十月十九日

在基督裏爲嬰孩的。（林前3：1）

信徒啊！你因爲你屬神的生命軟弱可憐、你的信心渺小、你的愛心微少而感到難過嗎？儘管高興吧！因爲你有很多理由應當感恩。要知道你在很多事上與最偉大的、最長成的基督徒是相同的。你也是被血所買來的，正像他一樣。你也是神的後嗣和別的信徒一樣。嬰孩和成人一樣都是他們父母的孩子。你也完全被稱爲義，稱義的程度幷無差別；一點點的信心就能使你完全潔淨。你有權得約中的一切寶物和先進的信徒一樣，因爲你得約中的恩典幷不在于你長大與否，而是在于約；你的信心無分大小，都能證明你在他裏面承受了産業。你和最富的人一樣豐富，若果你不能享受，但那豐富却實在屬你。

天上最小的星也放光，它的微弱的光綫與太陽的明光是一樣的。天家的生命册上無分大小都是用一支筆記的。你在父的心中和家中與其他最大的同樣地看爲寶貴。耶穌對你非常柔和。你雖像冒烟的燈火；粗暴的人必說：“把冒烟的燈火吹滅吧，因爲屋中滿了難聞的氣味！”但冒烟的燈火他不吹滅。你是壓傷的蘆葦；除了偉大的樂師之外都必把你折斷或拋弃，但他永不把你折斷。你非但不當因你的現狀而灰心喪膽，更應當在基督裏誇勝。我不是以色列中最小的嗎？但在基督裏我必坐在天堂的寶座上。我的信心渺小可憐嗎？但我在耶穌裏仍然承受萬有。雖然“除了承認自己的虛妄，我毫無可誇”，但若事的根乃在我，我就當在主裏快樂，幷榮耀神——我的救恩。

October 19

"Babes in Christ."--1 Corinthians 3:1

Are you mourning, believer, because you are so weak in the divine life: because your faith is so little, your love so feeble? Cheer up, for you have cause for gratitude. Remember that in some things you are equal to the greatest and most full-grown Christian. You are as much bought with blood as he is. You are as much an adopted child of God as any other believer. An infant is as truly a child of its parents as is the full-grown man. You are as completely justified, for your justification is not a thing of degrees: your little faith has made you clean every whit. You have as much right to the precious things of the covenant as the most advanced believers, for your right to covenant mercies lies not in your growth, but in the covenant itself; and your faith in Jesus is not the measure, but the token of your inheritance in him. You are as rich as the richest, if not in enjoyment, yet in real possession. The smallest star that gleams is set in heaven; the faintest ray of light has affinity with the great orb of day. In the family register of glory the small and the great are written with the same pen. You are as dear to your Father's heart as the greatest in the family. Jesus is very tender over you. You are like the smoking flax; a rougher spirit would say, "put out that smoking flax, it fills the room with an offensive odour!" but the smoking flax he will not quench. You are like a bruised reed; and any less tender hand than that of the Chief Musician would tread upon you or throw you away, but he will never break the bruised reed. Instead of being downcast by reason of what you are, you should triumph in Christ. Am I but little in Israel? Yet in Christ I am made to sit in heavenly places. Am I poor in faith? Still in Jesus I am heir of all things. Though "less than nothing I can boast, and vanity confess." Yet, if the root of the matter be in me I will rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the God of my salvation.