remember, was it expected from the Disciple toward his Master unless included in that rule, that the disciple is to honour his master, more than his Father.
II. The feet were never washed meerly under the notion of legal purification; The hands were wont to be washed by the Pharisees meerly under that notion, but not the feet. And the hands and the feet by the Priests, but the feet not meerly upon that ac∣count. That what was said before 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 concerning the Basin wherein the Feet were to be washed, must not be understood as if the feet were to be washed upon any score of a legal cleansing; but only care was taken by that Tradition, lest through de∣fect of a just quantity of water, the feet and the person, should contract some sort of uncleanness, whiles they were washing.
So that by how much distant this action of Christ's was from the common usage and custom, by so much the more instructive was it to his followers, propounded to them not only for Example but Doctrine too.
III. As to the manner of the action. It is likely he washed their feet in the same man∣ner ar his own were, Luke VII. 38. viz. while they were leaning at the Table (as the Jewish custom of eating was) he washed their feet as they were stretched out behind them. And if he did observe any order, he began with Peter who sate in the next place immediately to himself. This Nonnus seems to believe when he renders it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. to which opinion also there are others that seem inclined; and then the words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, he began to wash, must be taken in some such sense, as if he made ready, and put himself into a posture to wash. But perhaps this way of expression may intimate, as if he began to wash some of his Disciples, but did not wash them all; which, for my own part, I could easily enough close with. For whereas Christ did this for ex∣ample and instruction meerly, and not with any design of cleansing them, his end was answered in washing too or three of them, as well as all. And so indeed I would avoid being entangled in the Dilemma, I lately mentioned, by saying, he did not only leave Judas unwashed, but several others also. What if he washed Peter, and James, and John only? And as he had before made some distinction betwixt these three and the rest of his Disciples, by admitting them into his more inward privacies, so perhaps he distin∣guisheth them no less in this action. These he foretold how they were to suffer Mar∣tyrdom; might he not therefore by this washing prefigure to them, that they must be Baptized with the same Baptism, that himself was to be Baptized with? and as the Wo∣man had anointed him for his Burial, so he by this action might have washed them for that purpose.