十月二十二日
我必……甘心愛他們。（何14：4）
這一句話是神本性的縮影。那能明瞭它意義的就是一位神學家，那能泳到它深處的也真是以色列人的一位拉比了。這一句話是榮耀的救恩信息的結晶，是在基督耶穌我們的救贖主裏面所傳于我們的。這話的樞紐在于“甘心”。這是天上的愛流通到地上的最榮耀、適宜而神聖的方法，這愛乃是自動地臨到那不當得、未曾買、未曾求的人。實在的，這是神愛我們的惟一方法。這一節聖經“我必甘心愛他們”對一切條件是一種致命的打擊。現在，若我們還有什麽條件或資格，那末他就不白白地愛我們了；至少，這是一種攔阻，使神不能甘心愛我們。
但經上的話乃是“我必……甘心愛他們”。我們自怨說：“主啊！我的心太硬了。”“我必……甘心愛你。”“但我幷不感到需要基督。”“若你感到自己的需要，我就不能愛你了；我要甘心愛你。”“但我覺得我的心靈幷不按著我的心願軟化下來。”要記得，心靈的軟化幷不是一種條件，因爲幷沒有條件；恩約裏面幷沒有規定任何條件；因此當我們毫無資格的時候才會完全投靠神在基督耶穌裏面所給我們的應許。他曾說：“信他的人，不被定罪。”神隨時白白地把他的恩典賜給我們不用預備，沒有條件，不用銀錢和價值！得知這事的人是有福的！“我必……甘心愛他們。”這話乃是叫背道的人歸回：實在的，這話就是爲這種人寫的——“我必醫治他們背道的病，甘心愛他們。”背道者啊！這一條寬宏的應許必立時破碎你的心，因此你必歸回，尋求爲你憂傷的天父的慈面。
October
22
“I
will love them freely.”–Hosea 14:4
This sentence is a body of divinity in
miniature. He who understands its meaning is a theologian, and he who can dive
into its fulness is a true master in Israel. It is a condensation of the
glorious message of salvation which was delivered to us in Christ Jesus our
Redeemer. The sense hinges upon the word “freely.” This is the
glorious, the suitable, the divine way by which love streams from heaven to
earth, a spontaneous love flowing forth to those who neither deserved it, purchased
it, nor sought after it. It is, indeed, the only way in which God can love such
as we are. The text is a death-blow to all sorts of fitness: “I will love
them freely.” Now, if there were any fitness necessary in us, then he
would not love us freely; at least, this would be a mitigation and a drawback
to the freeness of it. But it stands, “I will love you freely.” We
complain, “Lord, my heart is so hard.” “I will love you
freely.” “But I do not feel my need of Christ as I could wish.”
“I will not love you because you feel your need; I will love you
freely.” “But I do not feel that softening of spirit which I could
desire.” Remember, the softening of spirit is not a condition, for there
are no conditions; the covenant of grace has no conditionality whatever; so
that we without any fitness may venture upon the promise of God which was made
to us in Christ Jesus, when he said, “He that believeth on him is not
condemned.” It is blessed to know that the grace of God is free to us at
all times, without preparation, without fitness, without money, and without
price! “I will love them freely.” These words invite backsliders to
return: indeed, the text was specially written for such–“I will heal
their backsliding; I will love them freely.” Backslider! surely the
generosity of the promise will at once break your heart, and you will return,
and seek your injured Father’s face.
