g Heb. X. 26, 27.
ELl's ANXIETY FOR THE ARK OF GOD.
1 S an. iv. 13. Lo, Eli sat upon a seat hy the loayside watching: for his heart trembled for the arh of God.
THE word of God, to whatever it relate, shall certainly in due time be accomplished : it may in- deed, like the seed under the clods, appear to have been lost : but as soon as the appointed season arrives, we shall be made to see, that not a jot or tittle of God's word can ever fail. It had some years before been announced to Eli, that God would bring such judgments upon his house as should make
" the ears of every one that heard of them to tingle." Now the time for the execution of the threatening drew nigh ; and the manner in which it was exe- cuted is set before us. The Phihstines had gained a victory over Israel, and had slain about four thou- sand men. The elders of Israel, astonished at such at event, devised an expedient for securing, as they hoped, a successful issue to the contest. They sent to Shiloh for the ark of God ; which accordingly was brought by Hophni and Phinehas into the camp. Eli, at the advanced age of ninety-eight, being in- formed of the measure that had been adopted, anti- cipated in his mind the evils that were at hand ; and full of anxiety, "sat by the wayside, watching; for his heart trembled for the ark of God." We propose to consider,
I. The grounds of his anxiety —
Eli did not doubt whether God was able to protect his ark ; but he had just grounds to doubt whether he would protect it —
[He knew the wicked state of the people at large, and of
his sons in particular He knew that the measure wliich
had been adopted, had not been commanded or authorized by
God He knew that if the ark should be taken, the loss
would be incalculable He knew that in the event of
such a misfortune, the Philistines would profanely exult over the God of Israel ]
And if on these grounds he trembled for the ark, is there not reason to tremble for the cause of God in many parts of the Christian world ?
[Of the wickedness of merely nominal Christians it is almost superfluous to speak. Let us tiu'n our attention rather to those whose office it is to bear the ark and to minister before it; how many of them, alas I walk unworthy of their high calling ! Or let us look to those who profess to regard the ark of God, and to expect salvation from a Covenant God in Christ : do we not behold amongst them many by whom God is habitually and grievously dishonoured ? Are there not many too, who, under a sense of their guilt and danger, de\'ise expe- dients which were never sanctioned by the Lord, and resort to them for salvation, in an utter neglect of those means which have been revealed by God? Wliat have all such persons reason to expect, but that God, who has long since departed
286.] ELl's ANXIETY FOR THE ARK OF GOD. 135
from the Churches of Asia, and from innumerable other Churches which once enjoyed the Hght of his Gospel, should "remove his candlestick" from them? And what if such a judgment should be inflicted ujjon us? How would those who hate the light exult, and the daughters of the uncircum- cised triumph ! Truly, if we viewed the state of the Christian world aright, there is scarcely a people for whom we have not cause to tremble, lest they should lose the privileges which they are so backward to improve, and be dehvered up into the hands of their spiritual enemies. And " woe unto them when God departs from them ^ ! "]
Commendable as the anxiety of Eli was, we cannot be surprised at,