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Cl -155
WHAT IS IT TO WORSHIP?
Read after a
meeting for
Silent Worship,
in the
Memorial Hall, Manchester, 3d Sept. 1871.
R. MARIA SIMPSON.
PUBLISHED BY THOMAS SCOTT,
MOUNT PLEASANT, RAMSGATE.
Price Threepence.
�-'
■
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�PREFACE.
“Speech is silvern, silence is golden.”
TT has generally been supposed that the Society of
Friends was unlike other sects, in that it had
no defined creed. This is either a mistake, or the
Society has changed its principles. A member was
lately cut off, because he did not believe some doctrines
which are considered essential by those who represent
the governing power of the body. Others have in
consequence withdrawn themselves from it, but meet
after the manner of “ Friends,” for silent worship,
during which any of the company is free to speak in
prayer or preaching. Afterwards, all have an op
portunity to discuss any matter, whether of practice,
or theory, that interests them. At one of these
after-meetings the following paper was read : several
of the company wished to have it printed, thinking
it expressed their views.
I have often thought, while reading T. Scott's
Tracts, and kindred works, that the general dissatis
faction with Liturgies and forms of prayer cannot be
allayed by changes in these alone, while the essential
■*-
�4
Preface.
faults of the system are retained. I may be still pre
judiced in favour of the sect in which I had a birth
right, and which I have only just left, but I cannot see
anything better than a basis of silence for the meet
ings of the church of the future. To engage attention
as to the practical working out of these ideas, this
paper may be useful.
�WHAT IS IT TO WORSHIP?
THINK we were speaking of some minor arrange
ment, with regard to the use of this room, when
I undertook to write this paper. It may seem at
first to wander far from the subject, but this is in
order that my reasons for what I would say, may be
understood.
It is frequently asserted that people who differ
greatly in their religious belief, cannot rightly
worship together. I think this assertion is a result
•of 'wrong ideas about worshipping ; and I have tried
here to set down my own views on this point—
■“ What is it to Worship ?■”
It is this—to be willingly subject to a power
-superior to self, superior to everything self can per
ceive. To have the whole of our existence in
harmony with whatever self can perceive of the way
in which the superior power acts, or causes action.
To observe, and carefully reason upon such acts, in
order to discover their principle ; and thenceforward
to let that be eur principle, wherever our will appears
free : assured that it must be the one principle in all
■other cases.
Some believe that the superior power is a Being
whom they call God, and who, as they believe,
privately instructed men a long time ago to write,
or tell to other men his laws, with such a descrip
tion of his nature that thereby he could be imitated,
I
�6
What is it to Worship f
or obeyed. Those who imitate or obey, believe that
they thereby worship the greatest power existing.
Others believe the power to be constantly mani
fested in the nature of all mankind, in all the arts
and sciences, in all the natural processes of mental
and material development. And, thinking that com
plete knowledge would show all the apparent
diversities of things to be harmonious, and there
fore right, these also being consciously and willingly
in harmony, worship the supreme power, though
often without knowing by what name to express it.
They are like those wise Athenians who erected
their altar “ to the unknown God.” They acknow
ledge that power beyond that of human beings,
beyond their action and comprehension, exists, and
the deepest wisdom of the present and past ages
unite to aver, that power is good. Good and God
appear to be almost identical words. So it seems
those, who endeavour to make their whole lives
good, are worshippers of good or of God ; we may
express the same fact in either way.
I think the men who joined George Fox in his
seeking for truth, were right in supposing that
worship was a feeling of the soul; a desire for, and
reaching out unto God, quite distinct from any use
of words or actions.
Also, I think, they had perceived a grand truth
when they announced that the Almighty, who had
created the spirits of men, had made it possible for
all those spirits, that is, for each individual spirit, to
communicate with the Creator. This truth does not
apply only to those who are acquainted with it; it
reaches also to those who have the most vague and
imperfect notions as to the power they desire to
worship, and as to the nature and benefit of a
worshipping effort.
In the earlier ages, the idea seems to have been
general, that gifts of a part of a man’s property,
�What is it to Worship ?
7
were to be occasionally offered to God by being
entrusted to those who, calling themselves priests,
undertook to interpret between mortals and im
mortals. A very gradual change had been developing
some minds out of this feeling, when the early Friends
found many to unite in their views.
Now, some think that, all we have, or do, or are,
is due and owing to God j and can no more be given
to him by us, than heat could be bestowed on the
sun by any fire we could kindle. Devotion, there
fore, does not consist in giving part of our goods to
a representative God; but in spending the whole of
our lives in accordance with his will. His will, that
is revealed by the course of natural events, and in
the best thoughts of every human being. The ex
perience of many shows that a man’s best thoughts
can be most readily perceived in complete solitude,
or in silence in a crowd, when usual occupations are
set aside for a time.
It is obvious that if worship be a feeling towards
God, an intention or desire in the soul to do his will,
it can be exercised in solitude. But it is also found
that when a number of people meet for a common
purpose many are strongly helped by the feeling of
fellowship in aim. Men like to act in communities,
and where more intense feeling is aroused, more in
tense effort is the result.
So the early “ Friends of Truth” met, to seek
silently after God, with the intent to obey him. The
more energetic, or more spiritual, who became the
leaders, felt themselves compelled to do or to avoid
certain things, and taught the rest that the spirit of
God must lead in that direction. Gradually this
loosened their grasp of truth, thinking that those
who differed, were not lead by the right spirit.
Thence arose the difficulty of worshipping together.
Not content with asking, Do we in a similar mode
seek help for our guidance? “Friends” have asked
�8
What is it to Worship ?
■—Do we believe the same tenets 1—Do we uphold
the same testimonies ?—Do we adopt the same forms ?
—and when no, is the answer to all these, they have
decided, in such case, we cannot worship together.
But, with the wider interpretation of what it is to
worship, I believe this difficulty would never be felt;
and that no form of government is wanted, no
limitation of tolerance needed, and no especial name
required, when people wish to meet in a room to
commune with, or worship their creator, and to feel
the influence of the sympathy of others. Having a
room cared for by respectable residents, paid for on
some simple system enabling all who wish to do so
to share in the cost, we should meet, knowing that
we were not responsible for the conduct of any one
of the company, except in that mutual regard for the
general comfort, influencing civilized people who
meet for any other temporary association; such as
travelling in one carriage, or doing business in one
exchange.
I think this social courtesy would suffice to prevent
any such disturbance of our comfort, as we have any
right to strive to exempt ourselves from ; and that if
we are to be free, we must beware of any other
restrictions, though we may have to suffer slight
inconvenience occasionally, during our meetings.
The meeting for public worship is but a small part
of a man’s religious life; and should not be raised
into undue importance.
TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.
�
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Victorian Blogging
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Title
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What is it to worship?
Creator
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Simpson, R. Maria
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: Ramsgate
Collation: 8 p. ; 18 cm.
Notes: Read after meeting for Silent Worship, in the Memorial Hall, Manchester 3d Sept. 1871. From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Printed by Turnbull and Spears, Edinburgh.
Publisher
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Thomas Scott
Date
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[n.d.]
Identifier
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CT155
Subject
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Religious practice
Prayer
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<img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /><br /><span>This work (What is it to worship?), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
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application/pdf
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Text
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English
Conway Tracts
Faith
Worship