七月十七日[mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/07/0717.mp3″]
经文: 不容一人逃脱。（列王纪上十八：40）
先知以利亚的祈祷蒙上帝应允，火从天上降下来，在众民面前烧尽了祭物。他叫以色列会众捉拿巴力的先知，并且严厉地嘱咐：“不容一人逃脱。”他抓住他们把他们带到基顺河，全部杀尽。我们也须这样对待我们的罪。要全部毁灭，不容许保留一样。罪虽哀哭恳求，也不要怜悯。但要予以痛击。虽然罪可能是你所爱的事物，要击打罪，因为当罪担加在上帝亲生儿子身上时，祂也曾予以痛击。曾经一度作你心中偶像的罪，你必须以严厉的、果断的态度置它于死地。耶稣是你的力量，因为基督曾应许在敌挡罪恶的争战中，必与你同在直到最后，因此你有能力赢得胜利。你若要战胜黑暗，就要站在公义的太阳之下。在上帝同在的地方，罪就无所遁形；那里也是脱离罪的权势和罪行的最佳地方。约伯不知如何才能脱离罪，但当他以信心的眼目定睛在上帝的身上，于尘土和炉灰中懊悔时，他就得胜了。基督徒的精金有时也会黯淡。我们需要圣洁的火来烧尽渣滓。让我们投向上帝，祂是烧尽残渣的火。祂不会烧去我们的灵魂，却能烧毁我们的罪。求上帝的良善在我们心中激起成圣的热心和属上帝的对污秽之恨恶，因为上帝的眼目厌恶一切污秽。靠主的力量奋勇争战，直至完全消灭遭咒诅的敌人，不让他们一人逃脱。
Evening, July 17
Scripture: “Let not one of them escape.”(1 Kings 18:40)
When the prophet Elijah had received the answer to his prayer, and the fire from heaven had consumed the sacrifice in the presence of all the people, he called upon the assembled Israelites to take the priests of Baal, and sternly cried, “Let not one of them escape.” He took them all down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there. So must it be with our sins－they are all doomed, not one must be preserved. Our darling sin must die. Spare it not for its much crying. Strike, though it be as dear as an Isaac. Strike, for God struck at sin when it was laid upon his own Son. With stern unflinching purpose must you condemn to death that sin which was once the idol of your heart. Do you ask how you are to accomplish this? Jesus will be your power. You have grace to overcome sin given you in the covenant of grace; you have strength to win the victory in the crusade against inward lusts, because Christ Jesus has promised to be with you even unto the end. If you would triumph over darkness, set yourself in the presence of the Sun of Righteousness. There is no place so well adapted for the discovery of sin, and recovery from its power and guilt, as the immediate presence of God. Job never knew how to get rid of sin half so well as he did when his eye of faith rested upon God, and then he abhorred himself, and repented in dust and ashes. The fine gold of the Christian is oft becoming dim. We need the sacred fire to consume the dross. Let us fly to our God, he is a consuming fire; he will not consume our spirit, but our sins. Let the goodness of God excite us to a sacred jealousy, and to a holy revenge against those iniquities which are hateful in his sight. Go forth to battle with Amalek, in his strength, and utterly destroy the accursed crew: let not one of them escape.