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基督徒的生活_05 下

主讲:林慈信博士_校对:刘加立弟兄_文字:Cherry姐妹

我上次讲的很多的故事,不论在美国哪一州,好几州我都遇见这种的太太,当然他们的先生也是一样的。我读一段加尔文,你自己去想一想我上次讲的故事,或者听一听录音。

Whatever a godly man can do, he ought to be able to do for his brothers,你能做什么,你任何所能做的,你就应该为你的弟兄而做,Providing for himself in no way,不要为自己打算任何事,Other than to have his mind intent upon the common building up of the church,你在自己身上要做的事,你就是做什么?就是专注于建立教会,建立别人。Let this therefore be our rule for generosity and beneficence,我们的慷慨、慈惠的准则是什么呢?We are the stewards of everything God has conferred upon us,我们是神所给我们一切事的管家,By which we are able to help a neighbor,神给我们这些做管家,就是叫我们能帮助我们的邻居,And are required to render account of our stewardship,神吩咐我们有一天要交账的,做怎么样的管家,Moreover, the only right stewardship is that which is tested by the rule of love,真正的好管家用什么来衡量?用爱来衡量。Thus it will come about that we shall not only join zeal for another’s benefit with care for our own advantage,所以,我们第一步会进步到怎么样呢?进步到为别人好处的热心和顾虑到自己的好处,两样都兼顾,But shall subordinate the latter to the former,更进一步是把为自己的好处的着想,伏在为别人好处的热心的下面。从自爱到爱自己也爱别人,到爱别人比爱自己更重要。

加尔文其实很人道的,他知道是一个过程,他会骂我们各种的软弱,然后说,那你这样做,这样喽,这样喽,你两样都要做吗?是!最重要的是最后是帮助别人比帮助自己更重要才是。他说旧约里,神吩咐以色列人把初熟的果子先献给神,先分别出来,Consecrate神的恩典,先分别出来奉献给祂,然后再享受神所给的。你不奉献吗?简直是滥用、误用神的恩典、神的恩赐。是先分别出来,用什么的好处,分享。

好,这个是舍己使我们能够爱人如己。还在讲这个,涉及与我们别人的关系,第一是尊重别人,第二是爱别人,

第三,你不要看对方值不值得你爱,因为他是神的形象。他列出很多的:他是陌生人,不管,不不不,他是神的形象;他是值得我们藐视的、无价值。不,他是神的形象。第三,上帝把他放在他的位置,好叫你能够看到。That you may recognize toward him the many and great benefits with which God has bound you to Himself,你要看到,神使他做你的邻居,你们之间那个关系本身就带来很大的好处。不是不好,是好。

第四,他不配我一分努力帮助他,No No,他是神的形象。

第五,他惹我发怒了,No,神的形象。

第六,他配我给他的不是这种的爱,另外一些,no,  what has the Lord deserved那主耶稣配得什么? while He bids you forgive this man for all sins he has committed against you,He would truly have them charged against Himself,当主耶稣吩咐你饶恕对方在你身上所犯的罪的时候,他肯定愿意把对方的罪都算在他的身上。Assuredly there’s but one way in which to achieve what is not merely difficult but utterly against human nature,你怎么做到这个?很难,是不是?不是不是,根本是跟我们的本性相违背的,不可能的,只有一条路,怎么做,To love those who hate us,你就是要爱那些恨我们的人,To repay their evil deeds with benefits,把他们在我们身上做的恶行,用赐福给他们好处来回报,Return blessings for reproaches,对方辱骂我们,我们祝福他们,马太福音五章44节。

It is that we remember not to consider men’s evil intention,不要考虑他们邪恶的动机,But to look upon the image of God in them,但是你要看到,乃要看到在他们里面有神的形象,Which cancels and effaces their transgressions,神的形象在我们看他们的那个观点角度里面,神的形象就抵消了他们的过犯,And with its beauty and dignity 神的形象是他们身上有他的荣美尊贵,allures us to love and embrace them,吸引我们去爱他们,拥抱就是接纳他们。加尔文也讲拥抱的,拥抱不是灵恩派的专利词。但是那个拥抱的根基是很简单–神的形象,神造人按照祂的形象造,不分男女、高低、胖瘦,有没有教育,有没有钱。

第四,还是在讲舍己与别人的关系。你要欢喜快乐去做,你要尽爱的责任,是的,你还要有这种,do it from a sincere feeling of love,你要诚恳地感受到爱。感觉加尔文都要管的,神都要管的。他说,当你施舍的时候,你给乞丐、你奉献给全民会什么Show a cheerful countenance,面上要欢喜快乐,你的脸要快乐,还要Render the duties pleasing with friendly words,你所做的,你要做得令人看为是美。怎么样呢?你的话是友善的话,你的面要快乐、话要友善。总之,Put their pity as ill fortune,你要可怜、同情他的不幸,As if they themselves experienced and bore it,好像你自己经历到这些不幸一样,Be impelled by feeling of mercy and humanness,你要以一个怜悯和人道的心催逼你,To go to his aid,你去帮助他,Just as to your own,就好像你会帮助自己一样。

然后,你做完一件事不要说,做完了,加尔文很知道我们的软弱的,不是的,He who has discharged one kind of task will not think himself free,你不是释放了,从监狱放出来的,不是的,Rather, each man will so consider with himself in all his greatness he is a debtor,不是的,你不论多么伟大,你是欠债者,你是欠你的邻居的债。不是你欠他钱的那种欠债,就是神托付我们,作为我们欠债。And that he ought, in exercising kindness toward them, to set no other limit,当你表达你的慈悲、你的慈善的时候,那个限制是什么?The end of your resources,用到你的资源用完为止,These, as widely as they are extended,当你把你的资源这样撒得很广的时候,Ought to have their limits set according to the rule of love,用爱的准则来决定。

我很多时候听到讲到奉献、慈惠事工的时候说,Given until it hurts,你要奉献,奉献到你觉得痛才对。

第七章的第四个主题,到了3.7.8,到第八段:舍己与我们与神的关系。刚才讲的是与别人的关系,加尔文很清楚地讲尊重别人,看别人比自己强,帮助他们,爱他们,造就他们,施舍给你一切,还要从心底里给,还要面上要有笑容,什么都要管,你的心、你的脸、你的口、你的手,舍己嘛!讲什么,讲舍己。

第四个主题,3.7.8,与神的关系,舍己与我们与神的关系,Resign ourselves,我们要放下自己,And all our possessions,也放下我们一切拥有的物质,To the Lord’s will,让神成就祂的旨意,And to yield to Him the desires of our hearts to be tamed and subjugated,我们也要降服我们心中的意愿,让他来驯服、来治理,subjugate 。所以不单单是奉献自己,奉献自己的时间、金钱等等,还要奉献自己的意愿,你意愿、你愿意,你将来孩子们的前途怎么样,你将来的经济情况怎么样,你将来这这这奉献这些的意愿。

因为他说,人是什么呢?Covet wealth贪财,Honors贪名,Strive for authority抓权,Heap up riches积财,Gather together all those follies,把这些愚蠢的事情都要累积起来,which seems to make for magnificence and pomp,这样在人面前好像广东话叫“豪八佰”,很了不起,做这种事情,Our lust is mad,我们的欲望是疯狂的,Our desire boundless,我们这些意愿是无穷尽的。

与此同时,Wonderful is our fear,我们怕,怕什么,怕穷是多么的奇妙,怕得那么的奇妙,Our hatred of poverty,我们恨恶贫穷是恨得那么的奇妙,Lowly birth,我们恨恶出身卑微是那么奇妙,Humble condition,在人面前卑微的地位,我们恨这些,怕这些,恨得奇妙。有些讽刺的啊!

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How wonderful就是你恨这些恨得令人惊奇。And we are spurred to rid ourselves of them by every means hence,我们就努力的要尽量排除卑微的地位、贫穷等等。Hence we see,看到什么,当人这样做的时候,看到,How uneasy in mind,这些人,当他们按照自己的计划来寻求名利、安全等等,他们的心没有平安的,How artfully,他们用尽他们的聪明智慧,他们的技巧来努力,To the point of weariness,搞得自己筋疲力尽,To obtain the goal of ambition or avarice,为了达到他们的野心,他们贪心的目标等等。

所以加尔文讲这个放下自己,放下一切,奉献给神,把意愿奉献给神,反过来就是这些。圣经辅导我们常常讲什么?讲挂虑,Worry,你为什么焦虑?为什么事情焦虑?放下自己。所以,In order not to be caught in such snares,你怎么样才不会被这些东西好像陷阱抓进去呢?Godliness must hold this path,敬虔的人要走这条路,First of all, let them neither desire nor hope for nor contemplate any other way of prospering than by the Lord’s blessing,这段讲什么呢?他说你要决心的要相信,你在任何事情上亨通的话,必须有神赐福。你要求的是神的赐福,不是发财,不是名利,而是神的赐福。

我这几年来,你听我讲话,我尽量避免“祝福”,因为神不“祝福”,神是“赐福”,从上而下叫“赐”,不叫“祝”。Upon this then, let them safely and confidently throw themselves and rest,你等候神的赐福,你就安全地、满有信心地把自己投奔神,安息在他那里就好了。你知道有什么好处,都是因为神的赐福。For however beautifully the flesh may seem to suffice to itself,因为我们常常看到我们自己肉体好像可以自己搞定的,搞定得很美丽while either it strives by its own effort for honors and riches, or relies upon diligence favoring men,他说我们努力的靠自己努力,或者找别人靠拢别人来找名利,Yet it is certain that all these things are nothing,这些都是虚无的,Nor will we benefit at all,也没有得到什么好处,Except insofar as the Lord prospers them both,除非神赐福我们的努力,除非神赐福我们在别人面前有恩宠。

On the contrary,反过来说,However, His blessing alone finds a way,神的赐福,唯独神的赐福为我们开路,Even through all hindrances,就算有各种的障碍,To bring all things to a happy and favorable outcome for us,让我们所有的事情的结局都是快乐的、蒙福的、蒙神的恩典的。那不表示说肯定就发财,肯定就在我们的心里觉得是顺利。一件事情好不好,一个结局好不好,不是看金钱、权利、人怎么看我们等等,是看神的手是不是在其中,神有没有赐福。

Again,  enable us to obtain some glory and opulence for ourselves,可能神给我们某一点的光彩荣耀,Yet inasmuch as those upon whom the curse of God rests have not even the least part of happiness,但是假如神的咒诅临到那些人,一点快乐都没有,Without His blessing, we shall obtain nothing but what turns to misfortune,因为假如没有神的赐福的话,我们所得到的都是为了灾难的结局,And we ought by no means to deserve what makes men more miserable, right?他说你不会去追求那些使你更可怜、更有灾难的东西,对不对?最后一句讽刺的,明白吗?真的好处是神的赐福,所以你为什么要找那些让你得到灾难、让神咒诅的那些道路呢?

好,我们来到3.7.9,这里是我们上次停下来今天开始的地方。第五个题目

刚才都是温习,你觉得是温习吗?还是有点新鲜,亘古常新,加尔文的东西,我每次去读,再去划去圈,究竟他在讲什么,整个架构在哪里,从心底里舍己、全人舍己,是这样子看别人的,是这样看神的,是这样看幸灾乐祸的。好,现在来了,幸灾乐祸。

第五个题目,舍己与我们与神的护理的关系。刚才已经开始讲了,就是任何的事情都必须有神的赐福,Blessing。Therefore suppose we believe that every means towards prosperous and desirable outcome rest upon the blessing of God,OK,好,现在我们相信,有任何的好的结局都是因为神的赐福而已,唯独是因为神的赐福,That when this is absent, all sorts of misery and calamity dog us,假如没有神的赐福的话,各种的灾难都会把我们扯下来。It reminds us for us not greedily to strive after riches and honor,所以,就再次提醒我们不要追求名,不要追求利,Whether relying on our dexterity or wit or our own diligence or depending on the favor of men,他常常讲这个,不光是你自己勤劳去追求名利,你还要靠拢别人拉关系,Favor of men翻译成中文就是拉关系,不但你自己想要名利,你还要拉关系,别人对你好,追求名利,放下这一切,Or having confidence in vainly imagined fortune,也不要对那种幻想中的财富有任何的信心。

我先停一停,刚才我们讲的爱自己的时候,他讲两个爱自己,Self-esteem and对自己的自尊有信心,我这样翻译,Self-esteem and self-esteem,你对你自己的自尊很有信心,你相信你的自信,对自信的自信,都要放下来;你放下这一切,But always look to the Lord, so that by His guidance we may be led to whatever lot He has provided for us,常常仰望神,好叫祂带领我们,领受任何祂要给我们的杯中之份,杯中之份。Thus it will first come to pass,所以第一个结果是什么呢?We shall not dash out to seek,又来了,我们不会马上跑出去去追求财宝、追求尊荣,通过邪恶的方法去追求名利,或者诡诈,Stratagems and evil arts,邪恶的技巧,Or greed,贪心,以致伤害别人。

But pursue only those enterprises which do not lead us away from innocence,那你要做什么才对呢?你要找哪一个行业,你要找那些不让你从无罪贞洁偏离的工作。他这里没有说明是职业,总之,你不要用邪恶的方法去追求名利,对不对?靠拢别人,那要做什么呢?你要做那些不让你妥协你的圣洁的事。

Who can hope for the help of a divine blessing ad-midst frauds, robberies, and other wicked arts,假如你是诡诈的、欺骗的、抢夺的、各种作恶的,你怎么可能盼望神赐福给你?For as that blessing follows only him who thinks purely and acts rightly,神赐福给谁呢?神的赐福跟随着那些思想纯洁、行为正直的人。Thus it calls back from crooked thoughts and wicked actions or those of secret,所以,对那些寻求歪路的人,神就抓你回来。你要神赐福吗?OK,思想纯洁,行为正直。

Then will a bridle be put on us,所以神的赐福就好像勒住我们的一个东西,Bridle,That we may not burn with an immoderate desire to grow rich,所以你心里不是火热的,爱情如火。爱什么?爱钱,金钱,或者爱尊贵,如火一样,For with what shamelessness does a man trust that he will be helped by God to obtain those things which he desires contrary to God’s word,因为很多人是没有羞耻的,他认为神会帮助他得到那些他违背神的话语去得到的东西。Away with a thought that God will help with His blessing what He curses with His mouth,不要乱想,神已经咒诅,用祂的话语咒诅那些东西,祂怎么会帮助你赐福给你呢?所以休想神会赐福给我们那些作恶的事。

Lastly,最后,if things do not go according to our wish and hope假如我们的生活不顺我们的意,Not go according to wish and hope,不像我们的意愿、不像我们所盼望的话,We will still be restrained from impatience,还是不要不忍耐,And loathing of a condition,不要恨恶你的情况,Whatever it may be,无论你是什么情况,For we shall know that this is to murmur against God,因为这个是什么呢?在神面前埋怨。By whose will riches and poverty, contempt and honor are dispensed,因为贫富、尊卑是由神来分发的。To sum up,He who rests solely upon the blessing of God 这个人假如他完全依靠神的赐福的话,will neither strive with evil arts after those things which men customarily madly seek after,他不会像那些人疯狂地追求那些,用邪恶的方法追求那些东西,Which credit to himself or even to his diligence,他会归功给自己,或者自己的勤劳,或者是运气。

Rather he will give God the credit功劳是归神 as its author,一切的好处由神而来。But if while other men’s affairs 假如别人很亨通,自己没有什么事业,没什么进展,甚至乎是退步Slips back,He will still bear his low estate 他仍然接受他卑贱的地位with greater equanimity and moderation of mind than some profane person,还是比非基督徒更加谦卑地有一个慷慨的心,接受他卑贱的地位,For he indeed possesses a solace in which he may have power,因为他心里有真的平安,给他力量,And this leads to salvation,以致他得救。He considers that his affairs are ordained by the Lord,他知道他的事都由神预先决定。

你看大卫就是这样子,参考诗篇131篇1-2节,好像在吃妈妈奶的小孩一样,在妈妈的怀中,他不会想那些对他来说太深奥的事情。

最后,3.7.10,仍然在讲神的护理,And for godly minds, the peace and forbearance we have spoken of,当我们刚才讲的那个平安、忍耐,对那些敬虔的人的心思意念来说,Ought not to rest only in this point,But it must also be extended to every occurrence,不只是灾难来的时候,是任何事情发生的时候,every part of his life任何人生不同的层面,假如有一些所谓意外了,什么意外?第一,病痛,第二,瘟疫,Plague,第三,战争,第四,冰雹,第五,不生育,Barrenness,第六,贫穷,第七,妻子儿女死亡,第八,房子烧掉。想起哪里?约伯记,对不对?因为这些事情,人会怎么?咒诅自己的生命,恨恶自己生日那一天,咒诅天,向神发怒,控告神不公义、残酷,但是But the believer must also look to God’s kindness and truly fatherly indulgence,在那种情况里,还是要仰望神,祂是恩慈的神,祂是真有父亲的爱的神。

Accordingly, if he sees his house reduced to solitude by the removal of kinsfolk,你看到你的家人都死亡,你家里孤独一个人了,你不会停止bless the Lord, 称谢耶和华。But rather would turn his attention to this thought,你会转而想到这件事,Nevertheless, the grace of the Lord, which dwells in my house, will not leave it desolate,耶和华的恩典住在我的家中,不会使我的家孤独、可怜的。或者你的五谷,你耕种的东西,有冰雹,都干掉了,都死掉了,You see famine threatening,饥荒快要来了,Yet he will not despair or bear grudge against God,他还不会绝望,也不会埋怨上帝,But will remain firm in this trust,仍然在这个信心里坚定,诗篇78篇47节和诗篇79篇15-13节.

Nevertheless, we are in the Lord’s protection,我们仍然有神的耶和华的保护,Sheep brought up in His pasture,我们仍然是祂草场上的羊,The Lord will therefore supply food to us, even in extreme barrenness,就算是五谷不生产,妇女不生育,神赐福给我们,供应粮食的。假如我们生病的话,我们也不会因为那个病痛这么尖锐,而没有忍耐,去埋怨神,But consider the righteousness and gentleness of God’s chastening,你要看到神在管教,祂的管教是公义的,祂的管教是温柔的,Recall himself to forbear,因此想到神的管教是公义的,就是说我犯了什么罪,肯定有犯罪的,神的管教是公公道道的,同时神是温柔地管教我们。

In short, whatever happens,总之,无论发生什么事,Because he will know it is ordained of God,因为他知道是神所预定的,He will undergo with a peaceful and grateful mind,他会以一个充满平安、感恩的心来走过,So as not obstinately to resist the command,不会心刚硬,抗拒神的掌管,因为我们已经一次过 surrendered himself and all his possessions,因为我们已经献上我们自己和一切所有的,前面讲过了。我们已经分别为圣、奉献自己和自己一切的。反过来说,Pagans,异教徒,他们会说一切都是命运,Fortune,命运是盲目的,是非人格的,我们的神是永活的,是位格的。

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