四月八日

這些事既行在有汁水的樹上，那枯乾的樹將來怎麼樣呢？（路23:31）

這一個暗示性的問題有很多解釋，下面是它所有的教訓：“若無辜的我，成為罪人的替身，這樣受苦受辱，而當罪人——枯乾的樹——落在發烈怒之神的手裡又當怎樣呢？”當神以罪人的地位看待耶穌時，神並不寬恕他；當神看到一個沒有基督的未重生的人時，神也不會輕饒他的。罪人哪！耶穌被仇敵帶去，你也必被惡者拉到你的歸宿。耶穌被神離棄，而他只不過是罪人的替身被離棄，你的情形更當怎樣呢？“以羅伊，以羅伊！拉馬撒巴各大尼？”這是一種多麼淒慘可怕的呼號呀！當你喊道：“我的神，我的神！你為什麼離棄我？”你所得到的回答一定是：因你們“輕棄我一切的勸戒，不肯受我的責備。你們遭災難，我就發笑；驚恐臨到你們，我必嗤笑。”若神連自己的兒子也不稍加寬恕，他又怎能寬恕你呢！當你的良心擊打你的時候，必像灼熱的鐵鞭可怕地臨到你。你們最有錢、最快樂、最自以為義的罪人——當神說：“刀劍哪！應當興起，攻擊拒絕我的人；打擊他，使他永遠受虧損”時，誰能替代你呢？耶穌被人唾棄，罪人哪！你的羞辱當怎樣呢！你不能用一句話把為我們而死的耶穌所受的一切痛苦總括起來。若你現在死去，誰知道你的靈魂所受的苦痛不會像浩瀚的江河、汪洋的大海湧到你的頭上呢？你或許就這樣死去，也或許現在就死去。你可以藉著基督的苦痛，他的創傷，他的血，使將來的忿怒不臨到你！你若信靠神的兒子，就永遠不會死亡。

April 8

"If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" --Luke 23:31

Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full of teaching: "If the innocent substitute for sinners, suffer thus, what will be done when the sinner himself --the dry tree--shall fall into the hands of an angry God?" When God saw Jesus in the sinner's place, He did not spare Him; and when He finds the unregenerate without Christ, He will not spare them. O sinner, Jesus was led away by His enemies: so shall you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you. Jesus was deserted of God; and if He, who was only imputedly a sinner, was deserted, how much more shall you be? "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" what an awful shriek! But what shall be your cry when you shall say, "O God! O God! why hast Thou forsaken me?" and the answer shall come back, "Because ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh." If God spared not His own Son, how much less will He spare you! What whips of burning wire will be yours when conscience shall smite you with all its terrors. Ye richest, ye merriest, ye most self-righteous sinners--who would stand in your place when God shall say, "Awake, O sword, against the man that rejected Me; smite him, and let him feel the smart for ever"? Jesus was spit upon: sinner, what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word all the mass of sorrows which met upon the head of Jesus who died for us, therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams, what oceans of grief must roll over your spirit if you die as you now are. You may die so, you may die now. By the agonies of Christ, by His wounds and by His blood, do not bring upon yourselves the wrath to come! Trust in the Son of God, and you shall never die.