which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." This renewal by the Spirit is the beginning of a true life; a life which is characterized as repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ;" or, in other words, a life which dooms sin to death, as a reigning power in the soul-a life which embraces by faith a new heavenly life of holy love in Christ-a life which dies to self, that Christ may live and reign within. Before this renewal man has nothing whereof to glory.

It is this new life, begun and lived out daily before God, that gives God delight in man. "In these things I delight, saith the Lord." God's delight is in the exercise of those attributes which come out so prominently in the redemption of man by Christ, and in the government of the world through Christ. God can delight in man only when man is a transcript of Himself. If we would attract the complacent notice of our Heavenly Father, we must approve ourselves to be His children. Holy love is the essential quality of the Divine nature, by which God is known to us in the Gospel; so man, to become an object attracting the complacent love of God toward himself, must become the subject of a holiness and love, like God, on the knowledge of whom it is grounded. God cannot delight in moral beings who do not resemble Himself in holy love. Right moral habits of the soul alone can draw forth the Divine complacency. The soul's beauty is likeness to God. This is the soul's life too. If God alone can delight in man, when man is a living image of Himself, what can man glory in who is without this spiritual likeness ?"From a Sermon occasioned by the Death of James Sheridan Knowles, Esq., by ALFRED C. THOMAS.

FAITH IN CHRIST.

CHRIST becomes yours only by believing. To believe in Him is to feel fully persuaded that He will do what He has said. To believe in Him is to discard all doubts whether He be able or willing, but confidingly to commit yourself, body, spirit, soul, to Him, with all your sins, and fears, and sorrows, in the sure and certain trust that He can and will save you to the uttermost. That is faith. Do you ask how you may know that He will do this for you? Because His word affirms it, and He cannot lie. If your friend make you a solemn promise that he will do you good, you rely upon his veracity, feeling persuaded that he will do it, because he says he will. Transfer that confidence to the Saviour. He has "opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers." He has made peace between God and them by His own death. He has eternal life in His own hands. He is the Author of eternal salvation to all that obey Him. If any sinner is saved, Christ saved him. If any man meet death in triumph, it is through Christ. All these assurances are placed before you. They are true: they will always be true. If you believe them, you will undoubtedly be saved.-Rev. W. B. MACKENZIE.

The Nation's Welcome.

BY THE

REV. J. A. COGHLAN, M.A.,

INCUMBENT OF ST. PAUL'S, BALL'S POND.

Preached on Sunday Morning, March 8th, 1863, the day following the arrival of HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS ALEXANDRA.

"All the city was moved, saying, Who is this?"-Matt. xxi. 10.

It was the promise of God by the prophet Zechariah, that Zion's King should enter the gates of her royal city, coming the Just One, and yet the Saviour, in the lowliness of humiliation, without the parade of recognized majesty, unhonoured by the processions and triumphal celebrations of loyal subjects, greeting the approach of an earthly monarch; but with such a singularly contrasted manifestation of asserted authority, and unostentatious humility, as should best betoken the shrouded sovereignty, and veiled glory of “the King eternal, immortal, invisible," during the period of His sojourn in the flesh.

The prophecy is this:-"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass," (Zech. ix. 9;) and its fulfilment is recorded in the Scripture from which I have selected the text of this morning :-" And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and set Him thereon. And a very great multi

SERMON XIX.

U

tude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed 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 unto Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this ?"

Most wonderful was the Providence, which brought to pass so remarkable an accomplishment of the prophetic word. For what so incongruous, as the contemptibleness of the Saviour's retinue, with the royalty, and even the Deity of Him whose entry is proclaimed, as that of "the Son of David, coming in the name of the Lord,” with the ascription of salvation's praise, "Hosanna in the highest."

It was but yesterday, that the solemn conclave of Jewish officials had assembled in Jerusalem, to consult what reception they should give Him on His coming, (as they doubted not He would come,) to the Passover feast. And what was their determination? It was not only that they should carry out their previous resolution suggested by Caiaphas, and put Him to death; but further, that Lazarus also, by reason of whom many believed on Him, should likewise be made away with. It was then at a time when the authorities of the Jewish church and nation had arrived at the deliberate purpose, of not only rejecting His claims to be the Messiah, and excluding from the communion of the Jewish church all who should recognize them, but even of killing Himself, and delivering to prison and to death His faithful followers; it was at such a time that this remarkable prophecy remained to be fulfilled. And now the lowly Jesus, with His disciples, journeys on foot towards the holy city. He is come to Bethany, six days before the Passover. Behold Him, then, with His few, feeble, and proscribed followers, seated on the Mount of Olives, which overlooked the village; then take this Scripture, and with the consciousness that this must be His last entry into the holy city before His passion, say, How shall these things be? Where these thronging crowds of loyal subjects that are to greet His approach? Whence even the lowly ass's colt on which the Redeemer King should enter into Jerusalem? Ah! little do those who look upon His outward estate, conceive of the hidden powers of that Creator King, whose are "all the beasts of the forest, and the cattle upon a thousand hills," who "turneth also the hearts of men, as seemeth best to His godly wisdom," subjecting them in willing allegiance to His rule and governance. "Go ," said Jesus, "into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me;"-and it is done. They bring the ass, and the colt, yielded of their owner to the Master's use, and "put on them their clothes, and set Jesus thereon." Nor is this all-More wondrous still! He comes not unattended; nor with the few Galilean fishermen alone does He pass from Bethphage to the city of solemnities. Though four days hence to be, in "the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," friendless, and forsaken of all, contemned, rejected, and crucified at the clamorous solicitations of the multitudes that thronged the city, yet now behold a very different state of things-a "very great multitude

ye,"

spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed 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."

Such were the circumstances that gave rise to an extraordinary commotion within the walls of Jerusalem, and caused the agitation of mind, which found expression in the enquiry contained in our text, "All the city was moved, saying, Who is this?"

It was now four days before the Passover, when all the males of the house of Israel were wont to present themselves before the Lord. It is, therefore, probable, that the immigrant population added to the stated inhabitants, would cause the numbers gathered in Jerusalem at this time, to be little, if at all, less than those of London at the present moment. We may, therefore, find much of parallelism, though more, perhaps, of contrast, in the scenes of yesterday's gorgeous spectacle, and that which is detailed by the word of inspiration in the Scripture before us. The parallelism we may consider as suggested by the former words of our text, "All the city was moved," and the contrast by the latter, "Who is this?" And may the Spirit of God give us personal profit and blessing in the consideration of this Scripture, in regard alike to each aspect of an event so interesting, yet so evanescent, for Jesus Christ's sake.

Destitute, indeed, must that man be of all natural association of kindred, and of country; isolated and unsympathetic in all that is calculated to enlist the finer sensibilities of our being, and to evoke the more generous emotions and aspirations of our hearts, who could contemplate, unmoved, the celebrations of yesterday's ceremonial, either as respects the event itself, or the demonstrations of enthusiastic loyalty, and unaffected congratulation and acclaim, rendered by a great and unanimous people to their Monarch's son and heir, on the entrance into the metropolis of his affianced bride. The loyalty of British hearts is no transient ebullition of national caprice. It is a settled principle, a ruling purpose, founded on the basis of relative obligations and religious duty, established in the convictions of mutual benefit and associate blessings, and cerzented in the tenderer but no less constraining bonds of personal esteem and affection, in which the present sovereign of these realms is exalted in the minds and hearts of her subjects, as the model head of a constitutional monarchy-the conspicuous pattern of domestic purity and virtueand thus in every way, as a wife, a mother, and a mourning widow, commanding the admiration and good-will of all observers.

Hence it is, that, not with the cold though genuine homage of dutiful allegiance only, but with cordial, generous, tender, loving sympathy, has the whole nation greeted the auspicious event of the Heir apparent of England, receiving to his heart and home the daughter of Denmark's royal house.

It was not the love of pomp and pageantry, that led the most industrious, the most commercial, the most real and practical of earthly nationalities, to throw itself with such ardent and almost extravagant devotion, into the reception and welcome of this illu

trious stranger to her adopted home. England does not merely exalt an idea, embody a sentiment, or emblazon a principle on this occasion; she honours withal a Queen enthroned in the love of her people, and with solicitous interest hails the young betrothed, who, in the providence of God, may one day be called to sway the destinies of this vast empire.

It was therefore an occasion of no small importance on which “all this city was moved" yesterday; when multitudes thronged in every available spot, from whence even a glimpse of that great procession could be obtained; when the corporate bodies of London and civic authorities of Westminster, conducted the bridal cortege, through a city divested for once of its every-day aspect of busy industry, and decked in the holiday attire of glad festivity.

Its importance, indeed, in a national and political point of view, it would not be easy to exaggerate; and let us fervently hope and pray that the day may be far distant, when the pulse of Britain's loyalty shall beat less healthfully; or degenerate into the fitful and capricious impulse, which has taken its place in other countries, and alike, under despotic forms here, and democratic forms there, constitutes the danger and instability of the times. Such a fitful emotion it was, which swayed the minds of the great multitude in Judea and Jerusalem, on the occasion to which our text refers. Then, too, "all the city was moved;" but they who shout Hosanna now, only four days hence will cry with clamorous and persistent importunity," Not this man, but Barabbas!" "Away with him, away with him; crucify him!" till the voices of them and of the chief priests prevail, and Pilate "delivers him to be crucified."

And now turn we to the second division of our subject-" Who is this?" and the contrast thus suggested.

In all that vast retinue which paraded the streets yesterday, there was one central point of interest. It was the carriage which conveyed the Prince of Wales and the Princess Alexandra of Denmark. There were, indeed, in that gorgeous cavalcade many richly and beautifully caparisoned equipages. There were also many individuals of eminence and renown, who at any other time would have attracted undivided interest, and even at such a time did win some passing regard; but the one absorbing desire of every beholder was to catch a glimpse, however momentary, of the distinguished personages for whom all the honour was designed. It was pre-eminently the Prince's day; and few of those hundreds of thousands, would have occupied their places at a cost of time, toil, and pecuniary payment of no small amount, but with a hope of seeing the bridegroom and the bride of the approaching royal nuptials.

Now, imagine some denizen of another sphere to visit this city of commotion, and to inquire in the language of our text, "Who is this?" What has been the occasion of so great and universal honour? Are those myriads gathered to recognize with grateful acclamations the triumphant warrior, who has delivered his country from the tyranny of oppressive despotism, or the force of foreign invasion? Is he some public benefactor, who has, by some happy invention, or valuable discovery, mitigated the miseries of a suffering