1. Who is our Neighbour? Our Neighbour is, not only he who lives near to our habitation, in the same street, or City; nor he only that is of the same Country, or nation that we are of; but every man, of what place, or ⟨p. 49⟩nation soever he be; whether he be one of our acquaintance, or a stranger; a friend, or an enemy.1 You find this question put somewhere to Christ himself, by a certain Lawyer, (whether he were the same we have here in this Chapter, it matters not) and there you have Christ answering him by a parable, to this effect. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him, and wounded him, and left him half dead: there came a Priest that way, and saw him, and passed by on the other side; after him, a Levite in like manner: but a Samaritan, seeing him, had compassion on him, bound up his wounds, and brought him to his Inn, &c. Now which of these three was Neighbour to him? he answers: he that showed mercy on him. What says Christ? go thou, and do likewise. As if he should have said; Thou art a Jew, and as such, hast little or no dealing with a Samaritan, or indeed with any man of another nation; there is a partition-wall between you and them; so that you look on them as strangers, if not enemies, and none of your Neighbours;(e) but I tell thee, a Samaritan, or a man of any other nation, whatever he be, is one of thy Neighbours; and therefore if he be in misery, and come within thy reach, be sure thou show mercy to him.
1. Who is our Neighbour? Our Neighbour is, not onely he who lives near to our habitation, in the same street, or City; nor he only that is of the same Country, or nation that we are of; but every man, of what place, or ⟨p. 49⟩nation soever he be; whether he be one of our acquaintance, or a stranger; a friend, or an enemy.1 You find this question put somewhere to Christ himself, by a certain Lawyer, (whether he were the same we have here in this Chapter, it matters not) and there you have Christ answering him by a parable, to this effect. A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among theives, which stript him, and wounded him, and left him half dead: there came a Priest that way, and saw him, and passed by on the other side; after him, a Levite in like manner: but a Samaritan, seeing him, had compassion on him, bound up his wounds, and brought him to his Inne, &c. Now which of these three was Neighbour to him? he answers: he that shewed mercy on him. What says Christ? go thou, and do likewise. As if he should have said; Thou art a Jew, and as such, hast little or no dealing with a Samaritan, or indeed with any man of another nation; there is a partition-wall between you and them; so that you look on them as strangers, if not enemies, and none of your Neighbours;(e) but I tell thee, a Samaritan, or a man of any other nation, whatever he be, is one of thy Neighbours; and therefore if he be in misery, and come within thy reach, be sure thou shew mercy to him.
- 1Luke 10.29, 30.
- (e)Ipse enim est proximus, quem non solum conformis natura conjunxerit, sed etiam misericordia copulaverit. Amb•os. de poenit. lib 1. cap. 5. Levit. 19.33, and 34. Math. 5.43.
