men crying to God for mercy--poor, sinful, debtors, bankrupts,
who have not wherewithal to pay. Every day we are obliged to confess
that we owe a debt to God, and cannot pay it. And every day the Lord
of mercy and love forgives us our debt. Yes, but only on certain
conditions. God has Himself taught us to say, Forgive us our debts, as
we forgive our debtors. If we are unmerciful servants, refusing to our
fellow men what God gives us, He will treat us as He treated the
servant of the parable. He had forgiven him all, but now He withdraws
His pardon, and delivers him to the tormentors. A man with an
unforgiving spirit, who nourishes hatred and revenge against a
neighbour, is already possessed by a devil, and his future must be
spent in the society of devils.

And now bring the matter home to your own individual cases. Are you
nourishing bitter, unforgiving feelings against anyone who has injured
you? Is there anyone whose success annoys you, and whose misfortune
would give you pleasure? Are you thinking of some wrong done to you,
some hard word spoken about you, some unjust judgment passed on you;
and are you hoping that a day may come when the person who has so
acted, or spoken, may suffer for it? My brothers, if so, you are just
so many unmerciful servants, going through the world, and seizing your
brother-sinners by the throat, and saying--"Pay me that thou owest."
Give up calling yourselves Christians, give up asking God to pardon
you, unless you can freely and fully forgive your brethren the little
debts of this little world. A certain king of France said that nothing
smelt so sweet as the dead body of an enemy. And there are people
among us now who tell us that revenge is sweet. But it is false. To
forgive is sweet, is blessed, to hate brings only the remorse of
devils. But you tell me it is so hard to forgive sometimes. So it is,
but the greater the pardon given the greater the blessing. And
remember that forgiveness must not be measured, and stinted, but free,
and full. We must not say, "I will forgive him this once, but never
more." S. Peter asked Jesus how often he should pardon a brother's
sin, and suggested seven times. The Jewish teachers said that after
three faults men need not forgive. S. Peter was in advance of them,
but the Lord's answer must have astonished him,--"until seventy times
seven," that meant _always_, without stint, or measure. And remember
also, that forgiveness must