could exercise clemency. The just pen- alty was prison until all was paid. The unfaithful steward pleaded for pa- tience and the king mercifully pardoned him—fully forgiving him all his debt. This is a 'wonderful illustration of the mercy of God. As sinners we can not pay, but the requirements of the law are fully met in another; His Son pays the debt and we are freely forgiven. "When we were without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." Bom. 5:6. As the king extended the scepter to Esther, so God extends the scepter to us and offers us unmerited and unlimited forgiveness. He knows that we can pay nothing, but He sets us free. There is no admixture of law and grace. " As many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written 'Cursed is every one that continueth in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Gal. 3:10. Therefore we con- clude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Eom. 3:28. God's method of dealing with the sinner is Grace—unmerited favor. Nothing in us; no ability; no righteous- ness; no worth; no strength; everything Is in Him. "Being justified freely by His Grace." Titus 3:7. " By grace are ye saved, through f a i t h ." Eph. 2:8. him into prison." This forgiven steward goes out, not stopping to even thank the king. He does not say as he might, let me be Thy servant forever. On his way he meets a man who owed him seventeen dollars. Laying hold of him he de- manded immediate payment. The man beseeehes for mercy, pleads for pa- tience and promises to pay. The man, fresh from the scene of marvelous clemency extended to him, throws his fellow into prison. God gives his hand to the sinner and grants full forgive- ness; the same sinner lays his hard hand upon the throat of his neighbor. God sets men free; men bind their fel- lows. We owed 12,000,000 and were bankrupt. God freely forgave. Some one slights us, snubs us, mistreats us, and we cherish it against them; we harbor enmity and ill-will; we rejoice when calamity overtakes them; and yet we call ourselves Christians. We have one standard of judgment for our own sins and another for our neigh- bor's. We crave forgiveness, ask that (3) THE LAW VIOLATED. "Cast
our faults be overlooked, and then hold up the faults of others for the world's inspection. " He went out"—out of sight, out of mind. Peter went out, and it was night; we need to stay in, keep in the presence of the gracious King who has forgiven us. Keep in touch with the God of all grace; we can never harbor unforgiving thoughts in His presence. " I f a man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of Hi s ." Bom. 8:9. (4) THE LAW VINDICATED. "And his lord was wroth." The king sent for the man and put him in prison, delivered him to his tor- mentors. This seems a violation of the "seventy times seven" law, but it is not. Men must meet their record. This man was unaffected by grace, was without sympathy. The work wrought for him left him cold and heartless. If men are uninfluenced by God's grace and favor they can not be forgiven. Many men would be willing to be for- given so that they might enter heaven when they die, but they are not willing to receive a new nature by which they will be able to love their enemies- When one is born again he has a new nature and the forgiving spirit domi- nates. Measuring the forgiveness oi God by the sacrifice of the Cross, God s children will manifest a life of forgive- ness. Having been fully forgiven, how can a child of God have an unforgiving spirit? Nominal Christians and church members may manifest the hardness and harshness of the old nature, but there can be but one place for all such —the prifon house of the damned. POINTS PRACTICAL. God has a reckoning season for every sinner. There is not a cent to the sinner's credit; he is a doomed debtor. In compassion the Lord covers the crimes, cancels our debt and sets the criminal free. The law of forgiveness is not a right rule but a practical principle. We can see the - sins of others but overlook our own. An unforgiving matf-f&gets all ia-»- ors and must suffer ¿nending pen- alty. 8 1
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