1....

CHAPTER IX.

THE KIND SAMARITAN.

A CERTAIN lawyet ftood up, and

tempted Jefus,

faying, Mafter, what fhall I do to inherit eternal life. And he faid unto him, What is written in the law? How readeft thou? And the lawyer, anfwering, faid, Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy ftrength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thy felf. And Jefus faid unto him, thou haft anfwered right; this do, and thou fhalt live. But he, willing to juflify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

2....And Jefus, answering, faid, A certain man went down from Jerufalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves who ftripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain prieft that way; and when he faw him he paffed by on the other fide. And likewife a Levite, when he was at the place, came and lookyed on him, and paffed by on the other fide.

3....But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was and when he faw him, he had compaffion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and let him on his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the hoft, and faid unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou fpendelt more, when I come again I will repay thee.

4.... Which now of thefe three, thinkeft then, was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves? And the lawyer faid, He that fhewed mercy on him. Then faid Jefus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

REMARKS.

The expounders of the Mofaic law, of which number this lawyer was one, taught, faying, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy; or in other words, thou shalt love Jews and profelites, and despise and abhor all the rest of mankind: Jefus, on the other hand was a teacher of univerfal benevolence; and the lawyer defigning to enfnare and confute him, in regard to this point, and to juftify his own explanation of the law, afked, Who is my neighbour ?

Now, if Jefus had answered directly and explicitly, that he extended the meaning of the word neighbour, to Gentiles as well as to the Jews, and even to the whole world of mankind, he might have incurred the furious resentment of fome that were prefent; therefore, with divine wisdom, he replied in a parabolical

way.

The scene was laid between Jerufalem and Jericho, a road frequently infefted by robbers. A Jew travelling this dangerous road, was robbed, wounded, and left in a helpless and forlorn condition. Two Jewish teach. ers, a priest and a Levite, happened to travel the fame road and cafting on the wounded man who lay weltering in his blood, a cold and diftant look of contempt, rather than of pity, they both paffed by on the other fide of the way

Next, came along a Samaritan, belonging to a nation of all others, the most abhorred by the Jews. This Samaritan beheld the condition of his fellow-creature, and his compaffions were inftantly moved. He never

faid in his heart, This is a Jew, mine enemy, and let him lie there, and perish. He did not fay, Why fhould I be hindered on my journey, and wafte my money in attending to this worthlefs object? But, with warmth of affection, he flew to his relief, and did him all the kindness in his power.

Thele circumftances having been ftated, Jefus made an appeal to the lawyer, by afking him, Who was neigh bour to this diftreffed Jew. He replied, The Samaritan. And thus he was made to answer his own quef. tion. The lawyer's queftion was, Who is my neighbour? His own anfwer to the question, was, The Samaritan is my neighbour.

Jefus then made this pungent application, Go, and do thou likewife. As if he had faid, Thou acknowledgeft that the Samaritan was neighbor to the Jew and be thou also a neighbour to the Samaritan, in like circumftances. If thou canft benefit a fellow-creature, readily do it, whatever be his nation or religion.

The manner in which the captious lawyer was forced, as it were, to affent to truth, even in fpite of violent prejudice, is extremely beautiful and worthy of admira

tion.

CHAPTER X.

THE RICH MAN AND THE BEGGAR, AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THE DAY OF

JUDGMENT.

THERE

HERE was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared fumptuoufly every day. And there was a certain beggar nam. ed Lazarus, who was laid at his gate, full of fores, and defiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his fores. And it came to pafs, that the beggar died, and was carried by angels into Abraham's bofom.

2....The rich man alfo died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and

feeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bofom. And he cried, and faid, Father Abraham, have mercy on me; and fend Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

3....But Abraham faid, Son, remember that thou in thy life time receivedft thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And befides all this, between us and you there is a great gulph fixed fo that they that would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us who would come from thence.

4....Then he faid, I pray thee, therefore, Father that thou wouldst fend him to my father's house: for I have five brethren, that he may teftify unto them, left they allo come into this place of torment. Abraham faith unto him, they have Moles and the prophets; let them hear them.-And he said, Nay Father Abra. ham; but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he faid unto him, If they hear not Mofes and the prophets, neither will they be perfuaded though one arife from the dead.

....When the fon of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then fhall he fit upon the throne of his glory and before him fhall be gath ered all nations; and he fhall feparate them one from another, as a fhepherd divideth the fheep from the goats: and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.

6....Then shall the king fay unto those on his right hand, Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a ftranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed

te: I was fick, and ye vifited me: I was in prifon, and ye came unto me.

7....Then fhall the righteous anfwer him, faying, Lord, when faw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirfty and gave thee drink? When faw we thee a ftranger, and took thee in ? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee fick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the king shall anfwer, and fay unto them, Verily I fay unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

8....Then fhall he fay unto them on the left hand; Depart from me, ye curfed, into ever lafting fire pre pared for the devil and his angels: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me ho meat: I was thirfty, and ye gave me no drink I was a ftranger and ye took me not in naked, and ye clothed me not fick, and in pri fon, and ye vifited me not.

9....Then fhall they alfo anfwer him, faying, Lord; when faw we thee an hungered, or athirft, or a stranger, or naked, or fick, or in prifon, and did not minifter unto thee? Then fhall he answer them, faying, Verily I lay unto you, inafmuch as ye did it not to one of the leaft of thefe, ye did it not to me. And thefe fhall go away into everlafting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

REMARKS,

The folemn and tremendous fcenes reprefented in the foregoing paragraphs, are infinitely interefting to every one; and muft arreft the serious attention of any human mind that is not entirely ftupid and unfeeling. Omitting other remarks, which crowd into view, it is obvious that habitual covetousness, or hard-heartedness toward indigent, and diftreffed fellow-creatures, is ut terly inconfiftent with the chriftian character.