七月三日

這又醜陋又乾瘦的七隻母牛吃盡了那又美好又肥壯的七隻母牛。法老就醒了。（創41：4）

法老睡時的夢常是我醒時的經驗。我懶惰的日子常把我熱心時辛勤工作果效毀壞淨盡；我冷淡的時期常把火熱興奮時，適于生長的溫暖凍結起來；世事的纏繞常使我屬神的生命不能向前生長。我必須留心乾瘦的禱告、乾瘦的贊美、乾瘦的工作和乾瘦經驗，因爲這些要把我肥壯的安慰和平安吞吃淨盡。若我忽略我的禱告，總是敷衍塞責、匆忙倉惶的話，我就必喪失我所已經得到的靈福；若我不從天上時時取得新鮮的營養，不久我倉中的一點陳糧必因我靈魂的大饑荒消耗枯竭起來。當冷淡的毛蟲、世俗的害蟲和放縱的蝗蟲，使我的心田荒蕪貧瘠時，我的靈魂就枯萎雕零起來，我以前在恩典中的果子和長進就算不得什麽了。

我切願我沒有乾瘦的日子，沒有醜陋的時候！若我每天向著我的標竿奔跑，不久我就必會到達，但是退後的力量常使我不能得到那從上面召我來得的獎賞，幷把我辛勤所作的工作奪去。使我的日子能像“肥壯”的母牛一樣的惟一方法是在適當的草場喂養它們，用那些日子來服侍神，在他的工作上，在與他的靈交上，在敬畏他的事上，幷在他的道路上服付侍他。爲什麽不該在愛心、功效和快樂上本年比往年更富足呢？我已更近屬天的山峰，我已有更多認識主的經驗，我就應當更像他。主啊！使我的靈命不受乾瘦的咒詛；使永不叫我說：“我消瘦了，我消瘦了，我有禍了！”（改譯）而讓我在你的家中得到飽足和和營養，好叫我贊美你的名。

July 3

"The illfavoured and leanfleshed kine did eat up the seven wellfavoured and fat kine." -- Genesis 41:4

Pharaoh's dream has too often been my waking experience. My days of sloth have ruinously destroyed all that I had achieved in times of zealous industry; my seasons of coldness have frozen all the genial glow of my periods of fervency and enthusiasm; and my fits of worldliness have thrown me back from my advances in the divine life. I had need to beware of lean prayers, lean praises, lean duties, and lean experiences, for these will eat up the fat of my comfort and peace. If I neglect prayer for never so short a time, I lose all the spirituality to which I had attained; if I draw no fresh supplies from heaven, the old corn in my granary is soon consumed by the famine which rages in my soul. When the caterpillars of indifference, the cankerworms of worldliness, and the palmerworms of self-indulgence, lay my heart completely desolate, and make my soul to languish, all my former fruitfulness and growth in grace avails me nothing whatever. How anxious should I be to have no lean-fleshed days, no ill-favoured hours! If every day I journeyed towards the goal of my desires I should soon reach it, but backsliding leaves me still far off from the prize of my high calling, and robs me of the advances which I had so laboriously made. The only way in which all my days can be as the "fat kine," is to feed them in the right meadow, to spend them with the Lord, in His service, in His company, in His fear, and in His way. Why should not every year be richer than the past, in love, and usefulness, and joy?--I am nearer the celestial hills, I have had more experience of my Lord, and should be more like Him. O Lord, keep far from me the curse of leanness of soul; let me not have to cry, "My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me!" but may I be well-fed and nourished in Thy house, that I may praise Thy name.