perpetuate the remembrance of His death, even to the end of time, and was to be in faith participated by all who build their hopes of admission to the heavenly state on His atonement.

Having been for some months engaged weekly in imparting this kind of instruction to those who had expressed their desire to receive the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, the month of May was selected for forming the Church. Sixteen individuals, who in the judgment of charity we had every reason to believe were sincere Christians, then met us, and after imploring the blessing of the great Head of the Church, offering a suitable address, and receiving their declaration of faith in Christ, and desire to enjoy the privileges of Christian fellowship, a voluntary association was formed, the right hand of fellowship was given, and they recognized each other as members of the first Church of Christ in Huahine.

We did not present any creed or articles of faith for their subscription on this occasion. Sensible of the insufficiency of all mere human writings, however excellent, to restrain the mind, or control the opinions of men, we thought it best to dispense with them, lest the bare assent, or subscription to certain articles of faith, or doctrines of truth, should be substituted, as grounds of confidence, for an experience of the influence of those doctrines on the heart. Their names only were entered in a book kept by the missionaries for that purpose, and called the Church book. This little meeting was held in the chapel at Fa-re, on Friday evening, the 5th of May, 1820: and it is hoped that what was done on earth among the disciples of Christ below, though it may be dissolved by death, will be realized in his presence above, and endure through eternity.

On the following Sabbath (May 7th) an unusual number attended the large place of worship. Mr. Davies preached in the forenoon, from Luke xxii, 19. In front of the pulpit, a neat table, covered with white native cloth, was fixed, upon which the sacramental vessels were placed. These had been furnished from England. Wheaten bread was an article of diet that we did not very often obtain ourselves, and which the people seldom tasted: we should have preferred it for this ordinance, yet, as we could not, from the irregularity and uncertainty of our supplies at that period, expect always to have it, we deemed it better to employ an article of food as nearly resembling it as possible, and which was at all times procurable. From these considerations, we felt no hesitation in using, on this occasion, the roasted or baked bread-fruit, pieces of which were placed on the proper vessel.

Wine we were also thankful to possess for this purpose; and although we have sometimes been apprehensive that we might be under the necessity of substituting the juice of the cocoanut for that of the grape, or discontinuing the observance of this ordinance (to which latter painful alternative some of our brethren have been reduced,) we have been providentially favored with a sufficiency. Over the elements placed on the table a beautiful white cloth had been spread, before the accustomed service began. When this was over, although it was intimated that any who wished might retire, no one left the chapel. Mr. Davies, the senior missionary or pastor of the Church, took his station behind the coinmunion table; Mr. Barff såt at one end, and I took my seat at the other.

When the communicants had seated themselves in a line in front, we sung a hymn. The words of institution, viz. passages of Scripture containing the directions for the observance of this hallowed festival, &c, were read, a blessing implored, and the bread, which was then broken, handed to each individual. The wine was next poured into the cup, a blessing again sought, when the wine was handed to the communicants. After this, another hymn was sung, a short prayer offered, and the service closed.

I have been thus particular in detailing the order observed on this occasion, as affording not only a correct statement of our proceedings at this time, but also a brief general view of the manner of administering this sacred ordinance in the different missionary stations throughout the islands.

It would be impossible to give any thing like an adequate description of my own émotions, at this truly interesting service. The scene was worth coming from England to witness, and I trust the impression was as salutary as it was powerful and solemn. I am also quite unable to conceive what the feelings of our senior colleague must at this time have been. He had been many years among the people before any change in favor of Christianity took place, and had often beheld them, not only ignorant and wretched, sunk to the lowest state of debasing impurity, and accustomed to the perpetration of the most horrid cruelty, but altogether given to idolatry, and often mad after their idols.

Our joys arose, in a great degree, from the delightful anticipations awakened in connection with the admission of the anxious multitude, who were waiting to enter into, and, we hoped, prepared of God to participate in, all the blessings which this ordinance signified, and in reference to the eternity we hoped to spend with them, when we should join the Church triumphant above. His joys, however, in addition to those arising from these sources, must have been powerfully augmented by the recollection of what those individuals once were, and the many hours of apparently cheerless and hopeless toil he had bestowed upon them, now so amply, so astonishingly rewarded.

sion.

A state of feeling, almost unearthly, seemed to pervade those who now, for the first time, united with their teachers in commemorating the dying love of Christ. Recollection, perhaps, presented in strong colors the picture of their former state. Their abominations, their reckless cruelty, their infatuation in idolatry, the frequent, impure, and sanguinary rites in which they had engaged-their darkened minds, and still darker prospects-arose, perhaps, in vivid and rapid succesAt the same time, in striking contrast with their former feelings, their present desire after moral purity, their occupation in the worship of Jehovah, their hopes of pardon and acceptance with Him, through the atonement made by the offering of His Son, the boundless and overwhelming effects of His love herein displayed, and the radiant light and hopes of everlasting blessedness and spiritual enjoyment, which, by the event commemorated, they were encouraged to anticipate, were all adapted to awaken, in minds susceptible as theirs, no common train of feelings. Often have we seen the intense emotion of the heart, at these seasons, strongly depicted in the countenance, and the face suffused with tears.'

While we have been not a little instructed in perusing the volumes before us, we cannot help thinking that they would be more generally read, and read too with much greater interest, had they been less diffusive, and had there been less of individual and isolated facts and anecdotes interwoven with the general narrative. We allow, indeed, that particular and minute accounts of individual labor, conversions, sufferings, and success, impart an interest to all writings of this character whenever they become so diversified as to avoid creating that ennui which arises from a continued repetition of similar facts and incidents, and it is this sort of sameness of character in the scenes which are described in these volumes to which our exceptions are taken. Though they contain a mass of information respecting the situation, extent, soil, and productions of those islands; respecting the origin, religion, habits and customs, of their inhabitants; and also the means which have been used for their conversion to Christianity; yet the Christian whose heart burns with the love of God and man, whose soul breathes and lives in the pure atmosphere created by the flame of Divine love, would have been much more edified had there been more frequent accounts of individual conversions, of the rapid spread and the powerful, renovating influence of Christianity upon the hearts and lives of these people.

It appears to us, indeed, that one great defect in many of the modern schemes of conducting Christian missions, is too much reliance upon the efficiency of human means, without prayerfully looking for the direct and powerful aid of the Holy Spirit. If we look into the history of the Christian Church, as recorded in the Acts of the Aposties, and farther illustrated in the apostolic epistles, we shall find that when the primitive evangelists went out to convert the heathen, they aimed directly at the heart, relying much less upon the power of argumentation addressed to the understanding than they did upon the energies of the Holy Spirit. Hence the rapid spread of the Gospel, the powerful reformations which were witnessed, and by which the Christian Church was enlarged on every hand-'So mightily grew the word of God and multiplied.' And if ever the heathen world becomes converted to God, those times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord' must return. The slow process of converting sinners, one in a month, or even a thousand in a year, will never-no never, enable us to say in truth, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ.' According to the ratio of conversions hitherto witnessed under the labor of our modern missionaries, time will roll on without cessation, telling the world that it hurries into eternity vastly more heathen every year than are converted to the Christian faith-that hundreds of thousands are dropping into eternity while we are employed in our sluggishly prudent manner in

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leading one soul up to glory! Why is this? Are the pagans and Mohammedans of our country doomed to drag out a miserable existence under the deadening influence of a false religion, and then fall into the grave without one ray of Gospel light to direct them to immortality and eternal life? Are our interpretations of those prophetic scriptures, which predict the future glory of the Church, founded in error? Have we been dreaming all our days under the delusive charm of a false light? We are exceedingly loath to believe this. That all flesh shall yet see God'—that the ends of the earth shall see His salvation'-and that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established upon the top of the mountains, and all nations shall flock unto it,' are prophetic truths on which our faith hangs with a sort of sorrowful delight, and with a fearful contemplation of good things to

come.'

But how shall these promises be accomplished? When may we expect to see them fulfilled? We answer, when the Church shall awake to the importance of the subject.

Where is the Christian man to be found who is as zealous in laying up treasure in heaven, and in extending the glories of the Redeemer, as he is in accumulating wealth, and in advancing his own temporal interest on earth? Where is the minister who is as entirely employed solely in his Master's work, as the mechanic, the merchant, or the farmer is in his work? Does he rise as early, and attend as diligently in cultivating his Lord's vineyard, as the man of the world does in the affairs of this life? Who among us is able to answer these questions in the affirmative? If we cannot, what evidence can we adduce to justify to the world the reality of our belief in Christianity? We profess, indeed, to believe, that 'one soul outweighs' in worth all the world. But do we labor as diligently to save that one soul as the men of the world do to accumulate wealth-as the soldier does to defend the rights of his country-as the statesman to acquire fame-or the lawyer to defend his client-or as the ambitious men of all classes do to inherit glory? If not, wherein are we better than they?

In consequence of our negligence herein, our faith-which is the mainspring of action-is weak; and it must remain weak so long as the causes of that weakness continue to operate. We may, indeed, exercise a sort of nominal faith in the general promises of God; but we have not that strong and vigorous faith in exercise, which

'Lends its realizing light,' so that

'God is seen by mortal eye,'—

that faith which actuated the hearts, the tongues, and all the actions of the apostles and primitive Christians-that faith, in a word, which claims the promises now,-which looks to God now, for the gift of the

Holy Spirit-which disclaims all merit, strength, or worthiness in ourselves, and views all human means as useless, as absolutely powerless, only so far as they are accompanied by the mighty energy, the holy inworking of the eternal Spirit-this is the faith alone which will bring us back to primitive days, and which will realize the powerful presence of God, again shaking the heavens and the earth'-as so shaking the Christian and heathen world as to make their sandy foundation' to totter beneath them, and thus to extort from their guiltly, trembling souls, one universal cry, What shall we do to be saved?

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We say again, that until this faith is brought back to the Church, we labor in vain, and spend our strength for nought,' in striving to convert the world to Christ. According to the present slow process of extending Christianity, it never can be accomplished. The number of sinful beings multiply on our hands a thousand times faster than do our sincere converts. The are of truth, therefore, must be laid directly at the root of error and sin, and the strokes must be repeated until the mighty tree of idolatry, with all its branches, is felled to the earth. But this is beyond human might. The hand of Omnipotence alone can do this work. But He will do it only in answer to the prayer of faith. This great mountain' of sin and idolatry which swells so haughtily over both the Christian and heathen world, can 'become a plain' only by the power of Him who said, 'Let there be light, and light was.' Not by might, nor power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.' Let every Christian, therefore, and more especially every Christian missionary, pray constantly, mightily, and in humble faith, that this Divine Spirit may come in all His convicting, healing, and sanctifying power, upon all the world. The Church must feel His sacred influence-must move and act under His holy dictatesand the ministry must speak as the Spirit giveth utterance,' 'not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but in demonstration and power,' if we would have this work go on. But when this is the case, it will go on. Nothing shall hinder it. The heavens will give rain, or the mist from the river of salvation shall go up over the face of the whole earth, and continue to water it until the whose length and breadth thereof shall be renewed in righteousness.' God hasten it speedily. Amen.

ON THE TRINITY.

THE following paper was read at a meeting of the Society for the Promotion of Common and Liberal Education :

EDUCATION, to answer the great purposes of man, should be strictly religious; and religion, properly so called, must he founded on a com