June 11

"The servant of the Lord must be gentle." (2 Tim. 2:24)

When God conquers us and takes all the flint out of our nature, and we get deep visions into the Spirit of Jesus, we then see as never before the great rarity of gentleness of spirit in this dark and unheavenly world.

The graces of the Spirit do not settle themselves down upon us by chance, and if we do not discern certain states of grace, and choose them, and in our thoughts nourish them, they never become fastened in our nature or behavior.

Every advance step in grace must be preceded by first apprehending¹ it, and then a prayerful resolve to have it.

So few are willing to undergo the suffering out of which thorough gentleness comes. We must die before we are turned into gentleness, and crucifixion involves suffering; it is a real breaking and crushing of self, which wrings² the heart and conquers the mind.

There is a good deal of mere³ mental and logical sanctification nowadays, which is only a religious fiction. It consists of mentally putting one's self on the altar, and then mentally saying the altar sanctifies the gift, and then logically concluding therefore one is sanctified; and such an one goes forth⁴ with a gay, flippant, theological prattle⁵ about the deep things of God.

But the natural heartstrings have not been snapped, and the Adamic flint has not been ground to powder, and the bosom⁶ has not throbbed⁷ with the lonely, surging sighs of Gethsemane; and not having the real death marks of Calvary, there cannot be that soft, sweet, gentle, floating, victorious⁸, overflowing⁹, triumphant¹⁰ life that flows like a spring morning from an empty tomb. --G. D. W.

"And great grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33)

六月十一日

“主的仆人不可争竞，只要温温和和的待众人”（提后二：24）。

　　是神征服了我们，驱除了我们人性中一切残酷无情的因素，使我们对耶稣的灵有了深刻的认识，于是我们在这黑暗的世间，了解了温柔敦厚的气质，何等的珍贵！

　　这种圣灵的恩赐，并非偶然的机运降临到我们身上。我们若认识不清，不去选取，在我们的思想里不去培养发展，则它们永远不会深入我们的性格，或见之于行为。

　　在这恩典里欲求长进，必先领悟它，并且继续不断以坚定的祷告才能得到。

　　很少人愿意接受苦难，然而纯洁的温和，却是从苦难中产生的，欲养成我们的温和性格，必须经历十字架，也就是把“自我”破碎，内心经过一番的扭绞，而把优良的气质转变过来。

现时有许多仅仅属乎心理上和逻辑上的圣洁化，这不是真正的属灵的圣洁，或可名之曰“伪装的圣洁”，它经过的程序如下：先在心目中把自己供上圣坛，然后在心里上假定凡圣坛上的都会使供物成为圣洁，于是以逻辑推得结论，自己已经圣洁了，这个人就以浅薄的神学理论而大谈神的深义。

然而先天的恶心并未脱体，原始的罪性并未破碎，他胸怀中并没有“客西马尼”园中的孤独，也没有“各各他”地真正钉死的标志，他决不能获得那种轻柔，甜蜜，温和等等美德的生命，真象基督复活的生命一样。

“众人也都蒙大恩”。（徒四：33）

1 apprehending   

逮捕，拘押( apprehend的现在分词 )； 理解

参考例句：

• China has not been totally unsuccessful apprehending corruption suspects. 在逮捕腐化分子方面，中国并非毫无进展。
• Apprehending violence is not an easy task. 惧怕暴力不是一件容易的事。

2 wrings   

绞( wring的第三人称单数 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水）

参考例句：

• And so that interview Between Lucie and Sydney Carton has a pathos that wrings our hearts. 因此，露西和西德尼·卡登之间的会晤带有一种使我们感到揪心的凄楚的气氛。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• The girl wrings her dress dry. 这个女孩子扭乾她的衣服。

3 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

4 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。

5 prattle   

n.闲谈；v.（小孩般）天真无邪地说话；发出连续而无意义的声音

参考例句：

• Amy's happy prattle became intolerable.艾美兴高采烈地叽叽喳喳说个不停，汤姆感到无法忍受。
• Flowing water and green grass witness your lover's endless prattle.流水缠绕，小草依依，都是你诉不尽的情话。

6 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

7 throbbed   

抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动

参考例句：

• His head throbbed painfully. 他的头一抽一跳地痛。
• The pulse throbbed steadily. 脉搏跳得平稳。

8 victorious   

adj.胜利的，得胜的

参考例句：

• We are certain to be victorious.我们定会胜利。
• The victorious army returned in triumph.获胜的部队凯旋而归。

9 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

10 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。