1/7 司布真每日靈修(夜) Evening by Evening

一月七日

經文: 我妹子，我新婦。（雅歌四：12）

細看這屬天的所羅門，以強烈的愛情，用如此甜美的稱謂向祂的新婦──教會說話。我的妹子，因自然的連結與我有親密的關係，與我享受相同的相恩典。我的新婦，是我最親近也是最親愛的，藉著最溫柔之愛的結合與我聯合。祂是我的親密伴侶，也是我自己的一部份。肉身的妹子是我骨中之骨，肉中之肉。屬天許配的新婦是在公義中嫁給了我。我的妹子，從出生之日，我已認識了她，在襁褓中，我已保護了她。我的新婦，是從眾女子中揀選出來的。我以熱烈的愛情擁抱她，她也永遠屬於我的。王的親人並不以我們為恥，這是何等真實！祂顯然喜悅這雙重關係。在這節經文中，我的這個字重覆了兩次。似乎基督因擁有祂的教會而充滿了極大的喜樂。「牧人」尋找羊，因為牠們屬於祂。祂來為要「尋找拯救失喪的人」（路十九：10），因為失喪的人遠在失喪以前就已屬祂。教會是主所獨有的產業。別無他人可以宣稱有份或企圖分享她的愛情。因著上述的關係，基督是與我們相近的。藉著婚姻的結合，基督於你是親愛的，你於祂也是親愛的。看哪，祂以自己的雙手緊握你的雙手，說道：「我的妹子，我的新婦。」祂永遠不會也永不願意讓你離開祂。快快回應祂那聖潔的愛焰吧！

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Evening, January 7

Scripture: “My sister, my spouse.”(Song of Solomon 4:12)

Observe the sweet titles with which the heavenly Solomon with intense affection addresses his bride the church. “My sister, one near to me by ties of nature, partaker of the same sympathies. My spouse, nearest and dearest, united to me by the tenderest bands of love; my sweet companion, part of my own self. My sister, by my Incarnation, which makes me bone of thy bone and flesh of thy flesh; my spouse, by heavenly betrothal, in which I have espoused thee unto myself in righteousness. My sister, whom I knew of old, and over whom I watched from her earliest infancy; my spouse, taken from among the daughters, embraced by arms of love, and affianced unto me for ever. See how true it is that our royal Kinsman is not ashamed of us, for he dwells with manifest delight upon this two-fold relationship. We have the word “my” twice in our version; as if Christ dwelt with rapture on his possession of his Church. “His delights were with the sons of men,” because those sons of men were his own chosen ones. He, the Shepherd, sought the sheep, because they were his sheep; he has gone about “to seek and to save that which was lost,” because that which was lost was his long before it was lost to itself or lost to him. The church is the exclusive portion of her Lord; none else may claim a partnership, or pretend to share her love. Jesus, thy church delights to have it so! Let every believing soul drink solace out of these wells. Soul! Christ is near to thee in ties of relationship; Christ is dear to thee in bonds of marriage union, and thou art dear to him; behold he grasps both of thy hands with both his own, saying, “My sister, my spouse.” Mark the two sacred holdfasts by which thy Lord gets such a double hold of thee that he neither can nor will ever let thee go. Be not, O beloved, slow to return the hallowed flame of his love.