七月十三日
你……发怒合乎理吗？（拿4：9）
怒气幷不常，或者末必是犯罪的，但是当怒不可遏的时候，我们应当自问：“你发怒合乎理吗？”或许我们能回答说：“是。”怒气常是疯汉点火的火把，便有时也是以利亚自天所求下来的火，我们向罪发怒是很好的，因罪触犯了善良的和赐恩典给我们的神；向我们自己发怒原是很好的——因爲当我们领受了神的教训之后，仍然愚昧不堪：而向别人发怒的惟一原因应当是因他们作了邪恶的事。凡不向罪发怒的人就是与罪同伙的人。罪是可憎可恨的，是新心所不能容忍的。神自己天天向恶人发怒，他说：“你们爱耶和华的，都当恨恶罪恶。”
我们的怒却常是不对不正的，那末我们就当回答说：“不。”爲什麽我们要向小孩子暴躁，向工友生气，向朋友发火呢？这种怒气能使我们所信的基督得尊荣，或者使神得荣耀吗？这不是老我的恶心要想掌权吗？我们不当用新生的性情全力对付它吗？有很多人任凭他们的脾气发作，认爲抵制是没有用的；但是信徒要知道他必须在每一件事上都作一个得胜的人，不然他是不能得冠冕的。
若我们不能控制我们的脾气，那末恩典所爲我们成就的是什麽呢？有人告诉计先生说恩典常常是接在野苹果树上。他回答说：“是的，但是所结的果子却不是野苹果了。”我们不当以自然的软弱来给罪卫护，但我们要就到十字架之前，求主把我们的脾气钉在十字架上，按着他的形象使们在温和谦卑上有新生的样式。
July 13
“God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be
angry?” — Jonah 4:9
Anger is not always or
necessarily sinful, but it has such a tendency to run wild that whenever it
displays itself, we should be quick to question its character, with this
enquiry, “Doest thou well to be angry?” It may be that we can answer,
“YES.” Very frequently anger is the madman’s firebrand, but sometimes
it is Elijah’s fire from heaven. We do well when we are angry with sin, because
of the wrong which it commits against our good and gracious God; or with
ourselves because we remain so foolish after so much divine instruction; or
with others when the sole cause of anger is the evil which they do. He who is not
angry at transgression becomes a partaker in it. Sin is a loathsome and hateful
thing, and no renewed heart can patiently endure it. God himself is angry with
the wicked every day, and it is written in His Word, “Ye that love the
Lord, hate evil.” Far more frequently it is to be feared that our anger is
not commendable or even justifiable, and then we must answer, “NO.”
Why should we be fretful with children, passionate with servants, and wrathful
with companions? Is such anger honourable to our Christian profession, or
glorifying to God? Is it not the old evil heart seeking to gain dominion, and
should we not resist it with all the might of our newborn nature. Many
professors give way to temper as though it were useless to attempt resistance;
but let the believer remember that he must be a conqueror in every point, or
else he cannot be crowned. If we cannot control our tempers, what has grace
done for us? Some one told Mr. Jay that grace was often grafted on a
crab-stump. “Yes,” said he, “but the fruit will not be
crabs.” We must not make natural infirmity an excuse for sin, but we must
fly to the cross and pray the Lord to crucify our tempers, and renew us in
gentleness and meekness after His own image.
