first of all ask forgiveness from their injured friends Thus must we do : it is an act of justice which we owe to man ; and an act of obedience which we owe to God.]
3. We should be desirous to make reparation for it —
[This was expressly required under the law'' : and it was practised under the Gospel. No sooner was Zaccheus con- verted to the faith, than he engaged to restore fourfold to any person whom in his unconverted state he had defrauded °. And it is in vain to affect penitence, if we be not unfeignedly de- termined to make reparation, as far as is in our power, for any injury we may have done. Who would give credit to a man for penitence, whilst he wilfully retained the goods that he had stolen? Sincere contrition would urge him to undo whatever he had done amiss. And the same principle would produce the same effects in every person under heaven.]
Such is our duty towards an offended brother. We now proceed to state,
II. The importance of it in order to our acceptance with God —
The command here given, to suspend the exercise of a solemn duty to God till we shall have performed this duty to man, shews,
1. That no duties whatever can supersede the necessity of it —
[It is here taken for granted, that men will bring their gifts to God's altar, or, in other words, will draw nigh to him in the use of all his appointed ordinances. But will works of piety procure us a dispensation from the duties of the second table ? Will the making of long prayers be any compensation for devouring widows' houses ; or the paying tithe of mint and anise and cummin atone for neglecting the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and truth ? No such commuta- tion will be admitted by God ; no such reserves allowed : his word to us, under all such circumstances, is, ■" These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."]
2. That no duties whatever will be accepted with- out it —
[A person is represented here as already with his offering before God's altar. But what says the word of God unto him? ' Finish thine offering to me, and then go and be reconciled to thy brother V No : it is, " Go thy way ;" depart from my
a Job xlii. 7, 8. ^ Lev. vi. 2 — 6. ^ Lu^e ^ix. 8.