十月九日
那能保守你们不失脚……（犹：24）
从某一方面看天路是很平稳的，但从另一方面说没有一条路比这一条更艰险了。其中满了困难。一失足，（若是没有神的恩典，这是多麽容易的一件事呀！）就走入歧途。我们当中有一些人所走的路是多麽滑呀！我们常用诗人的话说：“我的脚几乎失闪，我的脚险些滑跌。”若我们是一些强壮而健步的爬山的人，这当然不算一回什麽事了；但我们是多麽地软弱呀！我们在康庄的大道上也会颠踬，在平坦的大路上也易跌倒。我们的双膝无力支持我们摇摇欲坠的身体。一根草能绊跌我们，一块小石子能伤损我们；我们在信心的道路上好像是才学步的小孩子，我们的天父用手扶着我们，不然我们就必跌倒。
我们真该赞美神，因爲他天天耐心地看顾我们，爲的是保守我们不倾跌！你想，我们是多麽容易犯罪、选择危险、自甘跌倒呀！但这些更能使我们高唱：“那能保守你们不失脚……愿荣耀……归于他。”魔鬼千方百计地想把我们打倒。路途崎岖，身体疲弱，再加上恶敌四伏，它们就在悬崖绝壁之间乘我们不备的时候，起而攻击我们，打倒我们。只有全能者能救我们脱离要毁坏我们的埋伏著的仇敌。他的膀臂要保护我们。他的应许是信实的，幷且他能保守我们不跌倒。我们虽然软弱无力，但我们要快乐，要坚信我们必十分平安。“就是世界和地狱一同来攻击我，只要有耶稣的神能与我同在，就必平安稳妥；因他是我的一切。”
October 9
“Able to keep you from falling.”–Jude 24
In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous. It is beset with difficulties. One false step (and how easy it is to take that if grace be absent), and down we go. What a slippery path is that which some of us have to tread! How many times have we to exclaim with the Psalmist, “My feet were almost gone, my steps had well nigh slipped.” If we were strong, sure-footed mountaineers, this would not matter so much; but in ourselves, how weak we are! In the best roads we soon falter, in the smoothest paths we quickly stumble. These feeble knees of ours can scarcely support our tottering weight. A straw may throw us, and a pebble can wound us; we are mere children tremblingly taking our first steps in the walk of faith, our heavenly Father holds us by the arms or we should soon be down. Oh, if we are kept from falling, how must we bless the patient power which watches over us day by day! Think, how prone we are to sin, how apt to choose danger, how strong our tendency to cast ourselves down, and these reflections will make us sing more sweetly than we have ever done, “Glory be to him, who is able to keep us from falling.” We have many foes who try to push us down. The road is rough and we are weak, but in addition to this, enemies lurk in ambush, who rush out when we least expect them, and labour to trip us up, or hurl us down the nearest precipice. Only an Almighty arm can preserve us from these unseen foes, who are seeking to destroy us. Such an arm is engaged for our defence. He is faithful that hath promised, and he is able to keep us from falling, so that with a deep sense of our utter weakness, we may cherish a firm belief in our perfect safety, and say, with joyful confidence,
“Against me earth and hell combine,
But on my side is power divine;
Jesus is all, and he is mine!”
