March 5

John iv.—16. Jesus saith unto her, Go call thy husband, and come hither.

17. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband; 18. For thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. 19. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews. 23. But the hour cometh, and now is, when

the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24. God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28. The woman then left her water-pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29. Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30. Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

How astounding the grace of the Lord Jesus, that he should first reveal himself as the Christ to a solitary stranger of an alien and even hostile race, and of irregular life! His disciples, filled with the prejudices of Jews against Samaritans, and sharing the then common error that women were not the equals of men in knowledge and position, were astonished to find him talking with the woman; but, had they known what he had been saying, they would have been utterly confounded. Not yet had they heard from his lips the declaration that he was the Christ; but this announcement of him for whom the whole nation was eagerly looking, withheld from the Jewish people and from his familiar friends, was made to this stranger, this woman, this Samaritan! But Jesus made it to a mind peculiarly open to receive it. His kingdom came not with observation, but in the silence of spiritual light and power; and in thus proclaiming it, afar from the temple of Jerusalem, under the open sky, before the sacred mountain of another peo

ple, he set forth the freeness and universality of his grace, and its adaptation to all classes and conditions of mankind.

Worship should be the housage of the soul: its true seat, therefore, is the inner sanctuary of the spirit; and, whatever the place or the mode of worship, the act itself should correspond with the essence of God, who is Spirit. Our Lord said literally, God is Spirit; not simply a Spirit, but Spirit itself. God in himself answers to the conception of the spiritual in essence, and from him all spirit proceeds. Hence he alone is worthy to be worshipped by intelligent creatures. This, however, is not a mystic abstract notion of God, that would place him at an infinite remove from us: but this infinite Spirit is the Father of our spirits; and, with the love of a Father for every one of his children alike, he desires from every one the same simple, affectionate, grateful devotion. The truest worship is the communion of our spirits with God. In this spirit let us praise and pray.

APPROPRIATE HYMES.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 107, 172, 177.

O Lord, the Giver of life! we bless thee that we are of the living to praise thee. Thou hast created us; thou hast redeemed us; thou hast preserved us: of thee, and through thee, and to thee, are all things; and to thee, O Lord! be glory and praise forever.

We bring to thee the homage of our hearts, desiring to worship thee this day in spirit and in truth; to celebrate thy glory in thy works; to show forth thy loving-kindness to the children of men; to praise and adore thee for thy great mercy in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Oh! do thou for his sake take away our sins, which with one accord we now confess before thee: and sanctify our hearts by thy truth and thy Spirit, that, being delivered from all corruption and evil, we may keep the sabbath holy in thy rest. May the peace of God, that passeth all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus! Bless to us the reading and hearing of thy Word, the worship and order

of thy house; bless the assemblies of thy people, the communion of thy saints, the instruction of children, the visiting and teaching of thy servants among the poor, by the wayside, and from house to house. Command thy blessing upon Zion, even life forevermore.

As a family we consecrate ourselves to thee, our Father in heaven; giving thanks to thee for such a home, for such love and peace and prosperity, as it is ours to enjoy. We bless thee for the memory of the good who have gone before us, and have taught us thy way, and for the hope of immortality brought nigh to us in the gospel. May we so improve these earthly sabbaths, that by thy grace we shall come unto the fruition of this blessed hope with the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven, through Him who died and rose again, and ever liveth to make intercession for us!—to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory. Amen.