The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 292

with him, especially his friends and forerunners. Jesus is introduced to the soul• but a long time of anxiety often elapses between the introduction and success. Whe~ the success comes, whflt a joy I (3) At the fulfilment of his own mission. When he heard the voice of the Bridegroom he heard the first victorious notes of his own mission• for his mission was to bring the Bridegroom and the bride together, 11.nd prepare for' the Lord a ready people. He rejoiced that the great OnCl he had heralded had come. He was often anxious and hesitating, but now joyous. If we herald Christ's coming faith- fully, there will be no disappointment on his part; and, when come, every expe'Ctation will be more than filled and every want more than satisfied. John was joyous because his mission was fulfilled. 'l'he match was made between the Kincr's Son and the captive daughter of Zion-between heaven and earth, between Jes.fe and believing souls; 1md it was a very happy one on both sides. The Bridegroom said of the bride ".A.s the lily among thorns, so is my love arnong the daughters," and the bride said of him, "Thou art the Rose of Sharon, and the Lily," etc; and the bridegroom!:;; friend, standing by, beareth, and rejoiceth greatly. What was intended to fill him with jealousy filled him with joy, and, being filled with holy joy, he had no room for any- thing else. 5. His thorough self-renunciation. "He must increase," etc. (1) The necessity of this is recognized. J obn saw the "must" of the case. It was becoming and necessary-the natural course of things. He must increase personally, officially, repre- sentatively, and dispensationally. He must increase in his influence in the h~ts of humanity, in the institutions of the world, and in the songs of the redeemed. And John must decr03.se officially. He had introduced the Bridegroom to the bride and the bride to the Bridegroom, and his work was at an end. (2) The necessity of this is willingly recognized. "He must," etc. It is one thing to see the necessity of an event, it is another to submit to it willingly. John not only saw the necessity and recognized the law of increase as the lot of Jesus and of decrease as his, but accepted its fiat even with joy and delight. It is not only the logic of bis head, but the language of his heart. "I am willing; I am glad. Let him ascend and shine ; I joyously disap- pear that he may be manifested." A noble self-sacrifice of the friend, and a befitting introduction to the even nobler one of the Bridegroom. LESSONS. 1. Every true minister is a forerunner of Christ, preparing souls to receive him. When Christ enters the soul by faith, the office of the forerunner is, to a great extent, at an end. 2. Minuters should not §O between Jesus and believers. The friend of the Bridegroom should not attempt to take his place in the esteem and affections of the bride. This is the essence of the great apostasy. The friend should act as a friend all through, and nothing more. 3. There should be no jealousy or rivalry between the disciple and the Master, nor between any of the disciples themselves. Their interests are identical, and their duty is to elevate Christ and bring humanity into living fellow- ship with him. 4. Ministers should avoid the temptations of declining years, waning • popularity, and jealousy of a popular contemporary. All this should be kept down by a spirit absorbed in the sacred mission. Many can act on the stage with better grace than they can leave it. The last notes are often out of harmony with the tune of life. Let the end be a sunset like that of John, beautiful and glowing-a convincing proof of an earnest and a sincere life.-B. T. Vers. 1, 2.-Coming to Jesus by night. I. THE SIMPLE FACT IB STATED. We are left to draw our own inferences. Evidently we are meant to think the worse of Nico- demus for coming by nicrht, and we may draw inferences without making Nicodemus out to be an exceptionally bad character. Just the average man· of the world, with a position made for him, having much to lose by taking up boldly with new ways, and therefore feeling he could not be too cautious in his first approach to Jesus, He did not want to be compromised. IL JESUS DID NOT SEND AWAY TIIE Mill' WHO CAME BY NIGHT. He did not (!tand upon hk dignity. He did not say, "Go away again, and come by daylight." Jesus is the most accessible of beings. It is better to come by day than by night, because such o. coming indicates a brave, determined mind, bent on getting at the truth, and so much the better placed for reaching the truth, because it has risen above that fear of mau which bringeth a snare. But it is better to come by nig;ht than not at all; and it watters a great deal to us to know that Jesus did not send this man away because ea. m. 1-36.] 'fHE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 155