九月二十七日
以色列啊，你是有福的！谁像你这蒙耶和华所拯救的百姓呢？（申33：29）
有人说：人们的不幸经验都是因爲信了基督教。说这话的人完全是外行，若基督教使我们多受苦难，那才真是一件怪事，你且看它使我们得了多麽高的地位！它使我们成爲神的儿子。你以爲神会把一切的福乐给他的仇敌，而只把悲哀留给自己家里的人吗？他的仇敌反而有愉快和欢乐，而生在他家里的儿女反承受悲伤和苦痛吗？与基督无份无关的罪人自称大得福乐，而我们反会哀哭切齿地像一文不值的乞丐吗？不，我们要常在主里面喜乐，幷在我们的産业中得荣耀，因爲我们“所受的不是奴仆的心，仍旧害怕；所受的乃是儿子的心，因此我们呼叫：‘阿爸，父！’”管教的杖必须临到我们，但它乃是使我们结出公义的安慰之果；幷且因着安慰我们之神的帮助，我们这被主所拯救的人必因救我们的神欢喜。
我们已许配给基督，我们的新郎会常久让他的新妇经受苦楚吗？我们的心已与他结合一起，我们是他的肢体，虽然我们暂时受苦，正像我们的头也曾受过苦一样，但我们现在已在他里面得了从天上来的福分。我们所切慕要承受的圣灵的安慰，是非同小可的。我们必永远承受喜乐，我们已先尝了我们的份。永生的日头已经透出了它快乐的光芒。我们的丰富超过了大海，我们的坚城在河的那边，天堂的荣光已经照耀我们的心，督促我们勇往直前。“以色列啊，你是有福的！谁像你这蒙耶和华所拯救的百姓呢？”这话真是对我们说的。
September
27
“Happy
art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord!” —
Deuteronomy 33:29
He who affirms that Christianity makes men miserable, is himself an
utter stranger to it. It were strange indeed, if it made us wretched, for see
to what a position it exalts us! It makes us sons of God. Suppose you that God
will give all the happiness to His enemies, and reserve all the mourning for
His own family? Shall His foes have mirth and joy, and shall His home-born
children inherit sorrow and wretchedness? Shall the sinner, who has no part in
Christ, call himself rich in happiness, and shall we go mourning as if we were
penniless beggars? No, we will rejoice in the Lord always, and glory in our
inheritance, for we “have not received the spirit of bondage again to
fear; but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father.” The rod of chastisement must rest upon us in our measure, but it
worketh for us the comfortable fruits of righteousness; and therefore by the
aid of the divine Comforter, we, the “people saved of the Lord,” will
joy in the God of our salvation. We are married unto Christ; and shall our
great Bridegroom permit His spouse to linger in constant grief? Our hearts are
knit unto Him: we are His members, and though for awhile we may suffer as our
Head once suffered, yet we are even now blessed with heavenly blessings in Him.
We have the earnest of our inheritance in the comforts of the Spirit, which are
neither few nor small. Heritors of joy for ever, we have foretastes of our
portion. There are streaks of the light of joy to herald our eternal sunrising.
Our riches are beyond the sea; our city with firm foundations lies on the other
side the river; gleams of glory from the spirit-world cheer our hearts, and
urge us onward. Truly is it said of us, “Happy art thou, O Israel; who is
like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord?”
