四月一日

願他用口與我親嘴……（歌1:2）。

幾天以來我們著重救主受苦的大愛，我們還得再繼續下去。在本月的開頭，我們要有這位被選的新婦向主所存的心願。看她怎樣立即對他一往情深，她一開口就道出她的心願，並不說別的廢話，真可說是開門見山了，甚至她連他的名字也不提；她馬上就講到她的意中人，因為她提到他時，心目中只有這麼的一位他。她的愛是多麼果敢！讓一個為罪懺悔流淚的人膏他的腳是多麼謙抑——允准馬利亞坐在他的腳前聽他的話，可以表現出他豐富的愛。但這裡所說的愛，卻是堅強、火熱的愛，渴慕著盛情的最高尚的表徵，希冀著友愛的最親密的記號。以斯帖在亞哈隨魯王面前戰兢恐懼，可是這位佳人在完全的愛中快樂自由毫無懼怕。若我們已經得到這種自由，也可以這樣求。親嘴乃是愛情的一種不同表現，可以使信徒享受耶穌的愛。和好的親嘴乃是因我們悔罪（信服）所得到的歡樂，它像蜜從蜂房下滴一樣。悅納的親嘴使我們笑顏頓開，我們知道因他豐盛的恩典，我們和我們的工作都被他所悅納了。天天的親嘴，現在的交通，是我們一天一天所渴慕著的，一直等到接受的親嘴，把靈魂從地上接去和滿了天堂喜樂的息勞的親嘴。信心是我們的奔走，但在安息時才能相交。信心是道路，但與耶穌相交卻好像走天路的人來到泉源旁邊暢飲一樣。我們靈魂的良人哪！不要與我們生疏；願你賜福的唇親著我們祈求的唇，願你豐富的唇觸著我們需要的唇，那就是親嘴了。

April 1

"Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth." --Song of Solomon 1:2

For several days we have been dwelling upon the Saviour's passion, and for some little time to come we shall linger there. In beginning a new month, let us seek the same desires after our Lord as those which glowed in the heart of the elect spouse. See how she leaps at once to Him; there are no prefatory words; she does not even mention His name; she is in the heart of her theme at once, for she speaks of Him who was the only Him in the world to her. How bold is her love! it was much condescension which permitted the weeping penitent to anoint His feet with spikenard--it was rich love which allowed the gentle Mary to sit at His feet and learn of Him--but here, love, strong, fervent love, aspires to higher tokens of regard, and closer signs of fellowship. Esther trembled in the presence of Ahasuerus, but the spouse in joyful liberty of perfect love knows no fear. If we have received the same free spirit, we also may ask the like. By kisses we suppose to be intended those varied manifestations of affection by which the believer is made to enjoy the love of Jesus. The kiss of reconciliation we enjoyed at our conversion, and it was sweet as honey dropping from the comb. The kiss of acceptance is still warm on our brow, as we know that He hath accepted our persons and our works through rich grace. The kiss of daily, present communion, is that which we pant after to be repeated day after day, till it is changed into the kiss of reception, which removes the soul from earth, and the kiss of consummation which fills it with the joy of heaven. Faith is our walk, but fellowship sensibly felt is our rest. Faith is the road, but communion with Jesus is the well from which the pilgrim drinks. O lover of our souls, be not strange to us; let the lips of Thy blessing meet the lips of our asking; let the lips of Thy fulness touch the lips of our need, and straightway the kiss will be effected.