By Hugh Binning
If God has forgiven me so many grievous offences, if he has pardoned so heinous and innumerable injuries, that amount to a kind of infiniteness in number and quality, O how much more am I bound to forgive my brethren a few light and trivial offences? Col. 3:13—”Forbearing one another, if any man has a quarrel against any, so also you do.” Eph. 4:32—”And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, even a God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” With what face can I pray, “Lord, forgive me my sins,” when I may meet with such a retort, you cannot forgive your brethren’s sins, infinitely less both in number and degree? Matt. 6:15—”But if your do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.” What unparalleled ingratitude were it, what monstrous wickedness, that after he has forgiven all our debt, because we desired him yet we should have no compassion on our fellow servants even as he had pity on us!
O! what a dreadful sound will that be in the ears of many Christians, “O you wicked servant, I forgave you all your debt, because you desired me! Shouldn’t you also have had compassion on your servants, even as I has pity on you? And his lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due to him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also to you, if you from your hearts do not forgive every one his brother their trespasses,” —Matt.18:32-35.
When we cannot dispense with one penny, how should he dispense with his talents? And when we cannot pardon ten, how should he forgive ten thousand? When he has forgiven my brother all his iniquity, may not I pardon one? Should I impute that which God will not impute, or discover that which God has covered? How should I expect he should be merciful to me, when I cannot show mercy to my brother? Ps. 18:25—”With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.” Should I, for one or few offences, hate, bite, and devour him for whom Christ died, and loved not his life to save him? —Rom.14:15 and 1st Cor. 8:11.
This common domain work’s language modernized in places by this site.
Mercy Triumphs! 
As a society I feel we all need this reminder from time to time; especially me! I needed this #perfecttiming
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment Danielle. Glad to see some are being encouraged. Yea, I think if we’re honest, we all need this reminder very often.
LikeLiked by 1 person