to prove our own works, and understand our own ways. Peter seems more concerned about events than about duty. John was younger than himself, and in the course of nature likely to survive him. ' Lord,' he says, ' what times shall he be reserved for ? ' Whereas, if God, by His grace, enable us to persevere to the end, and finish well, and get safely to heaven, we need not ask, * What shall be the lot of those that shall come after us ? Is it not well if peace and truth shall be in my days ? Scrip- ture predictions must be eyed for the direction of our conscience, not for the satisfying of our curiosity."
It is a curious fact worth remembering, that John was one of the only two Apostles, whose future lot had already been spoken of by Christ. " He shall drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with." (Mark x. 39.)
23. — [Jesus saith unto him, If I will, etc.] Our Lord's answer to Peter can only be taken, in my judgment, as a rebuke. It was meant to teach the Apostle that he must first attend to his own duty, mind his own soul, fulfil his own course, and leave the future of other brethren in the hands of a wise and merciful Saviour. He must not pry too curiously into God's counsels concerning John. What good would it do him to know whether John was to live a long life or a short one ; to die a violent death or a natural one ? Our Lord seems to say, " Leave off inquiring about thy brother's future lot. Thou knowest that he is one of my sheep, and as such shall never perish, and is in safe keeping. What is the rest to thee ? Have faith to believe that all will be well done about him. Look to thine own soul and be content to follow Me." — I cannot help seeing a latent resem- blance between this place and the well-known passage at the end of Daniel's prophecy. " Then said I, 0 my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And He said, Go thy way, Daniel : for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end," — " Go thou thy way till the end be : for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." (Dan. xii. 8, 9, 13.)
Theophylact suggests that our Lord saw that Peter was vehe- mently attached to John, and unwilling to be separated from him, and therefore meant to teach him that he must do his own work and follow Christ, wherever He might lead him, even though separation from John might be the consequence.
After all we must take care that we do not omit the special point of our Lord's words. What our Lord rebukes is not gen- eral concern about the souls of others, but over-anxiety and restless curiosity about the future of our friends. Such over- anxiety indicates want of faith : we ought to be willing to leave their future in God's liands. To know their future would, in all probability, not make us one jot more ha]ipy. I can imagine nothing more miserable than to see in the distance tribulation and sorrow coming on our friends, and not to be able to avert it. Of what use would it have been to Peter, to know that his