banner over me was love" (Cant. ii. 4). This banner, which is given to the Lord's people, is not to be concealed, but displayed; and on no account are we to conceal our colours, or through fear of our enemy, to sail under false colours belonging to another nation, lest we be taken as pirates; for thus it is written :-" Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed, because of the truth" (Ps. lx. 48).* May the Lord keep the contributors and the readers of this Magazine ever jealous for the honour and glory of this their banner, so that we may say, "We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners." Besides this National Flag, there has (so to speak) ever been a pennant, or smaller flag, kept flying, the motto of which has been, "Union in Christ, the head, without any consideration to what party or sect the brethren in the truth may belong." It is most important at all times that the friends of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE should keep this in remembrance, and my purport in writing this paper has been, at the opening of the new year, to bring this prominently forward. Be it then ever remembered that, with the exception of five months in the year 1840, the different Editors of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE have never considered, in their adoption of the papers sent, whether the individuals contributing were Churchmen or Dissenters, nor either what kind of Dissenters they might be. I conceive that the first requisite has been,-Is the paper consistent with the National Flag, of covenant love and blood? 2nd. Is it to edification and profit? 3rd. Does it touch on any of those points on which the friends of this Magazine have agreed to differ as being of minor importance, compared with the doctrines of the glorious gospel of the ever-blessed God? We do not, in the slightest degree, say, or even insinuate, that a friend of this Magazine must necessarily depart from any position of truth, as to discipline, church government, mode of administering, &c. By no means; for these are not unimportant points, and we do not waive them in their place; but we consent to meet as friends of this Magazine, on the broad basis in which we are all united-viz., “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord-thy blessing is upon thy people." Our position as members of the Church of Christ is far-yea, very far, more important than our belonging to this or that Church. No doubt every Christian should attach himself to some Church or company of believers on earth; but in the pages of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE acknowledge no such distinction. In fact, it has often been impossible to discover to what party the individual contributor belonged. May the Lord keep us from ever even desiring to pull down this pen we * In many of our Bibles this passage reads “feared thee;" but this is a mis-print, and has been corrected in the Bibles more recently printed; for it should be," to them that fear thee." nant and hauling up another. We acknowledge it has grown old in the service; but it has not become threadbare, and by God's blessing it shall weather many a storm yet. May each sailor of this little bark be kept true to his colours, and never be tempted by any of the roving pirates, through any cunning craftiness, to change these colours! We must equally avoid defending or attacking that upon which we have agreed to differ. I shall conclude by giving two extracts from the prefaces to the GOSPEL MAGAZINE in the years 1773 and 1775, by which it will be seen that I am correct in what I have said. I remain, yours faithfully to command, in the Gospel of Christ, Stockwell, Dec. 14, 1846. Extract from the Preface of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE, 1773. "It cannot be expected that amongst such a variety of correspondents as are engaged in this work, a perfect agreement in every punctilio should be met with, though we hope in the grand fundamental articles of our religion, a strict uniformity will be found. It is not intended that the GOSPEL MAGAZINE should be as a field of battle for the dif ferent denominations of Christians to engage in we would rather wish them to forget their differences, and unite their strongest efforts against the common enemies of the gospel-that while the self-sufficient, proud Arminian, and the blaspheming Arian, are striving to triumph over the truth as it is in Jesus, those who really love his name may, by Scriptural arguments, and in a Scriptural manner, refute their daring, bold assertions; and, so far as is in their power, stem the torrent of their pernicious errors. In this employ the Poedo and the Anti-Pedo-Baptists, the Supra and the Sublapsarian, the Episcopalian and the Independent, may, and we hope will, cheerfully engage, since the cause is not the concern of one party, but of Christians in general as such, by whatever names they may be known." Extract from the Preface of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE, 1775. "It is no small satisfaction to us to perceive that the universality of our plan has recommended itself to Christians of different opinions in religion. The Church of England, and they whose consciences oblige them to dissent from it, if good men, are and ought to be held up to the esteem, and affection, and reverence of the pious world. Distinctions amongst men, made by indifferent or unessential variety in Church government, will cease with our present imperfect state of existence where a want of moderation is no less ignorant than unkindand where to think and let think is the unalienable right of all." The following List of Texts, proving the different doctrines referred to, have for some years occupied a place in the fly leaves of a Pocket Bible, and they are sent to the GOSPEL MAGAZINE, with a hope that they may be found useful to some of the readers, for a similar purpose. nant and hauling up another. We acknowledge it has grown old in the service; but it has not become threadbare, and by God's blessing it shall weather many a storm yet. May each sailor of this little bark be kept true to his colours, and never be tempted by any of the roving pirates, through any cunning craftiness, to change these colours! We must equally avoid defending or attacking that upon which we have agreed to differ. I shall conclude by giving two extracts from the prefaces to the GOSPEL MAGAZINE in the years 1773 and 1775, by which it will be seen that I am correct in what I have said. I remain, yours faithfully to command, in the Gospel of Christ, Stockwell, Dec. 14, 1846. Extract from the Preface of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE, 1773. "It cannot be expected that amongst such a variety of correspondents as are engaged in this work, a perfect agreement in every punctilio should be met with, though we hope in the grand fundamental articles of our religion, a strict uniformity will be found. It is not intended that the GOSPEL MAGAZINE should be as a field of battle for the dif ferent denominations of Christians to engage in we would rather wish them to forget their differences, and unite their strongest efforts against the common enemies of the gospel-that while the self-sufficient, proud Arminian, and the blaspheming Arian, are striving to triumph over the truth as it is in Jesus, those who really love his name may, by Scriptural arguments, and in a Scriptural manner, refute their daring, bold assertions; and, so far as is in their power, stem the torrent of their pernicious errors. In this employ the Peedo and the Anti-Peedo-Baptists, the Supra and the Sublapsarian, the Episcopalian and the Independent, may, and we hope will, cheerfully engage, since the cause is not the concern of one party, but of Christians in general as such, by whatever names they may be known." Extract from the Preface of the GOSPEL MAGAZINE, 1775. "It is no small satisfaction to us to perceive that the universality of our plan has recommended itself to Christians of different opinions in religion. The Church of England, and they whose consciences oblige them to dissent from it, if good men, are and ought to be held up to the esteem, and affection, and reverence of the pious world. Distinctions amongst men, made by indifferent or unessential variety in Church government, will cease with our present imperfect state of existence-where a want of moderation is no less ignorant than unkindand where to think and let think is the unalienable right of all." |