estimate their debt; others despair because it is so great. "The devil shows some men their sins at the little end of the perspective glass, and they seem little or none at all; but he shows others their sins at the great end of the perspective, and these fright them into despair." They try to rid themselves of the burden of fear as though they could thus be rid of the burden of guilt. There can be no true peace but in pardon. "When conscience is troubled, they will try what merry company can do, or drink, or cards; perhaps a Lent-whipping will do the deed, or business so take up the time that they have no leisure to hear the clamours of conscience; but still the wound bleeds inwardly, and they can have no peace. Suppose a man hath a thorn in his foot, which puts him. to pain; let him anoint it, or wrap it up, and keep it warm; yet, till the thorn be plucked out, it aches and swells, and he hath no ease" (Watson). Many a wounded soldier would recover if the bullet were extracted, but while it remains in the wound there can be no cure. So must sin be removed from us by penitence and pardon, or death must result.

Many on what has seemed their dying bed have expressed a repentance which, on their recovery, has been proved unreal. How perilous to postpone such a work till there will be the briefest time for it and the least capacity! as if a man should defer a task needing great exertion till he was weak and weary, or one needing the clearest vision till the sun had set and the shadows of night had fallen; as if the torrent

1

could be stemmed more easily when the boat had been drawn more into mid-channel; as if the precipice could be better avoided after slipping partly over the impending slope; as if a fire could be more effectually quenched when the flames had gained greater mastery of the fuel; as if a disease could be better cured when its force had more fully developed, and the patient had less strength to rally! Every day's delay increases the debt, lessens the opportunity of pardon, and weakens the inclination to seek it. To no work more than to this does the exhortation apply, Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest." Therefore "give not sleep to thine eyes nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler." Luther said there were three things he dared not think of without Christ: Sin, Death, Judgment. But if sin be pardoned, the sting of death is extracted, and the judgment has no terrors. How "blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity"!

Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." If poor in this

world, countless wealth is in the assurance, "There is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." The sick are healed when they hear His word, “Thy sins are forgiven." If dying, behold we live when our Father says, "This my son was dead, and is alive again."

This petition blends with those that precede. “Our Father;" being this, pity and pardon Thy erring children. "Hallowed be Thy Name;" by the exercise of the mercy it implies, and in the hearts of grateful penitents. "Thy Kingdom come;" in the extension of forgiveness, in the increased number of the forgiven. Thy Will be done;" by the manifestation of Thy love in the cancelling of debt. Give us this day our daily bread;" but in vain the supply of all temporal wants unless the hunger of the soul is satisfied"Forgive us our debts."

V.-FORGIVENESS OF ONE ANOTHER.

The appended clause, “As we forgive our debtors," indicates a necessary qualification for presenting the request, for they alone who forgive are in a state of mind truly to ask to be forgiven; it lays down a condition of obtaining the boon, for none may expect forgiveness who do not themselves forgive. Many who offer the prayer overlook the condition; they desire the benefit, but are not anxious to perform the duty; they seem to think they may confidently expect forgiveness, while only admitting that it is their duty to exercise it; at best, they seem to think that the wish or the intention to forgive entitles them to expect actual and immediate forgiveness from God.

Some, out of mistaken regard for evangelical truth, interpret the qualification with less literalness than the petition. They ask, How can any good quality in

How can

ourselves recommend us to Divine favour? works be a plea when we are suppliants for mercy ? How can we dare to mention our imperfect forgiveness of each other's trivial faults, when we seek such full forgiveness of so great a debt from God? And how can we venture to ask Him to pardon us in the manner and degree in which we pardon our brethren? Thus the mental interpretation given to the clause is frequently this: "Forgive us our debts, and help us. to forgive our debtors; or, "Forgive us, and then enable us to forgive others." But the petition is conditional not on a purpose, but on a fact; not on the admission of a duty, but on the performance of it; not on something to be done hereafter, but done already. It is a precedent necessity, not a resulting effect. So the R.V. accurately renders it. Luke expresses the habitual state of mind of the petitioners: "For we ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us;" Matthew, the already-accomplished fact: "As we also have forgiven our debtors."

1. Human forgiveness. A difficult duty. Our depraved nature is characterized by self-seeking. Our predominant thoughts, desires, exertions have reference to our own safety, property, honour. We think more of our rights than of our obligations, of what others owe us rather than of what we owe them. We are apt to demand all; we are impatient of delay or excuses, stand up for our rights, resent injuries, and insist on the uttermost farthing. This is seen in the attitude of nations, which are but combinations of

individuals.

Why are armies and navies maintained

at such prodigious cost, if not sternly to demand national rights? How often

some slight to an ambassador or insult to a flag is supposed to justify wholesale slaughter! Most wars would have been prevented had there been a mutual disposition to forgive a debt, instead of a blind determination to enforce it. Beyond all reasonable plea of order and defence, are there not many professed Christians who consider that national honour demands the enforcing of national debts at whatever cost? If this spirit is regarded as legitimate in public affairs, it is not surprising that it should influence private life. But it is opposed to the plain teaching of Christ and His apostles: "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, pray for them that despitefully use you. Avenge not yourselves. If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; is not easily provoked." In this prayer our Lord specially emphasized this appended condition: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

What is meant by this forgiveness of one another? The term debt is figurative as regards our relations with God, and means guilt and liability to penalty. In relation to ourselves, therefore, the term does not necessarily mean pecuniary obligations. If all such debts are to be remitted, none would be incurred; no