"And the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? SERMONS. SERMON I. ON ANXIETY FOR THE HONOUR OF GOD, IN THE PRESERVATION OF HIS CHURCH. 1 SAMUEL iv. part of 13th verse. "FOR HIS HEART TREMBLED FOR THE ARK OF GOD." WHEN the armies of Israel had been smitten by the host of Philistia at Ebenezer, and were in dread of a still greater defeat, they presumed, without any especial command, to send for the ark of the Lord, hoping that, by its holy presence in the field of slaughter, the tide of victory might be turned, and they might be saved from the hand of their enemies. The sacred seat of God's almighty presence B was accordingly brought; and when it reached the camp, "all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again."* But vain was that cry of joy; the hand of the Lord, whose protecting power they had dared to claim, as it were, without seeking, was to be turned against them, and once more were they to be overcome by their enemies. Terrible indeed was the destruction now; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand men; the ark of God was taken, and its two guardians, Hophni and Phinehas, sons of Eli, were slain. The tidings of this great defeat soon reached the ears of the prophet Eli. The messenger who brought them found the old man, in anxious expectation, sitting by the way-side, watching, "for his heart trembled for the ark of God." He heard with patient resignation of the slaughter of his countrymen, nay, the feelings of fatherly affection were subdued, and he * 1 Sam. iv. 5. even listened calmly to the announcement of his children's death; but "it came to pass when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died.”* Interesting as this portion of sacred history is in itself, it will be of no further use to us at present, than supplying us with the example of one, who, however blameable on many other points, did from his heart on this occasion feel the deepest anxiety for the honour of his God, and the preservation of his religion;—and it would seem very naturally to induce a serious thought in our minds, as to the present state of our religion,-its position, either of safety or danger, the observance which it meets with externally, and the cultivation bestowed on it in each individual's heart. And let us, my brethren, as Christians, consider the ark of God, which to the * 1 Sam. iv. 18. Jews was the visible symbol of his Almighty presence, as the type of the Church of Christ, which he has appointed the witness and keeper of holy writ, and established for the maintenance of true religion, and to which he has vouchsafed the means of grace, for our protection, not against human foes and temporal evil, but against the powerful designs of our spiritual enemy, -against the ruler of the darkness of this world, whose unceasing vigilance is directed to the eternal destruction of our souls. There has been for some time an opinion somewhat extensively in circulation, to the effect that the interests and welfare of our Church are much neglected and on the decline, and that the Church of Rome is again rearing its corrupted head among us, with a fearful prospect of success. Now, though it is impossible to say what the providence of God may in his wisdom have decreed; -for experience and the history of our country will shew us that frequently where |