No. "When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law."-Gal. iv. 4. God said, “I have laid help upon one that is mighty."—Ps. lxxxix. 19. "When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, Live.”—Ezek. xvi. 6. The good Samaritan poured in oil and wine, to revive the dying Jew; and how does this shadow forth Christ's dealings with us? "It is His kindness is expressed in a similar manner, in Ezekiel xvi. 9, "Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil." with Christ's stripes we are healed.”—Isa. liii. 5. "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin," 1 John i. 7; thus "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." —Ps. cxlvii. 3. You believe that God is unchangeable. How, then, was His justice satisfied for our transgression of His holy law? "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."-Gal. iii. 13. In this way "God is just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” -Romans iii. 26. "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses," Acts xiii. 39; and so we are carried to the better covenant of grace, where "there is now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus."-Rom. viii. 1. Have we not a brighter example of mercy than even the good Samaritan's? Yes. "Christ died for us, while we were yet sinners. Much more, then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath, through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God, by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."-Rom. v. 8, 10. And even while hanging on the cross, He prayed for his enemies, Father, forgive them."-Luke xxiii. 34. St. John says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.”—l John iv. 11. What is the motive by which we should be prompted to love our enemies, or even our friends? 66 Love to Christ, "of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named."—Eph. iii. 15. You may, perhaps, like me to give you a pretty and familiar simile, with which we will conclude. When the pearl of great price" (Matt. xiii. 46) is cast into our hearts, it is like throwing a stone into a lake, which causes circle after circle to arise upon the water. The first circle is love to God; the second, love to our friends and neighbours; the third, love to our enemies, which spreads, lastly, to the whole world. I must now beg for a hymn. HYMN 242. Father of mercies! send Thy grace O may our sympathising breast Soft be our hearts, their pains to feel, So Jesus looked on dying men, Since Christ, to save our guilty souls, On wings of mercy flew, We, whom the Saviour thus hath lov'd, THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. MATT. xviii. 23. In order that you may rightly understand the reason for St. Peter's question, we must read the verses preceding it, in which we find Christ laying down wise directions for stopping the progress of contention in the world. When we witness the sad effects which anger and jealousies produce even among the disciples of "The Prince of peace," surely we ought to "take heed to our ways, that we sin not with our tongues," Ps. xxxix. 1, that, "if it be possible, as much as lieth in us, we may live peaceably with all men."-Rom. xii. 18. It it is true, that frequent disagreements and misunderstandings must arise, but we might often ward off the evil springing from them, were we to follow our Lord's rule, and go and explain the matter to cur offending brother, and thus prevent the scandal to religion, and the triumphs of the enemy, while we secure to ourselves the Lord's blessing on the peacemakers.-Matt. v. 9. Did St. Peter think there could be any bounds to this exercise of forbearance? Yes. He enquired whether he should extend his forgiveness to the seventh offence. This had reference to a tradition of the Elders, that a man should forgive another three times, but not the fourth. Peter, however, more than doubled the number. Were these traditions in accordance with the law of God? No. Our Saviour calls the Pharisees (who chiefly rested upon them) blind guides, who "transgress the commandments of God, by their traditions."--Matt. xv. 3. What did Christ mean by saying, I say not until seven times; but until seventy times seven?" That we must not limit our forgiveness, but as often as our brother offends us, and asks for pardon, we must extend it to him. Can you find an instance wherein a similar mode of expressing an indefinite number is employed? "If Cain shall be avenged seven-fold, truly Lamech seventy and seven-fold."-Gen. iv. 24. Our Saviour intended that we should make a practice of forgiving injuries, which He enforces by this parable; for does not God multiply His pardons ? Yes. "He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath, for He remembered that they were but flesh: a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the desert!"-Ps. lxxviii. 38. 66 Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity; nevertheless, he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry; and he remembered for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude of his mercies."-Ps. cvi. 43-45. To what is the kingdom of God likened? To a certain king taking account of his ser vants. What is that? The king reckoned, or settled his affairs with his servants. Among the ancients, kings often farmed out or sold for a certain sum the taxes of a particular province, to petty princes, or, as they are here called, "servants." What was the amount of debt the first had contracted? Ten thousand talents. That was an immense sum-about £3,421,875. |