"he would tarry with them: and he "abode there two days.

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many more believed, because

41. And many

"of his own word;

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42. And faid unto the woman, Now "we believe, not because of thy faying: "for we have heard him ourselves, and "know that this is, indeed, the Christ, the faviour of the world."

I must not here omit to do justice to the humility of these Samaritans. How readily did they diveft themselves of the prejudices which the treatment they received at the hands of the Jews must naturally have impreffed them with! They were equally the defcendants of Abraham, and might, therefore, have expected the honor of having the Messiah fpring from themselves, inftead of finding him amongst their avowed enemies; but this had no influence on their faith: they joyfully received and acknowledged him, though a Jew.

Our bleffed Saviour in the parable of

the

the good Samaritan, endeavors to overcome that averfion which the Jews bore to their neighbours, the Samaritans, by defcribing one of them as greatly fuperior to fome of those who styled themfelves God's peculiar people. But they wanted the virtues of charity, humanity, and kindness, which so particularly marked the character described by our Saviour as acceptable in the fight of that Being who judges the heart and actions of his creatures. It was not the name of Jew under the Old Teftament which availed; nor will that of Chriftian, under the new, avail, without a conduct correspondent to fo high and exalted an honor.

The parable I have just alluded to, is fo ftrikingly beautiful, and contains for much inftruction, that I cannot pass it over without making a few obfervations upon it. Those who faw the poor fufferer, as they passed by him, wanted not the ability but the will to affift him; nor was it inattention that prevented them: both the priest and the Levite had the cruel curiofity

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riofity to go up and look at him; which, by raising the hopes of the poor creature, added greatly to the favage barbarity of leaving him in fo wretched a fituation: but the good Samaritan, though the fufferer was his avowed enemy, immediately afforded him every affistance in his power. There are many people who will help the diftreffed, as far as a little fuperfluous money will do it; perhaps, they will go further, and give part of that which would have conduced to their own comfort: and so far they are very commendable: but to be as benevolent as the great and good character here described, they must go further, and even fubmit to real and ferious inconveniences, rather than leave their fellow-creatures in diftrefs. Nor muft this be done for their friends alone, but must be extended even to their enemies, by the facrifice, if neceffary, of part of those comforts which they had prepared for themselves; and this not grudgingly, for "God loveth a chearful giver." The good Samaritan did not think he had ful

filled his duty, by the mere affiftance of the moment, but took care to provide for the poor sufferer as long as his situation fhould render it neceffary. Stanhope says, our blessed Saviour is the good Samaritan indeed, who found poor human nature wounded and bruifed, left more than half dead, and stripped of all its valuable perfections, by the merciless robber and adversary of fouls; and when neither the Levitical law, nor the facrifices offered by the Jewish priests, had administered any fort of comfort or relief, he came a stranger from his blissful dwelling, kindly bound up our wounds, poured out his foul to the death, and applying the fovereign balsam of his own blood: he alfo took us up and removed us away into a more faving difpenfation, clothed us with a robe, and wrought a perfect cure, at the expence of many miracles and mighty fufferings to himself, and left us a conftant fupply of fpiritual fuftenance, which will continue with us as long as the world exists.

Christians,

Christians, who possess such great advantages over the Samaritans in point of religious worship, would do well strictly to examine themselves; and happy will those be who have no caufe to blufh on comparing their actions with those of the merciful Samaritan here described!

43. Now after two days, he departed "thence, and went into Galilee :

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44. For Jefus himself teftified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own country."

The want of refpect experienced by our bleffed Saviour, amongst those who knowing him beft ought to have reverenced him most, proceeded from pride, which could not admit that a person in so inferior a flation as that which our Saviour condefcended to fill, could have a claim to attention. This is noticed in all the four gofpels; which is not the cafe in every particular of our Saviour's life.

Dif