and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

31. And by chance there came down a certain prieft that way; and when he faw him, he paffed by on the other fide.

32. And likewife a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and paffed by on the other fide.

33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he faw him, he bad compaffion on him :

34. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and fet him on his own beaft, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35. 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 whatfoever thou fpendeft more, when I come again, I will repay

thee.

36. Which now of these three, thinkeft thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he faid, He that she'd mercy on him. Then faid Jefus unto him, Go, and do thou likewife.

Ο

The MORAL REFLECTION.

UR bleffed Saviour ftiles his apostles happy,

not barely because they faw him for the greatest part of the kingdom partook of this fayour. The Scribes and Pharifees, whose pride and hypocrify he often condemned, not only faw his perfon, but admired his miracles, and heard his fermons; as well as the executioners, that crucified him, and the traytor that betrayed him and yet our bleffed Lord pronounced the fentence of his damnation,

damnation, It had been better for that man if he bad never been born.

He therefore calls his apoftles blessed, not only because they faw him, but because they believed in him, and practis'd thofe maxims he delivered. It is a madness, at this time of day, to queftion his religion, confirm'd by the blood of fo many martyrs, demonstrated by the pens of fo many learned men, and fupported by fuch a cloud of miracles. But then it is no lefs monftrous to believe all he has revealed, and to tranfgrefs all his commands. Yet this is the misfortune of the greatest part of Chriftians: what diftance between our belief, and our actions? Who would think we had fuch a precept as love your enemies, when we even betray our friends; that we must crucify our Flesh, when we pamper it to excefs: that we must lodge our hearts and treasures in heaven, when we lay up provifions for this world, without any care. or folicitude for the next?

Alas! Faith alone will not convey us to heaven; it must be animated by good works, by a practice of Chrift's morals: otherwife we fhall undergo the fentence, pronounced by our Saviour against the fervant, who knew his master's will, and neglected it; we fhall be punish'd more than infidels, for having received more favours from God and abufed them.

Thank therefore God every moment of your lives, for having called you to his holy religion, and refolve to live up to its maxims: wafh out the ftains of your past offences with tears of a fincere repentance; and edify thofe by your virtues, you have fcandalized by your vices.

If you afk me, what you must do? I must return you the fame anfwer our Saviour made the Jawyer, in the paffage before us: How readeft thou? He answered Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with

all

all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy ftrength, and with all thy mind, and thy neighbour as thy felf. This God commanded even in the old law, and Christ has made them the basis, and capital points, of the new: that is, You must prefer the obfervance of God's commands before all things: you must prefer his love before that of all creatures, tho' never fo dear, never fo beneficial. And this obligation takes in all times and and all circumstances: profperity must not throw you into a forgetfulness of him, nor adverfity into murmurs against him: you muft equally blefs his conduct, when he takes away, and when he gives; and praise his providence, as well in fickness, as when you enjoy all the advantage of health; in fhort, you must fubmit your will, without a referve, to his; defire nothing in this world but his favour, nor fear any thing but fin.

Oh! the thrice happy state of a foul thus in love with its Creator! It carries a heaven within itself; and enjoys a more refin'd pleasure, than all those fenfible allurements, we purfue with fo much eagernefs, can give us. It has a kind of an affurance, whatever misery it groans under in this world, it fhall be eternally happy in the next. And who can be miferable, that is always waited on by fo comfortable a confidence?

It is impoffible to love God, unless at the fame time we love our neighbour : And this love must not only fit on our tongue, but lodge in our hearts: nor will an ordinary tenderness fatisfy the obligation: it must equal the kindness we have for ourselves. Hence we must neither do him harm, nor even wish him any we muft excufe his failings, and bear with his weakneffes we must neither touch his reputation, nor invade his goods: we muft affift him in his neceffities, protect him in danger, and comfort him in affliction. In fhort, we must do by him, as

We

we would be done by, were we in the fame circumstances.

But, does the love, I bear my brethren, answer this ftrict obligation? Do I wish him no harm, when I take all advantages, to rife by his fall? to build my fortune on the ruin of his; and when, to fatisfy my avarice, I invade his poffeffions? Do I excufe his faillings, when I magnify them, and tear his reputation, to carry on a converfation, or content a paffion? And yet, O God, how many are guilty of this conduct, oppofite to all the maxims of thy gofpel, and of nature?

Reflect, dear reader, if you are a Christian, that, by loving your brother, you reap the advantage; and, by hating him, a fad reverfion of vengeance: for God has engaged his word, that he will treat us as we treat our brethren. The merciful will find mercy at his tribunal, and the revengeful punish

ment.

This lawyer, willing to justify himself, would know of our Saviour, who was his neighbour. Every man, Chrift has redeemed with his precious. blood, is your neighbour: the flave, at the oar, is neighbour to the prince on the throne: the lackey to his mafter, and the indigent, who wants all things, to him, who abounds in all things. The difference of states, cannot cut off the relation. And God fend, that thofe, who look down upon the miferable not as their brethren, but as creatures of another fpecies, are not forced, after their deaths, like the rich man in the gofpel, to behold thofe poor Lazarus's, they defpifed here, feated in Abraham's bofom, and themselves lodg'd in hell.

Our Saviour anfwers the lawyer's queftion by a parable, and draws from it an argument to recommend, or rather to renew the command of charity. A certain man, fays he, went down from Jerufalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who fript him

of

of his raiment, and wounded him, and departing left him half dead.

This unfortunate man reprefents, to the life, the deplorable condition of every finner: they depart from Jerufalem, as well as he, that is, from the company of faints, who might have animated them to virtue by their words, and edified them by their example: they make their way to Jericho, where they fee virtue in contempt, and vice in credit. And thus they expofe themselves to temptations without number, to danger without end. These objects fire the paffions; the devil enforces them, and by frequent attacks draws him into fin; this ftabs mortally the finner's foul, ftrips it of grace, and all those bleffings it entitles him to. Oh! the fad effects of fin! What a train of miferies follow a fhort pleasure? To forfeit grace, God's friendship, heaven, an eternity of blifs, for a momentary fatiffaction, nay, and to expose ourselves to all the torments of hell, has fomething so strange, that nothing but experience can convince us, that a reafonable creature is capable of fo prodigious a folly. When temptation affails you, weigh what you lofe by confenting, what you gain by a Chriftian refiftance. You lofe all title to heaven, and nothing but God's mercy, whom you offend, can restore it you again. Oh! what a gain on the one fide! what a lofs on the other!

A prieft, and a Levite, find this poor wretch in this deplorable condition, naked, wounded, weltering in his gore, and brought to his laft agony: yet, not touch'd by fuch a moving fpectacle, they go on their way, without offering any fuccour to the poor creature in this extremity. Are we now, tho' Chriftians, more charitable than the priest and Levite? Do we not behold our brethrens miferies with as little concern? Do we not often refufe the fmall relief of a penny, to affwage his

want,