The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-03-25
PULPIT UTTERANCES.
Rev. John He'll, DID,, on "The True
Worship Of God"
Extracts from Recent Sermon Preached
In Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church,
New York-True Worship Is "ih
Spirit and In Truth"

and In truth; for the Father seeketh such TO
worship Him.-J0hn 10: % HI"
II is TO the last clause that your attention
Is now called: "For the Father seeketh
such to worship Him."
In this particular passage, part Of which
makes the text, Jesus Christ is speaking
with the woman of Samaria. He knew
very well the character and standing Of
che woman, as she was made soon to recog-
nize. II Is well worth considering-the
way In which he approached this woman.
II was not with sensational stories, it was
not with pathetic appeals. 1t was with the
calm, simple statement Of the weightiest
things that belong to tho kingdom of
Christ. Indeed, II you look at the two
chapters, the fourth and the third, you will
see that there is remarkable similarity
between the way in which our Lord dis
courses 10 Nicodemus, a ruler Of the Jews,
and this poor Samaritan woman. say II
Is an instructive study. The Gospel Of
Jesus Christ Is for all, high and low, rich
and poor, educated and ignorant, jew and
Samaritan. In many instances mistakes are
made in the way OF supposed simplifying
and popularizing Of the Gospel. It may be
stated without fear, in its integrity to oil.
1t lifts up the ignorant and unlearned as it
comes in contact with their minds, and 1t
humbles and brings down the learned as
they sit at the feet Of the Great Teacher.
There is a sense, of course, in which we
are, as ministers, to accommodate our
eaching to the intelligence of the people,
sense in which we are to become all things
to all men; but men sometimes carry that
concession little too far, and would learn
with advantage from the method pursued
by our Blessed Lord.
In the second place, want to remark to
you that, in speaking to you of worship, l
would not wish to convey the idea that
your religion Is to consist in any exclusive
way in your church connections, your Sab
bath keeping, your worship and service,
and your benevolence. II you are truly
religious, you are religious always and
everywhere, and these forms OF service are
only special and appropriate ways In which
the religious life kindled within you by
the Spirit Of Cod openly expresses itself.
II we are religious, we are religious
through and through, and We are religious
everywhere and In every relation and duty
and type Of our lives. In tho Lord we
live and move and have our being, and IL
we be His we are His "all the time" and
In all conditions and circumstances; and
do not want you TO take up the notion for
amoment or to carry It away with you,
that your religion is TO be a thing Of the
Sabbath, and the worship, and the service,
and the benevolence. II Is to be charac-
teristic Of you as long as you are here and
however you may be placed, until you
como into the kingdom Of your Father
above, where there will be no temptation
to anything but complete consecration to
Him.
I. In the first place, let me call your at
tention In expounding this truth, to the
nature of worship. The very word itself
may help TO give us a suggestion as TO its
meaning. 1t is contracted, as some Of you
know, from the longer word worth-ship,
and the idea in the old Saxon substantive
was that the word "worth- ship could be
applied to persons in acknowledgment Of
the good qualities or worth that they were
acknowledged to possess, and 80 our Sax
on forefathers came TO say "Your Worth
ship" just as bnoderns say "Your Lord
ship" meaning, "You are In the state
of q person that has solid WORTH" as
"Your Lordship" means, "You are a
Lord, and entitled 10 be so esteemed and
honored.D Then tho noun came TO be In
the verbal form, and TO worship was 10
recognize the worthIof the person to whom
the worship Is addressed. To worship God
Is to recognize in appropriate ways the
worth that is in Him. EtH
Worship, then, 10 the recognition OF the
qualities and characteristics that belong
to Deity; His love, His power, His good
ness, His truth, His mercy, His holiness,
His grace. When we worship we recog-
nize appropriately these infinite perfec-
tions. have sometimes heard critics Of
Christians describe their Impressions OF
that form of prayer that is called ertem-
pore, and raise this question; "What Is
the use OF these men telling God what He
is andl what qualities He hasp What Is
tho useH They allude, Of course, to that
portion ofiprayer that is known as adora-
ton. II would not be worth while 10 au-
swer the criticism, II the answer did not
throw light upon the topic we have be-
fore US. These things may be said in rela-
tion 10 IL: ..
1. There never have been Christian pray
ers composed anywhere that have not
this element of alteration In them, and that
do not tell to God the qualities and char
acteristics that belong to Him, notwith-
standing that He knows them. II men are
TO tell nothing TO God but that He does not
know, then their lips will be sealed forever,
both In prayer and praise.
2. n this criticism has any foundation,
IL lies against the inspired saints, in q very
remarkable and striking way. "The
heaven Is Thy throne and the earth is Thy
footstool. What house shall we build
Thee, and where is the place Of Thy resti"
"Thy hand hath made all things" "Lord,
Thou hast been our dwelling. place In all
generations. Before the mountains were
brought forth, Or even Thou hadst formed
the earth and the world, from everlasting
to everlasting Thou art God" "Thou art
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, do
ing wonderful" r. ,rts
lido not need 10 repeat text after text
in this strain. What are all these, except
inspired saints telling to God the proper
ties that He has revealed In Himself, toll
ing Him the things that He knows, telling
them over and over again, speaking, be-