Shibboleth, or, Observations of severall errors in the last translations of the English & French Bibles together with many other received opinions in the Protestant churches, which being weighed in the ballance are found too light / written by John Despagne ... ; and translated into English by Robert Codrington ...

Of Mary Magdalen, who falsly is said to be a Woman of a bad life. The injuries which Divines for the most part a•• her in their Sermons and their Books, And especially the English Bi∣ble in the Argument of the seventh Chapter of St. Luke.

THe injury which the Roman Church doth to another Mary, who was the Sister of Lazarus hath been sufficiently confuted by the Or∣thodox. Ignorance hath caused to be∣lieve, that this Mary, and another who was of Magdala, and the Sinner men∣tioned in the 7th. of Saint Luke were but one and the same person, confoun∣ding these three in one, now we have truly and already vindicated one of the three, who is Mary of Bethany, who was the Sister of Lazarus, but we do still defame her of Magdala, as if this Magdalen were the Sinner of whom Saint Luke speaketh.

There is nothing more common in the mouth of the vulgar then the wic∣ked life of Magdalen. The Preachers willing to comfort Souls afflicted with the horror of their sins, do represent unto them this Woman, as one of the most unchast and most dissolute that ever was, to whom nevertheless GOD hath been mercifull. On the same pre∣judice which is but imaginary, the reason is builded, wherefore the Son of God being raised from the dead, did appear first to Mary Magdalen, be∣fore he appeared to any other, for it is alleged, it was because she had more need of comfort, having been a greater finner than others. The common pla∣ces, the Indexes, even that of Marl••rat himself, and other Books, which serve for an Address to Students, do give them betimes this impression which alwaies afterwards they retain. He who hath wrote the Practise of Piety, of whom I shall speak more hereafter, doth rank this Magdalen, with the most enormous sinners, yea, with Manasse

himself, one of the most wicked that ever was. And yet more to atuhorize this error, it is inserted into the Bible it self.

For the Contents of the 7th. Chap∣ter of Saint Luke in the English tran∣slation doth tell us, that the Woman, whose sins were in a greater number then the sins of others, the Woman, who untill then had led a wicked life and full of uncleaness, was Mary Mag∣dalen.

But 1. the text gives no name to that sinner; where have we then found it? Who of the Evangelists, or what other Authentick Scripture hath taught us the proper name or the sirname of that Woman? For she who poured the oyntment on Jesus Christ Mat. 26. and John 12. was neither that sinner, nor Mary Magdalen, but the sister of Lazarus. All the circumstances do de∣monstrate that they are two distinct Histories, two divers actions perfor∣med in divers times, in divers places, and by divers persons. Secondly, Where

shall we find that Mary Magdalen did ever anoint the feet of our Saviour? Thirdly, Where shall we find that Mary Magdalen was a Woman of an ungodly life? The Gospell doth in∣form us, that she was tormented with seven Devils, or evil Spirits, an affliction which may befall the most holy man or woman in the world. But we find not the least shadow of a word which doth stain her with any note of infa∣my. Wherefore then do we yet adhere to an invention not onely fabulous, but injurious to the memory of a woman illustrious in piety? We must abstain from bearing false witness, as well a∣gainst the dead, as against the living.

It is remarkeable that neither the sinner, mentioned in Luke the 7th. nor the Adulteress, in the 8th. of Saint John are found to have any name in the sacred History, no more than the theif who was converted being on the Cross. There are (no doubt) particu∣lar reasons for it, and in part we may conjecture of them, why the Holy

Ghost abstained to express the proper names of these great sinners, although they were converted. It is not then for us to impose names on them, much less to appropriate them to persons whom the Scripture hath not marked with any note of enormous sins.