=21. (2.) The Sinner Must be Willing to Forgive Others=, if he hopes to obtain forgiveness. Surely his repentance is but superficial if his heart be not softened to the degree of tolerance for the weaknesses of his fellows. In teaching His hearers how to pray, the Savior instructed them to supplicate the Father: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."[320] He led them not to hope for forgiveness if in their hearts they forgave not one another: "For," said He, "if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."[321] And forgiveness between man and man, to be acceptable before the Lord, must be unbounded. In answering Peter's question, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him--till seven times?" the Master said, "I say not unto thee, until seven times; but until seventy times seven;" clearly intending to teach that man must ever be ready to forgive. On another occasion He taught the disciples, saying, "If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him, and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him."[322] [320] Matt. vi, 12; see also Luke xi, 4. [321] Matt. vi, 14-15; III Nephi xiii, 14-15. [322] Luke xvii, 3-4. =22.= Illustrating further the Divine purpose to mete unto men the measure they mete unto their fellows,[323] the Savior put forth to His disciples a parable of a king, to whom one of his subjects owed an enormous sum of money, ten thousand talents; but when the debtor humbled himself and pleaded for mercy, the compassionate heart of the king was moved and he forgave his servant the debt. But the same servant, going out from the presence of the king, met a fellow-servant who was indebted to him in a paltry sum; forgetting the mercy so recently shown unto himself, he seized his fellow-servant and cast him into prison till he would pay the debt. Then the king, hearing of this, sent for the wicked servant, and, denouncing him for his lack of gratitude and consideration, handed him over to the tormentors.[324] The Lord will not listen to petitions nor accept an offering from one who has bitterness in his heart toward others; "First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift."[325] In His revealed word to the Saints in this day, the Lord has placed particular stress upon this necessary condition: "Wherefore I say unto you that ye ought to forgive one another, for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses, standeth condemned before the Lord, for there remaineth in him the greater sin;"[326] and to remove all doubt as to the proper subjects for human forgiveness, it is added:--"I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." [323] Matt. vii, 2; Mark iv, 24; Luke vi, 38.