箴十12 恨能挑启争端；爱能遮掩一切过错。

　　十七9 遮掩人过的，是寻求爱；重提旧事的，离间密友。

　　彼前四8 最要紧的，是彼此热切相爱，因为爱能遮盖众多的罪。

　　爱……是不轻易发怒。因着缺少爱，人很容易发怒。我们若充满了神圣的爱，无论我们多么受到斥责，我们也不会发怒。爱是不计算人的恶。我们必须承认，我们常计算别人的恶。有些妻子有一本记录，一本账簿，记下她们丈夫的失败和缺点。这个记录不一定是写下来的，却是在她们的头脑里。

　　作长老的必须知道，他们在牧养时，必须遮盖别人的罪，不可计算别人的恶。爱是凡事包容〔林前十三7〕，意即遮盖一切，不仅遮盖好事，也遮盖坏事。凡揭露召会中肢体的缺点、短处和罪恶的，就没有资格作长老。我们若揭露在我们长老职分下，在我们牧养之下的肢体，这就废除了我们的资格。爱也是凡事忍耐，永不败落。林前十三章总结地说，“如今常存的，有信、望、爱这三样，其中最大的是爱。”（13）

　　根据我多年的观察，大多数同工的灵都是“能力”的灵，而不是爱的灵。我们需要爱的灵，好征服今日召会的堕落。我们不该说什么或作什么去威吓人。反之，我们说话或行事，都该一直凭着已经如火挑旺起来的爱的灵（活力排，八九至九○、九二页）。

　　Prov. 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions.

　　17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

　　1 Pet. 4:8 Above all, have fervent love among yourselves, because love covers a multitude of sins.

　　Love is not provoked. People are easily provoked because of the shortage of love. Regardless of how much we are rebuked, we will not be provoked if we are filled with the divine love. Love does not take account of evil. We have to confess that we have taken account of other people’s evil. Some wives have a record, an account, of their husband’s failures and defects. This record may not be written, but it is in their mind.

　　The elders need to realize that in their shepherding, they have to cover others’ sins, to not take account of others’ evils. Love covers all things [1 Cor. 13:7], not only the good things but also the bad things. Whoever uncovers the defects, shortcomings, and sins of the members of the church is disqualified from the eldership. Our uncovering of the members under our eldership, our shepherding, annuls our qualification. Love also endures all things and never falls away. First Corinthians 13 concludes by saying, “Now there abide faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love” (v. 13).

　　According to my observation throughout the years, most of the co-workers have a human spirit of “power” but not of love. We need a spirit of love to conquer the degradation of today’s church. We should not say or do anything to threaten people. Instead, we should always say and do things with a spirit of love, which has been fanned into flame. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Vital Groups,” pp. 123-125)

　　我们若彼此相恨，就会有无止境的争端；但是爱能遮掩，不仅遮掩一个罪，一些罪，乃是遮掩一切的罪〔箴十12〕。雅各在他的著作末了说，“我的弟兄们，……那叫一个罪人从他错谬的路上转回的，必救他的魂脱离死亡，也必遮盖众多的罪。”（雅五19~20）若有人达不到标准，受迷惑离开真理，我们该恨他，还是爱他？我们可能不爱那些无法过团体生活的人，而只爱在我们的弟兄姊妹之家过正确生活的特别一班人。这完全不是照着圣经中所启示主的灵。一位弟兄若是表现良好，就不太需要我们的爱，因为他已经得到充分的爱了。几乎人人都爱好人，那受迷惑离开真理的人怎么办？若是有一位弟兄受迷惑离开真理，到公会聚会，或是去看电影，我们的小排可能觉得我们不需要他，并且不接纳他，因为他不合格。这不是爱，乃是恨。爱能遮盖众多的罪。即使我们知道他去看电影，也不该告诉别人；这就是遮盖他。我们不喜欢揭露他或暴露他。揭露不是爱。恨能挑启争端；爱能遮盖众多的罪。我们宁可像挪亚的两个儿子，遮盖父亲因醉酒而有的赤身。我们不喜欢揭露别人。遮盖带进祝福，揭露带进咒诅。这不是一件小事。揭露别人的人遭咒诅，而遮盖别人的罪、缺点和短处的人，享受、得着并接受祝福。雅各书五章二十节的“遮盖众多的罪”，是雅各用旧约的说法，来指明使一个犯错的弟兄回转，就是遮盖他的罪，使他不被定罪。这里的“遮盖……罪”，等于十五节的“罪……蒙赦免”，正如诗篇三十二篇一节所说的：“得赦免其过，遮盖其罪的，这人是有福的。”（对同工长老们以及爱主寻求主者爱心的话，一八至一九页）

　　参读：倪柝声文集第二辑第二十六册，第一百七十四篇；事奉主者的异象、职事与引导，第一篇。

　　If we hate each other, we will have endless strife, but love covers not only one sin or some sins but all sins [Prov. 10:12]. James ends his writing by saying, “My brothers,… he who turns a sinner back from the error of his way will save that one’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). Should we hate one who is not up to the standard, who is led astray from the truth, or should we love him? We may not love those who are not able to live in corporate living. We may love only the particular group of those who live properly in our homes. This is altogether not according to the Spirit of the Lord as revealed in the Bible. If a brother is good, he does not need our love very much, because he has already been sufficiently loved. Nearly everyone loves a good person, but what about one who is led astray from the truth? If a brother is led astray from the truth to attend the denominations or go to the movies, our small group may feel that we do not need him, and we do not accept him because he is not qualified. This is not love; this is hate. Love covers many sins. Even if we know that he goes to the movies, we should not tell others. This is to cover him. We do not like to uncover him or expose him. To uncover is not love. Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. We would rather be like the sons of Noah who covered their father’s nakedness, which was due to his drunkenness. We do not like to uncover others. Covering brings in blessing, but uncovering brings in a curse. This is not a small matter. Those who uncover suffer the curse, but those who cover others’ sins, defects, and shortcomings enjoy, gain, and receive blessing. Cover a multitude of sins in James 5:20 is an Old Testament expression used by James to indicate that turning an erring brother back is to cover his sins so that he is not condemned. Cover…sins here equals sins…forgiven in verse 15, as in Psalm 32:1, which says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven; / Whose sin is covered.” (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “A Word of Love to the Co-workers, Elders, Lovers, and Seekers of the Lord,” pp. 15-16)

　　Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 46, ch. 174; CWWL, 1952, vol. 2, “The Vision, Ministry, and Leading of the Lord’s Serving Ones,” ch. 1