9 

9:2 Ye are the seal of my apostleship - Who have received not only faith by my mouth, but all the gifts of the Spirit by my hands.

9:3 My answer to them who examine me - Concerning my apostleship. Is this - Which I have now given.

9:4 Have we not power - I and my fellowlabourers. To eat and to drink - At the expense of those among whom we labour.

9:5 Have we not power to lead about with us a sister, a wife - And to demand sustenance for her also? As well as the otherapostles - Who therefore, it is plain, did this.And Peter - Hence we learn,

1. That St. Peter continued to live with his wife after he became an apostle:
2. That he had no rights as an apostle which were not common to St. Paul.

9:6 To forbear working - With our hands.

9:8 Do I speak as a man - Barely on the authority of human reason? Does not God also say, in effect, the same thing?The ox that treadeth out the corn - This was the custom in Judea, and many eastern nations. In several of them it is retained still. And at this day, horses tread out the corn in some parts of Germany.

9:9 Doth God - In this direction. Take care for oxen - Only?Hath he not a farther meaning? And so undoubtedly he hath in all the other Mosaic laws of this kind.

9:10 He who ploweth ought to plow in hope - Of reaping.This seems to be a proverbial expression. And he that thresheth in hope - Ought not to be disappointed, ought to eat the fruit of his labours. And ought they who labour in God's husbandry. Deu 25:4

9:11 Is it a great matter if we shall reap as much of your carnal things - As is needful for our sustenance? Do you give us things of greater value than those you receive from us?

9:12 If others - Whether true or false apostles. Partake of this power - Have a right to be maintained. Do not we rather - On account of our having laboured so much more? Lest we should give any hinderance to the gospel - By giving an occasion of cavil or reproach.

18 

18:23 Therefore - In this respect.

18:24 One was brought who owed him ten thousand talents - According to the usual computation, if these were talents of gold, this would amount to seventy - two millions sterling. If they were talents of silver, it must have been four millions, four hundred thousand pounds. Hereby our Lord intimates the vast number and weight of our offences against God, and our utter incapacity of making him any satisfaction.

18:25 As he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold - Such was the power which creditors anciently had over their insolvent debtors in several countries.

18:30 Went with him before a magistrate, and cast him into prison, protesting he should lie there, till he should pay the whole debt.

18:34 His lord delivered him to the tormentors - Imprisonment is a much severer punishment in the eastern countries than in ours.State criminals, especially when condemned to it, are not only confined to a very mean and scanty allowance, but are frequently loaded with clogs or heavy yokes, so that they can neither lie nor sit at ease: and by frequent scourgings and sometimes rackings are brought to an untimely end. Till he should pay all that was due to him - That is, without all hope of release, for this he could never do. How observable is this whole account; as well as the greatinference our Lord draws from it:

1. The debtor was freely and fully forgiven;
2. He wilfully and grievously offended;
3. His pardon was retracted, the whole debt required, and the offender delivered to the tormentors for ever.