them and abused them, they would not give cursing and abuse in return; if a person slandered them and took away their character and told lies about them, they would rather bear it all, than slander and tell lies in return; yea, they would seek that God would make them love their enemies, and do good to them that hated them, and pray for them that spitefully used them and persecuted them. We may learn from this story too,

That no profession of religion, nor partaking in, Christian ordinances, can of itself save the soul.

The story before us shows, that probably Judas listened to the words of Jesus Christ, partook of the Lord's supper with the other apostles, and had his feet washed by the Saviour as well as the rest; and we all know what sort of a person Judas was, and the place to which he is gone. And Scripture informs us, that many will say to our Lord in the day of judgment, "We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets; to whom He will profess, I never knew you." Now I am afraid that there are very many, who think they must be right, and that they can come to no harm, because they have been baptised, sometimes partake of the Lord's supper, and hear the gospel every Sunday. The story shows us, that a person may do all this, and yet perish. We there learn that though twelve apostles ate bread and drank wine with Jesus Christ, yet only eleven were saved; and though all had their feet washed by Him, one was cast away.

Let us notice,

II. THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE WORDS, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." What did Jesus Christ mean to inti

mate, when He washed His disciples' feet, and particularly when he uttered the remarkable words of the text; when He told Peter, that if He did not wash him, Peter could be none of His? There are two things, which it is very evident He did not mean to imply.

He did not mean that His apostles or we should understand, that no person on whom He did not pour water with His own hands, could be saved; for in that case none but His apostles could have had any hope of salvation. We do not find that Jesus Christ did this to any one except to them.

Neither did He mean to intimate, that all those on whom water was poured in His name, should be saved; for very many of the worst and most wicked people in the world have had this done to them. No; it is one thing to be baptised, and another thing to have a part with Jesus Christ. It is one thing for a minister to lay his finger upon the forehead, and another thing for the Holy Spirit to touch the heart. It is one thing for a person's name to be written in the parish register, and another thing for it to be written in the Lamb's book of life.

What, then, did Christ mean to intimate, when He did this deed and said these words? I apprehend He meant to intimate to Peter and to us all,

That unless His blood purges our souls, and His grace purifies our hearts, as water cleanses the body, we have no part nor portion with Him. In Rev. i. 5. we find Christ spoken of as having "washed us from our sins in His own blood." We read, Acts viii. 21. that Peter (the very person, you will remember, to whom Christ addressed the text, who was therefore most likely to understand what

it meant) said to one Simon, a namesake of his, (like him in name, though not in character), “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter." And why had not the sorcerer any part with Christ? the reason immediately follows-"Thy heart is not right in the sight of God."

To the same effect Paul writes to Titus, ch. iii. 5. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." It was because Paul and Titus and other Christians of those times, were washed and made regenerate and renewed by the Holy Spirit, that they had part with Christ and were saved; and it is thus only that any can be saved. This will appear clearer if we

Consider the natural character and state of our hearts; how very bad and corrupt they are; that, to use Scripture words, "they are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." It is not to be supposed that with such a heart as this, a man can see the kingdom of God, and enter into that place into which we are told, (Rev. xxi. 27.) " there shall in no wise enter any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie." Reason as well as Revelation, common sense as well as the word of God, tells us that "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven." The vile lusts and corrupt inclinations and evil passions of his unregenerate heart, must be subdued and cast out; he must become a new creature in Christ Jesus, before he can reasonably expect a place and a portion at God's right hand, among angels who have never sinned, and sinners who have been made saints, for evermore. The

better we are acquainted with our own hearts, the more clearly shall we see the necessity which there is that they should be changed and washed and sanctified, if we hope to go to heaven, or expect to be happy when we get there. But the necessity of Christ's purifying our hearts by His grace, will appear, if we further

Consider that there is nothing and no one else who can purify them. Man may make the outside clean, but he cannot make the inside clean. He may leave off many sinful ways, and make his life and conversation look very decent and respectable in the eyes of his fellow-creatures; but without Divine grace, the inclination to sin and aversion to God, which are in him by nature, will remain there still. You will observe Christ says, " If. I wash thee not," (not, if thou dost not not wash thyself) "thou hast no part with me." It is not a person himself, who converts his own heart; it is not the minister nor the minister's sermon that makes the Christian. "Paul may plant, and Apollos water; but God giveth the increase."

To sweep away some few bad habits, and to give one's character a little outside cleaning, will not do. We read in Scripture, about the unclean spirit going out of a man, and coming back again, and finding his old house swept and garnished: and he entered in and dwelt there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Now if that man's heart had been washed, instead of being swept, if grace had been at work as well as good resolutions, it would have been cleansed thoroughly, and not have been so soon unclean again. So true it is, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ does what nothing else is able to do, and does it in

a way which is entirely different from every other way. Grace prevails where every thing else fails, and washes the heart, when nothing else can do more than make it look clean, and give it the form of godliness without the power.

Let us in conclusion,

III. MAKE SOME PRACTICAL IMPROVEMENT OF THE WORDS OF THE TEXT.

There are many people in the world who are good in their own opinion, and righteous in their own eyes. When reminded that as we have all sinned, we have all come short of the glory of God, they endeavour to comfort themselves by thinking, that their lives have been very innocent and harmless, that they have done no very great harm, and that at all events, they are not nearly so bad as other people are.

Let such remember, that we have no reason to suppose that Simon Peter's heart was worse, or his life more wicked than those of any of his neighbours; and yet what did Christ say to him? “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me." And let them ask themselves, if Peter could not be saved without the washing of grace, how can they?

No true Christian ever grounded his hopes of salvation on such a rotten foundation as this; or ever expected that God would accept him, because, though not so good as he should be, he was as good as many, and a great deal better than most. It is not said in Scripture that we shall be judged according to other people's works, but according to our own; and we know the fate of him who thanked God that he was not as other men were, instead of remembering his own sinfulness and asking for mercy; namely, that he went down