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HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
451 
of the church. At the same time, those who had been 
admitted to communion were ordered to refrain from unit¬ 
ing in the ordinance in future. This order was sent in 
the name of the officers of the army, and not of the queen; 
but it was not to be resisted with impunity; consequently, 
on the first communion Sabbath after it had been issued, 
the soldiers belonging to the church, who were present, 
abstained from using the elements used on this occasion in 
commemorating the death of their divine Redeemer: they 
remained in silence among their brethren, evidently under 
severe distress of mind. This was on the first Sabbath in 
November, 1831; and since that time, no one in the army, 
or belonging to the schools established by the government, 
have been allowed to be baptized, or unite with the church. 
In the instructions given to the people, they were taught 
that it was the duty of those who repented of their sins, 
and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, publicly to profess 
their faith in him by baptism, and to commemorate his 
death by that ordinance which he had appointed to be 
observed in remembrance of him. And after the first 
baptisms, which took place in the months of May and June 
among the congregations under the care of Messrs. Griffiths 
and Johns respectively, those who were baptized partook 
immediately afterwards of the ordinance of the Lord’s Sup¬ 
per. It was not, however, until the month of August, that, 
after mutual conference between the Missionary and the 
people, and fervent prayers, that a Christian church was 
organized in connexion with the congregation assembling 
at Ambodinandohalo. On this interesting occasion, the 
believers present mutually giving and receiving the .right 
hand of fellowship, agreed to regard each other as bre¬ 
thren and sisters in Christ, to watch over each other in the 
Lord, and to promote each other’s comfort and spiritual 
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