五月四日
人豈可為自己製造神呢?其實這不是神。（耶16：20）
古時以色列人所犯的最大的罪是拜偶像，屬靈的以色列人也有這種愚妄的趨向。理番神的星不再發光，婦女不再為搭模斯哭泣，但瑪門卻仍侵佔著它的金牛犢，驕傲的龕仍未棄絕。各種形式的自己都竭力迫使選民屈服在它的權勢之下，肉體也盡力搜尋一個可以安置它壇的地方。它們真是無孔不入、無微不至的。溺愛孩子常使信徒犯很多罪，主看到我們過分溺愛他們的時候就為我們悲傷；他們活在世上乃是我們的一大咒詛，正像押沙龍之于大衛一樣，他們若被取去，就使我們的家荒涼、冷清起來。若基督徒願意以荊棘填塞他們的枕頭，就讓他們溺愛他們所愛的人吧！
他們真算不得是什麼神，因為我們愚昧之愛的對象所給我們的福氣是很可疑的，他們所給我們的安慰也是很危險的，我們在患難之中他們並不能幫助我們。那末，我們為什麼要受虛妄的迷惑呢?我們可憐一位敬拜石偶的外教人，而自己反敬拜金像嗎?肉神比木偶有什麼強處呢?原則上，罪、愚昧都是一樣的，只不過我們比外教人所得的亮光多，所以罪更重，而且罪是它的表面。外教人拜假神，但他並不知道有真神；我們犯了兩重罪：我們一方面離棄了活神，另一方面又皈從了偶像。願主除去我們一切的偶像，因為這是最嚴重的罪！我的偶像不論有多寶貴，都要從神的寶座前剷除淨盡，好敬拜獨一的真神。
May 4
“Shall a man make gods
unto himself, and they are no gods.” — Jeremiah 16:20
One great
besetting sin of ancient Israel was idolatry, and the spiritual Israel are
vexed with a tendency to the same folly. Remphan’s star shines no longer, and
the women weep no more for Tammuz, but Mammon still intrudes his golden calf,
and the shrines of pride are not forsaken. Self in various forms struggles to
subdue the chosen ones under its dominion, and the flesh sets up its altars
wherever it can find space for them. Favourite children are often the cause of
much sin in believers; the Lord is grieved when He sees us doting upon them
above measure; they will live to be as great a curse to us as Absalom was to
David, or they will be taken from us to leave our homes desolate. If Christians
desire to grow thorns to stuff their sleepless pillows, let them dote on their
dear ones.
It is truly said
that “they are no gods,” for the objects of our foolish love are very
doubtful blessings, the solace which they yield us now is dangerous, and the
help which they can give us in the hour of trouble is little indeed. Why, then,
are we so bewitched with vanities? We pity the poor heathen who adore a god of
stone, and yet worship a god of gold. Where is the vast superiority between a
god of flesh and one of wood? The principle, the sin, the folly is the same in
either case, only that in ours the crime is more aggravated because we have
more light, and sin in the face of it. The heathen bows to a false deity, but
the true God he has never known; we commit two evils, inasmuch as we forsake
the living God and turn unto idols. May the Lord purge us all from this
grievous iniquity!
“The dearest
idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol
be;
Help me to tear it
from thy throne,
And worship only
thee.”
