primarily meant to manifest to his disciples, a pattern of his humility; He, nevertheless, appears to have acted in this significant manner with the additional purpose of illustrating his condescension in coming to save his people from their sins, and to wash them from their guilt.

In this latter view let us, for the present, make some reflections on the narrative, and observe what an admirable picture is here presented to us of the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, through the meritorious work of our Emmanuel. 66 'He riseth from supper." "The everlasting Son of the Father" rose from his throne of glory, when he was about to redeem man. The Lamb of God came not

from the highest footstool of the throne, but as he is figuratively represented in the Apocalypse, from the "midst of the throne," from the "bosom of the Father." Christ as the master of the feast in the upper room in Jerusalem, arose from supper. The King of Kings arose from the very centre, the highest seat in heaven-" He laid aside his garments."

Thus when he rose from his lofty throne on high to visit and redeem his people, He did not proceed on his mission of love arrayed in all the splendours of the Deity, and attended by the glorious ones which surround that throne for ever; no, he "laid it all aside." Though he was the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person," yet

'Mild he laid his glory by.'

Let the

"He took a towel and girded himself." inspired Paul comment on this passage, and let us observe how admirably suited his words are to the narrative before us. The evangelist, as we have seen, tells

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us, "Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God and went to God." And so the Apostle of the Gentiles describes Him,- who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Yet notwithstanding this, He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments, and took a towel and girded himself." He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man." Yes, Blessed Jesus, thou didst not only "empty thyself" of the glory thou hadst from all eternity, but thou didst resolve to become "our brother; " bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, to tabernacle with man, to veil thy glory with the garment of humanity, and dwell in habitations of dust, that thou mightest cleanse us from all iniquity, and purify us unto thyself.

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After that, he poureth water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded." He not only left his glory, and came to dwell with man, but also to work for man; for this he rested not during his earthly sojourn; for this he toiled, and laboured, and suffered, and died. It was not only the word of salvation that he came to utter; it was the work of salvation he came to complete, that by the labours and sorrows of his suffering though sinless manhood, he might "wipe away" the trangressions of his people.

"Then cometh he to Simon Peter; and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?" He was ignorant of the gracious purpose which his master had in view. He could neither understand why he should condescend so low, nor yet perceive the blessed import of the transaction as regarded his soul's welfare. Without at once clearing away his scruples, our Lord simply

answers, "What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." He counselled him to wait with patience until "God gave him understanding,"-assured in the meanwhile that some wise purpose was to be answered by what his master was doing; and, doubtless, it was true of him as of the rest, that "though he understood not these things at the first, yet when Jesus was glorified, he remembered those things," and comprehended their full and blessed import.

At present, however, with that fervour of devotion, which, nevertheless, was generally mingled with inconsiderate rashness, he endeavoured to repel the condescending kindness of his Lord, "Thou shalt never wash my feet!" It was a thing not to be thought of, that he should engage in so mean an office. His gracious and forbearing master dealt tenderly with him, did not retire, but impressively added, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." In a moment some faint conception of the true import of our Lord's conduct glanced into the apostle's mind, another scale dropped from the eye that was beginning to be filled with the glorious light of the sun of righteousness, and the faithful, loving servant, startled with instant dread at the thought of his own rashness in refusing anything which his Lord offered, was now as forward to receive, as he had before been determined to reject, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head! As if he had anticipated his words on a later occasion, "Lord, thou knowest that I love thee,”-thou knowest that my inmost desire is to be wholly thine. I do not wish only a partial interest in thee-I do not wish to consecrate only a portion to thee-take all, wash me thoroughly, "not only my feet, but also my hands and my head."

Before proceeding farther, all and each of us here ask, whether our hearts beat responsively to that declaration of our Lord, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part in me." Are we from the very ground of our heart sensible of this fact, that if Christ wash us not in the fountain he himself has opened, we have no part with him?no participation in his love, no reality, though we may before others have the semblance, of his holiness, no title to his glory? Is it the settled conviction of our minds that our only hope of heaven hereafter, is the being washed by Christ now? or have we any other hope or any other means by which we expect to obtain pardon, and to inherit glory? Do we think there are any waters sufficient to cleanse us, beside the fountain in the house of David? Do we see no difference in their cleansing power, between the “rivers of Damascus and the waters of Israel" ?

Let us ponder well and seriously on this. All of us have forsaken the " Fountain of living waters; and in our separation from these we have contracted the filth and pollution of this unclean world. Have we, then, retraced our footsteps to that fountain, or are our hearts, in their vanity, still going after the "broken cisterns," and endeavouring to draw water from them? Oh, let us have done with this life of the prodigal, away with the dry husks of sin-begotten expedients, and let us arise and go to our Father, and say, "Wash us, make us clean," 'purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Take with you words and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, and say, "Take away all iniquity"! And then, though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow, though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool." Observe now the answer of our Lord to the

earnest desire of his servant, to have not only his feet, but also his hands and his head, washed by his Saviour. He that is washed, needeth not, save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit." The Jewish custom of washing before sitting down to meat explains this saying of our Lord, and indicates its true signification. His disciples had already, before they sat down to supper, been in the bath, they were therefore clean, and in passing from the bath to the supper-chamber, their feet only would be liable to contract dust or uncleanness; and therefore, they needed but to wash their feet to be whit."

clean every

And thus did our Lord intimate to them by this significant declaration that before they had been permitted to have fellowship with him, and to sit down with him as their friend, He, as the "fountain opened for sin," had cleansed them from their sins as regarded the penalty due to sin; that he had justified them and made them acceptable before God. Thus he adds, "and ye are clean." Still, though he did this fully, perfectly, and completely, as long as they were in the world, they were constantly in the way of contracting uncleanness, and therefore constantly in need of being washed.

Here is a most interesting and important subject opened before us. One washing justifies the sinner; the "blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin;" once plunged beneath that flood, he needs "no more sacrifice for sin," but he has still the body of sin and death, and though the rod of sin as a tyrant is broken, the traces of sin, as tainting, and corrupting, and defiling his thought and word and work remain. He walks amid the dust of sin, and therefore he needs the continued "renewing of the Holy Ghost." There is but one prevailing sacrifice for sin, and the believer is once justified