Luke 3:13 And he said to them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. In the Edinburgh Weekly Review we find some anecdotes relating to the Rev. William Anderson, D.D., more than fifty years pastor of the John Street United Presbyterian Church, of Glasgow, who died some time ago. He was one of the most eminent and beloved ministers of that city. He was once expounding the 15th Psalm, and had come to the word "usury" — "He putteth not out his money to usury." "Does that mean," he asked, "taking ten per cent. or more? Not entirely. It means also the spirit in which the ten per cent. is taken. There was once in this Church a poor widow, and she wanted twenty pounds to begin a small shop. Having no friends, she came to me, her minister. And I happened to know a man — not of this Church — who could advance the money to the poor widow. So we went to this man — the widow and I — and the man said he would be happy to help the widow. And he drew out a bill for £20, and the widow signed it, and I signed it too. Then he put the signed paper in his desk and took out the money and gave it to the widow. But the widow, counting it, said: 'Sir, there is only £15 here.' 'It is all right,' said the man; 'that is the interest I charge.' And, as we had no redress, we came away. But the widow prospered. And she brought the £20 to me, and I took it myself to the office of the man who lent it, and I said to him: 'Sir, there is the £20 from the widow.' And he said: 'Here is the paper you signed, and if you know any other poor widow I will be happy to help her in the same way.' I said to him: 'You help the widow! Sir, you have robbed this widow, and you will be damned!' And, my friends, I kept my eye on that man. And before six months were over, God smote him, and he died." We can still recall, after many years, the creep of soul with which we listened to the closing sentences, and the vivid glimpse we got of a Divine retribution falling suddenly on a bad man. Parallel Verses KJV: And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.WEB: He said to them, "Collect no more than that which is appointed to you." |
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