September 2

"Unto you it is given . . .to suffer" (Phil. 1:29).

God keeps a costly¹ school. Many of its lessons are spelled out through tears. Richard Baxter said, "O God, I thank Thee for a bodily discipline of eight and fifty years"; and he is not the only man who has turned a trouble into triumph.

This school of our Heavenly Father will soon close for us; the term time is shortening every day. Let us not shrink from a hard lesson or wince² under any rod of chastisement³. The richer will be the crown, and the sweeter will be Heaven, if we endure cheerfully to the end and graduate in glory.--Theodore L. Cuyler

The finest china in the world is burned at least three times, some of it more than three times. Dresden china is always burned three times. Why does it go through that intense fire? Once ought to be enough; twice ought to be enough. No, three times are necessary to burn that china so that the gold and the crimson⁴ are brought out more beautiful and then fastened there to stay.

We are fashioned after the same principle in human life. Our trials are burned into us once, twice, thrice; and by God's grace these beautiful colors are there and they are there to stay forever.--Cortland Myers

Earth's fairest flowers grow not on sunny plain,

But where some vast upheaval⁵ rent in twain

The smiling land...

After the whirlwind's devastating⁶ blast,

After the molten fire and- ashen⁷ pall⁸,

God's still small voice breathes healing over all

From riven rocks and fern-clad chasms⁹ deep,

Flow living waters as from hearts that weep,

There in the afterglow soft dews distill¹⁰

And angels tend God's plants when night falls still,

And the Beloved passing by that way

Will gather lilies at the break of day -] H.D.

九月二日

「….你们蒙恩……要为基督受苦。」（腓一29）　

神开办了一个严紧的学校。校中许多功课，都是要在眼泪中费力研究的。裴克斯脱说：「哦，神阿，我感谢祢，因为祢给了我五十八年的训练。」他的困难变成他的胜利。

我们的天父所开办的这学校，不久就要结束了；我们能受训练的日期，也一天一天减少了。让我们不要畏缩难学的功课，和逃避教鞭的惩罚了。如果我们能高高兴兴地忍耐到底，直到在荣耀中学成毕业的话，我们一定会觉得冠冕更美丽，天堂可爱了。－－克勒

世上最精细的瓷器，都至少经火烧过三次，有的还不止三次。掘来斯登的瓷器，总是烧三次的。为甚么瓷器要经过强烈的猛火呢？一次应当够了；两次应当够了。不，瓷器必须烧过三次，然后其上的金色和红色纔会更为美丽和牢固。

人生也根据这个同样的原则。试炼一次、两次、三次地临到我们；感谢主，靠着祂的恩典，这些美丽的颜色会永久存留在我们的身上了。－－麦友

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 wince   

n.畏缩，退避，（因痛苦，苦恼等)面部肌肉抽动；v.畏缩，退缩，退避

参考例句：

• The barb of his wit made us wince.他那锋芒毕露的机智使我们退避三舍。
• His smile soon modified to a wince.他的微笑很快就成了脸部肌肉的抽搐。

3 chastisement   

n.惩罚

参考例句：

• You cannot but know that we live in a period of chastisement and ruin. 你们必须认识到我们生活在一个灾难深重、面临毁灭的时代。 来自辞典例句
• I think the chastisement to him is too critical. 我认为对他的惩罚太严厉了。 来自互联网

4 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

5 upheaval   

n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱

参考例句：

• It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
• The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 ashen   

adj.灰的

参考例句：

• His face was ashen and wet with sweat.他面如土色，汗如雨下。
• Her ashen face showed how much the news had shocked her.她灰白的脸显示出那消息使她多么震惊。

8 pall   

v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕

参考例句：

• Already the allure of meals in restaurants had begun to pall.饭店里的饭菜已经不像以前那样诱人。
• I find his books begin to pall on me after a while.我发觉他的书读过一阵子就开始对我失去吸引力。

9 chasms   

裂缝( chasm的名词复数 )； 裂口； 分歧； 差别

参考例句：

• She found great chasms in her mathematics and physics. 她觉得她的数学课和物理课的知识还很欠缺。
• The sectarian chasms remain deep, the wounds of strife raw. 各派别的分歧巨大，旧恨新仇交织。

10 distill   

vt.蒸馏，用蒸馏法提取，吸取，提炼

参考例句：

• This standard set determine the method of petroleum products distill.本标准规定了测定石油产品蒸馏的方法。
• Distill the crucial points of the book.从书中提炼出关键的几点。