二月一日
他們要歌頌耶和華的作為。（詩138:5）
基督徒開頭歌頌神的作為是在他們把重擔丟在十字架下之後，就是天使的歌聲也沒有因罪得赦免的神的孩子內心所湧出來的歡樂那樣幽雅動聽。你知道本仁ž約翰怎樣形容那種快樂。他說：那位可憐的走天路的人在十字架下丟去他的重擔時，他快樂地踴躍三次，歌唱著走上他的路：
“可稱頌的十字架！可稱頌的墳！
更可稱頌的是為我受辱的那人！”
信徒啊！你記得你脫去你的鎖鏈時的情形嗎？你記得耶穌遇見你的地方嗎？他對你說過“我以永遠的愛愛你；‘我塗抹了你的過犯，像厚雲消散；我塗抹了你的罪惡，如薄雲滅沒’，它們都一筆勾銷，永不再提了”嗎？當耶穌拿去折磨我的罪時，那是多麼令人歡暢的時候呀！當主赦免我罪的時候，我不禁跳躍歡呼起來。在我回家的時候，一路上直想到我獲得自由的快樂，甚至我要對路邊的石頭講說我被主釋放的事。我心滿了快樂，我簡直要對從天降下的雪片講說耶穌奇妙的大愛，說他曾赦免了我這個悖逆之人的罪。但這只是信徒開始了基督徒生活的快樂，他們以後仍能發現許多事情叫他們歌頌神的作為，他體驗到他永恆的愛時不能不說：“我要時時稱頌耶和華，讚美他的話必常在我口中。”弟兄啊！你看到了嗎？你今天便是在讚揚神。
“我們踱著漫長的荒漠，
新的恩典需要我們新的唱歌。”
February
1
“They
shall sing in the ways of the Lord.” –Psalm 138:5
The time when Christians begin to sing in
the ways of the Lord is when they first lose their burden at the foot of the
Cross. Not even the songs of the angels seem so sweet as the first song of
rapture which gushes from the inmost soul of the forgiven child of God. You
know how John Bunyan describes it. He says when poor Pilgrim lost his burden at
the Cross, he gave three great leaps, and went on his way singing–
“Blest Cross! blest Sepulchre! blest
rather be
The Man that there was put to shame for
me!”
Believer, do you recollect the day when
your fetters fell off? Do you remember the place when Jesus met you, and said,
“I have loved thee with an everlasting love; I have blotted out as a cloud
thy transgressions, and as a thick cloud thy sins; they shall not be mentioned
against thee any more for ever.” Oh! what a sweet season is that when
Jesus takes away the pain of sin. When the Lord first pardoned my sin, I was so
joyous that I could scarce refrain from dancing. I thought on my road home from
the house where I had been set at liberty, that I must tell the stones in the
street the story of my deliverance. So full was my soul of joy, that I wanted
to tell every snow-flake that was falling from heaven of the wondrous love of
Jesus, who had blotted out the sins of one of the chief of rebels. But it is
not only at the commencement of the Christian life that believers have reason
for song; as long as they live they discover cause to sing in the ways of the
Lord, and their experience of His constant lovingkindness leads them to say,
“I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my
mouth.” See to it, brother, that thou magnifiest the Lord this day.
“Long as we tread this desert land,
New mercies shall new songs demand.”
