Now all this showed that we were not sound at heart. Because the negroes perishing under the iron sceptre of the American Republican were just as much “our bone and our flesh” as the victims of West Indian bondage. It is true we had more control over the condition of the one than the other, because the one was our fellow-subject, and the other was not; but still this very fact, instead of being a reason for inactivity, ought to have furnished a motive for more energetic operations. Even the brutish horse puts forth extra strength when the burden increases, or when a hill is to be climbed; and we need scarcely add that generally among beasts and men the greater the foe the more vigorous the effort to overcome him; but, strange to say, in the anti-slavery cause, we reversed this common mode of proceeding, and, because the enemy was powerful, our exertions to vanquish him became proportionably feeble! We know that many will ask what could we have done? But then the very question betrays the state of their hearts. True philanthropy is never at a loss for expedients to accomplish her benevolent purpose, and therefore never retires because there is a lion or a mountain in the way. Its faith can stop the mouth of the one, or slay him altogether, and remove the other into the midst of the sea. Before we close this paper, we shall, perhaps, show that if we had not been weary in well doing, we might have brought an immense amount of influence against American slavery, which, long before this, would have produced the most happy results. There was one circumstance which especially contributed to paralyse our efforts for the emancipation of American slaves. Just about the time that we liberated our brethren in the British colonies, we heard a great deal about revivals of religion in the United States, and we were told that the Spirit from on high was poured out on transatlantic churches and congregations in almost Pentecostal abundance; and what was more astonishing, the slave-holders were said to be remarkably favoured with these supposed tokens of Divine favour. The writer remembers that in those days, when he was about to offer some remarks at an anti-slavery meeting, he was called aside by a minister of religion, and especially reminded of the great piety of many of the slave-owners, and therefore exhorted to be very tender in his animadversions! He was allowed to be as severe as he pleased on the poor ignorant, blind, dead, unconverted traffickers in human flesh! but the enlightened, pious, spiritual holders of slaves were, forsooth, to be treated with the utmost lenity!! Our Saviour’s rule was thus to be reversed; for he who knew his Lord’s will and did things worthy of stripes, was to be beaten with _few_ stripes! but he who knew _not_ his Lord’s will, was to be beaten with _many_ stripes!!