林后十15~16 我们不凭别人的劳碌过度夸口，但盼望随着你们信心的增长，照着我们的尺度，因着你们得以丰盛地扩大，将福音传到你们以外的地方，并不是在别人的尺度之内，凭现成的事夸口。

　　主特别喜欢约束年轻人。如果年轻人无心事奉，主会挑旺他们事奉祂。但等他们被挑旺之后，祂……会限制他们。人天然的性情不喜欢这种限制。譬如，在睡觉和活动上，我们也许不喜欢受限制。我们在属灵上沉睡时，神会来挑旺我们。但我们太活跃的时候，祂就约束我们。……一位年轻弟兄可能想在年轻人中间带头。如果他带头了，他可能又想在召会中作执事或长老。在这些事上，他可能巴望有快速的进展。但神的原则乃是先叫我们快起来，又使我们慢下去；先兴起我们来，又使我们降下。当我们下沉时，祂来扶持我们。但当我们上得太高，祂就把我们拉回来。因此，神对付我们的作法就是上去下来，下来上去。我们若肯接受神这样的上上下下，最终我们就能在祂的工作中有用处（哥林多后书生命读经，五二九页）。

　　2 Cor. 10:15-16 We are not boasting beyond our measure in others' labors, but have the hope, as your faith is increasing, to be magnified in you according to our rule unto abundance, so that we may announce the gospel unto those parts beyond you, not so that we may boast in another man's rule in things already prepared.

　　The Lord is especially interested in restricting the young people. If the young ones do not have a heart to serve the Lord, He will stir them up to serve Him. But once they have been stirred up, He will limit them. Human nature does not like this kind of limitation. For example, both in our sleeping and in our activity, we may not like limitations. When, spiritually speaking, we are asleep, God will stir us up. But when we become too active, He will restrict us…A young brother may want to be a leader among the young people. If he becomes a leader, he may then want to be a deacon or an elder in the church. In these matters he may expect to make swift progress. God’s way, however, is first to speed us up and then to slow us down, first to raise us up and then to lower us down. When we are down, He will lift us up. But when we get too far up, He will lower us down. Hence, God’s way of dealing with us is up and down, down and up. If we can take God’s ups and downs, we will eventually become useful in His work. (Life-study of 2 Corinthians, p. 441)

　　许多年轻人受不了神的上上下下。几番上上下下，他们就想逃了。他们的态度是：“如果神要我上，就让我上到诸天之上，留在那里直等主耶稣回来。如果神要我下，就把我留在底下。我不喜欢上上下下，下下上上。”

　　神不要我们一直在上，或一直在下。甚至在自然界，日夜的转换也证实这事。不会永远都是白昼或黑夜……。神创造我们，不会使我们的一日或一夜持续多年之久。这可能是照着我们的路，却不是照着神的路。

　　神有许多方法把我们带到低处。有些年轻人被他们的婚姻生活带到低处。某位弟兄在婚前可能像飞鹰翱翔在空中。他很容易谈到美妙而荣耀的召会生活。但是结婚没有多久，召会生活就不再荣耀了。神用婚姻生活来使这位兴奋的弟兄冷静下来。有些弟兄婚后就这样在低处沉寂了很长一段时间。但最终他会起来，只是不像从前那样冲动了。这是长进的现象。

　　神有时会用一个长老把你带到低处。你若遇见这情形，你该知道，把你打倒的是神，而不是长老。是神借着长老这样作。长老对你说的话可能是无心的，却把你打倒了。神这样对付我们，因为祂是度量的神，分给我们一定的度量。

　　我知道下沉是件严重的事。有些弟兄们下沉很久，似乎再也起不来了。但过了一段时间，他们又起来了。……这种上上下下似乎不是我们能控制、支配的。我们的确不能控制、支配。因此，我们都必须看见，是神在管治，祂乃是这样把我们限制在我们的度量里。

　　主的恢复在美国已经有相当的扩展，但是，这个扩展似乎有一个限度。然而，这意思不是说，主使这恢复的扩展永远停顿下来。这里的重点是说，照我们的观念来看，主的恢复一旦开始扩展，就该毫无限制地扩展下去；但神的观念不是这样（哥林多后书生命读经，五二九至五三一页）。

　　参读：实行召会生活的基本原则，第六章。

　　Many young people cannot tolerate God’s ups and downs. After a few of these ups and downs, they want to quit. Their attitude may be, “If God wants me up, then let me go up to the heavens and stay there until the Lord Jesus comes back. But if God wants me down, let me stay down. But I don’t like going up and down, down and up.”

　　God does not want us to be always up or to be always down. Even in nature the alternating of day and night testifies of this. There is no such thing as an unending day or night…God did not create us so that we would have a day or night that would last for many years. This may be according to our way, but it is not according to God’s way.

　　God has many ways to bring us down. Some young people have been brought down by their married life. Before a particular brother was married, he may have been like an eagle soaring in the air. He could easily talk about the wonderful, glorious church life. But not long after his wedding, it seems that the church life is no longer glorious. God is using his marriage to calm down such an excited brother. In some cases, such a brother may stay down for a long period of time after his marriage. But eventually, he is up again, although not in the same excited way as before. This is a sign of improvement.

　　Sometimes God may use one of the elders to bring you down. If such a thing happens to you, you should realize that God is the One who is putting you down, not the elder. He does it by means of the elder. Without having any intention, that elder may speak a certain word to you, and that word lowers you down. God deals with us in this way because He is a God of measure, apportioning to us a certain measure.

　　I realize that it is a serious matter to be down. Some brothers may be down for such a long time that it seems they will never rise up again. But perhaps after another period of time, they will once again be up…It seems that this being up and down is beyond our control or management. Yes, we do not control this or manage it. Therefore, we all must realize that God is in control and that this is His way to keep us within our measure.

　　In this country the Lord’s recovery has spread to a certain degree. Yet it seems that there has been a limit to this spread. However, this does not mean that the Lord will permanently stop the spread of the recovery. The point here is that, in our concept, once the Lord’s recovery begins to spread, it should spread farther and farther without restriction. However, this is not God’s concept. (Life-study of2 Corinthians, pp. 441-442)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1963, vol. 3, “Basic Principles for the Practice of the Church Life,” ch. 6