ortable. We were in deep
distress, and we longed for some thing to soothe and ease our troubled
minds: but we did not, with the Psalmist, call upon the Lord to
"deliver us." No! By no means, for we thought if we could find worse
sinners than ourselves, it would afford us some relief.

Twas thus we sought, but sought in vain
A panacea for all our pain!
Are there not those more vile than we--
If baser mortal man can be!
We looked around--and looked again,
And searched the world--but searched in vain;
For more depraved--more vile than we
Sure there were none--none could there be!
Alas our souls are steeped in sin!
Though clean without--impure within--
As sepulchers adorned with paint
A devil within--without a saint!

Our condition was pitiable indeed. We said among ourselves, "What now
shall we do?" "Where! O! Where shall we find worse sinners than
ourselves?" Our woe-begone looks betrayed the secret workings and
intentions of our hearts; We again went forth in search of those more
wicked than ourselves; but we were destined to disappointment, for we
sought in vain,--they were hard to find. They were neither here--nor
there--nor any where to be found in all the land of the living! Worse
sinners than ourselves could not be found upon this terrestial
globe--among all the degenerate sons and daughters of Adam. When we
had well nigh given up in despair, we again directed our eyes to the
dark picture of African slavery. "Oh!" said we, to ourselves, "how it
would soothe and tranquilize our troubled consciences, if we could but
find worse sinners than ourselves." "We know that we are vile and
depraved, but are not those slaveholders, a little worse than we are?"
Anxiously and intensely we gazed on, but we were disappointed! The
picture was dark, _to be sure_; but we failed to observe all that we
expected! We then called for glasses that magnified a thousand fold,
and again, and again, we surveyed the dark picture! Ah! we saw
something at last! What was it? Well, we either saw something, or,
otherwise, we thought we saw something. Chagrin and despair seized
upon us, and we exclaimed in the bitter agonies of our souls,
"merciful God, are we sinners above all sinners--are there none, so
vile as we are?" "But stop--hold on," (said we), "we are not done with
negrodom yet--we cannot let those rascally slaveholders off so
lightly--we will yet make it appear, that they are more wicked