Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-12-09

our REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
An Eloquent Discourse on Our Chris
tisn Duty By Rev. G. r. McNany.--
Christian Living.


pastor. the Rev Charles II. McNally. !
preached on the subject. The Spirit /
God and Spiritual Worship The text |
was from John ~ .23-24 "The hour
cometh and now is when tho true
worshipers shall worship the Father
in spirit and IN truth FOR the Father
seeketh such TO worship Him" "God
IS n spirit and they that worship Him
must worship Him in spirit and IN
truth" Mr.. McNaliy said.
These words might we'll lead into
thc hyways of philosophy. That. how
ever. is an enjoyment which we 90
not now intend 90 permit ourselves 60
indulge ion. We might With profit
point out from those words that tho
man ~ old did not think OF himself
just rs man thinks ~ himself to-day.
lie was unit. and thought ~ nothing
outside % his Immediate environment.
and on that chiefly from ihc point OF
view ~ i,, relation 60 his bodily needs.
II $ mWd did not grasp the thought of
the beyond or tho hereafter. Ills Dead
companion vas not Thought OF rs be-
ing essentially different from that
which he was i'm life. Ills horse. his
tools. ctc.. were buried With him.
with the belief chat lu some unseen
hut material paradise or hruting
ground he would live as ha had lived.
needing aud rsinC thc Same things.
Man does not now So view himself.
lie TO longer ttinks ~ himself ms q
unit IIc is divided. His body is ONE
thing and h's mind CO.. soul lis aro.her.
Man sliu views himself a~ body ana
spirit. Deep Within The minors % his
own nature De- feels shat whi.n thoy
are doubtless closely associated IFS
body is one thuc and his soul guitc
another. This distinction did mot APP
peal 90 the ancient. Tie knew nothing
OF &c. HIS wos the simple unGuestion-
inc ne oC q child.
yhc reicious impulse however. has
always been 1n mat -ral parf of human
life. and has cErr. in uuo foriu or or-
other SOUGHT fo express it-cif Crude
though it may lave been in lts begin
nings. the consciousness 90 tct has
never been absent from thc human
mind When it FIRST appears t seems
80 have hr@n mafcri0f~tt Cr aufhro
pomor0hic m tho -ros~cst ern~o. 6~au
ually there was the development of a
tendency 90 lo.S in upon h.msalt and
with this tendency man c1mc into pos
session 81 the itel of an inner Thought
self Thus mind. cr Sou. WAS dis
tincuishcd fgom tine cXtcrugl or ma
torigl and q conception 90 God hocam.
both "a possibility 9rd rptlty- q lr BE-
vcloDmcnt 90 This distinction m1y l'
clearly traced Zoe the OH Testament
For many centuries fhc mator.alSti
was the dominant one. hut alongside
or BE- grew un rrli-iou of thP spirit
The former finds l.~ .I-LeSi Suppression
iu tie ornate formal Worship 30 luda
ism The religion oi fho PAW Will
all its material accompaniment wa
the EFFORT OF Che human mind 90 rraSl
the thought OF Cod in The terms %
the material Within Judaism Their
was the development ~ the religion
or tho spirit. The prophets were SO
messengers. but the people pcrs steutl
turned away from them, and iron
their message.
The conversation 90 Jesus with Oh
woman at the 'vcllside is iutcrcS,in
and instructive iu many ways Sh
was n woman and thc strain of huma
nature was very marked in her life e
IS shown 10y the fact that when Jesu
had her c0rncred and Face 20 face Wit
her sin she was Ike many who haN
followed her anxious % divert The COZ
versa ton from considerations ~ sue
personal nature 20 n religious argl
ment Jesus using her OWE though
imparts TO hcv the deepest lesson %.
has ever been uttered In the real
OF religion when the woWan woul
of formal Judaism. or formal SamaI
tanism. He turned upon her the IN
light Of divine truth and declares Win
the world has All been TOO slow
learn. that Judaism and Samaritmis
are nothing. but that the religion
the spirit alone iS essential rcigi0
God is spirit. and is nos 10 be We
SHIPPED 10y mems hands, or any %
terual form whatsoever. he i 60
fined 10 no mountain top. no temp
walls inclose Him. Immaterial al
fmpcrcepuhle to the senses. He nl
all things with His being. He know
feels. and Wills. He seeks those
whom He has given nature fas
toned in His own image 90 zoe II
wOrshipcrs. Only those who IA
learned 20 know Him as the luhni
Mind OF supreme Spirit can have q
lowship with Him, and this becau
such worship alone corresponds VI
His nature
IL takes the world a long time
outgrow its materiHlism. and 10 gro
into the thought OF Christ. The pa
Of history has led into deep vale
and over the mountain peaks. The
have been times when il seemed al
the race was about 80 move ont iutC
more spiritual Thought OF Cod Tn,
the leadership Of 4 Paul. an Augustus
Calvin. Luther or 4 Wesley. {
dawn OF brighter day seemed
hand, hut from these mountain pea
the pathway has invariably led dO'
into the low wales Of the material n
sordidly earthly.
We have been. indeed. we now q
FOR the dawn OF the brighter day
hardly appeared. In one Of those a
ala a..