couraged, with a holy faith, to go on your way rejoicing-that in the expectation that her bands will in good time be loosed and herself let go free, you will not suffer yourselves to be disturbed by any scandals which may happen within the Church or by the assaults which harass her from without.' Away with all secret misgivings! Away with all desponding moody thoughts! They are but the snares of the enemy endeavouring to undermine our strength. What have we to fear? The Marys and Marthas amongst us have besought the LORD to come to our Church, to visit this portion of His vineyard when her hedge was broken down and her grapes plucked off. It was not then in so bad a condition but He came; but He summoned the husbandmen together; but He strengthened their hearts with new wine; but some of her breaches He repaired: and what though He saith not yet "What could have been done more to My vineyard that I have not done in it?" and though there is a great work of manifold trials before us,--yet He will not be wanting to us, if we be not wanting to ourselves. Even were we still (as they who love us not, regardless of their own many causes for lamentation and wailing, point out with no friendly hand), like Lazarus swathed about with bands, bound hand and foot; still believing as we do, that our LORD is only trying our faith,-treating us as He did Martha, waiting for a fuller expression of our trust in Him, we 1 See Appendix.

may set aside with confidence their taunts, our own misgivings. Thus then, with a full faith, let us not cease to make our prayers to HIм day and night for the preservation of the ark of GOD in our camp, and by continuing in well-doing endeavour to propitiate His favour towards us, whom an ungenerous brother would cast out from His family and from the arms of the Mother of our love.

SERMON VII.

OINTMENT NO WASTE BUT A GOOD WORK.

S. MATT. XXVI. 8, 9.

BUT WHEN HIS DISCIPLES SAW IT, THEY HAD INDIGNATION, SAYING, TO WHAT PURPOSE IS THIS WASTE? FOR

THIS OINTMENT MIGght have BEEN SOLD FOR MUCH, AND GIVEN TO THE POOR.

At

We are not surprised if, after receiving from her LORD a favour of so wonderful a nature as the restoration of her brother to life, S. Mary Magdalene is found, with her wonted ardour, engaging in an act significative of her deep gratitude for the same. a feast, one of more than common observance, (for it was the feast-day on which the lamb was chosen against the passover'), a religious feast at which CHRIST sat the most Honoured Guest, for we are told

they made HIM a supper," at Bethany, in the house of Simon, called Simon the leper; but no doubt the same Simon who two years back' is described by S. Luke as "one of the Pharisees who desired JESUS to eat with him," and who might subsequently have See Appendix. 2 See Appendix.

been afflicted with leprosy and healed by our LORD, -at such a time, in such a place, in such a company, was it that S. Mary Magdalene revived the memory of that remarkable action in the Gospels which first introduces her to our meditations; and, reviving it, did so imprint it on the memories of men, that wherever the Gospel is preached, this is" told for a memorial of her." But what was so remarkable a feature of that deed, and gave it all its stamp and expression, "the wiping CHRIST's feet with her hair," was, although repeated in this second and similar action, yet not its proper characteristic. The truthfulness and beauty of that former deed was in the signs of her humiliation in washing His feet with tears and wiping them with her hair: the excellence of this in the expression of her honour and adoration of CHRIST.

This then is eminently the anointing: and in perfect correspondence with this view we find that the gift was now infinitely more noble, as though her principal aim and study was now especially to perform an act of confession and homage unto her LORD as "The Anointed." For first, although the box before was of alabaster and consequently of no mean value, yet now S. Matthew tells us, that it was a "box of very precious ointment ;" and S. Mark, while he is careful to assure us it was "very precious," adds the kind of ointment, "ointment of spikenard." Now of ointments made from nard there were two kinds, one made from the leaf, the other from the spike of

the plant, and the latter was by far the more excellent.' S. John gives the quantity, "a pound of ointment of spikenard," while he and S. Mark state its actual value," three hundred pence," i.e. since the hire of the labourer in the vineyard was a penny a day, enough to support a labouring man, perhaps his family, throughout a whole year.

We may suppose that at first, before anointing the head of the SAVIOUR, she, according to what S. John says, "wiped His feet with her hair" and anointed them. And this he says to complete what S. Matthew and S. Mark had left untold, the important fact that she did not deem herself other than a penitent, although about to proceed to an act of worship which betokened a higher condition of acceptableness with CHRIST than was heretofore her lot. The feet of CHRIST anointed, she proceeds to pour the precious nard upon His head, and that nothing might escape in this act of sacrifice,-nothing be retained and subserve another use, but all be consumed upon CHRIST, she breaks the alabaster box itself.

Simon, who had in his thoughts murmured on the occasion of her previous act of anointing, was too wise, by his former experience, to take any exception at this. Besides this, what he took exception at, was not the act but the person who performed it. Costly sacrifices bestowed on those whom we greatly

1 Bp. Andrewes' Serm. Vol. II. 38. Lib. Ang. Cath. Theol. ; also Corn. a Lap. and Bern. Lamy in loc.