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And how is it that I am made to differ?
我为何与众不同？
(John MacDuff, “The Prophet of Fire” 1877)
（约翰·麦克杜夫，《火的先知》1877年）
Let us adore the freeness of God’s mercy, and the sovereignty of His grace.
让我们敬拜神怜悯的自由性，和祂恩典的主权。
God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are His ways our ways. Man has generally some reason for conferring his favors; some claim arising from person or pedigree, from character or attainments.
神的意念非同我们的意念，祂的道路非同我们的道路。人施予恩惠通常都有理由；或因人品或因血统，或因品格或因成就。
But God’s sole motive in conferring favors is His own free and gracious purpose.
但神施予恩惠的唯一动机是祂自己自由和恩慈的旨意。
“It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”
“这不在乎那定意的，也不在乎那奔跑的，只在乎发怜悯的神。”
He takes a Manasseh filling Jerusalem with blood, and makes him a monument of forgiveness.
祂拣选了使耶路撒冷血流成河的玛拿西，使他成为赦免的纪念碑。
He takes a Saul breathing out his blasphemies, and converts him into the great Apostle.
祂拣选了口吐亵渎的扫罗，使他成为伟大的使徒。
He takes . . .
a crude heathen jailer, or
an unprincipled tax gatherer of Jericho, or
a profligate woman of Capernaum, or
a felon in his dying agonies, while
many encircled with the halo of natural virtues or with the prestige of religious education and training, are left to perish in their ungodliness and unbelief and pride!
祂拣选了…
一个粗鄙的外邦狱卒，或
一个耶利哥不守原则的税吏，或
一个迦百农放荡的女人，或
一个临死挣扎的罪犯，而
许多被天然美德的光环或宗教教育与训练的声望环绕的人，却被任其在不敬虔、不信和骄傲中灭亡！
And it is the same principle we recognize still in His dealings. He often passes by . . .
the great,
the powerful,
the rich,
the sophisticated,
the educated;
yes, even the virtuous and the amiable;
我们仍在祂的作为中认出同样的原则。祂常常越过…
伟大的人，
有权势的，
富有的，
老练的，
受教育的；
是的，甚至越过有德行和可爱的人；
and He crowds the marriage supper of the King from the highways and hedges; with the poor and the illiterate; the outcast and prodigal.
祂从路边和篱笆那里招聚人来赴王的婚筵；与贫穷和文盲同坐；与被弃的和浪子同席。
He often leaves palace and castle and stately mansion and lettered hall; and enters the humble cottage and the poor man’s hovel.
祂常常离开宫殿、城堡、富丽堂皇的豪宅和文人雅士的厅堂；进入卑微的茅舍和穷人的陋室。
He takes the children’s bread and casts it to Gentile dogs!
祂取了儿女的饼，丢给外邦的狗！
Many old companions; those at one time better and more promising than I; have been long ago scattered as wrecks on life’s ocean, entangled in the swirling vortex, and hurried down into nameless depths of infamy.
许多昔日的伙伴，那些曾经比我更优秀、更有前途的人，早已如残骸般散落在人生的海洋中，陷入漩涡的纠缠，坠入无名的耻辱深渊。
And how is it that I am made to differ?
为何我竟与他们不同？
How is it that that tale of misery and ruin; that which, in the case of others, has broken a parent’s heart, and sent him sobbing and halting to the grave; how is it that I have escaped these dread temptations; and that, while others have broken loose with a worse than maniac’s madness, I am this day sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in my right mind?
为何那悲惨与毁灭的故事，那曾使他人父母心碎、哭泣着蹒跚走向坟墓的事，我却得以逃脱这些可怕的试探；而当他人以比疯子更甚的疯狂失控时，我今日却能衣着整齐、心智清明地坐在耶稣脚前？
Not unto me, O God! not unto me! But unto Your name be all the glory!
不是归于我，神啊！不是归于我！愿荣耀都归于祢的名！
I read the reason, written in gleaming letters, in the heights and depths of Your own Infinite love. By Your grace, Your free, sovereign, unmerited grace alone, I am what I am!
我在祢无限慈爱的高深之处，看见原因写在闪耀的字句中。唯独因祢的恩典，祢白白的、主权的、不配得的恩典，我才成为今日的我！