三月二十日

我的良人……（歌2:9）

古代教會（指神所召的人說的）在最興隆時以這個寶貴的名字稱呼神的受膏者，差不多已經成為一種習慣。百鳥鳴叫的時候已經來到，斑鳩的聲音在她的境內也聽見了的時候，她可愛的聲音：“良人屬我，我也屬他；他在百合花中牧放群羊。”比這一切聲音都好聽。她在歌中的雅歌裡快樂地稱他是“我的良人”！當長冬之時，當偶像使神的園凋敝起來，她（教會）的先知有一個短時期把重擔放下，和以賽亞一樣地說：“我要為我所親愛的唱歌，是我所愛者的歌，論他葡萄園的事。”雖然那些聖徒沒有看到過他的面，雖然他還沒有成為肉身，還沒有住在我們中間，人還沒有看到他的榮耀，但他仍是以色列的安慰，是一切被選召之人的盼望和快樂，是一切在至高者面前為正直人的“良人”。我們，在教會的春季，也稱基督是我們的心所最愛的，並感到他實在寶貴，“超乎萬人之上”，全然可愛。教會就是這樣愛耶穌，稱他是“良人”，因此使徒願意為愛基督的緣故把萬事都看作糞土，並且說無論是患難、困苦、逼迫、饑餓、危險、刀劍都不能使他與基督的愛隔絕，他以這話向教會挑戰，要教會也效法他。他更快樂地說：“靠著愛我們的主，在這一切的事上已經得勝有餘了。”

求主使我們知道你是至寶貴的主！

“你的愛是我惟一的產業，在天上或地下，我沒有別的需要；雖然我懇切呼求，天天纏擾你，但除了你的愛，我別無所求。”

March 20

"My beloved." --Song of Solomon 2:8

This was a golden name which the ancient Church in her most joyous moments was wont to give to the Anointed of the Lord. When the time of the singing of birds was come, and the voice of the turtle was heard in her land, her love-note was sweeter than either, as she sang, "My beloved is mine and I am His: He feedeth among the lilies." Ever in her song of songs doth she call Him by that delightful name, "My beloved!" Even in the long winter, when idolatry had withered the garden of the Lord, her prophets found space to lay aside the burden of the Lord for a little season, and to say, as Esaias did, "Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching His vineyard." Though the saints had never seen His face, though as yet He was not made flesh, nor had dwelt among us, nor had man beheld His glory, yet He was the consolation of Israel, the hope and joy of all the chosen, the "beloved" of all those who were upright before the Most High. We, in the summer days of the Church, are also wont to speak of Christ as the best beloved of our soul, and to feel that He is very precious, the "chiefest among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely." So true is it that the Church loves Jesus, and claims Him as her beloved, that the apostle dares to defy the whole universe to separate her from the love of Christ, and declares that neither persecutions, distress, affliction, peril, or the sword have been able to do it; nay, he joyously boasts, "In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

O that we knew more of Thee, Thou ever precious one!

My sole possession is Thy love; In earth beneath, or heaven above, I have no other store; And though with fervent suit I pray, And importune Thee day by day, I ask Thee nothing more.