十月二十二日
我必……甘心爱他们。（何14：4）
这一句话是神本性的缩影。那能明了它意义的就是一位神学家，那能泳到它深处的也真是以色列人的一位拉比了。这一句话是荣耀的救恩信息的结晶，是在基督耶稣我们的救赎主里面所传于我们的。这话的枢纽在于“甘心”。这是天上的爱流通到地上的最荣耀、适宜而神圣的方法，这爱乃是自动地临到那不当得、未曾买、未曾求的人。实在的，这是神爱我们的惟一方法。这一节圣经“我必甘心爱他们”对一切条件是一种致命的打击。现在，若我们还有什麽条件或资格，那末他就不白白地爱我们了；至少，这是一种拦阻，使神不能甘心爱我们。
但经上的话乃是“我必……甘心爱他们”。我们自怨说：“主啊！我的心太硬了。”“我必……甘心爱你。”“但我幷不感到需要基督。”“若你感到自己的需要，我就不能爱你了；我要甘心爱你。”“但我觉得我的心灵幷不按着我的心愿软化下来。”要记得，心灵的软化幷不是一种条件，因爲幷没有条件；恩约里面幷没有规定任何条件；因此当我们毫无资格的时候才会完全投靠神在基督耶稣里面所给我们的应许。他曾说：“信他的人，不被定罪。”神随时白白地把他的恩典赐给我们不用预备，没有条件，不用银钱和价值！得知这事的人是有福的！“我必……甘心爱他们。”这话乃是叫背道的人归回：实在的，这话就是爲这种人写的——“我必医治他们背道的病，甘心爱他们。”背道者啊！这一条宽宏的应许必立时破碎你的心，因此你必归回，寻求爲你忧伤的天父的慈面。
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.
