John 21:25

REFLECTIONS

Blessed Lord Jesus! what praise, what thanks, what love, doth thy Church owe thee, dearest Lord, for the many repeated manifestations which thou didst so kindly shew to thy poor despised disciples, after thy resurrection from the dead. Miracles upon miracles: and grace for grace. Oh! let it teach my poor soul, and the souls of all thy redeemed, from such striking testimonies as are here recorded, how very nigh Jesus is to his people, when they are unconscious of it. Yea, Lord! how much thou art watching over all their concerns, and providing, both for their bodily and spiritual sustenance, when they can provide for neither. Oh! for the grace shewn Peter, to comfort all the exercised members of Christ's mystical body. Oh! for faith, and love, to be able to appeal, as Peter did to Jesus, saying, Lord thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love thee!

Praised be the Father, Son, and Spirit, for all the revelations which Jehovah hath graciously made to the Church of God's dear Son. Lord! grant that all thy redeemed under the Holy Ghost's teaching, may, with the disciple, which hath testified of these things, and wrote these things, be able to add, from their own assurance, and say, as the Church then did; we know that his testimony is true.

Farewell! for the present, thou beloved Apostle John! We hope to meet thy further records of thy dear Lord, and our dear Lord, when we come to those precious writings of thine, under the inspiration of God the Holy Ghost, which are in the same sacred volume. But here we thank thee, for thy labors in this Gospel, and for all the precious relations thou hast given, of Christ our Lord. And blessed, forever blessed be He, that called thee to this service, in his Church. Shortly the whole Church of God will be called to see Him, in whose bosom the beloved Apostle lay, who wrote these things of his divine Lord. And then, all the redeemed with John will surround the throne, and sound their united praises, in one full hymn of thanksgiving, to God and the Lamb, forevermore. Amen.