達秘給讀者的話

致讀者  （由英文轉譯而來，原文為法文，出現在〈達秘的聖言研究〉。）

親愛的讀者，

我在這些書頁中向你呈現的，是一部作品的緣起，我相信此書對你研讀神寶貴的話語會有助益用的工作。我也希望，你在其中找到的大綱，可以讓你一瞥聖經豐富的一部分，能引導你更仔細地研讀神的話語。我意識到，這大綱有許多不完美之處，甚至比你所能意識到的更多。無論一個人認為聖言的價值多麼小，無論一個人可能覺得它的神聖特質何等微弱，在信徒的眼中，任何人研究聖經的工作都是非常黯淡、貧乏的。我覺得是這樣，並想說幾句話，向你解釋我發表這些想法的目的，讓你知道可以期盼從閱讀中獲得什麼幫助。

幾年前，一位弟兄建議我應該承擔這項工作，但是直到現在為止，我一直都對從事這項任務躊躇不前，更多是因為我感覺沒有能力承擔這樣的工作，而不是因為我被服事主所占滿，雖然服事主確實也造成遲延。感覺主快來了，使我傾向於投入服事，而不是投入我的研讀工作。也在主禾場裡事奉的弟兄們--而且大部分的弟兄都比我更有用--的需要，促使我決定開始這項工作，不然的話（我希望放棄合適的謙卑），我寧願維持原有的事奉，而不是完成任何形式的工作。然而，有一些事情阻礙我開始這項任務，需要權衡它們的輕重。

首先，這是涉及神聖言的問題，那指導基督徒思想，並且（無論多麼謙虛）將神之靈的意念陳明出來的人，肩負著巨大的責任。在理解祂的思想和旨意上，錯誤地指導神親愛的兒女，或者不正確地呈現祂寶貴交通的旨意，是多麼嚴重的錯誤呀！另一個考量也阻止了我；即害怕會有人以為能在這部作品中找到聖經的全部內容。所有注釋書所造成嚴重和重大的傷害，是它們給這種想法留下了空間，從而使讀者內心懶惰和缺乏屬靈的學習，僅滿足於一些解釋，雖然那些解釋本身或許是好的，但只能給予神的話所提示的些許想法，並且無限地不足以傳遞它的生命、能力和豐富。

為害最大的莫過於一種懶惰，即寧可思考一些思想，而不深究神聖話語的本身；後者是那些不認真尋求主的人所拒絕的，但如果帶著勤奮，屬靈學習和奉獻來探究，就能得著只有主能給的知識。因此，讀者在這裡找不到任何可以給他聖經全部內容的假定。他至少會發現，這一直是我的願望和工作的目標，希望能提供一些指導，來幫助他學習聖經，但如果他不研讀聖經，這部作品就對他沒用了。如果我幫助他收集想法，同時使他偏離了神活潑真實的聖言，那麼我所給他的服事就有害了。神的聖言使我們與神自己有接觸，將我們的心放在那鑒察一切的眼目底下；這眼目審判萬有，但是這眼目鑒察我們的心，是為了醫治我們並賜福給我們。但我越進一步、更多個人的考慮，就使我更沉重一點，事實上，這個任務真的很艱巨。

這種想法的影響消失了，因為我希望能服事我的弟兄們，也因為我預期能從執行這個工作得到極大的喜樂，而我確實沒有停止過經歷這喜樂。即使我的讀者沒有從本書得到任何大益處，我無論如何都能因為它給我帶來巨大收穫而感到安慰。不管怎樣，我都不後悔承擔這項工作。我懇請讀者不要只閱讀這些文字，而沒有將它們與聖經一起使用，也不要只將它們用於研究聖經而已。我的目的是要研讀聖經，我甚至希望，除了研究聖經之外，不可能使用這些著作。最後，我並沒有打算說出真理在我自己身上產生的結果，也沒有要說出正確研讀聖經時在心中湧出的敬虔情感。我打算幫助我的讀者理解，產生這些感受的源頭。我寧願恩典在他心裡湧出這些情感，而不是向他傳授發生在我裡面的許多事。

我只是簡單表達這樣的願望：這種效果不是只有知識的喜樂，也是真正與神交通。我只有一句話要補充。我打算出版聖經所有書卷的摘要，儘量指出聖靈在每卷書中給我的意圖和思想。由於這是一項大工程，似乎這工作可以分次出版。摩西五經自然地成一組，可以單獨發行。我對其他書卷的工作進展順利，所以，神若願意，我希望，儘快恢復這部作品的出版。

何等甘甜，想到我的弟兄們會以他們的禱告幫助我，使我可以在這項工作中得到神的引導，並且懇求祂的靈主持這項工作，從而使這項工作成為我們所有人的祝福。我在結束序言之前，必須告訴我的讀者，如果他從這些文字的內容獲得造就，那麼他將非常感謝我們的帕賴爾（M. H. Parlier）所帶來的關心和深情關注，在編輯工作上幫了我很多。親愛的讀者，願聖靈的教導從祂自己賜給你們；願神的話在末後的日子裡變得更加珍貴，並且願你們有順服的靈，與對所有屬於基督之人的愛交織在一起，與你們同在。這是你們在主裡面弟兄深情的盼望。

約翰•納爾遜•達秘

TO THE READER

(Translated from the French as appearing in "tudes sur La Parole par J. N. Darby".)

Dear Reader,

I present to you in these pages the beginning of a work which I trust will be of use to you in the study of the precious Word of God. I also desire that the outlines you will find therein, giving you a glimpse of part of the wealth contained in the Word, may induce you to study it more carefully. I feel conscious, even more conscious than you could be, of the great and numerous imperfections that are found in this outline. However small one's value of the Word may be; however little one may have felt its divine character, any work of man referring to it will be, in the eyes of a believer, quite colorless and poor. I feel this, and wish to say a few words to explain to you my object in publishing these thoughts, and to let you know what to expect in perusing them.
A few years ago a brother suggested that I should undertake this work, but until now, I have shrunk from the task, more because of a sense of my inability for such an undertaking, than because of my being occupied in the Lord's service, although the latter may have accounted somewhat for the delay. The feeling that the Lord is near inclined me to devote myself to service rather than to undertake work in my study. The needs of brothers who are also in the Lord's field, and most of them in a more useful way than I am, caused me to decide to set about this work, without, I hope forsaking a fitting humility, which I would rather maintain than accomplish any kind of work whatsoever. Several matters, however, weighed in the balance to hinder my commencing this task.

Firstly, the immense responsibility, which, when it is a question of the Word of God, attaches to the one who would give guidance to the thoughts of Christians; and however modestly it might be, to present ideas as being the intention of the Spirit of God. How grave an error to wrongly direct the dear children of God in the understanding of His thoughts and of His will; or to present as the purpose of His precious communications, that which may not be it! Another consideration also checked me; it was the fear that anyone might assume to find in this work, the whole contents of the Word. The grave and serious harm of all commentaries is that they make room for this thought, lending themselves thus to the slothfulness of heart and the lack of spirituality which are satisfied with a few explanations, good, perhaps, in themselves, but which only give a few thoughts suggested by the Word and fall infinitely short of communicating its life, its power and its wealth.
Nothing is more harmful than this laziness which prefers to dwell on a few thoughts rather than fathom the divine Word itself, which latter is denied to the soul who does not earnestly seek of the Lord, with diligence, spirituality and devotion, the knowledge which He alone can give. The reader therefore, will not find here any pretension to give him the whole contents of the Word. He will findat least, such has been my desire and the object of my work - a few indications which will help him in the study of the Bible, but which will be useless to him without this study. I should have rendered him an injurious service had I helped him to gather up ideas, at the same time diverting him from the living and true Word which puts us in touch with God Himself, places our hearts beneath that eye which sees all, which judges all; but which sees it in order to heal us and bless us. A further and more personal consideration weighed with me a little, the fact that the task truly was very great.
The influence of this thought vanished in the hope of being of service to my brethren; and, in the great joy I anticipated in performing the work, which joy indeed, I have not failed to experience. Even if my reader does not derive any great gain from it, I, at any rate, have the consolation that it has been of immense gain to me. Whatever may be, I do not regret having undertaken it. I beseech the reader not to read these pages without accompanying them with those of the Word, and to use them only for the study of the Word. My purpose is that the Word should be studied, and I even hope that it will be impossible to use these writings otherwise than in the study of the Word. Finally, I did not propose to speak of the result the truth has produced in myself, nor give utterance to the godly emotions which gush up in the heart when the Word is rightly read. I intended to help my reader to understand that which should produce these feelings. I prefer to let them spring up through grace in his heart, rather than to impart to him much of what has taken place in mine.
I simply express the desire that the effect may be not only the joy of knowledge, but of true communion with God. I have only one word to add. I intended to publish a summary of all the books of the Bible, indicating as far as it may be given to me the intent and thought of the Holy Spirit in each book. As it is a great undertaking it seemed that the work could very well be published in parts. The Pentateuch suggests itself naturally as a group which could appear separately. My work on the other books is well advanced, so that I hope to be able, God willing, to resume shortly the publication of this work.
It is sweet to think that my brethren will help me with their prayers that I may have guidance from God in this work, and that His Spirit may preside over it, and that thus it may be a blessing to us all. I must not finish this Preface without informing my reader that if he finds that which edifies in these pages, he will be largely indebted to the care and affectionate interest brought in by our brother M. H. Parlier, who has greatly helped me in editing. May the teaching of the Holy Spirit Himself be granted to you, dear reader; may the Word become always more precious in these last days, and may an obedient spirit, mingled with love for all that belongs to Christ, be with you. This is the desire of your affectionate brother in Him.
J.N.DARBY