other Scriptures which might have been made choice of. But I have fo often Discoursed of that Subject which this Season and Occafion minds us of, that I scarce know what to add more on that Argument, than what I have already fpoken. Befides, 'tis not neceffary that I fhould always treat of those Scriptures that would confine me to fpeak of that Subject only. There will be fomething of that Nature before I have done; and thofe other matters which this Scripture will offer to our Confideration, may be as beneficial to ns, unless we be wanting to our felves, by neglecting to apply and improve them. The words may be refolved into these three parts.

1. They give us an account of a very remarkable action of Mary. Then took Mary a pound of Oyntment, of Spicknard, very coftly, and anointed the Feet of Jefus, and wiped his Feet with her Hair, and the House was filled with the Odour of the Oyntment.

2.We have a Narration of the offence that Judas took at this her action, and the exception that he made againftit. Then faith one of his Difciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's Son,which should betray him,why was

not

not this Oyntment Sold for Three Hundred Pence and given to the Poor? This he faid, not that he cared for the Poor, but because he was a Thief, and had the Bag, and bare what was put therein.

3. We have our Saviours Defence and Vindication of Mary, or his Apology for her. Then faid Jefus, let her alone, against the Day of my Burying hath fhe kept this. For the Poor always ye have with you, but me ye have not always. Of thefe Parts in Order as they ftand in the Text.

And 1. Concerning Mary's Action. Then took Mary a Pound of Oyntment, &c. 'Tis Queftioned whether this were not that Woman concerning whom we Read, Luke 7. 37. Which washed Chrifts Feet with her Tears, and wiped them with the Hairs of her Head, and kiffed his Feet. Some have thought this Mary and that Woman to be the fame, in regard the Action of the one agrees with that of the other, in fome circumstances. But whether she was another Woman, or the fame mentioned by St. Luke, this we are fure of, that her action was highly pleafing and acceptable to Christ; for befides the Defence he made for her, he adds, as 'tis recorded by the o

ther

ther Evangalifts, that this her action fhould in Honour of her be transmitted to all fucceeding Generations. Verily I Say unto you, faith he, wherefoever this Gospel fhall be Preached in the whole World, there shall alfo this that this Woman hath done, be told for a Memorial of her, Matth. 26. 13. And fo again Mark 14. 9.

Now if you ask what it was that did fo highly commend this Action to the acceptance of Chrift; I anfwer, it was her great Love to him, thus overflowing, and discovering it self in Expreffions of an extraordinary nature. The fervency and height of her Love, put her upon fuch high ways of expreffing it. She thought she could never do enough in manifefting the ardency of her Affection towards him, whom the fo dearly loved. Wherefore,

1. She sticks not to bestow and spend upon him a Box of Oyntment, which Judas valued at Three Hundred Pence; yea, at more than Three Hundred Pence, as another Evangelift informs us, Mark 14. 5. Neither did Judas over-value the Oyntment: Pliny tells us, that a Box of the best fort of that Oynt

Öyntment, fuch as this is faid to have been, (for St. Matthew and St. Mark report it to have been very precious, and St. John very coftly) I fay, Pliny tells us that a Box of the best sort of that kind of Oyntment, was fold for Three Hundred and Ten Pence; that is, Roman Pence, not fuch as ours are which according to the Learned Budaus his computation, amounts to Fifty Pounds of French Money. A great Sum to be expended, and poured out at once upon a Man's Body. But fincere and great Love is not niggardly, but bountiful. It cannot endure to run in a low and fhallow ftream, but in a full current; it delights to rife above the Channel, and overflow the Banks upon fpecial and extraordinary Occafions.

2. She poured it out upon his Head, fays St. Matthew and St. Mark fhe anointed his Feet with it, faith St. John. There is no contradiction or inconfistency in these several Narrations; fhe anointed both his Head and his Feet, though both are not mentioned by the fame Evangelifts. St. Matthew and St. Mark reporting, that he poured the Oyntment on his Head, do not there

by

by deny that she also anointed his Feet; and St. John affirming that she anointed his Feet with it, doth not thereby deny that she also poured it on his Head. Her great Love was not satisfied with having poured it on his Head, unless fhe had also anointed his Feet. Neither did the fuperlative redundancy of her Affection to her Saviour stay there; The moreover wiped his Feet with the Hair of her Head. Great Love thinks no Expreffion full enough, no Condefcenfion low enough, to discover it self by. O how full of Love to her deareft Lord and Saviour was this holy Woman! And how little Love to him have we! She thinks nothing too much to be laid out upon him; how many may there be amongst us who think nothing too little for him? She is most freely willing to beftow Pounds upon him at once; we can hardly afford him so many Pence. She makes account nothing is better bestowed than what is fpent upon Chrift: many of us may be apt to judge it Money thrown away, faying with Judas, and those other Disciples whom he had leavened, To what purpose is this waste? Matth. 26.8.

And