Here is a spiritual leprofy, a religious infection, and all who connect themselves therewith will, more or lefs, have this plague upon them. As men, we should keep from all immoral, unhallowed, and filthy characters; and, as profeffing christians, from all evils of life, falfe doctrines, human inventions, and traditions; that fo we may neither have a lepros evil will, a lepros corrupted understanding, or a lepros irreligious life and conduct. I may here addrefs every one of you in the language of Paul to Timothy, "KEEP THYSELF PURE."

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But I will now proceed to the subject for which I made choice of these words, and that is, the divine compaffion of our Lord God and Saviour Jefus was MOVED with compaffion.

We have often obferved (and you well know, my christian hearers) that one essential part of true religion is, that we love our neighbour as we love ourfelves. And it is impoffible we can poffefs this charity, if we have not compassion, mercy, and pity. Let us firft confider how this divine virtue was manifested in the Lord Jefus Christ. In the inftance before us, here is a poor, filthy, defiled leper, comes and kneels before the Lord, faying, Pray, fir, have compaffion on me-look upon my af<fliction-behold how much I fuffer-I am caft out 'from the converse of men-despised by all—every

one flies my prefence, left they contract the disease -Have mercy upon me!-If thou wilt, thou canft 'make me clean.' What was our Lord's reply?

Did

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Did he fay, Wretch, begone from my prefence! -I am thy God!—against me thou haft finned— thou deferveft this affliction-bear it ftill-let it prey upon thy flesh, contaminate all thy blood, and fpread all over thy body till thou art one mass of rottennefs and putrefaction. Wear out thy life in pain, forrow, and despair.' Did our Lord thus addrefs this miferable, this fuffering object? No, firs, no! But fuppofe fuch a poor distreffed object were to come to the door of fome opulent chriftian-fome proud, haughty gentleman, or lord, whofe heart is fteeled to compaffion and pity; what would he fay?-how would he address him?— Why probably thus:- Begone from my presence! thou filthy, polluted dog, begone!'-He falls on his knees, and with tears diftilling down his griefworn cheeks, he says: Dear fir, take pity on me-give me a place in thy ftable, and fend fome 'kind hand to bind up my wounds, and alleviate my woes.' But lo, he calls his fervants: Take the wretch from my fight-drive him from my gates, and let the mifcreant die !'

Perhaps, firs, you will fay, that cruelty like this in human hearts can never dwell. In yours, I trust, and believe, it does not; but that it does in too many we shall shortly prove. Well how then did our Lord addrefs and receive this poor lepros object? Why, firs, HE WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION!-He melted at the fight of buman woe!-He felt for his infirmities-he put

forth

forth his pure, kind, and blessed hand-deigned to touch the polluted leper-and faid, I will heal thee-I will not only alleviate thy forrow, but I will totally remove it. Be thou clean. Go thy < way whole and found. I have compaffion on

thee-I pity thee. And although thou art a poor, 'diftreffed, filthy object, infinitely below me, yet I 'feel tenderness towards thee; I love thee-be thou • clean.' "And immediately his leprofy departed "from him and he was healed."

O what divine compaffion is here displayed in our adorable Lord God and Saviour! Methinks, while I repeat the circumstance, every one of you feel the tender virtue in your own breasts, and are saying, O how godlike is compaffion! bow amiable, how heavenly is mercy to the diftreffed!

Again, as Jefus went out of Jericho, with his disciples, and a great number of people, Bartimeus, a poor blind beggar, fat by the high-way fide, begging; and when he heard that Jefus of Nazareth was paffing by, he began to cry out and fay, " Jefus, "thou fon of David, have mercy on me." Jefus commanded him to be called, and faid unto him, "What wilt thou that I fhould do unto thee? He

says, Lord that I might receive my fight!" As foon as his petition was made, it was anfwered-the Lord restored him to his fight immediately, and he followed Jefus in the way. (Mark 10 and latter end). Here, firs, you see a poor blind beggar was not too mean an object for the Lord's notice ; mean

and despised as he was, the Lord repulfed him not: but in the language of the deepest compaffion and mercy, fays, "What wilt thou that I fhould do unto "thee?" Whatever it is that is for thy good, that ' can give thee relief, or make thee happy, that I am ready to do most freely; make thy request-though I am thy Lord, yet my ear is open to thy ' complaint-my heart is full of compaffion and ' tenderness. Say what thou wouldst have done, and it fhall be done for thee.' What a wonderful example of tenderness and pity!

Again-when the two pious fisters, Martha and Mary, had loft a loving and affectionate brother, Jefus, though at a distance, knew their affliction. Many of the humane Jews came to the houfe of thefe good women to condole with them-to comfort them concerning the lofs of their brother. Probably they did all they could to pour the balm of confolation into their wounded bleeding hearts; but they could do no more than pity and confolethan mingle their tears with thofe of the fifters. But behold the compaffionate Lord goes (with his disciples) to Bethany. Martha and Mary meet him-Mary falls down at his feet, and fays, " Lord, "if thou hadft been here my brother had not died! "When Jefus faw her weeping, and the Jews alfo "weeping, he groaned in spirit, and was troubled, " and faid, Where have ye laid him? They fay "unto him, Lord, come and fee! Jefus wept ! "then faid the Jews, Behold how he loved "Lazarus.

<<< Lazarus. But lo, they come to the grave, and Jefus fays, Lazarus come forth." He rofe from the dead-was reftored to the arms of his loving and beloved fifters-and their heavy forrow was changed into transports of joy.

But, firs, time would fail me to only mention the many instances of divine compaffion and tenderness which are recorded in the holy word, concerning the Lord Jefus Christ. However, there is one which I must not, I cannot, leave unnoticed. Indeed it comprehends in it all that I have faid, and all that can be faid, upon compaffion and mercy. I mean that most astonishing work, the REDEMPTION OF MANKIND. In this grand work we behold, as it were, the ne plus ultra of condefcenfion and pity. The Lord God our Saviour defcends as low as mercy can defcend-His compaffion reaches the lowest, most abject, most vile, and most miserable ftate, his rational creatures could poffibly fink into; and his unwordable kindness raises them to the highest, most glorious, and most happy. state, it is poffible for them to enjoy. Here we may truly fay, "His mercy raifeth the BEGGAR "from the dungbill, to fet him among princes; "to make him inherit the throne of glory." Here we behold the compaffion of our God extending to every fallen man-reaching every cafe of wretchedness and woe-grafping all our species-and leaving no one under ruin and mifery, fave those who obftinately refufe to accept his kindness. And