266 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
the candidates soon amounted to four hundred. Those 
who had been baptized, also, in general attended the 
meetings. 
A state of religious feeling, such as I never witnessed 
elsewhere, and equal to any accounts of revivals in Ame¬ 
rica or other parts, of which I ever read, now prevailed, 
not only in Huahine, but in the other Missionary sta¬ 
tions. The schools and meetings were punctually and 
regularly attended. The inhabitants of remote districts 
came and took up their abode at the Missionary settle¬ 
ment ; and nothing could repress the ardour of the people 
in what appeared to us their search after the means of 
obtaining the Divine favour. Often have we been aroused 
at break of day, by persons coming to inquire what they 
must do to be saved—^how they might obtain the forgive¬ 
ness of their sins, and the favour of God; expressing their 
desires to become the people of God, and to renounce 
every practice contrary to Christian consistency. 
Many were undoubtedly influenced by a desire of bap¬ 
tism; that had introduced a new distinction, which, not¬ 
withstanding our endeavours to prevent, they probably 
thought must confer some temporal or spiritual advan¬ 
tage on those who received it. But with others it was 
not so, as the event has satisfactorily proved: many who 
at this time were awakened to an extraordinary religious 
concern, have ever since remained stedfast in their prin¬ 
ciples, and uniform in the practice of every Christian 
virtue. We now felt more than ever the responsibility 
of our situation, and were afraid lest we should discou¬ 
rage, and throw a stumbling block in the way of those 
who were sincerely inquiring after God. Yet we felt no 
less apprehension lest we should be the means of encou¬ 
raging desires, and cherishing the delusive hopes of such 
