PREFATORY NOTE, A VERY few words must introduce this Fourth Volume of "THE BIBLE CLASS MAGAZINE" to the reader's notice. Planned as the work was with a simple desire to promote God's glory and our youths' best interests; begun in faith and hope; and all along laid in humble prayer at the feet of Him who alone can set it for a blessing, it has gradually won to itself no little favour with the class it immediately addresses, and proved a happy contribution to their instruction and profit. This volume of the series differs in no essential feature from any of its predecessors. Its conductors have tried to give it uniform adaptation to the ends it seeks, combined with sound religious views and kind and earnest feeling; but beyond these, in their most practical forms, they have not cared to go. The senior scholars in our schools, the older children in our families, and the rising youth in our congregations, are the parties it addresses. To these it. makes its appeals, and on these it seeks to work to promote their present and eternal good. Its writers comprise parties of several different sections of the christian church, and of varied gifts and attainments in their several walks. Some have very high and honourable names as writers for our youth, and all, we think we may say, are of sound evangelical sentiments and true christian feeling. The unsectarian character of the work commends it to the regard of the guides and teachers of our youth. Many numbers could be pointed out in which Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, and Congregationalists have combined in contributing to its pages; and yet so harmoniously, because christianly, have they written, that it were impossible to elicit from their papers to what section of the christian church they severally belonged. To the conductors of the work this union of religious parties in it is highly gratifying, and has afforded another proof of how like the heads and hearts of all true Christians are, when for a little they can consent to forget their denominational distinctions. In the new year and the new volume, to which the conductors venture to look forward, the same essential characteristics of the work will be maintained which have so far distinguished it, but they hope to make it still more worthy the attention of our rising youth. Most earnestly would they invoke for their work the smile and effectual blessing of their GOD, praying that He would make it in some degree an honoured instrument for extending in our land the glory of his kingdom. |