十一月一日 [mp3_embed playlst=”/downloading/audio/evening/11/1101.mp3″]
经文: 不知不觉洪水来了，把他们全都冲去。人子降临也要这样。（马太福音二十四：39）
洪水的毁灭是全球性的。或贫或富皆无法逃避。学者或文盲、受尊敬的或被轻视的、信奉宗教或亵渎上帝的、年老的或年幼的，都在同一次的毁灭中淹没了。有人嘲笑先祖挪亚；现在他们的讥笑在何处？有人因他的热诚而恐吓他，以为他是癫狂了；他们的夸大和尖利的言词到何处去了？批评这位老人之工作的人在海中淹没了，与他一起嘲笑的人也灭顶了。那些在言语中同情这位老好人坚定的信念，但却没有参与的人，也被深水淹没不再浮起。甚至帮助建造此奇妙方舟而获得工资的工人也全都丧命了。洪水把他们全都冲去，没有一人例外。不论什么阶级、职业、品德，若不信靠主耶稣，没有一个灵魂能得救。人们共同的冷漠真是何等奇怪啊！他们忙着吃、喝、嫁、娶时，直到可怕的黎明来临了。罪恶欺哄全世界的人类要自卫自保，殊不知那是愚蠢之至。到那时所有人都忽视自己的灵魂，直到恩典给他们合理的理由，他们才离开罪恶，按理性行动。在方舟中一切有生命的皆得救了。从最巨大的象到最幼小的老鼠，都得救了。胆小的兔子和勇敢的狮子都一样安全，无助的羚羊与辛勤的公牛同等稳妥。在耶稣之内所有的都蒙拯救了。今晚你是否也在祂之内？
Evening, November 1
Scripture: “And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”(Matthew 24:39)
Universal was the doom, neither rich nor poor escaped: the learned and the illiterate, the admired and the abhorred, the religious and the profane, the old and the young, all sank in one common ruin. Some had doubtless ridiculed the patriarch－where now their merry jests? Others had threatened him for his zeal which they counted madness－where now their boastings and hard speeches? The critic who judged the old man’s work is drowned in the same sea which covers his sneering companions. Those who spoke patronizingly of the good man’s fidelity to his convictions, but shared not in them, have sunk to rise no more, and the workers who for pay helped to build the wondrous ark, are all lost also. The flood swept them all away, and made no single exception. Even so, out of Christ, final destruction is sure to every man of woman born; no rank, possession, or character, shall suffice to save a single soul who has not believed in the Lord Jesus. My soul, behold this wide-spread judgment and tremble at it.
How marvellous the general apathy! they were all eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, till the awful morning dawned. There was not one wise man upon earth out of the ark. Folly duped the whole race, folly as to self-preservation－the most foolish of all follies. Folly in doubting the most true God－the most malignant of fooleries. Strange, my soul, is it not? All men are negligent of their souls till grace gives them reason, then they leave their madness and act like rational beings, but not till then.
All, blessed be God, were safe in the ark, no ruin entered there. From the huge elephant down to the tiny mouse all were safe. The timid hare was equally secure with the courageous lion, the helpless cony as safe as the laborious ox. All are safe in Jesus. My soul, art thou in him?