九月二十七日

以色列啊，你是有福的！誰像你這蒙耶和華所拯救的百姓呢？（申33：29）

有人說：人們的不幸經驗都是因爲信了基督教。說這話的人完全是外行，若基督教使我們多受苦難，那才真是一件怪事，你且看它使我們得了多麽高的地位！它使我們成爲神的兒子。你以爲神會把一切的福樂給他的仇敵，而只把悲哀留給自己家裏的人嗎？他的仇敵反而有愉快和歡樂，而生在他家裏的兒女反承受悲傷和苦痛嗎？與基督無份無關的罪人自稱大得福樂，而我們反會哀哭切齒地像一文不值的乞丐嗎？不，我們要常在主裏面喜樂，幷在我們的産業中得榮耀，因爲我們“所受的不是奴僕的心，仍舊害怕；所受的乃是兒子的心，因此我們呼叫：‘阿爸，父！’”管教的杖必須臨到我們，但它乃是使我們結出公義的安慰之果；幷且因著安慰我們之神的幫助，我們這被主所拯救的人必因救我們的神歡喜。

我們已許配給基督，我們的新郎會常久讓他的新婦經受苦楚嗎？我們的心已與他結合一起，我們是他的肢體，雖然我們暫時受苦，正像我們的頭也曾受過苦一樣，但我們現在已在他裏面得了從天上來的福分。我們所切慕要承受的聖靈的安慰，是非同小可的。我們必永遠承受喜樂，我們已先嘗了我們的份。永生的日頭已經透出了它快樂的光芒。我們的豐富超過了大海，我們的堅城在河的那邊，天堂的榮光已經照耀我們的心，督促我們勇往直前。“以色列啊，你是有福的！誰像你這蒙耶和華所拯救的百姓呢？”這話真是對我們說的。

September 27

"Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord!" -- Deuteronomy 33:29

He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable, is himself an utter stranger to it. It were strange indeed, if it made us wretched, for see to what a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of God. Suppose you that God will give all the happiness to His enemies, and reserve all the mourning for His own family? Shall His foes have mirth and joy, and shall His home-born children inherit sorrow and wretchedness? Shall the sinner, who has no part in Christ, call himself rich in happiness, and shall we go mourning as if we were penniless beggars? No, we will rejoice in the Lord always, and glory in our inheritance, for we "have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." The rod of chastisement must rest upon us in our measure, but it worketh for us the comfortable fruits of righteousness; and therefore by the aid of the divine Comforter, we, the "people saved of the Lord," will joy in the God of our salvation. We are married unto Christ; and shall our great Bridegroom permit His spouse to linger in constant grief? Our hearts are knit unto Him: we are His members, and though for awhile we may suffer as our Head once suffered, yet we are even now blessed with heavenly blessings in Him. We have the earnest of our inheritance in the comforts of the Spirit, which are neither few nor small. Heritors of joy for ever, we have foretastes of our portion. There are streaks of the light of joy to herald our eternal sunrising. Our riches are beyond the sea; our city with firm foundations lies on the other side the river; gleams of glory from the spirit-world cheer our hearts, and urge us onward. Truly is it said of us, "Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?"