十月二十七日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/10/1027.mp3″]
经文: 我们都像不洁净的人。（以赛亚书六十四：6）
信徒是新造的人，他属于圣洁的族类、特殊的百姓。上帝的灵在他里面，使他在各方面远离属血气的人。虽然如此，基督徒仍然受他本性的不完全所缠累，这情形将继续下去，直至他属世生命的尽头。罪的黑爪在我们最美的外袍上留下污秽的痕迹。自私弄污了我们的眼泪，不信窜改了我们的信心。若不接受耶稣，我们一向所作的好事只是徒增我们的罪恶，我们自以为最纯净的时候，在上帝的眼中，仍是不洁的。当祂控告天使为愚笨时，祂一定也会控告我们比天使更愚笨。欲上达天庭也欲与天体的诗歌竞争的歌声，其中掺杂了人类的不和谐。能够移动上帝膀臂之祈祷也是伤痕累累之祈祷。它所以能移动上帝的膀臂乃因那无罪、伟大之中保的介入，除去隐藏在我们恳求中的罪。基督徒在世上即使能拥有像最精制的金子般的信心或最高度纯净的圣洁，其中仍含有许多渣滓，必须经过火炼。每晚当我们站在镜子前面时，我们所见的是一名罪人。我们必须承认：“我们都像不洁净的人，所有的义都像污秽的衣服。”祂完全的公义是何等无价之礼物！即使目前，罪虽然仍然在我们里面，但其权势已被破坏了。它不能再掌权，是一条断了脊的蛇。我们虽与它有尖锐的冲突，但事实上它是个已被征服的敌人。
Evening, October 27
Scripture: “We are all as an unclean thing.”(Isaiah 64:6)
The believer is a new creature, he belongs to a holy generation and a peculiar people－the Spirit of God is in him, and in all respects he is far removed from the natural man; but for all that the Christian is a sinner still. He is so from the imperfection of his nature, and will continue so to the end of his earthly life. The black fingers of sin leave smuts upon our fairest robes. Sin mars our repentance, ere the great Potter has finished it, upon the wheel. Selfishness defiles our tears, and unbelief tampers with our faith. The best thing we ever did apart from the merit of Jesus only swelled the number of our sins; for when we have been most pure in our own sight, yet, like the heavens, we are not pure in God’s sight; and as he charged his angels with folly, much more must he charge us with it, even in our most angelic frames of mind. The song which thrills to heaven, and seeks to emulate seraphic strains, hath human discords in it. The prayer which moves the arm of God is still a bruised and battered prayer, and only moves that arm because the sinless One, the great Mediator, has stepped in to take away the sin of our supplication. The most golden faith or the purest degree of sanctification to which a Christian ever attained on earth, has still so much alloy in it as to be only worthy of the flames, in itself considered. Every night we look in the glass we see a sinner, and had need confess, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Oh, how precious the blood of Christ to such hearts as ours! How priceless a gift is his perfect righteousness! And how bright the hope of perfect holiness hereafter! Even now, though sin dwells in us, its power is broken. It has no dominion; it is a broken-backed snake; we are in bitter conflict with it, but it is with a vanquished foe that we have to deal. Yet a little while and we shall enter victoriously into the city where nothing defileth.
