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简体中文
英語原文
The scope of this short but excellent psalm is to show us the way to heaven, and to convince us that, if we would be happy, we must be holy and honest. Christ, who is himself the way, and in whom we must walk as our way, has also shown us the same way that is here prescribed, Mt 19:17. "If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." In this psalm, I. By the question (Ps 15:1) we are directed and excited to enquire for the way. II. By the answer to that question, in the rest of the psalm, we are directed to walk in that way, Ps 15:2-5. III. By the assurance given in the close of the psalm of the safety and happiness of those who answer these characters we are encouraged to walk in that way, Ps 15:5.
1-5
The Citizen of Zion
简体中文
锡安的子民
大卫的诗。
¹ 耶和华啊，谁能寄居你的帐幕？谁能住在你的圣山？
² 就是行为正直，作事公义，心里说实话的人。
³ 他不以舌头谗谤人，不恶待朋友，也不随伙毁谤邻里。
⁴ 他眼中藐视匪类，却尊重那敬畏耶和华的人。他发了誓，虽然自己吃亏，也不更改。
⁵ 他不放债取利，不受贿赂以害无辜。行这些事的人必永不动摇。
此处，一、有一个极其严肃而重大的问题，是关于锡安子民之品格的（诗15:1）：「耶和华啊，谁能寄居你的帐幕？」「求你让我知道谁能上天堂。」不是问谁的名字（这条路只有「主」才认识属他自己的人），而是问谁的描述：「哪一种人是你所承认、并以独特而永远的恩惠加冕的？」这含着：作锡安的子民是极大的特权，是无以言喻的尊荣与益处——并非人人都有这特权，只有少数余民才有——人也并非因血统与出生而有此特权：并非凡有亚伯拉罕为父的都能「寄居神的帐幕」，而是人心如何、人行如何，他的份也如何。我们都当把这问题问在自己身上：「主啊，我当如何为人、当如何行事，才能寄居你的帐幕？」（路18:18；徒16:30）。1. 请注意这询问是向谁发的——是向神自己。注意，要寻找通天之路的人，必须仰望神，从他的话语得指引，求他的灵赐指引。他本合宜为自己的仆人定规，为自己的恩惠定条件，并说明谁属他、谁不属他。2. 这询问在旧约语言中如何表达。（1）「帐幕」可指争战的教会，由摩西的帐幕所预表——适合旷野的状态，卑微且可迁移。在那里神显明自己，在那里他与他的百姓相会，正如古时在「法柜的帐幕」、「相会的帐幕」中一般。谁能寄居这帐幕？谁可算为神教会中真正活着的肢体，得在属灵的祭司中蒙悦纳、住宿在这帐幕的院内？我们都当查问此事，因为许多自命在这帐幕中占一席之地的人，其实在其中无分无关。（2）「圣山」可指得胜的教会，是借锡安山为喻——所罗门将在此山上建造圣殿。得荣耀的圣徒之福乐，在于他们住在那圣山上；他们在那里如同在家：他们必永远在那里。我们当留心谁能住在那里，好为自己确知我们将与他们同列，并由此得着安慰，因指望那圣山而欢喜。
二、对这问题，有一个非常明确具体的回答。凡愿意认识自己本分、并决意遵行的人，必发现圣经是极其忠信的向导，良心是忠信的提醒者。那么让我们看看锡安子民的具体品格。
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他是一个在信仰上真诚而完全的人：「行为正直」——这正是约的条件（创17:1），「你当在我面前作完全人」（此处所用的是同一个词），「我便与你立约，作你全足的神」。他实在就是他所宣告的那样，内心健全，在一切所行的事上都能在纯全之中向神自许；他的为人是贯彻一致的，他与自己相和，并竭力在神一切旨意中得以完全。他的眼目或许软弱，却是单一的；他确有他的瑕疵，却不上妆掩饰；他是「心里没有诡诈的真以色列人」（约1:47；林后1:12）。除了真诚，我不知道还有何宗教。
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他是一个在一切交易上都良心诚实、公义的人，对凡与他往来的人都忠信公道：「作事公义」；他在主的一切律例和诫命中行事，留心使各人得其所当得的，对神对人皆公义；在对两者说话时，他都「心里说实话」——他对神的祷告、宣告与应许，不出于虚假的嘴唇；他在与人来往和商业上也绝不敢撒谎，连含糊其辞也不敢。他按公义与诚实的规则行事，鄙视并厌恶不义与欺诈的所得。他认为：以谎言所成的交易，绝不是好买卖，也不是省钱的买卖；凡亏负邻舍的，无论手法多么巧妙，至终必证明对自己造成了最大的损害。
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他是一个尽心设法向邻舍行善、却小心翼翼不害任何人的人，并且格外体贴邻舍的名声（诗15:3）。他决不「故意或设计」对邻舍行「任何恶事」，不行任何得罪或忧伤他心灵的事，不损害他身体的健康与安宁，不损伤他的家产或世俗利益，不伤害他的家庭或亲属；他遵循那金科玉律——己所不欲，勿施于人。他格外留心不损害邻舍的好名声，虽然许多人本不愿别样亏负邻舍，却对此毫不在意。人若在这方面不以嚼环勒住舌头，他的宗教便是虚的。他深知美名的价值，因此「不以舌头谗谤人」——他不毁谤人，不说人的坏话，不把别人的过犯当作他闲谈的话题，更不当作他的戏笑嘲弄，不以谈论别人过犯为乐，除非为造就人便绝口不提。他把人人往最好处想，把无人往最坏处想。他「不随伙毁谤」，即他不制造流言，也不接受流言；他不信、不助任何诬蔑，反用皱眉使谗谤的舌头哑口无言（箴25:23）。若有人向他讲述他邻舍的恶意品格，或向他叙述恶意的传闻，他能反驳便反驳；不能，便让它止于自己，不再外传。他的「爱心能遮掩许多的罪」。
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他是一个按德行和敬虔来衡量人、而不按人在世间的体面来衡量人的人（诗15:4）。（1）他不因人的排场和显赫便对其败坏有更好的评价：「他眼中藐视匪类」。恶人就是卑劣之人——无价值、毫无用处之人（原文之意），如渣滓、如糠秕、如失了味的盐。他们在拣选上卑劣（耶2:13），在行为上卑劣（赛32:6）。智慧的敬虔人因此藐视他们——并非否认他们作人、甚至作掌权者当得的公民尊敬（彼前2:17；罗13:7），而是在对他们的判断上，与神的话语相合。他们不但不羡慕他们，反倒怜悯他们，鄙视他们的得利（赛33:15），以其无所益；鄙视他们的美味（诗141:4）、他们的宴乐（来11:24,25），以其淡而无味。他们鄙视他们的同伴（诗119:115；王下3:14）；鄙视他们的嘲讽与恐吓，不为所动，也不因之烦扰；鄙视他们无能恶毒的微弱作为（诗2:1,4），并即将在他们倾覆时夸胜（诗52:6,7）。神藐视他们，他们便与神同心。（2）他不因人的贫穷卑微便对其敬虔有更差的评价：「却尊重那敬畏耶和华的人」。他认为严肃的敬虔无论在何处被发现，都为人加上尊荣，使人脸上的光辉胜过财富、聪明或人间的盛名所能加的。他尊重这样的人，在爱中格外看重他们，渴慕他们的友谊与相交，并他们在祷告中所记念的份；有机会向他们表示尊敬或为他们效劳便引以为乐；为他们辩护，怀着崇敬谈论他们；他们亨通便欢喜，他们离世便忧伤；他们离去之后，他们的记念在他看来乃为宝贵。借此我们多少可以审判自己：我们凭什么准则判断别人呢？
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他是一个总是把好良心置于任何世俗利益或益处之上的人；因为他既已起誓应许行某事，纵然后来发现这事在世俗产业上对自己大大有损，他仍坚守不「更改」（诗15:4）。请看，连智慧敬虔的人也可能目光短浅；他们竟可能「发誓自损」，起誓之时并未察觉。但请看誓言的约束力何等强，人宁可自己和他的家受损失，也不可因背誓而亏负邻舍。誓言是神圣之物，我们不可轻率对待。
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他是一个不肯以任何不义之术增加自己产业的人（诗15:5）。（1）不以勒索：「他不放债取利」——好使自己借别人的劳力安逸度日，而他本有能力以自己的殷勤使财富增益。这并不是说贷方与借方共享借方以钱财所得之利是违犯公义或爱心的律，正如地主向佃户收租并不违犯——钱财借着技艺与劳力，正如土地一样可以增益。但锡安的子民必照着自己的力量，甘心借给穷人，向那些被护理所困窘的人不严厉苛刻地追讨。（2）不受贿：他「不受贿赂以害无辜」；他若在公共司法的任何职位上任职，便绝不为任何利益或指望，行任何有损公义之事。
三、本篇以对锡安子民这一品格的坚立作结。他如同锡安山本身，不能动摇，永远长存（诗125:1）。教会每个真正活着的肢体，正如教会本身，建造在磐石上，阴间的门不能胜过他：「行这些事的人必永不动摇」，原文作「永远不动摇」。神的恩典必始终为他够用，保守他安然无瑕直到天国。试探不能胜过他，患难不能淹没他，没有任何事物能夺去他现在的平安，也不能夺去他将来的福乐。
我们唱这篇诗时，当教导并警戒自己和彼此，要符合此处所描写的锡安子民的品格，好使我们永不在地上的神帐幕中被挪移，并至终抵达那圣山——在那里我们将永远脱离试探与危险。
英語原文
The Citizen of Zion
A psalm of David.
¹ LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?
² He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.
³ He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
⁴ In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.
⁵ He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
Here is, I. A very serious and weighty question concerning the characters of a citizen of Zion (Ps 14:1): "Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Let me know who shall go to heaven." Not, who by name (in this way the Lord only knows those that are his), but who by description: "What kind of people are those whom thou wilt own and crown with distinguishing and everlasting favours?" This supposes that it is a great privilege to be a citizen of Zion, an unspeakable honour and advantage,—that all are not thus privileged, but a remnant only,—and that men are not entitled to this privilege by their birth and blood: all shall not abide in God's tabernacle that have Abraham to their father, but, according as men's hearts and lives are, so will their lot be. It concerns us all to put this question to ourselves, Lord, what shall I be, and do, that I may abide in thy tabernacle? Lu 18:18, Ac 16:30. 1. Observe to whom this enquiry is addressed—to God himself. Note, Those that would find the way to heaven must look up to God, must take direction from his word and beg direction from his Spirit. It is fit he himself should give laws to his servants, and appoint the conditions of his favours, and tell who are his and who not. 2. How it is expressed in Old-Testament language. (1.) By the tabernacle we may understand the church militant, typified by Moses's tabernacle, fitted to a wilderness-state, mean and movable. There God manifests himself, and there he meets his people, as of old in the tabernacle of the testimony, the tabernacle of meeting. Who shall dwell in this tabernacle? Who shall be accounted a true living member of God's church, admitted among the spiritual priests to lodge in the courts of this tabernacle? We are concerned to enquire this, because many pretend to a place in this tabernacle who really have no part nor lot in the matter. (2.) By the holy hill we may understand the church triumphant, alluding to Mount Zion, on which the temple was to be built by Solomon. It is the happiness of glorified saints that they dwell in that holy hill; they are at home there: they shall be for ever there. It concerns us to know who shall dwell there, that we may make it sure to ourselves that we shall have a place among them, and may then take the comfort of it, and rejoice in prospect of that holy hill.
II. A very plain and particular answer to this question. Those that desire to know their duty, with a resolution to do it, will find the scripture a very faithful director and conscience a faithful monitor. Let us see then the particular characters of a citizen of Zion.
1. He is one that is sincere and entire in his religion: He walketh uprightly, according to the condition of the covenant (Ge 17:1), "Walk before me, and be thou perfect" (it is the same word that is here used) "and then thou shalt find me a God all-sufficient." He is really what he professes to be, is sound at heart, and can approve himself to God, in his integrity, in all he does; his conversation is uniform, and he is of a peace with himself, and endeavours to stand complete in all the will of God. His eye perhaps is weak, but it is single; he has his spots indeed, but he does not paint; he is an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile, Joh 1:47, 2Co 1:12. I know no religion but sincerity.
2. He is one that is conscientiously honest and just in all his dealings, faithful and fair to all with whom he has to do: He worketh righteousness; he walks in all the ordinances and commandments of the Lord, and takes care to give all their due, is just both to God and man; and, in speaking to both, he speaks that which is the truth in his heart; his prayers, professions, and promises, to God, come not out of feigned lips, nor dares he tell a lie, or so much as equivocate, in his converse or commerce with men. He walks by the rules of righteousness and truth, and scorns and abhors the gains of injustice and fraud. He reckons that that cannot be a good bargain, nor a saving one, which is made with a lie, and that he who wrongs his neighbour, though ever so plausibly, will prove, in the end, to have done the greatest injury to himself.
3. He is one that contrives to do all the good he can to his neighbours, but is very careful to do hurt to no man, and is, in a particular manner, tender of his neighbour's reputation, Ps 14:3. He does no evil at all to his neighbour willingly or designedly, nothing to offend or grieve his spirit, nothing to prejudice the health or ease of his body, nothing to injure him in his estate or secular interests, in his family or relations; but walks by that golden rule of equity, To do as he would be done by. He is especially careful not to injure his neighbour in his good name, though many, who would not otherwise wrong their neighbours, make nothing of that. If any man, in this matter, bridles not his tongue, his religion is vain. He knows the worth of a good name, and therefore he backbites not, defames no man, speaks evil of no man, makes not others' faults the subject of his common talk, much less of his sport and ridicule, nor speaks of them with pleasure, nor at all but for edification. He makes the best of every body, and the worst of nobody. He does not take up a reproach, that is, he neither raises it nor receives it; he gives no credit nor countenance to a calumny, but frowns upon a backbiting tongue, and so silences it, Pr 25:23. If an ill-natured character of his neighbour be given him, or an ill-natured story be told him, he will disprove it if he can; if not, it shall die with him and go no further. His charity will cover a multitude of sins.
4. He is one that values men by their virtue and piety, and not by the figure they make in the world, Ps 14:5. (1.) He thinks the better of no man's wickedness for his pomp and grandeur: In his eyes a vile person is contemned. Wicked people are vile people, worthless and good for nothing (so the word signifies), as dross, as chaff, and as salt that has lost its savour. They are vile in their choices (Jer 2:13), in their practices, Isa 32:6. For this wise and good men contemn them, not denying them civil honour and respect as men, as men in authority and power perhaps (1Pe 2:17, Ro 13:7), but, in their judgment of them, agreeing with the word of God. They are so far from envying them that they pity them, despising their gains (Isa 33:15), as turning to no account, their dainties (Ps 141:4), their pleasures (Heb 11:24,25) as sapless and insipid. They despise their society (Ps 119:115, 2Ki 3:14); they despise their taunts and threats, and are not moved by them, nor disturbed at them; they despise the feeble efforts of their impotent malice (Ps 2:1,4), and will shortly triumph in their fall, Ps 52:6, 7. God despises them, and they are of his mind. (2.) He thinks the worse of no man's piety for his poverty and meanness, but he knows those that fear the Lord. He reckons that serious piety, wherever it is found, puts an honour upon a man, and makes his face to shine, more than wealth, or wit, or a great name among men, does or can. He honours such, esteems them very highly in love, desires their friendship and conversation and an interest in their prayers, is glad of an opportunity to show them respect or do them a good office, pleads their cause and speaks of them with veneration, rejoices when they prosper, grieves when they are removed, and their memory, when they are gone, is precious with him. By this we may judge of ourselves in some measure. What rules do we go by in judging of others?
5. He is one that always prefers a good conscience before any secular interest or advantage whatsoever; for, if he has promised upon oath to do any thing, though afterwards it appear much to his damage and prejudice in his worldly estate, yet he adheres to it and changes not, Ps 14:4. See how weak-sighted and short-sighted even wise and good men may be; they may swear to their own hurt, which they were not aware of when they took the oath. But see how strong the obligation of an oath is, that a man must rather suffer loss to himself and his family than wrong his neighbour by breaking his oath. An oath is a sacred thing, which we must not think to play fast and loose with.
6. He is one that will not increase his estate by any unjust practices, Ps 14:5. (1.) Not by extortion: He putteth not out his money to usury, that he may live at ease upon the labours of others, while he is in a capacity for improving it by his own industry. Not that it is any breach of the law of justice or charity for the lender to share in the profit which the borrower makes of his money, any more than for the owner of the land to demand rent from the occupant, money being, by art and labour, as improvable as land. But a citizen of Zion will freely lend to the poor, according to his ability, and not be rigorous and severe in recovering his right from those that are reduced by Providence. (2.) Not by bribery: He will not take a reward against the innocent; if he be any way employed in the administration of public justice, he will not, for any gain, or hope of it, to himself, do any thing to the prejudice of a righteous cause.
III. The psalm concludes with a ratification of this character of the citizen of Zion. He is like Zion-hill itself, which cannot be moved, but abides for ever, Ps 125:1. Every true living member of the church, like the church itself, is built upon a rock, which the gates of hell cannot prevail against: He that doeth these things shall never be moved; shall not be moved for ever, so the word is. The grace of God shall always be sufficient for him, to preserve him safe and blameless to the heavenly kingdom. Temptations shall not overcome him, troubles shall not overwhelm him, nothing shall rob him of his present peace nor his future bliss.
In singing this psalm we must teach and admonish ourselves, and one another, to answer the characters here given of the citizen of Zion, that we may never be moved from God's tabernacle on earth, and may arrive, at last, at that holy hill where we shall be for ever out of the reach of temptation and danger.
本篇虽短却极精彩,其宗旨在指引我们通天之路,并使我们确知:若要得福,就必须圣洁诚实。基督自己是那条路,我们也当以他为我们当行的路而行走其中;他所指示我们的,也是此处所定的同一条路(太19:17):「你若要进入永生,就当遵守诫命。」本篇结构如下:一、借问题(诗15:1)我们受指引并受激发去寻问那路;二、借本篇其余的回答(诗15:2-5),我们受指引行在其中;三、借本篇末了对符合这些品格之人的安全与福乐所作的保证(诗15:5),我们受勉励行在其中。