p. 132, para. 1 | Untitled article

Untitled article

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, August 13, 1867

“And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”

TRUE repentance and genuine faith always produce a disposition to forgive others. Habitual malice and revenge are proofs of impenitence. If a believer be betrayed into an unchristian spirit in this respect, he must not expect the comforts of forgiveness, or communion with God; but frowns, rebukes and corrections, till reduced to a better temper. We are thus reminded frequently to examine ourselves in this particular, with special impartiality, lest in the praying for the pardon of our sins, we should in fact call for wrath instead of mercy on our souls. At the same time we are reminded to pray for that humble, gentle, forgiving spirit thus impartially required of us. Scott.

This being the first spiritual petition we make for ourselves, it shows how much we are concerned to obtain it; our happiness depending wholly on the favor of God, and our misery on his displeasure. Whitby.

It is hardly possible to imagine a more effectual expedient to promote the forgiveness of injuries, than this of making it a part of our daily prayers to ask such pardon of God, as we impart to our offending brother. Doddridge.