十二月二十日
我以永远的爱爱你。（耶31：3）
有时主耶稣把他的爱告诉他的教会。“他想在背后告诉是不够的，所以他当她的面说：‘我的佳偶，你全然美丽。’不错，他平常的方法幷不是这样；他的爱是出于智慧的，他知道什麽时候该表白或不该表白他的爱；有很多时候他毫不隐藏地表示出来，也有很多时候，他也使他的民在心中捉摸不到。”（R．Erskine所讲的话）圣灵满有恩惠的，常在我们的心灵中见证耶稣的爱，因此得到喜悦。他把基督的一切启示给我们。我们没有听到云彩里发出什麽声音，夜里也没有看到什麽异象，但我们却有比这更确实的见证。
若是天使自天而来向圣徒说明救主对他的爱，也不能比圣灵在我们的心里的明证更能使我们满意。我们若询问一些生活靠近天门的神的儿女们，他们必能告诉你说基督有时对他们的爱是非常清楚而确实的，这是他们丝毫不能怀疑的事实，正如他们的生存一样的真实。是的，亲爱的信徒！你我也有主同在的生活经验，那时我们的信心便到了稳固确实的高峰。我们有信心把我们的头倚在主的怀里，那时我们不再疑惑主的爱了，正像约翰当时的经验一样；此外，“主啊！是我吗？”这一类不快的问题也不会临到我们了。他曾用他的嘴亲我们，因他的亲近斩除了我们的疑心。他的爱对于我们的心灵，比酒还美。
“凡靠着他进到神面前的人，他都能拯救到底；因爲他是长远活着，替他们祈求。”
December 20
“Yea, I have loved thee with an
everlasting love.”—Jeremiah 31:3
Sometimes the Lord Jesus
tells his Church his love thoughts. “He does not think it enough behind
her back to tell it, but in her very presence he says, ‘Thou art all fair, my
love.’ It is true, this is not his ordinary method; he is a wise lover, and
knows when to keep back the intimation of love and when to let it out; but
there are times when he will make no secret of it; times when he will put it
beyond all dispute in the souls of his people” (R. Erskine’s Sermons). The
Holy Spirit is often pleased, in a most gracious manner, to witness with our
spirits of the love of Jesus. He takes of the things of Christ and reveals them
unto us. No voice is heard from the clouds, and no vision is seen in the night,
but we have a testimony more sure than either of these. If an angel should fly
from heaven and inform the saint personally of the Saviour’s love to him, the
evidence would not be one whit more satisfactory than that which is borne in
the heart by the Holy Ghost. Ask those of the Lord’s people who have lived the
nearest to the gates of heaven, and they will tell you that they have had
seasons when the love of Christ towards them has been a fact so clear and sure,
that they could no more doubt it than they could question their own existence.
Yes, beloved believer, you and I have had times of refreshing from the presence
of the Lord, and then our faith has mounted to the topmost heights of
assurance. We have had confidence to lean our heads upon the bosom of our Lord,
and we have no more questioned our Master’s affection to us than John did when
in that blessed posture; nay, nor so much: for the dark question, “Lord,
is it I that shall betray thee?” has been put far from us. He has kissed
us with the kisses of his mouth, and killed our doubts by the closeness of his
embrace. His love has been sweeter than wine to our souls.
