七月十三日
你……發怒合乎理嗎？（拿4：9）
怒氣幷不常，或者末必是犯罪的，但是當怒不可遏的時候，我們應當自問：“你發怒合乎理嗎？”或許我們能回答說：“是。”怒氣常是瘋漢點火的火把，便有時也是以利亞自天所求下來的火，我們向罪發怒是很好的，因罪觸犯了善良的和賜恩典給我們的神；向我們自己發怒原是很好的——因爲當我們領受了神的教訓之後，仍然愚昧不堪：而向別人發怒的惟一原因應當是因他們作了邪惡的事。凡不向罪發怒的人就是與罪同夥的人。罪是可憎可恨的，是新心所不能容忍的。神自己天天向惡人發怒，他說：“你們愛耶和華的，都當恨惡罪惡。”
我們的怒卻常是不對不正的，那末我們就當回答說：“不。”爲什麽我們要向小孩子暴躁，向工友生氣，向朋友發火呢？這種怒氣能使我們所信的基督得尊榮，或者使神得榮耀嗎？這不是老我的噁心要想掌權嗎？我們不當用新生的性情全力對付它嗎？有很多人任憑他們的脾氣發作，認爲抵制是沒有用的；但是信徒要知道他必須在每一件事上都作一個得勝的人，不然他是不能得冠冕的。
若我們不能控制我們的脾氣，那末恩典所爲我們成就的是什麽呢？有人告訴計先生說恩典常常是接在野蘋果樹上。他回答說：“是的，但是所結的果子卻不是野蘋果了。”我們不當以自然的軟弱來給罪衛護，但我們要就到十字架之前，求主把我們的脾氣釘在十字架上，按著他的形象使們在溫和謙卑上有新生的樣式。
July 13
“God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be
angry?” — Jonah 4:9
Anger is not always or
necessarily sinful, but it has such a tendency to run wild that whenever it
displays itself, we should be quick to question its character, with this
enquiry, “Doest thou well to be angry?” It may be that we can answer,
“YES.” Very frequently anger is the madman’s firebrand, but sometimes
it is Elijah’s fire from heaven. We do well when we are angry with sin, because
of the wrong which it commits against our good and gracious God; or with
ourselves because we remain so foolish after so much divine instruction; or
with others when the sole cause of anger is the evil which they do. He who is not
angry at transgression becomes a partaker in it. Sin is a loathsome and hateful
thing, and no renewed heart can patiently endure it. God himself is angry with
the wicked every day, and it is written in His Word, “Ye that love the
Lord, hate evil.” Far more frequently it is to be feared that our anger is
not commendable or even justifiable, and then we must answer, “NO.”
Why should we be fretful with children, passionate with servants, and wrathful
with companions? Is such anger honourable to our Christian profession, or
glorifying to God? Is it not the old evil heart seeking to gain dominion, and
should we not resist it with all the might of our newborn nature. Many
professors give way to temper as though it were useless to attempt resistance;
but let the believer remember that he must be a conqueror in every point, or
else he cannot be crowned. If we cannot control our tempers, what has grace
done for us? Some one told Mr. Jay that grace was often grafted on a
crab-stump. “Yes,” said he, “but the fruit will not be
crabs.” We must not make natural infirmity an excuse for sin, but we must
fly to the cross and pray the Lord to crucify our tempers, and renew us in
gentleness and meekness after His own image.
