一月八日
……干犯圣物条例的罪孽。（出28:38）
这话把我们的帕子揭去了。我们当谦卑地在此省察一番，看看我们礼拜时的罪孽，那种虚伪，仪式化，奉行故事，冷漠，不恭，心不在焉，忘记神的一切情形；我们这些罪不是已经达到极点了吗？看看我们为主的工作，争胜，自私，不专，敷衍，塞责，怠惰，不信，这又是多么的败坏呢！再看我们私人的灵修生活吧，松懈，冷淡，疏忽，沉睡，虚浮，这不像濯濯的童山吗？若我们仔细察看，就必觉得这种罪孽的深重了。裴森博士写信给他的弟兄说：“我所牧养的教会和我的心一样，很像懒惰人的园地；而更不好的是我发现我要改善这两者的愿望都是出于骄傲、虚荣和怠惰。我看看蔓延在园中的荒草，我马上就发生了一种铲除野草的热望。这是为什么呢？我这愿望的动机何在？或许是当我行经我的园地时心中说：‘我的园是多么井然有序呀！’这是骄傲。也许是叫邻舍从墙外看到说：‘你的园是多么茂盛好看呀！’这是虚荣。或者我愿意园中的一切莠草都除灭净尽，因为我拔不胜拔，实在厌倦不过了。这是怠惰的心理”所以就连我们为圣事所发生的愿望，也因我们的不良动机受到玷污。碧绿的草地下，潜伏著许多虫豸，但这是不难发现的。大祭司把“归耶和华为圣”带在他的额上好担当干犯圣物条例的罪孽，这是多么令人欣喜的办法！我们的耶稣也是这样担当我们的罪，他并不是把我们的污秽呈献在父前，而是把自己的圣洁献上。哦！我们要用信眼向我们的大祭司求恩典！
January
8
“The
iniquity of the holy things.” –Exodus 28:38
What a veil is lifted up by these words, and what a disclosure is made!
It will be humbling and profitable for us to pause awhile and see this sad
sight. The iniquities of our public worship, its hypocrisy, formality,
lukewarmness, irreverence, wandering of heart and forgetfulness of God, what a
full measure have we there! Our work for the Lord, its emulation, selfishness,
carelessness, slackness, unbelief, what a mass of defilement is there! Our
private devotions, their laxity, coldness, neglect, sleepiness, and vanity,
what a mountain of dead earth is there! If we looked more carefully we should
find this iniquity to be far greater than appears at first sight. Dr. Payson,
writing to his brother, says, “My parish, as well as my heart, very much
resembles the garden of the sluggard; and what is worse, I find that very many
of my desires for the melioration of both, proceed either from pride or vanity
or indolence. I look at the weeds which overspread my garden, and breathe out
an earnest wish that they were eradicated. But why? What prompts the wish? It
may be that I may walk out and say to myself, ‘In what fine order is my garden
kept!’ This is pride. Or, it may be that my neighbours may look over the wall
and say, ‘How finely your garden flourishes!’ This is vanity. Or I may wish for
the destruction of the weeds, because I am weary of pulling them up. This is
indolence.” So that even our desires after holiness may be polluted by ill
motives. Under the greenest sods worms hide themselves; we need not look long
to discover them. How cheering is the thought, that when the High Priest bore
the iniquity of the holy things he wore upon his brow the words, “HOLINESS
TO THE LORD:” and even so while Jesus bears our sin, He presents before
His Father’s face not our unholiness, but his own holiness. O for grace to view
our great High Priest by the eye of faith!
