion thus became unlawful . There were then six 00 Baptist churches with about 4 members , in addi ’ two tion to Monster s church in Copenhagen , and

small country churches connected with it . These 2 00 three churches numbered over members . After the period of persecution ( 1 839 - 1 849) followed a period of extension (1 850 In Copenhagen

the work was unprosperous through this period . In 1 850 Mormon influences caused grave trouble . ’ MOnste r S f — in church in particular su fered fact , o f 1 8 little was left this church in 53, when Monster

gave up his work , and also , as it seems , his Baptist

views . But in the country as a whole the movement f prospered. In spite o serious trouble with the

M ormons in Aalborg, hundreds were added to this 1 86 church . By 4 nine new churches had been f of organized in di ferent parts the land, and the total membership had grown to about What may be described as a period of organiza

1 88 . tion succeeded , and lasted until 3 The weakness o f the cause during the period of extension had been

the want of able leaders . There were many good

- and earnest lay preachers , but none that was able to organize the work and lead the denomination on t o greater conquests . Kob ne r To supply the need Julius , who had never lost interest in his native land , returned to it as 1 86 pastor of the Copenhagen church in 5, and at

once this church began to prosper. At the close

42 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE

- . n N J . Jense , was the leader Of a Danish Norwegian department , and financial support to the churches was given by the American Society . This assistance aroused the churches to new courage , and substantial progress followed . From 1 88 1 8 3 to 99 there were over baptisms , and the total membership increased from about to With the close of 1 899 the rapid advance was suddenly checked . Since then the increase in mem hership has been but slight , the total membership now being and the number of scholars exactly

The present may be called a new period of organ iz ation and education . ’ The People s High School (Gistrup HOjsk Ole) was built in 1 899 . Its leader for the first ten years was

P . Olsen . He was succeeded by Dr . J . P . Ras mussey . During the Sixteen years Of its existence the courses at the school (five months for men and three months for women) have been attended by about six hundred young women and men . Thirteen of the younger ministers al so received the elementary part of their education there . Since 1 9 1 0 there has also been a small training school for ministers in Copenhagen . During this period a Young People’s Work has been developed courses for Sunday - school teachers have been held ; and a number of new houses of worship have been erected . The denominational paper was started as a con mo nthly in 1 854 . During this period it was SOM E M I N O R BAPTI ST C O M M U N ITI E S 43

B a verted into a weekly . Its present name is p

st r n s eblacl B a ti st eekl ti e e Ug (the p W y) . The State Church is no longer what it was in

1 are . 839 . There numerous believers within its fold i s It still strictly Lutheran in theory , but reformed views as to baptism and the Lord’ s Supper are widespread . Other Free Churches have also sprung up . But there is still great need of the Baptists as witnesses to the Gospel .

% 2 . H olland.

On the occasion of a Visit to Oldenburg and Fries KObn e r land , extended his journey to the neighbour ing Holland . There , a Short time before , a movement ’ o f had arisen in favour believers baptism , and in this

Fe is ser o f movement Dr . , a pastor the Reformed

Church , was a leading Spirit . Kohner Visited him , and found that he was about to t e - sprinkle a number of persons who had recently left the Church . ’ The intention was abandoned in View of KOb n e r s demonstration that Biblical baptism involved i m i e r 1 8 . Fe s s mersion . I n May, 45, Dr came to Ham of burg and , after convincing the Baptists the sound of Kob n e r ness his views , returned with , who baptized him and six others to form the first church in

Fe i sser . Ko b ne r Stadskanaal , with as pastor after wards proceeded to Amsterdam , where by the baptism of of four persons he laid the foundations a church , About the same time On cke n in Hamburg had bap

’ Mr H e rrm ann s m anu scr h a s in s se c on b een er . ipt thi ti v y ar e ex an d e d b th e E d or wh o is n de b e d t o th e R e v. B . l g ly p y it , i t

oe os S e cre ar of th e D u c Ba s Un on for m an d e a s . R l , t y t h pti t i , y t il 44 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE tiz ed three Dutchmen , and their return to Amsterdam O n strengthened the little group K b e r had found . At a later date Oncke n visited Holland and baptized a few believers . 1 8 8 In April , 5 , an evangelist , E . Gerdes , a former

Mennonite , came to Stadskanaal , where he joined an the Baptists d became their pastor , since Dr . r Feisse was at that time living at N ieuwe Pekela .

His work prospered , and there were several baptisms . of 1 8 He left Stadskanaal in the autumn 59 , and was afterwards a very popular writer of young people ’ s books , though no longer in connection with the

Baptists . After his departure the evangelist J . Wit m on d to , a former schoolmaster , likewise came

Stadskanaal and joined the Baptists, by whom he f was cal led to the pastorate . He did very e fective work there until 1 86 5. i r . Fe s se Dr , who did not sympathize with the rigid Calvinism of the German Baptists, SO that the of bond union was not very strong , and who because of his weak constitution and many adversities had become disheartened , died at N ieuwe Pekela in the

1 86 . same year, 5 In 1 86 4 a new work had commenced in the country under the influence of the German churches in East

Friesland . The occasion was furnished by the publi cation of a work written by two Reformed pastors in defence of the questioned practice of infant baptism . r e A . Willms , an East Friesland pastor , effectively futed o f this . A Copy his refutation found its way to

Franeker in Holland , where a few pious persons read

f of e it , and became convinced o the legitimacy b S OM E M I NO R BAPTI ST CO M M U N ITI E S 45

’ lievers baptism . They entered into correspondence

for . with Willms , and asked a visit The result was Of 1 86 the baptism four persons by De N eni in 4, and others followed . The group was organized as a of of branch the church in Ihren , East Friesland , which Willms was pastor . De N eni settled in

Franeker, and extended his influence as far as

Amsterdam . A few years afterwards , many of the

f t o . members, including De N eu , emigrated America 1 e rd H is work was taken up in 1 87 by De W e t .

1 86 6 . . Kloekers In the Rev . H J , who had been a missionary in China , at first for a Dutch missionary society , but after his baptism at Shanghai for the

Baptist Missionary Society , returned to Holland , d hoping to work there for the kingdom of Go . He l made his way to Stadskanaa , and was asked by the church to become its pas tor . During his ministry many were converted and baptized .

About that time the churches at Amsterdam , to Stadskanaal , and Franeker tried unite , but as the church at Franeker insisted on the acceptance of laubens bekenntni the Hamburg G s, it became clear

. K oe ke r that a formal union was impossible Mr . l s preferred the standpoint of the English and American f Baptists , and strongly opposed the Calvinism o the

German Baptists . Since no Union could be formed friendly con fe rences were organized , and a monthly paper , Ti t us . T kel nb ur . , was issued , with Mr e e g as editor

This , however , did not last long , as the churches in Friesland , Franeker , Makkum , and Workum ,

B and o - e were absorbed in the German , and c op ra tion proved difficult . 46 BAPTI STS I N E U RO P E

1 8 . . About 79 the Revs J . Horn , J . de Hart , N van

. R oele s Beek and B , evangelists and pastors of small ’ independent churches, accepted believers baptism , and with the greater part of their members joined ’

. Kl k r the Baptists Then at last Mr . oe e s favourite idea was realized , and a U nion Of independent

on 2 6 1 881 . churches was formed January , , at Foxhol D e Chr i sten I n the same year a new monthly paper, , Kloek er s was issued , with Messrs . and Horn as editors . The monthly afterwards became a fort nightly and later a weekly paper . For many years the editor h as been Mr . van Beek . 1 88 ff w two I n 5 di erences bet een the editors , Kloeke rs and Horn , raised serious discussion in the of General Assembly the Union , and issued in some

o f secessions . The bulk the Dutch Baptists were now inclining towards close fellowship with the B und German , and after lengthy preliminary nego

ia ion t t s and explanations , the D utch Union was received into fellowship with the B und at the Ham

Of 1 8 1 . burg Conference August , 9

Some churches (in Friesland , Franeker, Workum for and elsewhere) stood out a while , and even refused to receive members of the Union churches ’ u north o at the Lord s table , on account of their ” on one doxy . Later , however , they came nearer to another. Since the admission Of the Union into the Ger B und man , young men who wished to be trained for the ministry have been accepted at the Preachers ’

College at Hamburg, and Revs . B . Planting, the pastor of the church at Amsterdam , A . Hof of SO M E M IN O R BAPTI ST CO M M U NITI E S 47

Groningen , and J . Loun Of Nieuwe Pekela , were ink o f . . . Wee n educated there , whilst Rev J W Stadskanaal studied at the Pastors ’ College in

London .

The Dutch churches , though poor, are working for the spiritual needs o f their countrymen by ’ - Sunday schools , young people s meetings , evan l i e ist c . g meetings , etc , and the mission work is not not neglected by them , although they are yet able to send their own missionaries to the D utch colonies . They are supporting the work o f the German Bap tist s in the Cameroons , and of the British Missionary ’

. Kloeke rs Society on the Congo , where M r only

Mrs . . daughter, W Holman Bentley , has laboured for ’ i . . Fe sse r s many years Dr . youngest daughter, Mrs

John Bell , has also worked and laid down her life ’ for the Master s cause .

of Thus in Holland , where the work the Baptists is so difficult on account Of the opposition of the

State Church and other churches , the Baptists are looking for a brighter future .

n ow e - There are in Holland tw nty four churches,

members , and scholars .

wi tzer lan . 3. S d

In the year 1 847 Oncke n travelled in Southern

Germany and extended his tour into Switzerland .

In Hochwart he baptized a few persons , and organized a church . Two years later the church in Z ii rich was formed ; but it was only in the fifties that the movement definitely advanced . In 1 856 there were

fift - w t o Ziirich . . y baptisms in , and I I Hofer became 48 BAPTISTS IN E U ROPE

the missionary there . At the same time , small groups f o Baptists in St . Gallen and Thurgau were seeking

. 1 8 two . pastoral aid In 59 preachers , F Meyer and

. to . I Harnisch , were sent from Hamburg Switzerland

Their support was derived from Hamburg . The t o movement spread to Bischofszell , and thence

Herisau . Mention should also be made of the e x cep ti onal of gifts and services the blind pastor , Anton

Haag , whose labours extended over twenty years from of the close the Sixties . But in Switzerland as elsewhere the movement

encountered severe persecution . Compulsory bap ti sm s of of children , dispersal meetings , infliction of

of . fines and distraint property , were frequent In 1 858 the canton of Aargau abolished compulsory

of . baptism , and legalized the civil marriage dissidents In the canton of Appenzell compulsory baptism con n tin ed , and meetings were permitted only to those 1 86 domiciled I n the canton . In 5 the Federal Council in Berne conferred complete freedom o f Christian worship throughout the area of the Federa on of tion , but the initiative the clergy this decision was in the following year submitted to the popular and vote and reversed , whereupon Haag Harnisch

were expelled the country . Eventually (in 1 874) the

constitution was revised in a liberal sense , and liberty

secured . There are now in Switz erlan d seven churches with 8 77 members , in close relationship with the German % Union .

In Ft ench - speaking S witzerland (included in the Franco

Swiss As soc a o n are a fur er six c urc e s w 8 m em be s . — i ti ) th h h , ith 3 3 r ED .

50 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

They were accustomed to meet at the house of a former Catholic , Karl Rausch , who had been baptized in Hamburg . His refusal to permit his children to be christened brought Rausch into serious conflict with the police, to which a Lutheran pastor put an end by having the children secretly brought into the church and baptized according to the Lutheran rite . on 2 0 1 8 0 N evertheless , April , 5 , the police raided

of the house Rausch during a meeting , arrested the n ni e men and eight women who were present , and , after a preliminary hearing , sent them to prison as criminals under a military escort . The women were later set free , and four men sent before a court f martial . Since no political O fence could be estab

lish e d . , these were handed over to the civil authority who n ot of In the end , all were natives Vienna were expelled the city , and the others kept under close

1 8 1 . o f Observation . In 5 A Millard , an agent the was British and Foreign Bible Society, transferred from Cologne to Vienna , and his house became a

for . 1 8 2 refuge the persecuted In 5 , however, the

police , at the instigation Of the priests , closed the o Bible dep t , and M illard was obliged to migrate to

Breslau . After eleven years he returned to Vienna , and again brought comfort to the seve rely tried

Baptists . The church in Vienna has existed from the year 1 86 now t o o n 9 , but even has no legal right carry

public worship . C HAPTE R IV

T H E MOVE M ENT I N SWED E N

B Y THE V C P C E B ENAND ER R E . R . P IN I AL .

PT ST BA I history in Sweden commences , properly 1 8 8 d speaking, with the year 4 , and therefore oes not cover more than two generations . This period o f has , however , been marked by a rapid advance Of the movement , a constant increase in the number churches and members , and a sound organization

- of the work , which has developed into a far reaching activity for the advancement of the kingdom of heaven , both in the homeland and in other parts

o f of the world . The attitude legal authorities and the people towards Baptists and their principles has meanwhile gradually changed from bitter hostility into friendly tolerance and recognition . We m ay preface o ur summary Of Swedish Baptist history by a brief description of earlier evangelical movements , which were in some degree preparatory . Only a few years after Luther had taken his stand as a reformer in Germany , the Swedish King ,

Gustavus Vasa , sought to introduce the faith of the reformer into Sweden , and to make it the State 51 52 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

religion . After much struggle with the Catholic party, Lutheranism was finally established towards

of I% . the close the sixteenth century, under Charles , the father of Gustavus Adolphus . Rigorous laws were devised in order to compel all the inhabitants of the land to adhere to the form of religion which was declared to be alone true and sufficient . Everyone was to be and remain a good Lutheran , but this did not imply any emphasis o n on living, personal faith in Christ the contrary, every manifestation of strong religious life called f forth vigorous measures o repression . N evertheless we find traces of men and women during the seven t e e nth wh o century were evidently sincere believers . The movement o f Pietism then reached the land and gained adherents , who , however , in spite of t o deviations of Opinion , did not desire break with the State Church . They were persecuted in various ways . A clergyman of the Established Church A an e r of ( n d ) was , for instance , accused having preached differently from other clergymen , and having published pamphlets denouncing s in and worldliness . H e could not be legally condemned , but it was found expedient to pronounce him insane and confine him in an asylum , where he was kept

1 6 . for ten years , until his death in 97 I n later years the same expedient was repeatedly used in order to get rid of persons who were considered a nuisance because they insisted on Christian earnest f o . ness , faith , and righteousness life During the first half o f the eighteenth century several persons were prosecuted for dissenting views THE M OVE M ENT IN SWED E N 53

n t o concer ing infant baptism , which led them with of hold their children from the rite . Some these , o al belonging t noble families , were person ly treated with clemency , but their infants were taken by force f and sprinkled . Persons o lower rank were dealt with more severely a student was banished for teaching contrary to the Church with regard to the of rite baptism , and a Shoemaker was imprisoned for more than twenty years on the same ground .

Still , there is no evidence that these people practised ’ believers baptism for themselves . The Pietists continued to maintain in small local groups a spiritual interest . Later, the Moravian

Brethren began work in Sweden , and gained some f followers . Then followed several decades o dark ness , infidelity, and godlessness . Some remnants of God - the fearing circles , however , survived , to become the means of initiating a new revival during of the fourth decade the nineteenth century , and this revival grew stronger and stronger . Against it there was a reawakening Of opposition and per

s e cution .

o n A M ethodist pastor from England , e George

- i Scott , undertook mission work n Stockholm in 1 830 . H e did much to encourage the believers to t o united efforts in Christian work . H e continued 1 8 2 preach until 4 , when he had to leave , because the population of the city had been roused to a fanatical hostility, which culminated in a riotous assault o n him and his church during a Sunday

service .

Earnest believers had become numerous , and were 54 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE now aggressive in their demand for liberty of con

i n - science , especially two provinces those Of Hel in l n s a d . g and Dalecarlia They were still Lutherans , t f b ut objected to cer ain practices o the Church .

ab s Among other things , they refused to receive o l ution in the usual form before partaking of the ’ for Lord s Supper , and this they were liable to ’ punishment . Then they celebrated the Lord s Supper privately among themselves ; this was de clar e d of to be mockery Of the Sacrament , which , course , should be punished . They would gather in their homes for devotional meetings , at which they were accustomed to sing from the Lutheran hymnal , read a sermon by Luther or some native Lutheran clergyman , and unite in prayer . A royal edict of 1 6 January , 72 , strictly forbade such devotional meetings o r conventicles on penalty Of a heavy fine for ff a first O ence , imprisonment for a second , and ’ two years banishment for a third . This edict was one Of now applied . If or the other the offences n occurred o a Sunday , it was declared also a breach o f d the Sabbath , and an a ditional punishment was o f 1 8 2 inflicted . From the beginning 5 till July 3, 1 8 6 or 54, no less than 37 persons were fined put in ” r f prison for one or other o all o these crimes . i s One youth , who still living as an old man , was imprisoned o n a diet of bread and water for two as s in weeks . Then , he refused to acknowledge a o f in acting contrary to the statutes the Church , he was sent back to endure the same ordeal for twenty eight days .

At thistime Baptist work commenced in Sweden , T HE M OVE M E NT I N SWE D E N 55 and many persons who had thus suffered for con ’ science sake became Baptists . The beginnings o f the distinctive movement may now be s e t forth . Through contact with Baptists in Germany and Denmark , two men from Sweden — had adopted their views and j oined them one i n 1 8 1 8 s e a 43 and the other in 45. One , a Swedish captain named G . W . Schroeder , was converted in ’ the United States , and j oined the Baptist Mariners

Church in New York . He paid a brief visit to 1 8 Sweden in 45, and in Gothenburg met another

sailor who had been converted in America , and with the support Of an American society was n ow

active as a missionary among sailors . Mr . Schroeder called h is attention to the subject of baptism and

B a . . ptist p rinciple s . This second man was F O N il s on 1 80 , born in 9 , who was destined to become the

founder of Baptist work in Sweden . H e followed t o the suggestion Of Mr . Schroeder , and began study

the N ew Testament teaching , with the result that

he went to H amburg to seek baptism , and was

G . n cken there baptized by the Rev . J . O on

I 1 . August , 847

Returning home , Mr . N ilson told his friends of of his new experience . Some them became con v ince d that his views on baptism and church order were in harmony with the teachings of the Ne w

Testament . A Baptist minister in Copenhagen , FOrs te r by name , was sent for , and he came and

’ baptized five persons , among whom was N ilson s

wife . These , together with N ilson , were organized

into the first Baptist church in Sweden , not very far 56 BAPTI STS IN E U RO PE

G on 1 1 . from othenburg, September 2 , 848 It was then agreed to send Mr . Nilson to Hamburg, and to recommend him t o the Baptist church there for ordination .

Mr . Nilson was ordained , and returned to preach and shepherd the little flock , which grew s o rapidly

fif - t . that it soon counted y four members But , from what we have already told , it is clear that trouble was f or . in store them , and they had not long to wait Nilson had fallen away from “ the true evangelical doctrine the doctrine of the Lutheran State — Church of Sweden and was inducing others to follow him . The law laid down that such persons should be banished . H e was arrested , tried , and condemned . Though an uneducated man , he made a very strong appeal to the court , and conducted himself with such Christian humility and com posure that he left an overwhelming impression upon of s o all present . One the lawyers was deeply touched that his own conversion followed later . d But the letter Of the law had to be followe , and

N ilson was sentenced to banishment . He then

al appe ed to the Royal Court , and sought an audience before King Oscar I . The King , who was favourable t o toleration , received him kindly , but he and his councillors were bound to execute the law . An appeal for exemption from the punishment as an

f . 1 8 1 act o grace was likewise in vain In July, 5 , N ilson had the bitter sorrow o f leaving his dear to native land . He betook himself Copenhagen , and was called to act as pastor o f the Baptist church there until the spring of 1 853.

58 BAPTI STS IN E UROPE

1 8 . for America in May , 53 There Nilson remained

1 86 0 o f till , when , as an act royal favour , his of sentence banishment was annulled , and he returned to Sweden . In the following year a Baptist church was organized in Gothenburg , and he became its pastor . At this time Captain Schroeder came from America and settled in Gothenburg . He built a house , and in it provided a hall for the new church . After a few Y years he returned to N ew ork , where he lived a useful life as an earnest Christian , a staunch Baptist ,

o f and a zealot for the cause missions , until he died

- 1 1 o f . in the spring Of 9 4 , at the age ninety three years

Mr. Nilson worked as pastor of the church in

Gothenburg for some seven years . He then returned to America , and served some Swedish Baptist churches there ; but gradually he became reticent , and finally withdrew from ministerial work . H e h ad o ut , in any case , heroically carried his mission as the herald and inaugurator o f Baptist work in w Sweden . The first church , hich was organized about him , has ever since his banishment been weak

of and struggling , located as it is in a district Western Sweden where priests and people are stubbornly bigoted against everything which they suspect to be contrary to the “ pure doctrine of the State Church . N evertheless , that small Baptist church in the parish o f Veddige continues in exist o f ence , and the latest reports speak brighter pros pe ct s for the future . In His providence God had another man ready to step forward and continue the work when M r . TH E MOVE MEN T I N SWE DEN 59

Nilson was banished . This man was the Rev . Helsin l an d 1 81 6 Andreas Wiberg, born in g in , a

- well educated man , who had experienced conver sion while a student at the U niversity of Upsala . He was one of those helpfully influenced by the

English Methodist missionary George Scott , to whose work in Stockholm we have referred .

For Six years Mr . Wiberg served as a State Church clergyman , but his Pietistic conscience could not acquiesce in the system . H e openly took part for the Pietists , and thus brought upon himself a serious warning from the Consistory and suspension for three months . He objected , among other things , to ’ the administration Of the Lord s Supper to u n con verted persons . The Canon Of his district accused of him heresy , and suggested that he should be

. was banished The prosecution , however , inter r upte d by the suicide of the accuser .

Mr . Wiberg now resigned his position in the

State Church , and j oined the Pietistic leaders at

Stockholm in their work . He was still a firm d - efender of infant baptism , and , in order to check the spread Of Baptist views , he prepared to write a “ ” book in refutation of the Anabaptist errors . At this juncture he was invited by a business man to accompany him in a trip to Hamburg . There he

. . Oncke n met the two Baptist leaders , J G and K bne r A n . O . o J discussion baptism ensued , and Wiberg eagerly undertook to defend the Lutheran

. . KOb n er view As they parted , Mr gave him a pamphlet on baptism by Pengilly . H e read it , and , of in View the arguments , felt that the subject 6 0 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

demanded a thorough investigation . H e studied the whole question , and became convinced that the

Lutheran Church was wrong also on this point .

When , therefore , he wrote his book, it was a defence of the Baptist view, not a refutation , as was his original intention . The book has been widely i nstru m e nt ral in preparing the way for Baptist thought

Being in poor health , M r . Wiberg was advised to take an extended voyage . During a brief stay at on Copenhagen , his way to America , he paid a visit to his fugitive countryman , M r. Nilson , who was f acting as pastor O the local Baptist church . H e now felt that the time and opportunity had arrived for him to act in accordance with his convictions , o n and he was baptized by N ilson that same night ,

2 1 8 2 . July 3, 5 He then proceeded to the United

States , where he stayed three years , and engaged

- in mission work .

While Mr . Wiberg was in America there occurred what may be called a second commencement of

Baptist work in Sweden , with Stockholm as centre .

Two m en , furriers by trade , D . Forsell and P . F . He de nb e r 1 8 j g, j ourneyed to Hamburg in May , 54 , and were baptized there . At the same time M r . Hejde nb erg was ordained to preach and baptize in

Sweden . On their return seven persons were on 1 baptized in Stockholm June 5, and on the 1 8th the first Baptist church Of Stockholm was organized .

The believers in the district of Dalecarlia , where , o n as already related , persecution was going , had TH E M OV E M E N T I N SWE D E N 6 1

’ ib er s read W g book , and many had been convinced by its statements . These sent an urgent message to

He de nb er . Mr . j g to come and baptize them He responded , and baptized about one hundred . Two churches were organized in the parishes of Orsa and

E lfdalen . Among those baptized were several men who became effective local preachers and leaders . These continued preaching and baptizing with great so success , that within three years there were five f churches and a total o 56 3 members . He e nb er Mr . jd g now became a travelling evan elist g , but he was not allowed to continue his work unmolested . He was arrested and prosecuted time s a ac and again . Wonderful to y, he was usually a quitted , but sometimes had to p y considerable

fines . Persecution , however , only fired his zeal .

- At this time a young, gifted , and well educated

M lle rs r of . o véi d man noble birth , named C , returned from America, where he had been converted , and had j oined a Baptist church . H e took up the work

He de n be r in Stockholm j ointly with j g, and proved a very popular preacher . H e also itinerated in many parts of the country . 1 I n 855 M r . Wiberg returned . The church in

- Stockholm then numbered twenty four members , who worshipped in a small hall . I n Wiberg they s aw f their true and e ficient leader, who to his talents and learning had added three years of experience and observation Of methods in use among the

American Baptists . His coming brought j oy to the little group , and they had the additional satisfaction of knowing that th e American Baptist Publication 6 2 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

Society had promised to support Mr . Wiberg and

. for four evangelists This meant a great deal , now systematic evangelical work could be planned and carried out . To the working forces were added three brothers — Gustaf, Johannes , and Per Palm quist . These

- - were strong and well trained men . The fi rst named d distinguished himself as pastor and lea er, the

- second as evangelist , and the third as Sunday school organizer and publisher .

M r . Wiberg found a competent assistant in his many duties in a young nobleman named A . Drake ,

- a talented and well educated man , who later dis t inguis h e d himself as an editor and a professor in the theological college . To these names might be added those Of several heroic local preachers , through whom God worked to produce revivals and conversions , to soften bigotry and overcome opposition . The story from this period onwards is o n e of

d . 1 8 . growth and evelopment When , in 55, Mr

Wiberg returned from America , the Baptists in Sweden did not number more than about two hun

d . red With other workers he travelled extensively , f preaching , baptizing , organizing churches , and O fer ing counsel and encouragement to the converts and o f communities . Many touching incidents hardship , persecution , Divine interposition , and victory, could be adduced from the years that followed , but lack of

Space forbids . In 1 857 the leaders ventured to make arrangements

r ' fo a Baptist conference , in Spite of the restrictive TH E M OV E M E N T I N SWE D EN 6 3

laws still existing . It was held without disturbance d from any quarter. Nineteen elegates from eight r different provinces gathered , and all could repo t encouraging progress . In a few places Sunday

schools had already been started . It was unanim o u sly decided to organize the work under a central committee , and expression was given to the need Of a school for the education of ministers .

Next year a second conference was held , and the delegates were about one hundred . To this con

ference had been invited as guests Dr . Edward

Steane and the Rev . Howard Hinton from England ,

n k . and the Revs . J . G . O c e n and J Kohner from n Germany . They came to give counsel and e

coura e m e nt g , and they inspired the delegates with

hope and courage . 1 6 1 In 8 a third conference met in Stockholm . Then the following statistical report was given

1 2 of Churches , 5; total number members , During the year just closed persons had been

baptized . At this conference it was decided to give the Executive Committee instructions to establish a for school the education Of preachers .

The next conference was held in 1 86 6 . Mr . Wiberg

had , during the interval , spent three years in America soliciting contributions for the building of a chapel

. d in Stockholm He had been kindly receive , and

the contributions had been liberal. The chapel was

j ust completed , and in it the conference met . It is

a Spacious building , seating upwards of a thousand

people .

. a Later , Mr Wiberg nd others repeatedly visited 6 4 BA PTI STS IN E U RO PE England and America for the purpose of appealing

- to Christian friends for aid in chapel building . The

Swedish Baptists are , therefore , greatly indebted to friends in both these countries for help given at times when it was impossible to obtain the sums needed from any sources in Sweden .

At the conference o f 1 86 6 Mr . Wiberg had the

of . . . privilege introducing the Rev K O Broady , who had been sent as a missionary to his native land by the American Baptist Missionary Union , for the purpose of founding a college for ministerial educa tion . Thus this problem was satisfactorily solved .

Mr . Broady is a Swede by birth , but he had his first Christian experiences and acquired his theo logical education in America . H e has proved a

of of man sterling character, and extraordinary gifts as a teacher and preacher . He became the leader

. for of the Swedish Union after Mr Wiberg, who several years was in feeble health , and passed away in the year 1 887 . The College (the Bethel Seminary) was founded 1 6 in 86 , and its influence upon the progress of the work is inestimable . Over five hundred ministers have been educated there during the forty - eight years of its existence . The American Baptist Missionary U nion liberally supported the work in Sweden from 1 86 6 until the appropriations were gradually withdrawn at the

f . . close o last century Dr Broady, who for forty of years was the honoured President the College , is still supported by the American Society . 1 6 6 1 0 1 8 I n 8 there were associations , 3 Churches ,

6 6 BAFTI STS IN E U RO PE

secure , through legislation , rights formerly denied to dissenters .

Practically, Baptists are now free to carry on work without serious molestation , and the whole land is open to them . 1 1 1 w On January , 9 4 , the S edish statistics were as : 2 1 6 follows Associations , ; Churches , 35; mem b e rs hi 6 p, ministers , 377 ; local preachers , 99 0 students for the ministry , 7 ; scholars in Sunday schools , teachers , members of young ’ a 6 2 s um people s societies , ch pels , 3 ; total f o 1 1 kr . contributions in 9 3,

kr expenditure for foreign missions, .

APPE N D ICE S T o C HAPTE R IV .

- B a ti st ork i n w di sh s eaki n Fi nland. I . p W S e p g

of A While the islands land , in the Baltic , were occupied by the English fleet during the summer of M l 1 8 . . Ol e rsvéi rd 55, Rev C , Of Sweden , availed him

o f . self the Opportunity , and went over to preach

The Word was listened to with eagerness , and a revival took place , with numerous conversions . As MOIIe rs as . soon the English warships had left , Mr vard found it wise to depart , and he barely escaped Of arrest by the Russian authorities . The fruits his one work , however , remained . In the following year o f the converts brought from Sweden some Copies ’ of ib e r s n of W g book on baptism , the readi g which led three men to come to Stockholm to be baptized . of o f One them , an Inspector of Customs by the name

G . Fagerstrom , was ordained . He baptized his wife THE M OVE M E NT IN SWE D E N 6 7

o f and the wives the other two men , and they o organized themselves into a church in Fogl . Thi s of was in 1 856 . Then followed the familiar story persecution and hardship , but the little flock endured . A From land the work spread to the mainland , 1 and a church was organized in J acob s t a d in 87 2 .

Several churches arose in succession . Many adverse circumstances have combined to make the struggle hard . Several preachers from Sweden have devoted themselves to the work , apart from occasional visits by others . Among them may be mentioned Rev .

. . f Ha ll n . . O . Al r. st e I S sterman , Rev , and Rev M L i u ell g , the present pastor of the church in Helsing fors . Some natives of Finland have also ably served of as ministers the Gospel , among whom may be named the Revs . E . Jansson , J . E . Soderman , and

Mikael Eriksson . The Baptists in Sweden have aided the work in

Finland from the beginning . The American Foreign Baptist Mission Society also gives considerable support in this field . The Swedish speaking population in Finland numbers about There are now about thirty

Baptist churches and about members . The work has also spread among the Finnish - speaking population , but the number of churches and members among them is smaller . In all there are in Finland

fift - y two churches and members . 6 8 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE

B a tist ork am on S wedis - o l I I . p W g h speaking P e p e

i n S t. P etersbur and i n E t g s honia .

Since 1 889 there exists a Swedish - Speaking Baptist

- church in St . Petersburg . It now numbers sixty four

. l . . . S i ne u members The pastor , the Rev O E g , is supported by the Baptist U nion of Sweden . He also pays occasional visits to the Baltic Provinces and Finland . I n Esthonia the Swedish Union supports a m is

E n b sk . s ion ary named Ch . g u He works both among the Esthonians and the Swedish - Speaking S utle population . His church in p counts ninety

fi ve members . — NOTE Th e Swedish m issi on work i n Spa i n is d escr i bed i n

Pa I I o thi s book . 1 . r t . f , p 37 fl C HAPTE R V

T H E M OVE M EN T IN R USS I A

( 1 ) AMON G T HE NON - SLAVON IC PE OPLE S AMON G T HE NAT IVE RUS SIANS

BY T HE V . . F R E C. T BY ORD

T HE most remarkable advance of the modern Baptist movement has taken place in the Empire Of Russia . Within less than sixty years churches have been established from the Baltic Provinces in the west to o f the Sea Japan in the far east , from Archangel in the n orth to the Shores of the Caspian in the south . Whilst the membership is greatest amongst the

Russians proper , there are also churches amongst the S ibirs Finns , Letts , Esthonians , Poles , Bessarabians , ,

Cossacks , and Georgians , wherever these races pre dominate , whilst the Germans resident in Russia include some Baptists in their communities . The phenomenal growth of the movement may be largely traced to three factors

1 . In the year 1 789 large numbers of Mennonites fled from Prussia owing to an attempt by the Prussian Government to impose military service upon them , contrary to their religious principles ; 6 9 70 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE

and under Catherine I I . these settled in south eastern Russia , where they founded flourishing agri om cultural communities , and lived in comparative c fort and peace , the Russian Government respecting their scruples and granting them a large measure of religious and political liberty . At the present time these Mennonite communities are settled in about on e of hundred and sixty colonies , and consist , roughly , fifty thousand families .

- 2 . After the Crimean War the long promised emancipation of the serfs took place . The Russian peasant was no longer practically the property of the d lan owner , but became an economically free man , tilling his own land upon a communal basis . The tenure of the holdings led to the formation of the m i r or , village council , where all matters appertaining to the social and economic life of the community were discussed , and it was but a short remove from the discussion Of political matters to religious duties. The abolition Of serfdom synchronized with a religious revival amongst the Mennonite communi ties and the prop agation Of the new evangelical doctrines , with the result that the meeting Of the village m i r frequently became an informal preaching service .

3. Whilst the religious revival was at its height , and the peasants were meeting in the village councils and beginning to realize their newly - granted inde ende n ce p , the British and Foreign Bible Society received permission to circulate the scriptures throughout the Empire . The Russian peasant readily and almost gre e dilv received the Word from TH E M OVE M EN T IN RU SSIA 7 1

o f the hands the colporteurs , and even the clergy of the Orthodox Church favoured the dissemination of

Holy Writ . Thus the ground was prepared in a threefold manner for a wide proclamation and acceptance of

the Baptist doctrine . I n addition , there must always be borne in mind the essentially religious nature o f

the Russian peoples . Religion , as distinct from h as vital godliness , always been a passion with

them . The movement in Russia falls into two distinct racial sections

- 1 . Among the non Slavonic peoples , whose Churches are comprised within the Russo - German Baptist Union ; and

2 . two Among the Slavs , federated into Unions a ( ) The Russian N ational Baptist U nion . (6) The Russian N ational Evangelical Chris

tian Baptists .

- 1 . m on the arr lavoni c P eo les A g N S p .

The first Baptist church amongst the non - Slavs 1 86 0 in Russia was formed in Windau in , the nucleus Of the community consisting of some artisans wh o had been influenced whilst working in M emel (East In the course of a few months several

Letts were converted and baptized , and the move ment began to spread ; ten years later sixteen

churches had been established . Help was freely extended to this pioneer effort by the German

A e n x t a er I I . Par I . S ee pp di o Ch pt , t 7 2 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE

to Baptist Union , and visits were paid the new

. Oncken . causes by J . G The beginnings of the work in Russian Poland and 2 8 1 8 8 the first baptism (N ovember , 5 ) have already been described in an earlier chapter of this book . The leading convert baptized o n this occasion was

Gottfried Alf, who became a most energetic preacher . The earliest church (at Adamow) was formed in 1 86 1 Fo r . several years persecution in varied forms of took place, but the Spirit the Baptists was not 1 6 broken . Before 8 7 Alf had endured ten periods o f w imprisonment . From that year, ho ever, opposition died down , in accordance with the general tendency “ of Russian a dministration to tolerate sectarian movements so long as they do not directly affect

Russian Orthodox communitie s . Gottfried Alf died — as he had lived a zealous and faithful preacher of —On 1 8 1 8 8 o f the Gospel December , 9 , at the age

- . Asch e n dorff his sixty seven years , companion in f many a flictions and trials , is still in the work in t o of Poland , ministering a church nearly three hundred members . In Meanwhile St . Petersburg (Petrograd) an unexpected development was taking place . J . G . O n cke n paid a visit to the capital in 1 86 3 to inter cede with the Tsar o n behalf of the brethren in the

Baltic Provinces and Poland , and several persons came under his influence and expressed their desire to be baptized upon profession Of faith . During his ’ five weeks stay in the city On cken became fully o n acquainted with the candidates , and December 3, ' o n e between midnight and O clock in the morning ,

74 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE and settled in the ports of Varna and B urghas ; whilst Klun dt Jacob , exiled from Alt Danzig , founded i z L Pod or t a om alanka . churches in Salonica , g , and p 2 1 1 8 September , 79 , may be regarded as a red letter day in the history of the German Baptists on in Russia, for that date an Imperial decree was published permitting and protecting their liberty of worship according to their conscience , and making valid the marriages celebrated by Baptist pastors among the members o f their own churches . This of measure liberty was largely due to Count Sievers , f then Minister o the Interior , who in an interview

. Oncken with J . G declared that he was in favour n o Of religious liberty, but that by means would he consent that all sects should be permitted in Russia , or that any should be allowed to make converts from the Holy Orthodox Church . 1 8 of In N ovember , 79 , the German Baptists

Petrograd claimed their liberty under the new law . of This, after the observance many formalities , was

- granted . O n the twenty third Of that month Mr .

R u stch uk Cargill , who later founded a church at ,

Bulgaria , during his exile from Russia , took the oath of allegiance to the Tsar, and , instead of kissing the l crucifix , was a lowed to rest his hand upon the pulpit

Bible Of the newly recognized church . His oath of allegiance also included a solemn promise that he “ would preach and teach the pure doctrine of of the Baptists , and nothing else , and beware all heresies if such should appear among the Baptists , and that he would give notice to the authorities if such heresies appeared . He had further to promise THE M OVE M E NT I N RU SSI A 75

t o strive to live always an upright , pure , and blame less life . Shortly after the acceptance of the proclamation for provision was made in Petrograd Swedish , Lettish , of and Esthonian Baptists , besides those German nationality . From Riga and Libau the movement spread to

Esthonia, the first church in the latter country being formed in Reval in the year 1 894 . The f majority o the Esthonians were Lutherans , and the f early pioneers su fered much , not from the Govern

Of . ment ficials, but from the Lutheran clergy Baron ll k ii , whose estates are in the district Of Kegel , was the founder Of the work amongst the E sth o n i n s a as distinct from the Germans , who had churches in Reval and Hapfal . The Esthonians are exceedingly poor, and although much has been

- done amongst them , and some twenty four churches of established , with a membership about much remains to be done as soon as a fully equipped an and supported ministry c be provided . With the Op e ning Of the Trans - Siberian Railway ’ and the rapid development of the Tsar s Asiatic do

minions , many Of the brethren in South Russia have ” removed to the Golden East . The first church of was formed at H offnungsthal , east Lake Baikal , 1 0 in 9 7 , and gradually other churches have been established in all the great towns lying along the

route of the transcontinental line . The church Alex an de rne vsk 1 1 0 at y, founded in 9 , has already

reached a membership o f 56 6 . In addition to these main currents of Baptist 76 BAPTISTS IN E U ROPE

n work amo gst non Slavs in Russia , there are O churches , mainly in the Caucasus , f other races . In Tiflis and Baku there are Armenian and Georgian Vladikavkas one of Baptist churches , whilst i n the f churches is composed o Tartar membership . The movement in Finland and the Swedish work in Petrograd and Esthonia have been described in the appendix to the preceding chapter .

Am n he lavs. 2 . o g t S Historically the movement among the Slavs in can d Russia be traced back to two istinct sources , the first German , the second British ; the first

of mainly among the peasants the south , the second among the nobles Of the north ; and for more than twenty years the two movements progressed inde f pendently o one another . The first source is represented by the revival in

Mennonite colonies in the south . Whilst that move ment was essentially German in origin and charac

s o ter, yet close was the association between the Russians and Germans that with the missionary enthusiasm Of new converts the latter began to proselytize amongst their Russian neighbours . The first peasant converts from Orthodoxy were R ab osch a ka of j p , a blacksmith in the employ the Kalwe it R at ush n German Baptist , ; y, who for years had hired himself out as a harvest labourer to a devout German in the Odessa district of Kherson

L assots k o f of . and y, the province Kieff Although at the time unknown to each other , they were all TH E MOV E M E NT IN RU SSIA 77 led to the new faith through the godly influence of their masters , and it was not until some years after wards that these three pioneers met and rejoiced R at ush n together in their common faith . Michail y 1 86 0 was converted in about the year , and after the harvest returned to his own village of B ess oka and began to inquire of the peasants as to their know ledge Of the new way . The matter was brought

m i r before the Village , and thence remitted to the

. R atu sh n village priest y learnt to read , in order that he might for himself read the scriptures , and through the long winter men and women met in his out home , learning to read , spelling the Gospel i kons out story , and in the process discarding and ward ceremonies , and finding in their studies a new

n e w ff Of impulse and a a ection . Some the villagers were baptized by Abraham Unger, a German Baptist

- pastor, and immediately the new church members began to follow the New Testament precedent by

% proceeding two and two into the villages , preaching the Word . The movement gradually Spread north wards until it found its stronghold in the provin ces of Tambov and Saratov . Women as well as men took part in the evangel of istic crusade . The preaching of the women was marked power . Their example was as eloquent as their oratory . The men were eager to carry the “ glad news . It was clearly understood that every convert must be an evangelist , and as soon as the harvest was gathered in the peasants would start Off in couples , visiting villages in the district , and even

farther afield, in order to preach . 78 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

Amongst the early converts were S teph anoff and n Ivanoff. Whilst o a preaching tour they met in ’ a farmer s house a merchant from Tiflis and his

ia . Veron clerk The merchant , named , was Ortho dox wo Pavloff . t , his Clerk , , was a Molokan These

o n were converted and baptized , and their return home began the movement in the Caucasus . In less 1 8 than five years 4 villages were visited , and in of each them converts were made, baptisms followed , and the movement gained a strong hold upon the peasantry .

The rapidity of its growth led to trouble . From the earliest days there had been isolated cases of persecution ; men and women were cruelly treated ,

. 1 86 and occasionally imprisoned On July 5, 7 , R at ush n seven brethren , including the pioneer y, were imprisoned in Odessa , but were Shortly after f wards released upon the intervention O the Tsar . The Orthodox clergy began to fulminate against the

a h ka con new heresy . Rj bosc ap was arrested whilst ducting a meeting near Odessa , and he and the members of his congregation were stripped and

flogged . of The long and repellent series persecutions , of instead stamping out the movement , led to its 1 881 of increase, and at last , in , the exile Baptists was resorted to . In the following year more than Baptist families were sent to Siberia and Transcaucasia from the provinces o f Tambov and 1 88 Kherson . In 2 the central administration gave t o the chiefs of the local police the right t o condem n on their own initiative and authority any peasants TH E M OVE M E NT I N RUSSIA 79

of who , in spite warnings , continued to attend meet

Of ings the Baptists , and to inflict fines to almost any amount . Two years later , seeing that the pre vion s measures had proved useless as a deterrent t o the propaganda , a further step was taken . The leaders were condemned to years of imprisonment o f in the company common criminals , banished to

Siberia and the Caucasus , and driven beyond the frontiers . But even such modes Of repression had ff no e ect . In the places where these men were

o r incarcerated , to which they were banished , others were converted and baptized , and churches were formed . Wherever leaders were imprisoned and exiled , fresh leaders arose . Many thousands were banished to the penal colonies of the East , but thousands remained faithful in the villages . In 1 888 sterner measures were devised by the Govern n ot ment , only against the leaders , but against the members generally . Michail R atu sh ny was sent to Siberia ; Stephan L assotsky to Transcaucasia ; Ivan Rjabosch apka to Pavloff Erivan , near to Mount Ararat ; to Orenburg ; Ivanoff to the TranscaSpian territories Elias S ukh ach was sentenced to two years in the penal battalions , and perpetual exile in the most distant part of Siberia .

Despite the rigorous persecutions , the movement 1 8 1 Pobiedon ost seff Pro grew, and in August , 9 , , the Of curator the Holy Synod , summoned in Moscow a conference of ecclesiastical dignitaries from the forty one Russian episcopates to consider steps t o suppress the Baptist heresy . Statistics were presented shew “ ing that twenty - eight of the dioceses were badly 80 BA PTISTS IN E U RO PE

Of infected , and that the virulence the infection was beyond the power of the local clergy to expel . The following are some of the resolutions and articles agreed to at the meeting o f the Synod : “ The rapid increase o f this sect is a serious danger to the State . All sectarians are forbidden t o leave their o wn villages (this to prevent propaganda by the peasant preachers) . All offenders against the

Faith to be tried , not by a jury in a civil court , but by specially appointed ecclesiastical j udges . All passports to be marked , so that the holders thereof may be refused employment , lodging, or entertain ment and residence in Russia to be made impossible for them . N o sectarian to be legally qualified to rent , purchase , or hold real property . All children of sectarians to be removed from their parents ’ control and educated in the Orthodox Faith .

1 — O e ce ART ICL E 87 . fi n Leaving the Holy

Orthodox Church for another religious community . P uni shm ent : LOSS Of civil and personal rights ; in milder cases , eighteen months in a reformatory . “ T — 0 ence : AR ICLE 1 89 . fi Preaching or writing religious works to pervert others . “ P uni shm ent : ff First O ence , the loss of certain personal rights , and imprisonment from eight to sixteen months ; second Offence , imprisonment in a fortress for from thirty - two to forty- eight months ;

f . third of ence , banishment

E 1 —0 ence ART ICL 96 . fi Spreading the views of

or . heretics , aiding such “ P unishm ent : Banishment t o Siberia or other remote part Of the Empire .

82 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

conduct similar services in the capital . The prayers of twenty years were thus answered , and Lord

Radstock found the way opened to him . For three successive winters ( 1 874 - 1 877) he conducted religious

services in the northern capital . At first the meetings were held in the American of Church , but afterwards the salons aristocratic

residences were opened to him . The palace of Princess Lieven ultimately became the headquarters

of the movement . The services were of the simplest character— Bible readings and prayer—but they were of productive of remarkable results . Leaders the most exclusive sections in Russian society came to

the meetings . Paschkoff B robin sk Colonel , Count y, and Count f r Kor f, amongst others , were conve ted , and meet ings were held in their houses . f of Princes and peasants , o ficers the army and f navy , civil o ficials and University students , even monks and priests , thronged the meetings . Society was profoundly moved . When the new converts t o went their country estates in the summer , they commenced to preach t o their peasants . Count

B robi ns k . y had a unique experience Full Of zeal , he called his peasants together to tell them the glad news , and to his surprise discovered that during the same winter Simon S t e ph an off and Ivanovitch Ivanoff had visited the village , and the estate labourers had gladly received the same Gospel . Thus the move I n an ments the north d south met and coalesced . In 1 880 Colonel Paschkoff invited some of the southern leaders to meet with him and his northern TH E M OVE M ENT I N RU SSIA 83

friends in Petrograd . The police , however, heard of the proposed gathering , and , although until this time nothing had been attempted against the believers in the capital city , the delegates were arrested as they arrived and were sent back to ' their homes . Thus the first proposed conference proved f abortive . I n the eyes o the authorities such a meeting of nobles and peasants was too dangerous

. Pa s chkoff to be permitted Colonel , a wealthy man , undertook philanthropic work in the city , and cared for all sorts and conditions of people in the spirit o f

Christ . of The influence the leaders steadily advanced , until at length Pobie donostse ff discerned in it a grave to o f danger the fabric the State , and resolved to Paschkoff to crush it . Colonel was exiled Siberia , fl but powerful Court in uence modified the sentence , and secured instead his banishment to Western

- Europe . He found a sphere for his Gospel preaching in Paris , and afterwards undertook a caravan tour in

Austria , preaching the Gospel . Wherever he went he proved an effective evangelist . He died in e xile at Paris in 1 9 02 . B robi nsk Count y was sent to Siberia , and deprived o f all civil rights ; but after two years he was allowed his to return home to settle affairs , and finally was

t o . banished the West He laboured in Switzerland , and was afterwards for some years a prominent McAll o leader in the Missi n in the French capital .

R adstockite s At first the sectarians were called ,

Paschkov ists then , and later Ru ssian National

Evangelical Christian Baptists . At present , Ivan 84 BAPTISTS IN E U RO PE

Prokhanoff , once a student in Bristol Baptist Col o f lege , is the President the Union , and has his headquarters in the capital . Services are still held in the home of Princess of Lieven in Petrograd , and some the early pioneers are still active in preaching the Gospel , despite all hindrances .

The policy o f the Russian Government in attempt ing to suppress the Baptist movement by exiling the leaders led to issues quite other than the expectations No of the bureaucrats . t only were the churches of drawn together in face a common menace, but the exiled remained loyal to their faith . Those who were sent to the penal colonies found among their fellow - convicts a fruitful soil in which t o sow the “ D ostoievsk good seed . y , in the House of the ” Dead , portrays an incident which came under his own notice : an exiled Baptist patiently teaching a B ashkirian Tartar to read the Gospel story and revealing t o his companion the sustaining love Of

God in Jesus Christ . This incident could be multi plied a hundredfold . In the free colonies the Baptists carried on their propaganda , and churches were established . Andreas

E rstrate n ko o f , in Omsk province , has a church

members scattered throughout the district . In

Bl a ove stch enk Vl adivostock Kharbin , g , , Irkutsk , all over the great Siberian tract , these men have estab lish e d communities o f believers . Incidentally the policy of exile has been fruitful ‘

. Kas h aria in new missionary opportunities In g , THE M OV E M E NT I N R U SSIA 85

Bokhara , and towards the Afghan frontier, there are churches founded by missionaries who reached their of fields service in chains , driven onwards by the knout of the Cossack guard . The activity of the Russian Baptists has not been confined to preaching in the villages and towns of the Empire . The unique experience through which they have passed has led them into Christian service along many lines . Their first care has been for their aged members , and under the wing of the N ational Baptist Union almshouses have been built and adequately supported in Balashov and other central

Russian towns . Free use has been made of the r of p inting press , and a constant stream periodicals , tracts , and other literature has been poured forth

Fe tl r o f in large quantities . William e is the editor

Guest ‘a the , monthly record of work and service in i connection with h s church in Petrograd . Ivan

Prok h anoff Chri sti an is the editor of the , conducted

along the lines Of the well - known weekly published

Mor ni n S tar in England , the g , in which political ,

social , ethical , and scientific questions of the day

are dealt with from the free evangelical standpoint ,

l Youn and a monthly for young people , ca led the g

Attempts have also been made to provide for the of education of young men for the ministry . Many

- them , especially the non Slavs , have been trained in

- Hamburg , and the Russo German Union founded a seminary in Lodz ; but after an existence of two years the Lodz school was closed down by order Of the

Government . The teachers and scholars removed 86 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE

to Riga, and met in the schoolroom of one of the churches there, but this attempt was also suppressed by the authorities . Ivan Prokh anoff gathered in his home eighteen young men and gave them a systematic course of

Biblical instruction . In 1 9 1 3 he Obtained permis sion to rent a building and start a recognized school in Petrograd . Having held a professorial chair in

Riga University , he was granted special facilities , and the venture bids fair to form a nucleus for a larger scheme . Although Sunday - schools as such are prohibited by the authorities , work amongst the children has not been neglected , and in Petrograd there are four for elementary schools Baptist children , whilst in the larger churches throughout the country, and even in Siberia and the Caucasus , provision has been made for the children to ' receive an elementary education otherwise denied to them . In 1 9 1 0 an attempt was made to introduce a movement akin to the Christian Endeavour Societies in other lands , but permission was withheld by the ’ Government , and where such young people s societies were started without authority from the Minister of i m the Interior , the innovators were arrested and prisoned . Progress has been made towards religious free dom ; the policy o f exile has been abandoned ; imprisonment is now inflicted only for breach of “ ” — “ the fundamental law of the Empire that it is an offence against the State for any to persuade another to leave the Orthodox Church . U ntil TH E M OVE M E NT I N BO H E M IA 87

o r this law is repealed suspended , the brethren in f Russia must of necessity su fer, since missionary propaganda is to them a vital necessity . Reliable statistics are exceedingly diffi cult to obtain ; but a conservative estimate places the — figures at Russian N ational Baptist Union ,

- Russo German Union , Russian Evangelical or Christian Bap tists , a grand total , exclusive

of Finland , Of, roughly , baptized believers .

A PPE N D I % TO C H APTE R V

THE M OVE M EN T AMON G NON- R USS IAN SLAVS AND AMON G THE BALKAN RACE S G E N E RALLY

i 1 o Morav a . . B hem i a and

“ of Bohemia , the cradle the Reformation , the of d land Huss and Jerome , is to ay under the heel

of the Papacy . The spirit Of priestly intolerance

is rampant as ever , and any who preach contrary to the decrees o f the Vatican must expect perse cu io n t . The Reformed (Presbyterian) Church in Bohemia has done fine service in arousing the latent

Protestant sympathies of the Czechs , and from her

ranks came the first Baptist in modern times . It has already been noted in the appendix to the second Chapter of this book that some effort at carrying o n Baptist propaganda in Bohemia had

been made by a German Baptist pastor from Silesia . w The foundation of a permanent work was , ho ever,

wh o laid by Henry N ovotny . This man , until his 88 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

twentieth year had been a devout Roman Catholic , was converted in the Presbyterian Mission in t o Prague , and proceeded to Basle equip himself for the ministry . On the completion of his course he j ourneyed to Edinburgh , studied in the Free t o Church College , and returned his homeland as of an ordained minister . Gradually the truth ’ to 1 88 believers baptism was revealed him , and in 5 he journeyed to Lodz , in Poland , and was there baptized by the Rev . Charles Ondra . Returning to

Prague , in reliance upon God alone for support , he began to preach . Men and women were converted , a church formed , and now , after less than thirty ' years work , there are more than thirty towns and villages in which the Baptist doctrine is proclaimed . The work h as been carried o n in the teeth Of relentless Opposition o n the part o f both Govern

- . for ment and priests Sunday schools , save the ” children of professed heretics , are forbidden ; the free sale of the Bible is more or less rigidly pro hibite d ; frequently the colporteurs are imprisoned upon various pretexts ; to distribute tracts is to transgress the law. Baptisms are illegal , and within recent years , whilst the friends have been holding a baptismal service in some secluded spot , the bullets from the gendarmes ’ rifles have whistled by their ears .

Despite the many drawbacks , the movement has been signally successful . In addition to the central meeting in Prague , there are twelve preaching stations in the country districts , with an average

Of meetings per annum , whilst last year about

90 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE when they have not been at war with the Turk they fi have been busy ghting amongst themselves . I n these little States of the south - eastern corner Of Europe is to be found a bewildering variety of nationalities and religions , and their common hatred Of the Ottoman Government seems to be the only link of union . Whilst there are Baptist churches in all the

States , from the Russian frontier to the Adriatic , com and from H ungary to the Bosphorus , they are

arative l for p y weak and struggling , in each country , save Bulgaria, the people have had a terrific struggle to maintain their foothold against the twin forces of political tyranny and ecclesiastical bigotry , and the o f union these forces for their extermination . The Baptist churches in the Balkans differ from one another in polity , organization , and certain

on e minor details Of church life , but they are at in ’ of the doctrines redemption , believers baptism , and the n ecessity of life and doctrine harmonizing . o f Bulgaria, where there is a large measure

- religious liberty , has the largest church member ship , closely followed by Roumania . I n Bosnia ,

Macedonia , and Thrace, there are small isolated

fo r communities , meeting worship in the houses of friends , and labouring under great difficulties . In

European Turkey are three small churches , whose members are mainly Armenians ; in Albania a few scattered families , driven from Serbia for their faith ; whilst in Greece the Baptist church established twenty - five years ago has been thrice suppressed by re sus ci the Hellenic Government , and but recently TH E M OV E M E NT IN TH E BALKAN S 9 1

fated . The obscurantist policy of the Greek Govern ment is not fully realized in England ; here alone among the Balkan kingdoms the scriptures are forbidden circulation in the common tongue .

Serbia , a few years ago , was a most promising ou t field , but severe persecution broke , especially f against the members o the church in Belgrade . Here and there throughout the country the faithful

for . few , nevertheless , meet worship in private houses The present and preceding wars have wrought havoc amon gst the churches pastors and members have laid down their lives o n the battlefield and in the fever hospitals , and the conditions will speedily f call for a thorough policy o reconstruction . — (b) B ulgar i a Bulgaria has for the past thirty years enjoyed a liberal measure of religious freedom ; there are no restrictions upon individual belief or f upon the propagation o religious principles . The missionary boards o f the United States have for half a century carried on successful work throughout the country , and have established a fine school at

Samakov, a few miles from Sofia .

The Baptist movement in Bulgaria, however , is “ not the outcome Of the labours o f foreign mis ” sionaries , but can be traced to three distinct sources f 1 . During the bitter persecutions suf ered by the Baptists in Russia in the “ eighties ” many of the leaders found a refuge in Bulgaria and Eastern

Rumelia . These Baptist exiles began to preach the

Gospel in their new home . R u stch uk on , the Danube , has the largest church building in Bulgaria , and was for many years the 9 2 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

only church in the kingdom . Mr . Cargill , at present the minister Of the church built by Madame Tcher f o n ko f Vasilli Ostrow, Petrograd , was exiled from

1 882 B u r h as . T Russia in , and settled first at g wo

R u stch uk years later he journeyed to , and there began 1 88 to preach . I n 7 he was j oined by another Russian Pa lam e doff exile , Ivan , and later still by Vasilli Mar h c off. Gradually their preaching and influence began to make itself felt , and a church was formed , 1 8 8 which met in a hired room . I n 9 the present commodious building was erected by the Baptist community and Opened free of debt .

In 1 89 2 Mr . Cargill received permission t o return to Russia , and his place as pastor was filled by

G eras si m e n koff another Russian exile , Elias , from

Vladikavkas of , who still retains the oversight the for Church and stations , the work has spread to of Hortanza Ku sten d e the towns , j , Plevna , and B ri o sgrad . and Further up the Danube, near to the Servian frontier , is the busy and growing commercial town of L o m . The church here owes its existence to l n Of K u dt . the labours a South Russian exile , Jacob Whilst Klun dt was living in Kherson a revival t broke out amongst the people of tha province, and 1 0 about 5 in his village , himself included , were converted and baptized . He began to preach and conduct services, with the inevitable result that the of attention the authorities was drawn to him , and 1 6 he was arrested and imprisoned . I n 8 5 he was f exiled from Russia and deprived o civil rights , and made his way to Tulcea, Katalui , and Bukarest ,

94 BAPTI STS IN E U RO PE

two These men began to study their new purchase , and in course of time others joined with them . ’ Discovering for themselves the truth of believers for baptism , they sought someone to administer the ordinance , but failed in their quest . At last they were led to advertise in the Sofia and R ustch uk Pal am edoff j ournals , and in response Cargill and crossed the Balkan range , and , after spending some of days in the company the friends , baptized them in the river which flows by the town , and formed them into a church . Vasilli Tartargeoff is the present pastor , but the membership has suffered seriously through the lamentable war . There are three mission stations in villages on the Thracian plain . f . o as 3 Another group churches, with Tchirpan

owe - the centre , their existence to the self denying

. ab r ff D o h eff ou s of Peter D oych e . yc was born some sixty miles from Tchirpan , and , like William Carey , was in early life a shoemaker . Converted at seven of teen years age , he shortly afterwards entered the t o missionary school at Samakov , near Sofia , and thence proceeded to a Baptist college in the United McCorm ick States, afterwards graduating at the f . o University, Chicago After a period successful to own work in the United States , he returned his country . to Selecting Tchirpan as his headquarters , owing its strategic position , he commenced his work there .

His genial nature , Christian character , and manly bearing , soon began to tell , and men and women gathered around him . Conversions were followed by THE M OVE M E N T I N THE BALKAN S 9 5

baptisms , and three years after his arrival a church of was formed . Funds were raised for the erection “ - a prayer house and manse , and the work spread

Z . to Novi Zagora , Stara agora , Shipka , and Gabrovo At the commencement of the Balkan War there

- were ni n ety eight members in the home church , and D o cheff the future was bright with promise . y threw himself heart and soul into evangelistic work amongst the Bulgarian and Servian troops , and the Govern ment granted him permission to visit also the Turkish prisoners . Just before peace was signed he con tracted a terrible disease , and after three days died . Some seventeen male members o f the church were r listed as killed o missing during the war , and the o f little community , bereft pastor and deacons , has to recommence its struggles . ’ D o ch eff s son y only , Jupiter, is at present studying at Robert College , Constantinople , and hopes later ’ to carry on his father s mission and pastorate .

c — ( ) R oum ani a . The Baptists in Roumania can be traced back to two distinct sources , independent Of each other , although starting at about the same

or . time , fifty years ago , thereabouts At that period came the founding of German churches by German wh o craftsmen immigrants , men had been under

. ke n of . On c the influence J G , and who were for years steadily supported by the German Baptist of Union , and also the founding churches by brethren from Russia , who had been exiled from their own homes for their fidelity t o Jesus Christ and their t o adherence Baptist principles .

of Later, two other sections Baptists have come 9 6 BAPTI STS I N EU RO PE

: one into being amongst the Roumanians proper , who have been greatly helped by the prese nce of the

Rev . B . Schlipf, and the other amongst Hungarians h w o have settled in the capital , Bukarest . The German work was started in Bukarest in

1 6 . o f 8 2 by Mr Weigl , an ironmaster, a member one of the Berlin churches . When he started business in the country , he gathered about him a number

Of men and women , likeminded with himself in

Christian life and work , and a church was formed . Some ten years later a colporteur Of the German

Bible Society , named Johann Hammerschmidt , of accepted the pastorate the little church , but although he did steady and conscientious work for many years , the community never mustered more than ninety members . There were conversions and of baptisms, but conditions life in Roumania were such that there was a constant stream of emigration to o f the U nited States , and some hundreds bap tized believers have been transferred to churches in the freer lands of the West . Hammerschmidt resigned his pastorate five years ago and retired t o North Germany . Soon after he

- left the country, a German American minister, the

Rev . B . Schlipf, at the request Of some Roumanian of members his church in the United States , visited their homeland with a view to reporting upon the work , and he accepted a call from the church in

Bukarest to remain as the pastor . Since his advent the work has wonderfully pro

ressed . so g Indeed , he has been successful that the latent hostility of the civil and ecclesiastical

98 BAPTI STS I N E U ROP E The latest development of the Baptist movement in Roumania is amongst the thousands of Hun gari an s resident in the capital . The Rev . G . Guist of has charge of this , and his little church twenty

five members has a wide and promising field . This church is affiliated to the Hungarian National

Baptist Union , and receives help from the churches of Magyar nationality across the frontier . C HAPTE R V I

T H E M OVEM E NT IN H U NG A RY : PROGRE SS AND D I FFI CU LT I E S

V. . F BY THE R E C. T BY ORD

I N Hungary the Baptist movement has made in recent years a greater advance, relatively to the population , than in any other European country . The universality of the message is demonstrated by the fact that there are churches amongst each of the nationalities comprised in the kingdom . The social and political conditions of the country were inimical to successful evangelistic work . The masses of the people were divorced from , if not antagonistic to . , every form of organized and vital religion The

Roman Catholic churches were practically empty, whilst the ministers of Protestant Reformed churches openly denied the divinity and resurrection of Jesus

Christ . Internal politics were largely concerned with the struggle between Catholics and Protestants .

Civil marriage, Jewish toleration , religious inde

e nde nce . p , and Home Rule were burning questions The country was in the throes o f the great political movement manifested in the revolution under Kos suth ; and the struggle for civil and religious liberty was prolonged and fierce . 99 1 00 BAPTI STS IN E U RO PE

Despite all adverse influences , in less than half a century more than eight hundred churches and

- mission stations have been established , and men and women are now found in church fellowship .

When the heavy drain upon the churches , due to emigration , is taken into account , the development appears the more remarkable . In a polyglot kingdom such as Hungary— there are eight languages in common use in the country the churches of necessity vary somewhat in polity on e and government , but they are in their loyalty t o the central doctrines of the faith and united in evangelistic fervour . In common w1th most of the o f churches on the Continent Europe, the Baptists in Hungary trace their spiritual pedigree to the k f . . Onc e n o . modern apostle , J G Hamburg 1 8 I n the year 45, whilst Hungary was in the de sce n throes of the Kossuth rebellion , a number of dants of German artisan settlers left the country to follow their trades in Austria and Germany . — R ott m a er Six Budapest carpenters Johann y , Karl h arsch m idt Wo ke S c , Johann y , Josef Marschall , Tivell — Anton Hornung , and Andreas y found em ployment in Hamburg , where there was a large demand for skilled workmen owing to the rebuilding of the city after the great fire of 1 842 . R ott m ayer lodged with a devout member of the

Baptist church in Hamburg , and having been led to a living faith in Jesus Christ he carried his good

- news t o his fellow craftsmen from Budapest . These of obtained Copies the scriptures , Of which hitherto con they had been ignorant , and finally all were

1 02 BAPTISTS I N E U ROP E

aud influence t o destroy the infant church , and a Of h period eavier persecution commenced . One after the other the members were arrested and i m prisoned , until at last they were driven from the country . It is worth while to devote a Short paragraph to

- R ott m a e r the after story Of these heroic pioneers . y Senior accepted service under the British and Foreign

Bible Society , and became its pioneer colporteur in the Balkan States ; Woyke found a refuge in

Glasgow, where he joined the John Street Baptist of Church , which until his death he remained a

of staunch and liberal supporter, as well as the work in Hungary ; Hornung and Tive lly emigrated to the United States o f America and commenced Baptist work amongst the Hungarian settlers in the great coal and iron districts o f Pennsylvania ; Schar schmidt and Marschall settled in Germany for a o while , returning t Hungary some ten years later ; R ottm a er y Junior went to Hamburg , where he was n cke n t o greatly helped by O , and thence Berlin

e . . wher he worked under G W Lehmann until , later, On cke n set him apart as a pioneer missionary in the Harz M ountains and Holstein . After his mili b e tary service as a conscript , commenced Baptist work in Vienna , and when driven from that city , of returned to Hungary . He is now in charge the

Magyar church in Koloszvar . o f With the dispersal the brethren , the services in

Budapest were abandoned , and so far as outward appearances testified the church was extinct . In 1 86 7 the Magyars obtained an autonomous co n THE MOVE M E NT I N H U N GARY 1 03 stit ution for Hungary, and with it a large measure f o Civil and religious liberty . The country was gradually settling down under the new political 1 conditions , and with the year 873 there dawned a f r new era o the Baptist movement . The outstand ing fact of this new era is the personality of Heinrich

Meyer , with whose name the work in Hungary has now for forty years been inseparably connected . wh o Meyer , is a German subject , settled with his wife in Budapest in 1 873 as an agent of the British

and Foreign Bible Society . He was a. forceful o f character , possessed unfailing courage and tireless

energy . As a colporteur of the Bible Society he f took every opportunity o preaching the Word .

' This was no easy task , Since opposition to the man

and his message was exceedingly bitter, but he suc cee de d in gathering a fe w hearers in the privacy

own . of his home , and conversions followed I n 1 8 co n December , 74, Meyer baptized his first two

verts , and the church in Budapest was resuscitated . n Others were soo added , and the community had co n already begun to grow apace , when complaints cerning Meyer ’ s sectarian propaganda compelled him

to resign his connection with the Bible Society . He now definitely turned his energies into the channel of evangelization , and began itinerant work through

out the country , preaching wherever he could get a

o f n hearing . In spite resolute opposition o the part of the Roman Catholic priests and even the Lutheran

clergy, Meyer won converts in many towns , and succeeded in establishing many churches among the

German - speaking settlers of the great grain - growing 1 04 BAPTI STS IN E U RO PE

district Of the Alfold, and among the artisans in the

industrial towns . The difficulties would have daunted f a less courageous toiler ; local o ficials , hostile mobs ,

and bigoted priests , combined against the missionary ,

but he persevered in faith and hope , and his labours

were not in vain . his Ten years after arrival in Budapest , Meyer had baptized and received into the fellowship of the 6 2 church 9 men and women , and despite deaths and the continuous drain of emigration 499 members

were registered in fifty centres . Sunday schools had also been started by him for the training o f the

- young in the newly found faith Of their parents . Ten years later ( 1 893) the baptisms had reached the membership of the churches being

With the growth Of the movement , the changed o f political conditions the people , the fierce contro ve rsy between the Roman Catholics and the Pro testant Reformed Church , and other causes , modified on of f the Opposition the part the local O ficials , and a more sympathetic feeling was displayed by the general public . The success of Baptist work in Hungary is prim arily due to the indefatigable labours of Heinrich

Meyer, and the timely help afforded to the young movement by the German Baptist Union . Mention must also be made Of the men whom Meyer gathered around him in the early years , and whom he infused with his own spirit Of aggressive evangelism and sent forth to preach throughout the kingdom . Anton N ovak and his wife were amongst the first twenty baptized by Meyer, and through these devoted

1 06 BAPTISTS I N EUROPE the aid of the Publication Department of the German

Baptists , Meyer Obtained portions of the Scriptures , n tracts , and other literature , and orga ized an effective f system o colportage throughout the land . His col porteurs prepared the way for the evangelists , and the latter were forerunners of the men who became pastors of the new churches . Whilst Meyer ’ s name will always be held in rever ence as the pioneer of the Baptist movement in

n Hungary, it is only just to record that owi g to certain defects in the temper of his leadership and in his methods of organization the work was nearly shipwrecked ; in fact , but for the strong loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ of men who differed in opinion from the pioneer, the movemen t might have been ruined . For nearly twenty- five years Meyer had kept the control Of the work solely in his own hands . He was the dictator, whose word was law throughout to o all the churches . As an organizer he paid little attention to the building up of self - governing churches Of the New Testament pattern ; he made little or no provision for the training of efficient and responsible workers ; nor did he take into account

o f the rising Spirit nationalism among the Magyars , and the growing anti - German feeling amongst the

- non German national ities in the kingdom . The second phase in the development of the work in Hungary opens with the sending of three young

- Magyars Lajos Balogh , Andreas Udvarnoki , and — Gyorgy Ge rwich to the Hamburg theologi cal of seminary . There they learned something Baptist THE MOVEME NT IN H UNGARY 1 6 7

polity and principles, and were impressed by the differences in the methods of church organization ’ in Germany and Hungary . After a four years course 1 8 2 in Hamburg , these brethren returned in 9 to — Hungary Balogh to his own home in Hadjubors z e m e n y, Udvarnoki first to Totfalu and shortly Gerwich to afterwards to Budapest , the united

- (Germano Magyar) church in Ujpest . Until this time all the Baptist churches in Hungary were organically united in the wider German Baptist B und f Union ( ) , and German pastors o German speaking churches had the general oversight , under of Heinrich M eyer , the churches Of other national

. of ities With the return Balogh , Udvarnoki , and Gerwich from H amburg, the Magyar section began rapidly to develope . Many new stations were Opened , and the stronger were formed into churches . These new communities , thoroughly impregnated with the f prevailing spirit o nationalism , and having but an indirect connection with the German churches in of G the kingdom , claimed independence the erman

Union , and after a while formed a Magyar Baptist

- Union for the Magyar speaking churches . With o f f the growth the new U nion , di ficulties began to arise concerning the ownership Of buildings in which f the communities met for worship , the allocation o for money from abroad aggressive evangelistic work ,

f - and the formation o large mission stations , hitherto ’ under Meyer s jurisdiction , into independent churches . Relations between the two parties were

to - severely strained , and came even breaking point 1 08 BAPTI STS I N E U ROP E

when the M agyar section sought and obtained State

recognition .

o f The leaders the Hungarian Baptist Union , as

H ungarian subjects , were entitled to State recognition

as ministers of an organized Church . Such re cogn i

tion conferred upon them certain privileges , includ ing the right o f entry into the State schools to impart religious instruction to the children Of regis t ere d Baptist church members ; the right o fli cially to celebrate marriage between members of the church ; the exemption of the property under their

control from certain State taxes , etc . ; but it also involved the interference Of the State in a manner

contrary to New Testament principles . Chief amongst the many Objectionable features of recognition were it imposed conditions which limited the freedo m of the church in the election Of preachers and elders ; ' f o f it placed , o ficially , in the hands one man powers which were wholly incompatible with the equality and freedom of the brotherhood ; it placed the whole f “ ” church at the mercy o an administrative order, and made it subject to local intrigues and political changes ; it created a parliamentary and administra tive test as to what is , and what is not , a Baptist u n church , and thereby became a peril to all the recognized Baptists . 1 0 I n 9 5statutes for the recognition of the Baptists , as a religious body , were drawn up under the influence of the Ministry of Religion , accepted by the leaders o f the H ungarian Baptist Union , and duly ratified by the Government . The unhappy quarrels between — the two sections were i nte nsified ou the one side

1 1 0 BAPTISTS I N E U RO PE

(b) To determine in whom the existing funds and property of the denominati on shall be vested . (c) To frame a financial system for futu re opera to tions , especially with regard contributions from ” abroad . The C ommissioners collected information and on studied statements put in by both sides , and 2 1 0 N ovember 7 , 9 7 , the enquiry began in Budapest , in the presence of nearly one hundred representati ves f of the Baptist churches o Hungary . Witnesses were heard from both parties , and the Commission placed on record the excellent spirit m anifested by of each party, the evident desire that the strife which con all were weary should end , and their complete n fide ce in the Commission . At the close the Com missioners drew up a scheme for a Union of all

Baptists in Hungary, without reference to past or divisions parties , and recommended to the churches a constitution for their acceptance . The third phase in the development of the Baptist work in Hungary commenced with the publication o f the award of the Commissioners of the Baptist

of . . . World Alliance , and the visit the Rev J H Rushbrooke as the representative of the Alliance to preside over the inaugural meeting of the newly n formed Hungarian Baptist Union in Ja uary ,

1 908. The recognized leaders have discovered that it is easier to take a false step than to get back to the f right path , and their e forts to free themselves from n State control are Ot yet successful . They have submitted amended statutes t o th e Ministry o f TH E M OV E M E N T IN H UNGARY 1 1 1

Religion , but their amendments have not yet received

Official sanction . e Meanwhile , both s ctions are at least formally in

o ne the Union , and are in several directions working together for the furtherance of the Kingdom of Christ in Hungary . The Publication Department is located in the basement Of the First German Church , Buda of pest , and there are in the employ the committee thirty compositors and machinists . They issue about one five Hungarian , German , and two Roumanian periodicals, the total circulation being about

Copies per month , in addition to the small weekly Olvasd of paper, , which has a circulation The U nion also maintains two almshouses for aged Baptists , which at present house about fifty veterans . Through its Sunday - school committee it employs h i a brother named Nagy Pal , w o devotes h s whole time to visiting the churches and urging the advisa bility of starting Sunday - schools in connection with each local Baptist community . Following the of recommendation the Commission , the Union has ’ t o made an attempt found a preachers school . This met in two small rooms adjacent to the chief Magyar church in Budapest , but after sending forth nearly thirty men it had to be closed for lack of funds to provide teachers . All the work had had to be done voluntarily , by men busied in pastoral work , and the strain was t oo great for them to continue in the l dua capacity . A site has been purchased near to the city of on Budapest , which it is intended to erect permanent 1 1 2 BAPTISTS I N E U ROP E

buildings , and when funds permit the school will be reopened with a more adequate staff. That the school is needed may be gathered from two facts : The B aptists in Hungary are increasing at the rate of per annum ; new stations are being opened almost every week ; churches are being formed in districts where the membership exceeds

1 00 . baptized believers Secondly, and more impor tant , there is grave danger that in some districts , and more especially amongst the Ruthenians and “ S lovacs , many of the members should be carried ” away by divers doctrines , preached mainly by

Nazarenes and Adventists , who have found in

H ungary a fruitful field for their propaganda.

Given a united people , an adequately trained ministry, and a continuance of evangelical fervour , the next ten years should witness a great ingather ing in the churches of Hungary , and the Baptists f should be counted in many tens o thousands .

1 1 4 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

It was in French Flanders, whence Protestants had been extirpated by fiendish persecution at the Of of of hands the troops the Duke Alva , that the earliest modern Baptist movement appeared . I n of 1 81 0 f the Village N omain , in , a farmer ound of old in a corner his house a Bible , which had long remained hidden and unused . He read it eagerly and lent it to neighbours , whom he afterwards gathered together. They built a little place of 1 81 worship , and welcomed in 9 the first Baptist visitor to that region . This was a young man of

- twenty three , Henri Pyt , who was to become famous on e Of as the greatest among French evangelists . n f n Pyt was a spiritual so o Robert Haldane . By o means a militant denominationalist , he was never th ele ss led to teach Baptist principles to the assem bly l in N omain , as well as to some sma l neighbouring groups whose existence was the outcome Of the exertions Of English Christian soldiers belonging to regiments stationed in the district after the battle of

Waterloo . Pyt did not remain more than eighteen months in of the north France , and his Baptist influence would have been wholly lost had n ot certain of his followers of f been men sterling worth , some o whom became the earliest French colporteurs . A providential cir cu m stance came also to the aid of the nascent move ment .

An American Baptist pastor, Howard Malcolm , having made a tour in France in 1 831 for the sake of as his health , w deeply impressed by the evan

e li i g st c Opportunities in that country , and influenced BAPTIST WO RK I N FRAN C E 1 1 5 the American Baptist Missionary Society to open a work there . Adoniram Judson , who had been a prisoner in France, supported Malcolm , and even suggested that his own appropriation should be reduced for the sake of the new enterprise . The Board was fortunate in securing the services of on e admirably qualified for such pioneer work . A native o f Marseilles , Casimir Rostan , the first missionary , was a man of mature years , great learning , and fine

Christian earnestness . Belonging to the highest social circles , he had become a Baptist and a preacher in America , and was likely to enlist the sympathies Of many among the leaders Of French

. 1 8 2 thought and morals H e sailed in October, 3 , t o with Professor Chase , who was instructed make an exhaustive enquiry with regard to the possibilities f o establishing a strong Baptist cause in France .

Rostan began in Paris , hiring part of the old convent of Cluny , and interviewing, with the N ew Testament of of in his hands , some the leading men his time . He won considerable success through the delivery of a series of lectures o n Christian apologetics in a

- well known hall in Paris .

Dr . Chase had hardly returned to America to of report the interesting results his tour, when the sad news reached Boston that Rostan had fallen a victim to his devotion in attending the dying during a great cholera epidemic . His had been of a ministry only thirteen months , and the hopes of the Board would have been crushed had not a young man who ‘years earlier had been converted in

Paris consented to go at once to the city . This 1 1 6 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

new worker, Isaac Willmarth , was the means o f connecting with the American Baptists some of the

- northern assemblies influenced by Pyt . Ill health 1 8 compelled him to return to America in 37 , and

Messrs. Sheldon and Willard, who had been working 1 8 in Paris since 35, shared henceforth the direction

of . n the work Sheldon remained in Paris , which o 1 8 his departure in 39 was left without a worker, and “ Willard proceeded to Douai , where a little school ” of the prophets was Opened under his direction . 1 8 6 Willard remained in France till 5 , and his influence was paramount in the development of the of work . A man wide culture and unflinching zeal ,

with strong Baptist convictions , he left on the movement a mark which time has n ot been able to 1 8 8 erase . In 4 he was j oined by Dr . Devan , a wh o former missionary in China , , after a short stay b e in Paris (where revived the work for a while), 1 8 went to Lyons, and there , until 53, directed the

Baptist work in Southern France . These American workers were relieved in th eir

heavy task by pious and earnest native comrades .

Chief among these were Thieffry , a plain , faithful

pioneer, whose memory long remained fragrant ;

- é Jean Baptist Cr tin , whose life is a poem of pioneer u heroism , and whose infl ence inside and outside the

denomination was for fifty years peerless . To him for we are indebted the earliest , most copious , and

most convincing French Baptist literature . Brother fine Lepoids , a very Christian man , was for over twenty years the respected and effective pastor of the first Paris church . Pastor Foulon , a gifted

1 1 8 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

French - speaking countries would be to have two sections—one for districts north of Paris and for for f Belgium , and another districts south o Paris F or and for Switzerland . many years that sugges

tion has been acted upon , and the plan is working

with the best results , the two sections being linked

in the French Baptist Union . Fédé a The northern section , whose full name is r

ti on des E li ses B a ti stes du Nor d de la F r ance g p , is

working in N orthern France and Brittany , and also

in Belgium . The fifteen organized churches and the numerous outposts o f the Federation lie wholly

in Roman Catholic districts , and by far the great majority of its members belong to Roman

Catholic families . The Federation reaches regularly

some two thousand other people , through meetings

- held in its sixteen chapels , thirteen mission halls ,

and thirty - S ix private houses se t apart for that pur

- . It is pose also doing effective Open air work , and a

large amount of colportage . There is in the Federa

tion a striking progress in contributions , the latest yearly average being about forty - eight shillings per

member . The southern section is known by the name of

t d li es a ti ste F ran o- ui % Associ a i on es Eg s B p s c S sses. Its field includes large Roman Catholic or worldly cities

like Paris , Lyons , Marseilles, and Nice , and also the three chief strategic points of French - speaking e Protestantism , the Southern C vennes , the Pays de

Montbeliard and French Switzerland . The Associa tion includes also fifteen churches and has numerous outposts ; two - thirds of its membership of is BAPTI ST WORK IN FRAN C E 1 1 9

of Protestant origin . The members meet in five chapels and in a large number of mission - halls and f private houses . Their chief method o recruiting is the individual effort of church members , and their main work is through evangelistic campaigns , whose type is either the country colportage work Of M . Sain or ton , the large meetings held in many places by

S aille ns . Dr . Both sections labour faithfully under equal diffi cultie s f , although the character Of these di ficulties f is somewhat di ferent . Romanism , worldliness, and a sort of Protestant pharisaism are more or less in

. o f the way everywhere Happily , most the mem

bers understand their duty , and the churches are

served by a fine staff of workers , quite worthy Of

their forefathers . The Federation is at present pre paring some new workers in a little school for

evangelists located in Paris , and the Association has also procured a sound training for a number of its

men . Much more could be done in this and in

other directions , were not both sections crippled by the gradual reductions in their appropriations from the funds of the American Baptist Foreign M issionary

Society . That noble corporation has for over eighty years most faithfully and considerately afforded its of n ot aid . But the growing demands the Orient do permit the support to remain on the same scale as

before . The churches are in both sections doing

their financial duty at this difficult time , and the

work has not decreased . But at a time and in

regions which may both be called strategic, with fine on openings and full liberty all sides , and with 1 2 0 BAPTISTS I N E U ROPE

heartrending calls at every moment , it is a solem n concern to all of us to think of the prophetic utter ance of Judson when urging Baptist work in our “ country : Evangelized France would furnish ” stimulus to all the intelligent classes in Europe l

British readers , and especially Welsh readers , ’ ub r would be disappointed if M . D a ry s narrative were not supplemented by reference t o the opera of tions the Baptist Missionary Society in Brittany. The beginnings of the work are to be traced t o the t o interest of Welsh Baptists in the Bretons , whom

they are nearly akin in race and language . The

first missionary was the Rev . John Jenkins , of 1 8 Hengoed , Glamorgan , who left his pastorate in 43 o 1 8 in order t lead the new enterprise . In 72 the ’ Rev . A . Llewellyn Jenkins , after studying at Regent s ’ Park College, became his father s colleague , and for over forty years he has laboured with great devotion . 1 Three years ago (1 9 3) the Rev . C . Hanmer Jenkins

- o n relation , although a namesake and a fellow — out Welshman was sent as a second missionary . Since the early seventies ” the headquarters Of the M ission have been at Morlaix , but there are thirteen stations at which preaching is carried on in Breton and in French . The schools have over o n e hundred and forty pupils , and there are more than fifty communicants . In recent years the people have become more accessible to evangelical influence , and there are indications that the labour of over t wo generations will be justified by a rich spiritual harvest .

1 2 2 BAPTI STS I N E U ROPE

to England , and sold his furniture in order to meet the cost of his j ourney and that of his family to the new scene o f his labours . From that time he and

- sacrifi cin his wife led a self g life , the means at their disposal being very limited . Looking back after

% “ . W our many years , Mrs all wrote As to daily

t o : wants , we found the Master faithful His promise ’ N o good thing will I withhold . Several times we were brought very low , but were never without any thing . We never owed for anything, neither did we ” borrow from anyone . At the session Of the Baptist U nion in Bristol in 1 86 8 , a number of brethren formed themselves into a committee to receive and forward help to the two missionaries . ear 1 8 o In the y , 7 , when Rome became the capital a of . united It ly , M r Wall removed to the Eternal ” City , and there he continued to labour until his

- 1 0 1 . death , in 9 , in his sixty fourth year The first mention made of Italy in the minutes of the Baptist Missionary Society is under the 2 2 1 8 0 1 00 date April , 7 , when £ grant in aid was

on of . l made to the committee acting behalf Mr Wa l , ” Of Bologna . I n October Of the same year the treasurer of the Society was empowered to receive ’ contributions in connection with M r . Wall s work . 1 8 1 On May 9 , 7 , the late Sir Morton Peto bore ’ high testimony regarding M r . Wall s work in ’ o f ob se r Rome , as the result seven weeks personal ” vation ; and in September of the same year Mr . Wall was adopted as a missionary of the Society in

Rome . TH E BAPTI STS IN ITALY 1 2 3 Such was the beginning of the modern Baptist

- movement in Italy . There are to day at work in the country three societies holding Baptist views : (1 ) The Baptist Missionary Society of London ; (2) the American Southern Baptist Convention ;

(3) the Mission to Spezia and the Levant . There are other two smaller bodies which practise the immersion of believers : ( 1 ) The Open Brethren ;

( 2) the Adventists . The three first form the Baptist o f U nion Italy , of which the writer is President . — 1 . THE PT ST S S O R Y O ETY I n BA I M I I NA S CI . the

1 8 . . year 75 Mr W Kemme Landels , who had been engaged in business in Sicily, and had been so impressed with what he saw there that he resolved to devote his life to this work , j oined M r . Wall in

Rome , and two years later was appointed to Naples , where he laboured for ten years . I n 1 887 he re moved to Turin , and had charge Of the work in

- that district for twenty fi ve years . I n 1 9 1 2 he was appointed to Rome .

1 88 . In 7 the Rev John Landels , of Kirkcaldy , an d offered himself for service , , after spending some time in acquiring the language , settled in Genoa , of with the View establishing a mission there . Soon after opening a hall in the best position in the city , which from the first was crowded with hearers , he was attacked by typhoid fever , and was called t o

1 8 . was rest in N ovember , 99 He succeeded by Mr .

Robert Walker , who , whilst in business in Genoa ,

co - had Operated with him , and rendered himself most useful in the work . Mr . Walker laboured in various centres , of which the last was Florence, where he 1 24 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE remained until his connection with the Society was 1 0 severed in 9 7 . f 1 8 8 . . . o I n 7 the Rev N H Shaw, Dewsbury , came out to Rome in connection with the General Baptist Missionary Society t o take charge of the church in

Via Urbana , which had been erected through the f generosity o the late M r . Thomas Cook . When the

two 1 8 1 . societies were amalgamated , in 9 , Mr Shaw removed t o Florence, where he remained until the

f . death o the Rev . James Wall He then returned t o Rome to take the general oversight of the work 1 1 there . In 9 2 he retired , having worked in the

- country for about thirty four years . His removal was felt to be a great loss to the mission .

I n 1 889 the Rev . J . C . Wall was accepted for work in Italy , and was stationed in Rome to assist his of father . On the death the latter he removed to

Florence , and has now charge Of the work in Pied mont and Liguria .

Some years ago, by arrangement with the Southern of Baptist Convention , all the work the Baptist Mis sionary Society south of Rome was handed over to o the American brethren , while they agreed t with draw from Piedmont . The work of the British Society is now carried on : G from four principal centres Rome , Turin , enoa , to a and Florence . In addition these there are a l rge

of su b - number stations , particularly in the Susa Abb ruzz i Valley , to the west of Turin , and in the

t o of . Hills, the east Rome The Society holds property to the value of something over one There are three buildings in Rome, and each in

1 2 6 BAPTI STS I N E U RO PE

four years previously, he retained his connection with 1 the mission until his death in 1 9 2 . 1 The mission was incorporated in the year 908, of and holds a large amount property in Spezia , as

well as in Migliarina and Pistoia . Special attention has been given t o educational

work . I n the schools in and around Spezia there 00 6 00 are between 5 and children enrolled, and 1 88 there is an orphanage , founded in 4 , which gives

- n shelter to fifty children . In the Sunday schools co

n e ct ed with the work there are 400 scholars . All the

teachers hold regular certificates , and the schools

have the full sanction and approval Of the authorities . The supreme work o f the mission is the preaching of o n the Gospel , which is carried in Spezia , Arcola , R obocco Aulla, Pistoia , , Treviso, and a large number

- of sub stations . In addition to the preaching of the Gospel and the maintenance of day and Sunday schools in the above

named localities , the mission agents work among the a soldiers and sailors of the Italian army and navy, s well as among the men Of the British mercantile

service visiting the port Of Spezia . There is also

extensive colportage in several directions . f The work is under the direction O the Rev . H . H .

Pullen , Spezia , and is controlled by a Council in

f . England . There is no gu arantee o funds The mission is entirely a work of faith . The Council rej oices that all sections of the Church o f Christ have shown prayerful and practical sympathy . T HE UT H T ST CON 3. AM E RICAN SO E RN BAP I — h of com VE NT I ON. T e work this mission in Italy TH E BAPTI STS I N ITALY 1 27

m enced in the year 1 872 . From the beginning it f was beset with grave di ficulties , and it was felt in America that a man of tried prudence and wisdom on ought to be sent to take charge . The choice fell of the Rev . Dr . George Boardman Taylor, pastor o f the church Staunton , and late chaplain Of the

o f . University Virginia Dr . Taylor , after prayerful o f consideration , accepted the unanimous invitation

1 8 . For the Board , and in 73 sailed for Italy thirty his 1 0 four years , until death in 9 7 , he was the director and inspirer of the work . For some years he laboured alone, but was then j oined by the Rev . Dr . J . H . of Eager , who after a considerable period service 1 return ed to America . I n the year 9 0 1 the Rev .

. o ut . Dr . D G . Whittinghill was sent to assist Dr for Taylor, and after the death of the latter was

f on some time the sole director o the work . Later he was joined by other two brethren, the Rev . Dr .

Everette Gill , and the Rev . Dr . J . P . Stuart . The work of the Mission is now divided into a

Northern and a Southern Association , the former

of . being under the direction Dr Gill , and the latter f o . Dr Stuart , while Dr . Whittinghill gives himself particularly to the training of native ministers and t o literary work . The N orthern Association has seventeen principal

- - stations and forty three s ub stations . There are 1 fifteen churches , with 337 members and 3 7 Sunday school scholars , and there are eighteen native minis ters an d workers . The principal cities occupied are n Genoa, Flore ce , Milan , Rome , and Venice . I n of connection with this branch the mission , there is 1 2 8 BAPTISTS I N E U RO PE

f an active work in Trieste, with a church o twenty

eight members . In Mentone (France) there is f another church o twelve members . The Southern Association has twenty - three princi

it f u pal stations connected with , and numbers o s b

. 8 6 stations There are 5 members in the churches ,

- and 775children in the Sunday schools . These are under the care of twenty native ministers and

workers . The principal cities occupied are Bari ,

Cagliari , Naples , and Messina.

The B a tist Theolo i cal olle e — p g C g . The American Society h as established in Rome a well - equipped school for the training of native pastors and of evangelists , which the different missions are free

to avail themselves . The principal is Dr . D . G . of Whittinghill , and he is supported by an able staff

professors . The faculty undertakes the publication of books for the study of the different forms and

phases of religion . S — THE I TALIAN BAPTI T PR E ss . The Baptists in Italy are better equipped than any other denomina

tion in the matter of periodical publications . They are fully alive to the importance of the press in a w country here , as a general rule, preaching in the open air is not allowed ; and they are doing their best to reach and influence the different classes by

means of newspapers and magazines . The following is a list of periodicals published and circulated in connection with the Baptist missions I l Testi m oni o (The Witness) is the organ of the

Baptist Union , and is published monthly under the

of . is now editorship Sig Aristarco Fasulo . It in its

C HAPTE R I I I

T HE BAPT I STS IN N O RWAY

B Y HE EV . P . E . T R C O . OI PRIN I AL J , M A .

T HE first Baptist missionary came to Norway in 1 857 . R m ker He was Fredrik L . y , a Danish sailor who had been converted and baptized in America . Supported

- partly by a Norwegian American in Providence , ’ ’ S e am e n s Rhode Island , and partly by the Friends Y Society in N ew ork , he first went home to Denmark and took up work in Odense , his native city , though without much success . Then he decided to go t o

N orway. Hearing that a revival was going on in

Skien and the surrounding cities , and that already several had left the State Church , he decided to settle down at Porsgrund , near Skien , where he found the ground thoroughly well prepared .

The man who had Opened the way was the Rev .

. . f G A Lammers , pastor o the Lutheran Church in

- Skien . A well educated , enthusiastic, eloquent, and t truly conver ed man , he had preached the necessity of conversion with great power . This , however , was contrary t o the Lutheran doctrine of baptismal regeneration , and many bitterly opposed him , while 1 30 TH E BAPTI STS I N N O RWAY 1 31 the new converts looked to him as their spiritual father and leader . His study of the scriptures led him to the conviction that the doctrines of the h Lut eran Churc—h could not be harmonized with the New Testament especially the doctrines Of regener ation in infant baptism and the union of the Church

. 1 8 6 and the State I n June , 5 , he and several others of left the State Church , and in July the same year he organized an “ Apostolic Free Church ” with

- t o twenty eight members , which soon increased d about a hundred . In the following year he un er a Trom sO took missionary journey to , in northern

s et . Norway, where a similar revival had in There , on also , a church was organized the same principles as o f the church in Skien , and afterwards a number of others, especially in the south and north the land . In the meantime the question Of baptism was dis cussed : if baptismal regeneration was contrary to a the Bible and to Christian experience , wh t place had infant baptism % Mr . Lammers held that children should not be baptized until they had accepted Christ as their personal Saviour, but that “ those sprinkled in infancy should not be re ” baptized . This position was unsatisfactory to some of 1 8 8 his members , and in September , 5 , nineteen were immersed upon confession of faith in a lake near Skien . One man first baptized another, and this latter baptized all the others . These nineteen were excluded from the Free Church , and conse “ quently organized themselves into The Church of ” the Christian Dissenters (Den kristelige dissenter m h enig et) . This was practically a Baptist church 1 32 BAPTISTS IN E U ROPE founded without any external influence save that of

. not the New Testament It did , however, accept the Baptist name , nor unite with the Baptists later , but existed apart for several years until it gradually dissolved . Mr . Lammers eventually returned to the

Lutheran Church , but he had prepared the way for

Baptists .

Under such circumstances came Mr . R ym ke r to

w . N or ay, and took up work at Porsgrund He was nor not an educated man a great preacher , but was pious , kindhearted , and well versed in the scriptures . 2 1 8 8 On December 5, 5 , he baptized a young man Kon e rOd named Carl Gundersen g , and in the follow ing year several others . The first Baptist church o n 2 2 1 86 0 Toln aes was organized April , , at , a farm — near Skien , with seven members four men and three women . This was the beginning Of the present church in Skien . The community grew in Spite o f much opposition and persecution from the State

Church . The members were filled with love and with zeal , and proclaimed the truth wherever they went . Another church was organized in the same 1 8 0 of f year ( 6 ) in Larvik, but from lack e ficient

. 1 86 1 leadership it did not long survive In August , ,

- F . O . Nilson , a Swedish lay preacher , exiled from on of his own country account his Baptist views , visited Skien and other places , and his work proved a blessing t o the few and persecuted Baptists in 1 86 2 N orway . A third church was organized in at the city of Kragero . This is still a thriving little

h as n f . society, though it had ma y di ficulties One of the greatest hindrances to the progress o f

1 34 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE

by English Baptists and partly by the churches , while others worked at their trade in order to main tain themselves . Many farmers and fishermen also

- served as lay preachers every Sunday . Most had “ ” no higher education , but all had a living ex

erie nce p , and they preached with power . They gathered the people in farmhouses and in the Open air , and men heard them gladly . Often they had to ice break the in a literal sense , since they used the lakes and fjords and rivers as baptisteries . Several were imprisoned for baptizing persons under nine teen years Of age , while others were fined and their

- property confiscated for non payment . Among the Helbost ad pioneers may be mentioned J . Jensen , P . ,

. Oh rn of A Milde , G . Nesse , Fr . Nilsen , M . A . , and

l . h n . . l e l O r . S e vo d . later date , J M and J A All

o f . these are still living , and most them still active Churches were organized in e dale n Tiste dalen An dOe n Christiania B arko V ardO j , the most northern Baptist 1 88 church in the world etc . In 9 two new o n e district associations were formed , with Tron dhje m as a centre and the other with Bergen as a centre . Since that time the work has grown steadily . There are now thirty - nine churches distributed over the whole count ry and divided into four associations . The Northern Association (north Of the Polar Circle) 8 has twelve churches with 97 members , the Tron dh em 6 6 0 j Association seven churches with members , the Western Association (with Bergen as a centre) 86 seven churches with 3 members , and the Southern

Association thirteen churches with members . TH E BAPTISTS IN NO RWAY 1 35

The church in Christiania is the largest in N orway, having 458 members under the pastoral care o f the

. . Ohrn . one Rev J A . All the churches are united in conference, which meets annually . The need of ministerial education was keenly felt for many years . Several Of the young men in earlier years studied at the Bethel Theological Seminary in

Stockholm . But they were badly handicapped by using the Swedish language after coming back t o 1 8 1 1 0 wh o in Norway . From 8 4 to 9 young men tended to enter the ministry studied at the Dano N orwegian Theological Seminary of the U niversity of Of Chicago , but very few these came back to 1 1 0 Norway. In 9 the Baptist Theological Seminary was established in Christiania, with the writer as n m B A a d . C . . . principal Arnold T br , , as assistant Manifold have been the difficulties which the

Baptists have had to fight in N orway . Many Lutherans have believed and preached that believers ’ sin baptism is an unpardonable , and that Baptists

are eternally damned , as they are wilfully rejecting

. N the saving grace of infant baptism ow, however ,

this doctrine is losing ground , and some Lutheran

ministers consider the Baptists as brethren in Christ .

The laws have given little freedom t o dissenters . 1 8 Until 45 they were subject to exile , and they are ’

o n . still hampered all sides The King , the King s

Council , all the teachers in the public schools and all of principals higher State schools , must belong to

the State Church . Many Baptists tod ay are paying

taxes toward the support of Lutheran ministers .

Financial difficulties must also be mentioned . 1 36 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE Practical ly all the Baptists in N orway have been drawn from middle and lower classes, and could not adequately support the mission work . The English

Baptists gave some aid for several years , and later the American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society has assisted . This help has been highly appreciated .

The work is making progress , and the country is opening up more and more for the Baptists. While the population increased during the decade 1 900 - 1 9 1 0

6 er . % per cent . , the Baptist increase was p cent S i urdsen Their social position is better, and Mr . A . g ,

of . a Skien Baptist , is even a Member Parliament ’ Of Their doctrines religious freedom , believers

- baptism , and a regenerate church membership , are rapidly gaining ground, and the outlook for the future is most hopeful .

1 38 BAPTISTS I N E U ROPE and gave himself up to aggressive efforts in the of province Gerona . With three converts he went o ut preaching for a few months at a time in hired halls in various towns , and Baptist churches were formed . Many villages were evangelized , and within a few years no less than ten small churches existed in the province . This progress aroused opposition , and a furious persecution broke o ut . The mis sion arie s found it necessary to suspend evangeliza tion for a time, and hold only private meetings for the converts .

The work in Catalonia was really flourishing, but ffi grave di culties arose . The Rev . Juan Uhr had early to move from Sabadell , where the church had forty members ; another Swedish worker in the north Of Gerona died ; Dr . Lund was called to the P hilippines , and for lack of workers the churches all but perished . The work in Barcelona was carried on 1 0 n from 9 2 by Se or Gabriel Anglada , until his health was broken by confinement in a filthy prison , and the leadership is now in the hands of a

Am b risio Ce l m a. young Spaniard , The mission in Barcel ona commands greater interest than ever

- before, and the Sunday schools are especially well attended . The work in Valencia is younger than that in

Catalonia , but the Baptist church in Valencia

1 1 - fifth celebrated in September, 9 3, its twenty f anniversary , after a past o uninterrupted blessing .

1 . The enterprise was commenced in 885 by C . A

Haglund , who had earlier joined Dr . Lund in

Catalonia . After three years he was able to form TH E BAPTISTS . I N SPAI N 1 39

the church of eight believers . Mr . Haglund was indefatigable ; in two villages small churches were

not . formed, but he did limit himself to Valencia In assisting a mission in M urcia, he fell a victim to i 1 8 . typhus, and died n 95 His death was a heavy loss .

In the season of crisis Dr . Lund came to Valencia , intending to help Mr . H aglund in evangelizing the province . He had for some time to take the lead ,

and he opened a mission in Burjasot , a village close

t o . Valencia, where a remarkable work began But

Dr . Lund could not long remain , and the Rev . Juan

Uhr was called to take charge of the Valencian work .

He therefore quitted Sabadell , where he had spent of five years . I n Valencia , in spite great opposition

from the Roman Church , God has granted such prosperity that the Baptist work has secured a certain

respect . Many villages have Opened, though , owing

to want of men and means , the work has too often

been paralyzed . Recently the Baptists have taken

up work in two new villages , whose inhabitants have

asked for the Gospel . One of these is Sumacarcel , where the people were won to friendliness by the striking example o f forgiveness displayed by a

convert towards a brother who had wronged him .

They had never seen anything like this before, and

their prejudices were shaken . More than twelve

from that Village have been baptized . Another place

where rapid progress has been made is Paterna , near

to Valencia, where fifteen have been baptized . I n Carlet and Alginet Baptists have worked many

years , and the converts have given a good testi 1 40 BAPTI STS IN E U ROPE

mony , impressing even those without . The number baptized in the province o f Valencia is about 350 . There is regular work in five villages in hired halls ; and Valencia h as a chapel that cost wherein th e good congregations assemble every Sunday. In

- same building is a day school for girls . There are Sunday - schools in Valencia and in two 1 2 villages, and the average attendance is about 5 to 1 0 5 . At first M r. Uhr was the only worker here , but after some years Mr. V . Mateu was employed as

. No . evangelist w there is also a Swede, Mr B e n tsson g , who assists mainly with the work in the

Villages . A home for the aged members in the church will also serve as a modest hospital for Baptists in case of Sickness, in order to spare them the need of the ho general hospital , where those w are evangelical are badly treated by the nuns . In comparison with other denominations working in Spain , the Baptists are small in number, but their work is not inferior . They have had fewer men and less resources, but have , perhaps, the most u hopef l outlook .

It Should be added that in the latter part of the

1 1 . . f year 9 3 the Rev . P J Bu fard , after the close of ’ ou t his studies at Regent s Park College , went as w a missionary to Spain . His support as undertaken ’ B uffard s by a voluntary committee in England . Mr . first months in Spain have been chiefly devoted to o f itinerant work and a survey the conditions .

1 42 BAPTISTS I N E U ROP E and now there are three Baptist churches and two

- one - missions , four Sunday schools , and day school , whilst a large tabernacle to house the Oporto church is being built . This will cost when finished some or more . It is hoped t o dedicate it

1 1 . for in August , 9 5 The money the building is being raised in many lands . Donations have been received from Germany , England , the U nited States ,

Italy , Brazil , and Honolulu , as well as from Por o f tugal , where members the church have mani

- Is fe ste d great self denial . It hoped to open the church free of debt . During 1 9 1 4 two new churches have been — o f organized one in the city Vizeu , and the other f in T o n dell a. An evangelist is in charge o these or causes , which are visited once twice each month by the missionary . The Convention of Brazil is h Oping to raise funds to employ another worker in the field , so that the writer hopes soon to have one or two more halls in other places , where in due course churches will be organized . t o fi Portugal is open the Gospel , and if suf cient aid is forthcoming there will in a short time be a

- great constituency in this priest ridden land . APPE ND I%

H E O T O R O LE AND RO E T OF T P S I I N , P B MS , P SP C S T HE E U RO PE A N BA PT I S TS

BY THE EDITOR

IT is impossible to read without wonder and astonish ment the story unfolded in the preceding pages . On a o the continent of Europe , j ust over eighty years g ,

- the Baptist witness was practically non existent . The first part o f this book describes the tiny rill which proved the beginning Of a mighty flood “ and ’ we have traced from On cke n s baptism onwards the ever - widening influence that has issued in the estab lish m e nt of churches with about a quarter of a 15 million registered members , and whose strength perhaps not less than three - quarters o f a million when adherents and scholars are taken into account .

N evertheless , the limits of our survey have precluded even a complete account of the effects of the move for ment initiated in Hamburg , there are German

Baptist communities in the U nited States Of America , in British South Africa , and in the German colonies — especially in the Cameroons ; and missionaries from Germany and Sweden have wrought nobly in other fields alongside representatives o f British and 1 43 1 44 BAPTISTS IN E U RO PE

“ . o ne American Baptists Truly, the little has ou r become a thousand . If in the second part of of to story we find less advance , if there we have al of de with sporadic movements narrower influence , lacking the tendency (so marked in the main move

' ment) to overfl ow limits of State and race and to

- s assert a claim upon world dominion , we neverthele s

find significant elements of encouragement . Is it not remarkable that one of the most promising of Baptist efforts—that still in its infancy in Portugal should be the outcome of the missionary enthusiasm Of Brazilian Baptists who have been stirred by con cern for the religious interests Of their motherland P

o ur Throughout the story now presented to readers , though many o f the communities are numerically of insignificant , we encounter a temper aggressive evangelism which is rich in promise . The retro spect offers abundant reason for thanksgiving ; the prospect is radiant with hope . We hold that Baptists are entrusted with a spe cial f responsibility for the peoples o Europe , and that their unrivalled progress is a testimony to the fact . Their message is the message which the continental nations need ; all the more urgent is the duty o f considering how it is to be effectively presented . — The problems to be faced are ultimately one how may Europe be evangelized % The story of the past is rich in hints and s ug gestions which those who are seeking to solve this problem can ignore only at the cost of their effective ness . In the first place , the successful evangelization described in this book is n ot the outcome of foreign

1 46 BAPTISTS I N E U ROPE cultured races elsewhere ; everything depends upon the supply of native workers of the right type . The f task o the foreign sympathizer is to assist these , and , whilst Offering suggestions yielded by experience else to where , to leave them free choose and apply their wn o methods . A conspicuous illustration of the value Of this ff principle is a orded by Sweden . I n that land th alone, among all that we have surveyed , have e Baptists a membership in proportion to population comparable with that in Britain—and this posi tion has been attained within less than seventy years Of the founding of the first church . Sweden is also the one land in which for nearly fifty years a theological college has existed , which has sent forth a continuous stream of trained preachers and leaders . Germany would undoubtedly have had a stronger church - membership than it has but for the diffi — ’ — cultie s that in spite of Oncke n s efforts po stponed the permanent establishment of a college until the year 1 880 . At present the call from the more far seeing labourers in various European lands is for of trained leaders , and the provision these may wisely be assisted in some measure from without . n I ndeed , in ma y instances the need cannot otherwise

- be met . N ewly founded communities , conscious of the converting power of the Gospel and of the f t possession o the Holy Spirit , are usually slow o recognize , and even disinclined to consider, the importance of a permanent organization ; and they are necessarily without experience of the problems f that arise only with the passing o the years . APPE N D I% 1 47

Moreover, the members are as a rule poor ; the claims of direct evangelism almost exhaust their resources ; and if there be any margin , they are dis posed to resent the suggestion that it can be profit ably employed for the Kingdom of God in any other way than that Of an increase of immediate evangel i is . t c effort We may doubt whether, apart from the f initiative o the American Baptists, their Swedish co- religionists would have been prepared so early to

or found a college , whether, apart from considerable aid from the same source , Germany would have met t wo its similar need . From countries especially — though not alone from these the appeal for assist ance in the training of native workers has in recent years been persistently urged , Russia and Hungary . We trust that ere long there may be a response to of both appeals . I n View the new political relations it Should be easier than heretofore for British Bap t ist s t o on to respond the call of Russia ; and , the

other hand , we earnestly hope that the sad separa tion due to war will not long continue to affect our

relations with our brethren in Hungary. I n a remarkable paper read at the European 1 1 Baptist Congress at Stockholm in July, 9 3, my

friend the late Dr . N ewton Marshall entered upon a survey of the geographical distribution of the Baptists of Europe in order t o se t forth the lessons of comparative success and failure . He reached certain definite conclusions Fi rstl y , that racial distinctions count for little as ff of a ecting the spread Baptist ideas Teuton , Slav, and Magyar races have proved themselves hospitable 1 48 BAPTISTS I N E U RO PE

t o . the message True , the Latin races have been one less so , but among them significant exception is — found the Roumanians of Hungary record in recent years a phenomenal growth in their church - member ship .

S econdl of y , that differences social condition exert little influence o n the receptivity Of the peoples G Sweden , rural and agricultural , and ermany , urban and industrial , are alike strong Baptist lands . Thir dl o f y , that varying grades culture and educa

n o : tion present hindrance Germany and Sweden , highly educated lands , are as receptive as Russia and o f H ungary , where the inrush the illiterate (though after conversion the members display considerable zeal for knowledge) has led to a great advance .

A closer scrutiny , however , reveals two factors as grave hindrances to the spread of the Baptist mes — sage Roman Catholicism and political repression . of I n the atmosphere freedom Baptists have thriven , and they have often thriven despite political in tole r ance ; but where for centuries the Roman Church has had exclusive occupation of the field and is still dominant , their advance is barred by legal restraints ; o f and even where , as in France, the political power

h as of the priesthood disappeared , the association Christianity with the evils o f the Roman system has in the popular mind discredited not only that system ,

of . but with it every other form Christianity Hence ,

of . as a chief task the Baptists , Dr Marshall urged a decisive effort to deal with the Roman influence in

. h as Europe The appeal not been forgotten , and will in due time be fully considered for the moment

1 56 BAPTI STS IN E U RO PE do ou r part in binding up the wounds that war has made and we will cherish the hope which a distin guishe d countryman of Oncke n expressed in N ew Testament terms o n a post - card written in the early days Of 1 9 1 5to an English friend ut of And I heard a great voice o heaven saying , of Behold , the tabernacle God is with men and they shall be His people and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death . And He that sat upon the throne said , Behold , I make all things new I am Alpha ” and Omega .