March 20

"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." (2 Cor. 6:10)

The stoic¹ scorns to shed a tear; the Christian² is not forbidden to weep. The soul may be dumb with excessive grief, as the shearer's scissors pass over the quivering flesh; or, when the heart is on the point of breaking beneath the meeting surges of trial, the sufferer may seek relief by crying out with a loud voice. But there is something even better.

They say that springs of sweet fresh water well up amid the brine of salt seas; that the fairest Alpine³ flowers bloom in the wildest and most rugged⁴ mountain passes; that the noblest psalms⁵ were the outcome of the profoundest agony of soul.

Be it so. And thus amid manifold trials, souls which love God will find reasons for bounding, leaping joy. Though deep call to deep, yet the Lord's song will be heard in silver cadence⁶ through the night. And it is possible in the darkest hour that ever swept a human life to bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have you learned this lesson yet? Not simply to endure God's will, nor only to choose it; but to rejoice in it with joy unspeakable and full of glory. --Tried as by Fire.

I will be still, my bruised⁷ heart faintly murmured,

As o'er me rolled a crushing load of woe;

The cry, the call, e'en the low moan was stifled;

I pressed my lips; I barred the tear drop's flow.

I will be still, although I cannot see it,

The love that bares a soul and fans pain's fire;

That takes away the last sweet drop of solace,

Breaks the lone⁸ harp⁹ string, hides Thy precious lyre.

But God is love, so I will bide¹⁰ me, bide me--

We'll doubt not, Soul, we will be very still;

We'll wait till after while, when He shall lift us--

Yes, after while, when it shall be His will.

And I did listen to my heart's brave promise;

And I did quiver, struggling to be still;

And I did lift my tearless eyes to Heaven,

Repeating ever, "Yea, Christ, have Thy will."

But soon my heart upspake from 'neath our burden,

Reproved my tight-drawn lips, my visage sad:

"We can do more than this, O Soul," it whispered.

"We can be more than still, we can be glad!"

And now my heart and I are sweetly singing—

Singing without the sound of tuneful strings;

Drinking abundant waters in the desert,

Crushed, and yet soaring as on eagle's wings.

--S. P. W.　

　 三月二十日

“似乎忧愁，却是常常快乐的”(林后六：10) 。

　　主张苦行主义者，连流泪也在禁止之列；基督徒却不然。许多时候，我们忧闷得发昏；当剪毛的剪刀碰在颤抖的肉上时，当仇敌的欺侮达到顶点时，当我们的心几乎碎裂时，最自然我们巴不得寻找机会痛哭一场，释出胸中的忧郁。但是还有一个比痛哭更好的方法。

　　航海者知道甘泉是在苦且咸的海水中找到的；旅行家知道阿尔卑斯山最美丽的花是开在最荒僻，最崎岖的山路上的；属灵人知道最宝贵的诗篇是在最痛苦的时候写成的。

　　所以让我们在黑暗中赞美神我们主耶稣基督的父。试炼越深，愿我们的歌声越高。亲爱的，你有没有学会这个功课呢？我们不只要忍受神的旨意，拣选神的旨意，遵行神的旨意，并且要用赞美来欢迎神的旨意。

——译自火中的试验

当我辗转于祸患的重负之下，

伤痛的心却喃喃说，要安详；

不必叫喊号哭，也不用呻吟，

紧闭嘴唇，不让泪珠流出眼眶。

这爱使我灵魂无所掩蔽，

苦痛与煎熬，如煽沸汤，

最后一丝的安慰也化为乌有，

我虽不明究竟，我仍愿安详。

这爱是神的爱，因此我要忍耐，

灵魂啊，我们切莫疑怀，安详等待，

是的，等一会，他会照着他的美意，

把我们从苦难中提拔出来。

我听从心给我这个应许，

会在战抖中竭力保持安静，

曾向天举起无泪的眼睛，

我说：“主啊，照你的旨意去行”

过不久，我心又在重负下，

斥责我的嘴唇绷紧，满脸愁哀。

它轻声说，“我们还要更进一步”，

“不但安定，还要乐以忘忧！”

如今我和我心都在欢唱，

用不着弦乐伴奏的声响，

在荒漠中畅饮甘泉，

受了挫折，仍如振翅翱翔。

——S.P.M.

1 stoic   

n.坚忍克己之人，禁欲主义者

参考例句：

• A stoic person responds to hardship with imperturbation.坚忍克己之人经受苦难仍能泰然自若。
• On Rajiv's death a stoic journey began for Mrs Gandhi,supported by her husband's friends.拉吉夫死后，索尼亚在丈夫友人的支持下开始了一段坚忍的历程。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

4 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

5 psalms   

n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的)

参考例句：

• the Book of Psalms 《〈圣经〉诗篇》
• A verse from Psalms knifed into Pug's mind: "put not your trust in princes." 《诗篇》里有一句话闪过帕格的脑海：“不要相信王侯。” 来自辞典例句

6 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

7 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。

8 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

9 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

10 bide   

v.忍耐；等候；住

参考例句：

• We'll have to bide our time until the rain stops.我们必须等到雨停。
• Bide here for a while. 请在这儿等一会儿。