Tuesday before Easter.

THE COSTLY OFFERING.

S. MARK XIV. 8. ·

She hath done what she could.

THE only condition which I propose to myself on these occasions, is that the incident dwelt upon shall be one which though not in itself perhaps of much importance, yet has grown into magnitude by the place it occupies in the Gospel.-Without further preamble, let me invite your attention to the act of Mary, the sister of Martha and of Lazarus, who anointed our SAVIOUR's head and feet with precious ointment, "as He sat at meat in the house of Simon the leper," at Bethany.

Now this was not an act which expected notoriety, still less which courted it. But it was a lavish act of homage,-offered out of the fulness of a most loving heart. We are not furnished with many details. The owner of the

house in which the entertainment was given is mentioned in this place only. How he was connected with the two Sisters and Lazarus does not appear. What is certain, a supper was given in our LORD's honour,-a supper at which "Martha served: but Lazarus," (it is significantly added) "was one of them that sat at the table with Him." Significantly, I say: for the whole was doubtless the image of something far greater than appeared; and Lazarus, who had already, (so to speak,) undergone Resurrection, was now in a figure, "sitting down to eat bread in the Kingdom, with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob," at CHRIST's Table. ... While Martha then was serving, Mary entered with "an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard, very precious;" and poured it first on our SAVIOUR'S head, then on His feet. Those perfumes were of a glutinous nature, and would not flow through the narrow neck of the little vessel which contained them,-at least not fast enough to satisfy Love. And so, in her eagerness, Mary "brake the box," (it was a bottle rather,)— whereby it came to pass that the whole of the ointment was expended,-and that speedily,on Him for whom this act of homage was intended; without reserve of any kind. The very

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vessel itself had perished. Moreover the whole house became filled with the odour of the ointment, even as the whole Church was destined speedily to be filled with the fragrance of that pious woman's deed.

There probably was never yet a noble sacrifice made for CHRIST's sake,-when the giver gave all he or she could, but there was always found to be some Pharisee at hand, some Judas rather, to take offence. It was the traitor, who was at last to sell his soul for about one eighth of the present sum, who is now heard to exclaim, "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?"

The Evangelist S. John proceeds to remark, -"not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief and had the bag." Let us turn our thoughts away from Judas Iscariot however. Whether he cared for the poor or not,-whether the value of the ointment would not have been rightly bestowed upon the poor or not,-is by no means our question. The point to be observed is, that we have our LORD's own express assurance that the offering,-costly, even wasteful as it seemed,-was far better made to Himself. This is the only point we desire now to notice. "Let her alone! Why trouble ye the

woman? She liath wrought a good work upon -Me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensocver ye will ye may do them good:

but Me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint My body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."..

Let us dwell for a moment (1), On the costliness of this offering: then (2), On the Commendation it won from the lips of CHRIST.

able one.

!

"As for the offering, it was indeed a considerA contemporary writer, complaining of the luxury and wastefulness of his age, specifies the extravagant price paid for unguents in proof of his assertion; and then mentions four hundred pence as a proof of the recklessness of the rich. Here then was a woman,-not rich certainly, possessing herself of the costliest offering she could procure. As nearly as one can reckon, the sum she paid for it would be about 301. according to the present value of money among ourselves. And I think we shall all admit that although the sum is not what a rich person would call a large one, it is what we

should call a very noble offering indeed,-if offered by a person in humble life, especially if offered in this particular way; I mean, offered without any particular, immediate, visible, commensurate object. She was not buying a burialplace for her LORD's Body;-or providing for His embalming;-or for His entombment;-or doing any other similar necessary and (as it were) abiding act. No. She merely wanted to shew her love, her soul's devotion,-the largeness of her affectionate reverence towards that mysterious Being whose discourse was sweeter to her than honey or the honeycomb-whose strong voice had broken the gates of Death :in whom she recognized the Author of all her purest joy. What shall she do to shew her devotion? There are costly unguents, she knows. Her little store of money will compass the very costliest of all. And it will be an offering worthy of a King's acceptance! And so, she lets fall some drops of it on His sacred Head,--and spreads what she lets fall upon his feet, with her hair. And she wins for herself thereby the praise of the Eternal GOD,-and a place in the everlasting Gospel of CHRIST!

The commendation which our SAVIOUR bestowed upon the act of this pious woman is very