The Hawaiian Archipelago - Six Months Among The Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, And Volcanoes Of The Sandwich Islands By Isabella L. Bird
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Before The End Of That Year, Mr. Coan Had Made The Circuit Of
Hawaii, A Foot And Canoe Trip Of 300 Miles, In Which He Nearly
Suffered Canoe-Wreck Twice.
In all, he has admitted into the
Christian church by baptism, 12,000 persons, besides 4000 infants.
He gave a most interesting account of one great baptism.
The
greatest care was previously taken in selecting, teaching, watching,
and examining the candidates. Those from the distant villages came
and spent several months here for preliminary instruction. Many of
these were converts of two years' standing, a larger class had been
on the list for more than a year, and a smaller one for a lesser
period. The accepted candidates were announced by name several
weeks previously, and friends and enemies everywhere were called
upon to testify all that they knew about them. On the first Sunday
in July, 1838, 1705 persons, formerly heathens, were baptised. They
were seated close together on the earth-floor in rows, with just
space between for one to walk, and Mr. Lyman and Mr. Coan passing
through them, sprinkled every bowed head, after which Mr. C.
admitted the weeping hundreds into the fellowship of the Universal
Church by pronouncing the words, "I baptise you all in the Name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." After this,
2400 converts received the Holy Communion. I give Mr. C.'s own
words concerning those who partook of it, "who truly and earnestly
repented of their sins, and steadfastly purposed to lead new lives."
"The old and decrepit, the lame, the blind, the maimed, the
withered, the paralytic, and those afflicted with divers diseases
and torments; those with eyes, noses, lips, and limbs consumed; with
features distorted, and figures depraved and loathsome:
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