must necessarily be a temporary thing: its abolition is a mere question of time. The light of Christian truth, shining steadily upon the mind, is ever gently yet powerfully exercising its influence on a people's heart, and appealing to their conscience, till at length entering, and bringing with it the fire of love, it will melt the human soul to pity, and dissolve all cruel bonds. So it has been doing in ages past, and so it will continue to do, till every yoke is broken, and all the oppressed go free. So it has been in Europe, and so it will yet be in America. But where the light of Christian truth is not spread abroad — where the law of Christian love is not known, but man is left to his natural darkness and selfishness — what hope, what prospect is there, for the slave? None — none. The chains will still clank on, and the iron of oppression enter into the soul, through summer and winter, through revolving years and rolling ages still. This is the condition of the continent of Africa. For ages and ages past have those enslaved millions been suffering, and crying to their fetiches and idol-gods in vain. Their chains could not be broken; for nothing but the lightning power of truth could do it, and that truth had not reached them. He alone who came to "bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house" — He alone could do it: but alas! He had not come to them, He was not known to them. The Divine Savior had, indeed, come into the world, — yet He or His coming had not been heard of by the benighted millions of Africa. No light of Gospel truth had penetrated to them. They seemed, indeed, to be quite
