The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-19
DR.. M'LEOD ON
TRUE WORSHIP
TOPIC DISCUSSED IN A VERY
INTERESTING WAY.
If True Worship Be Spiritual Ex-
ercise, as Jesus Says It Is, It Does
Not Depend on Ceremony-If Any
Ceremony Is Deemed More Impor-
tant Than the Fact Of Worship
It Is Hindrance Instead of a
Help to the Worshipper-Takes
Issue with the Ritualists.

help 10 tne Wofshlpper-Takes
Issue with the Ritualists.
True Worship" was the topic SO.
lccted by Rev. James Mcleod, ~. d.,
for an impressive sermon which he de-
livered yesterday in the First Pres
bytcrian church.
His text were the words from John
iv:23-2i: "The hour ccmeth and now
is. when the true worshippers shall
worship the father in spirit and in
truth: for the father scekcth such tn
worship him. God is spirit; and they
that worship him must worship him
in spirit and in truth"
Gods ancient people were taught to re-
gard all the services of the tabernacle
and OF the temple as but "a shadow of
good things to come" In rcspect Of
worship, as In other respects Gods reve-
lation was progressive. The law of wor-
ship was only schoolmaster TO bring
the worshippers to 1t. That law was
never abrogated, it was fulfilled 1t was
never destroyed, 1t was finished. When
the fullness of time came. the Christ
who gave the old law. and in whom that
law as vhoie and in all its parts was
fulfilled. said: '"The hour cometh and
now il. when the true worshippers." etc.
l'ut 60 nccrning set times and places
10: worship. Jesus did not oppose them.
or ignore them. ON the contrary, lie
went to the temple and to the syna-
Sogues at the stated time OF worship.
He both taught and prayed in public and
in places set apart for the worship of
God. Hence We may regard His words
10 the woman of Samaria, as IA divine
rcbuke to the Judaism and Samaritanism
of that day; and We may also regard
these words Of Christ as the divine and
everlasting protest against a similar
spirit, should 1t be advocated at any
time. or in any place. by any class o;
teachers. 1t is contrary tn the teaching,
of Christ TO localize the universal God,
or to limit His blessing so as to make
it dependent upon time or Pie or de-
pendent, more especially, up.ii the OBJ
ScrvaEce by the WurshippCr. OF certain
prescribed forms and ceremonies. rne
tree upon which such bad fruit grows is
not of Gods planting, and Jesus laid His
axe 10 its roots when II. said: God is
Il spirit" etc.
DIVINE PRESCRIPTION.
In these words Of Jesus, We have IL di-
vine prescription for true worship. and a
divine Safeguard against all forms of
, idnlutry. The true Worshippcr worships
il' fdlHtT III spirit anu III truth. nt,
! Father seekcth such to worship Him.
God is Il spirit, etc. TO worship God lin
spirit Is to recognize that He il "a spirit
the universal spirit, and incapable
Of being materially represented, or Inn
tied to amy place OF time. "ln spirit" as
! opposed To time. or place, or ceremony
"in truth, as opposed to Pharasaism and
all forms of hyrorrisI. While true wor-
| ship Is always independent nf any pro
,I nj ,l,G, ~
| anc", i, is always dependent upon
spirit and truth" JESUS states the
! reason for this: God is a spirit and
must be worshipped in spirit and in truth.
1t would be both sinful and absurd to Of
| fer false worship to the true God: and ii
| would bc sinful and absurd to offer,
il it were possible. true worship to a
false god. If the object of worship he not
the true God. the worshipper is an idol
ater; If one the other hand, the worship
| per be false and insinccrc, his worship is
hypocrisy.
| | would rather he {, real heathcn and
| Worship sincerely IL false god. than be
| n nominal Christian and worship insIn-
| ccrely the true God. The righteous God
will deal more tenderly with an honest
! heather whose religion is false than
with II nominal Christian who plays the
hypocritc. For that servant who knows
| his Lords Will, and prepared not him
! self, neither did according TO His WILL
shall be beaten with many stripes. But
| he that know not, and did commit things
| worthy of stripes shall be beaten with
| few stripes" luke Xii. i1-lS).
We need to be reminded. from time to
| time, that all seeming worship of the
| true God that Is not heartfelt and sim
ccre. is nothing; and that all worship OF
| any other being or thing beside the true
| God, is less than nothing and vanity.
our Lords definition or description OF
! true worship is all the proof we need
| that the claims made by RitualistS and
| by scudo-Protcst3nts are both unscrip-
| tn al and unreasonable.
| DEPENDS NOT ON CEREMONY.
| 1t may be granted that God may be
| truly worshpped by those who use Il Ger
| tain prescribed form or ceremony. Blu,
! II true worship be d spiritual exercise, as
Jesus says it is, then IA child can sec
| that it does not depend upon either form
| or ceremony. And it is precisely here
| that Ritualsts join issue with Jesus
| They claim that Tod Who Is "A spirit can.
not be worslipIed in spirit ana in truth
| unless the worshirper follows thcir pro-
| graminc, The officiating priest must
) wear all the prescribed paraphcrnalia: Il,
| must assume this and that attitude, h,
| must bow so many timcs-now to the
| east and now to the west--hc must
| g9nutiect and make the sign of the cross
| 80 many times. candles must be buru
| ing AT MONDAY, and thuriters must swim
| their thuriblcS, and the altar must h,
| flmcd with incensc--all these things ant
| much more are regarded, by certain Eit
ualists, as essential to true worship
| What IL tyavesty. What an utter iSnoc
| ing Of the Saviour's words. What a con
| trast between that Gaudy glitter and Tho
| simplicity OF the Gospel
These friends have forgotten that God,
| choicest temple is the temple of a de
vout and humble human heart, and thai
! the ornament lie most loves Is THE or
| namcnt of Il meek and quiet spirit" Il
| Is not lighted candles and incense. ant
/ the first fruits that God requires Hi:
| childr"n to lay upon His altar Thos,
old things have passed away; behold iI
things have become new. Types ant
| symbols are no longer needed as ad
| iuncts Of worship. We no longer necC
the sign when we have the thing signi
fed. The New Testament dispcnsat,or
| takes precedence Of the Old. The minis
| try that is now needed Is not a ministr,
involving the carrying out of an elabor
| ate ritual, including the offering IF man,
sacrifices. But Christ would have Iii.
| Children and the whole w'rld to under
stand that the Christian ministry is tn
| ministry Of repentance, Of faith, of love
and of new obedience. The sacrifice II
| which God always took the greatest de
| light is the sacrifice of "A brCk ken and con
trite heart. The only worship that II,
will accept Is worship that rises t. Hin
from the heart, and that Is offered unt'
| Him 'in spirit and in TRUTH
1T is A HINDRANCE.
| Without enlargng upon either the MS,
or the abuse OF forms and ceremonies il
| worship, this much Is certainly tru,
| namely: If any ceremony or form %
| worship be deemed more important than