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The presence of a loving God!
慈爱上帝的同在！
(Thomas Brooks, “A Word in Season to Suffering Saints“)
(托马斯·布鲁克斯，《给受苦圣徒的应时之言》)
“You were precious in My sight, and I have loved you.” Isaiah 43:4
“你在我眼中为宝为尊，我也爱你。”以赛亚书43:4
God loves His people with a first love! 1 John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.”
上帝以首先的爱来爱祂的子民！约翰一书4:19，”我们爱，因为神先爱我们。”
By nature we were without God, and afar off from God; we were strangers to God, and enemies to God, yes, haters of God! Therefore if God had not loved us first—we would have been everlastingly undone!
按本性我们原是无神的，远离神的；我们是神的陌生人，神的仇敌，是的，是恨恶神的！因此若不是神先爱我们，我们就永远沉沦了！
God loves His people with a free love! Hosea 14:4, “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely.”
上帝以无条件的爱来爱祂的子民！何西阿书14:4，”我必医治他们背道的病，甘心爱他们。”
I know they are backslidden—but I will heal their backslidings. I know there is nothing at all in them, which is excellent or eminent, which is honorable or acceptable, which is laudable or lovely—yet “I will love them freely”—of My own, free, rich, absolute and sovereign grace!
我知道他们已经背道——但我要医治他们的背道。我知道他们里面毫无可取之处，没有卓越或杰出之处，没有尊贵或可悦纳之处，没有可赞美或可爱之处——然而”我要甘心爱他们”——出于我自己的，自由的，丰富的，绝对的和至高的恩典！
God loves His people with an everlasting love! Jeremiah 31:3, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, with loving-kindness have I drawn you.”
上帝以永恒的爱来爱祂的子民！耶利米书31:3，”我以永远的爱爱你，因此我以慈爱吸引你。”
That is, “I love you with the love of perpetuity, or with the love of eternity. My love and My affections to you shall continue forever!”
就是说，”我用永久的爱，或永恒的爱来爱你。我的爱和我对你的眷顾必永远长存！”
God loves His people with an unchangeable love! Malachi 3:6, “I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.”
上帝以永不改变的爱来爱祂的子民！玛拉基书3:6，”因我耶和华是不改变的，所以你们雅各之子没有灭亡。”
Men change, and counsels change, and occurrences change, and friends change, and relations change, and kingdoms change; but God never changes! “He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man, that He should change His mind,” 1 Samuel 15:29.
人会改变，谋略会改变，事件会改变，朋友会改变，关系会改变，王国会改变；但上帝永不改变！”以色列的大能者必不致说谎，也不致后悔；因为他不是世人，决不后悔，”撒母耳记上15:29。
God is immutable in His nature, in His essence, in His counsels, in His attributes, in His decrees, in His promises, etc. He is Omnina immutabilis, “Altogether immutable!”
上帝的本性、本质、谋略、属性、法令、应许等都是不变的。他是Omnina immutabilis[完全不变的]，”完全不变！”
God loves His people . . .
with a special love,
with a peculiar love,
with a distinguishing love,
with a superlative love!
上帝爱他的子民……
以特别的爱，
以独特的爱，
以分别的爱，
以至高的爱！
God loves His people with the greatest love, with a matchless love! John 3:16, “God so loved.”
This signifies . . .
the greatness of God’s love,
the vehemence of His love, and
the admirableness of His love.
上帝以最伟大的爱，以无与伦比的爱爱他的子民！约翰福音3:16，”神爱世人。”
这表明……
上帝之爱的伟大，
他爱的强烈，以及
他爱的奇妙。
What an unspeakable comfort must this be to God’s people—to have the presence of a loving God, to have the presence of such a loving God with them in all their troubles and deep distresses! If the presence of a loving friend, a loving relation in our troubles and distresses, is such a mercy—oh, what then is the presence of a loving God!
对上帝的子民来说，这该是何等难以言表的安慰啊——拥有慈爱上帝的同在，在所有患难和深重困扰中有这样慈爱的上帝与他们同在！如果在患难和困扰中有慈爱的朋友、亲人的同在都是如此恩典——啊，那么慈爱上帝的同在又该是何等的恩典！