True God is not confined to houses made with hands _wherever 'Awa or three are gathered together' 10 worship Him he hi come. He is the companion on many a weary road and the watcher Deside many a lonely bed. But all places you will most easily find Him in His house and through the services of His church.
know it is easy to make too such of times and places _and forms and ceremonies. -But it is also possible to make too little of them. Perhaps the latter is Abe particular peril of the pr2 sent age. We say that the spi ig: the essential thing, that God spirit and they that worship Him aust worship Him in spirit and truth. 'That we can worship Him home anid in the open air, that id-all true enough. But withe spirituality of worship foute for neglecting the forms and fites-éf religion and attenilance at, His house, we seriously birt' and Smpoverish ourselves.
1 Kings 8:11, 27.
For while it is true that you may have the form without the spirit, asin the case of the Pharisee of old, it is important to remember the complementary' and balancing truth that there can be no religious life without some! measure of form.
Let us follow our Lord Jesus in His respect for the means of grace. He kept the Sabbath. He attended the synagogue. He observed the Passover. He showed His respect for outward forms. He recognized that they were means of grace and that they ministered to the life of- the soul. Let us not neglect the assemblies of the Church' for worship. Above all things when the table of the Lord is spread, let us remember His dying love and fulfil His command, to partake in remembrance of Him. If we neglect His house and ths means of grace all of which are designed for the nourishment of] our spiritual life, then our lives church, a house of God has stood where' we are gathered this} morning. And day by day, Sunday by Sunday men and women have gathered here to worship. 'A great army of men and women have come and gone. From a tiny outpost, difficult of access and of little importance, this port has grown to be one of the great commercial Jcentres of the world. What a witness this house has borne amid all the changes of those years. Who has} gone out from it? What lives have received blessing, what wandering feet have been stayed and turned when they entered here?
God's house, and yet as in the picture to which I have made reference He is often unnoticed even here, and by the busy community outside even His house is forgotten.
How much it might mean if the house of God were given its true place in the lives of all. If they come to it, expectant, reverent, worshipping.
To such God does reveal himself here, If we seek Him we vill inevitably suffer by that neg- 44, "°S sri eres ware Draw Near This is the house of God. services of this house avenues of approach to Him, honestly for Him he will reveal himeelf, And then His glory" shall visibly Al the house and all] blessing rest upon us and His peas We) £0 with us. raw near te Him when we. come claiming His promises of forgive ness and blessing. We come with: our joys and our sorrows. Our thanksgivings and our intercessions, and here He meets us.
"For the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord." At the back of the little church in Hankow there was a picture I ay it be the constant prayer of every one of us that this place, God's house, may be increasingly centre of community life, That Sunday by Sunday many " faithful worshippers may gather here, and that God may reveal Himself we bow in wonder and adoration before Him, loved to study. It was the picture] of the interior of a great Cathe dral. It is brightly lighted " ave near the door. The worshippers are all well up the nave all save! one, who stands alone, alas noticed, He stands and listens, the Lord whose house it is and whenever His people gather for worship He is there, Alas how often unnoticed. But wherever humble} hearts are bowed in prayer or praise He is there and He hears and He answers.
Who "will dare to say that this morning He is not here. We have! [just stood to confess our belief in a living almighty God. We have joined in our wonderful liturgy, prayer, thanksgiving and praise,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.