February 24

"John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true." (John 10:41)

You may be very discontented with yourself. You are no genius, have no brilliant gifts, and are inconspicuous for any special faculty¹. Mediocrity is the law of your existence. Your days are remarkable² for nothing but sameness and insipidity³. Yet you may live a great life.

John did no miracle, but Jesus said that among those born of women there had not appeared a greater than he.

John's main business was to bear witness to the Light, and this may be yours and mine. John was content to be only a voice, if men would think of Christ.

Be willing to be only a voice, heard but not seen; a mirror whose surface is lost to view, because it reflects the dazzling glory of the sun; a breeze that springs up just before daylight, and says, "The dawn! the dawn!" and then dies away.

Do the commonest and smallest things as beneath His eye. If you must live with uncongenial people, set to their conquest by love. If you have made a great mistake in your life, do not let it becloud all of it; but, locking the secret in your breast, compel it to yield strength and sweetness.

We are doing more good than we know, sowing seeds, starting streamlets, giving men true thoughts of Christ, to which they will refer one day as the first things that started them thinking of Him; and, of my part, I shall be satisfied if no great mausoleum is raised over my grave, but that simple souls shall gather there when I am gone, and say,

"He was a good man; he wrought⁴ no miracles, but he spake words about Christ, which led me to know Him for myself." ━George Matheson.

"THY HIDDEN ONES" (Psa. 83:3)

"Thick green leaves from the soft brown earth,

Happy springtime hath called them forth⁵;

First faint promise of summer bloom

Breathes from the fragrant⁶, sweet perfume,

Under the leaves.

"Lift them! what marvelous beauty lies

Hidden beneath, from our thoughtless eyes!

Mayflowers, rosy⁷ or purest white,

Lift their cups to the sudden light,

Under the leaves.

"Are there no lives whose holy deeds—

Seen by no eye save His who reads

Motive⁸ and action━in silence grow

Into rare beauty, and bud and blow

Under the leaves?

"Fair white flowers of faith and trust,

Springing from spirits bruised⁹ and crushed;

Blossoms of love, rose-tinted and bright,

Touched and painted with Heaven's own light

Under the leaves.

"Full fresh clusters of duty borne,

Fairest of all in that shadow grown;

Wondrous¹⁰ the fragrance¹¹ that sweet and rare

Comes from the flower-cups hidden there

Under the leaves.

"Though unseen by our vision dim,

Bud and blossom are known to Him;

Wait we content for His heavenly ray—

Wait till our Master Himself one day

Lifteth the leaves."

"God calls many of His most valued workers from the unknown multitude." (Luke 14:23)

二月二十四日

“约翰一件神迹没有行过，但约翰指着这人所说的一切话都是真的"（约十：41）

　　也许你对于自己非常不满意。因为你旣不是一个天才，又没有显着的恩赐，又没有特别的技能。虽然你的生活顶平庸，你的日子都是平淡无奇的，然而你仍旧可以活出一个伟大的，非常的生命来。

　　约翰一件神迹没有行过，但是主耶稣赞许他说：“凡妇人所生的，没有一个兴起来大过施洗约翰的”。

　　约翰唯一的职务，是为光作见证，这件事是你我都作得到的。约翰的目的，只要有人需要基督，他自己只作一个呼召的声音就满足了。你我亦该如此。

　　甘愿只作一个声音，只能被听见，不能被看见；甘愿只作一面镜子，因反射日光的荣耀，以至镜面被隐蔽；甘愿只作黎明的微风，早晨起来报告：“白日将至！白日将至”！ 报告已毕，逐卽隐逝。作主的工作也是如此。

　　或许你作的是一件最普通，最微小的事情，绝没有人注意你，赞许你，但是这正是主所委派你的工作。如果你生活在性情不相投的人们中间，你就当用爱心去战胜他们。如果你有了错误，不要让它伸长开来，而遮蔽了一切，你要把它深锁在胸中，消除它和战败它。

　　也许不知不觉间我们自己还不知道，我们已经作了顶美的工作：撒种，通水泉，领人对基督有正当的认识…虽然没有广告替我们鼓吹，没有纪念碑为我们建立，然而我的心已经满足，如果有人━只有一个人也不妨━能说：

　　“…他一件神迹没有行过，但是因着他见证的声音，我们就亲自认识主了 “。━马得胜

“你所隐藏的人” （诗八十三：3）

从泥土里，萌茁了浓浓的绿叶，

这是由于春风的呼唤与吹拂，

叶子底下微微的清香，

预示着花之将发。

多么美好的花，躲在叶子下面，

为我们粗疏的目光所没有发现，

揭开叶子让粉红或纯白的五月花，

仰起头来迎接外面射来的亮光。

不是正有这样的生命，

他的美德善行，

只被洞烛几微的神所看见，

有如隐在叶下的花，长得无比的美艳？

被摧残的灵魂开出了，

纯洁美丽的信与爱之花，

因为叶子的遮掩，

隐没了它可爱的容华。

忠义之花，冠盖群芳，

生长在人所不见的地方，

奇妙的是藏在叶下的花，

发出最甜蜜的芬芳。

我们模糊的视觉虽无所见，

一苞一萼，祂却完全知道；

安心等待圣光的启示，总有一天，

主会亲手揭开叶子，显出它的美好。

　　许多神最宝贵的工人，都是从普通的人群里召出来的。（路十四：23）

1 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

2 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

3 insipidity   

n.枯燥无味，清淡，无精神；无生气状

参考例句：

• The insipidity of the meeting was exactly such as Elinor had expected. 聚会的枯燥无味恰如埃莉诺预料的。 来自辞典例句
• The English of the lieutenant general is very eccentric, empty insipidity, interpreter official leisurely, below drowsy. 中将的英语十分古怪，空洞无味，翻译官慢条斯理，下面昏昏欲睡。 来自互联网

4 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

5 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

6 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

7 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

8 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

9 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

10 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

11 fragrance   

n.芬芳，香味，香气

参考例句：

• The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
• The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。