The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-05-07
TIE RIGHT WAY,
Or the Gosyel Applied to Intercourse Be-
tween individuals and Naions.
BY REV. JOSEPH 4. COLLIER.
(COntiHuCd.)
III. FORGIVENESS.

|
III. FORGIVENESS.
The question naturally occurs, how
is the required love to enemies to be
exhibited? What are the prescribed
fruits and evidences of its existence? /?
We learn from the teachings of Christ
and his apostles, that one of the first
and most important duties towards an
offender is forgiveness.
In that prayer which our Lord has
left OH record for his disciples of every
aye, our forgiveness of one another is
closely connected with that which we
ask of God. He teaches us to pray,
"Forgive us our debts, rs we forgive
our debtors" In order still further to
impress our minds with its Importance,
he adds, "For, if we 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." Matt.
.G:l2, II, Is. OF q similar import are
the following: "If thy brother tres
pass against Thee, rebuke him anu if
he repent, forgive him. And if he
trespass against thee seven times in Il
day, and seven times in day turn
again to thee, saying, I repent; thou
shalt forgive him" Luke II :3, 4.
Put on, therefore, as the elect Of God
| holy and beloved, bowels of mercies,
kindness, humbleness of mind, meek
ness, long-suffering; fOrbearing one
another, and forgivlng one another, If
any man have Il quarrel against any
even as Christ forsave you, so also DO
ye." Col. 81 II, Is. "Be ye kind to
one another, tender-hearted, forgiving
one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven YOU" Eph. 1 81.
/ TO forgive an offence is to overlook
or remit it, and 10 regard and treat the
offender us if he were not guilty.
Such is the meaning that we attach to
it in the petition, "Forgive US our
! debts" and such no doubt we must
consider 1t when we add, "as we for
give our debtors" 1t is, as far as pos
sihle, to cherish towards an enemy
such feelings, ahd SO 10 conduct our
selves towards him us if he had not in
iured us. 1t is to treat him as nc aOoulot
| huue COD treat us. Every Christian
knows what is meant by forgiveness,
as displayed by God towards the sim
ner. 1t means the same when eXcrcis-
ed by man towards man, and implies
the overlooking of an offence, the
Withholding of punishment from the
offender, and the bestowment upon
him of favOrS of which his conduct has
rendered him seemingly unworthy.
This duty is not fulfilled by merely
outward reconciliation, nor by that alb
surd paradox with Which some try TO
compromise between their religion and
their anger 81 will forgive, but never
forget" When truly cherished, it
flows from the heart, and is free, ire
pressible manifestation of love to an
enemy. Indeed, we have scriptural
authority for regarding these two af-
! fections as identical, for the wise man
says, "I.ove covcreth all sins" Prov.
! 10: II. AS the example of God is held
up for our imitation in this respect. we
may reasonably consider the nature of
his forgiveness to hc the standard of
our own. Now what Christian would
be willing TO regard the divine pardon
of his sins as Il merely outward and
formal one, or be cOnlented to know
that i'm the assurance, "Thy sins are
! forgiven thee" the words Of God belle
his heart? Is it not the Joy of the re-
deemed that God "renits," IDIOTS
out" "forgets." and "hides his face
from" their transgrcssions? These
strong terms are held to be synony-
NOUS with forgiveness, and in them
we find Il sufficient guide to the mean
ing Of the words, "forgiving one an
other, cvcn as God for Ctrisrs sake
hath forNive7 you."
rro fnrn;va - MT necaccori1v to an
courage a wrong, nor even to pass it by
. in silence. Christ commands, eff thy
brother trcsspass against thee, rebnke
him." Every principle of virtue and
morality demand that some kinds of
trespass be pointedly denounced. This
may he done in pity, in justice, and
from q clear sense of duty, but never
in anger or resentment.
| Christ has clearly taught us the CO.
tent to which our forgiveness must be
exercised. Peter once asked him,
GLOW oft shall my brother sin against
me, and I forgive him? till seven
times? Jesus saith unto him, / say not
unto thee, Until seven times: but.
Until ScrcntY times scrcn." lie then
proceeds to illustrate this duty by the
/! familiar parable of the forgiven and
vet unforgivcn debtor, who, failing to
eXhibi, towards his fellow-servants The
same compassion which he had just re-
ceived, was "delivered to the torment
ors." $50 likewise" he adds, 'shall
my heavenly Father do also unto you,
if yc from your hearts forgive not ev-
cry one his brother their lrcspas. cs. ]"
Matt. IS: 2l-35. In these words VIC arc
taught that our forgiveness is TO he I'M
! limited, or is to be cherished. if it were
possible, to as great Il degree as God
has manifested it towards us. We
have only to attempt the measure of
our Offences against Him, and il we
believe them all forgiven, we find be-
fore us an example far transcending
the "seventy times scven."
He, therefore, who would he godlikc
will, when sinned against, instead Of
laying hands on the offender with the
words, "pay me that thou oweSt," I've
"movpd with compassion, aud loose
linl, and forgive him the deht." In
order to dispose to this, he will view
the error as lcniently rs possible, and
will take into account the peculiar
temperament and constitutional pecu-
liarities Of the trcspa>sing brother, or
those misfOrtuncs which have perhaps
soured his disposition, and rendered il
thus unkindly. He will reflect that
perhaps he was betrayed into his
wrong conduct while in the heat of
passion and spoke or acted without de-
liberation, and soon will be AL SORROW
for his fault, and eager for forgiveness.
He will bear in mind--how can he
uOSSblr forget it?-that he is daily