ever, even the Spirit
of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth Him not,
neither knoweth Him: ye know Him; for He abideth with you, and shall
be in you. I will not leave you desolate: I come unto you. Yet a
little while, and the world beholdeth Me no more; but ye behold Me:
because I live, ye shall live also. In that day ye shall know that I
am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. He that hath My
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that
loveth Me shall be loved of My Father and I will love him, and will
manifest Myself unto him."--JOHN xiv. 8-21.

A third interruption on the part of one of the disciples gives the Lord
occasion to be still more explicit. Philip is only further bewildered by
the words, "from henceforth ye know the Father and have seen Him." He
catches, however, at the idea that the Father can be seen, and eagerly
exclaims, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us." In this
exclamation there may be a little of that vexed and almost irritated
feeling that every one at times has felt in reading the words of Christ.
We feel as if He might have made things plainer. We unconsciously
reproach Him with making a mystery, with going about and about a subject
and refusing to speak straight at it. Philip felt that if Christ could
show the Father, then there was no need of any more enigmatical talk.

Ignorant as this request may be, it sprang from the thirst for God which
was felt by an earnest and godly man. It arose from the craving that now
and again visits every soul to get to the heart of all mystery. Here in
this life we are much in the dark. We feel ourselves to be capable of
better enjoyments, of a higher life. The whole creation groaneth and
travaileth, as if striving towards some better and more satisfying
state. There is a something not yet attained which we feel we must
reach. Were this life all, we should pronounce existence a failure. And
yet there is great uncertainty over our future. There is no familiar
intercourse with those who have passed on and are now in the other
world. We have no opportunity of informing ourselves of their state and
occupations. We go on in great darkness and often with a feeling of
great insecurity and trepidation; feeling lost, in darkness, not knowing
whither we are going, not sure that we are in the way to life and
happiness. Why, we are tempted to ask, should there be so much
unce