16 But if he will

take with thee one or

tion of his fault; (and by the same reason this is to be extended to all other wilful crimes of which thou seest him guilty, those being as fit to exercise this part of thy charity towards his soul as any injury done to thee immediately;) and let this be the method; first go and admonish him of it privately, so that it have nothing of shame or reproach joined with it; and if he mend upon such admonition, there is an end; thou hast reason to rejoice as at the finding the stray sheep, that thou hast been so happy an instrument of his repentance.

16. But if this first method of thy charity succeed not hear thee, then not, another essay must be made: take with thee one two more, that in or two other men, either that the crime which thou the mouth of two or layest to his charge be so confirmed to him by suffithree witnesses every cient testimony, John viii. 17, that he be no longer word may be esta- able to deny it, (as that which cannot be contradicted

blished.

church: but if he

or denied is said to be established, Heb. vi. 16,) or that the authority of these, added to that of thy private admonition, may be of more force with him, induce him to condemn himself, at least be more likely to do so, be more weighty in the presence of two or three.

17 And if he shall 17. But if he be still refractory, either through neglect to hear them, non-conviction of the fact or non-contrition for it, tell it unto the if this second admonition work not on him, then neglect to hear the make it a matter of public cognizance, tell it to the church, let him be rulers of the assemblies, (saith S. Chrysostom, see unto thee as an hea- Power of Keys, ch. ii. §. 12,) or tell it in the prethen man and sence of all the people, that before them the governor may rebuke him, (as Timothy is appointed to do, 1 Tim. v. 20.) But if this last method succeed not neither, if he be still refractory, thou art then to look on him as a desperate deplored sinner, (see Power of Keys, ch. ii. §. 9,) fit for the censures of the church

publican.

a

to overtake him.

18 Verily I say 18. Which ye therefore to whom now I speak, unto you, Whatso- the designed rulers of the church, and your succesever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound sors the bishops, are in this case to proceed to, to use in heaven: and what- the keys given to you, as stewards of the house, (ch. soever ye shall loose xvi. 19,) for the ejecting of such. And I assure on earth shall be you, whomsoever (see note [k] on ch. xi.) ye shall loosed in heaven. thus cast out of the church on earth, shall, without

repentance, and submission to your censures and reformation upon them, and sincere desire to reconcile and approve themselves to you, be by me excluded from heaven. These censures of yours, inflicted by this

commission from me, shall be backed by me.

And

so whomsoever ye shall upon sincere repentance receive into the peace of the church again, he shall by me be pardoned also.

19 Again I say unto 19. As for the second of the three admonitions, you, That if two of spoken of, ver. 16, (see note [b] on ch. vii.,) this I you shall agree on assure you, that as the assize of three men among the earth as touching Jews had some power, so shall any two or three any thing that they Christians, joining in such a reprehension, be con[b shall ask, it shall be done for siderable in this matter, having the privilege of God's them of my Father presence (as in their prayers thus united, so in their which is in heaven. united admonitions) to give them authority, assistance, and blessing.

there am I in the

20 For where two 20. For where two or three are met or assembled or three are gathered for this piece of discipline, (as for any holy action together in my name, besides,) there am I present with them in a special midst of them. manner, and will not suffer the actions, which thus they undertake by my appointment, to be set at naught by any.

21 Then came

forgive him?

seven times?

21. When Christ had gone thus far by way of Peter to him, and return from the last to the second, and before he prosaid, Lord, how oft ceeded from that to the first, Peter interposed this shall my brother sin against me, and I question (the answer to which comes home to the till first of the three also): Sir, seeing I am bound to forbear my brother, or fellow-Christian, that injureth me, and not to act any revenge upon him, as we were taught by thee, Matt. v. 39, and seeing now, upon admonishing him that hath injured me, in case he repent, either on the first or second or third admonition, I am to proceed no farther against him, but forgive him, and rejoice that I have done so much good upon him, ver. 15; yet because he that hath thus trespassed, and repented once, may possibly trespass again, and repent again, (see Luke xvii. 3, 4,) I desire to be taught by thee, how oft I am to do this, to forgive him, that though he repent of his injury, ask forgiveness, and promise to do so no more, (see ver. 26, 29,) yet ofttimes relapses again, how oft must I be thus indulgent to him and forgive him upon his request? must I do it often, or seven times? This rule is to hold eternally, not only for a great, him, I say not unto but an unlimited number of trespasses, supposing that thee, Until seven times: but, Until the trespasser repent and promise amendment for the seventy times seven. future, Luke xvii. 4, (otherwise thou art not so bound to pass by his trespass, but that thou mayest by the means prescribed, ver. 15, &c., endeavour his reformation, for in that case that is the greatest charity he is capable of.)

22 Jesus saith unto

your

23 Therefore is 23. To which purpose (to shew you how necessary the kingdom of hea- it is for every of you to remit most freely the injuries ven likened unto a that are done to you by brethren, be they never certain king, which would take account so great, if you expect any remission from God for of his [c] servants. your sins committed against him) I shall give you 24 And when he this parable: God's dealing with men under the gospel had begun to reckon, is very fitly resembled to a king calling his servants one was brought which to account.

unto him,

sand talents.

owed him ten thou- 24. And when he did so, one of his servants upon account was found to owe him a great sum, cast up 25 But forasmuch by ordinary valuation to be a thousand eight hundred as he had not to pay seventy-five thousand pounds.

his lord commanded

be made.

26 The

servant

him to be sold, and 25. But he being not able to pay that sum, his his wife, and chil- master appointed him to be used as debtors which dren, and all that he are not able to pay are wont to be used among the had, and payment to Jews, sold, they and their wives and their children, to be servants and bondmen, 2 Kings iv. 1, and by therefore fell down, that sale the debt to be paid. and worshipped him, 26. Hereupon the indebted servant fell down on saying, Lord, have his face, and besought him that he would stay a while, patience with me, till he might be able to pay him, and not use this exand I will pay thee tremity towards him, promising, if he would do so,

all.

27 Then the lord that he should lose nothing by him.

of that servant was 27. And his master was merciful, and quitted him moved with compas- of the former sentence, ver. 25, and frankly forgave sion, and loosed him, and forgave him the him that vast sum upon his bare request.

debt.

28. But when this was done, this servant that had 28 But the same been thus mercifully and magnificently dealt with by servant went out, his master, having had ten thousand talents forgiven and found one of his fellowservants, him, met with one of his fellow-servants, which ought which owed him an him somewhat, one hundred denarii, valued to three hundred pence and pounds two shillings sixpence of our money, a conhe laid hands on him, temptible sum in comparison with what had just and [d] took him now been forgiven him, and he presently appreby the throat, saying, Pay me that thou hended him in a most rigid manner, requiring him to make present payment.

owest.

29 And his fellow- 29. And this fellowservant of his besought him servant fell down at with as much humility to forbear him, as he had, sought him, saying, ver. 26, besought his master's forbearance for six Have patience with hundred thousand times as much.

his feet, and be

thee all.

me, and I will pay 30. And that servant that had had so much forgiven him would not forgive so little, but dealt with him in 30 And he would not: but went and the extremest rigour, cast him into prison never to cast him into prison, be released, but upon paying the whole debt.

the debt.

till he should pay 31. For this all the fellowservants that saw it 31 So when his were much troubled, both for the unhappy lot of him fellowservants saw that suffered, and the unreasonable behaviour of him

shook him.

what was done, they that thus dealt with him, in so distant a matter from were very sorry, and what himself had so lately found from his master, came and told unto their lord all that upon this they came and informed their master was done.

and

of it.

32 Then his lord, O thou unconscionable man, thou canst not but after that he had remember how I lately forgave thee all that vast called him, said unto sum owing to me by thee, (with which this of thy servant, I forgave fellowservant to thee beareth no proportion,) and thee all that debt, that upon thy bare request, having no motive, beside de- my own compassion to an helpless creature, to invite

him, O thou wicked

because thou

siredst me:

33 Shouldest

not

fellowservant, even

me to so great a mercy.

33.

Was

it not then reasonable for thee that hadst thou also have had received pardon of so vast a debt from thy master, or compassion on thy superior, to have (in like manner as I gave thee exas I had pity on ample) shewed pity to thy fellowservant, to whom thou wert so much more obliged than I to thee, and to have remitted him so small a sum, when I forgave thee six hundred thousand times as much!

thee?

him.

34 And his lord 34. Upon this the master was most justly enraged was wroth, and de- against him, and used him as he had done his fellow, livered him to the ver. 30, and though he had before remitted him, yet [] tormentors, till he should pay all upon this unworthy impious behaviour he revoked that was due unto his designed mercy and cast him into prison, till35. By this resemblance ye see what measure ye 35 So likewise shall must expect from God in this matter, for just so shall my heavenly Father God deal with you, remit nothing of that rigour do also unto you, if against you which you use against others, deal most ye from your hearts forgive not every one severely with you, if ye do not clearly, plenarily, and his brother their sincerely (without any reservation, or design to have God execute any vengeance for you, or the like) forgive all injuries, how great soever, (being certainly far below the proportion of yours against God,) that are done to you by any man living.

trespasses.

AND it came to pass, that a when

Jesus had finished

CHAP. XIX.

a when all those occasions were over on which he

these sayings, he de spake those things, he departed—

parted from Galilee,

and came into the coasts of Judæa beyond Jordan;

2 And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there.

3 The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and

b

no less in Judæa now than before in Galilee.

* jailors.

saying unto him, Is

to put away his wife

Ye cannot but remember the strict union and con

it lawful for a man junction betwixt man and wife which was appointed for every cause? by God in the creation, Gen. i. 27, where as soon as And he answered the man and woman were created we find this conand said unto them, clusion made by Adam, (or rather the historian,) Gen. Have ye not read, ii. 24, that the man was to forsake all and cleave to that he which made his wife, and continue with her as inseparably as with ning made them male another part of the same flesh: (see note [b] on Luke xvi.)

them at the begin

and female,

man leave father and

5 And said, For 6. And therefore thus are they to be thought of, this cause shall a as two by God united into one; and then sure that mother, and shall which hath been thus instituted by God must not by cleave to his wife: man be altered; it ought still to continue among you, and they twain shall as it was first instituted; it is utterly unlawful (unless be one flesh? in case of falseness to the husband's bed, Matt. v. 32.) 6 Wherefore they to put the wife away. but one flesh. What 7. To this the Pharisees objected, saying, What therefore God hath account then is to be given of that precept in the law joined together, let wherein Moses appointed the husband (in some cases not man put asunder. mentioned by him, Deut. xxiv. 1.) to give a bill of 7 They say unto him, Why did Moses divorce unto the wife, in this manner permitting him then command to to put her away?

are no more twain,

8 He saith unto

give a writing of d God in the Mosaical economy knowing you Jews divorcement, and to to be so impersuasible and obstinately bent to your put her away? lusts and Own rages, that in case you were obliged to them, Moses be- live with hated wives, and not permitted divorces, it cause of the hard- would probably cause in you some greater sin, for the ness of your hearts preventing hereof allowed a dispensation in this point, suffered you to put tolerated divorces, and took so much pity and care of away your wives: but from the begin- the oppressed hated wife as to provide this kind of ping it was not so. relief for her, commanding to give a bill of divorce, thereby, as by an act of manumission, to restore her liberty to her, withal decently to send her out of the family and in some sort endow her: but this you see (ver. 4, 5.) was very distant from the appoint9 And I say unto ment of God in the first institution of marriage. you, Whosoever shall 9. And accordingly I now define, that whosoever put away his wife, shall use that liberty so frequent among you, to put except it be for fornication, and shall away his wife, for any lesser cause than that of formarry another, com- nication, and then think it free for him to marry mitteth adultery: and again, that man by marrying another, whilst his whoso marrieth her wife is alive, (from the obligation to whom he is not which is put away doth commit adult- nor can be freed,) is consequently guilty of adultery; and so likewise he that marrieth her that is divorced To His disciples taketh another man's wife, which is adultery also. say unto him, If the 10. Hereupon his own disciples began to object, that so with his wife, it if marriage brought such an inseparable conjunction is not good to marry. with it, then sure the inconveniences and hazards of

ery.

case of the man be