October 29

Deuteronomy xxiv. — 10. When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge:

11. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee;

12. And, if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge:

13. In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee; and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God.

Matthew xviii. — 23. Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king which would take account of his servants.

24. And, when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him which owed him ten thousand talents.

25. 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.

26. The servant, therefore, fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

27. Then the lord of that servant was moved

No one can read this parable and not feel that the unjust servant was rightly dealt with. He deserved his punishment for his ingratitude toward his master, for his selfish greed, for his hard hearted cruelty toward his fellow-servant. The imagery or dress of the parable is borrowed from Oriental customs: slavery, including the sale of the family of the debtor, was a common punishment for debt; and sovereigns were sometimes very decided and severe in the punishment even of favorites who had defrauded them. Torture was sometimes added to captivity or imprisonment, both to increase the severity of the punishment, and to extort a confession of concealed treasures. Modern Egyptians will often submit to the bastinado rather than disclose their property to the tax-gatherer.

with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

28. 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.

29. And his fellow-servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

30. And he would not, but went and cast him into prison till he should pay the debt.

31. So, when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

32. 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:

33. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee?

34. And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

In the structure of an Eastern household of rank, and especially of a court, there would be under-servants dependent upon the steward, as he, in turn, was subject to his lord. All this is the costume of the parable: its deep meaning is that we owe to God every thing; that we have kept back every thing for ourselves, and have nothing wherewith to pay; that he is ready to forgive us all, but that the effect of the forgiveness of our infinite debt should be to cherish in us the spirit of gentleness, forbearance, and forgiveness toward our fellow men. "If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 78, 115.

O Lord! we beseech thee, grant us grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the Devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee; and, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee, mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O Lord Jesus, who art exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and forgiveness of sins! we do repent of our sins before thee, and humbly beseech thee to receive us, according to thy promise that him that cometh unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast out. Give unto us O Lord! that rest which thou hast promised to the weary and heavy-laden; that peace which the world cannot give nor take away. As we shall go forth into the world this day, may thy presence guide and keep us!

We bring thee thanks for the mercies of the night, and supplicate thy grace for our friends and neighbors, for the absent dear to us, for thy Church, for this family, yea, Lord, for the whole family of mankind, — the world which thou hast died to save.

We beseech thee, O Lord! to instruct us in our duty, and help us to perform it; to give us a tender conscience and an earnest spirit; to uphold us in the slippery ways of the world, and give us sterling integrity of heart; to save us from the enmity of men, from the malice of Satan, and from our own faults and follies; to support us in the hour of death; and finally to receive us to thy presence in the world of endless life. And to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be glory forever. Amen.