edification, for that of the church, and for the salvation of the world—they have only, in believing prayer for promised blessings, to make their requests known-and the Son will do it, that the Father may be glorified in him.

It is a foolish delusion to suppose that a man has only to work himself up to an expectation that God will hear his prayer, in order to obtain anything he wishes for. But it is a most plainly revealed truth, that believing prayer for promised blessings-especially believing prayer for what is necessary to the advancement of the kingdom of God, in the Christian and around him-is sure of being answered; and that the little progress that that kingdom makes within us and around us, is either "because we ask not, or because we ask amiss." "The Lord is nigh to them that call on him, to all that call on him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them who fear him; he will also hear their cry, and will save them." "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." "Ask," says our Lord on another occasion, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened." "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father in heaven give good things"-give the Holy Spirit" to those who ask him?" The Apostle John, after a long life, bears this testimony to the faithfulness of his Lord-"Whatsoever we ask, we receive it of him. And this is the confidence which we have in him, that whatsoever we ask according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." "If any man lack wisdom," says the Apostle James, " let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Let

not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." 1

What an encouragement to hope in prayer is the consideration that the glory of God is concerned in the answering the believing prayers of his people! Christ the Son is engaged in promoting the glory of the Father; and he cannot do this more effectually than in hearing the prayers, and satisfying the desires, and supplying the wants, of his people. Our Father in heaven is glorified in the holiness and happiness of his children; and how delightful to think that Jesus, who died for us, is the depository and dispenser of all blessings to us! I will do it: "Ask," says he, "and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." "Hitherto ye have asked nothing." 2 We are not straitened in him, however we may be straitened in ourselves. He is "a sun and a shield; he will give grace and glory; and no good thing will he withhold" from his believing, desiring, praying people. He will bestow blessings on his poor petitioners, till there is no room to receive. "Open, then, your mouths wide, that he may fill them." Praise him for his munificence—trust in his promises. Let your supplications daily

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be presented in his name before the throne of God, and look for an answer. If you pray in sincerity and faith, you shall not pray in vain. Oh that we were but as desirous of receiving as ready to receive-the blessings of his salvation, as He is to bestow them!

VI.-KEEPING CHRIST'S COMMANDMENTS A TRUE MANIFESTATION OF LOVE TO HIM.

JOHN XIV. 15.—" If ye love me, keep my commandments."

There is an abruptness in these words, an apparent want of connection both with what precedes and with what

James iv. 3. Psal. xxxiv. 15, 17; cxlv. 18, 19. James v. 16. Matth. vii. 7-11. 1 John v. 14, 15, James i. 5-7.

2 John xvi. 23, 24.

follows them, that, at the first glance, must strike every attentive reader. They occur in the midst of a number of consolatory considerations, suggested by our Lord to abate the extreme trouble of heart which the intimation of the near approach and painful accompaniments of his departure from his apostles had produced,-considerations admirably fitted, all of them, to answer this benignant purpose.

Previously to his uttering these words, he had told them that he was going home to his Father's "house of many mansions," that his object in going thither was to prepare a residence for them there, and that when the arrangements were completed he would return, and take them all along with him, to dwell with him and his and their Father, for ever in these heavenly mansions. He had further assured them that the power of working miracles, which they had derived from him, was not to be withdrawn from them at his departure, and that they, in consequence of his departure, were to be enabled to do things which, in magnitude and importance, should far transcend any miraculous works, whether performed by him or by them.

And then, immediately after uttering the words before us, he proceeds to assure them that though they were to be deprived of the bodily presence of him who had been their instructor, their monitor, their keeper, their guide, their comforter for all these ideas are folded up in the word paraclete,"1 rendered by our translators, here, "comforter," and in the first Epistle by John "advocate"-he would in the spirit of truth send them another instructor, and monitor, and helper, and guide, and comforter, who should more than compensate for the loss of his bodily presence, teaching them all things, leading them into all truth, bringing all things to their remembrance, and remaining with them for ever.

It is just in the midst of these most appropriate and powerfully consolatory considerations, which naturally ru n

Η παράκλητος.

into each other, that the words of our text are, abruptly, to a reader unexpectedly, introduced, " If ye love me, keep my commandments." When we call up to our minds the whole circumstances in the scene in the upper chamber after supper, the abruptness, which at first surprises, is seen to be in the highest degree natural, and "the golden words" before us will appear as full of consolation as of instruction, as expressive of benignity as of wisdom.

Sorrow had filled the hearts of the disciples, filled them to an overflow-so filled them, that at present there was no room in them for other thoughts and feelings. Our Lord's exceeding great and precious promises seem to have made no sensible impression. They could not then receive them. They could not realise future good. They only felt that, about to lose their Lord, they were very miserable. Our Lord witnessed, with tender sympathy, but not with entire approbation, their deep distress, their sad countenances, their deep-drawn sighs, their silent tears. He saw in them genuine symptoms of a genuine love, and with his characteristic wisdom, he appeals to the right affection for the purpose of checking what was wrong in its manifestation. It is as if he had said-'I am sensible of your affection to me I never doubted it-I see it now very distinctly expressed but there is a better way of showing your affection for me than this. If ye love me manifest your love, not by inconsolable regrets for my necessary departure, but by compliance with the injunctions I have laid on you.1 "Let not your hearts be troubled: believe in God, believe in me; watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation." Take heed that ye be not offended in me this night. That were a proof of your affection to me, which would give me far more satisfaction, and bring you more relief, and in yielding which you would give vent to your affectionate feelings, and thus find consolation and peace.'

"Ne luctu ostendite amorem, sed obedientia."-GROTIUS.

This seems the direct reference of our Lord's words, which, however, express the general truths, that obedience to him is the best proof of love; and that this manifestation of love is one of the best ways of obtaining an alleviation of the sorrow produced by his departure.

The case admits of easy illustration from a somewhat parallel one, of no rare occurrence in this world of bereavement and sorrow. A venerated parent, a beloved brother,

a friend that sticketh closer than a brother," is stretched on the bed of suffering, soon, obviously soon, to be the bed of death. The affectionate relatives stand around in deep speechless sorrow. The eye soon about to be closed in the darkness of death, beaming with a more than natural brightness, rests benignantly on them, and the voice soon to drop for ever into silence, in feeble but distinct accents thanks them for all the proofs of their love, and for this last one also, but requests them to show their regard to him, by habitually living under the influence of that truth, which it had been his most earnest desire to impress on their hearts. And would not compliance with that request be the best proof of their affection-would it not give unmixed satisfaction to their departed sainted relative were he made aware of it, and would they not in this mode of expressing love for their departed relation, sooner and better, than in any other way, rise above the bitterness of the unavailing regrets occasioned by their bereavement? 1

1

Oh, how full of wisdom, how full of grace, are the words of our Lord! How kind is he in his reproofs, how considerate in his kindness! He knows our frames-he remembers we are dust. He tells his sorrowing disciples that the acceptable way of expressing affection for him, was not by regretful musings on his departure and their loss, but by active diligence in obeying his commandments, and doing their duty-intimating, though obscurely, what he

1 Brown Patterson.