一月八日

……干犯聖物條例的罪孽。（出28:38）

這話把我們的帕子揭去了。我們當謙卑地在此省察一番，看看我們禮拜時的罪孽，那種虛偽，儀式化，奉行故事，冷漠，不恭，心不在焉，忘記神的一切情形；我們這些罪不是已經達到極點了嗎？看看我們為主的工作，爭勝，自私，不專，敷衍，塞責，怠惰，不信，這又是多麼的敗壞呢！再看我們私人的靈修生活吧，鬆懈，冷淡，疏忽，沉睡，虛浮，這不像濯濯的童山嗎？若我們仔細察看，就必覺得這種罪孽的深重了。裴森博士寫信給他的弟兄說：“我所牧養的教會和我的心一樣，很像懶惰人的園地；而更不好的是我發現我要改善這兩者的願望都是出於驕傲、虛榮和怠惰。我看看蔓延在園中的荒草，我馬上就發生了一種剷除野草的熱望。這是為什麼呢？我這願望的動機何在？或許是當我行經我的園地時心中說：‘我的園是多麼井然有序呀！’這是驕傲。也許是叫鄰舍從牆外看到說：‘你的園是多麼茂盛好看呀！’這是虛榮。或者我願意園中的一切莠草都除滅淨盡，因為我拔不勝拔，實在厭倦不過了。這是怠惰的心理”所以就連我們為聖事所發生的願望，也因我們的不良動機受到玷污。碧綠的草地下，潛伏著許多蟲豸，但這是不難發現的。大祭司把“歸耶和華為聖”帶在他的額上好擔當干犯聖物條例的罪孽，這是多麼令人欣喜的辦法！我們的耶穌也是這樣擔當我們的罪，他並不是把我們的污穢呈獻在父前，而是把自己的聖潔獻上。哦！我們要用信眼向我們的大祭司求恩典！

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!