precious ointment she had brought with her for that purpose.

It was a custom, among the inhabitants of the east, to pour fragrant oils on the heads of such guests as they intended particularly to honor, while they sat at meat; and probably the woman's original intention was to anoint Jesus in the usual manner. But being exceedingly humbled on account of her former crimes, she could not presume to take that freedom with him, and therefore poured it on his feet, to express at once the greatness of her love, and the profoundness of her humility.

The Pharisee, who had attentively observed the woman, concluded from thence, that our Saviour could not be a prophet. "This man," said the Pharisee to himself, "if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him; for she is a sinner." Luke vii. 39.

But though Simon spoke this only in his heart, his thoughts were not concealed from the great Redeemer of mankind, who, to convince them that he was a prophet, and that he knew not only the characters of men, but even the secret thoughts of their hearts, immediately conversed with him on the very subject he had been revolving in his mind. He did not, indeed, expose him before the company, by relating what he had said in secret; but, with remarkable delicacy, pointed out to Simon alone the unreasonableness of his thoughts. "Simon," said the blessed Jesus, "I have somewhat to say unto unto thee. There was a certain creditor which had

two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged." And then immediately he applied this short parable to the subject of the woman, on which the Pharisee had so unjustly reasoned with himself. "Simon," continued our Saviour, seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment." Luke vii. 40, &c.

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This woman's kind services were in no danger of losing their reward from the blessed Jesus, who possessed the softer and finer feelings of human nature in their utmost perfection. Accordingly, he added, in pursuance to so kind an invitation he had before made to weary and heavy-laden sinners, "Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." Luke vii. 47.

The blessed Jesus having thus commended the conduct of the woman to the company, and rebuked, with great delicacy, the unjust suspicions of Simon, turned himself to the woman, and, in the kindest

manner, assured her that "her sins were forgiven." But the power he assumed in forgiving sins, greatly offended the Jews, who, not being acquainted with his divinity, considered his speech as derogatory to the honor of the Almighty. Jesus, however, contemned their malicious murmurs, and repeated his assurance, telling the woman, that her faith had saved her, and bade her depart in peace.

The next day Jesus travelled from Capernaum to different parts of Galilee, going "throughout every city and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God." Luke viii. 1. That is, he declared to the people the welcome tidings of the Almighty's being willing to be reconciled to the children of men, on condition of their repentance and embracing the gospel of the grace of God.

Leaving Galilee, he repaired to Jerusalem to keep the passover, being the second feast of that kind since his public ministry. In this journey he was accompanied by certain pious women, "who ministered to him of their substance."

CHAPTER XII.

Miraculous Cure effected at the Pool of Bethesda. - Reproof of the Superstition of the Jews, in condemning the performance of necessary Works on the Sabbath-day. After doing many acts of Mercy and Wonder, our blessed Lord is visited by his Mother and his Brethren, and makes a spiritual Reflection on that Incident.

OUR Lord had no sooner entered the ancient city of Jerusalem, so long famous for being the dwellingplace of the Most High, than he repaired to the public bath or pool, called, in the Hebrew tongue, Bethesda, that is, The house of mercy, on account of miracles wrought there, by the salutary effects of the water, at certain seasons. This bath was surrounded by five porches, or cloisters, in which those who frequent the place were sheltered both from the heat and cold; and were particularly serviceable to the diseased and infirm, who crowded hither to find relief in their afflictions.

These porches were now filled with a "great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever disease he had." John v. 3, 4.

Among these objects of pity was one who had labored under his infirmity no less than thirty and eight years. The length and greatness of this man's afflictions, which were well known to the Son of God, were sufficient to excite his tender compassion, and make him the happy object to demonstrate that his power of healing was infinitely superior to the sana-, tive virtue of the waters; while the rest were suffered to remain in their affliction.

Had not our Lord at this time restored any of them to health, he would not have acted contrary to the general account which the evangelists give of his goodness on other occasions; namely, that he healed all who came to him. For such diseased persons who left their habitations, through a persuasion of his power and kindness, were proper objects of mercy; whereas the sick in the cloisters of Bethesda were no more so than the other sick throughout the whole country, whom he could have cured with a single word of his mouth, had he been pleased to utter it.

Our compassionate Lord now approached the man whom he had singled out as the person on whom to manifest his power: he asked him, whether he was desirous of being made whole? — a question which must induce the man to declare publicly his melancholy case, in the hearing of the multitude, and, consequently, render the miracle more conspicuous. And as this was done on the Sabbath-day, our blessed Saviour seems to have wrought it to rouse the sons of Jacob from their lethargy, and convince