Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-08-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR AUG.
20, tss6-LEssoN NINTH. .za

row Passages on sTO0S Woru nave been
more loved than the words of our lesson.
Life has been called q 1vale of tears" Young
eyes looking on life cannot see this, but there
comes time when illness, poverty, bereave-
ment and expected death fill the hearS with
trouble. Then the best and dearest help is
the Son Of God saying, SLet not your heart
be troubled" The teacher win naturally
recall the scene; the supper instituted, his
death realized, Judas gone out, Peter warned,
ell the company subdued and sorrowfni, and
Jesus passing over his own coming sufferings
thinking Of the sorrow OF his friends This
consolation given by Jesus to the disciples in
view Of the shock it would be to them to have
him quit them Is made dOubly valazble by
the questions of Thomas and Philip and the
answers to them. They speak for Us, IS it
were, and the replies they get make the truth
more clear and precise 90 US
First we look at the direct comfort. v, L
Their hearts might well be troubled SWhat
is to come of our hopesi What shall we do
Il he goes awayi Whittier shall we turn?
We have quilted all for hin-he has been
everything to US Now, in presence Of all
the enemies he and we have made, how desc
late we shall bel We staked all on him and
all is lost" This Is just what they thought
when he was buried, as we see in Luke xiv,
81. SBut we trusted that it had been he
which should have redeemed Israeli No
wonder that they were sad" as they talked
over the past luke xiv, ~. he bids them
keep the trouble away from their hearts.
They had general faith in God. Like devout
Hebrews believing the Scriptures they be-
heved in Gods power to protect and fulfill
his promises. Now he says, "Believe also in
me-" For
o. God had testified to him by miracles
and voices from heaven John Xii, 2S, and by
the fulflment of prophecy in him luke xiv,
-.
9 He came to do Gods win, as his ambas-
sador and representative; God was behind
him, and would make good all that he said in
the divine name.
C9 He was himself divine This IS brought
out later Tvs. 10, III, and will be explained.
How much depends on befievingl
V. 2. They would be friendless and home
less here below, but Hin my fathers house are
many mansionsn-a word we get from the
Latin and meaning, not rich, separate resi-
dences, but abiding places las in the margin
of the revisionl. He would not have drawn
them after him if they were to be unpro-
vided for. He was leaving them, as they
knew to their grief, but it was to prepare q
place for them. He opened the door into
heaven; he brought in the Righteousness that
gave a title to it; ne entered as their fore
runner Hebrews vi, 1920. These three
things are included The @Fatheris house. is
one figure; others ere "city' Hebrews H,
10-19 and "within the vail" Hebrews vi, 10,
9O.
" Q proves that he thought of the apre-
and ascension "If l do this, will come
again" This Is the second advent, many as
poets Of which we too much neglect. You
shall not be forgotten or orphans. 'I viii re-
ceive you," ETC. Acts i, IL Will show how
this was believed. Paul sets this truth before
the Colossians (Colossians iii, A.. Revelations
Iii, 81 should be examined in this connection.
V. l. He had always told them of this, and
now recalls it. His death, the mode of it,
and the ends to be served, had all been an
nounced. He no doubt meant to draw them
out by these words.
v s. Thomas was slow. See John TX, "a,
26. He was, moreover, possibly agitated- So
he takes up the Masters words, "How can we
know the wayl" 1t is likely that the en-
phasis is to be on 1--WE" The Revision reads in
v. 4, whittier go ye know the way" Thomas
took it that they were to follow him and be
with him; but how could they do that If they
did not know whittier he was goingl This
explains the answer of our Lord in
V. 6, 1To go Thomas, into my Fathers
house is to go by me, for 1 am the way" etc.
In Christ, we are in the way; not in him, we
are out of the way. In Christ, we are in the
truth; out of him, we are in deadly error. In
Christ, we are in the life; out of him, we are
still dead iIssins. This rule is absolute. mo
man cometh unto the Father, but by mo-"
See on this John K, 9; viii, 30; Eph. Ii, IS;
Actsiv, IL
V. z Is not so clear until we have thought
it ever Christ was the image, in feeling and
character of the Father. If they had known
1. g., fully comprehended-him they would
have comprehended the Father, and the way
to his house, which it was needful to provide,
but they would Hfrom henceforth"-i e., not
from that moment, but from the time-near
at hand-when the Comforter would come,
sent by Christ, and reveal the Father. See
VS. 1917, 90
Now we come to Philips request. He
seems to have been "matter-of-fact' See
John vi, q in the turn of his mind. Hence
his words,
". 8, Lord, shew US the Father, and it
sufficeth US, will be enough for US, will salts
fly us. Now we may think of the Father in
two respects: Q In his nature, the invisible
God, and 9 in his attributes. The former
none could see John i, 49,; the latter Jesus
had shown, and Philip might well be gently
blamed - reproached mildly here - for not
knowing this. Hence the words
V. 81, He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father" So the Master said In John Xii, Is.
There are three persons in the God-head. 1t
II. C,~l l.. Ill.
of him in heaven, the Son when we think of
him on earth, and the Holy Ghost when we
think of him as dwelling in US. II this were
SO there would be no sense in Jesus on earth
praying to the Father, or being deserted or
forsaken by him, or sanding the Holy Spirit
(See Eph. il, 1s, again. The mode Of three in
One we do not know; the facts are strongly
asserted and applied in Scripture Matt.
xviii, 1g.
V. TO- The "in" of this verse relates to feel
ing, character and purpose. This is shown
by the second and third clauses, l speak the
words he would have spoken, and do the
deeds he approves. Entire unity of aim Is the
point stated. They need not be afraid of
finding the Father in anywise different from
the Son. An agent may make promises
which the principal will not own or be bound
by; but it cannot be so here
VII. The first element Of comfort ". u
is in believing. The remedy for Philips
weakness is in the same direction, believe"
Faith admits of extension. Hence the need
of getting moro knowledge. And it admits
of increase CALord increase our faith, Luke
xvii, s.. The works Jesus had done in teaching
and saving men, rather than miracles, proved
his oneness with the Father, as he had ex-
planned before John v, S6). This leads on to
another point: am one in mind with God
and do his works. You will become one in mind
with me and do my works, as in V. 12
Strange as 1t may sesm, they would even do
more than he did. This does not refer to
miracles, but to spiritual results. There never
was Psntecost in his ministry.
V. 13 And es part Of this oneness with
him prayer would be eRsctual They would
ask things according to his mind, and he
would grant them. This glorifes the Father,
who grants, as promised, what believers ask
in Jesus name.
v. Il To make this confidence strong land
how weak 1t commonly is in discipleSD the
Master repeats and emphasizes "if ye," etc.
Prayer is not dictation to God, nor demand
of right II is submission to Him. 1t asks
with qualification like this: 'If this is right