五月二十日

奇妙的慈愛……（詩17：7）

當我們施捨的時候，我們若把我們的心和施捨的東西一同給人，那才是好的施捨，可惜我們並不常這樣。我們的主卻不如此。他的恩惠常隨著他心中的愛而來。他並不把他盛筵上的冰冷的食物和碎渣給我們，他卻把我們的零碎蘸在自己的盤裡，把我們的食物用他芬芳之愛當做香料來調和，然後再給我們吃。當他把他的恩惠放在我們手中的時候還有一種寶貴的記號，使我們的手在受到他的恩惠時感到一種溫暖。因此，他給的方式和所給的東西一樣的寶貴。他滿有恩慈地來到我們家中，他並不像一些勢利的客人來到窮人的茅屋中一樣；他乃是坐在我們身邊，不因我們貧窮而輕看我們，不因我們軟弱而責備我們。親愛的讀者啊，他說話時是多麼笑容可掬呀！他恩典的唇所滴下的真是金玉良言！他用熱愛環抱著我們！他所給我們的或許很輕，而那方式卻是極重，其實他所給我們的寶物乃是用金籃盛著，並用快樂的車子載來。我們不能懷疑他至誠的慈愛，因為他一切的恩惠上都印著他流血的心。他給人的時候乃是慷慨大方的，他並不責備。他一點也不露出我們是他的重擔，也不冷漠受惠的人；相反地，他以他的恩憐為樂，並且為我們舍了生命，為的是叫我們緊緊投靠在他的胸懷裡。他的哪噠所發的香氣乃是從他的心中才能發出來的；他的蜜房若沒有他舍生的愛攙和在其中是不會甘甜的。他的至愛和盛情是很高貴的！願我們常嘗它的滋味並知道它的豐美。

May 20

"Marvellous lovingkindness." -- Psalm 17:7

When we give our hearts with our alms, we give well, but we must often plead to a failure in this respect. Not so our Master and our Lord. His favours are always performed with the love of His heart. He does not send to us the cold meat and the broken pieces from the table of His luxury, but He dips our morsel in His own dish, and seasons our provisions with the spices of His fragrant affections. When He puts the golden tokens of His grace into our palms, He accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of our hand, that the manner of His giving is as precious as the boon itself. He will come into our houses upon His errands of kindness, and He will not act as some austere visitors do in the poor man's cottage, but He sits by our side, not despising our poverty, nor blaming our weakness. Beloved, with what smiles does He speak! What golden sentences drop from His gracious lips! What embraces of affection does He bestow upon us! If He had but given us farthings, the way of His giving would have gilded them; but as it is, the costly alms are set in a golden basket by His pleasant carriage. It is impossible to doubt the sincerity of His charity, for there is a bleeding heart stamped upon the face of all His benefactions. He giveth liberally and upbraideth not. Not one hint that we are burdensome to Him; not one cold look for His poor pensioners; but He rejoices in His mercy, and presses us to His bosom while He is pouring out His life for us. There is a fragrance in His spikenard which nothing but His heart could produce; there is a sweetness in His honey-comb which could not be in it unless the very essence of His soul's affection had been mingled with it. Oh! the rare communion which such singular heartiness effecteth! May we continually taste and know the blessedness of it!