1. AND, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Jesus, saying: Màster, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

2. He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

3. And he, answering, said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

4. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live.

5. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

6. And Jesus, answering, said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jer'i-cho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half

dead.

7. And, by chance, there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

8. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

9. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

10. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, take care of him: and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again,* I will repay thee.

11. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that showed mercy on him.

12. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

1. AN Owl sat blinking in the trunk of a hollow tree, and arraigned the brightness of the sun. What is the use of his beams, said he, but to dazzle one's eyes so that he cannot see a mouse?

2. For my part, I am at a loss to conceive for what purpose so glaring an object was created. We would certainly do much better without him; for the moon affords us a plenty of light.

3. O fool! replied an Eagle, perched on a branch of the same tree, to rail at excellence, which thou canst neither taste nor comprehend: the fault is in thyself, not in the sun.

4. All have not faculties to understand, nor powers to enjoy his favours: but must the business and pleasures of the world be obstructed, that an Owl may catch mice?

LESSON LVI.

NAʼA-MAN, GENERAL IN THE SYRIAN ARMY.

1. THIS great man lived in the days of Ben'hadad, king of Syria, nearly three thousand years agc. He was a favourite of the king, and commander-in-chief of his forces.

2. He had signalized himself in several battles by his wisdom, prudence, and courage, and the Lord had frequently given him the victory over the enemies of Syria, so that his country was preserved from ruin.

3. However, in the midst of all his honour from the king and his fellow-subjects, God smote him with a leprosy, which was a disease pecu liarly loathsome, and in general incurable.

4. In vain did he apply to the physicians of Syria; they could afford him no relief. Among his slaves there was a girl, who, during the wars with Israel, had been carried away prisoner by the Syrian army, and taken into Na'a-man's service.

1

5. This young woman, being much concerned for the affliction of her master, who had treated her with kindness, mentioned to her mistress how greatly she desired that her master would visit the prophet of Samaria, who, to her certain knowledge, had performed many wonderful works, and no doubt had power to cure even a leprosy.

6. Her master, who appears not to have been a haughty man, upon this occasion listened to the counsel of his slave.

7. The circumstance being mentioned to Ben'ha-dad the king, he was decidedly of opinion that Na'a-man should at least try what this stranger could do for him, and offered to send a letter of recommendation to the king of Israel.

8. Supposing, perhaps, that the prophet Elisha would be well known to the king of Israel, that he would be always with him, and act at his command, he therefore wrote to the king to cure his general, without once mentioning the prophet Elisha.

9. When Na'a-man delivered the letter, the king considered the request to cure this leper as a designed insult, with a view to produce fresh war between the two nations; and said to those who surrounded him, "Does Ben'ha-dad think me a God, one who can kill, and then restore to life, that he desires me to cure a man of a leprosy ?"

10. The matter created no small uneasiness in the court, and it soon became a subject of general conversation in the city.