universal washing, " he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified1."]
We shall have a very incomplete view of this action, unless we still further consider it,
III. As explanatory of his will —
[A declaration to this effect is made by our Lord himself. He tells us that he intended, in what he now did, to set an ex- ample to all his Disciples; and to teach them, that they should not affect a superiority above each other ; that they should rather delight themselves in all offices of love ; and that they should account nothing too humiliating or self-denying, if by any means they might promote each other s welfare.
The Disciples had been disputing which of them should be the greatest : and he had told them, that they ought not to resemble the Gentiles, who loved to have pre-eminence, and were applauded in proportion as they gained an ascendant over others : on the contrary, they should measure their honours by the degree in which they stooped for the good of others, and by the exertions they made in administering to their fellow-creatures m. How happy would it have been for the Church, if all its ministers, and all its members, had attended to this rule! How happy if, instead of being "lords over God's heritage," they had submitted themselves one to another in the fear of God", and had striven only, who should be least of all and servant of all !"
To abound in offices of love is an ambition infinitely more worthy of the followers of Christ. Love is the fulfilling of the law : love is that which above all things characterizes the true Christian : love is the image of God upon the soul : love is the antepast of heaven. To inculcate the necessity of love, to exemplify it in his own conduct, to impress it on the hearts of his Disciples, and to stir them up to a holy imitation of his example, were the more immediate objects of our Lord's solicitude : nor will our admiration of his conduct profit us at all, if it have not this effect on our hearts and lives.
In many instances much self-denial is required, in order to impart any substantial benefit to our fellow-creatures. The visiting of the sick, especially when poverty and disease com- bine to render our access to them unpleasant, is an irksome task to those whose hearts are not penetrated with love to God and man. This indeed is less felt when humanity stimulates us to assist in the recovery of their bodies ; but when we have no view but only to benefit their souls, then to instruct them, then to pray with them, then to repeat our visits, when perhaps
i Heb. x. l l. "' Lukexxii. 24— 27. ■ 1 Pet. v. 3, r>.
1678.J Christ's condescension. 5
we see scarce any prospect of doing them good, or any desire in them to receive benefit ; and then to persevere in our endeavours, when they madly say, like Peter, " Thou shalt never wash my feet ;" this is the love we are called to mani- fest ; and in comparison of this, the most liberal bestowment of alms is as nothing : it is far easier to give away thousands of silver and gold, than to spend our lives in such acts of kind- ness to man, and of zeal for God. But this is to " love others as Christ has loved us," and "to do to others as Christ has done to us :" and to exercise less love than this, is to " love in word and in tongue only, instead of loving in deed and in truth0."]
As an improvement of this subject our Lord suggests a most solemn warning; " If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do themp:" and this would I also adopt as my monition to you from the text,
1. In allusion to its mystical and emblematic im- port—