Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-02
BY REV. HUGH It. STEVENSON.

Worship is necessary part of the
nature and life of man. There never
has been a religion that has not had
some form of service or worship. 1t
has been as natural. for men to wor-
ship as to dress. The records of the
nations and races of ancient days
have come down to us largely in the
relics of their worship that gave ex-
preston, after its kind, to the char
acter of their religion. Into it's
structures the wealth and genius, as
well as the reverence and faith, of
mankind, have gone. The won
drous stones of Philae and Paestum,
the spires of Strasburg and Sails
bury, no less than Jacobs rude pillar
in Bethel or Moses tent of skins in
the desert, the transient or the en-
during houses, where men bow to one
God or many gods, tell that worship
Is in man" the natural offspring of
religion, and that every religion has
a corresponding character of worship.
enced by that of the Hebrew reli-
gion. In fact. many of the express
sions of the prophets and psalmists
have taken on a classical value that
has affected all Christian thought,
and especially the devotional and
uturgical literature OF the Christian
religion. In tracing the develop
ment of worship in the Bible one has
pointed out that there are four
stages. In the earliest of these the
description is quite meager. The
line between private and public wor-
ship is rot cierly drawn. and the
methods of worship appear to diner
slightly from that of the pagan faiths:
II there existed a complete record OF
this primitive period, in all probability
there could easily be traced the grad
ually unfolding conception Of the true
God, as the supmere object of worship;
and the slow formation of custom and
tradition. regarding the ritual and
liturgy Of their religious devotions. j.
The next, or organised, period OF
worship commenced with the divine
appointment of the tabernacle serv-
ices in the Arabian desert, and
reached. by progressive development,
its strongly centralized temple wor-
ship, with sacrifices as its most
prominent feature, to provide for
mans approach to God.
With this eccfesiastic system the
powerful priestly class of the temple
at Jerusalem was the representative
Of both the national religious and
political life. It's autocratic system
developed into the pharisaism and
degeneracy of. religion expressed in
formal ritualism. Opposed to the
temple authorities were the prophetic
classes. who found their support
largely in the synagogue that had its
beginning in the period Of the exile
and developed in its democratic life
institutions which dimly prehgured
many modern institutions. Its main
purpose was educational, ethical ana
practical-covertng all the phases OF
the latter was. not neglected In Its
ritual, that provided for prayers,
praise and preaching that magnifed
the Scriptures, which contained the
teachings Of the prophets, their sacred
hymns and history as the holy people.
ton worship the early church evil
IDENTIFY worshiped In the temple. as
body, at the time Of prayers ana as
sennbled in different parts OF the CITY
Of Jerusalem for fellowship, the
breaking Of bread prayers Re tbs ana f1nd an
mentals Of the religion of the Lord
Jesus. While the members continued
their public worship in the temple,
until they were driven by persecu-
lions from Jerusalem, they also en-
joyed. after the pattern Of the syna-
which probably was not, as among
the gentle converts later. formal
and systematic as that OF the syna-
RoRues, the cradles OF democracy,
but more Of the nature OF family re-
ligious worship: The worship OF me
worship with solemn, simple and sig
nificant forms that proclaimed their
liberty from sin through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ and their life
| in Him, SO that Christ, as God tncar-
nate and as Savior of men. became
the one to whom worship was adj
dressed, or by the contemplation OF
whom worshipful sentiments were
aroused, bringing God down to man
and man up to God. The true idea OF
worship in spirit and In truth char
acterized these churches. The same
t Impress Of liberty and spirituality
which marked their lives was seen In
their Christian worship.
RELIGION IL the response, OF the soul
of man to God and Righteousness.
This makes the relation that Exists
Both the Pharisee and the publican
revealed In their going up to the
temple to pray the fact that ones
character nodded q PERSONS devotion.
To bend the knee with external de-
mechanical sounds and intonations,
is an act which does not call for
any great effort, but no person can
draw near unto God and worship
the Lord in the beauty of holiness"
the word without being regenerated
or without the expenditure Of spirit
ual power. There Is nothing that
taxes q mans powers more than
sincere worship of God. It Is not the
the soul with which the service is
performed that counts and costs. No
soul can commune with God either in
the secret closet of prayer or the con-
gregatlon Of the saints unless
through divine grace he has been
the Lord will whisper into his ear.
No soul, unless he practices close
communion in the prayer life, will
draw near In faith to the Lord. The
publican revealed the spirit that
made his prayer acceptable while the
self-satisfed Pharisee's prayer was
condemned by the Lord. The poor,
sinful Samaritan woman at the well
of Jacob had to be converted before
she was able to understand the reve-
lation Of Jesus concerning spiritual
worship.
Not only is our life q worship. but
the social nature Of our being calls
for those who have enjoyed the peace,
L Joy, unfafling strength and conform
ity to the likeness Of Christ through
closet, to unite in the social worship
of the church. The fellowship of the
Christian Is seen In his worshiping
with those who love the Lord. Wor-
ship Is the bond Of fellowship. Moth
ing 10 so productive of spiritual
growth and union as that which
unites men in the same songs. pray
ers and means of grace. Without
the public worship, which the per-
sona1 and private devotions fit men
to share. their spiritual life would
be weakened. Nothing requires them
to be of one mind. no creed or or
ganizatoin can make them realize
their unity, like coming regularly be-