it. And it is not love to his neighbor that reconciles any man to it; much less so is the desire to introduce the same selfishness to territories yet unsoiled by such legislation, yet unblighted by such an institution. And so I find good men reasoning in the slave-holding States.

This Parable illustrates the missionary enterprise. The Son of God came to save a fallen race. To deny that any portion of our race need his salvation, is, to pour contempt on his person, his mission, his word, and his sacrifice. Now many that affect to consider themselves as having attained to the perfect conception of charity, ridicule the attempt to make Christ and his salvation known to the people that have not known him. This is acting over again the part of the priest and the Levite. No matter what their pretensions, whether to morality, or piety, or charity, they "pass by, on the other side," denying that their neighbor is in want; or leaving him to the mercies of a benevolent Creator, just as their prototypes did in the wilderness between Jericho and Jerusalem. "It is a shame," we sometimes hear them cry, "to sacrifice such valuable lives among savages." Yet some of these are friends of war; some approve of Sir John Franklin's expedition. But be they who they may; however great their wisdom in their own estimation, or in that of admiring friends, the Saviour teaches us, that a self-sacrificing benevolence for the benefit of the suffering and perishing, is the fulfilling of the second table of the law; is the true wisdom, goodness and greatness of man; and shows by his own example that true charity will carry the Gospel to those destitute of it, at any personal sacrifice.

This Parable shows us why the world is in confusion. Selfishness is the source of our misery. It made these robbers miserable. It made this traveller miserable. It prevented these religious men from being happy. And benevolence made the Samaritan noble and happy, comforted the traveller, and has furnished a beautiful picture and a valuable lesson for every generation of men.

This Parable shows what will constitute the essence and blessedness of the millennium and of heaven; piety toward God, and benevolence to men.

LECTURE XII.

THE RELENTLESS SERVANT; OR, THE SPIRIT OF FORGIVENESS.

MATT. XVII. 21-35. "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

And when he

had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

OUR Lord's remarks concerning discipline by the Church, led Peter to inquire how often we must forgive

one who offends us. He was acquainted undoubtedly with the Jewish rule of forgiving an offender three times. But he had perceived that Christ's precepts inculcated something in advance of that. He therefore put it at seven times, as in his estimation, certainly going as far as could be required of human nature. "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him; till seven times? Jesus saith unto him; I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven;" that is, without limit. To enforce this, the parable we are to consider is related.

The scope of this parable is very obvious. Its force lies in an appeal to the natural reason of mankind; but the main fact on which that appeal is founded is supernatural; it is the free forgiveness of all our sins on a mere request, without rendering any equivalent. It is designed to urge on man the spirit and exercise of forgiveness, by the overwhelming considerations, that if we reach heaven it must be by a wonderful exercise of forbearance, mercy and forgiveness on the part of our Creator; and that, if we have not a forgiving temper, we are not of those whom he will forgive.

It is very obvious from the various interpretations of this, as well as many others of the parables, that their force is destroyed by the application of false principles of interpreting. A parable is a species of analogical reasoning. Suppose I speak of Attila as an eagle rushing from the north upon the effeminate Roman empire, and seizing his prey, would it be a sound and sober exposition of my meaning to show that the Gothic conqueror had wings and feathers, and iterally flew through the air? or, if I speak of a child

as a budding rose, should the resemblance be carried to things where it does not hold? I merely meant to refer to the delightful impression which a child makes on my feelings when I see that daily unfolding of new physical and mental beauty; but one of these thorough interpreters shall make me describe a child with leaves and roots and thorns like a rose-bush. Let us be sober when we deal with God's word. The one great point of the parable before us is that which I have stated. But there are several false resemblances which the unskilful may fasten upon it. They may apply the parable to the subject of property. It would, however, make utter confusion to regard the subject of moneydebt in the parable, at all in a literal sense. We owe God no such debt; he never remits any such debt; and the subject of property is touched here only in the most incidental way, in inculcating mercy where the rigorous exaction of our claims would be ruinous to our debtor. But that is entirely incidental to the Saviour's instruction here. He is speaking of moral debts, offences to our feelings; and of the inward remitting, the heart-forgiveness. Christ never required community of property. He never encouraged laxness in business, or required the industrious to encourage the indolent. "If any will not work, neither shall he eat," is the inspired rule on this subject. Our Lord never encouraged a laxness in business that would foster fraudulence, nor a mercy that would make us fools. He only requires us to adopt mercy in place of business principles, when we deal with unavoidable poverty; but that is not the duty he is here inculcating. In the parallel passage of the Lord's prayer, "forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors," he does not make the