258 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
act of obedience to Him whom they professed to desire 
for their Master and their Lord^ and who had promised 
that his people should be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 
This weekly meeting was designed to answer another 
purpose, that of affording us the means of judging of the 
sincerity of the candidates, as well as of imparting to them 
necessary instruction. After several months had been 
occupied in devoting one afternoon in the week to their 
instruction, it was deemed proper to baptize a number of 
candidates, and two of their children. 
It was now necessary to determine upon the mode: 
this had never appeared to us the most important part of 
the matter. We should not have objected to immerse 
any individuals who had themselves desired it. But as 
the Scriptures are not decisive on this point, and though 
it is stated that Philip and the Eunuch went down to the 
water, or into the water, yet it was not in this act, but in 
the application of water in the name of the Trinity, that 
we considered baptism to consist: in such application, it is 
not stated that the Eunuch was immersed. Hence, we 
did not explain this, or other passages of similar import, 
as signifying immersion—and consequently the converts 
did not desire it. But had one of our own number 
thought it right to have administered this rite by immer¬ 
sion, I do not think we should have said he acted wrong 
in so doing. In this respect, however, there was no differ¬ 
ence of opinion, and consequently a perfect uniformity of 
practice prevailed. With regard to the other modes, we 
did not think it was very material whether we poured 
or sprinkled the element upon the individual. 
The 12th of September, 1819, was fixed for the bap¬ 
tism of the first converts in Huahine. It was also the 
Sabbath. A suitable discourse was delivered in the 
