Whatever be the truth of the matter, the Saviour most graciously

allowed the new subject full scope, and the subsequent record made by John

has provided us with, perhaps, the most comprehensive statement as to the

nature of true worship that the New Testament contains.  The thought

uppermost in this woman's mind was the correct `place' where worship should

be offered.

`Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem

is the place where men ought to worship' (John 4:20).

As readers of the New Testament unconsciously adopt the attitude of the

Jew when thinking of the Samaritans, it may be useful to record a few

outstanding features concerning them, especially those bearing upon the

matter of worship.  The Samaritans had four basic tenets of belief:

That Jehovah alone is God.

That Moses alone is the Law -giver.

That the Torah (the five books of Moses) is the only divine Book,

Mount Gerizim is the only house of God.

The Samaritans observed the Sabbath and the rite of circumcision.  They

did not observe all the feasts of Israel, only Passover, Unleavened Bread,

and Pentecost; the rosh hashanah, the commencement of the civil year (Lev.

23:24); yom kippur, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

Mount Gerizim was the holy place in the estimation of the Samaritans, and was

spoken of with reverence, and always with some such title as `the house of

God', `the house of Jehovah', `the mountain of the world', `God's mountain',

`the Sanctuary', `the mountain of the Divine presence'.  We can perhaps the

better understand the words of the woman of Samaria when she said `our

fathers worshipped in this mountain'.  She had already claimed Jacob as her

`father' (John 4:12), and knew of the coming of the Messiah (John 4:25).

Before discussing the relative merits of Samaria and Jerusalem as the

`place' where worship should be offered, the Saviour set both aside by

`Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this

mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father' (John 4:21).

By so replying, the whole matter was raised to a higher plane.  It

would have been easy to have cited passages from the Old Testament to prove

that Jerusalem had been chosen by the Lord, but the Samaritan woman would

have refused to accept this authority, for her Bible consisted only of the

five books of Moses.  The Prophets and the Psalms were rejected by the

Samaritans.  Here, in the Lord's attitude, we have a divinely given method

when dealing with parallel problems.  Think of the interminable debates that

the introduction of `British Israelism' brings!  The erections built upon

such crazy foundations as berith -ish; of Isaac -son; of Union Jacks and

Gates of enemies!  Far simpler and more in line with the Saviour's attitude

is to turn at once to Philippians 3 there to see that an undoubted Israelite

discarded undoubted Israelitish blessings for the fulness to be found in

Christ.  This being so it is vain to tempt one who after all may not be an

Israelite to set aside such superlative blessings and to pick up those

discarded by Paul.  The same principle is true in dealing with such subjects

as the gift of tongues, the various modes of observing the Lord's supper, the