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12   THE CONVENTION TEACHER

and to the elders of Israel. Let us see the Father with our bodily eyes, as we see Thee, and it sufficeth us; we will trouble Thee with no more questions.

(9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Christ's reply refers him to what he had seen. He upbraids him with his ignorance and inadvertency. Wilt thou ask for that which thou hast already? Notice how Jesus reproves him for two things: First, for not improving his acquaintance with Christ as he might have done, to a clear and distinct knowledge of Him has thou not known me, Philip? Whom thou hast followed so long, and covered with so much? The first day that Philip came to Him, he declared that he knew Him to be the Messiah and yet to this day did not know the Father in Him. That which aggravated Philip's dulness, was, that he had had so long an opportunity of improvement: I have been so long time with you. In the Second place He reproves him for his infirmity in the prayer made; Show us the Father. Here is seen much of the weakness of Christ's disciples, that they know not what to pray for as they ought, but often ask amiss, for that which either is not promised, or is already bestowed in the sense of the promise, as here.

(10) Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. He refers him to what he has reasons to believe: Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? and therefore, that in seeing Me thou hast seen the Father? If not, take My word for it and believe it now. In knowing Christ as God of God, Light of Light, begotten, not made, we know the Father and in seeing Him thus we see the Father. In Christ, we behold more of the glory of God than Moses did at Mount Horeb. See the inducements we have to believe this. We must believe it for His work's sake—The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself. My doctrine is not Mine. He spake not of itself only, but the mind of God according to the Eternal Commands. The Father is said to dwell in Him, that is to abide in Him by the inseparable union of the divine and human nature; never had God such a temple to dwell in on earth, as the body of Christ the Lord. He doeth the works. Many works of power, and works of mercy. The work of redemption, in general, was God's own work through the suffering and death of Jesus. We are bound to believe this for the very work's sake. As we are to believe the being and perfection of God, for the sake of the works of creation which declare His glory, so we are to believe the revelation of God to man in Jesus Christ for the sake of the works of the Redeemer, these mighty works, which, by showing forth themselves, show forth Him and God in Him.

(11) Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Let no doubt of any kind be in your mind or heart that I, as Christ, am in God as the Father and that God, the Father is in Me and add to your belief the wonder works you have seen done by Me. The miracles performed by Christ are proofs of His Divine mission, not only for the conviction of unbelievers and sinners, but for the confirmation of the faith of His own Disciples. The works of Christ were so clearly wrought to those who worked with Him and those who followed for mere curiosity that they exhibited the marvelous power of the mighty hand of Jesus. Believe Christ because everywhere Jesus acknowledged His power and authority came from His Father and They were inseparable--The same is true of His works, God and His Son worked these wonders together.

III. BELIEF IN GOD BRINGS GREAT POWER.
(VV. 12-14.) (12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. For all the miracles which the apostles wrought, were wrought in His name; and by faith in Him; and this magnifies His power more than anything--that He not only wrought miracles Himself, but gave power to others to do so too. He gives them this assurance that they would be able to do such works as He had done, and that they should have a more ample power for the doing of them, than they had when He first sent them forth. Did Christ heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead? So should they. Did He convince and covert sinners, and draw

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THE CONVENTION TEACHER   13

multitudes to Him? So should they. Then He should depart, the work would still go on, not cease, nor fall to the ground, but should be carried on as vigorously and successfully as ever. They should do greater works than these. In the Kingdom of nature they should work greater miracles. No miracle is little, while to man some seem to be greater than others. Christ healed with the hem of His garment, but Peter with His shadow, Paul by the handkerchief that had touched him. Christ wrought miracles for two or three years in one country, but His followers wrought miracles in His name for many ages in divers countries. Greater works, if the occasions come, for the glory of God. Greater victories by the gospel than when Christ was here. Because I go unto my Father. This is a reason, thus the disciples must have more power lest the work suffer danger by His absence. I must furnish you with much power. The wonderful works which they did in Christ's name were part of the glories of His exalted state, when He ascended on high.

(13) And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. No matter what your wants are -- Whenever you ask in My name, the same will be granted. Jesus was going to Heaven, and the way they were to keep up communion with Him and bring in power from Him was by prayer. When friends are to be removed to a distance from each other, they arrange to carry on a correspondence. In the same way, when Christ was going to His Father, He told His Disciples how they might write to Him upon every occasion, and send it by a safe and ready way of conveyance without danger of miscarrying, or lying by the way. He says to us, let me hear from you by prayer, the prayer of faith, and you shall hear from me by the spirit. This was the old way of intercourse with Heaven ever since man began to call upon the name of the Lord. The asking suggested humility.

(14) If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. Ask any suitable thing for one's growth and stability of purpose. Ask anything in Christ's name. To ask in Christ's name, is to have their requests granted. Christ will not fail His word -- He will see that the requests are fulfilled in this wise: He will give orders to have them granted or He will grant them, for He has not only the interests of the intercessor but the power of a sovereign prince who sits at the right hand of God, the bond of action, and has the doing of all in the Kingdom of God. By faith in His name, we may have what we will for the asking.

BELIEF IN GOD TODAY

It is to Jesus Christ that we owe the knowledge of God as our Father. Ever near, ever able, abundant in love, Whose hand we hold in quiet confidence and perfect peace. Our Lord did not introduce the concept of God as Father but He revolutionized it. Israel had thoughts before of God as Father, -- chiefly in a national sense such as Father of the nation, although some of them suggest a deeper, more intimate feeling. Likewise the pagan world at times spoke of God as Father. All this, however, was very limited, vague, and indefinite. It was our Lord who put new depth and content into the thought.

To understand our topic, we must go back into the ageless past, we must meditate upon the mystery of the Godhead itself in Whose eternal depths is found the spring of the Fatherly love that reveals itself in time. The term Father describes what God is in Himself. His very Spirit, that which lies behind all relationships. God is love, but we get a better meaning of the term when we say God is Father. We understand it because we have an earthly father. God is infinitely above any earthly father, for they all have their weaknesses and limitations of the flesh; but He is the perfect Father. There is no mistake in the training of His children.

If God is Father, the all-loving One, and all things; winds, storms, the destiny, of mankind -- are in His hands then we can walk through life with steady eyes, we can sleep as did our Lord, in the midst of the storm. This is my Father's world. I am my Father's child and a child's trust in his father is boundless.

QUESTIONS ON THE LESSON

1. What does the knowledge of God do for man?
2. When do we learn about God?
3. What help do we get from our knowledge of God?
4. What interest has God in man?