十月十七日

大衛心裏說：必有一日我死在掃羅手裏。（撒上27：1）

大衛這時心裏的思想乃是錯誤的，因爲他毫無根據地懷疑神藉撒母耳膏他爲王的事是一件無意義的、多餘的舉動。神從未丟弃過他的僕人；他常身歷險境，但沒有一次神不從中救他的。他曾受過各樣的苦難；各式各樣的苦難都有，可是沒有一次神不開恩在苦難中爲他開一條出路的。大衛絕不能記載說：“這是神丟弃我的證據。”因爲他過去生活的證明適與此相反。他應當從神過去爲他所作的，得知神必仍然作他的護衛者。我們不也像大衛一樣疑惑神的幫助嗎？我們的不信不是也有一種理由嗎？我們的理智不也曾受蒙蔽因而疑惑到神的良善嗎？他的慈愛不是奇妙嗎？他曾有一次使我們的信靠落空嗎？

不，我們的神在任何時候絕不撇弃我們。我們曾經黝黑之夜，但慈愛的星仍在黑暗中放光；我們曾經激烈的爭鬥，但我們必永不受損，而常獲益；我們過去的經驗證明，在六次苦難中他曾與我們同在；那末第七次來到時，他會丟下我們嗎？我們所認識的信實的神必保守我們到底。那末，讓我們不要從肯定的證據推出相反的結論來，我們疑惑神真是一件不應當的事。主啊！求你打倒我們不信的耶洗別，叫狗來吞吃了它。

“既然信靠主耶穌，信上更必加信；

既蒙恩惠免罪辜，恩上更必加恩！”

October 17

"And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul."--1 Samuel 27:1

The thought of David's heart at this time was a false thought, because he certainly had no ground for thinking that God's anointing him by Samuel was intended to be left as an empty unmeaning act. On no one occasion had the Lord deserted his servant; he had been placed in perilous positions very often, but not one instance had occurred in which divine interposition had not delivered him. The trials to which he had been exposed had been varied; they had not assumed one form only, but many--yet in every case he who sent the trial had also graciously ordained a way of escape. David could not put his finger upon any entry in his diary, and say of it, "Here is evidence that the Lord will forsake me," for the entire tenor of his past life proved the very reverse. He should have argued from what God had done for him, that God would be his defender still. But is it not just in the same way that we doubt God's help? Is it not mistrust without a cause? Have we ever had the shadow of a reason to doubt our Father's goodness? Have not his lovingkindnesses been marvellous? Has he once failed to justify our trust? Ah, no! our God has not left us at any time. We have had dark nights, but the star of love has shone forth amid the blackness; we have been in stern conflicts, but over our head he has held aloft the shield of our defence. We have gone through many trials, but never to our detriment, always to our advantage; and the conclusion from our past experience is, that he who has been with us in six troubles, will not forsake us in the seventh. What we have known of our faithful God, proves that he will keep us to the end. Let us not, then, reason contrary to evidence. How can we ever be so ungenerous as to doubt our God? Lord, throw down the Jezebel of our unbelief, and let the dogs devour it.