January 20

"Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance¹ the heart is made better."

(Eccles. 7:3)



When sorrow comes under the power of Divine grace, it works out a manifold ministry² in our lives. Sorrow reveals unknown depths in the soul, and unknown capabilities³ of experience and service. Gay, trifling⁴ people are always shallow, and never suspect the little meannesses in their nature. Sorrow is God's plowshare that turns up and subsoils the depths of the soul, that it may yield richer harvests. If we had never fallen, or were in a glorified⁵ state, then the strong torrents⁶ of Divine joy would be the normal force to open up all our souls' capacities; but in a fallen world, sorrow, with despair taken out of it, is the chosen power to reveal ourselves to ourselves. Hence it is sorrow that makes us think deeply, long, and soberly.



Sorrow makes us go slower and more considerately, and introspect our motives⁷ and dispositions⁸. It is sorrow that opens up within us the capacities of the heavenly life, and it is sorrow that makes us willing to launch our capacities on a boundless⁹ sea of service for God and our fellows.



We may suppose a class of indolent people living at the base of a great mountain range, who had never ventured to explore the valleys and canyons¹⁰ back in the mountains; and some day, when a great thunderstorm goes careening through the mountains, it turns the hidden glens into echoing trumpets¹¹, and reveals the inner recesses¹² of the valley, like the convolutions of a monster shell, and then the dwellers¹³ at the foot of the hills are astonished at the labyrinths¹⁴ and unexplored recesses of a region so near by, and yet so little known. So it is with many souls who indolently live on the outer edge of their own natures until great thunderstorms of sorrow reveal hidden depths within that were never hitherto suspected.



God never uses anybody to a large degree, until after He breaks that one all to pieces. Joseph had more sorrow than all the other sons of Jacob, and it led him out into a ministry of bread for all nations. For this reason, the Holy Spirit said of him, "Joseph is a fruitful bough¹⁵ … by a well, whose branches run over the wall" (Gen. 49:22). It takes sorrow to widen the soul. ━The Heavenly Life.



The dark brown mould's upturned

By the sharp-pointed plow;

And I've a lesson learned.



My life is but a field,

Stretched out beneath God's sky,

Some harvest rich to yield.



Where grows the golden grain?

Where faith? Where sympathy?

In a furrow¹⁶ cut by pain.

━Maltbie D. Babcock.



Every person and every nation must take lessons in God's school of adversity. "We can say, 'Blessed is night, for it reveals to us the stars.' In the same way we can say, 'Blessed is sorrow, for it reveals God's comfort.' The floods washed away home and mill, all the poor man had in the world. But as he stood on the scene of his loss, after the water had subsided¹⁷, broken-hearted and discouraged, he saw something shining in the bank which the waters had washed bare. 'It looks like gold,' he said. It was gold. The flood which had beggared him made him rich. So it is ofttimes in life." ━H. C. Trumbull.

　

　

一月二十日



“忧愁强如喜笑，因为面带愁容，终必使心喜乐”

（传七：3）



　　在神的恩典下，有时也有忧愁临到，作我们生命上的益处。忧愁不是罣虑，忧愁常会带领我们进入更深。终日嘻嘻哈哈的人，常是浅薄的人。忧愁是神的犁头，掘到土的深处，地就能多结果子。如果我们从来没有堕落过，我们就不需要忧愁；我们只需要属天的喜乐鼓励我们进入更深；可是我们曾堕落过，我们就需要忧愁带领我们省察，痛悔，认识自己。所以忧愁常使我们多思想多考虑。



　　忧愁使我们想得更周到，不致操之过急，以及深深体察我们的动机和目标。忧愁可以从我们的内心启发天堂生活，使我们愿意施展我们的力量，对神和人类作无穷的服务。



　　我们不妨设想一群懒惰的人，住在山岭之下，他们从未一探山中的峡谷与岩穴；有一天，大雷雨扫荡这山岭，在那些峡谷岩穴之间呼啸回荡，声若擂鼓，揭露了山谷内部的深奥幽秘，象个盘旋曲折的大螺壳。然后，住在山麓的居民，对于这近在咫尺而从未接触过并且素不熟悉的迷津，大感惊异。许多得过且过祇在人性浮面生活的人，也是如此，直到要受到了大雷雨似的打击，他们纔窥见灵魂的深奥。

　

　　凡被神大用的人，神先要使他的心片片破碎。约瑟比雅各布其余的儿子所遭遇的愁烦更多，神却使他负起了拯救一切民族的使命，因此圣灵说：“约瑟是多结果子的树枝，是泉旁多结果的枝子，他的枝条探出墙外。”（创四九：22）。这是需要忧愁来开拓灵魂。━属天的生命



尖锐的犂耙，

翻开了棕褐色的泥土；

使我得到了启示。



我的生命就像一块田地，

伸展在天空之下，

等待未来的丰年。



何来金黄的谷穗？

何来信心？何来同情？

乃是被犂耙耕得粉碎的泥土。

━巴伯哥格



　　每一个人和每一个国家，都必须在神所赐的逆境中接受教训。我们能够说：“夜是有福的，因为夜显示了星星”。我们同样可以说：“忧愁是有福的，因为忧愁显示了神的安慰”。洪水冲走了穷人的家和磨坊，这是他仅有的财产，当洪水退去之后，而他心碎地站在那遭劫的地点，却看到被洪水冲刷过的竿上有些亮晶晶的东西。“好像金子“，他说。真是金子，曾使他的财产一扫而光的洪水，却亦能使他成了富翁，人生亦常如此。 ━崔伦保

1 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

4 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

5 glorified   

美其名的，变荣耀的

参考例句：

• The restaurant was no more than a glorified fast-food cafe. 这地方美其名曰餐馆，其实只不过是个快餐店而已。
• The author glorified the life of the peasants. 那个作者赞美了农民的生活。

6 torrents   

n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断

参考例句：

• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Sudden rainstorms would bring the mountain torrents rushing down. 突然的暴雨会使山洪暴发。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

8 dispositions   

安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质

参考例句：

• We got out some information about the enemy's dispositions from the captured enemy officer. 我们从捕获的敌军官那里问出一些有关敌军部署的情况。
• Elasticity, solubility, inflammability are paradigm cases of dispositions in natural objects. 伸缩性、可缩性、易燃性是天然物体倾向性的范例。

9 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

10 canyons   

n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
• Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存？ 来自互联网

11 trumpets   

喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花

参考例句：

• A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. 在响亮的号角声中花圈被献在纪念碑前。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

12 recesses   

n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭

参考例句：

• I could see the inmost recesses. 我能看见最深处。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I had continually pushed my doubts to the darker recesses of my mind. 我一直把怀疑深深地隐藏在心中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 labyrinths   

迷宫( labyrinth的名词复数 )； （文字，建筑）错综复杂的

参考例句：

• I was engulfed in labyrinths of trouble too great to get out at all. 我陷入困难的迷宫中去，简直无法脱身。
• I've explored ancient castles, palaces, temples, tombs, catacombs and labyrinths. 我曾在古堡、古皇宫、古神庙、古墓、地下墓穴和迷宫中探险。

15 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。

16 furrow   

n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹

参考例句：

• The tractor has make deep furrow in the loose sand.拖拉机在松软的沙土上留下了深深的车辙。
• Mei did not weep.She only bit her lips,and the furrow in her brow deepened.梅埋下头，她咬了咬嘴唇皮，额上的皱纹显得更深了。

17 subsided   

v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上

参考例句：

• After the heavy rains part of the road subsided. 大雨过后，部分公路塌陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• By evening the storm had subsided and all was quiet again. 傍晚， 暴风雨已经过去，四周开始沉寂下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》