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DUTIES PECULIARLY CHRISTIAN.

[Part VI.

thousand talents, and forgiven all that debt, yet laid hands on hisfellow-servant for an hundred pence, and cast him into prison.After sternly rebuking him for his hardness of heart and want ofcompassion, the sacred writer says, his lord cast him into prisonuntil he should pay the debt. “ So likewise,” adds our Saviour,in conclusion, “ shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if yefrom your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespass-es.” * Again, St. Paul says, “ Avenge not yourselves, but rathergive place unto wrath ; for it is written, ‘ Vengeance is mine, I willrepay, saith the Lord.’ Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feedhim ; if he thirst, give him drink ; for in so doing thou shalt heapcoals of fire on his head,”f that is, you will soften him, and dis-arm him of his vindictive feelings towards you.

III. The Gospel rule of forgiveness is the only way by whicha real and permanent victory over evil can be secured. Wehave seen that it is only by kindness that we can awaken kind-ness. By resentment and retaliation, we only call forth a repeti-tion of the evil, and most probably, too, increased in bitterness.If we continue to act on the same principle, the evil must beagain returned, and again received with the increase, until atlength it must result in some appalling outrage. Trifling injurieshave often ended in scenes of blood ; slight resentment has growninto hatred, and hatred into burning vengeance. But, by return-ing good for evil, we subdue the heart. This is a real conquest.We may, indeed, if we have superior power, bring the body intosubjection, but the mind remains unvanquished. We may loadan enemy with chains, but he is our enemy still ; we may immurehim in a dungeon, but even there his heart is meditating revenge.We may, by authority or force, compel one who has injured us torepair the wrong, or to suffer for it ; but this will not make himour friend. Had he power and opportunity, he would repeat theevil. But if we pursue the course prescribed by the rule of for-giveness, we subdue the heart, gain a conquest over the wholeman, and convert an enemy into a friend. And this conquestwill be permanent. It has been achieved, not by physical power,but by a moral power, which has penetrated the inmost soul, andcalled forth, in our favor, the nobler feelings of its nature.

* Matt, xviii. 23 - 35. t Romans xii. 19,20.