BAPTISM. 
15 
variety of circumstances, peculiar in their kind, 
local in their influence, and such as they could 
neither foresee nor control. 
At first, their continuance and their existence 
were very uncertain, in consequence of the efforts 
of the idolaters, and the war that followed ; after¬ 
wards the conduct of the king, who, on his first 
profession, they would not have hesitated to bap¬ 
tize, was such, as to induce them to fear that his 
baptism would injure the Christian cause among 
the people; and subsequently, as they were on the 
point of separating and forming distinct stations, 
it was thought best to defer it till they should have 
entered upon the fields of their permanent labour, 
where they hoped to gather around them congrega¬ 
tions of converts, administer the rite of baptism, 
and form Christian churches. 
The Missionaries considered the proper subjects 
for the ordinance to be those who professed their 
faith in Christ, as the only Saviour, and the chil¬ 
dren of such individuals : but considerable diffi¬ 
culty was experienced in determining what the 
moral or religious qualifications of the adults ought 
to be, and the connexion that should exist be¬ 
tween their baptism, and admission to the commu¬ 
nion. Although we read different authors on the 
subject, their views were seldom altogether adapted 
to our circumstances, and I believe we derived but 
little real assistance from any. 
We desired to bow only to the authority of 
scripture, and to follow implicitly its directions. 
We considered our circumstances by no means 
dissimilar to those of the individuals for whose 
guidance the directions of scripture were primarily 
given. Having the commission of our Lord to his 
disciples for our warrant, and the conduct of his 
