is no fixed number. It le II figurative way of saying that there is, and there can be, no limit to Ohrietian forgiveness. To understand the point and force of St. Peter'& -quostion, it is necessary to know the rabbinical rules of forgiveness with wl,ich he would be familiar. It was a settled rule of the rabbis that forgiveness should not be extended more than three times. Edersheim says, "It was a principle of rabbiniem that, even if the wrong-doer had made full restoration, he would not obtain forgiveness till he had asked it of him whom he had wronged, but that it was cruelty in ench circumstances to refuse pardon." It says much for St. Peter'e apprehension of his Master that he was eure he would not limit forgiveness to the rabbinical " three times." From his point of view, making the three times into sevrn times was a splendid piece of liberality, Ilut he could not measure the generosity and nobility of his Lord, who took the" three times II and made it "seventy times seven." "It did not occur to St. Pt:ter that the very act of numbering offences marked an externnlism which had never entered into, nor comprehended, the spirit of Chrbt. He had yet to learn, what we, alas I too often forget, that as Christ's forgiveness, so that of the Christian, must not be computed by numbers. It is qualitative, not quantitative. {Jhrist forgives sin, not sins; and he who has experienced it follows in his footsteps." I. 'l'nE ULTIMATE LIMIT IS THE DIVINE EXAMPLE OF FORGIVENESS. "A.s Christ forgave you, so also do ye." What do we expect from God? Can we conceive of a limit to the times when we may hope for the mercy of God? What would life be worth if we could ? 'l'he fear of outstretching the limit would fill us with misery. Man can never lose the hope in God. If he does he becomes fixed in sin. "There is forgiveness with thee ; 11 a man must be able to say that in full view of the provoca- tions of a long life, when he comes to his dying day. To the Divine forgiveness there is no qualification of degrees or numbers. II. 'l'HE PRACTICAL LIMIT IS OUR CHRIB'l'LY LOVE FOR OUR BROTHER. If we are ()bristly, we want to do him good. It does not matter about ourselves, and injury done to us. It does matter to a Christly man that a brother has done a wrong. The Christly man is set upon his recovery from the wrong; and if that means his forgive- ness over and over again, until patience is tried unto the uttermost, the Christly man will forgive and bear, if ouly he may win back his erring brother at last.-R. T. Ver. 35.-Moral ji.tness for receiving Divine forgiveness. Upon his earnest petition, the man gains a full and free forgiveness; but the question arises-Did he deserve it? Was he in a state of mind fit to receive it? Was the forgiveness any real moral good to him? This is soon answered. The man, fresh from nis great forgiveness, finds a fellow-servant who owes him but a trifling sum, and his severity with him shows clearly enough that his heart was untouched. The unforgiving manifest that they are unfitted to receive Goifs forgiveness. The Christian limit of forgivenoss is-Forgive yow· follow-men as freely and as fully as God has forgiven you. The Christian law of forgiveness is-Expect God to forgive you only when you a.re in such a penitent, humble, and sympathetic frame of mind that you can easily forgive your fellows. I. SEE WHAT A MARVEL OF GRACE THAT DIVINE FORGIVENESS IS. Estimate it -aright, and you will feel that there must be somo preparedness for receiving such a blessing. 1. Think of the greatness of the sin to be forgiven us. Take Ohrist's figure -of the immense debt. See sin as ingratitude; and as disobedience. 2. Think of the aggravations of sin, The wilfulnoss of many sins. They a.re sins against light e.nd knowledge. They e.re even committed after forgiveness. 3. Think what love is shown in the conditions of forgiveness. The objective ground of remission is the gift and sacrifice of God's well-beloved Son. 4. Think of the freeness and fulne;s of God's iorgiveness. There is no possibility of purchasing it; it must come to us as a gift of lnfinite love, It is no limited blessing. God blots out the record utterly, as a cloud ds blotted from the sky, and flings our sins a.way into the depths of the sea. 11. SEE WHAT 18 THE STATE OF MIND DEFITTING TUE RECIPIENTS OF THE DIVIN ■ TOBGIVENEBS. We can see pin.inly enough that the man introduced by our Lord we.s wholly unworthy of the forgiveness of that debt. It did him no sort of moral good. He we.s in no sense ready for the forgiveness. So there are many who cannot be forgiven because they are not in such moral states as would make forgiveness e.ny \>lessing to them. A. humbled, regretful, gracious spirit is nccossary, Such a spirit M.A'l"l'JIBW-II, 1' 242 THE GOSPEL .ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [oH, xrx. 1-30.
would be_ tesl;e<l at on~e by an. opportunity. of showing a forgiving mind, Tender, m~lted, kmd. The feehn~ of bemg undeserving, unworthy. Chriet's teaching on thi■ JJOmt ~as even ,. se!ere side-even hie forgiveness may be revoked, if he finds, by our behaviour after forgiveness, that we were morally unfitted to receive it.-R. T.