August 7

"And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection" (Acts 4:31, 33).

Christmas Evans tells us in his diary that one Sunday afternoon he was traveling a very lonely road to attend an appointment, and he was convicted of a cold heart. He says, "I tethered my horse and went to a sequestered¹ spot, where I walked to and fro in an agony as I reviewed my life. I waited three hours before God, broken with sorrow, until there broke over me a sweet sense of His forgiving love. I received from God a new baptism of the Holy Ghost. As the sun was westering, I went back to the road, found my horse, mounted it and went to my appointment. On the following day I preached with such new power to a vast concourse of people gathered on the hillside, that a revival² broke out that day and spread through all Wales."

The greatest question that can be asked of the "twice born" ones is, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" This was the password into the early Church.

"0 the Spirit-filled life; is it thine, is it thine?

Is thy soul wholly filled with the Spirit Divine?

O thou child of the King, has He fallen on thee?

Does He reign³ in thy soul, so that all men may see

The dear Savior's blest image reflected in thee?”

"Has He swept through thy soul like the waves of the sea?

Does the Spirit of God daily rest upon thee?

Does He sweeten thy life, does He keep thee from care?

Does He guide thee and bless thee in answer to prayer?

Is it joy to be led of the Lord anywhere?”

"Is He near thee each hour, does He stand at thy side?

Does He gird thee with strength, has He come to abide⁴?

Does He give thee to know that all things may be done

Through the grace and the power of the Crucified One.2

Does He witness to thee of the glorified⁵ Son ?”

"Has He purged⁶ thee of dross⁷ with the fire from above?

Is He first in thy thoughts, has He all of thy love ?

Is His service thy choice, and is sacrifice sweet?

Is the doing His will both thy drink and thy meat?

Dost thou run at His bidding with glad eager feet?”

"Has He freed thee from self and from all of thy greed?

Dost thou hasten to succor⁸ thy brother in need?

As ct soldier of Christ dost thou hardness endure ?

Is thy hope in the Lord everlasting⁹ and sure?

Hast thou patience and meekness¹⁰, art tender and pure?”

0 the Spirit-filled life may be thine, may be thine,

In thy soul evermore the Shekinah may shine;

It is thine to live with the tempests all stilled,

It 2's thine with the blessed Holy Ghost to be filled;

It is thine, even thine, for thy Lord has so willed.”

八月七日

「祷告完了，聚会的地方震动。他们就都被圣灵充满，放胆讲论神的道。….使徒大有能力，见证主耶稣复活。」（徒四31-33）

　伊文思在他的日记中告诉我们：一天下午，他行经一条很荒僻的道路去出席一个聚会，他自己觉得他那时候的心是冰冷冷的。他说：「我系住了我的马，步行到一处与尘世隔绝的地方去，在那里我很痛苦地走来走去，检阅我自己的生活。我在神前等候了三小时，我的心被悲哀压服着；最后，一个甘甜仁慈的爱的感觉温暖了我的心━在那里我重新受了一次圣灵的浇灌。日头平西的时候，我回到原路上，找到了我的马，向前骑去。次日，我在山坡上对一大群听众讲道，觉得自己充满了新的能力，以致全韦尔斯城的人民，在那天都得到一个极大的复兴。」

当你遇见一个重生的人，第一个问题你应当问他的就是：「你…信的时候受了圣灵没有？」这是进入早期教会的暗语。

1 sequestered   

adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押

参考例句：

• The jury is expected to be sequestered for at least two months. 陪审团渴望被隔离至少两个月。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everything he owned was sequestered. 他的一切都被扣押了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

3 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

4 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

5 glorified   

美其名的，变荣耀的

参考例句：

• The restaurant was no more than a glorified fast-food cafe. 这地方美其名曰餐馆，其实只不过是个快餐店而已。
• The author glorified the life of the peasants. 那个作者赞美了农民的生活。

6 purged   

清除（政敌等）( purge的过去式和过去分词 )； 涤除（罪恶等）； 净化（心灵、风气等）； 消除（错事等）的不良影响

参考例句：

• He purged his enemies from the Party. 他把他的敌人从党内清洗出去。
• The iron in the chemical compound must be purged. 化学混合物中的铁必须清除。

7 dross   

n.渣滓；无用之物

参考例句：

• Caroline felt the value of the true ore,and knew the deception of the flashy dross.卡罗琳辨别出了真金的价值，知道那种炫耀的铁渣只有迷惑人的外表。
• The best players go off to the big clubs,leaving us the dross.最好的队员都投奔大俱乐部去了，就只给我们剩下些不中用的人。

8 succor   

n.援助，帮助；v.给予帮助

参考例句：

• In two short hours we may look for succor from Webb.在短短的两小时内，韦布将军的救兵就可望到达。
• He was so much in need of succor,so totally alone.他当时孑然一身，形影相吊，特别需要援助。

9 everlasting   

adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的

参考例句：

• These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
• He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。

10 meekness   

n.温顺，柔和

参考例句：

• Amy sewed with outward meekness and inward rebellion till dusk. 阿密阳奉阴违地一直缝到黄昏。 来自辞典例句
• 'I am pretty well, I thank you,' answered Mr. Lorry, with meekness; 'how are you?' “很好，谢谢，”罗瑞先生回答，态度温驯，“你好么？” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记