九月三日
我心所爱的啊！（歌1：7）
在说到主耶稣是“我心所爱的”时候，不加“若”和“但”才好。有很多人只能说他们盼望爱耶稣，他们相信他们爱他，可怜的、肤浅的人才这样。一个人若对这件重大的事没有把握就不当松懈。我们不当以爲自己表面的盼望耶稣爱我们、我们也相信自己爱他而感到知足。古圣徒平常幷不说“但”、“若”、“盼望”、和“相信”，他们的话乃是清楚而肯定地。保罗说：“我知道我所信的是谁。”约伯说：“我知道我的救赎主活着。”你要肯定地知道你爱耶稣，你若不能实在说爱他，就不当知足，你要因着接受了圣灵的见证而确实有把握，幷在心中因信受他印记。
每一个真正爱基督的人都是圣灵所作的工作，心中必须有圣灵的工作才能发生爱主的心。他是我们爱主的原动力；我们爲什麽爱耶稣，乃是在于他自己。我们爲什麽爱耶稣呢？因爲他先爱我们。爲什麽我们爱耶稣呢？因爲“他爲我们舍了自己”，我们因他的死而得生，我们因他的血而得平安。他虽然富足，但他爲我们的缘故成爲贫穷。爲什麽我们爱耶稣呢？因爲他是完美的，他是高尚而美丽的！我们羡慕他的美妙，感到他无限的完全！他的伟大、善良和慈爱，像一条灿烂无比的光綫，照射我们的心灵，使我们不期然而然地说：“他全然可爱。”他的爱像柔软如丝的锁链一样捆绑我们的心，但是却比钻石还坚固。
September 3
“Thou whom my soul
loveth.” — Song of Solomon 1:7
It is well to be able, without any “if” or “but,”
to say of the Lord Jesus–“Thou whom my soul loveth.” Many can only
say of Jesus that they hope they love Him; they trust they love Him; but only a
poor and shallow experience will be content to stay here. No one ought to give
any rest to his spirit till he feels quite sure about a matter of such vital
importance. We ought not to be satisfied with a superficial hope that Jesus
loves us, and with a bare trust that we love Him. The old saints did not
generally speak with “buts,” and “ifs,” and
“hopes,” and “trusts,” but they spoke positively and
plainly. “I know whom I have believed,” saith Paul. “I know that
my Redeemer liveth,” saith Job. Get positive knowledge of your love of
Jesus, and be not satisfied till you can speak of your interest in Him as a
reality, which you have made sure by having received the witness of the Holy
Spirit, and His seal upon your soul by faith.
True love to Christ is
in every case the Holy Spirit’s work, and must be wrought in the heart by Him.
He is the efficient cause of it; but the logical reason why we love Jesus lies
in Himself. Why do we love Jesus? Because He first loved us. Why do we love
Jesus? Because He “gave Himself for us.” We have life through His
death; we have peace through His blood. Though He was rich, yet for our sakes
He became poor. Why do we love Jesus? Because of the excellency of His person.
We are filled with a sense of His beauty! an admiration of His charms! a
consciousness of His infinite perfection! His greatness, goodness, and
loveliness, in one resplendent ray, combine to enchant the soul till it is so
ravished that it exclaims, “Yea, He is altogether lovely.” Blessed
love this–a love which binds the heart with chains more soft than silk, and
yet more firm than adamant!
