and served their own gods'\" And in this state they continued even to the time of our blessed Lord ; who said to the Samaritan woman, " Ye worship ye know not what^." Now, this will afford me an opportunity of shewing what true religion is ; by contrasting,
I. The Samaritan standard of religion —
From the history of the Samaritans, as contained in the chapter before us, it will be seen what their religion was —
[It had se/f-complacenci/ for its object, form for its essence, and custom for its origin.
It had self-complacency for its object : for every one wor- shipped his own gods ; as it is said : " Every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high- places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities where they dwelt '^." If they added Jehovah to them, it was from fear of his vengeance : "They feared the Lord, and served their own gods ;" fearing him by constraint, and serving them by choice. They had a general idea that it was well to acknowledge some god : and with that they were satisfied.
It had form for its essence : " They made unto themselves, of the lowest of the people, priests of the high-places, which sacrificed for them in the houses of the high-places'^." Whilst the priests were at their posts, and performing their accus- tomed round of services, all was well. Respecting religion as a personal concern between them individually and the god whom they served, they knew nothing. It was with them a mere official matter : and if it was performed with regularity by the appointed officers, they felt no want, no cause for self- reproach.
It had custom for its origin : " They feared the Lord, and served their own gods, after the manner of the nations who had carried Israel away captive from thence : U7ito this day they do after the former manners^.'" " So these nations feared the Lord, and served their graven images, both their children, and their children's children : as did their fathers, so did they unto this day ^." None of them inquired whether their views were right or wrong : they took for granted that the rehgion which they had received from their forefathers was right: and, if they only conformed themselves to that, they had nothing to fear.]
a ver. 24 — 41. ^ John iv. 22. " ver. 29 — 31.
^ ver. 32. ^ yer. 33, 34, marginal reading.
*" ver. 41.