St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-12-25

The MERCIFUL
SAMARITAN
Robert Johnston in The Standard
* ~
Robert Johnston in The Standard
BY Robert Johnston.

LUXE 4Uotp SO lltOu anu w ILhS"1oC.
The city of Jericho lay at distance
If some fifteen miles from Jerusalem,
and at a considerably lower level.
The road between the two cities trav
.ersed wild and rocky country, and
was infested 1000 years ago, as in
deed it is to-day, by bands of robbers.
St Jerome tells US that in his day
this road, by reason of the frequent
murders occurring upon it, was known
as the bloody way" The perilous
character, then, cannot have been I'M
known to any one of those four per-
sons, who, on a certain day long ago,
traversed it.
The Traveller.
Apart from what is told US in the in
cident, we know nothing of this Ger
tain man" who went down from Jeru-
salem to Jericho. But l confess there
are certain things I would like to
know about him. AS, for instance,
after what manner did he commence
that day on which he was to take that
perilous journey? What was his pray
er at his family altar that morning?
Or had he a family altar at all at
which he was accustomed to commend
himself and his family to the care of
An ever-Watchful God?
The Priest Who Passed BY.
"By chance" said our Lord, who
knew, as no one else ever could know,
how foreign is chance to the govern
ment Of him without whom not even
sparrow falls to the ground, but who
accommodated himself to the current
language of his day. "By chance" he
said, there came down a certain
victim of the robbers rapacity and
cruelty was not wholly unconscious,
what hope must have filled his heart
as with fast-dulling ears he heard
steps approaching and in little, rec
ognized in the one approaching him
priest. "a priest!" he muttered to
himself. "a priest of the temple!"
Here is help" he said to himself.
God is, indeed, gracious who has sent
a servant of his own to me in the
hour of my distress"
No, have no excuse for the priest,
temple appointments, and with all his
well-thought-out speech concerning the
necessity of every mans lying on the
bed that he has made for himself.
Nor have any excuse for myself
when in similar hurry and with SINH
}r fnI1our ha
priest on the highway between Jeru-
salem and Jericho, rather than him
who was the friend of sinners and of
whose life the record is this: "He
went about doing good"
The Levite.
Our translation gives the impress
sion that the Levite who came by
after the priest was of the two the
more heartless, for he is represented
as coming and looking upon the suf-
ferer and even then heartlessly pass
ing on. His action, however, was sim
ply that of the priest who had passed
before him. We take it for granted,
and 1 think rightly, that in our Lords
thought, the priest, the Levite and
the traveller were all Jews. The Ro-
paints the unsocial disposition of the
Jews in darkest colors, yet admits
this to their credit, that however I'M
friendly to outsiders, among them
selves their compassion was ever
ready" Even in this grace, however,
11 oI4Sn nI 5aS
were sadly lacking. Beth of them had
read, more than once or twice. that
law in which mercy even to the
stranger is repeatedly enjoined upon
Gods people. Thou shalt not see thy
brothers OK or his ass fallen down
by the way, and hide myself from
them; thou shalt surely help him to
lift them up again" And how much
more the brother himself when he
was in distress such as had overtaken
this man by the wayside. Behold"
said Jesus, thinking of such men as
these Of the picture, whether of his
own day or of ours, Behold, he that
neareth my word and doeth it not, |
will show you to whom he is like. He
IS like man who built his house upon
the sand. And the foods came and
beat upon that house and it fell"
The Samaritan Who Showed Mercy.
l have no modern parallel with
which to illustrate and set forth for
you the bitter hatred and indeed de-
,estation with which Jews and Sa-
naritans in our Lords day mutually
regarded each other. The Jew cher |
shed it in his heart as an object of
desire that he might never so much |
as see a Samaritan. He cursed him
publicly in the synagogue. He prayed
hat no Samaritan might have a part !
N the resurrection of life. He pub |
icly declared that whosoever received |
4 Samaritan into his house was lay |
ng up judgment for his children. Nor |
was the Samaritan any less bitter in |
MS hatred of the Jew nor any more |
'eticent in his open declaration of |
hat hatred Indeed, it had become |
A matter both of national pride as well ,
e~~~-o.~o~~~I~-o~~~r~~~--
SENTENCE SERMONS