THE LOSS AND RECOVERY OF THE TRUTH CONCERNING "HANDING OVER"
The following hymn was written about a person, Dara, whose heart was most sincere and whose spirit was most pure towards the Lord. It speaks of the proper attitude a man of God should have towards the world. As we sing this song, we touch a spirit whose purity rarely has been found in the past five hundred years. As we learn to touch the Lord's Spirit with our spirit and as we turn our heart fully to the Lord as the writer did, we can lay aside every earthly possession.
1. Having seen the world's fair beauty,
Lord, I would be blind once more,
Lest I lose the loving Presence
And Delight I knew before.
Having seen the world's fair beauty,
Lord, I would be blind once more,
Lest I lose the loving Presence
And Delight I knew before.
2. Dawn and sunset, star and moonlight,
I can see in paradise,
But while here on earth His mercy
For my blindness will suffice.
3. I no more would be delivered
From my thorn, but look for grace,
While within the veil His glory
Shineth brightly on my face.
4. In the deep dark night, His beauty
I by faith, not sight, may trace;
He was ridiculed and hated,
Yet I see His glorious face.
5. Sun and moonlight far surpassing,
Clouds and Milky Way o'erspread,
Is the glory all transcending
Shining from His thorn-crowned head.
Five or six hundred years ago, there was a person by the name of Miss Bride who was greatly used by the Lord to perform miracles. She laid hands on Dara, and the little sister, who was born blind and who was then in her teens, recovered her sight. After Miss Bride prayed for her, her eyes were opened and everything around was new to her. She was very happy and greatly enjoyed the sight of the sun, the moon, the stars, and everything around her. After a few days, however, she went back to Miss Bride in great sorrow. When Miss Bride asked her what she wanted, she said she wanted someone to pray for her again.Miss Bride asked, "Do you have some other illness?" She answered, "Please pray for me to have my eyes blind again. The beautiful scenery is distracting me from the Lord." Later Miss Bride put Dara's words together in a poem and composed the above song. We can see that this is a song from the heart of one who is absolutely single for the Lord. It shows us the kind of attitude such a person has towards the world.
Tonight we want to talk about the matter of handing oneself over. In order to serve the Lord, we have to hand ourselves over. First, we have to see the meaning of handing oneself over. Next, we need to see what we should do after we have handed ourselves over. Before this, however, let us first talk about the loss and recovery of the truth concerning handing oneself over.
THE LOSS AND RECOVERY OF THE TRUTH CONCERNING "HANDING OVER"
The Degradation in Catholicism
and the Loss of the Truth
Roman Catholicism reached its zenith during the Middle Ages. During that time the truth expounded by the church became distorted; it became very different from the teaching found in the four Gospels and in Acts. In the four Gospels, while the Lord Jesus was on earth, He not only emphasized deliverance from sin but also emphasized deliverance from money (cf. Luke 16:19-24; 19:16-26). The Acts of the Apostles is a book on the teachings of the apostles. These teachings exhort men to flee from money, on the one hand, and from sin, on the other hand. The Christian foundation is built upon deliverance from these two things. If a man continues to live under the bondage of sin as a sinner, he cannot be a proper Christian. In the same way, if he continues to live under the bondage of money, he cannot be a proper Christian. In order to serve the Lord, a man must first be delivered from sin and money on the negative side. In the fourth century the world was brought into the church. It was no longer poor; it became very rich. Within the church, there was a gradual turning away from the teachings taught by the Lord Jesus and the apostles at the beginning.
The early church followed the teachings of the apostles and exhorted men to flee from both sin and money. It is ugly for a Christian to tolerate sin, but it is equally ugly for a Christian to tolerate money and the world. Yet after the first apostles passed away, the church gradually became relaxed in the matter of money. It still taught that Christians should not sin, but it allowed believers to keep their money. There was no end to the degradation. From that time onward, the trend has been ever downward. This went on until the Middle Ages. Since the sixth century, when the church developed into the system of Catholicism, there has been a toleration not only of money but of sin as well. Men began to accumulate wealth, yet spiritually they became extremely poor. Later the Catholic Church even came up with the teaching of purgatory. As long as a man had money, he could absolve himself from his sins by buying indulgences. To help finance the building of St. Peter's Cathedral, the pope greatly promoted the practice of selling indulgences, especially when he found out that little was coming in from the general offering. For example, those who had committed adultery could be absolved of their sin with four indulgences. Those who had murdered could be absolved of their sin with twelve, and those who had lied could be absolved of their sin with two. In this way society became corrupted, and there was much confusion.
God's Recovery Work
At man's darkest moment God began His recovery work. It began with Martin Luther, but this does not mean that only Luther made progress towards recovery. Among his contemporaries, there were others who saw the same thing. Luther was a representative of God's recovery work in that age. Nine hundred years after the degradation of the church, we see a new beginning in Protestantism. For the first time Christians were again expected to turn from sin.
Since Luther's time God has been recovering His truths one by one. First, the church saw the need of turning away from sin. All the spiritual giants in church history, such as Moody, Spurgeon, and Finney, paid attention to turning men away from sin. They said that in order to receive salvation and become a Christian, one had to be sincere. He should not lie, debauch, or commit adultery. But the church has never been bold enough to proclaim, as the Lord Jesus proclaimed, that one should forsake everything to follow the Lord. I am not saying that there have been no real followers of the Lord. Thank the Lord, there has never been an interruption in the line of true Christians. First, we have St. Francis of Assisi. He was the son of a rich man, but he sold all of his possessions and gave to the poor. He began to practice a life of voluntary poverty. Later in Moravia God raised up Count Zinzendorf. He was a nobleman, but he opened up his estate to receive saints from everywhere. The result was the establishment of the Moravian Brethren. After this there was Sister Eva, a German, who also took the way of voluntary poverty. In the last century the Brethren were raised up by God. Among them many truths were recovered. Many leading brothers among them, such as Darby and Kelly, practiced voluntary poverty. They forsook everything to follow the Lord. This is the reason the Lord could have a way through them. In 1922 when I was just saved, I saw this truth and I began to practice forsaking everything to follow the Lord. [Matured Leadings in the Lord's Recovery (1)]
下面所錄的是關於一個向著主，靈最潔淨的人達拉（Donah）的一首詩歌（詩歌三○八首）。這首詩乃是說到一個屬乎神的人對世界該有的態度。我們唱這首詩，就能摸著過去五百年中，靈出來最潔淨的人。當我們學習用靈摸著主的靈，當我們這個人像寫這詩的人一樣，心專一為著主時，我們身上所有的就都擺下了。
一 世上景色我已一閱，求主使我目復盲；不然，我怕祂的喜悅，不如從前的顯彰。
（副）世上景色我已一閱， 願你使我目復盲；不然，我怕祂的喜悅，不如從前的顯彰。
二 晨曦、晚霞、星光、雲錦，留等樂園再接觸；今天在此祂的憐憫，已可滿足我盲目。
三 離開苦刺我今不望，甘心軟弱望加恩；幔內交通無上榮光，依然照亮無眼人。
四 黑夜沉沉何等美麗，用信摸索不用眼；祂受欺侮，祂被諷譏，我見祂的發光臉。
五 超過月亮，超過日頭，超過星河並雲霄；乃是聖者披荊的首，所顯無比的榮耀。
在前五六百年時，白小姐（Miss Bride）為主大用，能行異能神蹟。有一次她替小姊妹達拉（Donah）按手，使她天生的盲眼復明。那時她纔十幾歲。當白小姐為她禱告完之後，達拉的眼睛就能看見了，周圍一切甚麼對她都是新的。她大大歡喜，就大大的欣賞日月星辰及世上一切的景物。但過了幾天她跑到白小姐那裏，一臉很憂愁的樣子。白小姐問她說，『你要我為你作甚麼？』她說，『請你再為我禱告。』白小姐問說，『你還有甚麼病麼？』但她說，『請你為我禱告，使我的眼睛復盲，因這些美麗的景色叫我偏離開主的喜悅。』後來白小姐把達拉對她所說的話編起來，作成這首詩歌。我們能彀看見，這是一個向著主極為潔淨的人所發出來的詩歌。表明這樣的人對世界的態度是如何。
今天晚上我們要特別談到關於交出來的事。我們要事奉神，就要把自己交出來。說到交出來，首先就要看見『交出來』是甚麼意思，並交出來之後應當如何作。在這之前，我們先談一談關於交出來之真理的失去與恢復。
天主教的墮落與真理的失去
中世紀乃是羅馬天主教最興盛的時候。但在那時，教會裏所講的道也逐漸改變，和四福音書、使徒行傳裏所講的大有不同。在四福音書，主耶穌在地上的時候，祂注重人脫離罪惡，更注重人脫離錢財。（參太六19～24，十九16～26。）使徒行傳題到使徒所傳講的，一面叫人脫離錢財，一面叫人脫離罪惡。所以基督教的根基是奠立在這兩面上。一個人如果繼續活在罪中作罪人，固然不能作基督徒；他如果繼續活在錢財中，也不能作基督徒。一個人要事奉主，在消極方面總得要先脫離罪惡和錢財。然而到了第四世紀，教會把世界帶進來，結果教會不再貧窮，反而變得富有。於是在教會中，逐漸改變了起初主耶穌和使徒所傳的道。
初世紀的教會都遵行使徒的教訓，要人脫離罪惡與錢財。基督徒容讓罪固然不像樣，但基督徒容讓錢財與世界也是不像樣。然而在使徒們過去之後，教會漸漸在錢財的事上放鬆，教會仍然教訓基督徒不該犯罪，但教會容讓信徒可以有錢財。墮落是沒有尺寸的，以後越來越往下，直到中世紀。教會從第六世紀起變成了天主教，不僅容讓錢財，也開始容讓罪惡。人積儹錢財以致富，而在屬靈的事上貧窮無比。以後天主教甚至有煉獄的教訓，只要用錢就可以買贖罪券贖罪。後來羅馬教皇要蓋聖彼得大教堂，因為沒有人奉獻捐錢，於是大賣贖罪券，定規犯淫亂的買四張可以贖罪，殺人的只要買十二張，撒謊的買二張。這樣一來，就弄得社會黑暗，混亂異常。
神恢復的工作
但在人最黑暗之時，神也起始作祂恢復的工。神恢復的工作起始於路德馬丁。但這不是說，只有在路德一個人身上纔有恢復，在他同時，也有別的人與他有同樣的看見，只是他可以代表那時代神恢復的工作。在教會墮落九百年後，至此更正教重新起首看見基督徒應當脫離罪。
從路德時代起一直到今天，更正教在這幾百年中，將神的真理一一的恢復。首先教會看見的，就是基督徒應當脫離罪。教會歷史中復興的屬靈大漢，如慕迪（Moody）、司布真（Spurgeon）、斐尼（Finney）等等，都是注重傳講脫離罪，他們告訴人，如果想要得蒙救恩作基督徒，就必須誠實，不能有撒謊、污穢、淫亂…等罪。但教會始終缺乏膽量說主耶穌所說的，就是要變賣一切，撇下一切跟從主。我不是說在教會中沒有真正跟從主的人。感謝主，真基督徒在地上從來沒有斷過，先是聖方濟（St. Francis of Assisi），他本是富人之子，但在幾天之內就把一切都變賣，去賙濟窮人，自己開始實行自願貧窮的生活。以後在摩爾維亞，神興起辛生鐸夫 （Count Zinzendorf）。他是個貴族，將自己的產業為主打開，接待聖徒，於是興起了摩爾維亞的弟兄們（Brothren of Moravia）。以後又有伊凡姊妹（sister Eva），她是德國人，也是走自願貧窮的路。到了前一世紀，弟兄們被主興起來，在他們身上，真理恢復得很多，主要的乃是因為他們當中數十個領頭的弟兄，如達祕（Darby）、開雷（Kelly）等，都是自願貧窮，變賣一切來跟隨主，所以主能在他們中間有路。一九二二年我剛得救時，也看見這個真理，開始操練撇下一切跟從主。《 主恢復中成熟的帶領（卷一）》
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