17. Whence does this appear? From the very Prayer1824 itself. “For if,” saith He, “ye forgive men their debts, your heavenly Father will forgive your debts.”1825 And as much as the difference is between “a hundred pence” and “ten thousand talents,”1826 so great is it between the debts on the one side, and those on the other! What punishment then must he not deserve, who when he would receive ten thousand talents, in the room of a hundred pence,1827 yet will not even so remit this small sum, but offers up the Prayer against himself. For when thou sayest, “Forgive us, as we forgive,” and afterwards dost not forgive, thou art supplicating of God nothing else than that He would entirely deprive thee of all excuse or indulgence. “But I do not presume to say,” replies some one, “Forgive me as I forgive” but only, “Forgive me.” But what matters this? For if thou say it not thyself, yet God so doeth; as thou forgivest, He forgives. And this He hath made quite evident from what follows; for there it is said, “If ye forgive not men, neither doth your heavenly Father forgive you.” Think not, therefore, that it is a pious caution, not to repeat the whole sentence; nor offer up the Prayer by halves, but as He bade thee so pray thou, in order that the very obligation of that expression, putting thee daily in fear, may compel thee to the exercise of forgiveness towards thy neighbours. 18. Do not tell me, “I have besought him many times, I have intreated, I have supplicated, but I have not effected a reconciliation.” Never desist till you have reconciled him. For He said not, “Leave thy gift, and go thy way.” Entreat thy brother. But, “Go thy way. Be recon- ciled.”1828 So that, although you may have made many entreaties, yet you must not desist until you have persuaded. God entreats us every day, and we do not hear; and yet He does not cease entreating. And dost thou then disdain to entreat thy fellow-servant. How is it then possible for thee ever to be saved? Suppose that thou hast often pleaded and been re- pulsed; for this, however, thou wilt obtain a larger reward. For in proportion as he is conten- tious, and thou perseverest in entreating, so much the more is thy recompense increased. In proportion as the good work is accomplished with greater difficulty, and the reconciliation is one of much labour, so much the greater will be the judgment on him, and so much the brighter will be the crowns of victory for thy forbearance. Let us not merely applaud all this, but exemplify it too in our deeds; and never recede from the work, until we are restored to our former state of friendship. For it is not enough merely to avoid grieving an enemy, or doing him an injury, or being in our minds unkindly disposed towards him; but it is necessary 1824 Often called emphatically, “The Prayer,” as constantly in the title of Comments on it. Tertullian de Oratione, and the like. 1825 Matt. vi. 14. 1826 Matt. xviii. 24, 28. 1827 Denarii. 1828 Matt. v. 24. 709 Homily XX