The Baptists of Sweden owe their origin to Gustaf W. Schroeder, a Swedish sailor, baptized at the Mariner's Baptist Church of New York in 1844, and Frederick 0. Nilsson, also a converted sailor, baptized in 1847 by Oncken. The first church was so persecuted that most of them emigrated and settled in Minnesota. In 1861 Captain Schroeder built a meeting-house at Gothenburg, and Nilsson be came its pastor; both were heavily fined for holding a religious service, but toleration was soon granted and several other churches were formed. In 1857, they organized a Conference, and in 1866 the Bethel Theological Seminary was established at Stockholm. American Bap tists assisted in the erection of a new build ing for this school in 1883, as they also did for the German school at Hamburg. Swedish Baptists were the first Christians to establish Sunday schools, Christian Endeavor Societies and other modern activities in their native land. They have also sent out missions to Norway and Finland, which have been very successful. In Sweden there are now 643 churches with 54,584 members; in Norway 39 churches and 3,588 members; and in Finland 54 churches with 3,179 members.
Baptist missions have been established in other countries: Greece, Spain, Italy. That in Greece was long ago abandoned, and only a mission in Italy by Southern Baptists is con ducted at present. That began in 1870 in Rome, where a theological school is maintained, and up to the beginning of the European War flourishing missionary work was maintained in many parts of the kingdom. A strong and intelligent native ministry is rapidly develop ing, and with the restoration of peace growth should be steady. There are now 46 churches and 1,362 members. Of all European Baptists it is true that their numbers have been con stantly depleted by emigration, while member ship of churches of the various races in Amer ica has been correspondingly increased. The total numeration of the continental Baptists is: 2,098 churches and 202,682 members.
The first Baptist churches in Canada were the result either of emigration thither from the American colonies, or of missionary labors by American missionaries. From 1798 the formation of churches proceeded in both upper and lower Canada. At an even earlier date, Baptists were found in Nova Scotia, and the church at Horton was organized in 1778. A group of churches in the Ottawa Association were composed mainly of Scotch immigrants and among them were converts of the Hal danes. Since 1846 the Baptist Convention of the Maritime Provinces has directed the activi ties of the churches of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward's Island; and in 1888 various former societies were consoli dated into the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec. They maintain home and foreign
missions and support their educational insti tutions. Of these the most important are McMaster University, at Toronto, founded in 1880, and Acadia College, at Wolfville, N. S. In the great Western provinces of the Domin ion, Canadian Baptists are discovering a fruit ful field for their cultivation. They now num ber: churches, 1,325; members, 137,922.
A Baptist church was organized in Sydney, N. S. W., in 1834, and since that time the work has extended to the principal towns of Australia, and to the adjacent colonies of Eng land, Tasmania and New Zealand. Besides the. work among the white people, a mission is maintained among the Maoris. In the seven Australasian states there are now 344 Baptist churches, with 30,168 members. In other Eng lish colonies, the institutions of religion have uniformly followed the flag and sometimes pre ceded it. A church was formed in south Af rica in 1820, which was the precursor of very fruitful labors, so that now there are 131 churches and 18,924 members. A Baptist church was established at Kingston in Jamaica, in 1816, and now in the West Indies there are 379 churches and 53,680 members.
Baptists in the United States.-1. Before the formation of the General Convention.— Among the early settlers of the American colo nies were some who were called “Anabaptists,)) but the first attempt to organize a church was made in the colony of Rhode Island, soon after its foundation (1638). Roger Williams (q.v.), an English Puritan, educated at the Univer sity of Cambridge, came to Massachusetts Bay in 1631 and was soon called to be minister of the church at Salem. He taught several things that were regarded as heresies, and was con demned by the General Court, 8 Oct. 1635, to be deported to England, chiefly because he denied the authority of the civil magistrate to punish other than civil offenses. He fled from the jurisdiction of the court, purchased some land from the Narragansett Indians and estab lished the colony of Rhode Island, those who settled with him making a compact to obey the laws duly enacted "only in civil things?) This was the first government in the world to be established on the basis of absolute religious liberty. Williams was joined by some of his Salem church, and from their study of the Scriptures they decided that baptism of in fants is unwarranted. Williams was baptized by one of the number, Ezekiel Holliman, and then baptized the others, thus constituting a church of 12 members (March 1639). It is not quite certain how the baptism was admin istered, but there is no record of a later change from affusion to immersion.