January 19

"Men ought always to pray and not to faint."

(Luke18:1)



"Go to the ant." Tammerlane used to relate to his friends an anecdote¹ of his early life. "I once,” he said, "was forced to take shelter from my enemies in a ruined building, where I sat alone many hours. Desiring to divert my mind from my hopeless condition, I fixed² my eyes on an ant that was carrying a grain of corn larger than itself up a high wall. I numbered the efforts it made to accomplish this object. The grain fell sixty-nine times to the ground; but the insect persevered⁴, and the seventieth time it reached the top. This sight gave me courage at the moment, and I never forgot the lesson. ━The King's Business.



Prayer which takes the fact that past prayers have not been answered as a reason for languor⁵, has already ceased to be the prayer of faith. To the prayer of faith the fact that prayers remain unanswered is only evidence that the moment of the answer is so much nearer. From first to last, the lessons and examples of our Lord all tell us that prayer which cannot persevere³ and urge its plea importunately⁶, and renew, and renew itself again, and gather strength from every past petition, is not the prayer that will prevail. ━William Arthur.



Rubenstein, the great musician, once said, "If I omit practice one day, I notice it; if two days, my friends notice it; if three days, the public notice it." It is the old doctrine⁷, "Practice makes perfect." We must continue believing, continue praying, continue doing His will. Suppose along any line of art, one should cease practicing, we know what the result would be. If we would only use the same quality of common sense in our religion that we use in our everyday life, we should go on to perfection.



The motto of David Livingstone was in these words, "I determined⁸ never to stop until I had come to the end and achieved my purpose." By unfaltering persistence⁹ and faith in God he conquered.

　

　

一月十九日



“常常祷告，不可灰心” （路十八：1）



　　泰墨兰常喜欢向他的朋友述说他早年的轶事。他说：“我有一次被仇敌追逼，不得已藏匿在一所破屋中，我在那里独自枯坐了几个钟头。那时万念俱灰，再也没有志气和勇敢去干前面的事业了。在绝望中我看见一只小小的蚂蚁，背着一粒比牠大数倍的谷，尽力向墙上拖走。牠跌下来多次，但是每一次牠仍旧努力向上。我曾数过牠跌下来了六十九次，可是牠并不灰心气馁，第七十次牠到达了高墙的顶上。那时我得了兴奋，我终身不能遗忘这个教训。━译自《君王的轶事》



　　我们如果看以前许多祷告都得不着答应，因此就有点灰心，我告述你那就不是信心的祷告了。信心的祷告看以前没有得到答应的祷告是一种鼓励，一种证据，暗示我们神的答应的来到是更近了，就在前面了。从起初到末了，主的教训和榜样都告诉我们：应当常常祷告，不可灰心；恳求的祷告若是没有得到答应，就该集中以前所有的力量，继续求神，直等到神给你应许，或是成就。如果神已经听了你的祷告，这并不是说，祷告可以中止了，仍该继续，只是恳求的祷告应当改为赞美和感谢的祷告。━亚塞



　　大音乐家鲁班斯坦有一次说：“如果我一天不练习音乐，我自己会觉得；如果两天不练习，我的朋友会觉得；如果三天不练习，人人都会觉得。”我们的祷告也是如此，若不常常祷告，你和别人都会发觉：你的祷告是走了样的。



　　莫勒先生曾为他五个不信的朋友祷告。他天天求神不肯放松，虽然一时看不见甚么效果，可是他绝不灰心，一直继续求神。结果：五年之后，第一个朋友得救了；十年之后，第二得救了。他在祷告上所花的工夫，并不是徒然的。

1 anecdote   

n.轶事，趣闻，短故事

参考例句：

• He departed from the text to tell an anecdote.他偏离课文讲起了一则轶事。
• It had never been more than a family anecdote.那不过是个家庭趣谈罢了。

2 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

3 persevere   

v.坚持，坚忍，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• They are determined to persevere in the fight.他们决心坚持战斗。
• It is strength of character enabled him to persevere.他那坚强的性格使他能够坚持不懈。

4 persevered   

v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She persevered with her violin lessons. 她孜孜不倦地学习小提琴。
• Hard as the conditions were, he persevered in his studies. 虽然条件艰苦，但他仍坚持学习。 来自辞典例句

5 languor   

n.无精力，倦怠

参考例句：

• It was hot,yet with a sweet languor about it.天气是炎热的，然而却有一种惬意的懒洋洋的感觉。
• She,in her languor,had not troubled to eat much.她懒懒的，没吃多少东西。

6 importunately   

参考例句：

• Not the less, however, came this importunately obtrusive sense of change. 然而，那种起了变化的突出感觉仍然丝毫不减地纠缠着他。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

7 doctrine   

n.教义；主义；学说

参考例句：

• He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
• The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。

8 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

9 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。