{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p>20. For that sins which have been remitted do return\r\nupon a man, is most clearly taught by our Lord, in the case\r\nof the servant whom He found owing Him ten thousand\r\ntalents, and to whom He yet forgave all at his entreaty.\r\nBut when he refused to have pity on his fellow-servant who\r\nowed him a hundred pence, the Lord commanded him to pay\r\nwhat He had forgiven him. The time, then, at which pardon\r\nis received through baptism is as it were the time for rendering\r\naccounts, so that all the debts which are found to be due<span class=\"pagenum\"><a id=\"Page_21\">[Pg 21]</a></span>\r\nmay be remitted. Yet it was not afterwards that the servant\r\nlent his fellow-servant the money, which he had so pitilessly\r\nexacted when the other was unable to pay it; but his fellow-servant\r\nalready owed him the debt, when he himself, on rendering\r\nhis accounts to his master, was excused a debt of so\r\nvast an amount. He had not first excused his fellow-servant,\r\nand so come to receive forgiveness from his Lord. This is\r\nproved by the words of the fellow-servant: \"Have patience\r\nwith me, and I will pay thee all.\" Otherwise he would have\r\nsaid, \"You forgave me it before; why do you again demand\r\nit?\" This is made more clear by the words of the Lord\r\nHimself. For He says, \"But the same servant went out, and\r\nfound one of his fellow-servants which was owing<a id=\"FNanchor_41_41\"></a><a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_41_41\">[41]</a> him a\r\nhundred pence.\"<a id=\"FNanchor_42_42\"></a><a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_42_42\">[42]</a> He does not say, \"To whom he had\r\nalready forgiven a debt of a hundred pence.\" Since then He\r\nsays, \"was owing him,\" it is clear that he had not forgiven\r\nhim the debt. And indeed, it would have been better, and\r\nmore in accordance with the position of a man who was\r\ngoing to render an account of so great a debt, and expected\r\nforbearance from his lord, that he should first have forgiven\r\nhis fellow-servant what was due to him, and so have come to\r\nrender the account when there was such need for imploring\r\nthe compassion of his lord. Yet the fact that he had not yet\r\nforgiven his fellow-servant, did not prevent his lord from forgiving\r\nhim all his debts on the occasion of receiving his\r\naccounts. But what advantage was it to him, since they all\r\nimmediately returned with redoubled force upon his head,\r\nin consequence of his persistent want of charity? So the\r\ngrace of baptism is not prevented from giving remission of all\r\nsins, even if he to whom they are forgiven continues to\r\ncherish hatred towards his brother in his heart. For the\r\nguilt of yesterday is remitted, and all that was before it, nay,\r\neven the guilt of the very hour and moment previous to baptism,\r\nand during baptism itself. But then he immediately\r\nbegins again to be responsible, not only for the days, hours,\r\nmoments which ensue, but also for the past,—the guilt of all<span class=\"pagenum\"><a id=\"Page_22\">[Pg 22]</a></span>\r\nthe sins which were remitted returning on him, as happens\r\nonly too frequently in the Church.</p>","headings":["WRITINGS IN CONNECTION WITH THE DONATIST CONTROVERSY.","BOOK FIRST."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg45843-paragraph-64"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"45f28a673a9deac313e5f060c0d33c9e38c7e5da0b20e7c88cb8b94b8e7075e9","edition_title":"Writings in Connection with the Donatist Controversy","edition_translators":["John Richard King"],"edition_year":1872,"explicit_reference_candidates":[{"book":"MAT","chapter":18,"kind":"unreviewed","source_notation":"Matt. xviii. 23-35","verse":23,"verse_end":35}],"headings":[],"id":"pg45843-Footnote_42_42","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Provider catalog reports public domain in the USA. Title leaves identify J. R. King, T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh, 1872; catalog identifies translator John Richard King (1835-1907). Gutenberg credits Internet Archive/American Libraries without an exact scan identifier. Full provider license preserved with acquired original; republication and per-work metadata remain unreviewed.","source_anchor":"Footnote_42_42","source_ebook":45843,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\">\n<p><a id=\"Footnote_42_42\"></a><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#FNanchor_42_42\"><span class=\"label\">[42]</span></a> Matt. xviii. 23-35.</p></div>","source_sha256":"a7a04003f4d3c49eb73db6c5936713979fcecadd86884373a9914ac54373ac5b","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/45843/pg45843-images.html#Footnote_42_42","text_sha256":"082eae320df27c4e2cf7a754d95c113481998c567f446f0389ecdda4dc0ca1b5","verified":false,"work_id":null}