十月三十日

我要一心稱謝耶和華。（詩9：1）

禱告蒙了應允必須繼之以贊美；地上感激之雲霧的升騰，乃是因爲天上仁愛的太陽溫暖了大地。神曾恩待過你嗎？曾側耳傾聽你的祈求嗎？那末你當在活著的時候贊美他。甚願成熟的果子落在供給它養分的肥土上。要歌頌他，因他答應你的禱告，滿足你的心願。神以恩憐待你，你却默不作聲，就是犯了忘恩負義的罪；這種卑鄙的行徑，正像九個得了痊愈的麻風人一樣，他們幷不回來感謝醫治他們的主。忘記贊美神就等于自己不願蒙福；因爲贊美和禱告一樣，是促進我們靈命的一個很重要的方法。

它能挪去我們的重擔，鼓舞我們的盼望，加增我們的信心。它是增進健康和力氣的運動，能使信徒的脉搏加速起來，使他爲主的工作奮發起來。爲我們所蒙的恩稱頌神，同時也能使我們的同道獲益；“謙卑人聽見就要喜樂。”別人若是在相同的情形之中必因我們說：“你們和我當稱耶和華爲大，一同高舉他的名；我曾尋求耶和華，他就應允我”而得安慰。軟弱的心靈必被振奮，頽喪的聖徒必因聽到我們的“拯救之歌”大得奮興。

當我們以詩章、頌詞和靈歌彼此對唱的時候，他們的疑惑和懼怕必受斥責。當他們聽到我們稱揚他的聖名時，他們也必說：“要歌頌耶和華的作爲。”贊美是基督徒的天職。天使幷不禱告，但他們却晝夜不停地贊美；被贖的人，穿著白衣，手裏拿著棕枝，必永不疲倦地唱新歌說：“曾被殺的羔羊是配得權柄豐富、智慧、能力、尊貴、榮耀、頌贊的。”

October 30

"I will praise thee, O Lord."--Psalm 9:1

Praise should always follow answered prayer; as the mist of earth's gratitude rises when the sun of heaven's love warms the ground. Hath the Lord been gracious to thee, and inclined his ear to the voice of thy supplication? Then praise him as long as thou livest. Let the ripe fruit drop upon the fertile soil from which it drew its life. Deny not a song to him who hath answered thy prayer and given thee the desire of thy heart. To be silent over God's mercies is to incur the guilt of ingratitude; it is to act as basely as the nine lepers, who after they had been cured of their leprosy, returned not to give thanks unto the healing Lord. To forget to praise God is to refuse to benefit ourselves; for praise, like prayer, is one great means of promoting the growth of the spiritual life. It helps to remove our burdens, to excite our hope, to increase our faith. It is a healthful and invigorating exercise which quickens the pulse of the believer, and nerves him for fresh enterprises in his Master's service. To bless God for mercies received is also the way to benefit our fellow-men; "the humble shall hear thereof and be glad." Others who have been in like circumstances shall take comfort if we can say, "Oh! magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together; this poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." Weak hearts will be strengthened, and drooping saints will be revived as they listen to our "songs of deliverance." Their doubts and fears will be rebuked, as we teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. They too shall "sing in the ways of the Lord," when they hear us magnify his holy name. Praise is the most heavenly of Christian duties. The angels pray not, but they cease not to praise both day and night; and the redeemed, clothed in white robes, with palm-branches in their hands, are never weary of singing the new song, "Worthy is the Lamb."