August 27

"And he took him aside from the multitude" (Mark 7:33).

Paul not only stood the tests in Christian¹ activity, but in the solitude² of captivity³. You may stand the strain of the most intense labor⁴, coupled with severe suffering, and yet break down utterly⁵ when laid aside from all religious activities; when forced into close confinement⁶ in some prison house.

That noble bird, soaring the highest above the clouds and enduring the longest flights, sinks into despair when in a cage where it is forced to beat its helpless wings against its prison bars. You have seen the great eagle languish⁷ in its narrow cell with bowed head and drooping⁸ wings. What a picture of the sorrow of inactivity.

Paul in prison. That was another side of life. Do you want to see how he takes it? I see him looking out over the top of his prison wall and over the heads of his enemies. I see him write a document and sign his name--not the prisoner of Festus, nor of Caesar; not the victim of the Sanhedrin; but the--"prisoner of the Lord." (Eph.3:1) He saw only the hand of God in it all. To him the prison becomes a palace. Its corridors ring with shouts of triumphant⁹ praise and joy.

Restrained from the missionary¹⁰ work he loved so well, he now built a new pulpit━a new witness stand━and from that place of bondage¹¹ come some of the sweetest and most helpful ministries¹² of Christian liberty. What precious messages of light come from those dark shadows of captivity.

Think of the long train of imprisoned¹³ saints who have followed in Paul's wake. For twelve long years Bunyan's lips were silenced in Bedford jail. It was there that he did the greatest and best work of his life. There he wrote the book that has been read next to the Bible. He says, "I was at home in prison and I sat me down and wrote, and wrote, for joy did make me write."

The wonderful dream of that long night has lighted the pathway of millions of weary pilgrims. That sweet-spirited French lady, Madam Guyon, lay long between prison walls. Like some caged birds that sing the sweeter for their confinement, the music of her soul has gone out far beyond the dungeon¹⁴ walls and scattered¹⁵ the desolation of many drooping hearts.

Oh, the heavenly consolation¹⁶ that has poured forth¹⁷ from places of solitude!--S. G. Rees

“Taken aside by Jesus,

To feel the touch of His hand;

To rest for a while in the shadow,

Of the Rock in a weary land.”

“Taken aside by Jesus,

In the loneliness dark and drear,

Where no other comfort may reach me,

Than His voice to my heart so dear.”

“Taken aside by Jesus,

To be quite alone with Him,

To hear His wonderful tones of love,

Mid¹⁸ the silence and shadows dim.”

“Taken aside by Jesus,

Shall I shrink from the desert place;

When I hear as I never heard before,

And see Him face to face ?”

八月二十七日

「耶稣领他离开众人，到一边去。」（可七33）

保罗不但在活动的时候忍受了试炼，在被禁的时候也忍受了试炼。我们在最剧烈的劳动下受苦，也许还站得住；但是到了放下一切活动的时候，被监禁在牢狱中的时候，恐怕最容易失败吧！

勇敢的小鸟，在翱翔的时候，能高飞直上云霄，忍受长途的辛劳；但是在笼中的时候，却只能垂头丧气地在笼门上拍着无力的翅膀了。你一定看见过：大鹰被幽禁在笼中的时候，是怎样无生气地低着头，垂着翅膀！啊！不活动是一个多么悲哀的景象啊！

保罗在监狱中！这是另一面的生活！你要不要看看他在监狱中做甚么呢？他所望的，不是监狱，乃是狱顶上面的天；不是仇敌，乃是仇敌头上顶着的天！我看见他在缮写书信，签上了他的名字━不是非斯都的囚犯，也不是该撒的囚犯；乃是━『基督耶稣的囚犯』（弗三1，直译）。在这一切的事上他只看见神的手。他看监狱为宫殿，所以监狱中满布了胜利的欢呼、赞美和喜乐。

被强迫离开了所喜爱的工作，他设立了一个新的讲坛━一个新的见证坛━他的监狱带给了我们一条最甘甜、最有益的自由之路。他在黑暗的拘禁中所带给我们的信息和亮光，是多么可贵啊！

保罗之后，曾有好多圣徒入狱。十二年之久，本仁的口，在培特福的监狱中，一声都不准开！但是，在那里他却成功了他一生最伟大最佳美的工作。在那里他著作了一本书━除了圣经以外，最被人诵读的书。他说：「我在监狱中，和在家中一样安适；我一直坐下来写，写，因为喜乐催促我写。」

那个奇异的梦照耀了无数疲劳的旅客的路程。那位精神焕发的法国女士盖恩夫人，也曾许久被囚在监狱中。小鸟常会因受监禁唱出更悦耳的歌来，盖恩夫人心中的音乐也远荡出了牢狱墙外，驱散了人们不少的愁苦与伤心。

哦属天的安慰都是从寂寞中流出来的！－－李斯

1 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

2 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

3 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

6 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

7 languish   

vi.变得衰弱无力，失去活力，（植物等）凋萎

参考例句：

• Without the founder's drive and direction,the company gradually languished.没有了创始人的斗志与指引，公司逐渐走向没落。
• New products languish on the drawing board.新产品在计划阶段即告失败。

8 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。

9 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

10 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

11 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

12 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

13 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

14 dungeon   

n.地牢，土牢

参考例句：

• They were driven into a dark dungeon.他们被人驱赶进入一个黑暗的地牢。
• He was just set free from a dungeon a few days ago.几天前，他刚从土牢里被放出来。

15 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

16 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

17 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

18 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。