Lord! neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him."

Here we have the intimation given us of the entrancedoor into the sanctuary of the Gospel, humility. When Christ calls us to come unto him that we may find rest to our souls, and when, in accordance with the grace of his Spirit, we rise up to follow him, the very first step must be marked by this grace: to go after a meek and lowly Master, with a haughty and unhumbled heart, is impossible. Yes, the broken heart and the contrite spirit bring the poor penitent into the presence of his God, with the downcast eye, and the abased heart, and cause him to smite upon his breast and cry, God be merciful to me a sinner." And this humility of his mind is caused by the revelation of his own heart to himself-its deceitful workings, its enmity against God, and its proneness to evil: and so vile does he appearso unfit to come into the presence of God-so covered with sin like a garment-so polluted with the filthy rags of unrighteousness, that his heart takes up the language of the Patriarch, "I abhor myself." His humility is that of self-abasement and self-condemnation, not that of mere condescension; he is not as a rich man bending low to enter the humble door of the poor peasanthe is like the beggar full of sores at the rich man's gate, feeling himself in want of all things, and content with the least, the meanest portion from the master's table.

Let this then be deeply impressed upon our minds. If we are now on our road to Zion-if we are in the narrow way thither, we must have passed through the strait gate of Christian humiliation. An unhumbled Christian is a contradiction in terms. But let us also remember that it is not only at the entrance of the

adorned and beautified "the man Christ Jesus."

How painful to think that so pure and lovely an act of condescension on his part should be turned into one of unmingled pride, haughtiness, and ostentation!

But there is another practical inference of great importance to be derived from the incident under our notice. The act in which our engaged was not one of necessity.

Lord voluntarily

It was not absolutely needful that the feet of the disciples should be washed at that particular time, it was only for their additional comfort. While then he manifested in the act his great humility, he testified also his great kindness towards them. He gave the most undoubted evidence of his readiness and willingness, not only to relieve their wants, but even in apparently trivial things to add to their enjoyment. What a halo of softened light does this shed around our Divine Master-how it wins the affections, and captivates the heart. Were the mighty and glorious features of his character alone to be developed-were his truth and his holiness alone to appear in stern and severe majesty, the eye would be dazzled and the spirit shrink abashed and dismayed: but such beauteous traits of the tenderness of his character irresistibly draw our regards to him; they awaken our confidence, while they cause our hearts to glow, and the eye of our faith rests on the King in his beauty"" the Chief among ten thousand," the "altogether lovely.”

And here, moreover, is a feature of character in which we ought to aim at more close and accurate resemblance to him; if actions ever utter a voice, this gracious act of the Saviour says to us, "Be ye kind one to another." Oh what a world this would be, if each vied with his neighbour, not in the mere

discharge of duty alone, but in warm, heartfelt acts of kindness-if we waited not for a distinct call from the necessity of the case to stretch forth the hand, but rather sought for occasions to make all around us the objects of the outgoings of an affectionate kindness which continually struggled for expression, and in its acting would not be restrained. This scattering of the warm beams of a heaven-enlightened heart to all around, is one of the grand characteristics of the religion of Jesus. Were we to endeavour to express in two words the genius of that religion, we would say that it is concentrative and expansive ;-it is concentrative, because when the believer is awakened from his death-slumber, his first spiritual act, under the blessed agency of God the Holy Ghost, is to apply to himself the great and glorious scheme of Redemption, to gather into his own. soul all the store of quickening grace, supporting love and precious promise in the Gospel, as if the whole rich provision supplied there had reference to him alone. There is not a word which his new-born spirit does not claim as a portion of his inheritance; there is not a fragrant flower, there is not a sparkling gem, there is not a rod of strength, which can be found within the compass of Emmanuel's land, that he feels may not be taken as his heritage for ever. If his eye rests upon the sharp and glittering arrow of conviction as it lies upon the page of truth, his own heart is probed by its searching point;-if the Balm of Gilead is there, his own heart is healed by it;-if glory, honour, and immortality meet his view as the rich promises of God, his own heart feeds upon them. He draws all the beauty, all the glory, all the excellence, all the loveliness, all the peace of the word of God to himself; through his Divine Master, there is not a ray of light which has

presence of Christ by his Spirit among us; and let us suppose him saying individually to us all," Knowest thou what I have done unto thee?" How are we prepared to answer him ? Some perhaps will readily reply Yes, we know what he has done for us; he left heaven and came to earth for us-he suffered reproach and he died for us, and he rose again and ascended where he was before for us.' This is easily said, but it is not so easily felt; and unless it is felt, the question is not answered. The bitterest enemy of the Saviour might have been acquainted with the mere outward circumstances of his life, and the objects which he declared he had in view; but when he asks his disciples

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if they knew what he had done unto them," he seeks for an answer from the inmost recesses of the soul. Do we then know in our hearts?' We have a ready test wherewith to prove ourselves. What manner of life is ours-is it a life of faith or a life of sight? Alas, if the answer of the Church generally, or individually, were taken to this question from the language of the life, and not the language of the lip only, how faltering, how feeble would be the reply, if indeed all were not rendered speechless.

Yes, beloved, can it be said that we know what Christ has done for us, when we manifest such cold heartlessness in his service-can it really be that our hearts are touched, our souls affected by the sorrows and tears, the sighs and the groans, the labours and the watchings, the bonds and the death of Christ-where then is our unceasing hatred of the sin which gave him cause of suffering-where is the enduring love to him which ought to mark our estimation of his love? Oh let the remembrance of what he has done for us, the deepfelt consciousness of the soul, that his cross and passion

have alone saved us from the bitter pains of eternal death, lead us to have him in all our thoughts-to fill our mind with his fulness, and to put on the Lord Jesus in our lives: thus by a holy conformity with him, both in our spirits and our conduct, we shall give the best answer to this touching appeal of our Divine Masterwe shall be living epistles, written by the Spirit of the living God," acknowledged by him, known and read of all men; and the language of this epistle will be, I will tell you what he hath done for my soul."

But we come now to consider the direct practical bearing of the incident under our consideration; and in doing so, let me refer you to the 24th verse of the 22d chapter of St. Luke, as most probably informing us of the immediate cause which called forth this act of the Saviour. There was a strife, we are told, among his disciples; and strongly indeed does the selfishness which was manifested in them, contrast with the outgoings of his love on this occasion,-" there was a strife among his disciples, which of them should be accounted the greatest." Here let us note by the way, that had there been any ground for supposing that our Lord intended one Apostle to have supremacy or authority over the rest, this was surely the most likely time, when at least an intimation of such intention would be given; but nothing of the kind is hinted at; indeed the whole tenor of the narrative, and the exhortations of our Lord, strongly prove the reverse.

While then this contest between the disciples was proceeding while one and another was advancing his claim to higher consideration than the rest, and each supporting his own pretensions, our blessed Lord, knowing what was the subject of their discussion-though doubtless they did not consider this at the time-rose