the expression of her gratitude and love,--of her adoration and her
joy. She took with her a phial of ointment, the costliest that she
possessed, found an entrance into the Pharisee's house, and walked
behind backs to the feet of Jesus, as he reclined at table on an
elevated cushion. Arrived there, she is incapable of accomplishing
her purpose. The thought of the greatness of her sin, and the
greatness of the compassion of Jesus, broke her heart. She wept, and
so unwittingly wet the feet of Jesus with her tears. Oh, salt,
salutary tears! They are tears at once of repentance and gratitude.
Now, she must first dry the Lord's feet again. But for this she had
not prepared herself; for this she had nothing but her hair. So she
wiped them with her hair; and kissed the feet of Jesus, and then
anointed them with ointment. All this was the manifestation of her
inward burning love to the Lord."--_Arndt_, ii, 85, 86.

"Now, when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within
himself, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what
manner of woman this is that toucheth him." It was an acknowledged sign
of a true prophet to be a discerner of hearts. Simon had this test
before his mind, and was secretly applying it to determine the claims of
Jesus. But another principle lay deep in the heart of the Pharisee,
which he considered applicable to the case in hand: he counted, as a
matter of course, that a prophet, while he might sit at table on terms
of equality with himself, a good man, would not accept any mark of
homage from a bad one. He believed that, by his knowledge of the town,
he had gained advantage over the prophet of Nazareth, who was a
stranger, and had found a ground on which he might reject his claims.
Simon knew the character of this woman. Believing that Jesus, as a
righteous man, would have spurned her away if he had known what she
was, he thought he saw in the fact of his bearing with her an evidence
that he was ignorant of her character.

The reasoning was this. Either he knows what sort of a woman this is, or
he does not. If he does not know, he is not a prophet, because he cannot
discern spirits; if he knows, he is not a prophet, for he does not cast
the disreputable person away. On either alternative, therefore, he is
not a prophet.[60]

[60] The dilemma is well put by Dr. Trench.

* * * * *

I proceed now, under the directi