圣约中的安慰

¶虽然神为自己保留自由，必要时可以使祂的百姓受苦；但祂也用应许约束了自己的手，绝不从他们收回祂的慈爱。

¶我的心哪，我骄傲的心哪！神已经把整棵树赐给你，连同树上所结的一串串安慰果子；祂不过许可风吹落几片叶子，你为什么就不满呢？诚然，若祂剪断祂的爱，或废去与我灵魂所立的约，我就有理由灰心丧胆；但祂没有这样做，也不能这样做。

¶“又要与他们立永远的约，必随着他们施恩，并不离开他们，且使他们有敬畏我的心，不离开我。”（耶32:40）

¶Though God has reserved to Himself a liberty of afflicting His people when He sees the necessity of it-yet He has tied His own hands by promise, never to take away His loving-kindness from them.

¶O my heart, my haughty heart! Why should you be discontented, when God has given you the whole tree, with all the clusters of comfort growing on it-because He allows the wind to blow down a few leaves? Indeed, if He had cut off His love, or discovenanted my soul-I would have had reason to be cast down. But this He has not done-nor can He do it.

¶"I will make an everlasting covenant with them! I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear Me, so that they will never turn away from Me!" Jeremiah 32:40