十月一日

在我們的門內有各樣新陳佳美的果子；我的良人，這都是我爲你存留的。（歌7：13）

新婦願意把她所結出來的一切果子獻給耶穌。我們的心也有“各樣新陳佳美的果子”，爲我們所愛的主存留著。

在百果豐盈的秋天，讓我們看看我們有些什麽果子。我們有新的果子：我們願意有新的生命、新的快樂、新的感恩的心；我們願意用新的工作來實現我們新的决志，我們的心怒放著新的禱告，我們的靈從事著新的工作。

但我們也有陳的果子：我們有初熟的愛，是耶穌所非常喜歡的最好的佳果；我們有初熟的信，這一心相信的心使我們承受了萬有；我們在初認識主的時候有一種極大的快樂，我們要把它恢復起來；我們還記得過去所得的應許，神是多麽的信實！在生病的時候，他把我們的床鋪得多麽舒適！在大水之中，他牢牢扶持著我們！在烈火之中，他開恩拯救我們。這些實在是陳果！我們有很多，因爲他的憐憫比我們的頭髮還多。我們爲我們的舊罪痛悔，但他把悔改賜給我們，因此我們痛哭流泪地來到十字架下，得知他血的功效。今晨我們有新陳的果子；但要點乃在于——這都是爲耶穌存留的。這些都是最好、最蒙悅納的果子，因爲我們心靈中所服事的只有耶穌，我們一切的努力，毫不摻雜其他用意，都是爲了他的榮耀。

願我們的果子爲我們所愛的主留存；當他與我們同在的時候我們就要拿出來給他，幷不是炫耀于人。耶穌啊！我們把我們園門的鑰匙給你，免得有人進來奪取一個你用血汗所澆灌的佳果。我們親愛的良人！我們的一切都是你的，是你自己的！

October 1

"Pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved."--Song of Solomon 7:13

The spouse desires to give to Jesus all that she produces. Our heart has "all manner of pleasant fruits," both "old and new," and they are laid up for our Beloved. At this rich autumnal season of fruit, let us survey our stores. We have new fruits. We desire to feel new life, new joy, new gratitude; we wish to make new resolves and carry them out by new labours; our heart blossoms with new prayers, and our soul is pledging herself to new efforts. But we have some old fruits too. There is our first love: a choice fruit that! and Jesus delights in it. There is our first faith: that simple faith by which, having nothing, we became possessors of all things. There is our joy when first we knew the Lord: let us revive it. We have our old remembrances of the promises. How faithful has God been! In sickness, how softly did he make our bed! In deep waters, how placidly did he buoy us up! In the flaming furnace, how graciously did he deliver us. Old fruits, indeed! We have many of them, for his mercies have been more than the hairs of our head. Old sins we must regret, but then we have had repentances which he has given us, by which we have wept our way to the cross, and learned the merit of his blood. We have fruits, this morning, both new and old; but here is the point--they are all laid up for Jesus. Truly, those are the best and most acceptable services in which Jesus is the solitary aim of the soul, and his glory, without any admixture whatever, the end of all our efforts. Let our many fruits be laid up only for our Beloved; let us display them when he is with us, and not hold them up before the gaze of men. Jesus, we will turn the key in our garden door, and none shall enter to rob thee of one good fruit from the soil which thou hast watered with thy bloody sweat. Our all shall be thine, thine only, O Jesus, our Beloved!