十月二十五日

愛你們是爲真理的緣故，這真理存在我們裏面，也必永遠與我們同在。（約貳2）

神的真理進入人心之後，便使整個的人都順服它，這是人間和陰間一切權勢所不能逐出的。我們不以真道當作客人，而以它爲一家之主——這是作基督徒的重要條件，他若不這樣相信，就不是一位基督徒。當聖靈打開、運用幷固封神的話時，因而得知福音大能、感到聖靈大力的人，就是把他們打得粉碎，也不能把救恩的福音從他們奪去。真理與我們永遠同在的應許包含著無數的恩典，它要作我們生活的給養、死時的安慰、我們復活的詩歌、我們永遠的榮耀。這是基督徒的特權，沒有它我們的信就毫無價值。

我們在某一些真理上已經長成了，且把它們撇在背後，因爲它們是小學的課程；但我們不能這樣看待神的真理，因爲那既是嬰兒的乳汁，也是成人的飯糧。我們都是罪人，這個真理叫我們痛苦煩惱，因此使我們謙卑幷警醒；但是信主耶穌就必得救的可稱頌的真理，却常與我們同在作我們的盼望和喜樂。經驗不但不能使我們放鬆恩道，反而把我們牢牢地與恩道連結起來；我們信仰的基礎和動機現在更加强固起來，我們也有理由盼望常久這樣，直到我們死時，用雙臂緊緊地抱住救主。既然曉得真理的愛永遠與我們同在，我們就當運用我們的愛。我們仁愛、惻隱之心不當限于小圈子，我們要把我們心的交通推廣到凡蒙恩選的人。我們所接受的真理有時攙雜了很多錯誤，讓我們攻擊錯誤，但仍按著我們在主裏所得的真理的分量來愛弟兄；最要緊的是讓我們彼此相愛，傳揚真理。

October 25

"For the truths sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us forever."--2 John 2

Once let the truth of God obtain an entrance into the human heart and subdue the whole man unto itself, no power human or infernal can dislodge it. We entertain it not as a guest but as the master of the house--this is a Christian necessity, he is no Christian who doth not thus believe. Those who feel the vital power of the gospel, and know the might of the Holy Ghost as he opens, applies, and seals the Lord's Word, would sooner be torn to pieces than be rent away from the gospel of their salvation. What a thousand mercies are wrapped up in the assurance that the truth will be with us forever; will be our living support, our dying comfort, our rising song, our eternal glory; this is Christian privilege, without it our faith were little worth. Some truths we outgrow and leave behind, for they are but rudiments and lessons for beginners, but we cannot thus deal with Divine truth, for though it is sweet food for babes, it is in the highest sense strong meat for men. The truth that we are sinners is painfully with us to humble and make us watchful; the more blessed truth that whosoever believeth on the Lord Jesus shall be saved, abides with us as our hope and joy. Experience, so far from loosening our hold of the doctrines of grace, has knit us to them more and more firmly; our grounds and motives for believing are now more strong, more numerous than ever, and we have reason to expect that it will be so till in death we clasp the Saviour in our arms.

Wherever this abiding love of truth can be discovered, we are bound to exercise our love. No narrow circle can contain our gracious sympathies, wide as the election of grace must be our communion of heart. Much of error may be mingled with truth received, let us war with the error but still love the brother for the measure of truth which we see in him; above all let us love and spread the truth ourselves.