【中英對照】基督徒如何以虔誠敬畏的心度過主日？Ashbel Green on the Best Way to Spend the Christian Sabbath

本文的作者是普林斯頓大學1812-1822年的校長Ashbel Green。對於如何度過主日，不同的基督徒有不同的傳統。從《威斯敏斯特信仰告白》來看，主日應當全時間、全身心地投入到敬拜上帝的活動當中，以及必要的、幫助有需要的人的善行。在這個後現代社會，越來越多人認為，只要我身心愉悅放鬆，去打打高爾夫、出遊旅行、看橄欖球比賽、帶孩子參加活動，都無所謂。真的是這樣嗎？

誠然，基督徒的安息日是為人在主裡安息設立的，人不是為安息日設立。但上帝對我們如何敬畏祂有清晰的要求。其實我也無數次感到困惑並思考：新約教會下，我應該如何度過基督徒的安息日（Christian Sabbath）？是不是只要去教會集體敬拜完就結束了？Ashbel Green在近兩百年前的文章很清晰明了地幫助我們列出我們應當如何懷著虔誠敬畏的心來敬拜獨一的真神上帝。希望這篇文章能為你指點迷津，成為主所喜悅的子民。

英文原文：https://www.logcollegepress.com/blog/2019/1/31/ashbel-green-on-the-best-way-to-spend-the-christian-sabbath

中文翻譯：使用ChatGPT輔助翻譯，已簡單校對

當《西敏信條》指出「主日（或基督徒的安息日）的整段時間」應該用於公開和私人敬拜上（以及必要和憐憫的職責，這會是另一篇文章的主題），我們應如何理解這一點？
When the Westminster Confession of Faith says that “the whole time [of the Lord’s Day, or Christian Sabbath]” should be taken up in the public and private exercises of His worship (and in the duties of necessity and mercy, which is a topic for another post), how are we to understand this?

Ashbel Green 在他1841年出版的《小要理講義》第2卷中探討了這個問題：
Ashbel Green tackles this question in his Lectures on the Shorter Catechism, Vol. 2 (1841):

我們在安息日的整段時間，應該用於「對上帝的公開和私人敬拜上」，除了我們之後要提到的例外情況。「對上帝的敬拜」，你會注意到，不僅包括禱告和讚美的行為，這是其直接和特別的內容，還包括所有能使我們傾向於這些行為，並使我們以有知識和聖潔的熱情來執行它們的事；實際上，凡是有助於促進神的榮耀和尊榮的事，都包括在內。適合安息日的活動有很多，我只能簡單列舉，並提供一些提示，供你們自行深入思考。
That our whole time, on the Sabbath, is to be spent in “the public and private exercise of God’s worship,” with no other exceptions, than those which we are afterwards to notice. “God’s worship,” you will observe, includes in it, not only acts of prayer and praise, in which it immediately and more especially consists, but also every thing calculated to dispose us to those acts, and enable us to perform them with enlightened and holy ardour; and indeed, whatever has a tendency to promote the honour and glory of God. The exercises suitable for the Sabbath are so many, that I can do little more than name them, and furnish you with some hints, on which you must enlarge for yourselves.

Ashbel Green 接著列出了符合聖經的守安息日的主要靈修活動，例如：
Green then lists the chief devotional activities that are consistent with Biblical Sabbath-keeping, such as:

默想。 這是一項基督徒普遍少有實踐或思考的職責。詩篇作者說：「我默想你必甘甜，我要因耶和華歡喜。」默想，夾雜著虔誠的禱告和心靈的渴望，在許多詩篇中都有體現，應成為基督徒每個主日的操練之一。默想的主題包括神的作為、治理和護理，特別是祂對我們個人生活的護理，以及最重要的，默想救贖的榮耀計劃，無論是整體還是其各個部分和方面。

Meditation. — This is a duty too little practised, or thought of, by Christians generally. The Psalmist says — “My meditation of thee shall be sweet, I will be glad in the Lord.” Meditation, intermingled with devout ejaculations and aspirations of soul, is exemplified in many of the Psalms, and should form a part of a Christian’s exercises on every Lord’s day. The subjects of meditation are the works, the government, and the providence of God, his providence in relation to our own lot in life particularly, and more than all, the glorious plan of redemption, as a whole, and in its various parts and aspects.

自我省察。 這是每位基督徒在主日不應忽略的職責。若我可以這麼說，基督徒應該在這一天的定期與自己結算屬靈的帳目。他應該大致自己是否處於恩典的狀態，考慮自己在信仰上是進步還是退步；特別是回顧過去一週，標記自己的缺點，觀察自己的情緒，自己所設立的樣式，為錯誤懊悔，並為未來立下良好的決心。

Self-examination. — This is a duty which no Christian should neglect on the Lord’s day. He should, if I may so speak, settle his spiritual account with himself, on the regular return of this day. He should examine, generally, whether he is in a gracious state, consider whether he is gaining or losing in religion; and should particularly go over the past week, to mark his defects, to observe the temper he has been in, the example he has set, to repent of what was wrong, and to form good resolutions for the future.

私下的禱告和讚美。 雖然真正的基督徒在一週中的任何一天都不會習慣性地忽略私下的禱告，但他應該在安息日比平常更頻繁、特別和廣泛地履行這項職責，除非這些天是特別為禱告而設立的日子。正是在私下的禱告和讚美中，信徒的靈魂與上帝交通；在這一天，這樣的交流是最合適的；當這種交流和交通非常明顯時，沒有任何操練能如此充分地預示天堂，那為神的子民所存留的安息。

Secret prayer and praise. — Although no real Christian can neglect secret prayer, habitually, on any day of the week, yet he should perform this duty more frequently, particularly, and extensively, on the Sabbath, than he ordinarily can on other days, unless they be days specially set apart for the purpose of prayer. It is in secret prayer and praise, that the soul of the believer holds converse and communion with God; and what so proper as this, on the day which he claims as his own: and when this converse and communion is very sensible, no exercise so fully antedates heaven, the sabbatical “rest which remaineth for the people of God.”

閱讀聖經和其他靈修書籍。 雖然在其他日子中，在某種程度上，並根據情況的有利程度，應該花部分時間從事這項活動，但在安息日，這需要特別的注意。應該像處理其他重要事務一樣，盡可能地採取有條理的方法。讓我建議你們，我的年輕朋友們，在這一天的前半部分，主要或完全地閱讀、學習和默想神的話語；在後半部分，閱讀一些健全的、教義性和實踐性的作家；將聖詩（詩篇和讚美詩除外）和宗教期刊留到晚上。通過採取這種方式，你們將避免當下看來真實且迫在眉睫的危險，即大量的期刊類出版物將排擠幾乎所有其他類型的宗教閱讀。如果這種情況不幸地實現了，年輕一代，無論他們擁有多大的熱情，都將在那種健全的教義知識上嚴重缺乏，而這是持續、穩定和模範虔誠的唯一可靠基礎。

Reading the Holy Scriptures, and other books of devotion. — This, although it should be, to some extent, and as circumstances favour, an employment of a portion of our time on other days, yet it demands a special attention on the Sabbath. As far as practicable, method should be adopted in this, as in every other important concern. Let me advise you, my young friends, to confine yourselves principally, if not wholly to reading, studying, and meditating, on the word of God, in the former part of his day; to read some sound, doctrinal and practical writer, in the latter part; and to leave sacred poetry (except psalms and hymns,) with religious periodicals, to the evening. By pursuing this course, you will avoid the danger, which seems to be real and imminent at the present time, that the numerous publications of a periodical kind, will exclude almost every other sort of religious reading. Should this unhappily be realized, the rising generation will be found deplorably deficient in that sound doctrinal knowledge, which is the only sure foundation of a consistent, stable, and exemplary piety.

家庭崇拜。 所有敬虔的家庭都應該在主日特別地進行家庭崇拜，不僅早晚各一次，而且通常還應包括第三次，這是其他日子不容易做到的。這些崇拜應特別莊嚴隆重。若有家庭成員能夠擔任家庭教導者的角色，他應該在這一天準備一段經文來對家人講解。這比僅僅照例讀一章經文更具益處。這樣的家長對孩子和家僕將擁有極大的影響力，他可以成為家庭中宗教知識的泉源，而這在許多地方是孩子們唯一能接觸到的宗教知識來源。

Family worship. — Every pious household should be distinguished for the strict observance of family worship on the Lord’s day — not only once, or twice, but generally three times — which is more than can ordinarily be done on other days. These services should be specially solemn and impressive. If there be one in the family capable of acting as a teacher in the family, he should prepare himself to expound a portion of Scripture to them on this day. This will be far more useful than reading a chapter, as a mere form. Such a parent has a mighty hold on the minds of his children and domestics, and may be a fountain of religious knowledge in the family, which, in many places, is the only source to which the young can resort for this inestimable benefit.

公共敬拜。 在這一天所有的活動中，沒有什麼比這更重要。我們必須要避免遲延、冷漠、心懷不滿地參與其中，並帶著一顆渴望受教的心來參加，像馬利亞那樣坐在耶穌腳前聽祂的話語；帶著與眾信徒一同聚集，敬拜我們的神與救主的神聖目的。我們必須盡量參加所有的教會聚會，盡力在會中用心參與。

Public worship. — This is, of all the employments of the day, the most important. It must not be attended in a tardy, careless, or discontented manner — but with a teachable spirit — with a disposition to sit, like Mary, at the feet of Jesus, to hear his word; and with a sacred purpose of uniting with the assembled people of God, in doing him honour and homage. We must attend all the services, if practicable, and take an earnest part in them.

既然安息日是一週中最寶貴的時光，願我們思想如何最好地用一天的時間來實踐 Ashbel Green 所列出的這些屬靈活動，以此在主的聖日榮耀祂。

As Sabbath-time is the most precious time of the week, may we consider how best to spend the whole day in these activities listed by Ashbel Green and so to honor the Lord on his holy day.