The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 224

III. IT IB DELIDEBATE, The conference and agreement of the two imply a careful consideration of the subject of the prayer. Many prayers o.re too hasty and incon- siderate to deserve any attention. But the grave conference in prayer here described by our Lord would give the weight of deliberation to the petition. Probably it would be less foolish than many private prayers. IV. IT HONOURS THE IDEA OF THE Cnuncn. Christ encouraged secret prayer in private devotion (eh. vi. 6). This should be a daily practice. But there are reasons when more is required, viz. in genera.I public worship and in prayer for special objects. Now, while Christ deals with individual souls in the first instance, he is also interested in social religion. He did not found an order of hermits, he founded a Church. He is present in his Church in a peculiar way. Thie is the real secret of the answer to united prayer. It is difficult to break through the reserve which too often keeps us back from the prayer which our Lord here encourages. But it is our duty to do so. V. IT SHOWS THE POWER OF THE FEW. We are not heard for our much speaking, our many words; neither are we heard on account or our numerical strength. In listening to prayer God does not count heads; he weighs hearts. One Elijah stands for more in prayer than a cathedral-fol of listless worshippers. The ideal Church is not the large Church, but the Christ-like Church. Religious statistics encourage a most unspiritual way of valuing Christian work and estimating Church progress. The Church of but two members cannot he a weak Church, if those two mem hers are united in prayer. Further, it is to be noted that the value of a prayer-meeting cannot be measured by the numbers that attend it. A small meeting may he a very real one, and if it is truly united it must have power with God. It is foolish, therefore, to despair of such e. meeting because it is sparsely attended. '!'be prayer-meeting of but two is here commended by Christ. If it be a meeting at all, though reduced to the numerical minimum, it may issue in incalcnlable results.-W. F. A. Vera, 21, 22.-The duty of unlimitedforgiveneas. Jesus once required forgiveness to be repeated seven times (Luke xvii. 4). St. Peter now asks what is to be done when these seven times of pardon are passed. Our Lord simply multiplies them by seventy. There is to be no arithmetic in the matter; there is to be no limit to forgiveness. I. IT IS A MISTAKE TO SE.ARCH FOB THE MINIMUM OF DUTY. Why should St. Peter want to know what to do when he had forgiven seven times? Was there any law which he might transgress if he went too far in the generosity of pardon? His question was one that should never have been asked. It savours of rabbinical casuistry. Now, one of the great defects of casuistry is that it is too often pursued in the interest of those who wish to do no more good than is absolutely required of them. But the spirit of such a desire is immoral. He who seeks a limit to forgiveness has not really a forgiving spirit at all. He only forgives under compulsion, that is to say, he does not really forgive in his heart. So it is with all other duiies. When we ask bow far must we go, with how little will God be satisfied, we betray e. spirit out of sympathy with our duty. If we loved it we should not anxiously search for the line of obligation, we should rather press on to the utmost with an enthusiastic desire to do our best. II. FonoIVENESS OANNOT HAVE A LillllT, Some duties are limited, although we are- free to exceed the limit. This is the case with honesty. We have simply to pay what we owe, to give a just price for what we buy, to refrain from stealing, and we have discharged the whole of our obligation in this direction. Thus, at all events in the• pecuniary world, it is possible to be absolutely honest, and hosts of people have reached the stage of absoluteness in regard to this duty. But there are other duties that run out to the infinite; we can never entirely compress them. All our spiritual education. only enables us to reach towards a little more of their boundless possibilities. Of such a nature is forgiveness. We may be called at any moment to carry this further than we have yet gone. Ill, THE LlllillTLESB CBARACTEB OF FORGIVENESS SPBINGB FROM ITS DIVINE ORIGIN, Forgiveness is God-like, It belongs to the ethics of heaven. It cannot be enforced in the law courts of earth, where Shylock is awarded his pound of fiesh. In strict right and law, forgiveness cannot be enacted. Forgiven8118 is above law, as the sovereign who pardons in clemency is above the judge who is compelled to condemn in justice. God forgives without limit. He requires the condition of repentance, and this we  228 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST, MATTHEW. [on. xvm. 1--35