POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
257 
saving efficacy, or conferring any spiritual benefit, but being 
on our parts a duty connected with our office, and on 
theirs a public declaration of discipleship or proselytism 
to the Christian faith; designed to teach all, their moral 
defilement in the sight of God, and their need of that 
washing of regeneration, and spiritual purification, which 
it figuratively signified. 
The duties of those who desired it were also inculcated, 
and the necessity that existed not only for their renun¬ 
ciation of every open idolatrous practice, and attention to 
instruction in the principles, but a deportment accordant 
with the precepts of Christianity, and the conspicuous 
situation in which this very act would place them, before 
those by whom they were surrounded. We also in¬ 
formed them, that it appeared to us from the Scripture, 
that the ordinance was designed for believers and their 
children, and therefore directed that, as they desired 
them to he brought up in the Christian faith, they should 
dedicate them to Jehovah by baptism. It was found neces¬ 
sary, at the same time, plainly to caution them against 
supposing there was in baptism any thing meritorious, 
or on account of which they would receive any special 
blessing from God, other than that which would follow 
general obedience to his word. This was the more 
requisite, as there was reason to apprehend, that from the 
influence of a system in which strict observance of rites 
and ceremonies, without regard to motive or moral cha¬ 
racter, was all that was necessary, they might rest satisfied 
with having received the mere external declaratory rite. 
We also endeavoured carefully to avoid holding out any 
prospect of distinction, or temporal advantage, as an 
inducement to the people to apply for baptism, but con¬ 
stantly and plainly represented its observance as only an 
