the future out of place and needlessly disturbing. If these disciples
had drunk in the spirit of Jesus Christ when they were with Him, then
they would not have been so bewildered when He left them. When He was
near them there was something better for them to do than to be 'over
exquisite to cast the fashion of uncertain evils' in the future--
namely, to grow into His life, to drink in the sweetness of His
presence, to be moulded into the likeness of His character, to
understand Him better, and to realise His nearness more fully. And,
dear brethren, for us all there are times--and it is our own fault if
these are not very frequent and blessed--when thus, in such an hour
of sweet communion with the present Christ, the future will be all
radiant and calm, if we look into it, or, better, the present will be
so blessed that there will be no need to think of the future. These
men in the upper chamber, if they had learnt all the lessons that He
was teaching them then, would not have gone out, to sleep in
Gethsemane, and to tell lies in the high priest's hall, and to fly
like frightened sheep from the Cross, and to despair at the tomb. And
you and I, if we sit at His table, and keep our hearts near Him,
eating and drinking of that heavenly manna, shall 'go in the strength
of that meat forty days into the wilderness,' and say--

'E'en let the unknown to-morrow
Bring with it what it may.'

III. Lastly, I must touch, for the sake of completeness, upon the
final thought in these pregnant verses, and that is, the imperfect
apprehension of our Lord's words, which leads to sorrow instead of
joy.

'Now I go My way to Him that sent Me; and none of you asketh Me,