Matthew Poole and continuators on John 16:23

23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing : Verily, verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you .

That the day here spoken of, is that before mentioned, ver. 22. when Christ promised to see them again, and that their hearts should re[illegible: 1 letter]oyce, is without question; but what that day is, (as we before shewed) is not so well agreed: Some understand it of the general Resurrection, when Christ shall come to judgment, when all askings for satisfaction as to any thing of which we doubt, shall cease; and this seemeth at first the plainest sense: you shall then be made perfect; as you shall want nothing, so you shall ask nothing. But because of the following words, which plainly refer to the time of this life: others distinguish concerning asking, and by asking here understand, asking by way of question, for further information, not by way of prayer for supply: and indeed the Greek word enforceth that sense; for it is not [non-Latin text not transcribed], which signifieth to ask or beg, as in prayer▪ but [non-Latin text not transcribed], which signifieth to ask for a resolution in case of doubting; now, tho it be true, that in the day of judgment when we shall see Christ as he is, and know God as we are known, we shall have no occasion to ask any questions; yet because the following words speak of an asking in Prayer, which is proper to this life; it should seem, that the day here mentioned, is some time before the last Iudgment: what that should be, is the question. It is certainly best understood of the time after the effusion or pouring out of the Spirit in the days of Pentecost; of which time it was Prophesied by Ioel, Chap. 2.28. That God wou'd pour out his Spirit on all flesh: their sons and their daughters should prophesie, their young men should dream dreams, and their old men should see visions, Acts 2.17. and to which time Isaiah had a respect in his Prophecy, Chap. 11.9. that the Earth should be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the Sea. So as these words, you shall ask me nothing in that day, signifie the great light that should upon the coming down of the holy Spirit, shine in upon their Souls; so that they should no longer have any such doubts as they now had, and sound much the same thing that we have, 1 Iohn 2.27. But the anointing, [by which is meant the holy Spirit] which ye have received of him, abideth in you: and you need not tha[illegible: 1 letter] any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things. We must not too rigidly interpret our Saviou[illegible: 1 letter]s words here, as if they we[illegible: 1 letter]e a promise of such a state in this life, when either the present or succeeding Disciples of Christ should be so filled with knowledge, as they should have no further doubts, or need not to ask any thing of Christ, (that is, to be resolved in any thing). Our Saviour here speaketh onely comparatively, to signifie the great difference would be as to knowledge, betwixt them in their present state, and what should be after the pouring out of the holy Spirit; they should then fully understand what Christ meant by his saying, A little while, and you shall not see me: and again, a little while, and you shall see me; because I go to the Father: and should not need ask him questions about that, or many other things which they were now at loss about as Ier. 31.34. where the Prophet saith, They shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the greatest to the least. It must not be interpreted (as some have done) to signifie a needlesness of Ministerial teaching; so neither must this text be interpreted, to signifie a needlesness of an inquiry of Christ for further satisfaction; but onely as signifying the vast difference in the degrees of knowledge, after the holy Spirit should be poured forth, from what was even in the best men, before that time.

In the latter part of the text another word is used, it is not [non-Latin text not transcribed] but [non-Latin text not transcribed]. Our Saviour there plainly speaketh of their asking in Prayer; and their promise is, that to supply their defects of their knowledge, and the want of his personal instruction, they should obtain by Prayer from the Father, all that was necessary for their discharge of the Propheti[illegible: 1 letter]al Office, Matth. 7.7. Chap. 15. ver. 7. Chap 16.24. See the notes on those Texts.