八月十八日
外邦人进入耶和华殿的圣所。（耶51：51）
神的百姓爲此满面惭愧，因爲人们闯入只有祭司所能进入的圣所是一件可憎的事。我们到处可以看到这种令人伤心难过的事，现在有多少不信神的人，因着受了教育和训练而担负神的圣工！许多教会中有多少自名爲基督徒的人，公然犯著这种说谎的罪！未得救的人领受主的圣礼是多麽可怕的一件事呀！就是在比较纯正的教会中也有这种马马虎虎的事。凡念本篇的人现在都当在主耶稣的面前仔细省察一番。神禁止恶人进入他的教会。使教会混杂不清就等于搅混了水井，火上浇水，或是肥土里种石头。愿我们靠神的恩保持教会的清洁，成爲信徒的聚会。教会幷不是不悔改和未得救之人的国度或社团。
我们的热忱必须从家庭开始。当我们吃主餐的时候要省察自己是否应当吃。我们要看看我们是否已穿上婚姻的礼服，不然我们自己就是闯入神圣所的人了。被召的人虽多，但选上的人却少；路是窄的，门是小的。愿我们知道自己有权进到耶稣面前，幷相信自己是被神所拣选的。乌撒因触到约柜受神的击打，照样他也嫉忌那些不当领受而领受圣礼的人；若我真是一个信徒就当坦然进前，若我不是就不当触摸圣礼免得死亡。受过浸礼，领受主餐的人都当省察自己的心。“神啊！求你鉴察我，知道我的心思；试炼我，知道我的意念。”
August
18
“Strangers
are come into the sanctuaries of the Lord’s house.” — Jeremiah 51:51
In this account the faces of the Lord’s
people were covered with shame, for it was a terrible thing that men should
intrude into the Holy Place reserved for the priests alone. Everywhere about us
we see like cause for sorrow. How many ungodly men are now educating with the
view of entering into the ministry! What a crying sin is that solemn lie by
which our whole population is nominally comprehended in a National Church! How
fearful it is that ordinances should be pressed upon the unconverted, and that
among the more enlightened churches of our land there should be such laxity of
discipline. If the thousands who will read this portion shall all take this
matter before the Lord Jesus this day, He will interfere and avert the evil
which else will come upon His Church. To adulterate the Church is to pollute a
well, to pour water upon fire, to sow a fertile field with stones. May we all
have grace to maintain in our own proper way the purity of the Church, as being
an assembly of believers, and not a nation, an unsaved community of unconverted
men.
Our zeal must, however, begin at home. Let us examine ourselves as to
our right to eat at the Lord’s table. Let us see to it that we have on our
wedding garment, lest we ourselves be intruders in the Lord’s sanctuaries. Many
are called, but few are chosen; the way is narrow, and the gate is strait. O
for grace to come to Jesus aright, with the faith of God’s elect. He who smote
Uzzah for touching the ark is very jealous of His two ordinances; as a true
believer I may approach them freely, as an alien I must not touch them lest I
die. Heartsearching is the duty of all who are baptized or come to the Lord’s
table. “Search me, O God, and know my way, try me and know my heart.”
