380 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
Having as a nation embraced Christianity, they were 
unanimous in desiring that their civil and judicial pro¬ 
ceedings should be in perfect accordance vrith the spirit 
and principles of the Christian religion. Hence they 
were led to seek the advice of their teachers, as to the 
means they should adopt for accomplishing this object. 
The Missionaries invariably told them that it was no 
part of their original design to attempt any change in 
their political and civil institutions, as such; that these 
matters belonged to the chiefs and governors of the 
people, and not to the teachers of the religion of Jesus 
Christ. To this they generally replied, that under the 
former idolatrous system they should have been prepared 
to act in any emergency, but they were not familiar with 
the principles of Christianity in their application to the 
ordinary relations of life, especially in reference to the 
punishment of crime. 
In compliance with these solicitations, the Missiona¬ 
ries illustrated the general principles of Scripture, that 
in all the public stations they sustained, they were to do 
unto others as they would that others should do unto 
them — that with regard to government, Christianity 
taught its disciples to fear God, and honour the king— 
that the power which existed was appointed of God—and 
that magistrates were for a terror to evil-doors, and a 
praise to them that do well. These general principles 
were presented and enforced as the grounds of proceed¬ 
ing in all affairs of a civil or political nature. 
The Missionaries, though frequently appealed to, gene¬ 
rally left the determination of the matter to their own dis¬ 
cretion, declining to identify themselves with either party, 
in any of their differences. They promised, however, to 
the chiefs such assistance as they could render in the pre™ 
