《信使》
1892年12月15日
1、祷告的特权
耶稣在约旦河里受了约翰的洗，就从水里上来，在河岸上俯伏拜恳求祂的天父。因祂的祷告，天就开了，从永远的宝座上，射出上帝荣耀的光，比正午的太阳还明亮。有彷佛鸽子的形状、环绕上帝的儿子。从极美的荣耀里听见有声音说：“这是我的爱子，我所喜悦的”。{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 1}
基督是人类的代表。祂放弃了祂的荣耀，从祂的宝座上下来，把祂的神性与人性结合起来，以便用祂的人类的手臂来环绕人类，用祂神圣的手臂达到无穷的宝座。祂接受了人的本性，在凡事上受试探和我们一样。作为一个人，祂在上帝的宝座前祈祷，恳求祂的父亲接受祂代表人类的祈祷;祂诚心祈求，天就开了。天使从来没有听过这样的祷告。天上威严的荣光照耀着祂。有爱和赞赏的话语向祂保证，祂作为人类代表的祈求一定会被接受。上帝借着基督的功劳接纳了堕落的人类。{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 2}
天与地之间、上帝与人类之间的联系由于亚当的堕落而中断了。但借着基督，人可以重新与上帝相交。那无罪的成了罪，好让祂的义归给人。通过基督完美的品格，人性在道德价值上提升到上帝的水平;有限的人与无限的上帝联系在一起。罪孽所造成的鸿沟就这样被世界的救赎主连接起来了。{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 3}
我们应该感谢基督在我们面前打开天堂为我们所获得的特权。天父对代表人类的基督所说：“这是我的爱子，我所喜悦的”给人带来了多大的希望啊!天父借着接纳代表人类的基督向我们保证：因着祂儿子的功劳，我们可以接近上帝。我们可以在爱子里得蒙悦纳。世界的救赎主耶稣已经打开了道路，让那些最有罪、最贫穷、最受压迫、最受鄙视的人可以来到上帝面前，在耶稣为爱祂的人所预备的住宅里有一个家。{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 4}
雅各布布在异象中看见一个神秘的梯子，顶天立地。梯子上有天使上去下来。天上的荣光从上帝的宝座照射出来。这个梯子代表人与上帝之间指定的沟通媒介——耶稣。祂若不是以祂的仁慈跨越了罪在上帝和祂百姓之间所造成的鸿沟，天使就不可能作服役的灵与堕落的人类沟通。但是通过基督，软弱无助的人与无限力量的源头连接起来了。{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 5}
耶稣过着祷告的生活。祂劳碌了一整天，向无知识的人传道，医治有病的人，叫瞎子看见，叫死人复活，叫众人吃饱。一个又一个晚上，耶稣离开混乱的城市，在一个僻静的地方痛哭流泪，向祂天父恳求。有时明亮的月光照在祂那弯腰曲背的身体上;乌云和黑暗又把一切光明都遮住了。当祂以恳求者的姿态鞠躬时，露水和夜霜落在祂身上。祂常常整夜不停地祈求。人类的救主尚且觉得我们需要祷告，软弱有罪的人就更应认识到要为自己献上火热不断的祷告! {Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 6}
怀爱伦夫人
December 15, 1892
Privilege of Prayer
After Christ was baptised of John in Jordan, He came up out of the water, and bowed upon the bank of the river, and prayed fervently to his Heavenly Father. The heavens were opened to his prayer, and the light of the glory of God, brighter than the sun at noonday, shone from the eternal throne. The form of a dove encircled the Son of God, while the clear voice from the excellent glory was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”?{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 1}
Christ was the representative of humanity. He had laid aside his glory, stepped down from his throne, clothed his divinity with humanity, that with his human arm He might encircle the race, and with his divine arm reach the throne of the Infinite. He took upon Him the nature of man, and was tempted in all points like as we are. As a man He supplicated at the throne of God, beseeching his Father to accept his prayer in behalf of humanity; and to his earnest petition the heavens were opened. Never before had angels listened to such a prayer, and the glory of the Majesty of heaven shone upon Him, and words of love and approval assured Him of the acceptance of his petition as man’s representative. God accepted the fallen race through the merits of Christ.?{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 2}
Communication between heaven and earth, between God and man, had been broken by the fall of Adam; but through Christ man could again commune with God. He who knew no sin became sin for the race, that his righteousness might be imputed to man. Through the perfection of Christ’s character, humanity was elevated in the scale of moral value with God; finite man was linked with the infinite God. Thus the gulf which sin had made was bridged by the world’s Redeemer.?{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 3}
How grateful should we be for the privileges which Christ has gained for us in opening heaven before us. What hope does it give to man that the Father said to Christ, who represented humanity, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” In the Father’s acceptance of Christ in man’s behalf, we are assured that through the merits of his Son, we may find access to God. We may be accepted in the Beloved. Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, has opened the way so that the most sinful, the most needy, the most oppressed and despised, may find access to God, may have a home in the mansions that Jesus has gone to prepare for those who love Him.?{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 4}
In a vision Jacob beheld a mystic ladder reaching from earth to heaven, on which were angels ascending and descending, and from the throne of God the glory of heaven streamed down. This ladder represented Jesus, the appointed medium of communication between man and God. Had He not by his humanity bridged the gulf of separation that sin had made between God and his people, the angels could never have been ministering spirits to communicate with fallen man; but through Christ man in his weakness and helplessness is connected with the source of infinite power.?{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 5}
Jesus lived a life of prayer; after toiling all day, preaching to the ignorant, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, feeding the multitudes, evening after evening He went away from the confusion of the city, and in some retired place, poured forth supplication to his Father with strong crying and tears. At times the bright beams of the moon shone upon his bowed form, and again clouds and darkness shut away all light. While bowed in the attitude of a suppliant, the dew and the frost of night rested upon Him. He frequently continued his petitions through the entire night. If the Saviour of men felt the need of prayer in our behalf, how much more should feeble, sinful mortals feel the necessity of prayer—fervent, constant prayer—on their own account!?{Messenger December 15, 1892, par. 6}
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