Arthur Hildersham (1563-1631) was a shining light in the puritan party, and celebrated for his exemplary learning and piety as a minister of Jesus Christ.

This work is an abridged version of Arthur Hildersham’s 1000-page commentary on the fourth chapter of John. It has been prayerfully edited to its current size so that not only will readers have a chance to handle a manageable book on worship by this exemplary puritan, but also that they might focus on the most proper teachings by Hildersham concerning Christ’s Directives on the Nature of True Worship.

From John 4:23-24, Hildersham explains what worship is, how worship is to be done in spirit and truth, how the Father seeks worshippers (and for what reason), and how God’s prescription is eternally relevant in true worship for Christ’s New Covenant church. Hildersham carefully explains Christ’s teaching to the inquiring Samaritan woman on true worship against false worship, and he shows how worship should be practically applied under the Messiah’s rule. Essentially, Hildersham is teaching the Regulative Principle of Worship, that God alone determines the way sinners are to approach him. Yet, these are, in fact, Christ’s directives on the theological and practical nature of God’s worship.

This little book is most relevant for the church in our day today. In considering what true worship should be as it is prescribed by God, Hildersham will call all other forms of false worship as “worshipping devils”, for at the end of the day one must not simply pick what they want to practice in worship and have peace with that, but uphold the directives and prescriptions of what God has laid down in his word constituting the worship that is both in spirit and in truth. Hildersham will vividly demonstrate from John 4, from Christ’s directives, that false worship is to be rejected, and that no one can have peace with God in idolatry, even if they are earnest in it. For idolatry is a rejection of worship in spirit and truth.

This work is not a scan or facsimile, has been carefully transcribed by hand being made easy to read in modern English, and has an active table of contents for electronic versions.