and continuous quantity, a larger sum than this. If we ought to remit an hundred denarii to our brother, i.e. forgive him seventy-seven times, what a vast amount of sins does the Lord forgive us in remitting ten thousand talents ! A talent contains about six thousand denarii ; therefore a thousand talents contain sixty million denarii, of which how small a part are one hundred denarii ! For six denarii make a florin, and nine denarii an im perial dollar, or not much more ; one Hebrew talent, or two Attic ones, are two thousand two hundred and fifty florins.1
25. 'Ex'eXsvfftv, jc.r.X., he commanded) etc.) The Lord shows His right, but does not use it : the servant, however, abuses whatever right he possesses. — otto, eT^s, all that he had) The peculium,2 which, indeed, itself belonged to the Lord.
26. Maxpodv/trieov, have patience) Do not act hastily towards me. — Tavra, all) The servant could not procure so large a sum in the whole period of the world's existence ; he merely exhibits, therefore, his contrition.
27. 3 ' AvsXvssv, loosed) as the servant had besought him to do. a<p»jx£, forgave) which the servant had not dared to ask. He had prayed for one kindness ; and he obtained two.
28. 'E%e\6uv, having gone forth) being now released from his difficulties. Before the accounts had been examined, he treated
1 There thus results a sum of 15,000,000 thalers, or 22,500,000 florins. If even one servant can become liable for such a debt — and Peter, as also the other Apostles, ought to have considered that servant as a type, each one of himself — what will not the load amount to, which is made up of the accumulated debts remitted by the Lord to the whole collective body of those who obtain grace? And still more of those sins which must be atoned fur in the place of torture by those who are the vast majority, whose debt is not remitted in any measure. — V. g.
2 Amongst the Romans, slaves had a certain allowance granted them for their sustenance, commonly four or five pecks of grain a month, and five denarii. They likewise had a daily allowance. Whatever they saved of these, or procured by any other means, with their masters' consent, was called their PECULIUM. This money, with their masters' permission, they put out at interest, or sometimes purchased with it a slave for themselves, from whose labours they might make profit. Such a slave was called servi vicarius, and formed part of the PECI'LIUM, with which also slaves sometimes purchased their own freedom. See Adams's Roman Antiquities in voc. — (I. B.)
3 ZvJUiyxJMrlffc) To forgive and remit constitute the highest work of com passion. — V. g.