of this little work, Mr. Wale's sermon, The Cloud of Witnesses' has been published by the request of those who heard it. Identified as I have been with Mr. Wale's settlement at Reading, I am free to confess that his exceedingly happy success as the Minister of Christ's gospel in London-street Chapel, Reading, and the steady expansion of his mind in the public dispensation of the Word of Life, are facts productive of such pleasurable feelings as I am not careful to describe, because the sky scrapers' on the one hand, and the mud-larks' on the other, are sure to be angry. I spare them; and ask the same favor at their hands. But to the sermon itself, the text is a part of Heb. xii. 1. After taking a hasty review of the apostle's drift in his epistle to the Hebrews, Mr. Wale finds in his text a junction, with two lines running in different directions, on one is written, a Comparison- a cloud :' on the other a Character a cloud of witnesses.' With much originality of thought, the preacher gives three illustrations of the cloud,' and then proceeds to work out the second title of this sermon, 'Jesus Christ tried and acquitted. In perusing this second part of the discourse, which I read carefully while travelling to Woodham Ferriss, (and where last evening I had a solemn season in preaching to a crowd of people,) in attentively going over the pages of this sermon I was surprised, edified, and made glad. No one will question Mr. Wale's originality of style, when I affirm that in this discourse he puts Jesus Christ on his trial. The trial of Christ goes on; the necessity for this trial is shewn in that there are three great accusers, the Devil; Unbelief; and Modern Phariseeism, who are always raising false charges against the Saviour; and are perpetually hurling these charges at those persons whose hearts are stirred up in them to seek salvation in the Holy Person and work of the SON OF GOD. Mr. Wale seems to have suffered so much from these charges that he determines to expose them; and, if possible to raise the minds of the Lord's people above them. The preacher allows the three great accusations to be brought into court. The glorious GOD-MAN, JESUS, the Saviour of sinners, is present, sitting on the throne of his Mediatorial kingdom. Now listen to the Pleader who stands between the Saviour, the multitude of sinners who are seeking pardon at his feet, and the trinity of opposers who are labouring to drive back these Comers unto Christ. Satan, what have you to say? The adversary answers, the sins of these poor wretches are too great to be pardoned by Jesus Christ.' The Pleader turns to a second, Unbelief! what have you to say? 'I say, Jesus Christ is not willing to save these chief of sinners! the third enemy is appealed to: - 'Modern Phariseeism What can you dare to say?' (Modern Phari

seeism is respectably attired.) He is arrayed in priestly robes; he has had a collegiate training; he dwells in a mansion, where much piety is professed; he is supported by a huge mass of Nonconformist preachers; Missionary advocates; teachers, intelligent dames, respectable trades-people; and a long train of I know not who all-enough to daunt the Pleader, but nothing daunted, he cries out, Modern Phariseeism, what is your charge?' 'I answer, Jesus Christ cannot save these sinners, unless they can bring something as their part of the covenant. Then the witnesses are called. I must not describe them all; but after Jonah, Asaph, and David, have given in their evidence touching the greatness and completeness of Christ's salvation, then, among others, we have Elijah from the Old Tesatment; and Mary Magdalene from the New; and these I give as I find them written down in this sermon. They are beyond all praise. Here they are.

"Now from this cloud of witnesses 'we want one who can bear testimony to God's providential care of his children while on their way to a Father's house. Many of them can and the great interests of eternity, but the food and raiment of the present life seem to be beneath his notice, or beyond his power. The God of providence is too old-fashioned for our modern notions; the God who commanded the gushing stream from the smitten rock to follow the Israelites through the parched desert; that gave them shoes that wore not out; that miraculously increased feed Elijah-the God that our fathers wor the widow's oil, and commanded the ravens to shipped, is no longer believed in by us, their degenerate children.

trust God with the salvation of their souls

"Brother Elijah, you seem anxious to speak, and as you were one of the destitute' of whom the Apostle speaks, we should be glad to hear how the Lord appeared for you in the hour of your destitution. During a time of great famine and drought, you had lodgings in the wilderness of Damscus, by the brook Cherith, had you not? Yes,' Will you tell me how the Lord provided for you there? ther was not my own choice; it was at the 'First of all you will observe that going thi Lord's bidding I went, and he told me that he had commanded the ravens to feed me there. I reached the brook in the middle of the day, and sat down to rest; how anxiously as the day wore away, and the evening came on, did I look at every bird that flitted past, or sped home to its nest in the lonely crag. At length, as hope grew tired of waiting, they came-the promised ravens-the two mysterious birds; one laid at my feet the bread, the other the meat, and cawed and croaked and pranced so proudly, as if glad to seemed ready to burst with wonder, love, My heart be employed in God's service. and praise. How many tears of gratitude mingled with that evening meal. But at last I grew so used to the coming of these black

messengers, that I ceased to wonder at it; it seemed so natural that they should comeand so natural too that the brook should continue to flow, though there had been no rain for a year-that I ceased to look at either as a miracle of mercy, or an evidence of my heavenly Father's providential care.

"Then Elijah you were like the rest of us, you had witnessed so much of the Lord's goodness so long, that you began to hold it cheap, and to think lightly of it: but what did your heavenly Father do then? begin to stir up your nest? make you less comfortable in your desert home? He did. One morning I went as usual to the brook to drink, and the brook was dried up. I stood for a moment amazed and bewildered. Was it my lot after all to die of thirst in the wilderness? I turned my face enquiringly to the sky-no cloud shadowed its terrible brightness. Anxiously I waited for my friends the ravens; they came not; hungry and faint my soul died within me. Doubt and fear assailed my heart, my God hath forgotten me, said I, he hath brought me into the wilderness to kill me.'

Then it appears, brother Elijah, that you were like the rest of us, as brother James says, 'a man of like passions with ourselves,' while the bread and meat are placed every morning in our cupboards, we can trust God too, but the moment the supplies cease, we begin to grumble and despair, like yours, our faith dries up with the brook. But tell us, did not the Lord appear for you in your distress? yes, for though we believe not, yet he abideth faithful. He sent me to Zarephath, a city of Sidon, and told me that a widow should support me there. I did not much like being dependant upon a poor widow, it seemed rather humbling, especially when I found her gathering two sticks to prepare the last meal for herself and son. But still by another miracle of mercy the Lord provided for me there, and sustained her soul alive as well.'

Then he always provided for you, Elijah, though not till the moment of extreme necessity when you were literally brought to your wit's end, and then by the most unlikely and humiliating means? Yes.' But the accuser of our God in the court of conscience says in reply to your statement that that was the age of miracles, that God has changed, and does not take so much notice of his children now. Have you any reason to think that he has changed, brother Elijah? Changed? hath he not said I am the Lord, I change not?' Let God be true and every man a liar. Doth he not still clothe the grass of the field which to day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven? still provide for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God and wander for lack of meat? what then? has he forsaken his children to bestow all his care upon the beasts of the forest, and the birds of the air? he careth still for them, and are not his children of much more value than they? does he cause his rain to fall upon the wilderness wherein there is no man, to satisfy the desolate and waste ground, and to refresh the lonely flower, which blossoms unseen by any eye save his, and can he be indifferent to the souls of those

beings whom he has sent his Son to redeem, and his Spirit to sanctify? hath he taken his name off the gateway of creation ? are his granaries exhausted? or hath he lost the keys? or hath he made over the stores of his providence to some deputy God who can see the righteous perish without laying it to heart? A sparrow cannot fall to the ground without him; let his children be of good cheer, they are of more value than many sparrows. That will do, Brother Elijah; yours is a warm defence of his providential care; may we ever realize it in our own experience. It hath been well said, that 'he who watches providence, shall never want a providence to watch.'

He was

The next accusation lodged by the devil, in the court of the believer's conscience, is, that his sins are too great to be pardoned, that the blood of Christ can never atone for his sins, nor cleanse his conscience from its guilt. Who among this cloud of witnesses, can come forward to rebuff the accuser, and prove that the blood of Christ can save even to the uttermost? And remember we must have none but great sinners here, the very worst we can find. Who is that woman pressing so hastily forward? The cloud of witnesses' smile as they see her eagerness to speak. Woman, what hast thou to say? That I am here to bear witness to the all-atoning and all. cleansing power of the blood of Christ, and to hurl back into his face the evil report that the accuser brings against my Lord. a liar from the beginning, and I am here to prove that he is liar still.' Well said, sister, you don't mince the matter, but we should like to ask you a few questions. First of all, where were you born? 'In Jericho, the accursed city? Of what country are you? I am a Canaanite.' What was your religion? Idolatry. What your profession? 'A harlot.' What is your name? Rahab.' Rahab! why that is the name that the prophet Isaiah gives to the old dragon, the devil, is it not? yes.' Then if I understand you rightly, you were accursed in birth, a heathen in nation, an idolator in religion, a harlot in trade, and a devil? I plead guilty to all.' Well, you had not muchto recommend you to Jesus Christ, certainly; but what have you to say to the power of his love and blood? What? why that he shewed me that the way from the accursed city, from the power of sin, the depravity of an evil heart, and the damnation of hell, to the promised land, to a dwelling place with his children, and himself, was by the scarlet line of Calvary, that the whole way was tracked with blood; and having placed the clue in the hand of faith, it held fast that clue, till by that cord of love he drew me home. And by placing that clue of love in the hand of the poor harlot, he shewed that he was no respecter of persons, that there was no depth, of misery which his long arm of mercy could not reach, no hardened heart nor rebellious will, that his transforming grace could not subdue.'

Well done, sister, yours is a good testimony: but who is that woman by your side, so anxious to get into the witness box? Is she a relative of yours? There seems to be a strong

family likeness. 'O! it is sister Mary: a sister in sin, and a sister in mercy; she too was a great sinner.' All right sister Rahab, but we would rather hear her speak for herself.

.

I could hardly contain myself while sister Rahab was speaking; my sins so far outstripped her's. I am the greatest sinner ever saved by the precious blood of Christ.' I say sister, if brother Paul were here, he would deny that, for he lays claim to the title of the chief of sinners, and, I think, by the looks of some of our friends present, they feel disposed to dispute it too, but go on. What is your name ? Mary Magdalene.' Magdalene? why that signifies the great sinner, does it not? Were you then infamous for sin? Yes, the boys and girls in the streets of Jerusalem used to hoot me as I passed, and say, 'there goes Magdalene, the great sinner.' The Pharisee gathered his long robe tighter and closer round him, lest I should touch his broad phylactery as I passed. So vile was I that everybody despised and loathed me. My body belonged to any son of Belial, and as for my soul, the devils made so sure of that, they waited not till death to claim it, but took possession of it while living-made it their house, went in and out as they pleased. Till one day, as I sat by the roadside weeping, I saw a crowd approach, and enquiring what it meant, they told me that Jesus of Nazareth passed by. Moved by an impulse which I could not control, but which the devils within me tried to prevent, I rose and looked over the heads of the crowd to see him. His eye met mine; it was a look of compassion. I cried out, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.' The devils tried to drag me away, but I cried all the At last he turned and said, 'Come out of her, ye foul spirits.' Casting me down in their rage, at his bidding they fled. I rose and followed the crowd, mingle with it I could not, for they all knew how vile I was. I waited till I saw them disperse, and then I followed him. He entered the house of Simon, the Pharisee. I looked eagerly after him as he entered, but Simon frowned me back. I lingered round the door. I heard his precious voice speaking so sweetly of mercy and of

more.

I en

love, that I could refrain no longer. tered. The Pharisee scowled upon me, and I was afraid that he would scowl upon me too; so vile was I, I dared not look him in the face, so I went behind him, sat down at his feet. It was heaven to be near him, though he spoke no word to me. But my heart was nigh to breaking and the tears flowed down my cheek in a flood-they fell upon his blessed feet, and I took the hair of my head and wiped them; and still he spurned me not; with passionate

forgiven thee.' O, the unspeakable joy of that hour! poor Mary, the harlot, got the start of Simon, the Pharisee, and went away with the full discharge of all her sins in her bosom, and the peace that passeth all understanding in her heart.

'And well he

Well Mary, your's is a glorious testimony It seems to the unspeakable love of Christ. to make the accuser himself uneasy, he stands there trembling in his shoes. may, for he knows how many lies I've found him out in, he was a liar from the beginning, and is so still! By the by Mary, do you know that ugly looking fellow by his side, him with the hang-dog countenance? Why that is Unbelief, I knew him well, too well, he never spoke the truth of Jesus yet, I shall never forget how he tried to deceive me on the morning of the Saviour's resurrection, he told me that I should never see Christ alive againthat I should find his dead body in the grave. And I, fool that I was, believed him, and while it was yet dark took a box of ointment to the sepulchre to anoint his corpse. But he was gone. The tomb was empty. Even then Unbelief denied his resurrection, and told me the gardener had taken him away. I looked hurriedly round, and seeing him whom I supposed to be the gardener, I begged him with Lord. He said, Mary,' it was he himself. many tears to tell me where he had laid my I had been seeking a dead Christ, and I had found a risen Saviour. I sprang to his feet, but with a look of love he said, Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father, and to your Father-to my God and to your God.' Yes, all that he said of himself he said of me, that his God and Father were my Father and my God! poor Mary the harlot, one with Jesus Christ! Unbelief fled away confounded, and left me alone with Jesus.'

Well, after such a testimony as thine, Mary, none need despair. Such love and grace can indeed save to the uttermost.

Dear Foster-in thus giving you this extract from Mr. Wale's sermon, which is published by Mr. Barcham, of Reading, I have done as you wished,-given you a long letter. You will wish with me, that this discourse be spread far and wide, and that it may be greatly owned of the Lord. May HE, who called you at the first, and thus far helped you, still sanctify your great affliction; and when before the throne you come, do, if you can, remember your old pastor, C. W. BANKS.

THE COMET,

"We have seen his star."-Matthew ii. 2.

DEAR SIR-Travelling about the country as I generally am, I have had a favourable opportunity of seeing and hearing about the Comet, or rather Comets, for as most of your readers must be aware, there are two, one visible in the day-time,' and the other at