In some instances he had been successful in the highest
sense--he had been the instrument of turning men from darkness to light;
but he did not think it right to dwell on these cases, because the
converts were often inconsistent, and did not exemplify a high moral
tone. In most cases, however, he had been a sower of seed, and not a
reaper of harvests. He had no triumphs to record, like those which had
gladdened the hearts of some of his missionary brethren in the South Sea
Islands. He wished his book to be a record of facts, not a mere register
of hopes. The missionary work was yet to be done. It belonged to the
future, not to the past. By showing what vast fields there were in
Africa ripe for the harvest, he sought to stimulate the Christian
enterprise of the Churches, and lead them to take possession of Africa
for Christ. He would diligently record facts which he had ascertained
about Africa, facts that he saw had some bearing on its future welfare,
but whose full significance in that connection no one might yet be able
to perceive.
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