labour, and the means of living among the industrial classes, both at home and abroad. These sad reverses will seriously affect, we fear, many of our readers, and the poorer members of our churches. May a kind providence preserve them from extreme suffering; and may the zeal and liberality of more favoured brethren so abound, that the interests of religion, and of all public religious institutions may not suffer! As to our Denominational Magazine, there is no reason to fear for its prosperity and increased usefulness, if our Ministers and more talented and influential members take an interest in it. This they are now invited to do. It cannot live without them; with their aid it will flourish. Its pages are open to their writings. The Editor is gratified by every friendly and well written contribution. He is ever ready to afford every facility to meet the views and wishes of contributors. Our readers all are pleased to see the best thoughts of their beloved ministers in their own Magazine. Let then, this be done. Far more gracious, honourable, brotherly, and denominational surely it is thus to enrich our own Magazine than to stand aloof from it with indifference, or with supercilious air and mein to affect contempt for all the efforts of our brethren and fathers to sustain its interest and promote its respectability. To disparage a publication which depends on their support, which invites their assistance, and is pressing for the excellent dissertations they could so easily communicate, and which would, doubtless, so decidedly elevate its character, and extend its influence is a manifestation of self-complacency, which is neither reasonable nor commendable, and in which, for consistency's sake, we should sincerely hope few, very few, of our most talented and learned friends have the unworthiness to indulge. While we thus honestly express our sentiments, and those of many others, and indicate a cause of regret and weakness that has, more or less, existed from the commencement of our periodical, we beg, most unreservedly to express our warmest thanks to all our correspondents whose contributions have given interest to our numbers; and our obligations to all, agents and others, who have been active in its distribution, and to request them to continue and increase their labours of love, so that the best thoughts that are evolved, and all the public movements and events that transpire, from the Dan to the Beersheba of our Israel, may find a fitting place in our Magazine. November, 1857. |