The following discourse was committed to the press, immediately after it was delivered; and a subscription for the copies of a small impression, was opened at the same time. Contrary to expectation, the number of copies subscribed for, was greater than the number printed. Hence, some of the subscribers, as well as some others, who have since expressed a wish to obtain a copy, have been disappointed. These considerations, together with the importance and general interest of the subject discussed, have determined the editor to give the discourse a place in the Christian Advocate. Those of his readers who may already possess copies, will excuse the appropriation of a few pages to the gratification of others, and to the promotion, it is hoped, of a most important charity.

Redeemer. Six days before the Jewish Passover at which he entered on his last sufferings, a supper, or festival entertainment, was made for him at Bethany; a village in the environs of Jerusalem, frequently mentioned in the evangelical history, and particularly memorable as the residence of Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead. The supper was made at the house of one Simon, a leper; who, it is highly probable, had been cleansed by the miraculous power of Christ. Lazarus was a guest at this entertainment; which some suppose was made, either wholly or in part, at his expense; and his sisters, Martha and Mary, were both present. With her characteristick activity, Martha served at the supper-table; and Mary, with her wonted reverential love to her Lord and Redeemer, and animated no doubt with the liveliest gratitude for the interposition of his almighty power, in calling her beloved brother from the tomb, gave him, on this occasion, obligation, and of the high estimaa signal expression of her sense of

tion in which she wished that others

should hold him. She had made preparation for this expression of her gratitude and love, by procuring an alabaster box of the most costly and fragrant ointment; such as was then used about the persons of individuals the most distinguished by birth or office-that with this she might anoint her benefactor, whom

she also knew to be the long expected Messiah, the Prince of peace. His recumbent attitude, then always in use at the supper table, was peculiarly favourable to her design. Approaching him in this reclining posture, she broke the box of liquid Nard, and poured it, first on his head, and afterwards on his body and his feet. And then, while the house was filled with the odour of the ointment, this holy devoted woman kneeled at the feet of Jesus, and wiped them with the flowing tresses of her hair.

Christian sisters, are you tempted to envy your sister Mary? To envy the opportunity she had to express, in a most striking and affecting manner, her humble, ardent attachment, to your common and adored Redeemer? Envy not but imitate her. Opportunities still occur, to express love and gratitude to your unseen Saviour, by acts as acceptable to him as that of Mary was; and which he will, ere long, acknowledge and reward, before the assembled universe.

Who would expect that any disciple of Christ could disapprove of such a testimonial of reverence and esteem, as that which he received from the sister of Lazarus? Who would not rather expect, that the whole company would witness it with delight, and applaud the happy ingenuity by which it had been devised, and the lovely enthusiasm-shall I not call it-with which the device was executed? But it was not so. Judas was among the guests. He, it has commonly been believed, had been appointed the purse-bearer of the holy family, from his reputed integrity, care and capacity, in the manage ment of pecuniary concerns. opinion therefore, on a point of economy, especially when that which might be saved was to be given to the poor, would naturally have much weight with his fellow apostles; knowing too, as they well did, that their Master had never affect

His

ed worldly honours, nor required any extraordinary expenditure for his own gratification. They therefore joined in the murmuring which began with Judas-Not suspecting that he was hypocrite, thief, and traitor, all in one; and that he only wished that the "three hundred pence," (about fifty dollars of our money) for which "the ointment might have been sold," should have been added to the common stock; that he might carry off a richer prize, when he should abscond with the whole; which it appears he had, about this time, determined to doNot in the least suspecting any thing of all this, the other disciples were influenced by the suggestions of a base and wicked avarice, to join in the murmur, that there had been, on the part of Mary, a profligate waste of property, which might have been applied to a better purpose.

The whole of this murmuring, Christian friends, both in its origin and tendency, was, in my apprehension, exceedingly like the complaints which we have lately heard from certain quarters, that much money is wasted-is wantonly and foolishly thrown away-in professed attempts to honour Christ, by sending his gospel to the heathen and the Jews.

But the Saviour vindicated Mary, and reproved her calumniators. Her views of duty, dictated by her liberal spirit, and her warm and generous heart, were far more correct than their calculating and coldblooded reasonings on the subject. The Saviour reminded them, that every duty must have its proper time and place. The poor they would always have with them, and would never be without an opportunity to show them kindness; "but me (said he) ye have not always."His departure from them was now just at hand, and whatever tokens of their regard he was to receive must be speedily bestowed, or the opportunity for bestowing them

would be past forever. It is not probable, indeed, that Mary, any more than the apostles, had foreseen that Christ, before the expiration of that very week, would suffer the death of crucifixion. It was the ardour of her affectionate reverence for her Lord, which prompted her to do what she had done. But she had done what was right in itself; and the overruling providence of God had so ordered it, that this honourable anointing of the sacred person of the Messiah, should take place immediately before he was cut off-"She hath done, (said he) what she could; she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying." As if he had said "Others are about to insult and despise me, and to put me to an infamous and painful death; but she hath done what she could for my gratification, and to show me honour and respect; and let her not be blamed for this The anointing of the dead is indeed attended with considerable expense. But would you grudge such an expense to my dead body? My enemies would not permit Mary to do what has occasioned this cost, after my decease; and God hath therefore put it into her heart to anoint me aforehand." Nor did the Saviour content himself, with simply justifying this noble and affectionate expression of Mary's attachment and devotedness. He went farther in his commendation of it than he ever went so far as we are told-in approving any other act of kindness or respect, that was shown to his person. He declared that wherever his Gospel should be preached in the whole world, and to the end of time, this deed of Mary should be told, as an honourable memorial of her. Accordingly we find, in fact, that although the action is apparently not of the greatest importance, in the history of our Lord, and very many of his own acts, as St. John informs us, are not recorded at all, yet this deed of Mary is circumstantially narrated

by three of the evangelists. And it is a delightful thought, that after the lapse of near twenty centuries, and at the distance of half the circumference of the globe from the place where the prediction was uttered, I am, at this moment, contributing my mite, to its verification.

Do we not learn from all this, that when, from real and fervent love to Christ, we do what we can to serve and glorify him, he marks it with the most peculiar approba tion, and will confer on it the most distinguished reward?

"She hath done what she could" It seems to be a legitimate inference from these words, a general proposition which they will fairly support, that Christian women ought to do all that they can, to manifest their love to the Saviour, and their desire to do him honour.For who will say that others ought not to do as Mary did? Few indeed, it is believed, except avowed infidels, will deny the truth of this doctrine, when proposed in the abstract form in which it is here stated. Yet when we come to examine it in detail, and to apply it to practice, we find that opinion is by no means uniform, even among professing Christians.

We propose, therefore, in the sequel of this discourse, to endeavour to ascertain and state, what Christian women may do; and what they may not do; in manifesting their love to Christ, and their desire to do him honour.

It may be proper just to remark, in a preliminary way, that genuine love to Christ, and a rational desire to do him honour, will always manifest themselves in earnest endeavours to render the Redeemer precious in the estimation of others.In using all proper means to propagate the knowledge of his glorious person; of his excellent doctrines; of his great salvation; of the obligations which sinners owe him; and of the absolute necessity of their embracing for themselves his

offered mercy, as the only sure ground of their hope for eternity. It is by thus doing that we comply with our Lord's own directions on this subject. "Herein (said he) is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my disciples-If ye love me, keep my commandments-Feed my sheep, feed my lambs-Inasmuch as ye did it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me." Let it be remembered then, that our Saviour is identified with his religion; and that to love, to promote, or to adorn the religion of Christ, is to express love to himself, and to honour him before the world. Our representations and language, in the discussion before us, will be in conformity with this remark.

In prosecuting our purpose, as already stated, we may find it advantageous to consider

I. The negative part of our subject; namely, what Christian women may not do, in manifesting their love to their Saviour, and their desire to do him honour.

It is plainly intimated in the text, that Mary's efforts to honour her Redeemer, were limited. When it is said, "she hath done what she could," the implication is obvious, that she would have done more, if more had been in her power-if propriety would have permitted, or if means and opportunity had not been wanting. By what circumstances and considerations, then, were her efforts limited? In the first place, I answer-by the bounds prescribed to her by her sex itself. Happy is that woman who always finds that she cannot do, what it is improper for her to do as a woman; whose whole mind and feelings are so set against whatever misbecomes her, that she experiences a fortunate incapacity to attempt it. The Saviour, to whom Christian women are to manifest their attachment, is their Creator and Lord. He framed them with that shrinking delicacy of temperament and feeling, which

is one of their best distinctions, which renders them amiable, and which, while it unfits them for command, and subjects them, in a degree, to the rougher sex, gives them, at the same time, an appropriate and very powerful influence. It was therefore not to be expected, that he who formed them with this natural and retiring modesty, and under a qualified subjection to man, would ever require, or even permit them, to do any thing in violation of his own order; and least of all that he would permit this, in his own immediate service. Hence I apprehend it is, that we find in the New Testament, such texts as the following-1 Tim. ii. 11-14. "Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." Again, 1 Cor. xiv. 34, 35. "Let your women keep silence in the churches; for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for women to speak in the church."

The same apostle, who, under the unerring guidance of Divine inspiration, delivered these plain and positive injunctions, has also said1 Cor. xi. 5. "Every woman that prayeth, or prophesieth, with her head uncovered, dishonoureth her head; for that is even all one as if she were shaven." Here, unquestionably, is a direction how women ought to appear and act, when speaking in a publick Christian assembly; for the connexion of the passage shows clearly, that it is of such an assembly that the apostle is here treating. This latter direction, therefore, has the appearance of militating pointedly with the

texts before recited; and as we know that inspired truth can never contradict, or be inconsistent with itself, it becomes a serious question-how is this apparent inconsistency to be cleared up? We answer, that in our apprehension it can be done in one way only; but in that way, easily and perfectly. Let it be carefully observed then, that during the period of miraculous endowments, under the Gospel dispensation, as well as under that of Moses, the gift of supernatural inspiration was sometimes conferred on women, as well as on men. We are told expressly, that Philip the Evangelist "had four daughters, virgins, that did prophesy." Now, in the last quoted passage, the apostle is plainly speaking of women under supernatural inspiration; but in the other passages, of women under no such inspiration. It appears, therefore, that by a miraculous gift, the great Head and lawgiver of the church, took the case of the women on whom he bestowed that gift out of the general rule; and authorized them to utter, even in publick assemblies, what his own Spirit dictated at the time. But on all other and ordinary occasionsto which our first quotations refer they are absolutely required not to speak, but to keep silence in the churches. It is also worthy of special remark, that even when divinely authorized to speak, they were still commanded to be covered; as indicative of a delicate reserve, and as recognising a state of subjection. The explanation here given, as it seems indispensable to the reconciling of one part of Holy Writ with another, so it will be found to be countenanced and warranted, by the context of the passages we have recited. But as we assuredly believe, that miraculous inspiration has long since ceased in the Christian church, no such excepted cases as those we have mentioned, can any longer occur. The general rule, therefore, laid down by the

Spirit of Christ, speaking by the mouth of St. Paul, is now in force, without an exception. Women are, in no case, to be publick preachers and teachers, in assemblies promiscuously composed of the two sexes.

This is explicitly and pointedly prohibited. Here, then, is one thing that Christian women may not do, in their endeavours to promote and extend the religion of Christ. And I am well assured, that in making the statement you have just heard, all that I have said, accords as fully with the views, wishes and feelings of that Society at whose request, and in whose behalf, I now speak, as it does with the spirit and injunctions of Sacred Scripture.

2. The endeavours of Christian women to promote and extend the religion of Christ, must be limited by a due regard to the means they may have at command, and the opportunities which may offer for the purpose. This indeed is a rule of duty which, taken at large, is as applicable to men as to women.-The efforts of all to do good, must be bounded by their means and opportunities. But there is a special application of the rule to the female sex, which ought to be distinctly noticed and carefully regarded. Their means of contributing both to publick and private charities, must frequently be derived from the other sex. What they give must often come from the purses of their husbands, fathers, brothers, or other near kindred, or particular friends; and they certainly, in all such cases, ought to be consulted, and to determine on the amount of charity which, in any given instance, it is proper to bestow-unless indeed a general discretion has been previously allowed.

Sometimes, we know, the case is otherwise. In a number of instances, women have property of their own, entirely free from any foreign control; and then their duty, as to charitable donations, is clearly under no other restriction, than that which