The Anointment of Jesus by Mary of Bethany [pp. 484-511]

THE ANOINTMENT OF JESUS
are united to Christ at first and so rescued from condemnation,
and that by which the Spirit subsequently gives every grace.
Salvation and every step of it being, on God's part gratuitous, all
we do is to accept. Acceptance is an exercise of faith implying
a desire for the gift and belief in the word of the Offerer.
God makes it a point with us that we recognize the gratuitouslness of salvation, and hence that we appreciate the faith which
accepts it. His teachings and discipline tend to correct our
constant tendency to depend on works. If we were saved by
works we might well be surprised at our Saviour's estimate of
that in which man does so little, and it might be insisted that it
was Iary's love rather than her faith that was so highly appreciated. It was more important for our instruction that Jesus
should hold up MIary's faith for our admiration, than her love,
the fruit of her faith, for our estimate of the value of faith needs
most correction.
But besides the purely spiritual effects and relations of faith,
it has most important natural effects, which all can understand,
and from which we can see the justness of our Saviour's estimate.
Reason, within the range of its vision here as elsewhere, finally
perceives the correctness of revelation.
With full and constant belief in God's promises and threats,
umen would always feel it their interest to do right and avoid
wrong. Temptation would lose its power. Relying on God's
providence, or at any rate respecting his commands, a thorough
believer would not attempt to attain good ends by improper
means, even though now by general consent they are considered
indispensable. With abounding faith, even if only intellectual
but real, crime would cease, and man would be at least externally
righteous.
From such considerations reason is compelled to agree with
revelation that faith cannot be over-estimated.
From this we see that faith as a means or instrument is superior to everything else, though as an end "the greatest of these
is love."'
MIary accepted Jesus' statements in their obvious sense, or as
by a fair interpretation they should be understood.
One lesson taught us is to accept just what the Bible fairly in
i 1 Cor. 13: 13.
FJuly,