十二月三日
毫无瑕疵！（歌4：7）
主从正面说他的教会全然美丽，又从反面称赞她说：“毫无瑕疵！”新郎若只提新妇的美点，吹毛求疵的世人或许说他故意不提到她的缺点和弱点；因此在说了她完全幷十分美丽之后，又说她毫无瑕疵。一个污点虽然很快地就可以除去，但是那也足以妨碍一个人的美丽；然而主把信徒的这一点点的污秽也从他的眼前除去。如果他说她没有难看的疤麻，没有可厌的缺陷，没有令人作呕的疮疖，我们就感到异常地惊讶了；但他却说她连一点小毛病也没有，更没论那一些大缺点了，这该叫我们如何地希奇呢？若他只应许我们逐渐把我们的缺点除去，我们就可以永远快乐了；但他已经把它们除去了。那样，谁能抑制我们极大的满足和强烈的快乐呢？我的心哪！这是爲你所预备的骨髓和肥油，只管饱食王膳吧！
基督耶稣幷不与他的新妇争吵。她常远离他，使他的圣灵担忧，但他幷不因她的过错而影响对她的爱。他有时责备，但他总是存著最温柔的态度、最和蔼的声调，只不过说“我所爱的啊”（官话和合本爲我的佳偶）罢了！他不记念我们的愚昧，也不在意我们的可恶。我们干犯了他之后，他仍照旧赦免我们，爱我们。这是再好也没有的了，因爲耶稣若像我们一样地小气，一样地容易得罪，那末他怎能与我们相交呢？信徒有很多时候不高兴他的主，幷偏离他，但我们可贵的新郎却明白我们愚妄的心，因此不将我们的冒渎放在心上。
December 3
“There is no spot in thee.”—Song of Solomon 4:7
Having pronounced His
Church positively full of beauty, our Lord confirms His praise by a precious
negative, “There is no spot in I thee.” As if the thought occurred to
the Bridegroom that the carping world would insinuate that He had only mentioned
her comely parts, and had purposely omitted those features which were deformed
or defiled, He sums up all by declaring her universally and entirely fair, and
utterly devoid of stain. A spot may soon be removed, and is the very least
thing that can disfigure beauty, but even from this little blemish the believer
is delivered in his Lord’s sight. If He had said there is no hideous scar, no
horrible deformity, no deadly ulcer, we might even then have marvelled; but
when He testifies that she is free from the slightest spot, all these other
forms of defilement are included, and the depth of wonder is increased. If He
had but promised to remove all spots by-and-by, we should have had eternal
reason for joy; but when He speaks of it as already done, who can restrain the
most intense emotions of satisfaction and delight? O my soul, here is marrow
and fatness for thee; eat thy full, and be satisfied with royal dainties.
Christ Jesus has no quarrel with His spouse. She often
wanders from Him, and grieves His Holy Spirit, but He does not allow her faults
to affect His love. He sometimes chides, but it is always in the tenderest
manner, with the kindest intentions: it is “my love” even then. There
is no remembrance of our follies, He does not cherish ill thoughts of us, but
He pardons and loves as well after the offence as before it. It is well for us
it is so, for if Jesus were as mindful of injuries as we are, how could He
commune with us? Many a time a believer will put himself out of humour with the
Lord for some slight turn in providence, but our precious Husband knows our
silly hearts too well to take any offence at our ill manners.
