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sure him for admitting occasionally into his company persons whose former life had been faulty, though he did it merely with a view to their reformation?

After Mary had paid this extraordinary testimony of respect to Christ, we are told; (Mark xiv. 4, 5.) "And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said; Why was this waste of the ointment made? for it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her." The apostle John says, that this was said only by Judas, who was prompted to it by avaricious motives, as he was the person intrusted with what little our Lord had to support himself" and his disciples, and made a bad use of the trust reposed in him. But as Matthew represents the disciples in general as displeased with it, it is probable that Judas only distinguished himself more, and was more vehement in blaming what had been done, than the rest of them.

Candour requires us to put the most charitable construction upon every action of others, and to look not so much to the thing itself, as to the intention with which it is done. These

men

men should not have dwelt so much on the waste of the ointment, but should have considered the high regard which the person thereby showed for their great master.

She did not, however, want an advocate to defend her; for, as the narrative proceeds, " Jesus said; Let her alone; why trouble ye her?", why do ye make her uneasy by finding fault with her?" She hath wrought a good work on me." However ye interpret it, what she hath now done is praiseworthy, as it is a testimony of her great affection and esteem for me, and as such I accept it. "For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will, ye may' do good to them: but me ye have not always." i. c. The providence of God so orders' it, that there will be always needy and necessitous objects to draw out and exercise the benevolence of those who have the means to relieve them. I have often told you that I was soon to be taken away out of this world: that time is now near at hand; and opportunities of showing me respect will soon be over, so that ye need not think much of what is now spent upon me. "For in that she hath poured this ointment upon me, she did it for my rial.” i. e. Within a very short space of time I shall

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I shall be dead and buried. There is there fore something more suitable than you; are aware of, in that which this person hath done for me. She has anointed my body beforehand against the burial, and has been prompted to do that last respectful office to me yet alive, which she would have desired, and you would easily have allowed her, to have done to me when dead.

"Verily, I say unto you; Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken for a memorial of her."

Let us now turn ourselves to consider what there was in this action of Mary, the sister of Lazarus, that was so highly commendable. Our Saviour says, It should in all generations be spoken of to her honour. It therefore becomes us, that are his disciples, to imitate it where we can, and to examine into it, that we may give it some part of its due praise.

I.

First, then, the way which she took to mark her respect for our Lord, showed a most generous and liberal turn of mind.

The ointment she used was of great price,

worth

worth more than three hundred silver pencej say those that murmured at it: more than ten pounds of our money. A large sum in those times, or at any time; and especially if, as above intimated, Mary and her family, though persons of credit, were not, as one well expresses it, in opulent circumstances, but rather of a middle rank only and private condition.

But she was sensible, more sensible as it would seem than many of his chosen followers, of the holy Jesus's great worth and dignity from God, and the respect that was due to him, though he claimed it not for himself; so that she could set no bounds to the way in which she wished to express what she thought to be due to him.

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And perhaps, as she had heard of his being soon to leave the world, she might be earnest to lay hold of the present opportunity, lest another should not offer, of showing her deep respect for so great and excellent a person, so little known or regarded as he ought to be by others. And, by the way, we may observe, that the vindication of her in what she had done, by him who had an unerring wisdom given him to decide what was right

and

and commendable, points out to us, that an extraordinary expense at some times and in some circumstances, to do honour to real worth, is laudable; and that, after well weighing every thing, we are to follow the light of our own minds, in doing what seems to us best for promoting the glory of God and the practice of virtue, without regarding the censures of others.

But to proceed:

We may further believe that this person might be most desirous, in the best manner she was able, to testify her gratitude to Christ for the vast favours and benefits she herself had received from him. に

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He had but very lately raised from the grave her beloved and only brother, Lazarus, after he had been dead four days: and yet the advantages she had experienced from his kind endeavours and instruction, respecting the means of attaining the favour of God and eternal life, would be what she would prize the most; and esteem nothing sufficient to manifest her gratitude to him who was the chosen instrument of Heaven for this great end, and who was in himself so excellent, so kind and condescending, and good to all.

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