七月八日

求你告訴我，你因何有這麽大力氣。（士16：6）

信心力量的訣竅在于什麽呢？乃是在于喂養它的食物；信心學著知道應許是什麽——是神恩的流露，是神偉大心胸的廣布；信心便說：“這應許是出于神的愛和恩，因此他必成全他的話。”信心也必想：“誰賜下這應許呢？”它幷不多想到那應許有多大，而想到“誰是應許者”。信心必定牢記神是不會說謊的——全能的神，不變的神；因此得到一個結論，深信應許必定要成全，且在這堅定不移的信念上前進。信心知道，爲什麽有應許。

——就是，爲了神的榮耀，信心也確切感到神的榮耀是可靠的，他不能以己之矛攻己之盾，也不能使他的冠冕暗淡無光；因此他的應許必定站立不動。信心也會因基督所成就的奇妙工作清楚證明父必成全他的話。“神既不愛惜自己的兒子爲我們衆人舍了，豈不也把萬物和他一同白白地賜給我們嗎？”不但如此，信心還回顧過去，信心因爲經過許多爭戰的鍛煉，所以力量更增强壯大起來，信心因著勝利更加鼓勇向前了。

信心從記憶中知道神是不會使它失望的，幷且神沒有一次使他的兒女失望過。信心記得當大禍臨頭的，神的救援也隨之面來；到了山窮水盡，最急需的時候，信心的日子怎樣，他的力量也必怎樣，他必會說：“不，我現在絕不以爲他能改變，他决不會把他的僕人置之不理的。神既然幫助了我，他必仍要幫助我。”因此信心每逢看到一個應許，就想到賜應許的神；因爲如此，所以信心能確實地說：“我一生一世必有恩惠慈愛隨著我！”

July 8

"Tell me I pray thee wherein thy great strength lieth." -- Judges 16:6

Where lies the secret strength of faith? It lies in the food it feeds on; for faith studies what the promise is--an emanation of divine grace, an overflowing of the great heart of God; and faith says, "My God could not have given this promise, except from love and grace; therefore it is quite certain His Word will be fulfilled." Then faith thinketh, "Who gave this promise?" It considereth not so much its greatness, as, "Who is the author of it?" She remembers that it is God who cannot lie--God omnipotent, God immutable; and therefore concludeth that the promise must be fulfilled; and forward she advances in this firm conviction. She remembereth, why the promise was given,-- namely, for God's glory, and she feels perfectly sure that God's glory is safe, that He will never stain His own escutcheon, nor mar the lustre of His own crown; and therefore the promise must and will stand. Then faith also considereth the amazing work of Christ as being a clear proof of the Father's intention to fulfil His word. "He that spared not His own Son, but freely delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Moreover faith looks back upon the past, for her battles have strengthened her, and her victories have given her courage. She remembers that God never has failed her; nay, that He never did once fail any of His children. She recollecteth times of great peril, when deliverance came; hours of awful need, when as her day her strength was found, and she cries, "No, I never will be led to think that He can change and leave His servant now. Hitherto the Lord hath helped me, and He will help me still." Thus faith views each promise in its connection with the promise-giver, and, because she does so, can with assurance say, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life!"