The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware advertiser., 1827-06-21


some wealth aud consideration, makes dis
tinguishcd figure among the friends OF Jc-
sus. She has been most strangely and un-
Justly confounded with that pentent female,
who had been a sinner, and who bathed our
Lords feet with tears OF contrition. but
Mary Madalenc had been cured by our Sa-
viour of one of the most terrible maladies.
which can inhict our suffering nature, and
the fondest employment o. her recovered
reason seemst TO have 5ecn, 10 listen TO her
aeivcrer, aud to minister to him OF her sub
stance. With many ofthe women she follow
ed him from Galilee thro' that scene OF suffer
ing, when all the disciples from our sex for
sock him and fed The womenneverl lost sight
of him, till he WAS raised upon the cross
then they stood by and witnessed his expir-
ing moments. They left not the body till it
was deposited in the tomb; then they saw
where it was laid, and prepared their spices
to embalm it. On the Sabbath they were
obliged to leave it. and rest, according to
the commandment; but their wake!ul eyes
caught the first streak OF eastern light on
the morning of the resurrection; and to the
women. watching and weeping at the sePul-
chrc, appeared the first delightful vision OF
the Lord Of glory, risen in all the freshness
Of his new and immortal life.
Some of the earliest and most faithful con-
verts Of the apostles, were also from TINS
sex. To the assembled saints and widows,
Peter presented Dorcas aiive. whe mad been
| full of good works and alms.decds, which
she did The tender heart Of Lydia was
melted al the preaching Of Paul; and. IN his
epstlcs, he seldom fails to send salutatlons
to some of those excellent females, who, ny
their works OF charity and labors OF love,
| cherished tho feeble community OF pcrsccnt-
ed Christians. and illustrated the amlablc
spirit and bcnignant influence Of the religion
they professcd.
Perhaps it is not difficult TO account tor
these frequent examples OF female ChrisIl-
anity, SO interesting, and yet SO honorable 20
the GOSPEL The men in Judea, were LOOK
ine for a prince, as their Messiah, who should
answer their ambitious hopes not only by
tho restoration of the kingdom Of Israel, but
also bv dispensing individual honors and per
sonal distinctions in his approaching domin-
ion. Every Jew, therefore, as he expected
a share Of this splendid power, felt portion
of that vanity, which belongedto the expect,
ed masters Of the world. Hence. they first
approached our Lord with impatience and
high raised hopes: but finding him, contra
ry TO their fancy, SO poor, meek, unpresenh-
inc. spiritual, and unambitious, they often
retired in disgust which, in the great men
of the nation, his rebukes often intiamed TO
rage.
Meanwhile the Jewish women, in their
retired and subordinate station, had little
share in these ambitious expectations ne
mother of Zebedce's children, when she
came TO ask a favor OF Christ, solicited
nothinr for herself, but only tor her sons
that they might have Offices in his kingdom.
To the happiness OF the jewish women u
was of little consequence, whether the stand
ard of the expected universal empire waved
on the temple Of Jerusalem, or the capital AZ
Rome. No wonder, then, they were de-
lighted. when they saw the Christ, the
prince, the idol of the Jewish expectation,
treating their sex with distinguished kind
ness. They were more at leisure to feei
and contemplate the moral greatness OF Je-
sus, the sufferer; while the other sex were
eager to see the sign from Heaven, @h'cn
should mark out Jesus, the triumphant.
The women we're won by the tears @NicN
they saw him shed at the grave OF Lazarus
| in sympathy with the afflicted sisters; but
the men who were standing Dy' "eie u'',
satisfied: ror, said they, could he not have
caused that Lazarus should not have died !!
And when Jesus. the wonder and glory OF
Judea, the suffering prince, cast his last look
from his cross down on the taintng Mary
and says to John with his last breath, "oe-
hold thy mother!'' is il to be wondered at
that the women who stood by and heard 1t
should have begged this body, and embalm-
ed this corpse from which spirit so Affect
ing had just taken its flight!
This regard for the founder OF our faitl
they seemed to have continued to the apos
ties; for the Christian community, IN the mrs.
ages, were distinguished by an order OF wo'
men. who ministered to the necessities o
the saints, who brought up children, lodg-
= ed strangers, who washed the saints feet
who relieved the afflicted, and diligently fol
lowed every good work, thus embamlng
!. new the remains of their Lord in the ira
GRANGE of their charities towards the church
i which is his body.