to interest one'e eclf unduly in other people's concerns. 6. The ans1»or qf our Lord implies that we are bound to follow him through all the mystery that surrounds our p1,th " Fol low thou me." Peter is to follow Christ whether he knows or not the future destiny of his hclov!'d fellow-dieciple, (1) Men are sometimes lotb to follow Christ because of t.he pressure of intellectne.l, or mol'al, or persona.I. difficulties, This is a ruino\18 as well llS foolish i:-o}icy._ (2) Our duty is to foll.ow Christ in ~he hope either (a) that he will solve our difficulties, (b) or that he will give 118 peace m preeence of difficulties, in the hope of their future solution. Let us deal with the duty of the hour, and leave the future to God. 6. TM answer of qu,r Lord impliu. that John would tarry till his roming. "If I wiU that be tarry till I come." The words are dark enough in their meaning, yet history seems. to interpret _them. (1) The b;ethr_en of that day Imagined that John would never die. John himself corrects this misapprehension without however, giving any interpretation of our Lord's mysterious words. (2) Th~ traditio~ ex:isted long in the Church-even in the third and fourth centuries-that John was even then alive, awaiting the Lord's ooming. (8) The Lord meant to say that John would survive till his coming-at the destruction of Jerusalem. Thie event was not more than a generation distant at the time. (a) Scripture speaks of the Lord's coming in connec- tion with that event, which, by sweeping away the Jewish commonwee.lth, would leave the ground clea.r for the establishment of the kingdom of God. (b) John did, as a matter of fact, long survive this event. Vers. 24, 25.-0onclusion of the appendi:c to the Gospel. These last words are added, not by the apostle, but by some other hand. I. A TESTillO},-Y TO THE AUTBOBSHIP Al!.'D TBtl'TH OF THIS GosPF.L. '' This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true." This la.nguage implies: 1. That John was still alive, 2. That he was an eye-witness and an ear-witness of all recorded in this Gospel,. 3. That the narrati'lleli were written by his hand i• a spirit of truth,freefrom alt ea;aggeration or falaehood. II. A COMPLETE LIFB OF Cmm!T WOULD BE PBAOTIOALLY OF INFINITE DIMENSIONS. "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be writien every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be writt.en." 1. .A book of limited eztent could never descri'be the acts of an infinite Bring. 2. The emphatic pl,a,ce gi'IIM to our Lord's works, including his mirac"les, show, t/U! stras (hat ii to be laid, evidentially, upon mirades as an argu'IMflt for Ohristianity. 3. The paaage i1mplia a tJQ,St activity of Christ. After all, we have but few miracles of his life recorded. He verily" went about every day doing good." What an amount of beneficial work he compressed. into the three years of his public ministry I 4. It i, satis- factory for faith to knuuJ that nothing is omitted in the record of Scripture essential to ,alvation. 6. It wa, a sign, qf Divine consideration to the wants of men that the Scripturu. shoul,d be suitable, in respect, of their eztent as well as their contents. The Bible is large enough, but not too large for human use. 6, Let us prize it as the ezhibi,. tum qf a Dwi.ae Ufe rwealed/or the salvation of the world.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 7.-The ""11 of Jogful recognition. First uttered by John when he diecemed the form of his beloved Master upou .. the beach of the GaJiliean lake, this exclamation bas passed into the hearts and the lips of all Christian people, who, amidst the various scenes of life, have recognized their Saviour's presence, and have ever been wont to acknowledge with reverential faith, "It is the Lordi" The circumstances in which the words were uttered, as well as the words themselves, are full of instruction, sugges- tion, and comfort. L How Juos CODS TO BE BIDDEN. Others, beside the twelve, have for a time failed to recognize the Son of God. L It may be through hwnan misapprehension. Many there are who never really see .·and know Jesus. They misunderstand his character and purposes, his disposition with reference to themselves; and consequently they mnaiD altogether estranged from him. 2. It may be through human unbelief, Men may, and do. deliberately draw a veil between themselves and Christ. Their aiwi, on. xxr. 1-25.J THE GOSPEL ACOORDING TO BT. JOHN. 517