EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE

AND

Theological Review,

FOR THE YEAR

1817.

VOL. III.

By pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by love unfeigned, by
the word of truth, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the
left; through honour and dishonour, through evil report and good report; as
deceivers and yet true. 2 Cor. vi. 6-8.

London:

PRINTED FOR THE PROPRIETORS;

And Sold at THE OFFICE OF THE NEW EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE, No. 7, Lovell's
Court, Paternoster Row; where all Communications, Letters, Advertisements, &c.
are requested to be addressed.

SOLD ALSO BY

SHERWOOD, NEELY and JONES; LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME and BROWNE; and by BALDWIN'
CRADOCK and Joy, Paternoster Row by SIMPKIN and MARSHALL, Stationers' Court; by BURTON
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mercial Road; E. Cox and Son, near St. Thomas's Church, Borough; J. LAWSON, Trowbridge;
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ter; T. D. CLARK, Bristol; T. TAYLOR, Liverpool; J. BROWN, Wigan; OLIPHANT, WAUGH,
and INNES; and W. NIVISON, Edinburgh; A. and J. M. DUNCAN, and by Messrs. KHULL and
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Printed by J. Haddon, Tabernacle-Walk, Finsbury,

17 MAR1954

IBRARY

1

PREFACE.

THREE YEARS have now elapsed since this Magazine first made its appearance, and presumed to put in its claim to a share of the public patronage among the rival Journals of the age. The principle on which it professedly commenced, and on which it has hitherto been uniformly conducted, namely, that of advocating the cause of truth, independent of any particular regard to sects and parties, rendered it a kind of phenomenon in the religious world; and, as was to be expected, hath occasioned its being loudly spoken against by many. In this, however, the conductors have met with nothing either to surprise or disappoint them. The cause of divine truth has hitherto always been unpopular in the world-but their consolation is, that the truth itself is great, and that it will ultimately prevail. It is an affecting consideration, that her professed friends should be so much more solicitous about the honour of the denomination to which they respectively belong, than they are lest the truth itself should suffer. In advocating that noble cause, it is impossible to avoid occasionally animadverting on some glaring deviations from it, which are to be found more or less among all parties. In doing this, however, which is always an unpleasant task, our appeal is uniformly made to "the lively oracles"-to the law and to the testimony-the alone authenticated standard of divine truth. By this criterion we desire that all we write may be fairly tried; and if the advocates of, what are conceived to be, corruptions, in doctrine, discipline,

and worship, can justify them by an appeal to that standard, we are content to be denominated the "troublers of Israel"-but until something of that kind be done, we put it fairly to the consideration of every unprejudiced and impartial mind, whether angry invective be a legitimate substitute for scriptural proof and sound argument.

Convinced as the conductors of this Magazine are, that there is nothing in this world worth contending for but TRUTH; and though not insensible to the unpopularity which has usually been the lot of its friends; having long since made up their minds to share in all the obloquy that a steady adherence to it can entail upon them; they conceive it their duty and their honour to persevere in the course which they have hitherto pursued. Slight and imperfect as their publication confessedly is, it was designed for the service of TRUTH, by those who would be glad to attend and grace her triumph-as her soldiers, if they have had the honour to serve successfully under her banner-or as captives tied to her chariot-wheels, if they have, though undesignedly, committed any offence against her."

Though no human production is faultless; and though the conductors of the New Evangelical Magazine are conscious that it is susceptible of great improvement in various respects, which it shall be their continual study to attain; they nevertheless have the confidence to challenge a comparison with any other similar work, either as it respects the materials that occupy its columns from month to month, or the engravings that embellish it. And while they most respectfully solicit the patronage of the religious public in its behalf, they pledge themselves not to ask it longer than their publication is thought fairly entitled to it.

London, December 5, 1817.

VOL. III.