十二月十八日

你們要撕裂心腸，不撕裂衣服。（珥2：13）

撕裂衣服和外面的宗教情緒的表現，是很容易表現出來的，而且也常是虛僞的；但真正的悔改却是很困難，而且也是很鮮見的。人們常願作一些最繁多而瑣屑的宗教儀式，因爲這些事情能使肉體滿足；但真實地相信，却很不合屬肉體之人的口味，因爲那太卑屈、太扎心、太徹底了；他們寧願喜歡一些浮誇、虛幻和屬世的事。外表的儀式是暫時安適的，既可取悅耳目，又可滿足自尊心，更可藉此靠己稱義；但他們是完全自欺的，因爲在死時和在審判的日子，人的靈魂還得靠賴比儀式和禮節更真實的東西才行。若無真實的敬虔，一切宗教的儀式都是完全虛空的；若無誠心，一切敬拜的形式都是虛僞的，幷且也是冒瀆了天上的神。

撕裂心腸是神所成就的事，幷且也能深深地感到。這種隱秘的憂傷乃是個人經驗中的事，不僅在形式方面，而且在信徒心靈的深處大大受了聖靈的感動。這幷不是徒托空言，單單相信的事，而是在永活神的每一個孩子心中所切實感到的。大大謙卑，完全除罪，然後便可嘗到恩慰的甜蜜滋味，這是高傲的人所不能領受到的；這恩乃是特特分別歸與神的選民，幷單單屬他們。

這節經文叫我們撕裂我們的心腸，但我們的心腸自有生一來，就堅硬如石；那末，怎麽行呢？我們要把我們的心腸帶到十字架下：救主死時大聲一喊磐石爲之震裂，他的聲音現在也能撕裂我們的心腸。聖靈啊！願你使我聽到耶穌死時的呼喊，好使我們的心腸裂開，正像人在悲哀之日撕裂自己的衣服一樣。

December 18

"Rend your heart, and not your garments."—Joel 2:13

Garment-rending and other outward signs of religious emotion, are easily manifested and are frequently hypocritical; but to feel true repentance is far more difficult, and consequently far less common. Men will attend to the most multiplied and minute ceremonial regulations--for such things are pleasing to the flesh--but true religion is too humbling, too heart-searching, too thorough for the tastes of the carnal men; they prefer something more ostentatious, flimsy, and worldly. Outward observances are temporarily comfortable; eye and ear are pleased; self-conceit is fed, and self-righteousness is puffed up: but they are ultimately delusive, for in the article of death, and at the day of judgment, the soul needs something more substantial than ceremonies and rituals to lean upon. Apart from vital godliness all religion is utterly vain; offered without a sincere heart, every form of worship is a solemn sham and an impudent mockery of the majesty of heaven.

Heart-rending is divinely wrought and solemnly felt. It is a secret grief which is personally experienced, not in mere form, but as a deep, soul-moving work of the Holy Spirit upon the inmost heart of each believer. It is not a matter to be merely talked of and believed in, but keenly and sensitively felt in every living child of the living God. It is powerfully humiliating, and completely sin-purging; but then it is sweetly preparative for those gracious consolations which proud unhumbled spirits are unable to receive; and it is distinctly discriminating, for it belongs to the elect of God, and to them alone.

The text commands us to rend our hearts, but they are naturally hard as marble: how, then, can this be done? We must take them to Calvary: a dying Saviour's voice rent the rocks once, and it is as powerful now. O blessed Spirit, let us hear the death-cries of Jesus, and our hearts shall be rent even as men rend their vestures in the day of lamentation.