336 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
study to make these visits advantageous. The time was 
not spent in useless recital of the passing reports of the 
day; we addressed ourselves to each individual, when 
circumstances admitted, directing and encouraging them 
in their adherence to the Saviour, or inviting them to 
Him, and concluded our visit by uniting in prayer for 
the blessing of God upon their household, &c. We trust 
these domiciliary visits were beneficial; they were often 
cheering to our own minds. Some of the many happy 
hours I have been privileged to spend in Missionary 
occupations, have been those passed in the families of 
our people on such occasions. Here we sometimes saw 
the household virtues, the endearments of social and 
domestic comfort, cherished—shedding their benign, 
elevating, and purifying influence upon a family, the 
principal members, and sometimes the greater part 
of which, were enjoying that blessing which maketh 
rich, and addeth no sorrow, and were preparing to 
join the family of the redeemed in the abodes of bless¬ 
edness. 
Associated with these delightful duties, there were 
others equally needful, but less pleasing, which we were 
called to discharge, in connexion with the infant church 
we had been honoured to gather. These were acts of 
discipline, in the dismissal of those who by their conduct 
had disgraced the Christian profession. On these occa¬ 
sions, we presented to their consideration the direction 
of the scriptures, and the duty of the church resulting 
therefrom; and when it was necessary to .dismiss an 
individual from fellowship, it was always done with 
solemn prayer and most affecting regret. 
We were not called to this painful duty soon or 
often. One or two instances occurred, before I removed 
