O Mary, all thy sins forgiven,
Thy place beside the Master's feet,
So holy, if divinely sweet,
Had taught thy chastened soul its need-
Thou knewest thy dear Lord must bleed,
His spotless bosom bruised and riven !

Not thee rebellious pity stirred,
But deeper grief to hear His word
That told His hour of passion nigh-
That He, the Lord of life, must die
And rise again !The sorrow fell
In crushing, unresisted spell
On thy submissive heart that heard-
Thy broken heart that knew too well
Its vileness and its utter need
To dare to reason or to plead
To stay Him from the agony !

Thou knewest in thy feeble measure
That Glory veiled in manhood's dress,-
Knew He was God, heaven's priceless Treasure
Revealed in human loveliness;
Yet knew that curse and death must be,
His person crushed in penalty
And all that glorious preciousness
Atoningly outpoured for sin,
Ere even such a One as He
Thy worthless wretchedness could win
Or save one sinner righteously !

Perhaps thou knewest Jesus dying,
His God and Father glorifying,
Would fill with fragrance perfectly
(As there made sin and made a curse)
The whole created universe
For time and for eternity

At least thy faith set forth the token-
As by the Father gently taught
Thine alabaster box was brought
And by thy hands of love was broken,
To pour the spikenard, pure and sweet,
On Sorrow's head and Love's worn feet !
Thine alabaster casket white
Was like His stainless Flesh, the vase,
The temple of Eternal Light, '
Of Godhead-fulness, Love and Grace !
Broken by loving hands, 'twas like
The Father's Son resigned to spike
And cross-His being crushed-His breath
By wrath consumed for sin in death!

And even as it was the spilling
Upon His sacred Person there
That spread the grateful sweetness, filling
The house with incense-perfumed air;
So His atoning sacrifice
Unveils all beauty to our eyes
While love-outpoured in sweet libation
Upon His agony and shame-
Makes odorous the whole creation
With incense of His fragrant Name!

F. A.