himself, in that character, before the majesty of the Father. When certain Greeks,* who came up to Jerusalem, to worship at the feast, had demanded to see Jesus, and, as it seems probable, had been introduced to him by Andrew and Philip,t Jesus spoke of himself as the Son of Man: The hour is come, that the Son of Man should be glorified. The Son of God, as such, was incapable of further glorification: but having taken upon him our flesh, the hour was at hand, when he was to suffer death upon the cross; to rise from the grave; to ascend into heaven; and to sit on the right hand of the Father in glory: in the glory which he had with him before the world was. But the first step in this ascent to glory was painful to that nature, which the divine Word had taken upon himself; and his voluntary submission to it was that great act of obedience, which was so meritorious in the sight of God, and which remedied the evil effects of man's disobedience. Now there would have been no extraordinary merit in obeying that ordinance of the divine wisdom, which required the sacrifice of his life, unless he had had the power

* i. e. Greek proselytes, or converts to the Jewish religion.

↑ John xii. 20.

John xvii. 5.

of disobeying; that is, unless he had been equal in authority with the Father.

Our Saviour's power, as a divine Being, rendered his submission, as a man, to the penalty of death, inexpressibly worthy. So argues the Apostle to the Hebrews: Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.* But the nature, which he had condescended to take upon him, he took with all its feelings and infirmities; and therefore he was not insensible to the severity of the trials which awaited him. The dignity of his superior nature is thus perfectly reconcilable with the humility which displayed itself, when the Son of Man thus addressed himself to God; Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.+-My mind is troubled at the approach of a violent death. What then shall I say? shall this be John xii. 27.

* Heb. v.

7.

From

my prayer, Father, save me from this hour?— Yet I know, that to undergo this season of trial and trouble was the very object of my coming.Compare this with what took place at Gethsemane, on the eve of his crucifixion. Our Saviour in that trying moment said, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.-O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.* these incidents we may take occasion to remark, once for all, that our blessed Lord, in speaking of himself to the Jews, in the character of the Messiah, asserted the dignity of his nature, and his right to the most exalted of those titles, which they applied to their expected Redeemer, the very Son of God; but in the company of his disciples, when referring to the humiliation which he was about to undergo, for the purpose of accomplishing the salvation of mankind, and in the presence of the people, to whom he was desirous of exhibiting an example of piety, and submission, and trust in God; and of marking his sense of the superintending providence of his heavenly Father over the good; he spoke of himself as the Son of Man, and had recourse to audible and fervent prayer. With this

* Matt. xxvi. 38.

impression, as to the motives which influenced our Saviour, in his discourses with these different kinds of men, we shall find no difficulty in the words which he addressed to his disciples, If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than 1.*

In the thirteenth chapter of St. John, we have these words: Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God-riseth from supper and began to wash the disciples feet. It is evident, that the Evangelist intended to contrast the humility of the action with the dignity and authority of the person who performed it. Our Lord said to his disciples after his resurrection, All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth; where the words, in heaven, prove that this power is not to be understood merely of the influence which his religion was to exercise over the hearts of men, but of an actual and positive dominion over the universe. That he was come from God, and went, or was going to God. Now as he was going to ascend personally into heaven, so his coming from heaven must be understood of

* John xiv. 28. + John xiii. 3, 4, 5. Matt. xxviii. 18.

a personal descent from the abode of the divine Majesty, where he was with God in the beginning." The circumstance itself, of our Saviour's having performed for his disciples one of the meanest offices of a servant, is a practical lesson of that condescension and kindness, which Christians are bound to exercise towards one another; and a signal illustration of that emphatic description given by St. Paul; Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation,* and took upon him the form of a servant.t

1

Towards the conclusion of his ministry our Lord spoke more plainly to his disciples of his approaching sufferings and death; and his discourses took a more affectionate and consolatory tone; Let not your heart be troubled; Ye believe in God, believe also in me. Here again we may ask, could such a mode of speech have been used, without presumption, by a mere man? Still more applicable is this question to what follows, He that hath seen me hath seen the Father which words infer at least a

* Literally, "emptied himself," i. e. of his glory..

† Phil. ii. 5. "A slave."

☀ John xiv. 1.

§ John xiv. 9.