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CHAPTER XIII.

VERSE 1.-He came from God, and yet not leaving Him; and He goeth to God, yet not leaving us.-S. Bernard.

In this life nothing is sweeter to me, than to prepare for a peaceful passage out of it. Gen. xlvii. 29; 1 Cor. xv. 31.-S. Augustine.

Instead of any abatement, or cessation, in His love, there was its increase, and the promise of perpetuity. The last scenes of His life were the brightest manifestations of love, shining too with peculiar lustre on the background of the sins of His disciples, their base desertion of their Master. What love is there in these chapters, and, more especially, in the Institution of His special feast of love, the Holy Eucharist, the children's food. "He kept His good wine, until now" (ii. 10). Love shone forth with still more strength and lustre in the succeeding events of His Crucifixion, His Resurrection, His Ascension; and now, it reaches its zenith in the Heavenly places, where all things find their perfection, and where "He ever liveth to make Intercession" for His Apostles, and for those, "who believe in Him, through their word." Isa. xxvi. 21; xlvi. 4; xlix. 15.—J. Ford.

You must learn to strengthen your faith by that experience, which heretofore you have had of God's great goodness towards you: by those things, which you have

known performed, learn to hope for those things, which are promised. Do you acknowledge to have received much? Let that make you certain to receive more. "To him, that hath, more shall be given." When you doubt what you shall have, search what you have had at God's hands. Make this reckoning, that the benefits, which He hath bestowed, are bills obligatory, and sufficient sureties that He will bestow further. His present mercy is still a warrant of His future love; because whom He loveth, He loveth unto the end. Ps. xxiii. 6; 2 Tim. iv. 18; S. James iv. 6.-Hooker.

V. 2. The devil is like a slippery serpent: if you do not thrust back his head (that is, his first device and suggestion of evil), he imperceptibly makes his way with his whole body into the secret recesses of your heart. S. Luke xi. 26; xxii. 46.-Isidore of Seville.

How remarkable does it seem, that the spirits of darkness have no power, unless they get mankind to co-operate and conspire with them; in like manner, as the chief priests and Pharisees had no power, until they got one of Jesus' chosen disciples to co-operate in league with them. Conf. vi. ii.-Is. Williams.

V. 3. The dominion, given unto Christ in His human nature, was a direct and plenary power over all things; but it was not actually given Him at once; but part, while He lived upon earth; part, after His death and resurrection. For, though it be true, that Jesus knew before His death, that the Father had given all things into His hands, yet it is observable, that in the same

place it is written, that He likewise knew, that He was come from God and went to God: and part of that power He received, when He came from God; with part He was invested, when He went to God: the first, to enable Him; the second, not only so, but to reward Him. Ps. cx. 7; S. Matt. xxviii. 18; Eph. i. 20–22.—Bp. Pearson.

There appears to me to exist an affinity between the history of Christ's placing a little child in the midst of His disciples, as related by the three Evangelists (S. Matt. xviii. 2; S. Mark ix. 36; S. Luke ix. 47), and the history of Christ's washing His disciples' feet, as given by S. John. In the stories themselves, there is no resemblance: but the affinity, which I would point out, consists in these two articles: first, that both stories denote the emulation, which prevailed amongst Christ's disciples, and His own care and desire to correct them. The moral

of both is the same. Secondly, that both stories are specimens of the same mode of teaching, that is, by action; a mode of emblematic instruction, extremely peculiar, and in these passages ascribed, we see, to our Saviour by the three first Evangelists and by S. John, in instances totally unlike, and without the smallest suspicion of their borrowing from each other.-Paley.

V. 4. In the Heavenly City, there will be no such self-abasing ministration, as this; for the servants of God cannot possibly need any example of humility, where none shall be proud, where all shall be made perfect and established in every virtue. Therefore the Lord's "girding and serving,"-(the author refers to S. Luke xii. 37),-does only signify to us how freely, how readily, how

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constantly, He will attend on each of His brethren and servants, heaping upon them all manner of blessings and delights; as if He had nothing else to do, occupying Himself with each individual Saint, as if the only one present. Gen. xliii. 34.-Card. Bellarmine.

V. 5.-This act of washing contains all the mysteries of our Redemption. For His rising from supper answers to His coming forth from the bosom of the Father; His laying aside his garment expresses this emptying Himself (Phil. ii. 7); His taking a towel and girding Himself corresponds with His adopting the form of a servant; His pouring water into a basin with His effusion of His own blood; His washing the feet with His forgiveness of sins; His wiping them with the towel, His cleansing us by faith in His death; His taking His garments (v. 12), His resurrection from death, and assumption of a glorious Body; His sitting down again, His ascension, and His session at the right hand of God; and, lastly, His teaching the disciples illustrates His sending to them His Holy Spirit.-Pompeo Sarnelli.

V. 7.—Oh, my friends, if ever we shall be so happy, as to get into this happy state, how pleasant will it be to see the springs of Divine Providence in the government of the Church and world; to observe the glorious designs of God, and the admirable methods He lays down to carry on these; and to see the harmony of all God's works and ways, notwithstanding the almost infinitely different and dissonant designs and actings of intelligent creatures! And how shall we then praise God for all His works and dispensations; and say, "It was a true

report we heard" of these things in the Holy Scriptures; but that we did not attain to know the hundred thousandth part of what we are now made acquainted with! And, when we reflect upon ourselves, and what we met with in the world, how shall we cry out, Oh Blessed, Blessed, Blessed be God, for all His mercies and favours! Blessed be His Name, who laid such or such an affliction upon who helped us safely and honourably through such a danger or temptation. Had we not been undone, as to sense, and met with such a disappointment, we had been undone for ever! It is God, who has wrought all our works in us, by us, and for us all praise therefore be "to Him, that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever, Amen, Amen." 1 Cor. xiii. 12; Isa. xxxii. 3.-R. Fleming.

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Mystery, in the works of God, is only another name for my ignorance. 1 Cor. ii. 11.-R. Cecil.

V. 8.-Peter had a real love and respect for His Master; and here was a show of humility and modesty. But this show of humility was a real contradiction to the will of his Lord. Thus many are beguiled of their reward by "a voluntary humility" (Col. ii.. 18, 19), such a selfdenial, as Christ neither appoints, nor accepts. Peter was, in fact, making himself wiser than his Master.-R. Cecil.

How great is our necessity of being clean, when, to provide a means of making us so, God opens His Son's side, and our laver is drawn out of the heart of Christ! Heb. ii. 3.—Dr. Allestry.