ASCENDING AND DESCENDING UPON THE SON OF MAN.

St. John i. 51.

Doubt not that, evermore, Nathanael, (that is Bartholomew,) felt that he was bound to Philip by a tie strong as that of blood. Not in vain, be sure, is it recorded, that when our LORD sent forth His Apostles "by two and two," it was "Philip and Bartholomew" who went together. Consider the following texts,-St. Matthew x. 3: St. Mark iii. 18: St. Luke vi. 14.

JESUS answered and said unto him, Be- 50 cause I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

One of the "greater things" here promised, was the miracle of the Water made Wine, which immediately follows.

And He saith unto him, Verily, verily, 51 I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall shall see Heaven open, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.

Our Blessed LORD directs the divine saying which follows to Nathanael, ("He saith unto him;") but addresses His prophecy to all who were present, (" ye shall see.") Most mysterious indeed are His words, and hard to explain; but they seem to mean something like this:

Ye are about to see the actual fulfilment of that which was only shewn to Jacob in a

8 St. Mark vi. 7.

The Prayer.

O EVERLASTING GOD, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order; mercifully grant, that as Thy holy Angels alway do Thee service in Heaven, so by Thy appointment they may succour and defend us on Earth; through JESUS CHRIST our LORD. Amen.

A

PLAIN COMMENTARY

ON THE SECOND CHAPTER OF

St. John's Gospel.

1 CHRIST turneth water into wine, 12 departeth into Capernaum, and to Jerusalem, 14 where He purgeth the Temple of Buyers and Sellers. 19 He foretelleth His Death and Resurrection. 23 Many believed because of His Miracles, but He would not trust Himself with them.

II. AND the third day there was a Mar- 1 riage in Cana of Galilee ;

That is, the third Day after the three which the Evangelist has been describing. Thus the Gospel of St. John, like the Book of Genesis, begins with the history of a Week: the work of the sixth and last day, (on which the second Adam "manifested forth His Glory"), being the chief of all, and emphatically pronounced (see verse 10,) to be very "good." On both occasions, the sixth day was signalized by the Marriage rite: on the former, by its Institution,-on the second, by "a Marriage in Cana of Galilee."