The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-04-20

y =
The Heavenly Mansions.-Rev.. chaps. q.
y; Matt 25:s4; 1 Cor. 80; . Cor. All. 1S;
Sis; 1 John 81; Rev. 7:l5-17; Acts 2:le.
q. Comfort.-Isa. lo:l. 2. II; SIS. Ii H:
Y; eo:ls.11; Job s11i Psa- e The wsy.-
Acts 4:l2: Heb. lo:So; Exod. ssls; Prov.
II: l:1a
CRITICAL AND rxPosrroRY.
Jesus the Way to Comfort.--In or
der to understand the meaning of the
Arst verses Of this chapter II is neoes-
cary to remove the veil which covers
them by their sspurxtiun from chap.
10. Turn back to 10: 81. Jesus re-
veals to His disciples that He IL about
~ 60 away and leave them, and that
they cannot follow Him for the present.
Then Jesus proceeds to comfort them.
"Let not your heart be troubled" -
well It might be. "Ye believe in God,
believe also I'm Mel" The Greek verb has
the same form for the second plural
indicative and the imperative. The pas
sage may therefore mean. Ye believe in
God, and ye believe in Me, OF, Believe in
God and believe in Me, or Ye believe in
God, believe also in Me. All are right,
all are helpful in trouble.
Jesus tho Way to Our Fathers Home.
". 2. "Are many mansions" Dwelling
places. Not separate houses, but spe-
cial abodes in Gods great house. "The
image is derived from those vast ORR
entail palaces in which there is an abode
not only for the sovereign and the heir
to the throne, but also for all the sons of
the king, however numerous they may
be."-Godet. The term mansions" is de-
rived from the Greek verb meaning to
abide, and hence implies the idea of
abode, rest, stability, home.
v. 3. II will come again:" The verb
is in the present tense, I come again.
"Not to be limited to the Lords second
and glorious coming at the last day,
nor to any special coming, such as
Pentecost, though these are all includ-
ed in the expression; rather to be taken
of His continual coming and presence
by the Holy Spirit" "And
receive you:" Will receive. The verb
means taking along with. and also TAX
ing to the side Of.
v. s. "Thomas:" Not SO much the
doubter as the inquirer, one who must
see the reasons, who had not SO much
spiritual insight and intuition as many
of the others, but looked for tangible
proofs.
v. 6. The popularity Of the religion
of Jesus that distinguishes it from all
other religions is expressed in the
words: II am the way" There is some
truth in all great religions. There are
moral teachings in them, as pearls
among the seashore pebbles. There is
some light from Heaven in them, as a
candle in the night gives real light
though it is not the sun. "The truth"
Jesus Himself is the complete revela-
ton of God, and hence the sum and
substance of all truth, "in Whom are
hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge" (Col. 2:3). All the great
religious truths are found in Him.
Every great religion has its power in
some one truth, or more, on which 1t
is based. Find this central truth in
each great religion, and you will have
them all summed up in the highest de-
gree in Jesus Christ "And' the life:"
The source of life spiritual and eternal.
as He was the creator of natural life.
1t is only through impartation of spir-
itual life that one can understand God.
The stone or the tree cannot under
stand man. Only one who has the
life Of man can know man.
v. z. IF ye had known Me
known My Father" The English word
"known" represents two Greek words
in the better text, which are not identi-
cal in meaning: IF ye had recog-
nized Me, ye would have known Ny
Father"
". 10. "The Father that dwelleth in
Me-" ETC.: The better reading gives
the r. w., the Father abiding in Ne
doeth His works. The works of love
and Of power which Jesus did were the
works. Of the Father abiding in Him.
and revealed the Fathers love and
power.
". II. Note how often Jesus appeals
to His miracles as q proof and illustra-
ton of His nature and His mission.
v. 12. "The works that I dos" Works
Of healing, Of teaching, of turning men
from sin, Of bringing in the kingdom
Of God; His whole beneacent activity.
including His miracles. "Shall He do
also; and greater works than these
shall He do" After Christ's death.
and the atonement on the cross, and the
gift of the Holy Spirit, It was possible
for far more wondrous works to be done
than were possible before.
v. IS. "Whatsoever ye shall asks"
All that they needed for their great
work was ready for them. He drew.
~ II were, blank check. and they had