sin, because they believe not on
Me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold Me
no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world hath been
judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear
them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall
guide you into all the truth: for He shall not speak from Himself;
but what things soever He shall hear, these shall He speak: and He
shall declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall glorify
Me: for He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you. All
things whatsoever the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that
He taketh of Mine, and shall declare it unto you."--JOHN xv. 18-xvi.
15.

Having shown His disciples that by them only can His purposes on earth
be fulfilled, and that He will fit them for all work that may be
required of them, the Lord now adds that their task will be full of
hazard and hardship: "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the
time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he offereth
service unto God." This was but a dreary prospect, and one to make each
Apostle hesitate, and in the privacy of his own thoughts consider
whether he should face a life so devoid of all that men naturally crave.
To live for great ends is no doubt animating, but to be compelled in
doing so to abandon all expectation of recognition, and to lay one's
account for abuse, poverty, persecution, calls for some heroism in him
that undertakes such a life. He forewarns them of this persecution, that
when it comes they may not be taken aback and fancy that things are not
falling out with them as their Lord anticipated. And He offers them two
strong consolations which might uphold and animate them under all they
should be called upon to suffer.

I. "If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated Me before it
hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but
because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you." Persecution is thus turned into a joy,
because it is the testimony paid by the world to the disciples' identity
with Christ. The love of the world would be a sure evidence of their
unfaithfulness to Christ and of their entire lack of resemblance to Him;
but its hate was the tribute it would pay to their likeness to Him and
successful promotion of His cause. They might well questio