queftion, not by any far-fetched refinement from the schools of the Rabbies, which might have fooner filenced than convinced the man-but by a direct appeal to human nature in an inftance. he relates of a man falling amongst thieves, left in the greateft diftrefs imaginable, till by chance a Samaritan, an utter stranger, coming where he was, by an act of great goodness and compaffion, not only relieved him at prefent, but took him under his protection, and generously provided for his future fafety.

On the close of which engaging account our SAVIOUR appeals to the man's own heart in the first verse of the text-Which now of these three, thinkeft thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among ft the thieves? and instead of drawing the inference himself, leaves him to decide in favour of fo noble a principle fo evidently founded in mercy.-The lawyer, ftruck with the truth and justice of the doctrine, and frankly acknowledging the force of it, our bleffed SAVIOUR concludes the debate with a short admo

nition, that he would practise what he had approved-and go, and imitate that fair example of univerfal benevolence which it had fet before him.

In the remaining part of the difcourfe I fhall follow the fame plan; and therefore fhall beg leave to enlarge first upon the story itself, with fuch reflections as will arife from it; and conclude, as our SAVIOUR has done, with the fame exhortation to kindness and humanity which fo naturally falls from it.

A certain man, fays our SAVIOUR, went down from Jerufalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who ftripped him of his raiment, and departed, leaving him half-dead. There is fomething in our nature which engages us to take part in every accident to which man is fubject, from what cause foever it may have happened; but in fuch calamities as a man has fallen into through mere miffortune, to be charged upon no fault or indifcretion of himself, there is fomething then fo truly interesting, that at the first fight we generally make them

our own, not altogether from a reflection that they might have been or may be fo, but oftener from a certain generofity and tenderness of nature which disposes us for compaflion, abftracted from all confiderations of felf: fo that without any obfervable aft of the will, we fuffer with the unfortunate, and feel a weight upon our spirits we know not why, on feeing the most common inftances of their distress. But where the spectacle is uncommonly tragical, and com plicated with many circumstances of mifery, the mind is then taken captive at once, and were it inclined to it, has no power to make refiftance, but furrenders itself to all the tender emotions of pity and deep concern. So that when one confiders this friendly part of our nature without looking farther, one would think it impoffible for a man to look upon mifery without finding himself in fome measure attached to the intereft of him who fuffers it-I fay, one would think it impoffible-for there are some tempers-how fhall I defcribe them?

formed either of fuch impenetrable matter, or wrought up by habitual felfishnefs to fuch an utter infenfibility of what becomes of the fortunes of their fellowcreatures, as if they were not partakers of the fame nature, or had no lot or connection at all with the fpecies.

Of this character, our SAVIOUR produces two difgraceful instances in the behaviour of a Prieft and a Levite, whom in this account he reprefents as coming to the place where the unhappy man was ;-both paffing by without either ftretching forth a hand to affist, or uttering a word to comfort him in his distress.

And by chance there came down a certain priest!-merciful God! that a teacher of thy religion fhould ever want humanity or that a man whose head might be thought full of the one, fhould have a heart void of the other!-This however was the cafe before us-and though in theory one would fcarce fufpect that the least pretence to religion, and an open difregard to fo main a part

of it, could ever meet together in one perfon; yet in fact it is no fictitious character.

Look into the world-how often do you behold a fordid wretch, whose strait heart is open to no man's affliction, taking shelter behind an appearance of piety, and putting on the garb of religion, which none but the merciful and compaffionate have a title to wear. Take notice with what fanctity he goes to the end of his days, in the fame selfish track in which he at firft fet out-turning neither to the right hand nor to the left-but plods on pores all his life long upon the ground, as if afraid to look up, left peradventure he should fee aught which might turn him one moment out of that ftrait line where intereft is carrying him; or if, by chance, he stumbles upon a hapless object of diftrefs, which threatens fuch a difafter to him-like the man here reprefented, devoutly paffing by on the other fide, as if unwilling to trust himfelf to the impreffions of nature, or ha