why judgment should be stayed? That God may not deal with us after our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquities? We can indeed do nothing, but fall down and worship God, and beseech him to have patience with us: we can but implore the Redeemer, that as we on our parts have nothing at all to pay, he will pay all for us; will discharge our debt, will let his life be our ransom. If we do this, with hearty repentance and true faith, God has abundantly testified that he will be moved with compassion, and forgive us the debt. He will resist obstinacy; he will resist pride; he will resist the self-righteous Pharisee and the hardened sinner; but he will not resist humiliation, and penitence, and prayer: still less will he resist that Saviour who is set down at his right-hand, and has made a full, perfect, and sufficient satisfaction for the sins of all that turn to him.

Let none put off the time of looking into their accounts with God, till the king actually comes to reckon with his servants. I trust that you are not going blindly on, without reflecting upon the infinite amount of your debt; but that you have solemnly acknowledged your inability to pay, and have humbly besought your Maker to have patience with you, and your Redeemer to pay all for you. To him you must look from first to last. He alone can satisfy God's justice, and give you peace with him, and after you have lived your appointed time on earth as his ransomed and "peculiar people," he alone can present you pure and faultless before the throne of God: not as you are in yourselves, See Jude, 24.

full of error and infirmity, even at the best; but in the "white garments of salvation," your sins being "washed in the blood of the Lamb."

out.

And now consider what may reasonably be ex pected of those who have been thus forgiven. You had nothing at all to pay, and your debt is blotted And would it not be shocking for one who pretended to have this hope in him, to entertain malice or resentment against a fellow-creature, on account of some real or supposed injury? We are taught, by the conclusion of the parable, in what light such conduct would appear in the eyes of God.

28. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants which owed him an hundred pence; and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

29. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and be sought him saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

30. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

Two things are here to be observed. First, that the fellow-servant really owed the other something: he owed him an hundred pence. This supposes that we may indeed receive an injury from a neighbour; may be seriously hurt in our reputation, or our fortune. It is not asserted that these things are nothing; that we can avoid feeling them as injuries; that we have not a right to complain of those who commit them intentionally. Neither is it asserted in the parable, that the hundred pence may not represent a sum of money which it is inconve nient for the creditor to lose.

But what the parable does imply, the second thing to be remarked, is, that the greatest injury which a fellow-creature can do to us, is no more in comparison with our offences against God, than a hundred pence are to ten thousand talents: which is about as four millions of our money to three pounds. And, therefore, God may justly require of us, if we hope for forgiveness from him, that we forgive our brother his trespasses.

That he does require it, is plain from the sequel.

31. So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

32. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

33. Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even us I had pity on thee?

34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Thus it appears that a charitable, forgiving spirit in ourselves, and God's mercy towards us, are closely connected together: and that "he shall have judgment without mercy who has shown no mercy." Not that our forgiveness of an offender can merit or procure God's pardon: we cannot come before him as if we expected or claimed forgiveness, because we have forgiven our enemies. In the parable, the lord began by showing compassion on his debtor, and loosed him, and forgave

him the whole. And then, when he had forgiven him, he expected to see a forgiving spirit in return. He expected that a sense of mercy received should produce in him a merciful disposition. Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

The exercise of this duty is in many cases hard to flesh and blood. The spirit which practises it can only be produced by the gospel of Christ Jesus: which has this excellence among other proofs of Him from whom it came, that it creates the quality which it prescribes. Its doctrines establish its precepts. The belief of what the Scriptures affirm, that we are all sinners against God, to whom pardon is freely offered through the mercy of Christ, must inspire us, if it be sincere, with a correspond ing feeling of mercy towards others. The Chris tian is "kind, tender-hearted and forgiving, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven him."

This then is the secret for increasing such a spirit in your hearts. Meditate on your own need of mercy. Think of the ten thousand talents which you owe, and you will forget the hundred pence which may be due to you. One who truly feels the weight of his own sins, finds it impossible to think severely or feel resentfully towards his neighbour. He must pardon others, when there is so much in himself to be pardoned. And if he has tasted in his own bosom the peace and comfort of his Redeemer's love, he must forgive, when he has been so much forgiven.

LECTURE XLVII.

OF MARRIAGE.-CHILDREN RECEIVED AND

BLESSED.

MATT. xix. 1—15.

1-16.

1. And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these Mark x. sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judea beyond Jordan;

2. And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.

3. The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?

4. And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning, made them male and female,

5. And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

1

6. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put

asunder.

7. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away ?2

8. He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

9. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another,

1 Gen. ii. 24.

2 Deut. xxiv. 1.