February 15

"Fret¹ not thyself……" Psalm² 37:1)

Do not get into a perilous³ heat about things. If ever heat were justified⁴, it was surely justified in the circumstances outlined in the Psalm. Evil-doers were moving about clothed in purple and fine linen⁵, and faring sumptuously⁶ every day. "…Workers of iniquity…" (Ps.92:7) were climbing into the supreme⁷ places of power, and were tyrannizing their less fortunate brethren. Sinful men and women were stalking through the land in the pride of life and basking⁸ in the light and comfort of great prosperity, and good men were becoming heated and fretful.

"Fret not thyself." Do not get unduly⁹ heated! Keep cool! Even in a good cause, fretfulness is not a wise help-meet. Fretting¹⁰ only heats the bearings; it does not generate the steam. It is no help to a train for the axles to get hot; their heat is only a hindrance¹¹. When the axles get heated, it is because of unnecessary friction¹²; dry surfaces are grinding together, which ought to be kept in smooth co-operation by a delicate cushion of oil.

And is it not a suggestive fact that this word "fret" is closely akin¹³ to the word "friction," and is an indication of absence of the anointing oil of the grace of God?

In fretfulness, a little bit of grit¹⁴ gets into the bearings━some slight disappointment, some ingratitude¹⁵, some discourtesy━and the smooth working of the life is checked. Friction begets¹⁶ heat; and with the heat, most dangerous conditions are created.

Do not let thy bearings get hot. Let the oil of the Lord keep thee cool, lest by reason of an unholy heat thou be reckoned among the evil-doers. ━The Silver Lining¹⁷.

Dear restless heart, be still; don't fret and worry so

God has a thousand ways His love and help to show

Just trust, and trust, and trust, until His will you know.

Dear restless heart, be still, for peace is God's own smile

His love can every wrong and sorrow reconcile

Just love, and love, and love, and calmly wait awhile.

Dear restless heart, be brave; don't moan and sorrow so,

He hath a meaning kind in chilly¹⁸ winds that blow;

Just hope, and hope, and hope, until you braver grow.

Dear restless heart, repose¹⁹ upon His breast this hour,

His grace is strength and life, His love is bloom and flower;

Just rest, and rest, and rest, within His tender power.

Dear restless heart, be still! Don't struggle to be free;

God's life is in your life, from Him you may not flee;

Just pray, and pray, and pray, till you have faith to see.

━Edith Willis Linn

二月十五日

　　“不要…心怀不平…” （诗三十七：1）

　　不要冒火，抱不平。我们常见作恶者穿了紫色细麻布的长袍，终日宴乐，凡事顺利。“恶人…”（诗九十二：7）执掌大权，欺压不幸的人们。犯罪的男女享受安逸骄奢的生活，因此好人常会冒火，抱不平。

　　可是经上说：“不要…心怀不平”。不要冒火！把火气冷下去！卽使你的冒火是很有理由的，但是也不是一个聪明的办法。不平只会起摩擦，（一种冲突）；不平不能变成和平。一部火车的车轴如果发热了，并不能帮助火车前进；它们的发热只能产生障碍。车轴发热的缘故，乃是为了不必需的摩擦；我们应该让神用祂的恩膏涂在我们不平的地方，以免生出轧轹来。

　　心中怀了不平，就会有许多尖锐锋利的砂粒━急躁，恼恨，嫉妒，无礼等—嵌进来，叫你失去生活中谦和的香气。摩擦生热，热后就会发生最危险的破坏。所以不要怀抱不平。让神的圣膏油使你平滑罢；否则，恐怕因着冒火的缘故，你自己就会列在做恶者之中了。━银衬

不安的心，要宁静；莫烦恼，莫忿怒；

神有无数方法，来显示祂的爱与帮助，

只有信主，深信祂，直到你明白祂的旨意和嘱咐。

不安的心，要宁静，安详表示神的欢颜，

祂的爱能消除一切的乖戾和悲哀；

只要爱主，深爱祂，暂且安详的等待。

不安的心，要勇敢，不要悲伤惆怅，

在那刺骨的寒风中，神送来了慈爱恩惠；

只要盼望，要盼望，直到你的胆大气壮。

不安的心，这时候该在怀里憩息，

祂的慈爱是花，祂的恩典是生命活力，

只管安息，需安息，安息在祂温柔的怀中。

不安的心，要宁静，不必自我挣扎，

神与你的生命已成一片，不可分离，

只管祈祷，多祈祷，使你的信心不移。

━李因译自银衬

1 fret   

v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损

参考例句：

• Don't fret.We'll get there on time.别着急，我们能准时到那里。
• She'll fret herself to death one of these days.她总有一天会愁死的.

2 psalm   

n.赞美诗，圣诗

参考例句：

• The clergyman began droning the psalm.牧师开始以单调而低沈的语调吟诵赞美诗。
• The minister droned out the psalm.牧师喃喃地念赞美诗。

3 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

4 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

5 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

6 sumptuously   

奢侈地，豪华地

参考例句：

• The hall was sumptuously decorated. 大厅装饰得富丽堂皇。
• This government building is sumptuously appointed. 这座政府办公大楼布置得极为豪华。

7 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

8 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 unduly   

adv.过度地，不适当地

参考例句：

• He did not sound unduly worried at the prospect.他的口气听上去对前景并不十分担忧。
• He argued that the law was unduly restrictive.他辩称法律的约束性有些过分了。

10 fretting   

n. 微振磨损 adj. 烦躁的, 焦虑的

参考例句：

• Fretting about it won't help. 苦恼于事无补。
• The old lady is always fretting over something unimportant. 那位老妇人总是为一些小事焦虑不安。

11 hindrance   

n.妨碍，障碍

参考例句：

• Now they can construct tunnel systems without hindrance.现在他们可以顺利地建造隧道系统了。
• The heavy baggage was a great hindrance to me.那件行李成了我的大累赘。

12 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

13 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

14 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。

15 ingratitude   

n.忘恩负义

参考例句：

• Tim's parents were rather hurt by his ingratitude.蒂姆的父母对他的忘恩负义很痛心。
• His friends were shocked by his ingratitude to his parents.他对父母不孝，令他的朋友们大为吃惊。

16 begets   

v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起

参考例句：

• It begets at least seven standard type offspring from such matings. 这类交配中生下至少七个标准型后代。 来自辞典例句
• Violence begets violence until the innocent perish with the guilty. 暴力招致暴力直到这因罪行而无缘无故的毁灭。 来自电影对白

17 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

18 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

19 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。