n. Instead of this, he pretended not to see, and
passed by on the other side of the road. Then there came by a Levite,
who also, as an official of the church, should have given help. But he
merely came and looked on the injured man, and passed on the other
side as the priest had done.

Afterwards there came by a Samaritan, and, when he caught sight of the
wounded Jew, he went over to him and was very sorry for him. Now the
Jews hated the Samaritans, and were their enemies, so that it would
not have been surprising if he, also, had done as the priest and the
Levite did. But, no! Though it was his enemy, he could not pass him by
and leave him on the road, perhaps to die. He examined his wounds and
bound them up; doing all that he could to soothe them. Then he lifted
him carefully on his own beast, and brought him to the nearest inn,
and took care of him through the night. The next day, when the
Samaritan departed, he paid the man who kept the inn, and said to him,
"Take care of this poor man until he is well, and whatever it may cost
for his lodging and food, that I will pay thee when I come again."

"Which of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell
among thieves?" The lawyer answered, "He that showed mercy unto him."
Then said Jesus, "Go, and do thou likewise."

[Illustration: THE GOOD SAMARITAN.]

IMPORTUNITY REWARDED.

One day Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them to pray. So
Jesus taught them the prayer we all know so well, beginning with "Our
Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name." But Jesus told
them it was not enough to pray: they must not get tired of praying,
even if they failed to receive quickly the things they asked for. They
must keep on asking, until God in His own time and manner should grant
them what He saw to be good. This great lesson Jesus taught them by
the following parable:--

"Which of you shall have a friend," said Jesus, "and shall go unto him
at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves, for a
friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set
before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not,
the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot
rise and give thee. I say unto you," said Jesus, "though he will not
rise and give him because he is his friend, yet because of his
importunity (continued asking) he will rise and give him as many as he
needeth."

Then Jesus told