三月一日
北风啊，兴起！南风啊，吹来！吹在我的园内，使其中的香气发出来。（歌4:16）
无论什么都比无谓的死寂好得多。我们的内心需要困难的北风，好使我们的美德发出香气。时至现在我们不能说“耶和华却不在风中”，我们不要逃避料峭刺骨的北风，不要怕它吹上生长著的美德。新妇在这一节里不是表示很愿意她所爱之人的熬炼，恳求他按着他的旨意，而非自己的心愿赐她任何形式的恩惠吗？她，不是和我们一样死气沉沉、没精打采，因此希望有风吹来好振起精神、奋发有为吗？然而她需要安慰的南风、神慈爱的笑容、主同在的快乐，这些常使她得生活懈怠起来。她需要这样的风，那样的风，或者两者都需要，好叫她园中的香气能使她所爱的人得到喜悦。她经不起摧残，我们也不能。耶稣能因我们可怜的、微弱的美德得到喜悦是多么令人高兴的一件事呀！这是可能的吗？在人好像是决不能的。若我们能使以马内利的心欢喜，就是赴汤蹈火、舍身就死，我们也愿意。只要我们亲爱的主耶稣能得荣耀，就是我们的心被吹打成为粉碎，我们也甘心。没有经过试炼的美德好像芬芳的香味还含在花心之中一样，我们的大园丁要用各样的、相反的方法好达到所期望的结果，并用苦难和安慰使我们的信、望、爱、忍耐、顺服、快乐和园中其他的好花一同发出它们的香气。经过风霜的菜蔬、更加柔嫩、新鲜而可口。愿我们从自己的甜蜜的经验中，体会到其中的意义。
“我们不怕北风兴起，严肃的北风过去，南风就一定要吹来。”
March 1
“Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden,
that the spices thereof may flow out.” –Song of Solomon 4:16
Anything is better than the dead calm of indifference. Our souls may
wisely desire the north wind of trouble if that alone can be sanctified to the
drawing forth of the perfume of our graces. So long as it cannot be said,
“The Lord was not in the wind,” we will not shrink from the most
wintry blast that ever blew upon plants of grace. Did not the spouse in this
verse humbly submit herself to the reproofs of her Beloved; only entreating Him
to send forth His grace in some form, and making no stipulation as to the
peculiar manner in which it should come? Did she not, like ourselves, become so
utterly weary of deadness and unholy calm that she sighed for any visitation
which would brace her to action? Yet she desires the warm south wind of
comfort, too, the smiles of divine love, the joy of the Redeemer’s presence;
these are often mightily effectual to arouse our sluggish life. She desires
either one or the other, or both; so that she may but be able to delight her
Beloved with the spices of her garden. She cannot endure to be unprofitable,
nor can we. How cheering a thought that Jesus can find comfort in our poor
feeble graces. Can it be? It seems far too good to be true. Well may we court
trial or even death itself if we shall thereby be aided to make glad Immanuel’s
heart. O that our heart were crushed to atoms if only by such bruising our
sweet Lord Jesus could be glorified. Graces unexercised are as sweet perfumes
slumbering in the cups of the flowers: the wisdom of the great Husbandman
overrules diverse and opposite causes to produce the one desired result, and
makes both affliction and consolation draw forth the grateful odours of faith,
love, patience, hope, resignation, joy, and the other fair flowers of the
garden. May we know by sweet experience, what this means.
