三月二十五日
你用親嘴的暗號賣人子嗎?(路22:48)
“仇敵的親嘴卻是欺詐。”(改譯)當世人以和藹的笑臉迎著我的時候我要留心,因為它可能把我出賣了,正像我主被一個親嘴的暗號賣了一樣。在一個人要出賣宗教時,他總是說:“我很熱誠,很虔敬。”我要當心笑容可掬的偽君子,因為光滑的面孔是掩護異端和不信的假面具。既然知道不義的欺騙,我就要靈巧像蛇,明查暗辨,避免仇敵的計謀。無知的青年人因為一個陌生婦女的親嘴,就誤入歧途;願我的心要聽從這可貴的教訓,使世人向我說的“花言巧語”都歸無效。聖靈!求你使我這個可憐的意志薄弱的人不至因一個親嘴而被賣。可是我若是犯了那滅亡之子猶大所犯的可咒的罪該當怎樣呢?我已受浸歸入主耶穌的名下,我是他有形教會的一個會友,我也領受主餐,參預交通;這些都是我唇上的許多親嘴。我在這些事上誠懇嗎?若是不的話,我就是一個卑鄙的賣主賣友的人。我嘴裡說我是耶穌的門徒,而我在世上的生活也和別人一樣地毫不檢點、毫不留心嗎?那麼我所信的便是可笑的,而且基督徒的神聖的名字也因此被人嗤笑。我的行為若是有違信仰,那麼我就是一個猶大,我不生在世上倒好。我在這事上清楚嗎?如果是,那麼求神繼續保守我。主啊!使我誠懇真實,保守我不入虛偽的道路,使我永不賣主。耶穌!我愛你,雖然有時使你傷心,但我決心忠信至死。神啊!禁止我的舌頭說出誇大狂妄的話,因為那是用親嘴賣主,至終必落在火湖裡。
March 25
“Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?” –Luke 22:48
The kisses of an enemy are
deceitful.” Let me be on my guard when the world puts on a loving face,
for it will, if possible, betray me as it did my Master, with a kiss. Whenever
a man is about to stab religion, he usually professes very great reverence for
it. Let me beware of the sleek-faced hypocrisy which is armour-bearer to heresy
and infidelity. Knowing the deceivableness of unrighteousness, let me be wise
as a serpent to detect and avoid the designs of the enemy. The young man, void
of understanding, was led astray by the kiss of the strange woman: may my soul
be so graciously instructed all this day, that “the much fair speech”
of the world may have no effect upon me. Holy Spirit, let me not, a poor frail
son of man, be betrayed with a kiss!
But what if I should be guilty of the same accursed sin as Judas, that
son of perdition? I have been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus; I am a
member of His visible Church; I sit at the communion table: all these are so
many kisses of my lips. AM”> I sincere in them? If not, I am a base
traitor. Do I live in the world as carelessly as others do, and yet make a
profession of being a follower of Jesus? Then I must expose religion to
ridicule, and lead men to speak evil of the holy name by which I am called. Surely
if I act thus inconsistently I am a Judas, and it were better for me that I had
never been born. Dare I hope that I am clear in this matter? Then, O Lord, keep
me so. O Lord, make me sincere and true. Preserve me from every false way.
Never let me betray my Saviour. I do love Thee, Jesus, and though I often
grieve Thee, yet I would desire to abide faithful even unto death. O God,
forbid that I should be a high-soaring professor, and then fall at last into
the lake of fire, because I betrayed my Master with a kiss.