▁being ▁seen ▁as ▁the ▁principal ▁source ▁of ▁opposition ▁to ▁the ▁new ▁faith . ▁In ▁ 1 6 4 9 ▁he ▁public ly ▁faced ▁down ▁the ▁sh am ans ▁by ▁challeng ing ▁them ▁to ▁kill ▁him ▁using ▁their ▁magic , ▁which ▁he ▁said ▁was ▁inferior ▁to ▁that ▁of ▁God . ▁He ▁surv ived ▁and ▁this ▁failure ▁must ▁have ▁helped ▁dis cred it ▁the ▁sh am ans ▁as ▁it ▁was ▁followed ▁by ▁a ▁r ash ▁of ▁convers ions . ▁By ▁ 1 6 5 1 ▁Christian ▁Pract ices ▁were ▁already ▁spread ing ▁quickly ▁throughout ▁the ▁community ▁and ▁according ▁to ▁Thomas ▁May hew ▁Junior , ▁there ▁were ▁already ▁ 1 9 9 ▁W amp ano ag ▁who ▁" prof essed ▁themselves ▁to ▁be ▁wor sh ipp ers ▁of ▁... ▁God ". ▁Several ▁of ▁these ▁converts ▁were ▁ex - sh am ans . ▁By ▁then , ▁H ia co om es ▁was ▁pre aching ▁twice ▁every ▁Sunday ▁in ▁ser m ons ▁agreed ▁upon ▁with ▁May hew ▁who ▁was ▁still ▁very ▁much ▁teaching ▁and ▁instruct ing ▁his ▁first ▁charge . ▁ ▁Later ▁life ▁ ▁In ▁this ▁path ▁he ▁continued ▁for ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁his ▁life , ▁although ▁greatly ▁interrupted ▁by ▁the ▁un tim ely ▁death ▁of ▁Thomas ▁May hew ▁Junior ▁in ▁ 1 6 5 7 , ▁but ▁despite ▁this ▁set back , ▁he ▁continued ▁to ▁play ▁a ▁major ▁role ▁in ▁spread ing ▁Christian ity , ▁so ▁that ▁by ▁ 1 6 6 0 ▁nearly ▁all ▁the ▁island ' s ▁W amp ano ag ▁community ▁had ▁formally ▁become