because He for Christ's sake hath forgiven us, that we are required in our dealings with an offending brother to be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another. This is the subject before us to-day-why we must abound in this grace of forgiveness. Let us at once proceed to observe how it is enforced in the parable which we have already heard.

The opening of the parable exhibits the largeness of God's mercy towards us, the readiness with which He forgives us our trespasses-as set forth in the dealing of a king with his debt-bound servant.-The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had and payment to be made. fell down and worshipped him, saying, with me, and I will pay thee all. servant was moved with compassion, forgave him the debt.

The servant therefore
Lord, have patience
Then the lord of that

and loosed him and

Now every word of this tells with wonderful force upon our own condition as guilty sinners before God. The servant owing that vast sum of ten thousand talentsthe sum at which Haman in the Book of Esther rates the wealth of all the Jews in the land-about half a million of our money-may well stand for the type of each individual amongst us. When God-for He is the King in the parable-begins to reckon with us: when He awakens our conscience, and sets our sins before our face, calls to our mind the innumerable offences of

which we have been guilty from our youth upwards— the bad words we have spoken-the bad deeds we have done-our sins of commission, and our sins of omissionwhen God thus reproves us, and sets before us our doings, how are we in a better plight than was the convicted man in the parable? The greatness of our debt is overwhelming we cannot deny it or excuse it. It were nothing but justice if that happened to us which was threatened him. God might give orders for us to be dealt with according to our sins. He might lay on us the terrible penalty of His violated law.

And note, further, another point of likeness between ourselves and the servant in the parable. His cry was, Have patience with me and I will pay thee all! It was an impossibility, but in his agony he was ready to promise it. And so it is with ourselves, brethren. "This," says Luther-and he spoke that which he knew, and testified out of his own deep inward experience—" this-is the torment of all consciences when sin comes and gnaws them, they run hither and thither, seek help here and there, and presume still to do a great deal in order to pay God!"

Yes," in order to pay God!" As if He were to be bought off! As if we could ever wipe away by our imperfect efforts the guilt of past sin!

And yet how common the error is.-The monk by his penance--the priest by his treasure of other men's merits, what is it that these propose but compensation to the Almighty? Their cry is the same as this-Have patience with me and I will pay thee all!

Now, brethren, let us put this notion utterly out of

our minds. We can never pay God what we owe Him. We can never redeem our own souls. We can never work off the debt of past sins by any labour however earnest and incessant of our own. After we have done our utmost there will still remain the burden untaken away.

But then, you will say, what shall become of us? What shall hinder our being sold, wife and children, and all that we have in satisfaction of the claim?

I answer nothing but the infinite pity and unspeakable love of our God-God commendeth His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!

Here, then, is our refuge. Here is the Name by which we must be saved! To Christ we must go-to Christ crucified-to be purged of our sins!

Instead of promising to pay all if God will have patience our prayer must be when He comes to reckon with us" Lord, have mercy upon me, for Thy dear Son's sake, and in consideration of what He has done and suffered, forgive me my trespasses-wash me thoroughly in His Blood from all my wickedness-clothe me in His righteousness!"

That, I repeat, must be our plea-our one plea when God calls us into account. Nor will it ever be made in vain. No one who in true penitence and sorrow comes before God for pardon on this ground, will ever be rejected. Be our sins ever so numerous, ever so aggravated, they will not any more be imputed to us. God at the naming of Christ's dear name will be moved with compassion-He will loose us from our bond, He will forgive us our debt!

And here I anticipate an objection. It will be said that this abundant goodness on the part of God-this ready and free forgiveness of sins, however deep and many, might lead men to think less about sin, and to be careless how they lived.

But surely just the contrary is the truth. A sense of gratitude will prevent it where men really feel that they have been in great danger, and have been beyond their hopes delivered, they will naturally love their Deliverer, and the greater their escape, the greater will be their love!

It is the self-righteous only who feel little need of forgiveness, that love God little-but to whom much has been forgiven, the same will love Him much.

We can now turn to the second part of the parablethat which in a notable example shews how lacking we are in love towards one another. And this is made the more remarkable by contrast with what goes before-the love that God hath for us-His kindness towards us in and through Christ Jesus.

That same servant-the very man who had just met with such forbearance-who had received a full and free remittance of his vast debt from his lord-went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest!

Observe there is not only no forbearance in the man, but not even a civil demand for payment. Without a word of notice, he lays violent hands upon his fellow-servant. And then, when that fellow servant fell down at his feet and besought him, saying—in the very words of his

own plea which he found so successful with his lordand which for very shame ought to have stayed his hand -Have patience with me and I will pay thee all. He would not! He would not give him time to gather, as he might have done from some friendly quarter, that small sum which was owing-he will have his hundred pence at once on the instant—and because they are not forthcoming, he will use the utmost rigour the law allowedhe went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt !

We read with indignation of such merciless conduct. We feel nothing is too hard, no penalty too severe, for a man who did this thing and had no pity.

But, brethren, we are passing judgment upon ourselves. That standing upon our rights-that exacting from every one under us all that they owe-that impatience of delay when we are not served at the moment and in the manner which we think to be our due that great lack of charity and forbearance which we constantly exhibit in our dealings with our brother-what is it but to act in the spirit of that cruel servant whom we so justly blame ?

And whence comes it, brethren? why are we so hard and so unkind, so disposed to press heavily upon one another? Is it not for this-because we have not yet rightly known God, not rightly comprehended the love He has towards us?

Indeed I think it is. Often as we may have been taught the contrary-though we profess to hold the contrary-practically we forget that God is a God of mercy. We keep the old thought that He is a binder rather than an unlooser, extreme to mark what we do amiss, rather