east. The heavens had been as brass: scarcely a cloud had been seen for months, even on the distant horizon. Suddenly a shout was raised, and the whole town was in motion. The rain-maker was approaching. He had sent a harbinger to announce his approach, with peremptory orders for all the inhabitants to wash their feet. Every one seemed to fly in swiftest obedience, to the neighbouring rivers. Old and young ran. By this time the clouds began to gather, and a crowd went out to welcome the mighty man. Just as he was descending the height into the town, the immense concourse danced and shouted, so that the very earth rang, and at the same time the lightnings darted, and the thunders roared, in awful grandeur. A few heavy drops fell, which produced the most thrilling ecstacy on the deluded multitude. Faith hung upon the lips of the impostor, while he proclaimed aloud, that this year the women must cultivate gardens on the hills, for the valleys would be deluged. After the din had somewhat subsided, a few individuals came to our dwellings, to treat us and our doctrines with derision. "Where is your God?" one asked, with a sneer. "Have you not seen our Morino ? Have you not heard with your ears his voice in the clouds?" adding, with supreme disgust, "you talk of Jehovah and Jesus: what can they do?" Never in my life do I remember a text being brought home with such power, as the words of the Psalmist, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the heathen *."

The rain-maker found the clouds in our country harder to manage than those he had left. Many long weeks followed, without a single cloud; and when these did appear, they might sometimes be seen, to the great mortification of the conjuror, to discharge their watery treasures at an immense distance. This disappointment would increase, when a heavy cloud would pass over with tremendous thunder, but not one drop of rain. All these circumstances irritated the rain-maker very much, and he was often puzzled to find something on which to lay the blame, for he had exhausted his skill. .

4 Psalm xlvi. 10.

Shortly afterwards we accidentally heard that some one was to be put to death. We imagined it must be the poor rain-maker; and though we felt anxious by any means to save his life, the great difficulty was to find out whether he was to be the victim. Having succeeded in discovering the fact, I entered the public fold, where about thirty of the principal men sat in secret council. I asked no questions, but charged them with the crime of adding sin to sin, provoking Jehovah, by placing a man on His throne, and then killing him, because he was unable to do what they wished him to perform. I then pleaded hard that his life might be spared, and he be allowed to return in peace. I was asked if I was not

aware that he was our enemy, and that if he had had his will, we should have been dead. They had often thought us very silly and weak-minded, to persist in telling them the same thing so often, about one Jesus; but now, to see a man labour to save the life of his enemy, was what they could not comprehend. His life was spared, however, and he was conducted over the plain towards his own home. He was eventually murdered by another nation. It is a remarkable fact, that a rain-maker scarcely ever dies a natural death. There is not one tribe who have not imbrued their hands in the blood of these impostors, whom they first adore, then curse, and lastly destroy. Sent by M. P.

THE TRUE DAVID.

THE following is taken from some excellent remarks by the late Miss Plumptre, on David's conquest of the giant Goliath, the account of which is given in 1 Sam. xvii. "But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled." But a few minutes before, this sword was the boast and the confidence of the giant; now, it is drawn from its sheath to sever his own head from him. And here, my children, I can no longer refrain from

directing your eyes to that David, that well-beloved, of whom this David was but a type. Some of you, at least, are not ignorant of an enemy who dares to defy the armies of the living God-of an enemy who has often made your heart quail, while you have heard him boast, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them: I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them." Day by day (like the champion of the Philistines), he comes forth to the battle. "The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold; the arrow cannot make him flee; sling stones are turned with him into stubble. Darts are counted as stubble; he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things; he is king over all the children of pride "." Let humam wisdom give to the arrow its keenest point, he mocks at it; let human skill invent its strongest darts, he laughs at them, and counts them as stubble, or rotten wood; when he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid; yea, all Israel flee at the cry of him, and not a man is found to stand in the gap. "I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold "." But, behold, one coming from afar, like unto the sons of men, yet, as a tender plant, and a root out of a dry ground. Angelic hosts look forth in eager gaze,—disappointed hell utters its voice. The meek and lowly One comes even to the camp; tenderly does He inquire after the welfare of his brethren; He comes unto His own, and His own receive Him not. By some despised, by all wondered at, He goes forth to the dreadful contest. No human arm, no carnal weapons; His sword is burnished, but it is the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. The hour is come, and the power of darkness; it is the hour of David's trouble, the hour of exceeding sorrow, the hour of dreadful terror, the hour of soul agony, the hour of dismal desertion, the hour of strong crying and tears; but no turning back, no withdrawing of the shoulder, no change of purpose, no cooling of love; onward He goes,

5 Exod. xv. 9. 6 Job xli. 26, &c.

7 Isa. Ixiii. 5.

till He has utterly spoiled principalities and powers, nailing them to His Cross, triumphing over them, conquered the prince of the power of the air, for ever bruised his head, with the shout of victory, exclaiming "It is finished." With the giant's own sword, He for ever destroys the giant's power, through death destroying him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. "Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth! for the Lord hath done it!" From that hour of darkness issues every ray of light that ever gladdened this dark earth; from that hour of death proceeds every spark of life that ever quickened any in the land of the shadow of death. Well may the men of Israel arise, and shout, and pursue the enemy, as he flees before them; well may they exultingly sing, We are more than conquerors; well may they triumph in the Beloved, and gladly devote to Him the lives which He has delivered from so great a death, and which He will yet deliver, and keep unto His heavenly kingdom. From "Scripture Stories."

BATHS AND WASHHOUSES FOR THE LABOURING CLASSES.

THE baths and washhouses for the labouring classes in the north-west district of the metropolis, situate in George Street, Euston Square, are so far completed that in a few weeks they will be opened for the accommodation of those for whom they have been undertaken. The committee some time since announced that, through the liberality of the directors of the New River Company, they had obtained at a nominal rent the greater part of the vacant ground at the base of the reservoir in the Hampstead Road, and that the directors had kindly agreed to supply water to the establishment for the first six months gratuitously, and afterwards at the lowest possible cost. This conduct on the part of the directors of the New River Company has enabled the committee by which the establishment is conducted, to carry into effect the principal part of their plans, and the remainder is in rapid progress. The expenses have been defrayed by voluntary contribution, by upwards of a thousand subscribers, amongst whom are many of the nobility and

persons of high rank, the subscriptions varying from 17. to 257. each subscriber, and forming a large sum. There is still wanting about 8007. or 1000l. to complete the buildings, &c., which sum it is confidently anticipated will be shortly raised. The baths and washhouses when finished will not be gratuitously afforded to the labouring classes, it being meant that the establishment shall support itself by the payments received from those who are to be benefited, the payments, however, to be so small as to afford advantages at a rate available to almost all. Thus, a cold bath will be furnished to a labouring man or woman for a penny, a warm bath or a vapour bath for two-pence. Two troughs or tubs, and as much boiling and cold water as is required, at the rate of a penny for three hours; if the use of irons, mangles, and drying-closets, &c., be afforded, a penny more for three hours; a warm or vapour bath for a lady or gentleman, one shilling; and a cold bath, sixpence. The warm and vapour baths are already completed, or very nearly so; they are well-arranged and fitted-up, and those for which a shilling is charged, are as good as the baths at most of the establishments in London. The ventilation is good, and the means for heating the various rooms, by pipes, are apparently well contrived. There are closets for drying clothes by means of heated air, and other apparatus for drying smaller pieces of linen by means of currents of wind, which are very ingenious, and by which the process is to be performed in a few minutes. There are 40 warm baths completed, and 60 separate places for 60 persons to wash at once without interfering with each other. The cold baths are not yet finished. There will be two, one 80 feet long by 20 or 25 feet in width, and the other about half as large. These are being excavated, and will of course be covered in. The separate cold baths will contain 60 gallons of water each. The plan of the building is well arranged; there is nothing superfluous, yet, as far as a judgment can be formed from its present state, it contains all that is required for the objects to be accomplished. Daily Paper.