十二月二十三日
朋友，请上坐。（路14：10）
当我们蒙恩的生命一开头的时候，我们就会亲近神，但是却非常战兢恐惧。我们的心灵一想到罪过，就谦卑起来，爲我们所处的严肃地位恐慌万状；我们的心灵站在威容显赫的耶和华面前是不能不五体投地的。我们只能卑躬屈节地赧然居末。
但基督徒得了生命之后，虽然他还不能忘记他的严肃地位，幷且蒙恩的人在那能创造、也能毁灭之神的面前，永远不会失去他的敬畏感，但他在恩典上已有了长进；可是他的敬畏却不含着惧怕的成分了，此后乃是崇敬膜拜，不再是畏惧战栗了。他更蒙召在基督里进入至高神的面前。那末属神之人的生活便有了神性的荣尊，幷像荣耀的基路伯一样用双翼遮脸，就是用耶稣基督的血和义遮掩起来，在灵里谦恭俯拜地就近宝座；在那里看到慈爱、良善、怜悯的神，得知神与人立约的大德，而非他绝对的神性。他看到神的良善，而非他的伟大，更看到他的慈爱，而非他的威严。于是我们的心灵仍像原先一样的谦恭，乐享基督的代求所赐我们的神圣自由；当我们俯拜在无限大神的荣面之前时，我们便因着感到是在无限怜悯、无量慈爱之前，幷因得知我们“在爱子里”已蒙悦纳，而感到平安稳妥。因此信徒被召得进入更高的境界，得以在神里面使用快乐的特权，存信就近他，呼叫“阿爸，父！”
“我们可力上加力，天天使恩典长进，直到主亲自显现，我们便可面对面。”
December 23
“Friend, go up higher.”—Luke
14:10
When
first the life of grace begins in the soul, we do indeed draw near to God, but
it is with great fear and trembling. The soul conscious of guilt, and humbled
thereby, is overawed with the solemnity of its position; it is cast to the
earth by a sense of the grandeur of Jehovah, in whose presence it stands. With
unfeigned bashfulness it takes the lowest room.
But,
in after life, as the Christian grows in grace, although he will never forget
the solemnity of his position, and will never lose that holy awe which must
encompass a gracious man when he is in the presence of the God who can create
or can destroy; yet his fear has all its terror taken out of it; it becomes a
holy reverence, and no more an overshadowing dread. He is called up higher, to
greater access to God in Christ Jesus. Then the man of God, walking amid the
splendours of Deity, and veiling his face like the glorious cherubim, with
those twin wings, the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, will, reverent
and bowed in spirit, approach the throne; and seeing there a God of love, of
goodness, and of mercy, he will realize rather the covenant character of God
than his absolute Deity. He will see in God rather his goodness than his
greatness, and more of his love than of his majesty. Then will the soul, bowing
still as humbly as aforetime, enjoy a more sacred liberty of intercession; for
while prostrate before the glory of the Infinite God, it will be sustained by
the refreshing consciousness of being in the presence of boundless mercy and
infinite love, and by the realization of acceptance “in the Beloved.”
Thus the believer is bidden to come up higher, and is enabled to exercise the
privilege of rejoicing in God, and drawing near to him in holy confidence,
saying, “Abba, Father.”
“So
may we go from strength to strength,
And
daily grow in grace,
Till
in thine image raised at length,
We see thee face to
face.”
