prerogatives; it may be, however, that he has been blamed by Commentators for that

which he did not intend. Cain was protected by the Lord, a token was appointed for him

in mercy (nearly every one speaks of the "brand of Cain" as though God set a mark upon

him in wrath), the word mark in Gen. 4: 15 being the word token, used of the bow in the

clouds (Gen. 9: 12), and of the blood of the passover (Exod. 12: 13). Lamech seems to

say to his wives, Be still, fear not, for if Cain who was a murderer was thus protected by a

sevenfold avenging, surely I shall be avenged seven and seventy-fold; for the words

relative to the slaying and wounding in verse 23 may indicate to a query rather then a

state a fact. There seems to be an emphasis, markedly so in the case of Cain, upon the

great longsuffering and mercy of our gracious God.

The other reference to this seventy times seven is found in Dan. 9:, and there in a

light infinitely worse than that of Cain or of Lamech. The Lord intervenes and tells the

anxious prophet that his prayers shall receive an abundant answer. Daniel had prayed for

the forgiveness of his people (9: 19), and in answer the angel Gabriel is sent to reveal the

future of his people to him. "Seventy-sevens are severed off upon thy people and upon

thy holy city." Seventy-sevens ­ the period of time seems to convey also some lesson of

the Lord's longsuffering and forbearance with His rebellious people. If ever a people

could be expected to exercise forgiveness to others Israel surely should be the first, for

have they not had extended to them untold forbearance from a longsuffering God? The

Lord did not omit this from the kingdom prayer of Matt. 6:, "Forgive us our debts, as we

forgive our debtors" has a direct bearing upon the parable of the servant who, having

been forgiven "all that debt," would not forgive his fellow-servant who was his debtor to

a much less extent. How many of our readers could say, without reference, what one

clause of the Lord's prayer is immediately expanded after the conclusion of the petition?

It is not the reference to hallowing the Name, nor the coming kingdom, but just this very

These words are echoed in the closing verse of Matt. 18: Here in this parable we

have in all its hatefulness one of the factors of Israel's failure. They forgave not; they

were not forgiven. Their measure of iniquity was filled up when in their implacable

antagonism to the widening mercy of God they forbade the apostle to speak to the

Gentiles that they might be saved, and so wrath came upon them to the uttermost

(I Thess. 2: 16). This passage from I Thessalonians should read with the parable before

us, when the "wrath to the uttermost" echoed in the words, "His lord was wroth," and

"till he should pay all that was due unto him." This last clause compels us to consider

another passage in the Sermon on the Mount, that message calculated to reveal the failure

of Israel's attempt at attaining a righteousness by law, and to bring them to repentance.

In Matt. 5: 22 the Lord says:--

The words "without a cause" must be omitted; anger is to be "put away," whether with

or without a cause. Continuing the Lord said:--