四月九日
有许多百姓跟随耶稣，内中有好些妇女，妇女们为他号啕痛哭。（路23:27）
在送救主到刑场去的扰嚷的群众中，有几个心中满了忧伤的人，一路上号啕痛哭着——伴奏著悲哀的队伍缓缓往前进行。我想像著，我也看到救主背着他的十字架往加弗瑞（calvary）走去，我也与那些虔敬的妇女一同为他哭号，因为真有值得人悲伤的理由——这理由是比那哭泣著的妇女所想到的更深切。她们因为看到无辜者被虐待、善良人受逼迫、仁爱的人流血、柔和的人将死而哭号，但我的心哭泣却有一种更深的理由。我的罪也像刺鞭一样抽在他的肩头上，像荆冕一样刺在他流血的额角上！我的罪喊道：“钉他十字架！钉他十字架”，并把十字架搁在他的肩头上。他被带去受死刑是值得永久悲伤的，但我是杀害他的凶手，这是最最令人悲伤的，这悲伤是泪泉所不能表现出来的。那些妇女为什么爱他并为他哭泣是不难猜想的，但使我哭泣的理由比她们的要大得多：拿因的寡妇因为看到自己的儿子复活，但我却复活得到新生；彼得的岳母因为热病得痊，但我却脱离更大之罪的病疫；抹大拉的马利亚身上被赶出七个鬼，但我身上却被赶出大队的污鬼；主常愿意到马利亚和马大的家，但他却住在我里面；他的母亲孕育了他的肉身，但他却在我里面形成了我的荣耀的盼望。那些妇女尚且感激他、为他哭泣，我又怎能落在她们后面呢？
“忧爱焚烧我心，热泪沾主身；我心常流泣，主死为救人。”
April 9
“And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women,
which also bewailed and lamented Him.” –Luke 23:27
Amid the rabble rout which hounded the
Redeemer to His doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish
sought vent in wailing and lamentations–fit music to accompany that march of
woe. When my soul can, in imagination, see the Saviour bearing His cross to
Calvary, she joins the godly women and weeps with them; for, indeed, there is
true cause for grief– cause lying deeper than those mourning women thought.
They bewailed innocence maltreated, goodness persecuted, love bleeding,
meekness about to die; but my heart has a deeper and more bitter cause to
mourn. My sins were the scourges which lacerated those blessed shoulders, and
crowned with thorn those bleeding brows: my sins cried “Crucify Him!
crucify Him!” and laid the cross upon His gracious shoulders. His being
led forth to die is sorrow enough for one eternity: but my having been His
murderer, is more, infinitely more, grief than one poor fountain of tears can
express.
Why those women loved and wept it were not
hard to guess: but they could not have had greater reasons for love and grief
than my heart has. Nain’s widow saw her son restored–but I myself have been
raised to newness of life. Peter’s wife’s mother was cured of the fever–but I
of the greater plague of sin. Out of Magdalene seven devils were cast–but a
whole legion out of me. Mary and Martha were favoured with visits–but He
dwells with me. His mother bare His body–but He is formed in me the hope of
glory. In nothing behind the holy women in debt, let me not be behind them in
gratitude or sorrow.
“Love and grief my heart dividing,
With my tears His feet I’ll lave–
Constant still in heart abiding,
Weep for Him who died to save.”
