“ —Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing.
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The parable in Matthew 5:21-26 is an appeal to the common sense of those that hear it, in regard to every affair of righteousness. With respect to what claims lie against you, do at once what you must do one day. As there is no escape from payment, escape at least the prison that will enforce it. It is useless to think to escape the eternal law of things. To the honest man and to the man who would be honest, the word is of truly gracious import. To the untrue, it is a terrible threat. “Thou shalt render the right, cost you what it may,” is a dread sound in the ears of those whose life is a falsehood; but for those who love righteousness, it is a joy profound as peace to know that God is determined upon such payment, is determined to have his children clean, clear, pure as very snow; is determined that not only shall they with his help make up for whatever wrong they have done, but at length be incapable, under any temptation, of doing the thing that is not divine.
There is no escape from strict justice, from doing all that is required of us. A way to avoid any demand of righteousness would be an infinitely worse way than the road to the everlasting fire, for its end would be eternal death. No, there is no escape. There is no heaven with a little of hell in it. Out Satan must go, every hair and feather!