to its holy doctrines.

And shall we, with our arms, our treasures, our dearest blood, resist
the authors of these wrongs, yet forbear to protect their victims?

All ages have furnished examples of individuals who have been
distinguished from their contemporaries by actions of Heroism: but to
find a similar instance of a whole body of men, thus repelling every
allurement of protection and preferment, of home, country, friends,
fortune, possessions, for the still calls of piety, and private
dictates of conscience, precedent may be defied, and the annals of
virtue explored in vain.

Shall we deem it a misfortune to be burthened with beings such as these?
No; let us, more justly, conclude it a blessing. Prosperity is apt to be
forgetful, to confound what it possesses with what it deserves; but the
claims we here feel to give, awaken us to remember the abundance we have
received.

Thankfully, and not disdainfully, let us bow down to an admonition thus
mildly instilled through the medium of borrowed experience. What a
contrast to the terrible lesson given to the distracted country which
offers it! where both crimes and afflictions are of such enormous
magnitude, as to engross the whole civilized earth between resentment
and compassion!

Already we look back on the past as on a dream, too wild in its
horrors, too unnatural in its cruelties, too abrupt in its succession of
terrors, even for the exaggerating pencil of the most eccentric and
gloomy imagination; surpassing whatever has been heard, read, or
thought; and admitting no similitude but to the feverish visions of
delirium! so marvellous in fertility of incident, so improbable in
excess of calamity, so monstrous in impunity of guilt! the witches of
Shakespeare are less wanton in absurdity, and the demons of Milton less
horrible in denunciations.

Of the present nothing can be said but, _what is it_?--It is gone while
I write the question.

The future--the consequences--what judgment can pervade? The scenery is
so dark, we fear to look forward. Experience offers no direction,
observation no clue; the mystery is as impervious, the obscurity as
tremendous, as that we would vainly penetrate for our destinies in the
world to come. Ah! might the veil but drop to clearness as refulgent!

Let us not, however, destroy the rectitude of our horror of these
enormities, by mingling it with implacable prejudice; nor condemn the
oppressed with the oppressor, the slaughtered w