American Baptist Board of Foreign Missions. REPORT OF A DELEGATION TO DEN- is their second imprisonment. After the MARK. It is known to some of our readers that Prof. Horatio B. Hackett of Newton Theological Institution was some months since, being then in Germany, requested to visit our persecuted brethren in Denmark. This appointment was readily accepted by Prof. Hackett, and in the mouth of August, in company with Prof. Thomas J. Couaut of Hamilton Institution, who had received a similar appointment from the American and Foreign Bible Society, he made a journey to Denmark as requested. On his return to this country he sought an early opportunity to report orally the result of his visit, which was found to be so full of interest, that the Board, having passed a vote of thanks to Prof. Hackett for the very able and satisfactory manner in which he had fulfilled his appointment, requested that so much of his report as was of general interest, might be reduced to writing, and published in the Missionary Magazine. Prof. Hackett has accordingly presented the following Report, addressed to the Foreign Secretary. Objects of the mission. The objects more especially proposed by this mission, as explained to us in your letter of instructions, were, that we should acquaint ourselves as fully as possible, with the condition and prospects of our brethren, convey to them an assurance of our constant remembrance, and deep sympathy in their trials, and adopt such measures as divine Providence should afford us, for interceding with the Danish government in their behalf, and endeavoring to procure a more indulgent and tolerant policy towards them. The results of our efforts for the accomplishment of these objects are briefly as follows. Arrival at Copenhagen, and proceedings for the past year. On our arrival at Copenhagen, Aug. 6, we found on application at the prison, that the two brothers Peter, and Adolph Manster had been discharged a few weeks before, after a confinement of nearly six months, and the payment of a heavy fine, which all their goods were sold to enable them to pay. This, it will be recollected, visit of the delegation of our English brethren in September, a year since, they were kept in prison till the month of November, and were then set at liberty, after being fined and forbidden by the court to preach and administer the ordinances of the gospel, until the government should remove the restriction. In the month of January ensuing, the younger Monster in compliance with a request from the country to the church at Copenhagen, that some properly qualified person should be sent thither to preach and administer the sacraments, went, and there preached and baptized. Information of this was brought to the magistrates, upon which he was seized, put into prison, and kept there for two months under circumstances of very rigorous confinement. At this time he received a letter from his wife at Copenhagen, stating that her health was rapidly declining, and that she probably could live but a short time. Mr. Monster addressed then a petition to the Board of Chancery, asking that he might be removed to the city and imprisoned there with permission to visit his wife in her sickness. This the Board refused. Such a refusal, under the circumstances of the case appeared so unnecessary, that it called forth expressions of disapprobation in some of the public journals; and as the reality of the sickness of Mrs. M. had been denied, this led to an investigation which resulted in a command from the King to grant the desired permission. Mr. M. was accordingly transferred from the country to the prison at Copenhagen, and had liberty to visit his wife in her sickness, who languished for a short time under an incurable consumption and then died. Upon application to the Board of Chancery he was allowed, under certain conditions, to follow the remains of his wife to the tomb. Meanwhile it became known, that the elder Monster had also baptized; he, therefore, was again apprehended and put into prison, to share the confinement of his brother. The fine, in | 179-119 of whom belong to the church at which they were amerced on their second Copenhagen, and the remainder to churches liberation in July last, was twice as great in the country. as that in the first instance; and, as they could not leave their prison till it was paid, all their household furniture, with a very trifling exception, and which constituted their only property,* was sold at auction to enable them to regain their personal freedom. Even then, as after this sale there was still a deficiency, they could not be discharged, till a benevolent individual, Mr. Spandet, to whose care they had been committed while in prison, offered himself as surety for the payment of the remainder. Others of the church have also been imprisoned and fined; and others still, heavily fined, who have not been imprisoned. Some of the latter have been allowed a limited term for the payment of their fine, at the expiration of which, if not paid, they must go to prison and there remain, upon a fare of bread and water, till the law is satisfied. This punishment has been in one case already inflicted. Present situation and number. Our brethren consequently are all now at liberty, but without any security for the future. They have been discharged without conditions, that is, left on the same footing with regard to the laws, under which they have hitherto suffered, as that on which they stood before their imprisonThe public opinion has become so far favorable to them, that they can hold their religious assemblies for the present in peace; but they have no legal guaranty even for this privilege, and are subject at any moment to a repetition of the same oppressive treatment, which they have already experienced. The number of their members, it may be here stated, is now ment. Our last evening at Copenhagen we spent at the house of the elder Mr. Monster, and discovered by accident during supper, that it was served to us on the door, which connected together his two rooms, and which had been taken down to serve the purpose of the table, sold at auction. We then learned, which had not been known to us at the time, that at the house of the other Monster the evening before, they had heen obliged to resort to the same expedient from the same necessity. Interview with our brethren. Not finding our brethren at the prison, which had been so long their home, we proceeded immediately to the residence of their families.* It is impossible to describe the reception which here awaited us. Although our arrival had been expected, it was at the moment sudden and unlooked for. It was evident that we had come with consolation to hearts which needed it and could feel it. Tears of joy bore witness to the emotions which filled their bosoms at such a demonstration of the interest of their American brethren respecting them. It was not our privilege to meet with them at their place of public worship: this would have been a violation of the laws of the country, which in our situation as foreigners would have given offence, and prejudiced the object of our visit: but we had other and numerous opportunities to see them, and proffer to them the sympathies and counsels, which their circumstances rendered so grateful to them. Interviews with officers of the govern ment, and others. It was judged advisable on consultation with our brethren and other friends, that we should seek an interview with some of the more distinguished officers of the state and the church, and lay before them the design of our visit. His Majesty, the King, being absent from the capital, and from Denmark itself, we were prevented from seeing him. Among the gentlemen whom we visited were his Excellency Andrew S. Ersted, King's Commissarius and member of the Privy Council, Dr. Mynster, the Right Rev. Bishop of Sealand, Dr. Tryde, Dean of the Diocese of Sealand, Dr. Clausen, Professor in the University of Copenhagen, and President of the Estates at Roeskilde, and various members of the Estates, which was then in session. It would lead to unnecessary repetition to The elder Monster we did not see; as through a misunderstanding of our arrangements he was at this time in Hamburg. detail in every instance, our conversation | Dr. Mynster, we did not find the liberal with these gentlemen; as our interviews spirit or enlightened views which might with them were separate, and the topics of discussion to some extent, naturally the same. have been expected in a person of his distinguished station. He confirmed the information which had been given us by Dr. From Dr. Tryde, dean of the diocese, Tryde; but showed himself unwilling to on whom we first called, we learned that favor any farther concession, and took the government, that is, the king and his ground even in defence of the restrictions cabinet, had then under consideration sev- existing there on the rights of conscience as eral propositions in relation to the Baptists, morally proper and expedient. Against which had been recommended by himself the personal character of the Baptists, the and others for adoption. The principal of correctness of their lives, and the salutary these are, 1. That the Baptists be allowed effects of their preaching, he had nothing to hold their religious assemblies in all to object. He could only say, that at places where they now are; but not to present indeed, while they were so few, establish themselves in other places, or they exhibited a christian spirit and baptize any where, or receive any new blameless conduct; but as soon as they bemembers. 2. That in three cities, how-came more numerous, they would no longever, viz. Altona, Friederiksstadt and er maintain the same purity. To this it Frederits, they have liberty to meet for was natural to reply, that the virtues which public worship, and also to receive by bap- he now acknowledged, were the legitimate tism such persons as may desire it. To fruit of their principles; and that just so these cities it is possible that a fourth may far as these were truly embraced, they were be added, which, however, can in no event adapted to produce the same effects whether be the capital, Copenhagen. 3. That they held by the few or the many. be exempted from the law which requires children to be presented for church baptism, with the understanding that such children are to be confirmed in the usual way at the age of 18. As an indication of some progress towards a more tolerant spirit, we could not but be gratified to receive this information; while at the same time we did not fail to represent our views of the insufficiency of the proposed measures to relieve the distress of our brethren or satisfy the demands of a just christian toleration. The remark of the Rev. Dean, that there had been no persecution in the case, and that we have in this country a false view of the matter in so regarding it, we of course could not readily understand, not even with the benefit of his explanation, that the Baptists suffer because they violate the laws (which laws require them to violate their consciences) and must naturally take the consequences, separation from their families, confinement in prisons, and confiscation, which in Denmark are the penalty of such offences. By our interview with the President of the Estates, Prof. Clausen, we felt, that we were authorized to regard him as the decided friend of religious toleration, and as disapproving the manner in which the Baptists had been treated. He stated that he had expected the subject would have been brought to the attention of the Estates, and had designed to avail himself of the occasion to declare his sentiments, and advocate a change in the policy which had been hitherto pursued. As it had been said, that the constitution of Denmark so called presented insuperable obstacles to the toleration of the Baptists, we were anxious to ascertain from Mr. Ersted, one of the most distinguished of the Danish civilians, whether the essential difficulties of this kind had not been already surmounted in the partial toleration, which it was proposed to grant them, and whether consequently any thing more than an extension of the construction of the laws thus recognized was necessary to their full protection. But from the delicacy of We regret to say, that in the Bishop, his position as a member of the king's cab inet, and the fact that deliberations on the subject were then pending, he felt that he could not with propriety make known his opinion on such a point. Upon our expressing the hope, that so far as he found these men giving evidence that they were men of principle and integrity, peaceable and conscientious, he would show them all the favor in his power, he replied with earnestness, that he was certainly disposed to do it, and that the dissensions and persecutions which had taken place in regard to them had given him pain. It is but just to add, that our reception by these gentlemen and others whom we had occasion to see, was unexceptionably courteous, and gave us, as individuals, every reason to retain a grateful impression of their kindness and hospitality. they deserved it all;' and upon our expressing the hope, that, should our friends be so unfortunate as to need his sympathy again, he would find them still worthy of it, he said with much emotion, 'I have nothing but good, nothing but good to say of them.' This gentleman is a member of the established Lutheran church, and must be supposed to have borne an impartial testimony. Summons before the police. We were not allowed to prosecute the lestation. As illustrating the laws of Denobjects of our mission wholly without mobe mentioned, that at the close of our first mark in regard to our denomination, it may day's proceedings, we received a summons from the police, saying that we must pre sent ourselves at the traveller's office the Testimony to the character of our breth- next day at 11 o'clock. We had reason to ren. As already intimated, no attempt is made to justify the persecution of our Danish brethren by any criminal charge which can be brought against them. All acknowledge the perfect innocence of their lives and the sincerity of their motives. It is well known and admitted also, that their preaching has been eminently useful, frequent instances of reformation having been effected by it so remarkable as to become a matter of general attention and surprise. It is an expressive testimony in their favor, that the common people, although at first disposed to insult and annoy them, have now become generally friendly to them, and rather espouse their cause in opposition to those who would persecute them. Mr. Spandet, superintendent of the prison in which our brethren were confined, spoke in the most honorable manner of their spirit and conduct throughout the whole of his intercourse with them. It was upon his responsibility, as has been mentioned, that they were finally discharged, when they had no means to pay their fine, and from him they received also many favors, which mitigated greatly the hardships of their imprisonment. We did not fail to call upon him, and thank him for his kindness; his answer was it is no merit suppose that our labors were now at an end; that we should be taken possibly for a while into custody, or at all events required at once to quit the country. Our only hope now was to postpone this result for one day more, and thus gain time for a journey to Roeskilde, some fifteen miles distant from Copenhagen, where the Estates was then in session. Without this, our main object would have been lost. On our return from this journey, which we took on the day following, we found that the summons in question had been renewed, and the next morning we presented ourselves accordingly at the bar of the traveller's office. • Information has been brought here,' we were told, that you belong to the sect of the Baptists. Is it true?' We of course plead guilty to the charge. You are aware,' continued the officer, that in Denmark this is a prohibited sect.' We answered that we knew it. And also,' showing us at the same time the law, that no person is allowed to come here to do any thing for its promotion.' On the latter point we were in some danger of being a little embarrassed; but on desiring that the law might be somewhat more exactly explained, we were told that it meant, at least in our case, that no one should come there to preach, and make proselytes or baptize. ་ Being able to say, that we had not done this or come thither with that design, we were acquitted and permitted to take our leave. Our American Chargé d'Affaires having died a short time before our arrival, we were indebted to the secretary of the English Embassy at the court of Denmark, the Hon. Mr. Brown, for very important assistance in this case, which it becomes us gratefully to acknowledge. Future prospects. Although many of the laws in Denmark are so intolerant in their character, and the spirit of persecution, especially on the part of the clergy, is still so active and bitter, there is yet much to encourage the hope, that more liberal sentiments are there gaining strength, and that the final result of the conflict now going on, must be a triumph for the cause of christian toleration. The king and queen are considered as personally friendly to the cause of the Baptists. Many individuals in public stations-even some clergymen in the establishment-have declared in their favor, that is, so far as regards the question whether they should be tolerated or not; this is advocated in some of the public journals; pamphlets are written and published in their defence; and as before remarked, the popular feeling is beginning to be enlisted in their behalf. They may be destined, they probably are, to yet further trials and sufferings; but whether we consider the agencies here at work or the history of similar struggles elsewhere, we need not despair of their success. In the meanwhile, till this issue be attained, the position of our brethren here, and in Germany also, is full of the greatest moral interest; they are the representatives of a principle, most dear to the hearts of all true christians; they are sufferers for rights, in defence of which men have earned their strongest claims to the respect and veneration of mankind; and they ought assuredly, in their struggles, to receive the sympathy of all, under whatever name they are known, who wish well to the cause of christian truth and freedom. Departure from Copenhagen. On arriving at the wharf, from which we were to embark, we found that some twenty or twenty-five members of the church were already there to bid us adieu. The scene was truly affecting, and one which we can never forget. It seemed as if they could not let us go, or find words enough to express their gratitude to their American brethren for the interest which they had shown for them in sending us to them. Their last words were,-Greet our brethren in America for us and thank them for their kindness and ask them still to remember and pray for us. They continued on the shore, after we had embarked, exchanging signals with us, till the distance hid us from each other. The response of our own hearts was,-Farewell, dear brethren, for a while farewell. Oceans may roll between and we found faithful at the coming of our us for the rest of our days; but these past, Lord, we shall meet again on the shores of a blessed eternity, where no storms of persecution can reach you, where you shall enjoy forever the rest and peace of heaven, Letter to our Danish brethren. Accompanying this report is a copy of a letter, addressed by Prof. Conant and myself to our Danish brethren. As it would have exposed them to misrepresentation to have received from us a communication to be circulated among them in private, it was so prepared as to serve, in the probable event of its publication, as a formal avowal to the Danish public of our full fellowship with the Baptists of that country, and as an exhibition of the temper and conduct, which we hold ourselves bound by our principles at all times to maintain. Copenhagen, August 11, 1842. To the Pastors and Members of the Baptist Churches in Copenhagen, and other parts of the Kingdom of Denmark-Greeting: DEAR BRETHREN IN CHRIST: The undersigned, having been appointed on behalf of the Board of Managers of the Baptist General Convention for Foreign Missions, and also of the American |