its restitution, and to return the water of baptism to the Bishop. A cup of water, was accordingly placed in readiness near his bed. In a few days the Bishop on his return called to see the sick man. Instead, however, of receiving a friendly greeting, he was met with a sullen ill-tempered demand for the medicine-rattle. In vain the Bishop remonstrated by telling the baptized Shaman, he was now a Christian. The savage's demand was repeated with a clamorous threat, and finally, the rattle was returned to him.

As the Bishop left, the dying Indian threw after him the cup of water, saying at the same time:— "take back your baptism," and, followed it with violent imprecations.

Bishop Ingham, in his fearless and flat-footed, charge to the missionaries at Freetown, West Africa; in referring to the rotten condition of affairs brought about, by greater efforts to enroll names, and establish the church, than to purify and elevate the converts, he says it :-" has shown up a mass of iniquity with which our present rules of discipline entirely fail to deal. The church is responsible for binding as well as loosing. It is evident that, amongst church members, church officers, and communicants, there is much undiscovered iniquity. The church must wash her hands of this state of things; and we hope to enforce, as a beginning, some stricter discipline as to the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper."

The inconsistency of baptizing unreformed savages, is further illustrated in the incident of the landing of the missionary priest, Father Bolduc at the Songhee village Camosun (now Victoria) before the establishment of the first trading post. After addressing Chief Tsilathach and his people for half an hour, he invited them to be baptized.

Tsilathach replied, "baptize our Enemies!-do not baptize us, a priest who came before you some years ago baptized many of the Kwanthmus and Cowichins, and they all died!"

The fact was, that a plague had visited the coast immediately after, and the association, was only natural to these superstitious people.

It is told of an old barbarian Chief, who when he was baptized kept his right hand out of the water, that he might still work his deeds of blood.

But this

How necessary all this proves to us the reservation of this rite to the truly converted. necessity, is now apparently ignored by the Society's agents. It is a twofold sin to deceive a fellow-creature, into the belief that there is a magical power, of purification, and salvation, in the mere observance of the ceremony of baptism; and it is distinctly a deception, to turn this symbolic Christian ordinance, into a magical rite, to invest it with powers it does not, and never did possess.

It is only after satisfactory probation, that members of the Metlakahtla congregation are baptized and admitted to full membership,-baptismal rites

being administered by an ordained clergyman*. thus, the sacrament is made more impressive as an emblem in its original significance to cleanse, to purify.

Mr. Duncan, regards the duties of a missionary as purely evangelistic, and not ecclesiastical. He believes that to insure the best results, every Christian congregation gathered out of Heathendom; should begin its history as a free, and independent branch of Christ's Church, in unity, and in sympathy, with all evangelical Christians; but, allowed to develop naturally on Scriptural lines, and adopt that kind of church order, most in harmony with the native mind. Whereas, the Church Missionary Society, rigorously demand, that all converts to Christianity through its agency, shall be stamped as members of the Church of England, conform to its exacting ritual, and adopt its spirit of exclusiveness. It did not recognize with Burke, that "The cause of the Church of England is included in that of religion, not that of religion in the Church of England." Here, we are confronted with that spirit of bigotry, that has wrought havoc with freedom of conscience in all ages. At the time of the Reformation the Protestants declared that its issue was founded on this:-"that the Bible is a sufficient guide for every Christian man. Tradition was rejected, and the right of private interpretation as

* See Chapter III.