LETTER. XII.] 



A GEE A 7 BAPTISM, 



its 



\ from crag to crag. In times of rain like last week, when it was 



| impossible to ford the rivers, he sometimes swam across, with 

 a rope to prevent him from being carried away, through others 



I he rode on the broad shoulders of a willing native, while a 

 company of strong men locked hands and stretched themselves 



, across the torrent, between him and the cataract, to prevent 

 him from being carried over in case his bearer should fall. 

 This experience was often repeated three or four times a day. 

 His smallest weekly number of sermons was six or seven, and 



• the largest from twenty-five to thirty-. He often travelled in 

 drowning rain, crossed dangerous streams, climbed slippery 

 precipices, and frequently preached in wind and rain with all 

 his garments saturated. On every occasion he received aid 

 from the natives, who were so kind and friendly, that when he 

 used to sleep in the woods at night, he hung his watch on a 

 tree, knowing that it was perfectly safe from pilfering or curious 

 touch. Indeed the Christian teachers seem to have been re- 

 garded as tabu. 



Before the end of that year, Mr. Coan had made the circuit 

 of Hawaii, a foot and canoe trip of 300 miles, in which he 

 nearly suffered canoe-wreck twice. In all, he has admitted 

 into the Christian church by baptism, 12,000 persons, besides 

 4,000 infants. He gave a most interesting account of one 

 great baptism. The greatest care was previously taken in select- 

 ing, teaching, watching, and examining the candidates. Those 

 from the distant villages came and spent several months here 

 for preliminary instruction. Many of these were converts of 

 two years' standing, a larger class had been on the list for more 

 than a year, and a smaller one for a lesser period. The 

 accepted candidates were announced by name several weeks 

 previously, and friends and enemies everywhere were called 

 upon to testify all that they knew about them. On the first 

 Sunday in July, 1838, 1705 persons, formerly heathens, were 

 baptised. They were seated close together on the earth-floor 

 in rows, with just space between for one to walk, and Mr. 

 Lyman and Mr. Coan, passing through them, sprinkled every 

 bowed head, after which Mr. C. admitted the weeping hundreds 

 mto the fellowship of the Universal Church by pronouncing 

 the words, " I baptise you all in the Name of the Father, and 

 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." After this, 2400 converts 

 received the Holy Communion. I give Mr. C.'s own words 

 concerning those who partook of it, " who truly and earnestly 

 repented of their sins, and steadfastly purposed to lead new 



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