THE wise man has declared that the Lord "blesseth the habitation of the just:" it is altogether unlike the house of the wicked, upon which the curse of the Most High rests; it is known to Him as a house of prayer and of praise, and as the place where a part of his people dwell in safety, under his protection and care: no matter whether it be a sumptuous mansion, or a lonely cottage; whether it be richly adorned, or meanly ornamented; whether it be a garret or a cellar, it is noticed by the Lord. When Ananias was sent with a message of mercy to Saul, he was directed to go to a street in Damascus, called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, who was earnestly praying for salvation. And when Cornelius was directed by the vision of an angel to send men to Joppa, for one Simon, whose surname was Peter, he was informed that he lodged with one Simon a tanner, whose house was by the sea-side. The dwellings of good men are recognised and honoured from on high: heirs of glory, the children of God, who are constituted Kings and Priests unto Him, reside in them, and enjoy divine protection and blessing.

When the churches of the Establishment, in the early days of Methodism, were closed against the Rev. John Wesley, VOL. VII. Second Series. T

and his zealous coadjutors, they eagerly embraced every providential opening, that they might preach among men the unsearchable riches of Christ; and many were the domestic habitations in which the "faithful" were accustomed to assemble, in order to hear with meekness the engrafted word, and to "worship God."

One of the oldest of the places of this description we now introduce to the notice of our readers. It is a farm-house, situate at Booth-Bank, a hamlet in the parish of Rostherne, and county of Chester, on an estate the property of Sir John Chetwode, Bart., and has been in the occupation of the Cross family, its present tenants, nearly a century. In this homely spot, until the erection of a commodious chapel in the immediate neighbourhood, religious services were regularly held, and a society gathered together, which, from one generation to another, has perpetuated the faith, diffusing itself around to such an extent, that not a few of the neighbouring Wesleyan societies can be traced to this domestic sanctuary as the "mother church;" for here, many years before the erection of any Wesleyan chapel in that part of the kingdom, was found the stated ministration of the Gospel of peace.

John and Alice Cross, grandparents of the late occupant of the farm, entered upon the premises in 1744. They were among the first Methodists in that part of the country, and proved themselves to be zealous, faithful, and consistent followers of the Redeemer. Alice died May 29th, 1774, aged sixty-five, and John, after urging on the peaceful tenor of his way until the eighty-second year of his age, exchanged mortality for life, February 28th, 1795.

Booth-Bank, when viewed in connexion with the early history of Wesleyan Methodism, becomes an interesting locality. Four visits of Mr. Wesley to the "quiet and loving people" of this place, as he designates them, are recorded in his Journals. Here, also, the Rev. Messrs. W. Grimshaw, John Nelson, Hopper, Jaco, Guilford, Pawson, Mather, Benson, and others, have proclaimed the word of salvation. Frail memorials of some of these visits are preserved. On one of the panes in the "Prophet's chamber," a small room

on the ground-floor, eight feet by twelve, and little more than six feet in height, is found, with prima facie evidence of its authenticity, the signature of "John Wesley:" upon others, "Faith without works is dead,' Edward Pyke;" "Go on to perfection,' -Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.' Nov. 12th, 1766. J. Allen;" Joseph Guilford preached here, 1764. 'God is love.'"

In the year 1749, Booth-Bank formed part of what was then denominated "John Bennett's round." It has since been successively included in the Manchester, Cheshire, Northwich, Warrington, Manchester Fourth, and Altrincham Circuits.

Further particulars respecting this place may be obtained from a Memoir of Alice Cross, from the pen of the late Rev. John Pawson, which appeared in an early volume of the Methodist Magazine; 66 Wesleyan Methodism in Manchester and its Vicinity," by the Rev. James Everett; and from an article under the head of "Methodism in former Days," in the Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine for January last, (page 26,) from which sources the above sketch has been compiled.

SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATIONS.

EXOD. iii. 5. "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet."-The reverence indicated by putting off the covering of the feet is still prevalent in the East. The Orientals throw off their slippers on all those occasions when we should take off our hats. They never uncover their heads, any more than we our feet. It would everywhere, whether among Christians, Moslems, or Pagans, be considered in the highest degree irreverent for a person to enter a church, a temple, or a mosque, with his feet covered; and we shall observe that the Priests under the law officiated with bare feet. And not only is this form of showing respect exhibited in religious observances, but in the common intercourse of life. Few things inspire an Oriental with deeper disgust, than for a person to enter his room with shoes or boots on, regarding such conduct both as an insult to himself and a pollution to his apartment. These usages