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THE APPEAL;

A Magazine for the People.

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will

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SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, & CO. STATIONERS'-COURT; A. HALL & CO., AND BENJ. L. GREEN, PATERNOSTER-ROW; LEEDS: JOHN HEATON.

May be had, by order, of any Bookseller.

Our readers have now in their hands the first Number of our new Magazine, a publication which is the result of much prayer and anxious deliberation on our part, and which we venture to hope will be the means, in the hands of God, of doing much for the advancement of his kingdom. We have long looked with alarm upon the state of our cheap periodical literature. Its influence is too generally bad. Cheap periodicals are corrupting, hardening, and ruining thousands of precious souls. Our wish is to do something, by the employment of the same powerful agency, to interest, instruct, and save mankind.

Since the partial announcement of the scheme, the Editors have been much gratified by the reception of very many hearty expressions of approval and promises of assistance, including many from ministers and others well known in the christian world. The following is but a brief selection:

The REV. DR. STEANE, Camberwell.

"I think your design excellent, and will do what I can to promote it, with many prayers that the gracious blessing of God may rest on it."

The REV. DR. BURNS, London.

"I rejoice much in the contemplated Halfpenny Periodical, and have no doubt much good will be effected through its instrumentality. There is pressing need for working our old appliances more earnestly, and adopting every new expedient to attract the attention of the thoughtless, and those out of the way.'

The REV. W. BROCK, Norwich.

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"I hail your proposal with gratitude. My services shall be at your disposal as soon as I have any to spare."

The REV. C. M. BIRRELL, Liverpool.

"I very much approve your project. There are so many advantages in the scheme, some of which you enumerate, and the work itself is so vast and urgent, that i am constrained to feel myself under an imperative obligation to do what my engagements permit to aid you."

The REV. JAMES SMITH, London.

"Our churches have been regularly declining for the last seven years, and we have this year reached the lowest point yet. Anything, therefore, and everything that is likely to rouse up the churches or awaken the masses to a concern about eternal things, I hail with pleasure. I will do all I can to assist you in your new project. We must make it a matter of very earnest and persevering prayer, and then it may, it will do good, and perhaps very great good. God grant you great success." The REV. J. J. BROWN, Reading.

"I rejoice greatly in your new project. You propose to occupy untrodden ground. "The Appeal will utter a 'certain sound,' and to a class too much neglected among us. I hope to do something for it in this locality."

The REV. F. TRESTRAIL, London.

"I have read your prospectus with great interest, and thoroughly approve the object. It will afford me great pleasure to join with all my heart in the undertaking. May the Divine blessing rest upon it."

The REV. T. PULSFORD, Derby.

"I like your idea of a halfpenny publication. If the thing be well done, it will be very useful. May the Lord direct and bless you, is my fervent prayer."

The REV. C. ELVEN, Bury St. Edmunds.

"I hail with delight your new project. Such a periodical is certainly a desideratum."

E. B. UNDERHILL, ESQ. Editor of the Baptist Record.

"Your idea and purpose I like very much indeed; and am pleased that you do not alter The Church for the purpose of adapting it to the object before you. I sincerely hope that your new effort will be as successful as the former."

With such opinions and promises we do not fear for success. Our object will not be gained, nor can we be satisfied, without an ultimate circulation of at least 50,000 To pay expenses, we must start with 10,000. Surely our Friends who have assisted us so nobly heretofore, will not now refuse us their aid.

THE APPEAL.

Dear reader,

INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS.

Taking up a New Magazine with such a title, you will naturally wish to ask a few questions; the first perhaps will be, To whom do you appeal?

To you. We appeal to every one of age to know truth from falsehood, right from wrong, good from evil. Our appeal is to ALL. To the better judgment, and to the conscience, to the understanding, to the heart, of all.

But for what or for whom do you appeal to us? 1st. To yourselves, on behalf of yourselves. What most leave undone for themselves is of unspeakably more consequence than all which others can do for them. Many things friends can seek for you, but the ONE Thing Needful you must seek for yourself. We appeal therefore to you to seek the "pearl of great price,' -to "buy wine and milk without money and without price," to "choose this day whom you will serve, and if it seem good to you to serve the Lord to serve HIM," to choose life rather than death, eternal happiness rather than eternal misery.

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2ndly. Our appeal is for God, for Christ, for Religion. Not for any human traditions, inventions, or superstitions, but for the pure truth, as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus spoke on earth, "the common people heard him gladly." He spoke of pardon for the guiltiest, of liberty for the captive, of the kingdom of heaven for the poor. We appeal, then, to you also to hear Him gladly. We appeal on behalf of no sect or party, but on behalf of Him whom the truly good of all sects and parties worship-the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But who are you who make this appeal to us ?

We reply, Your fellow-sinners. Not your superiors, but your friends and neighbours. We believe and feel that one blood flows in all our veins; that one ruin has overwhelmed us all; that one Saviour has died for us all; that one judgment awaits us all. Hence we think it every man's duty to appeal to every man touching the common sal

vation.

Our's will be the appeal of sincere Respect for you. You are our equals before God; and we take pleasure in obeying the divine command, "Honour all men." (1 Pet. ii. 17.)

It will be the appeal of Honesty and Truth. We have nothing to conceal,-nothing we are ashamed of; on the contrary, we desire "by manifestation of the truth, to commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." We dare not call good evil, or evil good, to please any man on earth.

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