/Lyon, J. a*
Missionary Aspect of African
Colonization,

I give- theft Books
\..fpr. the. founding of a. CoUtgim. this Colony^

'YMM^/mwmmmmY' • iLmaisyMrar •

AN ADDRESS

THE MISSIONARY ASPECT

AFRICA! COLONIZATION.

JAMES A. LYON,
Pastor of the Westminster (Presb.,) Church, St. Louis.

I took thee to curse mine enimies, and behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. —
Num. xxiii. II.

St. £01110, mo.:
PRINTED BY T. W. USTICK,
1850.

NOTE.
The following Address was first delivered in obedience to the request of the "Young Men's
Colonization Society of St. Louis." It was afterwards delivered, substantially, before the Coloni
zation Society of St. Charles, and is at their instance now published.

AN ADDRESS, &c.

" Resolved, That African Colonization is but the last of a series of
providences, as wonderful as they are gracious, the ultimate design
of which, is to civilize and christianize Africa."
Mr. President : — There is no theme better adapted
to enlarge the mind — to benefit the heart — and to im
press us with a deep sense of the Goodness, Wisdom,
and Justice of God — than that of a Divine Providence,
reigning in, and ruling over, the affairs of men.
The student of Providence, which is but another
name for the student of a just and accurate history, will
be struck with the curious and wonderful fact, that God
and Man have, for the most part, directly the opposite
designs in view, in the accomplishment of the same
events. For example : when the armies of Israel, six
hundred thousand strong, set forward and pitched their
tents in the plains of Moab, Balak, the king of that part
of the country, having long heard rumors of the in
vincible prowess of this marching host that came up out
of Egypt, became greatly alarmed, and sent messengers,
with bribes in their hands and promises in their mouths,
to Balaam, the son of Beor, a prophet, beseeching him
to come and curse Israel. Prompted by the hope of
reward, he went. He, and the King, ascended into the
high-places of Baal, on the tops of the mountains which
commanded a fall view of the hosts of Israel, spread out
far and wide upon the plains below. They erected
"seven altars," and offered their splendid sacrifices of
sheep, and oxen, and rams. And the avaricious prophet
took up his parable, but instead of cursing, behold, he

" blessed" Israel ! Again and again, the attempt was
made to extort a curse, but again and again, it proved a
blessing !
So when Joseph was sold into Egypt, the design of his
wicked brethren, in this unnatural deed, was to frustrate
the fulfillment of Joseph's dreams, which portended his
future exaltation, and sovereignty over them. But by a
curious and wonderful concatenation of events, this very
act of theirs, so monstrous in its conception, so cruel in
its execution, was made the very means, in the hand of
God, in accomplishing the very end which they designed
to defeat ? This Joseph himself declares, when, in order
to allay the fear of his conscience-stricken brethren, he
says : " But as for you, ye thought evil against me ; but
God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day,
to save much people alive."
What a magnificent illustration have we of this singular
truth, in the history of our own glorious country ! A
great and mighty king, in order to crush the seedlings of
civil and religious liberty, springing up in his soil, swore
that he "would harry them out of his Kingdom" — that he
would drag over them the iron tooth of persecution, until
they should be eradicated and destroyed ! And he did
"harry them out of his Kingdom," and the poor
"Puritans" were driven from post to pillar, and from
pillar to post, until they landed, welcomed by the
" rocking pines," that roared — and the breaking waves,
that " dashed high," upon the ice-clad rocks of Plymouth,
where they had " freedom to worship God ;" and where
they erected a standard of civil and religious liberty,
whose streamers are stretching out over all nations, and
whose majestic folds attract the admiration of the whole
world, insomuch that our country, like the " mountain of
the Lord's House," established on the tops of the moun
tains, " all nations flow unto it." Thus the very effort

made by the British King, to crush civil and religious
liberty in the germ, was overruled by the providence of
God, in establishing the grandest Empire of freedom the
world ever saw; and which is morally certain, by its
reverse influence, to undermine every despot's throne,
crumble every galling sceptre, and dash every tyrant's
crown to the dust.
A most wonderful illustration of this singular truth, is
to be found in the history of the African Slave Trade.
* It is now beginning to appear manifestly, that what men
designed as a gratification of the basest and most revolt
ing cupidity, God designed as the means to christianize
and civilize Africa! Hence "African Colonization" has
become one of the most interesting Missionary enter
prises of the age, or of any age. It is a theme, which
every Christian heart, that is alive with the true spirit of
Christianity, must contemplate with delight. And hence
it is our object on the present occasion, to look at this
wonderful move in God's providence — to turn aside, as
Moses did at the burning bush, to see this great sight,
and to hear and understand the voice of God in this mat
ter — to contemplate, for a few moments, " The
Missionary Aspect of African Colonization ;" not only in
order that we may see how the Lord, in infinite goodness
and wisdom, "brings good out of evil" — a subject worthy
the contemplation of the most pious and devout, as well
as of the most holy time and place — but that we may
magnify the adorable mercy of God in sending the gospel
to benighted Africa. Such an excercise, whilst it en
larges our views, elevates our hopes, increases our
knowledge, and invigorates our faculties — at the same
time strenghtens the faith, and cheers the heart, of the
humble Christian, whose daily prayer is : " Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
But to the end that this effect may be produced upon

6
our minds, in tracing out God's gracious purposes towards
Africa, in the permission of that most hideous" and mon
strous of all the outrages ever perpetrated upon
humanity — the "Slave Trade" — we must divest ourselves
of all predjudice — lose sight for the moment, of the
wicked passions of men, and look only to God's prov
idence, brooding over their works of darkness, as did his
Spirit, at first, over Chaos, bringing order out of confu
sion, light out of darkness, and beauty out of deformity,
causing the " wrath of man to praise him." Or as the '
Alpine Shepherd from some towering peak, amid his sub
lime solitudes, looks down upon the clouds under which
the thunders roll and the storm rages, but whose upper
surface, reflecting the sun's rays, resembles an ocean of
strange brilliancy, pushed up into trembling mountains,
and moving valleys, and curious, beautiful forms, by the
very violence of the storm underneath — so let us rise
above the raging passions of men — loose sight of the
heartlessness of the kidnapper — the cruelty of the
slaver — and the cupidity of the task-master, and contem
plate, as from some superior height, the wonderful
providence of God, in relation to the destinies of Africa.
There is a striking parallel of coincidences between
Israel's bondage in Egypt, and Africa's slavery in
America. The promise was made to Abraham, that his
"seed" should possess the land of Canaan. How this
promise was to be fulfilled, it was impossible to see.
Abraham himself, could not drive out the numerous and
powerful hordes that then inhabited the land. In propor
tion as his clan increased, in numbers and strength, in
the families of Isaac and Jacob, they excited the jealousy
and hatred of the surrounding tribes, insomuch, that
long before they went down into Egypt, they were
frequently in danger of being cut off.
And it is morally certain, that had they remained

much longer in the land of Canaan, separated, as
they were, from their powerful and jealous neighbors, by
religious rites and ceremonies, . they would have been
utterly destroyed. To prevent this catastrophe, and also
to allow time for the family of Abram to multiply, and
increase, and become a mighty people, capable of taking
and retaining possession of the land of promise, God, by
a strange providence, sends them to Egypt, where they
became slaves, in the most galling and ignominious bond
age, for many generations — and where they not only did
multiply and become a great nation, but also became
familiar with the learning and arts, of the then most civil
ized and cultivated people on the face of the earth. And
in due time they returned, six hundred thousand fighting
men strong, bringing with them the wealth, the learning,
and the arts of Egypt, and took possession of the very
land of promise which they could not otherwise have ac
quired, had it not been for their long sojourn in the land
of their captivity. So in like manner we shall find, by a
candid and dispassionate investigation of the subject in
the light of God's providence, that it is the design of the
Almighly, in spite of the counter intentions of wicked
men, in permitting the nefarious "slave trade," thereby
indirectly to school, civilize, and christianize the black
man, and in due time, (not exceeding the period that
Israel was in Egypt,) send him back as a Missionary,
laden with the spoils of civilization, to evangelize and
bless, with all the blessings of peace and liberty, that be
nighted continent!
When we open the Bible, we find it replete with great
and precious promises, in relation to the final triumph of
Christianity over the whole world. " They shall teach no
more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord : for they shall all know me, from
the least to the greatest of them, saith the Lord." David,

in the Psalms, represents the Father, as saying to
Messiah, his Son, — "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the
heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of
the earth for thy possession." And not only so, but it is
said specifically of Africa — " Ethiopia shall soon stretch
out her hands to God." These and like Scripture prom
ises and prophesies, assure us that the whole world is
eventually to be evangelized, and that Africa, of course,
is one day to become a-'Christian nation. But how is this
to be accomplished ? Suppose that the question had been
asked three hundred yearg ago, How is Africa to be Evan
gelized? It would have been impossible to have solved
the problem : for,
First, There was then no Enterprise in Africa, to
bring it into contact with christian and civilized nations.
Commerce and trade are the most cogent of all the instru
mentalities ever made use of by the providence of God,
in diffusing the blessings of religion and civilization, save
that of Colonization. It is one of the greatest agencies,
in breaking down the partition walls of predjudice, caste,
language, and religion, that separate different nations and
tribes, and binding the race of man into one great brother
hood. It was Commerce that took the gospel to India —
it is Commerce that is now taking it to the different ports
of China. But three hundred years ago, there was no
Enterprise in Africa, not even the Slave Trade itself, to
bring it into contact with other nations.
And not only so, but a glance at the Map of Africa,
comparing it with Europe and other countries, will con
vince the logical mind, that it was not the design of
Providence, that Africa should become a commercial
country previous to her evangelization ; since it has not
the natural or topographical facilities for commerce and
trade, such as Peninsulas, Bays, Harbors, inland Seas,
numerous and navigable Rivers, &c. "Africa" says the

learned Arnold Guyot, " is the most singular in its form,
of all the continents. Its mass, nearly round or ellip
soidal, is concentrated upon itself. It projects into the
ocean no important peninsula, nor any where lets into its
bosom the waters of the ocean. It seems to close itself
against every influence from without. Thus the exten
sion of the line of its coasts, is only fourteen thousand
geographical miles, of sixty to the degree, for a surface of
eight millions, seven hundred and twenty thousand square
miles ; so that Africa has only one mile of coast for six
hundred and twenty-three miles of surface ! "
But when we glance at the Map of Europe, we
perceive the very reverse to be true. " Of all the conti
nents, Europe is the one whose forms of contour are most
varied. Its principal mass is deeply cut in all parts, by
the ocean, and by inland seas ; and seems almost on the
point of resolving itself into peninsulas." " The inland
seas, and the portions of the ocean which its outer limits
enclose, form nearly half of its surface. The line of its
shores is thus carried to the extent of seventeen thousand
two hundred miles, an enormous proportion, compared with
its small size: for it is three thousand two hundred miles
more than Africa, which is nevertheless three times
o-reater ! Europe enjoys one mile of coast for every one
hundred and fifty-six square miles of surface. It is thus
the continent most open to the sea for foreign connexions,
at the same time that is is the most individualized in lo
cal and independent districts."
These singular and interesting facts not only explain, in
part, why Africa, three hundred years ago, was destitute
of commerce and trade, but they prove to the reflecting
mind, that it was impossible from the very nature of
things, that she should become a commercial and enter
prising people, until she first became civilized ; so as to
remedy, by the arts of civilization, (Canals, Railroads,

10
&c, things not then dreamed of,) these natural hindrances
to their intercommunion with the religious and civilized
portion of mankind. It was manifest then, that it was
not the design of Providence that Africa should be evan
gelized through the instrumentality of commerce and
trade with foreign nations.
Second, This could not be accomplished by Conquest,
or the Colonization of Europeans, on that continent, from
the fact that the Almighty seems to have proclaimed an
interdiction in the character of the climate of that country,
against the white man living there. The history of mis
sionary efforts in Western Africa, fully sustains this fact.
"Catholic Missionaries" says Tracy, in his history of
missions, " labored for two hundred and forty-one years,
but every vestige of their influence has been gone for
many generations. The Moravians, beginning in 1736,
toiled for thirty four years, making five attempts, at a
cost of eleven lives, and accomplished nothing. An En
glish attempt, at Bulama Island, in 1792, partly mission
ary in its character, was abandoned in two years, with
the loss of one hundred lives! A mission sent to the
Foulahs, from England, in 1795, returned without com- .
mencing its labors. The London, Edinborough, and
Glasgow Society commenced three Stations in 1797,
which were extinct in three years, and five of the six
missionaries dead." "Here then are eighteen protestant
missionary attempts, before the settlement of Liberia, all
of which failed."
These facts pfove that it was not the design of the
Almighty, that Africa should be civilized and christianized
by the conquest or colonization of whites in that country.
'The question then again arises : if Africa is excluded from
intercommunion with civilized and christianized nations,
fbr the want of enterprise, commerce, and trade — if there
is an insuperable barrier existing in the fatality of her

11
climate, against the ingress of Europeans, those who are
supposed to have the blessings of christian light and enter
prise — how is she ever to become evangelized ?
Third, There was not, three hundred years ago, nor is
there still, in the Christian Church sufficient self-denial,
zeal, and energy to send after the Negro and take him
home, in order to civilize, educate, and evangelize him,
and then send him back to Africa, to communicate the
same blessings to his benighted brethren. Or even if we
suppose, contrary to the fact, that there was a sufficiency
of Christian zeal on this subject in the Church, to send
every year scores of ships to transport them by thousands
and tens of thousands into Christian lands, for the purpose
of being christianized and then sent back to Africa, they
could not be persuaded to accept this gracious offer.
Being rude, ignorant, savage, and debased, they could not
appreciate the value of the blessings proffered them.
They therefore could not be prevailed upon to expatriate
themselves. They must consequently be taken by vio
lence, if taken at all, a measure utterly subversive of the
very gospel which we wish to inculcate upon them.
' What now is to be done? How is this great problem
to be solved? By what means shall the prophesy be ful
filled, which says : " Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her
hands to God"? There is no enterprise, as yet no
Commerce and trade in Africa, to bring her in contact
with Christian countries. Her climate interposes an in
superable barrier to the white man going there in any
numbers. And there is not a sufficiency of Christian
zeal in the Church, to send for them ; and if they did
send, they could not get them without bribery, or violence.
God does not work miracles to do what man can, and
ought to do. How then, is this great event to be brought
abput? The Lord, who rules in, and reigns over, the
passions of men — brings good out of evil — turns the

12
curse into a blessing — and causes the wrath of man to
praise him, thereby magnifying his own glory — permits
the existence of that most diabolical and monstrous of all
the outrages that ever polluted humanity, the "African
Slave Trade" — and sends the pirate after the Negro, to
bring him to this country, where he is converted, educated,
civilized, and in due time sent back — as were the
ancient Israelites with the spoils of the Egyptians —
laden with the richest blessings of civilization and Christi
anity, with which to bless and evangelize Africa ! Who
can fail to see in this the wonderful Wisdom and
Goodness of God ! And where is the heart so cold, so
insensible, as not to find in this food for the most devout
contemplation. " O the depth of the riches both of the
Wisdom and the Knowledge of God ! how unsearchable
are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! "
The second great aspect, in which this interesting
subject is to be viewed, relates to the glorious wisdom of
God's providence, in preparing the Negro to be a
Missionary in his own country.
The great object of Missions, is to enlighten the Mind,
and save the Soul. But the Negro, without miraculous
interposition, could not be qualified, in his own country,
for the performance of this great work ; because in an
uncivilized, barbarous state, no sufficient inducements
could be brought to bear upon the African, to prompt
him to undergo the labor, toil, self-denial, and mental
discipline, necessary to qualify him for becoming a Mis
sionary. "Necessity is the mother of invention"; but
the savage African has but . few wants, and they are for
the most part supplied by the exuberant bounty of nature.
His native soil produces spontaneously, and in great
abundance, the fruits and herbs which supply him with
food ; and the climate does not require clothing. Hence

13
the African at home, having but few wants, and these
supplied by the hand of nature, will not, of his own free
will and accord, undergo the toil and hardship necessary
to acquire a knowledge of the useful arts, and handicrafts
of civilized life. Consequently the first step towards
preparing him to enlighten and evangelize his benighted
brethren, was to take him away from his own country,
and place him under such circumstances, as would compel
him to acquire the necessary information.
In the next place, the Negro, by a most unchristian
act, is brought to a Christian land, and placed under cir
cumstances most favorable to his conversion, and
becoming a Christian. This is a remarkable fact, man
ifest to every one who will reflect but a moment on the
subject. For what are the great hindrances in the way
of men becoming Christians ?
First, Is not the " Love of Money" — the desire for
great wealth — one of the greatest hindrances to the con
version df men. It is, in the language of Scripture, " the
root of all evil." But this mighty stumbling block does
not stand in the way of the Slave — such a thing as
becoming rich, never enters his mind : he has but little
use for money.
Second, Ambition — aspiring after honors and distinc
tion — is another of the hindrances, in the way of many,
in becoming the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. This,
however, does not harrass the mind of the Slave — there
is no wreath of political or literary fame for his brow —
no laurel within his grasp — no road of distinction or
renown marked out for him. He therefore is not hin
dered, from embracing Christ, by the lust of ambition.
Third, How greatly is religion retarded, by the
existence of Pride, Envy, Hatred, &c, caused by con
flicting interests with our fellow men, in our business,
pursuits, and pretensions in life ! But this the Slave feels

14
but little of, since he has no will, no interests of his own,
to conflict with the interests of others.
Fourth, Cares — cares of family and children — - cares
of property and business — cares of " reputation, food,
and health" — throw insurmountable obstacles in the way
of the great majority of men, in becoming Christians.
'T is this " carking care," that is so successful in per
suading to procrastination — that " thief of time" — until
" the harvest is past, the summer ended, and the soul not
saved." But these cares the Slave has not — he has no
property, no business, no reputation, to care for — his
children, in one sense — and even his health and life — are
not his own — they are his master's, and cared for, pro
tected, and defended, by him.
It is manifest, therefore, that the circumstances of
slavery, in which Providence has placed the Negro, are
most favorable to his conversion and religious enjoy
ment: which is an illustration, as wonderful as the
coincidence is striking, of the words of Joseph : " But as
for you, ye thought evil against me ; but God meant it
unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much
people alive."
This position is abundantly corroborated by fact : for
out of three millions of slaves in this country, at least a
half a million — one in every six — are professors of reli
gion, which is a proportion vastly greater than can be
found amongst any other class of mankind, where the
profession of religion is a voluntary thing, on the part of
individuals ! And not only so, but it is another remark
able fact, that there are more professors of religion, three
to one, amongst the Slaves in America, than in all heathen
countries, put together! The number of Evangelical
Missionaries, in different parts of the world, is one thou
sand, four hundred and fifty two. The number of Church
members in heathen lands, including the Colonists, which,

15
I presume, constitute a large majority of the whole,
together with the families of missionaries, is only one
hundred and ninety thousand six hundred and twenty-
three, whereas there are not less than five or six hundred
thousand professing Christians amongst the slaves in this
country ! How amazing, and how gracious the overruling
providence of God, in making use of the (iSlave Trade" —
so wicked in its intention — so brutal in its _ execution —
so abominable in the estimation of all virtuous men — as a
means, indirectly, of saving more souls than all the com
bined missionary operations of Christendom, within the
last three hundred years — thereby "bringing good out
of evil" — "turning the curse into a blessing" — and caus
ing the " wrath of man to praise him ! !
The third preparatory step towards qualifying the
Negro for being a successful Missionary in his own
country, is to civilize him. This is effected by the cir
cumstances of slavery in which he is placed in this
country. He is educated in the art of Agriculture, the
very thing that is destined eventually to bring Africa in
contact with other countries ; for it does not require the
perspicacity of a philosophic politician to see that Africa
is destined, ere long, in consequence of her exuberant soil
and tropical climate, to become the granary and the
fruitery of the world.
He is educated in the Mechanic arts. Providence is,
in a remarkable manner, bringing this about, by causing,
as it were, the seasons to emigrate, so that where Cotton
was once profitably cultivated, it will not now grow —
and were it not for the remains of " Gin-houses" and
li Cotton-screws", monuments of the departed, it would
not be known, to the rising generation, that Cotton, was
ever grown in certain sections of the country. The result
is, that the master must either remove his slaves in pur
suit of the emigrating climate, or he must turn their

16
labor into the channels of the mechanic arts, which is
actually being done to a very general extent. And in
this way Providence is preparing the Negro for a speedy
return to his own country !
Proficiency in the mechanic arts renders the study of
the Sciences necessary. Not that the Negro is sent to
Academies and Colleges to study the sciences, but he
studies them, as Archimedes did, by actual practice ; for
how could the mechanic construct a Bridge — throw an
Arch — rear a Column — pitch a Dome — weld Metals —
&C. &C, without SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE.
The Negro, therefore, from the force of the circum
stances of slavery in which he has been placed, is not
only Christianized, but Civilized, and qualified to be
come an active and a component part of a civilized
community — to cultivate the soil — to build cities — to
engage in trade — to regulate commerce — to make laws,
&c. &c. He is now ready to return to Africa, laden
with, what may be termed, the spoils of civilization.
But we come now to contemplate the third grand move
of God's providence, in relation to Africa. The Negro
is now qualified to return to Africa, but how will you
prevail on him to go ? This is now his native country —
the ashes of his father, and of his father's father, for
many generations, it may be, lie here. Here are his kin
dred, and all the associations of childhood and youth.
There are thousands of attachments to the land of his
bondage, as dear to the Negro as were the " flesh-pots"
of Egypt to the Israelites : and Christianity forbids that
we should force him away. How than is the civilized
and christianized black man to be induced to return . to
Africa ?
Providence has, in a wonderful and almost startling
way, obviated this difficulty, by placing an irreconcilable

17
and invincible Antipathy between the white man and
the free black, so as to make it utterly impossible —
Sa&Ugre all the preaching and interminable lecturing on the
subject of "'Unreasonable Predjudice," " Christian Char
ity," "Universal Philanthropy," &c. &c, — for them ever
to meet on' the same' leVel in any other country than
Africa X This is strange, passing strange, but no more
strange than true,- arid cannot be accounted for without
admitting the interposition of a Divine Providence in this
matter. It is an anomalous fact, without a parallel in the
history of the different races and tribes of men. The
"Picts," "Scots," "Angles," and "Saxons" coalesced
into one people, in Britain1. The " Patricians" and "Ple
beians" of Rome finally mixed together. The " Greeks"
and Helots made one people. The "Mexicans" and
"Spaniards" readily amalgamated^ and we are not without
any number of examples, in the history of the various
tribes and! nations of the earth, of the union and commin
gling of races as diverse, in all respects, as the Negro and
the White Man — so that the thing itself is not unfeasible.
Why then this invincible antipathy between the white
man and the black, when civil or social equality is thought
of? Is it not manifestly the' voice of God, in' his provi
dence,- saying to the black many who is now qualified to
be a missionary in Africa, that this is not his home —
that he must go hence ?
Had Joseph lived, or his deceridants retained their
authority in Egypt — and had the Israelites not been
subjected to< cruel bondage and the lash of the task-mas
ter, doubtless, they would have been content to have
remained in Egypt, and enjoyed its luxuries ; and could
not have been prevailed upon, especially in view of the
difficulties and dangers that were in the way, to go up
and take possession of the land of promise. Nothing
but the most dire oppression made them willing. Arid

18
even after they had started on their journey, notwith
standing the recollection of their recent cruel bondage,
they were frequently longing after the "flesh-pots" that
they had left behind ! So of the Negro^-notwithstanding
he is now ready and qualified to take home the blessings
of Civilization and Christianity to Africa, yet if he found
this country pleasant for him, or even tolerable, he would
be extremely loath to leave it. But the very fact that
there is a strange and invincible (and unjust and unrea
sonable, if you choose to call it so,) antipathy between
the white and black man, rendering it impossible for them
ever to meet, in this country, on the same level and as
equals, is the voice of God, in his providence, saying :
"Get thee out, and go hence!" — "be my servants and
messengers in taking to Africa the blessings of the gos
pel, and in fulfilling my gracious promise : 'Ethiopia shall
soon stretch out her hands to God.' "
But how is the Negro to get to Africa? He has no
" Moses" to lead him forth with signs and mighty won
ders — there is no promise of miraculous interference —
" manna" to supply bread — the " Eock" to send forth
gushing streams — and a " wind from the Lord" to bring
meat. And, moreover, the great and mighty sea, the
broad Atlantic, lies between him and the home of his
ancestors, and there is no "Aaron's Rod" to divide these
waters, nor "cloudy pillar" to lead the way; how then
is he to get to Africa. The Lord provides. The fourth,
and final move,' in this wonderful series of providences,
was the organization of the "American Colonization So
ciety." About thirty years ago certain benevolent per
sons, in different parts of the country, were simultaneously
moved by an unwonted and unusual desire to benefit the
black man. The idea of African Colonization was sug
gested, and immediately carried into execution. The

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Colony was begun, and has grown with unexampled
rapidity, until it is now an independent nation — " The
Republic of Liberia" — extending its fostering wings
over no less than one hundred thousand human beings,
who are rapidly imbibing the spirit and principles of
Christianity and liberty ! !
It is a fact, as remarkable as it is cheering to the
heart of the Christian, that a larger proportion of the
citizens of Liberia, (more than one half, I believe,) are
professors of religion, than can be found in any other
nation on the face of the globe ! Here then is the " salt"
that is to redeem Africa from her impurities ahd corrup
tions — here is the "leaven" that is to convert the
multitudinous nations of that continent into a homo
geneous brotherhood ; and here is the " light" that is
to penetrate all the dark places of that benighted land,
and dissipate ignorance, superstition, and degrading
error. Again, Commerce and trade have already commenced
between the native Africans and the Colonists. There is
a constant stream of natives going to and from Liberia,
engaged in traffic, as yet on a small scale, 'tis true, but
still it brings them in contact with civilized and Christ
ianized men. By every visit they make to Liberia they
gain a great increase of light and knowledge, and return
to their native retreats with tales as marvelous, and as
exciting, as those of the Crusaders. This stimulates
others to visit that strange land of the "white-black
man" ! They go away with less respect for their own
superstitions, and with greatly increased reverence for
the religion and civilization of the Colonists ; and the
time is not far distant when they will adopt their man
ners, customs, and their religion.
Once more — it will not be long, if it has not already
occurred, until the native kings and chief men will send

20
their sons to be educated at the Schools,, Colleges, and
Universities of learning, in Liberia — where they will be
certain to abandon their idolatry, and adopt Christianity
in its stead, and return to their homes civilized and
christianized, in due time to succeed their fathers on the
thrones, and in the governments of the various tribes and
kingdoms of that wide extended country. And it is
universally true, amongst barbarous tribes, and indeed
amongst civilized also, that such as are the rulers, so are
the ruled -— " like kings, like pfiople."
It is impossible, for the most careless and indifferent
observer and thinker, riot to see how Liberia is des
tined, in a very short time — short, as measured by
the clock of Qod's providence, for with God " a thousand
years are but as one day"— to evangelize and civilize
Africa. What a glorious commentary does this subject afford,
upon God's gracious providence, in bringing good out of
evil — "I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold,
thou hast blessed them altogether" !
In conclusion, I would suggest the propriety of the
friends of Colonization, in this State, memorializing the
next Legislature to follow the example of Maryland,
Virginia, and other States in the Union, in making an
appropriation, with a view to establishing a Missouri
Colony in Liberia. Twenty thousand dollars, thus ap
propriated, would, in various ways, accomplish a vast
amount of good. It would enable many, who are now
ready and willing to emigrate to Liberia, forthwith to ac
complish an event so desirable. It would encourage
others to get ready to follow the same example. And it
would bring this great subject prominently before the
minds of every body — the result would be to stimulate

21
the public, first to think on the subject, next to investi
gate — then talk about it, and finally act. There is an
efficient and well organized State Colonization Society;
and if the Legislature will place at their disposal the sum
of twenty or thirty thousand dollars, there is no doubt
but that it would enable the cause to triumph in this
State, and be the means of enabling the Society to carry
into effect the project of establishing a Missouri Colony,
in the " Republic of Liberia."

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