But while we wonder at this voluntary sacrifice of spiritual advantages, advantages too, which, generally speaking, she did not undervalue, let us ask ourselves whether we have never merited a similar censure, whether we have not been seduced by our worldly cares into a similar and culpable remissness in religious duties? Happily, perhaps, like Martha, we love the Saviour, we avow our attachment, we welcome him in the persons of his representatives into our families; hut, at the same time, forfeit our privileges, lose our opportunities, and suffer temporal concerns to supersede the habitual impression of spiritual realities. Let pious women, especially, take a lesson from this incident. Martha was by no means an unique. She represents a very numerous class of female professors. Here is a glass into which they may look and see a perfect reflection of themselves; and we trust they will not retire from the salutary exhibition of their own blemishes, _forgetting_ what manner of persons they are. Domestic care, like every other, is liable to degenerate into excess. There are many ladies whose piety excites universal admiration, but who, from some constitutional proneness or some acquired habit, bestow a disproportionate, and therefore, on many accounts, highly pernicious concern upon their household arrangements. We are not the apologists of uncleanliness or disorder; but it is possible to be over nice and over anxious: by the former, we may injure the comfort of others, as well as become burdensome even to ourselves; by the latter, we may soon interfere with the superior claims of religion. The care of a family cannot extenuate the guilt of neglecting private devotion or public duties; it cannot exculpate a neglect of the word or the ordinances of God; and to be "cumbered about much serving," is not only waste of time, but unfits the mind for profitable intercourse, and is likely to produce an unhappy effect upon the disposition. This leads us to notice the second great defect in Martha, which the present occasion tended to illustrate. This was fretfulness of temper. Her language indicates extreme irritation. "Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her, therefore, that she help me." It might be expected, that, overawed by the dignified and holy presence of the Son of God, this woman would have felt ashamed to show her impatience, and have been contented to remain silent. But nothing could restrain her. Something went wrong. There was some mistake, some confusion, or perhaps some dish out of order. She was bustling about to make preparations upon a scale which no necessity existed to justify, and she wanted the assistance of Mary. But Mary was bettor employed. She "sat at Jesus's feet, and heard his word."