MOM

"comfort of a friend to fupport him in «his laft agonies, or the profpect of a hand to clofe his eyes when his pains. " are over. But perhaps my concern.

hand to

fhould leffen when I reflect on the re"lations in which we ftand to each other that he is a Jew, and I a Samaritan. But are we not ftill both men; partakers of the fame nature-and "fubject to the fame evils?-let me change conditions with him for a moment and confider, had his lot befallen me as I journeyed in the way, what measure I fhould have expected at his hand.-Should I wifh, when he beheld me wounded and half-dead, that he fhould fhut up his bowels of compaffion from me, and double the weight of my miferies by paffing by and leaving them unpitied?-But I am a ftranger to the man;-be it fo

but I am no ftranger to his condition-misfortunes are of no particular tribe or nation, but belong to us all; and have a general claim upon us, without diftinction of climate, country,

gion. Befides, though I am a is no fault of his that I do

know him, and therefore unequi table he thouid fuffer by it:-Had I "known him, poffibiy I fould have "had caute to love and pity him the "more for aught I know, he is fome "one of uncommon merit, whole life is « rendered more precious, as the « lives and happined of others may be "involved in its perhaps at this infant

that he Les here forfaken, in ail this «milery, a whole virtuous family is

jovtilly looking for his return, and "affectionately counting the hours of "his delay. Ch! did they know what <<< evil had befallen him-how would "they fy to fuccour him!-Let me

then haften to fupply those tender «oices of binding up his wounds, and carrying him to a place of fafety -or if that affiftance comes too late, I fhall comfort him at least in his « laft hour-and, if I can do nothing elfe,-I fhall foften his misfortunes be dropping a tear of pity over them.”

'Tis almost neceffary to imagine the good Samaritan was influenced by fome fuch thoughts as thefe, from the uncommon generofity of his behaviour, which is reprefented by our SAVIOUR operating like the warm zeal of a brother, mixed with the affectionate difcretion and care of a parent, who was not fatisfied with taking him under his protection, and fupplying his prefent wants, but in looking forwards for him, and taking care that his wants fhould be fupplied when he should be gone, and no longer near to befriend him.

I think there needs no ftronger argument to prove how univerfally and deeply the feeds of this virtue of compaffion are planted in the heart of man, than in the pleasure we take in fuch representations of it: and though fome men have represented human nature in other colours (though to what end I know not), yet the matter of fact is fo ftrong against them, that from the general propensity to pity the unfortunate, we exprefs that fenfation by the

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 fhelter 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 paling by on the other fide, as if unwilling to trust himfelf to the impreffions of nature, or ha

zard the inconveniences which pity might lead him into upon the occafion.

There is but one ftroke wanting in this picture of an unmerciful man to render the character utterly odious, and that. our SAVIOUR gives it in the following instance he relates upon it. And likewife, fays he, a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked at him. It was not a tranfient overfight, the hafty or illadvised neglect of an unconfidering humour, with which the beft-difpofed are fometimes overtaken, and led on beyond the point where otherwife they would have wished to ftop-No!-on the contrary, it had all the aggravation of a deliberate act of infenfibility proceeding from a hard heart. When he was at the place, he came and looked at him,confidered his misfortunes, gave time. for reafon and nature to have awoke--faw the imminent danger he was inand the preffing neceflity of immediate help, which fo violent a cafe called aloud for; and after all-turned afide,