joy that which was matter of grief, shall become matter of spiritual improvement and rejoicing; the very means of advancing our good and happiness : good shall be brought out of evil; the affliction itself be made a blessing: the cloud will drop in fruitful showers, of grace and benediction; the cloud itself, when dispersed by the sun of Righteousness, will be beautified with His glory. And the believer's joy is lasting the world's joy soon turns to sorrow; the world's light to darkness; but the light and joy, which Jesus gives, are ever shining and increasing "more and more unto the perfect day." LECTURE LIX. Jesus had been comforting the mourning apostles with the promise of appearing again, after He was taken from them; of appearing for a little while in person, and afterwards by the manifestation of the Comforter; now He proceeds to inform them of further particulars. CHAP. XVI. 23. 23. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. 24. Hitherto Matt. 7.7. have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. ་ Hitherto, all their wants had been directly made known to Jesus Himself; they had asked every thing of Him. He now tells them, that in future they should ask every thing through Him. He was going to heaven, to take upon Himself the gracious office of Mediator, through whom their prayers were to be offered, and by whom they were to be presented, to the Father. They should thus receive the gifts of the Spirit, to increase and complete their joy. 25. These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father. "In proverbs," in dark speeches, in words. not so clear. Jesus saw it necessary, that the real nature of Himself and His kingdom should be unfolded by degrees; and therefore He sometimes spake in terms not plainly understood at the time, but to be opened and extended. afterwards. 26. At that day ye shall ask in my name : and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: 27. For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. Our Lord's meaning may be this: When I say that all your prayers must be presented by Me, and that I shall intercede for you, I do not imply that the Father is unwilling to benefit and bless you; that I must pray in order to dispose Him favourably towards you; for He loveth you as I do: but ye must approach Him through Me. 28. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. There can be no doubt, that Jesus spoke of His coming forth from the Father in the same sense as He spoke of going to the Father; therefore He was with the Father before He came into this world. 29. His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb. 30. Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God. The apostles felt satisfied with what Jesus had said respecting His absence and return for a little while, and what He would afterwards do for them. But they had not ventured to ask Him for this explanation, as appears from ver. 19. Since therefore Jesus knew their thoughts and wishes, and had satisfied them without enquiry, they declared that He knew all things, and needed not to be asked: and therefore they also profess their belief in Him as coming from God. 31. Jesus answered them, Do ye now be lieve? 32. Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every Matt. 26.31. man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me. "Unto his own" means "unto his own house," as we find from Chap. xx. 10. The apostles went to their homes, to resume their employments it appears that not one of them was even at the cross save John. Thus were fulfilled the words of Zechariah, "Smite the shepherd zech, 13. 7. and the sheep shall be scattered." Is. 9. 6, 7. 33. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace, knowing Eph.2.14,17. them beforehand. In the world ye shall have Col. 1. 20. tribulation, trouble: but be of good cheer; 2 Tim. 3. 12. I have overcome the world. The victory was as sure, as if it had been already won Jesus had so far conquered, and the conquest would soon be complete. Rom. 8.37 1 John 4. 4. The How great is our encouragement to prayer! Spirit, teaching us what to pray for as we ought; Christ, the prevailing Mediator and Intercessor, offering our prayers for acceptance at the throne of grace; and the Father, for the sake of that "beloved Son in whom He is well pleased," ready to shower down upon us all the benefits and blessings we can ask, all that He sees for our real interest and good: truly these considerations may well lead us to pray and if, after all, we will not ask, we cannot expect to have; we deserve to be deprived of that mercy and favour which we refuse or neglect to implore. The Lord, it is true, knoweth all our necessities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking" those things which are best for us: but we pray, nevertheless, because He has commanded us; and to shew our entire dependence upon His wisdom and power, His goodness and love. And thus relying upon Him in humble faith, we shall be led to ask, more and more, such things as are expedient for us. And though He may sometimes deny us, for a season, even such things as it is proper and good for us to ask; and may seem to be leaving us unassisted and alone in the midst of our trials and our earnest expectations of help; yet we are not alone. The assurance with which Jesus, our great surety, was comforted, may at all times be ours also; “I am not alone, because the Father is with me." However left in the world, we cannot be deserted as our Lord was: and leave us who may, we have Him to lean upon, as our Friend and Protector. Whatever storms may rage without, He will give us peace within however downcast or dispirited we may be in tribulation, He will bid us be of good cheer. He has overcome the world; all its dangerous smiles, and all its terrible frowns; sorrow and pain and death, and satan the author of all. Christ hath gotten Himself the victory; and "thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory also through our Lord Jesus |