peak to a Samaritan; the
very presence of the latter was pollution to an orthodox Jew. No Jew
ever entered the habitation of the hated Samaritan; he would not eat
at his table or drink from his well. Neither would he allow a
Samaritan to come under his roof. No religious Jew would even buy from
a Samaritan, or sell to him. You know a Jew must have a very poor
opinion of a man if he will not do business with him, when there is a
prospect of making something out of him.

Not only was this the case, but the Jews considered that the
Samaritans had no souls; that when they died they would be
annihilated. Their graves would be so deep that not even the sound of
Gabriel's trump would wake them on the resurrection morning. He was
the only man under heaven who could not become a proselyte to the
Jewish faith, and become a member of the Jewish family. Repentance was
denied him in this life and the life to come. He might profess the
Jewish religion; they would have nothing to do with him. That was the
way in which they looked upon these men; yet Christ used the despised
Samaritan to teach these bitter Jews the lesson of love to their
neighbor.

The Samaritan came that way. It says in the narrative that the priest
came down that way "by chance;" but we are not told that the Samaritan
came by chance. He represents our Lord and Master. We are told that he
came to where the poor wounded man was; he got off the beast on which
he was riding and stooped right down there by the side of the sick
man. He looked at him and saw that he was a Jew. If he had been like
the Jews themselves, he would most likely have said, "Serve you right.
I only wish the thieves had killed you outright. I would not lift a
finger to help you, you poor wretched Samaritan." But no! not a word
of condemnation or blame did he utter.

Let us learn a lesson from this. Do you think these drunkards
need anyone to condemn them? There is no one in the wide world
who can condemn them as they condemn themselves. What they need is
sympathy--tenderness, gentleness and kindness. This Samaritan did not
pull a manuscript out of his pocket, and begin to read a long sermon to
the wounded man. Some people seem to think that all the world needs is a
lot of sermons. Why, the people of this land have been almost preached
to death. What we want is to preach more sermons with our hands and
feet--to carry the Gospel to the people by acts of kindness.

Neither did he read this poor Je