Judas fell never to rise again, while Peter fell, but re- pented, and was restored, the reason of the difference lay under those words of Christ to Peter, " I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.". (Luke xxii. 32.)
The true servant of Christ ought to lean back his soul on the truth before us, and take comfort in it. It is one of the peculiar privileges and treasures of a be- liever, and ought to be well known. However much it may be wrested and abused by false professors and hypocrites, it is one which those who really feel in themselves the workings of the Spirit should hold firmly and never let go. Well says the judicious Hooker, — " No man's condition so safe as ours : the prayer of Christ is more than sufiicient both to strengthen us, be we never so weak ; and to overthrow all adversary power, be it never so strong and potent." (" Hooker's Sermons." Nisbet's edit., 1834, p. 171.)
We learn, for another thing, in these verses, that CJirist does not wish His believing people to he taken out of the iGorld^ hut to he heptfrom the evil of it.
We need not doubt that our Lord's all-seeing eye detected in the hearts of His disciples an impatient de- sire to get away from this troubled world. Few in number and weak in strength, surrounded on every side by enemies and persecutors, they might well long to be released from the scene of conflict, and to go home. Even David had said in a certain place, " Oh, that I had wings like a dove, then would I flee away and be at rest ! " (Psalm Iv. 6.) Seeing all this, our Lord has wisely placed on record this part of His prayer for the perpetual benefit of His Church. He has taught us the great lesson that He thinks it better for His peo- ple to remain in the world and be kept from its evil, than to be taken out of the world and removed from the presence of evil altogether.
184: EXPOsrroKY thoughts.
Kor is it difficult on reflection to see the wisdom of our Lord's mind about His people, in this as in every thing else. Pleasant as it might be to flesh and blood to be snatched away from conflict and temptation, we may easily see that it would not be profitable. How could Christ's people do any good in the world, if taken away from it immediately after conversion ? — How could they exhibit the power of grace, and make proof of faith, and courage, and patience, as good soldiers of a crucified Lord ? — How could they be duly trained for heaven, and taught to value the blood and intercession and patience of their Redeemer, unless they purchased their experience by suffering ? — Questions like these ad- mit of only one kind of answer. To abide here in this vale of tears, tried, tempted, assaulted, and yet kept from falling into sin, is the surest plan to promote the sancti- fication of Christians, and to glorify Christ. To go to heaven at once, in the day of conversion, would doubt- less be an easy course, and would save us much trouble. But the easiest course is not always the path of duty. He that would win the crown must carry the cross, and show himself light in the midst of darkness, and salt in the midst of corruption. " If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him." (2 Tim. ii. 11.)
If we have any hope that we are Christ's true dis- ciples, let us be satisfied that Christ knows better than we do what is for our good. Let us leave " our times in His hand," and be content to abide here patiently as long as He pleases, however hard our position, so l6ng as He keeps us from evil. That He will so keep us we need not doubt, if we ask Him, because He prays that we may be " kept." Nothing, we may be sure, glorifies grace so much as to live like Daniel in Babylon, and the saints in Nero's household, — in the world and yet not of the world, — tempted ou every side and yet con-
JOHN, CHAP. xvn. 185
querors of temptation, not taken out of the reach of evil and yet kept and preserved from its power.
Notes. John xvii. 9 — 16.
9. — {1 pray for them, etc. etc.] In tins verse our Lord begins that part of His prayer which is specially intercessory, and pro- ceeds to name things which He asks for His disciples, from this point down to the end of the chapter. It may be convenient to remember that the things He asks may be divided under four heads. He prays that His disciples may be (a) kept, {b) sancti fied, (c) united, (d) and be with Him in glory. Four more im- portant things cannot );e desired for believers.
To say, as some have said, that our Lord's intercessory prayer is an exact specimen of what He does in heaven as our High Priest, is straining: a point, and going too far. To suppose that the Son literally asks things of the Father by prayer in heaven, is in my judgment unreasonable, and a very limited, narrow view of Christ's intercession. We are reading a prayer made by our Lord during the time of His earthly ministry, before His ascension and session at God's right hand ; and we are not reading an account of what He does for us, as our Priest, within the veil. Let it suffice us to believe that the intercession of this chapter exhibits accurately Christ's mind toward believers. His desires for believers, the active interest He takes in believers, and the graces He would fain see in believers. Above all, let us believe that if we seek for ourselves the same four things that Jesus here names, we have a Friend in heaven who will take care that we do not seek in vain and will make our prayer eflFectual.
There are two interpretations of our Lord's meaning, when He speaks of praying for the disciples, and " not praying for the world."
Some, as Bengel and Alford, think that our Lord meant, "At this present moment I pray specially for my disciples, and not for the world." They will not admit that our Lord does not pray and intercede in any way for the wicked and unbelieving ; and* they quote with some show of reason His prayer at the crucifixion for His murderers, — " Father, forgive them." (Luke xxiii. 34.)
Others, as Hutcheson and Lampe, think that our Lord meant, ^'I pray specially for my disciples, because now and always it is their special privilege to be prayed for and interceded for by Me." The advocates of this view maintain that it is deroga- tory to our Lord's honor to suppose that He can ever ask any- thing in vain ; and that His intercession specially belongs to " those who come unto God by Him." (Heb. vii. 25.)