美國語文第五冊 第31期：尊重安息日（01）

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In the city of Bath, not many years since, lived a barber who made a practice of following his ordinary occupation on the Lord's day.

前些年，巴斯城內(nèi),有位理發(fā)匠，他一直保留星期日不休息、照常理發(fā)的習(xí)慣。

As he was on the way to his morning's employment, he happened to look into some place of worship just as the minister was giving out his text—"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy."

一天，在他早晨去理發(fā)店的路上，他碰巧看見教徒做禮拜的一處地方，有位牧師正在分發(fā)布道經(jīng)文，“別忘記安息日，請維護它的神圣”。

He listened long enough to be convinced that he was constantly breaking the laws of God and man by shaving and dressing his customers on the Lord's day.

他聽了很久，終于相信自己所作所為確實違背了上帝與人類的法則，安息日里，他竟然還在為顧客打理胡須、修剪頭發(fā)。

He became uneasy, and went with a heavy heart to his Sabbath task.

想到這里，他心里變得糾結(jié)不安，反復(fù)琢磨安息日的道理。

At length he took courage, and opened his mind to his minister, who advised him to give up Sabbath work, and worship God.

他終于鼓起勇氣，向牧師袒露了他的憂慮。牧師建議他安息日向上帝祈禱，不要干活。

He replied that beggary would be the consequence.

他回答，如果不做生意的話，他就得到處去乞討。

He had a flourishing trade, but it would almost all be lost.

他生意一向興隆，周日不做活，他的生意可能會垮掉。

At length, after many a sleepless night spent in weeping and praying,

經(jīng)過不少輾轉(zhuǎn)反側(cè)的難眠之夜，不停地哭泣禱告，

he was determined to cast all his care upon God, as the more he reflected, the more his duty became apparent.

他最終決定全身心地信奉上帝，愈是反省，他愈感到他的職責(zé)至關(guān)重要。

He discontinued his Sabbath work, went constantly and early to the public services of religion, and soon enjoyed that satisfaction of mind which is one of the rewards of doing our duty,

從此，每逢安息日，他不再干活，總是早起去參加公共宗教禮拜，不久，他便感到心靈的滿足，這種滿足來自履行宗教職責(zé)的饋贈，

and that peace which the world can neither give nor take away.

還有那份塵世既不能給予他、亦不能從其內(nèi)心取走的安寧。

The consequences he foresaw actually followed.

他的預(yù)言很快得到應(yīng)驗。

His genteel customers left him, and he was nicknamed "Puritan" or "Methodist."

那些有教養(yǎng)的顧客不再光臨他的理發(fā)店，他甚至還被封為“清教徒”、“衛(wèi)道士”的綽號，

He was obliged to give up his fashionable shop, and, in the course of years, became so reduced as to take a cellar under the old market house and shave the poorer people.

被迫賣掉他那間時尚理發(fā)屋。隨后歲月里，他生活日漸窘困，不得不租住在一家破舊市場地下室里，為窮人做點生意謀生。