im keep his commandments.

This ceremony is suggestive of submissiveness and reliance upon God. It is
natural for the Spirit-born child of God to imploringly lift his hands to
God in petition or praise and thanksgiving. In the time when the spiritual
battles wax hot we seek God in earnest imploring prayer, and the lifting
up of our hands adds strength to our faith and draws God nearer. But, oh,
let us make sure that our hands and hearts are holy. It is but mockery to
spread forth your hands unto God when they are full of blood. From such
the Lord hides his eyes, and closes his ears against their prayer. Isa.
1:15.

Feet-Washing.

To the proud heart the commandment to "wash one another's feet" is perhaps
the most ridiculous ever given by the Son of God. In the semi-theatrical
church entertainments men may pay a large sum for the privilege of kissing
the most handsome lady, and for similar or more shameful indulgences, but
to humbly wash a brother's feet would be shocking in the extreme. "If a
man love me he will keep my words." John 14:23. Where true love exists
there is no disposition to spurn any of the Lord's commandments, however
humiliating they may be.

The ordinance of feet-washing was instituted by the Savior, and is
recorded in the thirteenth chapter of John. One objection that many bring
against this sacred ordinance is that it is so seldom mentioned in the
Bible. If a man does not love God deeply enough to obey him when he speaks
but once, he would not obey him should he speak a dozen times. Jesus says,
"If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead." Luke 16:31. It is never difficult to
persuade a humble heart to believe the Word of God, though there be but
one single commandment; but the proud in heart will not be persuaded by
any number if they are not according to their inclinations. About the
first objection offered against this humble ordinance is that it was a
custom among the Jews to wash feet, and the feet-washing recorded by John
was nothing more than the Jewish custom. There was more here than the mere
custom of washing feet.

We will carefully weigh this objection. Bathing is a custom, naturally so,
for cleanliness and health, and is observed by people of every civilized
nation, and has been in every age of the world. Pharaoh's daughter went
down to the river to bathe when she found the babe in the ark of
bulrushes. Ex. 2:5. Bathin