Chapter LXI.—Of the Little Child Whom He Set Before Them for Their Imitation, and
of the Offences of the World; Of the Members of the Body Causing Offences; Of the Angels
of the Little Ones, Who Behold the Face of the Father; Of the One Sheep Out of the Hundred
Sheep; Of the Reproving of a Brother in Private; Of the Loosing and the Binding of Sins; Of
The Agreement of Two, and the Gathering Together of Three; Of the Forgiving of Sins Even
Unto Seventy Times Seven; Of the Servant Who Had His Own Large Debt Remitted, and
Yet Refused to Remit the Small Debt Which His Fellow-Servant Owed to Him; And of the
Question as to Matthew’s Harmony with the Other Evangelists on All These Subjects.
119. The same Matthew then proceeds with his narrative in the following terms: “In
that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who, thinkest Thou, is the greater in the
kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of
them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children,
ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven;” and so on, down to the words, “So likewise
shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his
brother their trespasses.”1108 Of this somewhat lengthened discourse which was spoken by
the Lord, Mark, instead of giving the whole, has presented only certain portions, in dealing
with which he follows meantime the same order. He has also introduced some matters which
Matthew does not mention.1109 Moreover, in this complete discourse, so far as we have
taken it under consideration, the only interruption is that which is made by Peter, when he
inquires how often a brother ought to be forgiven. The Lord, however, was speaking in a
strain which makes it quite clear that even the question which Peter thus proposed, and the
answer which was returned to him, belong really to the same address. Luke, again, records
none of these things in the order here observed, with the exception of the incident with the
little child whom He set before His disciples, for their imitation when they were thinking
of their own greatness.1110 For if he has also narrated some other matters of a tenor resem-
bling those which are inserted in this discourse, these are sayings which he has recalled for
notice in other connections, and on occasions different from the present: just as John1111
introduces the Lord’s words on the subject of the forgiveness of sins,—namely, those to the
effect that they should be remitted to him to whom the apostles remitted them, and that
they should be retained to him to whom they retained them, as spoken by the Lord after
His resurrection; while Matthew mentions that in the discourse now under notice the Lord
made this declaration, which, however, the self-same evangelist at the same time affirms to
have been given on a previous occasion to Peter.1112 Therefore, to preclude the necessity
1108 Matt. xviii.
1109 Mark ix. 33–49.
1110 Luke ix. 46–48.
1111 John xx. 23.
1112 Matt. xvi. 19.
Of the Little Child Whom He Set Before Them for Their Imitation, and of the Offences of the World; Of the Members of the Body Causing Offences; Of the Angels of the Little Ones, Who Behold the Face of the Father; Of the One Sheep Out of the Hundred Sheep; Of the Reproving of a Brother in Private; Of the Loosing and the Binding of Sins; Of The Agreement of Two, and the Gathering Together of Three; Of the Forgiving of Sins Even Unto Seventy Times Seven; Of the Servant Who Had His Own Large Debt Remitted, and Yet Refused to Remit the Small Debt Which His Fellow-Servant Owed to Him; And of the Question as to Matthew’s Harmony with the Other Evangelists on All These Subjects.
354
Of the Little Child Whom He Set Before Them for Their Imitation, and of…