14 我们在恩典中的成长

shiyi18

中国的百万富翁--新年贺词
--一条蓝色的丝带。"--《圣经》15:38。在这个季节，我们要提醒自己，并提请亲爱的朋友们注意《民数记》第十五章结束时的一段话，这段话很有启发性。
民数记第十五章的结尾，这段话很有启发性；愿上帝通过我们对祂的宝贵话语的沉思，使我们能够
愿上帝通过我们对祂宝贵话语的冥想，使它对每个人都更加宝贵和实用。
愿上帝通过我们对祂宝贵话语的沉思，使它对我们每一个人都更加宝贵和实用。
愿上帝通过我们对祂宝贵话语的沉思，使它对我们每个人更加宝贵和实用，因为我们的救赎主的缘故。整个章节
充满了重要的
的教导。它以关于燔祭的指示开始，在履行誓言时的献祭和
自由意志的奉献。
不应认为任何人
献给上帝的祭品是按照自己的想法和意愿
他自己的想法和
计划。如果它是可接受的------在主面前的甜味
献给主的甜味

它必须是一种奉献
在各方面都是如此
献给上帝的。我们不能以自己的方式来取悦神
以我们自己的方式
自始至终都必须是："不是我的意思，是你的意思"。然后从第十七节到第二十一节
第二十一节，主要求得到第一个果子。神的子民不可以吃饱，不可以吃光
所有他们想吃的东西，然后把
但在他们接触土地上的食物之前，要向上帝献上大祭，当上帝的要求得到充分满足时，他们才可以自由地满足自己的要求。
他们就可以自由地满足自己的饥饿和供应
他们自己的需求。在日常生活中，我们经常看到与此相反的情况
在日常生活中，我们经常看到与此相反的情况! 不仅从收入中首先提供必需品，而且在真正考虑将时间和物质奉献给上帝的问题之前，就毫不吝啬地购买了各种自以为是的奢侈品。然后遵循有关无知和无畏的错误的指示。人们不要以为无意识地犯了罪就不有罪了。人的知识和意识并不能使错误成为正确，也不能使正确成为错误。上帝的旨意已被揭示，人们本应知道。
意思是说
做到这一点的人是有意识的！}。
不1是在，也不是，不管是在不新的一年。MosaS
胡忠信先生
上帝对那些因无知而犯罪的人给予了极大的怜悯和恩典，尽管当罪被认识和承认时，忏悔和献祭是立即需要的。但是，感谢上帝，祭祀是按规定进行的，罪可以被消除。祭祀是为一个人指定的，无论他是出生在这块土地上，还是在内陆的传教士，或者是一个陌生人，只要他因为自以为是的罪而冒犯了主。对于这个人，有人说："那灵魂必被彻底剪除；他的罪孽必在他身上。"
这一区别是非常重要的。我们不能认为我们最神圣的服务是没有罪的，或者可以接受，除非通过我们的主耶稣基督。我们不要以为不作为的罪，比起作为的罪，上帝会看得很轻：忘记的罪和不注意的罪，多伦多，1906年1月。
中国的百万人口。
或无知不只是弱点，是真正的罪，需要赎罪的牺牲。上帝对我们的处理非常温和
在这些问题上，神对我们非常温柔和仁慈，当越轨行为或不义行为被带到良心面前时。
"我们若认自己的罪，他是信实的，是公义的，能赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义"。即使在光明中行走，"像他在光明中一样
即使在光明中行走，"像他在光明中一样"，我们也不是不需要赎罪的。虽然我们与神的关系没有因为有意识的过犯而中断
虽然我们与神的关系没有因有意识的过犯而中断，但它仍然没有中断，只是因为
因为 "他儿子耶稣基督的血洗净了我们一切的罪"。然而，那些妄想得到上帝的
赦免，蔑视上帝的圣洁和对他的子民的要求。
他的人民，故意做他知道违反上帝的事情
故意做违背神的旨意的事，这个人将发现
灵性的死亡和灵性的匮乏不可避免地随之而来。他与神的交通被终止了，很难说撒旦不允许这样的背弃者在心里和生活中走多远。很有可能
不仅有可能使人 "悲伤 "和 "抵制"，甚至有可能使神的灵 "熄灭"。我们有一个关于自以为是的罪的庄严例子，就是在安息日被发现收集树枝的人。他不是--他不可能不知道上帝关于安息日的条例。捡拾树枝并不是为了满足需要；他的情况与那些可能在星期六晚上收到工资的穷人的情况并不一样
他的情况与穷人的情况不同，后者可能在星期六晚上很晚才收到工资，而且没有机会及时购买食物，以便在休息日预先准备好。对以色列人来说，双倍的
在安息日前一天的早晨，以色列人得到了双倍的吗哪。
由于未煮熟的吗哪不能保存，所以有必要在安息日的前一天早上向以色列人提供双倍的吗哪。
由于未煮熟的吗哪不能保存，所以有必要在这一天的早些时候将其制备为食物。他不需要用
棍子来做安息日的晚餐。这个国家是如此的热，以至于没有人因为选择或喜好而点燃火。
或喜好而点火。他收集这些树枝的目的是
仅仅是为了公开表明，他蔑视上帝，拒绝遵守他的圣旨：因此，这个人被处死是正确的。但在这次审判中，有机会引入了 "蓝带 "的佩戴。上帝要让他的子民都戴上一个徽章。在他们的整个世代中，他们都要将其作为
在他们衣服的边上做流苏，并在边上的流苏上系一条蓝带子，使他们看在眼里，记着主的一切诫命，并遵行这些诫命，成为圣洁的子民，在他们的神面前成为圣洁。
那领他们出埃及地作他们神的，是圣洁的子民。
蓝色是天堂的颜色。美丽的水
深海的美丽水面反映了它，就像无云的天空的深处一样。当云层出现的时候，那么，也只有在那时，深蓝色才会消失。
时候，才会失去深蓝色。这是上帝的旨意
神的旨意是，在他的子民和他自己之间永远不要有云，而且，正如古代的以色列人，无论走到哪里
就像过去的以色列人无论走到哪里都带着蓝色的丝带一样，今天他的子民无论走到哪里都应表现出属天的精神和气质。
他们应该像摩西一样，在他们的面孔上见证神的荣耀和美丽。
的荣耀和美丽。看到那条蓝带子被农夫带进田里，被商人带进他的生意场所，这一定很有趣。
商人到他的生意场所，女仆在履行她的日常职责时，把那条蓝带子带到住宅的最里面，这一定很有趣。今天的基督徒被称为基督的见证人，应该明显地具有他的精神特征，这难道不重要吗？我们难道不应该 "效法神，像可爱的孩子"，"在爱中行，像基督爱我们，为我们舍己 "吗？这种效法上帝的精神难道不应该被带入生活的细微之处，而不仅仅是保留给特殊的场合吗？如果我们正确地理解我们救主的指示："所以你们要完全，就像你们在天上的父完全一样"，它教导了这个伟大的真理。我们要做地上的盐，世界的光，不违背诫命中最小的一条，不屈服于愤怒，也不容忍不洁的想法，不轻率地许诺，或在谈话中说更多的是赞成或不赞成。报复的精神是不能放纵的；屈服的精神是天国之子的特征，那些憎恨和轻视我们的人是应该被怜悯、爱护和祈祷的。然后是这样的指示："所以你们要完全，像你们在天上的父一样完全"。在日常生活的小摩擦中，以及在基督徒所面临的更严重的挑战和迫害中，他要明显地成为他天父的模仿者。现在，上帝的完美是一种绝对的完美，而我们的完美充其量只是相对的。一根针可能是一根完美的针，在各方面都适合于它所做的工作：它不是一个微观的物体；在放大镜下，它变成了一个粗糙的蜂蜜梳子，在眼睛的位置上有一个破洞。但它不是为了成为显微镜下的物体，而且由于适合于它被制造的目的，它可以被正确地认为是一根完美的针。因此，我们不是被要求成为完美的天使，或在任何方面的神性，但我们要成为完美的基督徒，履行我们的特权职责。现在，我们的父亲按照他的完美来制造他所制造的最小的小东西。最微小的苍蝇，最小的动物，蝴蝶翅膀上的灰尘，无论你如何放大它们，都可以看出是绝对完美的。在基督徒身上，日常生活中的小事难道不应该是相对完美的，就像上帝较小的创造物作为他的作品是绝对完美的一样？我们难道不应该在我们所写的每一个字母的形成过程中荣耀上帝，并且作为基督徒写出比未信主的人更清晰的字吗？我们难道不应该在我们的感官上更加彻底，不是简单地做好那些会被人看到和注意到的事情，而是像我们的父亲让许多花朵在孤独的沙漠中绽放而不被人看到一样，做我们在他面前所能做的一切，尽管没有其他的夜晚注意到它？
我们的特权是为了取悦他而休息和娱乐，晚上整齐地放下我们的衣服（因为他在房间里，在我们睡觉时看守我们），在他的注视下洗漱、穿衣、抚摸头发；总之。
中国的数百万人。在我们的一切中，在我们所做的一切中，都要充分看到我们在恩典中的成长，这将是神赐给我们的能力，以荣耀神；并可以告诉大家，我们的脸和高兴的心，神的圣名的荣耀。如果我们每个人都能像 "带子 "一样为上帝服务，那么基督徒的生活将变得多么美好！"蓝色的 "反映了我们的生活。多么蓝色，"反映出天堂的色调，而且我们应该更有价值地见证，提醒我们自己和彼此，我们是祂的见证人的特权世界！"记住主的一切诫命，愿我们所处的新的一年，D.V.，这么快，做这些。" J. Hudson Taylor。



CHINA'S MILLIONSA New Year's Message/
••A ribband of blue."--Num. 15:38. WE would remind ourselves at this season, and draw the attention of beloved friends to the
instructive passage with which the fifteenth chapter of Numbers closes ; and may God, through
our meditation on His precious Word, make it yet more precious and
practical to each one
of us, for Christ our Redeemer's sake. The whole chapter
is full of important
teaching. It commences with instructions concerning the burntoffering, the sacrifice in performing a vow, and
the free will offering.
It was not to be supposed that anyone
tnight present his offer- ing to God according
to his own thought and
plan. If it were to be acceptable—a sweet
savor unto the Lord

it must be an offering
in every respect such
as God had appointed. We cannot please God
in ways of our own
devising ; from begin- ning to end it must be, "Not my will, but Thine be done." Then from the sev- enteenth verse to the
twenty-first verse the Lord claims a first- fruits. The people of God were not to eat their fill and consume
all that they cared to consume, and then give
to God somewhat of the remainder ; but before they touched the bread of the land a heave-offering was to be offered to the Lord, and when the requirement of God had been fully met, then, and not till then, were
they at liberty to satisfy their own hunger and supply
their own wants. How often we see the reverse of this
in daily life ! Not only are necessaries first suppliedfrom the income, but every fancied luxury is procuredwithout stint, before the question of consecration to£>od of time and substance is really entertained. Then follow the directions concerning errors fromheedlessness and ignorance. The people werenot to imagine that sinwas not sinful if it wereunconsciously committed. Man's knowledgeand consciousness donot make wrong rightor right wrong. Thewill of God was revealed, and ought to havebeen kno
kilo m : that wil
to do that a conscious!}
not to1 wasinand not, whetherr unconNew Year. MosaS
t Mr. HuJson Tay
sciously, was sin—sinthat could only be putaway by atoning sacrifice.God dealt in muchmercy and grace withthose who committedsins of ignorance,though when the sinbecame known andrecognized, confessionaiid sacrifice were im-mediately needful. But,thank God, the sacrificewas ordained, and thesin could be put away.It was not so with thepresumptuous sin. Nosacrifice was appointedfor a man, whetherhoste. born in the land. hui.i inland Mission, or a stranger, whoreproached the Lord by presumptuous sin. Of thatman it was said, " That soul shall be utterly cut off ; his iniquity shall be upon him."
This distinction is very important to make. Weare not to think that our holiest service is free fromsin, or can be accepted save through Jesus Christ ourLord. We are not to suppose that sins of omission,any more than sins of commission, are looked lightlyupon by God : sins of forgetfulness and heedlessnessToronto, January, 1906.
CHINA'S MILLIONS.
or ignorance are more than frailties—are real sins, needing atoning sacrifice. God deals very gently and
gracionslv with us in these matters, and when trans- gression or iniquity is brought home to the conscience,
" if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to for- give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unright- eousness." Even when walking in the light, " as He
is in the light," we are not beyond the need of atone- ment. Though our fellowship with God is unbroken
by conscious transgression, it continues unbroken only
because " the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, is clean- sing us from all sin." The man, however, who would presume on God's
forgiveness, and despise God's holiness and claim upon
His people, by doing deliberately the thing that He
knows to be contrary to God's will, that man will find
spiritual death and spiritual dearth inevitably follow. His communion with God is brought to an end, and it is hard to say how far Satan may not be permitted to carry such a backslider in heart and life. It is awfully
possible not merely to " grieve " and to " resist," but even to " quench " the Spirit of God. We have a solemn example of presumptuous sin in the case of the man found gathering sticks on the Sab- bath day. He was not—he could not be ignorant of God's ordinances concerning the Sabbath. The gath- ering of sticks was not to meet a necessity ; his case was not parallel with that of the poor man who perhaps
has received his wages late on Saturday night, and has had no opportunity of purchasing food in time to pre- pare it for the day of rest. To the Israelite the double
supply of manna was given on the morning of the day
before the Sabbath, and as the uncooked manna would
not keep, it was necessary that early in that day it should be prepared for food. He had no need of the
sticks to cook his Sabbath's dinner. And the country was so hot that no man would kindle a fire from choice
or preference. His object in gathering the sticks was
simply to show, openly and publicly, that he despised God, and refused to obey His holy ordinance : rightly, therefore, was that man put to death. But occasion was taken in connection with this judgment to introduce the wearing of the " ribband of blue." God would have all His people wear a badge. Throughout their generations they were to make them
fringes in the borders of their garments, and to put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue, that they might look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them, and might be a holy
people, holy unto their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt to be their God.
Blue is the color of heaven. The beautiful waters
of the deep sea reflect it, as do the depths of the cloudless sky. When the clouds come between, then, and
then only, is the deep blue lost. It is the will of God
that there should never be a cloud between His people and Himself, and that, as the Israelite of old, wherever
he went, carried the ribband of blue, so His people to- day should manifest a heavenly spirit and temper
wherever they go, and should, like Moses, in their very countenances bear witness of the glory and beauty
of the God whom the}- love and serve. How interesting it must have been to see that rib- band of blue carried by the farmer into the field, by
the merchant to his place of business, by the maidservant into the innermost parts of the dwelling, whenperforming her daily duties. Is it less important thatthe Christian of to-day, called to be a witness forChrist, should be manifestly characterized by Hisspirit? Should we not all be "imitators of God,asdear children," and " walk in love, as Christ also hathloved us, and given Himself for us " ? And should notthis spirit of God-likeness be carried into the smallestdetails of life, and not be merely reserved for specialoccasions ? If we understand aright the meaningofour Savior's direction, " Be ye therefore perfect, evenas your Father which is in heaven is perfect," it teaches this great truth. We are to be the salt of the earth and the light ofthe world, not to break one of the least of the com-mandments, not to give way to anger, nor to toleratethe thought of impurity, to give no rash promises, orin conversation to say more than yea or nay. Thespirit of retaliation is not to be indulged in ; a yield-ingness of spirit is to characterize the child of thekingdom, and those who hate and despitefully use usare to be pitied and loved and prayed for. Then comesthe direction, " Be ye therefore perfect, even as yourFather which is in heaven is perfect." In the littlefrictions of daily life, as well as in the more serioustrials and persecutions to which the Christian isexposed, he is to be manifestly an imitator of hisheavenly Father. Now, God's perfection is an absolute perfection,while ours, at best, is only relative. A needle maybea perfect needle, in every respect adapted for the workfor which it was made : it is not a microscopic object; under the magnifying power it becomes a rough honey-combed poker, with a ragged hole in the place of theeye. But it was not made to be a microscopic object,and being adapted to the purpose for which it wasmade, it may properly be considered a perfect needle.So we are not called to be perfect angels, or in anyrespect Divine, but we are to be perfect Christians,performing the privileged duties that as such devolveupon us. Now, our Father makes according to His perfectionthe least little thing that He makes. The tiniest fly.the smallest animalcule, the dust of a butterfly's wing,however highly you may magnify, them, are seen to beabsolutely perfect. Should not the little things ofdaily life be as relatively perfect in the case ofthe Christian as the lesser creations of Godareabsolutely perfect as his work ? Ought we not toglorify God in the formation of each letter that wewrite, and to write a more legible hand as Christiansthan unconverted people can be expected to do? Ought we not to be more thorough in our sen-ice, notsimply doing well that which will be seen and noticed,but as our Father makes many a flower to bloomunseen in the lonely desert, so to do all that we candoas under His eve, though no other eve ever take noteof it?
It is our privilege to take our rest and recreationfor the purpose of pleasing Him, to lay aside ourgarments at night neatly (for He is in the room andwatches over us while we sleep), to wash, to dress, tosmoothe the hair, with His eye in view ; and, in short.
CHINA'S MILLIONS. 3in all that we are and in all that we do to use the full to enter see in us all that growth in grace which willmeasure of ability which God has given us to the glorify God ; and may tell-tale faces, and glad hearts,glory of His holy name. Were we all always so to and loving service, be to each one of us as " a ribbandlive, how beautiful Christian life would become ! How of blue," reflecting the very hue of heaven, andmuch more worthy a witness we should bear to the reminding ourselves and one another of our privilegeworld of Him whose witnesses we are ! to "remember all the commandments of the Lord,May the new year on which we are, D.V., so soon and do them." J. Hudson Taylor.