of my kingdom. In the hour of trial, only hold fast, that I did come from God, and that I am about to return to God.' Truly, the words of him who hath wisdom are as goads-fastened nails." They could not be forgotten by the disciples; and, if remembered, they were fitted to save, and we have no doubt did save, from absolute despair and apostacy, in the dreadful days and nights which were before them.

This second advantage which the apostles were to receive in consequence of Christ's going to the Father, is not, any more than the first, confined to them. It is the high privilege of all Christians, now that the Saviour is gone to the Father, that whatsoever they ask in the name of the Saviour, in the sense of these words, already explained, they shall certainly obtain. "This is the confidence," says the Apostle John, speaking in the name, not of his fellow-apostles merely, but of all Christians, "this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything 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." Their interest in the intercession of Christ and the love of the Father, is as real as that of the apostles. Christ makes intercession for them. "He who is with the Father is their advocate; and the Father himself loves them, because they have loved his Son, and have believed that he came forth from God." Should not Christians, then, love to pray, when they may have so much -everything really good for them-for the asking? Have we, brethren, little holiness-little comfort-little usefulness

1

-in comparison of what we might have, and ought to have? The cause is not far to seek. It is in ourselves. There is no indisposition in the Father to give it; there is no deficiency, either in atonement or intercession, on the part of the Son; no want of readiness to enlighten, and purify, and

11 John v. 14, 15.

strengthen, and console on the part of the Spirit. He is faithful who hath promised. He is ready to perform up to the full meaning of his engagement. The fountain cannot be exhausted-the channel cannot be obstructed. The cause is in ourselves. We have not, because we ask not, or because we ask amiss. It is because we do not open our mouths wide and take deep draughts of truth, and grace, and consolation, that we remain ignorant, and carnal, and unhappy. Ask in the name of Christ, and you shall assuredly obtain "exceeding abundantly, above all that you can ask or even think." Well may we say to Christians, in a sense somewhat different from that in which our Lord used the words to the apostles, "Hitherto ye have, in his name, asked nothing of the Father;" nothing in comparison of what you need—nothing in comparison of what he has promised—nothing in comparison of what he is ready to bestow-nothing in comparison of what others, who have been more instant in prayer and strong in faith, have obtained. "Hitherto ye have asked nothing." "Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full;" that you may "bring forth much fruit," and that the true vine, as well as its heavenly cultivator, may be glorified." "Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." "For if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children; how much more shall your Father in heaven give you good things, give you the Holy Spirit, if you ask him?" "But ask in faith," and that you may do so, ask in the name of Christ "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.” 2

1 Matth. vii. 7-11.

VOL. III.

? James i. 6, 7.

2 M

§ 4. The disciples' declaration of satisfaction with their Lord's explicatory remarks, and of confirmed faith in his

divine mission.

Let us now turn our attention to the disciples' expression of satisfaction with our Lord's explicatory remarks on the enigmatical declaration, which had so much perplexed them, and of their confirmed faith in his divine mission. The means, so indicative at once of wisdom and of kindness, employed by our Lord to rouse his disciples from the stupor of sorrow, in which his intimation that he was about to leave them had plunged them, and which had hindered all the consoling statements he had made from producing impression on, or even finding their way into, their minds, had in some measure served their purpose. They had excited in them such a degree of mental activity as enabled him to lodge in their minds some idea of the real state of the circumstances in which they were placed; and in their memories such statements as, when coming events gave them significance, might save them from entirely abandoning their confidence in him in that hour of extreme trial which was so near at hand. The enigma, "A little while, and ye shall not see me; and again a little while, and ye shall see me; because I go to the Father," by its utter unintelligibility had stirred their mind, awakened their curiosity, and excited an eager desire for information, though they were either too much ashamed, or too much afraid, to express this desire to their Master. "He," who "needed not that any should testify to him of man, for he knew what was in man," was better acquainted with what was going on within them, than they themselves were; and availed himself of this state of mind, which was just what he had intended to produce, for the purpose of strengthening their fainting faith in him, by showing them how thorough and intimate was his knowledge of them; and to impress on their minds certain facts which it was supremely

important that, in these present circumstances, they should be aware of, and awake to. He told them that events of a very painful kind, which would try their faith to the uttermost, were just about to take place; that the trial, though a sharp one, was not to be of long continuance, and was to be followed by a state of solid permanent enjoyment,—a state, the leading characteristics of which should be clear, extended, satisfactory views of divine truth, and the ready and certain attainment of every needful blessing from the Father, who loved them, in answer to prayer made to him in the name of the Son.

These statements, though not plainer than a great deal of what he had said in the previous part of the discourse, viewed alongside of the enigma, seemed perspicuous. A ray of light, as it were, beamed athwart the darkness of their bewildered minds and sorrowful hearts. They had a perception, though an indistinct one, of the meaning of the Saviour's words, and they strongly felt the force of the evidence he was giving them of his divine mission, in the manifestation of his supernatural knowledge of the inmost and most carefully concealed workings of their minds. It is beautiful to observe the power of saving truth, even when but dimly discerned, to tranquillise the mind. As Calvin finely says, "the disciples did not understand fully the meaning of Christ's discourse; but though they were not capable of this, the mere odour of it refreshed them." All was not now dark and comfortless to them, their knowledge was somewhat increased, their faith was greatly confirmed. They understood something, they thought they understood more than they did, and they felt that their failing faith was re-established.

This state of thought and feeling found utterance in the words recorded in the twenty-ninth and thirtieth verses, "Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we be

lieve that thou camest forth from God." The right interpretation of the words, "Lo, now thou speakest plainly, and speakest no proverb," depends on the reference of the word "now." Some suppose that "now" is to be understood with a reference to our Lord's words, "the time cometh ;' and that the words of the apostles are a denial of what their Lord had said, "These things have I spoken to you in proverbs: " as if they had said, 'Even now, thou speakest plainly, thou speakest no proverb: thou under-ratest equally the perspicuity of thy teaching, and our perspicacity in apprehending its meaning. We do understand your declarations—they are not proverbs to us-we want no other teacher.' This, however, comports very ill with the reverence with which, amid all their weakness, they were accustomed to treat the declarations of their Lord, and with their felt and often expressed difficulty of comprehending his sayings. It is far more natural to suppose that "now" is contrasted with the immediate past, when he had uttered his enigmatical declaration. It is as if they had said, 'It is most true that, very lately, thou didst speak to us in proverbs. We did not know what thou saidst. We could attach no distinct ideas to thy declarations. But now the riddle is solved; these are plain words, and understanding them, we understand it. We did not understand that; we do understand this. We did not understand thee then; we do understand thee now.'

The disciples were quite sincere in this declaration-it was perfectly true in their consciousness; but it was only within certain and not very wide limits, a declaration of the actual truth. They understood something of what he had said, but there was very much in his words which they did not understand. They had been in utter darkness, so that they saw nothing; they were now sensible that there was light,—they saw something, and they concluded, somewhat rashly, that they saw everything plainly. They could scarcely fail to understand this much, that they were just on the eve of a