and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out twopence, 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. Which now, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among thieves?"

The Master had related a story-and nothing more. He made no comment on the conduct or motives of the persons mentioned; He had merely drawn a picture which explained itself. But it was a picture Deity had designed for other eyes and hearts beside those of the captious lawyer.

The priest "passed by on the other side." He might have been pressed for time. He might have been exercising his devotions— or he might have thought that had he investigated the condition of the wounded man, and found that he was dead, suspicion would

possibly have fallen on himself as the perpetrator of the horrid deed. But whatever he thought, he certainly saw him, and left him ; to die, or to decay. What a view of human nature! how awfully cold and callous must the heart of that man be who can avoid a helpless object of distress, when he knows that if he would, he could do something to assist, and that, moreover, when no other hand is near to render either help or deliverance.

The Levite went and "looked on him,' so that he had the opportunity of ascertaining whether the man was alive or not; but he left him too, and walked away in the same path that the priest had already trodden. There is a great dread in some minds, of incurring trouble, inconvenience, or expense for anything but self. For self, absorbing self, nothing is too good to be sacrificed, whatever it is, wherever it comes from, or to whomsoever it belongs. "But a certain

وو

Samaritan came where he was. He also saw him, and something more. His feelings were first aroused, "he had compassion on him," they were feelings allied to principle, for they led to right action. He tended the bleeding body, comforted the sinking spirit, and carried the mutilated sufferer to a place of safety and repose. It seems that, notwithstanding, he had business to transact, for next day he was obliged to consign his charge to the care of the innkeeper; whose attention to the sick man during his absence he wisely endeavoured to insure, before he ventured to leave the disabled victim alone to the mercy of strangers again. He had given his sympathy, his labour, his protection, and his time-and now he gave his money-for what, and for whom? for the necessities of one unknown, and merely thrown in his way by what is called accident. Our Lord thought it no extraordinary act of friendly kindness only to be heard of and