Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-04-21
a LESSON on FORGIVENESS.
International sunday school Lesson
for April -. ISaS.

chapter Is.
GOLDEN TEXT-Forgive. and We shall
be forgiven.-Luke 6:37.
TIME.-Autumn Of A. d. 80 After the
Feast of Tabernacles, which that year oc-
Cured October Il.
PLACE.-Capernaum, near the Sea Of
Gslilee.
EXPLANATION.
In these after months Jesus gives
many practical instructions to His
disciples, for the guidance of their flu
ture conduct. In this lesson we should
take up the whole subject of forgive
ness. Jesus spoke repeatedly upon
this duty, because it was very practical;
il was a touchstone of the real state of
the heart, the demand for its PRACTICE
was very frequent; it was duty of al
most daily practice by Christ himself;
it was very hard duty, contrary TO the
prevailing tendency of the age.
l. The Law of Forgiveness for Per-
sonal Offenses.--Ns. 81, %. In the pre-
vious portions of this discourse Jesus
had referred to offenses which led 9th
ers to sin, and had been teaching the
disciples what to do when others tres
passed against them. The duty seemed
to lie on Peters mind, as one difficult
to perform, and differing from the pre-
vailing opinions of the day. Hence Pc
ter asked the question that follows, in
order to gain more light. How oft
shall my brother sin against me, and 1
forgive him?" He foresees that his
brother would probably repeat his Of
Tense. In answer Jesus enunciates the
principle that always and under all cir
cumstances we must have a forgiving
heart, whatever the offense against us,
or the attitude of the offender; never
the spirit of hate, or revenge, or retail
alton. II say not unto thee, until
seven times; but, until seventy times
seven" 1t is a symbolical expression
for never-ending forgiveness.
II. An Tllustration.-Vs 1894. Jesus
proceeds to enforce this principle by a
parable in three scenes. The picture is
drawn from an oriental court. The
provincial governors, farmers of taxes
and other high officials are summoned
before a despotic sovereign to give an
account of their administration.
One was brought before the king who
owed him 10000 talents. This is esti-
mated to be worth $40 100000 or $40, oOO,-
900 if weighed by Hebrew talents; a
Greek talent was about half the weight
of Hebrew talent. In either case it
was sum impossible to pay. So his
lord commanded him to be sold, and his
wife, and children, and all that he had,
and payment to be made. 1t is still
common in oriental countries to inflict
all this upon man of the highest sta
ton. 'The servant therefore fell down
and worshiped him, saying: Lord, have
patience with me and l will nav thee
all. Then the lord of that servant was
moved with compassion and ioosed
him. and forgave him the debt" There
was no other way of deliverance.
The immense debt of this guilty Off
Ger represents the magnitude of the
debt which the sinner owes 10 God, and
the hopelessness of ever payingit- Sins
are compared to debts, because they
represent all that duty and love which
we owe to God, but have never by our
lives paid; all that in which we have
come short of the glory of God. All
this unmeasured debt Of sin God freely
forgives for the sake of Jesus, His Son.
He forgives in such way as to take
away both the sir and the penalty OF
sin. Some of the consequences of sin
are not Immediately taken away, be-
cause they are needful for the taking
away of the sin itself. But the penalty
and the worst consequence of sin are
taken away Immediately by forgive
ness-the separation and alienation of
the soul from God.
Scene Second.-Then this same serv-
ant went out and found fellow servant
who owed him 100 pence The silver
penny was about the same as a de-
narius, and 100 of them were worth SIG
or SIT, about one millionth part of the
debt the unmerciful servant owed the
king. And he took him by the throat,
saying: Pay me that thou owest. And
his fellow servant fell down at his feet,
and besought him, saying: Have pa
thence with me, and l will pay thee all.
And he would not, but went and cast
him into prison, till he should pay the
debt" The man who is most sinful
toward God is apt TO be the hardest in
dealing with those who sin against him
self.
Scene Third.-The other servants
felt great pity for the unfortunate man,
and told unto their lord all that was
done. They were sure he would listen,
since he had been so compassionate
toward the first debtor Then his lord,
after that he had called him, said unto
him. 0 thou wicked servant. forgave
thee all that debt, because thon de-
siredst me: Shouldest not thou also
have had compassion on thy fellow
servant, even as had pity on thee?
And his lord was wroth, and delivered
him to the tormentors, till he should
pay all that was due unto him" His
heart must have been very hard and
cruel. The mercy of his king could NOT
soften it. He had sought forgiveness
from fear Of loss, not because he was
sorry for his wrong doing. The suffer
ings of others did not move him.
Then Christ adds the moral: 80 like