三月二十五日

你用親嘴的暗號賣人子嗎？（路22:48）

“仇敵的親嘴卻是欺詐。”（改譯）當世人以和藹的笑臉迎著我的時候我要留心，因為它可能把我出賣了，正像我主被一個親嘴的暗號賣了一樣。在一個人要出賣宗教時，他總是說：“我很熱誠，很虔敬。”我要當心笑容可掬的偽君子，因為光滑的面孔是掩護異端和不信的假面具。既然知道不義的欺騙，我就要靈巧像蛇，明查暗辨，避免仇敵的計謀。無知的青年人因為一個陌生婦女的親嘴，就誤入歧途；願我的心要聽從這可貴的教訓，使世人向我說的“花言巧語”都歸無效。聖靈！求你使我這個可憐的意志薄弱的人不至因一個親嘴而被賣。可是我若是犯了那滅亡之子猶大所犯的可咒的罪該當怎樣呢？我已受浸歸入主耶穌的名下，我是他有形教會的一個會友，我也領受主餐，參預交通；這些都是我唇上的許多親嘴。我在這些事上誠懇嗎？若是不的話，我就是一個卑鄙的賣主賣友的人。我嘴裡說我是耶穌的門徒，而我在世上的生活也和別人一樣地毫不檢點、毫不留心嗎？那麼我所信的便是可笑的，而且基督徒的神聖的名字也因此被人嗤笑。我的行為若是有違信仰，那麼我就是一個猶大，我不生在世上倒好。我在這事上清楚嗎？如果是，那麼求神繼續保守我。主啊！使我誠懇真實，保守我不入虛偽的道路，使我永不賣主。耶穌！我愛你，雖然有時使你傷心，但我決心忠信至死。神啊！禁止我的舌頭說出誇大狂妄的話，因為那是用親嘴賣主，至終必落在火湖裡。

March 25

"Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kiss?" --Luke 22:48

The kisses of an enemy are deceitful." Let me be on my guard when the world puts on a loving face, for it will, if possible, betray me as it did my Master, with a kiss. Whenever a man is about to stab religion, he usually professes very great reverence for it. Let me beware of the sleek-faced hypocrisy which is armour-bearer to heresy and infidelity. Knowing the deceivableness of unrighteousness, let me be wise as a serpent to detect and avoid the designs of the enemy. The young man, void of understanding, was led astray by the kiss of the strange woman: may my soul be so graciously instructed all this day, that "the much fair speech" of the world may have no effect upon me. Holy Spirit, let me not, a poor frail son of man, be betrayed with a kiss!

But what if I should be guilty of the same accursed sin as Judas, that son of perdition? I have been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus; I am a member of His visible Church; I sit at the communion table: all these are so many kisses of my lips. AM"> I sincere in them? If not, I am a base traitor. Do I live in the world as carelessly as others do, and yet make a profession of being a follower of Jesus? Then I must expose religion to ridicule, and lead men to speak evil of the holy name by which I am called. Surely if I act thus inconsistently I am a Judas, and it were better for me that I had never been born. Dare I hope that I am clear in this matter? Then, O Lord, keep me so. O Lord, make me sincere and true. Preserve me from every false way. Never let me betray my Saviour. I do love Thee, Jesus, and though I often grieve Thee, yet I would desire to abide faithful even unto death. O God, forbid that I should be a high-soaring professor, and then fall at last into the lake of fire, because I betrayed my Master with a kiss.