四月一日
愿他用口与我亲嘴……（歌1:2）。
几天以来我们着重救主受苦的大爱，我们还得再继续下去。在本月的开头，我们要有这位被选的新妇向主所存的心愿。看她怎样立即对他一往情深，她一开口就道出她的心愿，并不说别的废话，真可说是开门见山了，甚至她连他的名字也不提；她马上就讲到她的意中人，因为她提到他时，心目中只有这么的一位他。她的爱是多么果敢！让一个为罪忏悔流泪的人膏他的脚是多么谦抑——允准马利亚坐在他的脚前听他的话，可以表现出他丰富的爱。但这里所说的爱，却是坚强、火热的爱，渴慕著盛情的最高尚的表征，希冀着友爱的最亲密的记号。以斯帖在亚哈随鲁王面前战兢恐惧，可是这位佳人在完全的爱中快乐自由毫无惧怕。若我们已经得到这种自由，也可以这样求。亲嘴乃是爱情的一种不同表现，可以使信徒享受耶稣的爱。和好的亲嘴乃是因我们悔罪（信服）所得到的欢乐，它像蜜从蜂房下滴一样。悦纳的亲嘴使我们笑颜顿开，我们知道因他丰盛的恩典，我们和我们的工作都被他所悦纳了。天天的亲嘴，现在的交通，是我们一天一天所渴慕著的，一直等到接受的亲嘴，把灵魂从地上接去和满了天堂喜乐的息劳的亲嘴。信心是我们的奔走，但在安息时才能相交。信心是道路，但与耶稣相交却好像走天路的人来到泉源旁边畅饮一样。我们灵魂的良人哪！不要与我们生疏；愿你赐福的唇亲着我们祈求的唇，愿你丰富的唇触着我们需要的唇，那就是亲嘴了。
April 1
“Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth.” –Song of
Solomon 1:2
For several days we have been dwelling
upon the Saviour’s passion, and for some little time to come we shall linger
there. In beginning a new month, let us seek the same desires after our Lord as
those which glowed in the heart of the elect spouse. See how she leaps at once
to Him; there are no prefatory words; she does not even mention His name; she
is in the heart of her theme at once, for she speaks of Him who was the only
Him in the world to her. How bold is her love! it was much condescension which
permitted the weeping penitent to anoint His feet with spikenard–it was rich
love which allowed the gentle Mary to sit at His feet and learn of Him–but
here, love, strong, fervent love, aspires to higher tokens of regard, and
closer signs of fellowship. Esther trembled in the presence of Ahasuerus, but
the spouse in joyful liberty of perfect love knows no fear. If we have received
the same free spirit, we also may ask the like. By kisses we suppose to be
intended those varied manifestations of affection by which the believer is made
to enjoy the love of Jesus. The kiss of reconciliation we enjoyed at our
conversion, and it was sweet as honey dropping from the comb. The kiss of
acceptance is still warm on our brow, as we know that He hath accepted our
persons and our works through rich grace. The kiss of daily, present communion,
is that which we pant after to be repeated day after day, till it is changed
into the kiss of reception, which removes the soul from earth, and the kiss of
consummation which fills it with the joy of heaven. Faith is our walk, but
fellowship sensibly felt is our rest. Faith is the road, but communion with
Jesus is the well from which the pilgrim drinks. O lover of our souls, be not
strange to us; let the lips of Thy blessing meet the lips of our asking; let
the lips of Thy fulness touch the lips of our need, and straightway the kiss
will be effected.
