Quesnel: Moral Reflections on the Gospels Vol 1

284 ST. MATTHEW.
"30. And he would not; but went and cast him
into prison, till he should pay the debt."
God hears the sinner; and yet the sinner will not
hear one like himself. When a man is thoroughly
sensible of the weight of his own sins, he is very far
from judging others with rigour. God's ears eter-
nally shut against the sinner, hell for his prison, and
an inflexible justice punishing every thing and remit-
ting nothing; this is what he must expect who treats
his brother after this manner. Truth itself has
established this retaliation, declaring, that " with
what measure we mete, it shall be measured to us
again." This then is an immutable law, and such
as the sinner can never change, but by changing
himself.
"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."
When in heaven we are once united to the supreme
and sovereign Justice, we cannot but espouse
its interests against sin and the obdurate sinner.
Not to pardon injuries, is to scandalize and provoke
both heaven and earth. He who hurts one member
of Christ, gives offence to all the rest. The whole
church will one day rise up against the revengeful,
and behold with joy the judgments of God on all
such as have shown themselves without mercy and
compassion.
" 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. Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on
thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee ?"