五月二十日
奇妙的慈爱……（诗17：7）
当我们施舍的时候，我们若把我们的心和施舍的东西一同给人，那才是好的施舍，可惜我们并不常这样。我们的主却不如此。他的恩惠常随着他心中的爱而来。他并不把他盛筵上的冰冷的食物和碎渣给我们，他却把我们的零碎蘸在自己的盘里，把我们的食物用他芬芳之爱当做香料来调和，然后再给我们吃。当他把他的恩惠放在我们手中的时候还有一种宝贵的记号，使我们的手在受到他的恩惠时感到一种温暖。因此，他给的方式和所给的东西一样的宝贵。他满有恩慈地来到我们家中，他并不像一些势利的客人来到穷人的茅屋中一样；他乃是坐在我们身边，不因我们贫穷而轻看我们，不因我们软弱而责备我们。亲爱的读者啊，他说话时是多么笑容可掬呀！他恩典的唇所滴下的真是金玉良言！他用热爱环抱着我们！他所给我们的或许很轻，而那方式却是极重，其实他所给我们的宝物乃是用金篮盛着，并用快乐的车子载来。我们不能怀疑他至诚的慈爱，因为他一切的恩惠上都印着他流血的心。他给人的时候乃是慷慨大方的，他并不责备。他一点也不露出我们是他的重担，也不冷漠受惠的人；相反地，他以他的恩怜为乐，并且为我们舍了生命，为的是叫我们紧紧投靠在他的胸怀里。他的哪哒所发的香气乃是从他的心中才能发出来的；他的蜜房若没有他舍生的爱搀和在其中是不会甘甜的。他的至爱和盛情是很高贵的！愿我们常尝它的滋味并知道它的丰美。
May 20
“Marvellous lovingkindness.” — Psalm 17:7
When we give our hearts with our alms, we give well, but we must often plead to a failure in this respect. Not so our Master and our Lord. His favours are always performed with the love of His heart. He does not send to us the cold meat and the broken pieces from the table of His luxury, but He dips our morsel in His own dish, and seasons our provisions with the spices of His fragrant affections. When He puts the golden tokens of His grace into our palms, He accompanies the gift with such a warm pressure of our hand, that the manner of His giving is as precious as the boon itself. He will come into our houses upon His errands of kindness, and He will not act as some austere visitors do in the poor man’s cottage, but He sits by our side, not despising our poverty, nor blaming our weakness. Beloved, with what smiles does He speak! What golden sentences drop from His gracious lips! What embraces of affection does He bestow upon us! If He had but given us farthings, the way of His giving would have gilded them; but as it is, the costly alms are set in a golden basket by His pleasant carriage. It is impossible to doubt the sincerity of His charity, for there is a bleeding heart stamped upon the face of all His benefactions. He giveth liberally and upbraideth not. Not one hint that we are burdensome to Him; not one cold look for His poor pensioners; but He rejoices in His mercy, and presses us to His bosom while He is pouring out His life for us. There is a fragrance in His spikenard which nothing but His heart could produce; there is a sweetness in His honey-comb which could not be in it unless the very essence of His soul’s affection had been mingled with it. Oh! the rare communion which such singular heartiness effecteth! May we continually taste and know the blessedness of it!
