"Then to be acceptable to God, the worship must be according to His known mind about it."
"Yes, of course, mother."
"Then listen, dear Guy; 'God is a Spirit, and they that warship Him, must worship in spirit and in truth.' Whatever would interfere with the exercise of spirit, by interesting or attracting the senses, is an intrusion on the sanctity and exclusiveness of spiritual worship. It is not with eye or ear, but with heart, soul, and conscience, that God communes in His worshippers. He does not say, 'I dwell in gorgeous temples, or on decorated altars;' but, on the contrary, He 'dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything;' yet He has a dwelling-place on earth, and where?
"The prophet tells us, 'Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, I dwell in the high and holy place, with him, also, that is of a contrite and humble spirit.' That is the true invocation of the Divine presence, be it where it may—in a cathedral or a barn; the external scene has nothing to do with it. God's 'high and holy place' is a name for His eternal presence in sovereign majesty; and from it, He bends in pardoning love to meet and bless the repentant sinner."
"But, mother, do you think it may be more acceptable to God, more like apprehending His perfections, if we ask Him to meet and bless us in beautiful buildings, and among objects that we value and admire?"
"No, my dear Guy, it is not really so, however some imagine it. If man were perfect again, it might be so; but experience proves the fact that in proportion to the increase of external appliance and ornament in the worship of the professing Church, was the decrease of spiritual religion and practical godliness in heart and life, and the growth of those corruptions which made what men called Christianity, a scandal and disgrace to Europe.
"It is only the spirit-taught soul and consecrated heart that can offer acceptable worship through the Great High Priest; and when men took upon themselves to do it in their own way, and according to their own sensuous ideas of beauty and acceptability, they had to find their offerings turn to corruption, and their boasted improvements become abuses. The main reason was to be found in the neglect of the Bible, the only true standard of faith and holiness.
"'The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple,' was the experience of man; and the fact was observed by man's great enemy; therefore to hide away God's words, and pre-occupy the mind with human superstitions, alike served Satan's end and the ambition of those who aimed at the subjugation of the minds and consciences of their fellow sinners, and the enjoyment of the Diotrephes spirit which assumes the blasphemous authority of a priestly medium between God and man. Keep close to God's Holy Word, dear Guy, and you will escape the snares of mere formal religion, as well as of false teachers, however plausible both may be."
"But yet, mother, we know that when Moses was being instructed about the Tabernacle, God actually inspired the work-people to do the beautiful things that were required, as if no human skill could be perfect enough."
"Quite true. No human idea could reach the occasion; for do you not remember what that Tabernacle was to represent? It was to be made after 'the pattern' shown to Moses in 'the Mount;' this is carefully recorded several times. * And what was that 'pattern'? However 'shown,' whether by word or by illustration, it was nothing less than the dealing of God in Christ with man in redemption and salvation. Such a plan could never have been conceived by human intellect, and it required Divine teaching to embody Divine truth in such type and symbol, or figure, as should concentrate attention on the object to be represented."