The Life of William Wilberforce (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from The Life of William WilberforceIT has been well remarked, that there is no more powerful instru ment of useful or pernicious in¿uence on mankind than Biography. Addressing itself to that propensity to imitation which exists to a greater or less degree in every mind, it allures by the force of example, and carries feeling and judgment alike captive in its train. There are those who, during life, pursuing the noiseless tenor of their way, have shrunk to hear the obstreperous trump of Fame, who have, however, walked so holy, harmless and undefiled in the circumscribed sphere in which they have moved, that it becomes a duty to give wider extent to their usefulness by diffusing the knowledge that such an one has lived and how. Others, the observed of all observers, placed by the providence of God in exalted stations, have occupied the many talents committed to their care with equal diligence and devotion to their Master's service. The wide spread in¿uence of such cannot be increased - eulogy is not only wasted upon them, it becomes defamation, -the duty of the biographer is to catch as it were the light from their splen did public actions, and re¿ect it upon the minor virtues of life, that so they may shine, not with a borrowed but a filial splendour, and attract the attention of the multitude, who, while they may not emulate the greater display, may be led to imitate the smaller but not less important actions which constitute the great sum of duty. This prominent station was occupied by William Wilberforce. Not one nation, but the whole human family participated in the benefit he conferred on his fellow-men. Had he done no more than lead on the battle which resulted in the Abolition of the Slave Trade, his would have been unrivalled honour. Other men have given freedom to their own country - he was the successful champion of humanity, and it may be questioned whether the benefit he con ferred on bleeding Africa or oppressing Europe was the greatest. He stanched the wounds of the one, while he stayed the progress of the other in a career of oppression and cruelty which could not but have called down the just vengeance of a righteous God. To Africa, that God has ordained a recompense for her wrongs, in the re¿ection back Upon her darkened shores of the benefits of Chris tianity which will result from the temporary sojourn of her sons in a cruel bondage on ours. While to them that did the wrong no re sult will follow but evil, unless the wrong be repented of and for saken, and so far as possible reparation made.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.