,parables of the ,cross by ,i4 ,lilias  
,trotter  ,to ,a4,c4  ,b4,a4,b4 in      
memory of lessons learnt together       
,marshall ,brothers1 ,ltd4 ,london      
,edinburgh4    ,death is the ,gate of   
,life  ,there was deep insight in those 
old words4 ,for man's natural thought of
 death is that of a dreary ending in    
decay and dissolution4 ,and from his    
standpoint he is right3 death as the    
punishment of sin is an ending4  ,but   
far other is ,god's thought in the      
redemption of the world4 ,he takes the  
very thing that came in with the curse1 
and makes it the path of glory4 ,death  
becomes a beginning instead of an       
ending1 for it becomes the means of     
liberating a fresh life4  ,and so the   
hope that lies in these parable lessons 
of death and life is meant for those    
only who are turning to ,him for        
redemption4 ,to those who have not      
turned1 death stands in all its old     
awful doom1 inevitable1 irrevocable4    
,there is no gleam of light through it  

for them4  99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99  ,the
 death of the ,cross--death's triumph   
hour--that was the point where ,god's   
gate opened2 and to that gate we come   
again and again1 as our lives unfold1   
and through it pass even on earth to our
 joyful resurrection1 to a life each    
time more abundant1 for each time the   
dying is a deeper dying4 ,the ,christian
 life is a process of deliverance out of
 one world into another1 and death1 as  
has been truly said1 is the only way out
 of any world in which we are4  ,death  
is the gate of life4 ,does it look so to
 us8 ,have we learnt to go down1 once   
and again1 into its gathering shadows in
 quietness and confidence1 knowing that 
there is always a better resurrection   
beyond8  ,it is in the stages of a      
plant's growth1 its budding and         
blossoming and seed-bearing1 that this  
lesson has come to me3 the lesson of    
death in its delivering power4 ,it has  
come as no mere far-fetched imagery1 but
 as one of the many voices in which ,god

 speaks1 bringing strength and gladness 
from ,his ,holy ,place4  ,can we not    
trace the sign of the ,cross in the     
first hint of the new spring's dawning8 
,in many cases1 as in the chestnut1     
before a single old leaf has faded1 next
 year's buds may be seen1 at the summit 
of branch and twig1 formed into its very
 likeness3 in others the leaf-buds seem 
to bear its mark by breaking through the
 stem blood-red4 ,back in the plant's   
first stages1 the crimson touch is to be
 found in seed-leaves and fresh shoots1 
and even in the hidden sprouts4 ,look at
 the acorn1 for instance1 as it breaks  
its shell1 and see how the baby tree    
bears its birthmark3 it is the blood-red
 in which the prism ray dawns out of the
 darkness1 and the sunrise out of the   
night4 ,the very stars1 science now     
tells us1 glow with this same colour as 
they are born into the universe out of  
the dying of former                     
stars4,footnote993,prof4 ,huggins4      
,brit4 ,asso4 #ahia4  ,be it as it may  

in nature1 it is true1 at any rate in   
the world of grace1 that each soul that 
would enter into real life must bear at 
the outset this crimson seal2 there must
 be the individual sprinkling of the    
,blood of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it must go   
out through the ,gate of the ,cross4    
,and here is the needs-be4 ,death is the
 only way out of the world of           
condemnation wherein we lie4 ,shut into 
that world1 it is vain to try by any    
self-effort to battle out2 nothing can  
revoke the decree the soul that sinneth 
it shall die4  ,the only choice left is 
this4 ,shall it be1 under the old       
headship of ,adam1 our own death1 in all
 that ,god means by the word1 or shall  
it be1 under the headship of ,christ1   
the death of another in our place8  ,it 
is when we come to self-despair1 when we
 feel ourselves locked in1 waiting our  
doom1 that the glory and the beauty of  
,god's way of escape dawns upon us1 and 
we submit ourselves to ,him in it4 ,all 
resistance breaks down as faith closes  

on the fact3 ,he loved me and gave      
,himself for me4 ,we receive the        
atonement so hardly won1 and we go out  
into life not only pardoned1 but cleared
 and justified4   ,death to ,sin's      
,penalty is the ,way ,out into a ,life  
of ,justification4  ,and as we go out   
free1 we find that on the other side of 
the ,cross a new existence has really   
begun3 that the love of the ,crucified  
has touched the springs of our being--we
 are in another world1 under an open    
heaven4 ,christ hath suffered for sins1 
the ,just for the unjust1 that ,he might
 bring us to ,god4  ,does anyone read   
these words who is trying to struggle   
from the natural life into the          
spiritual1 by some other way than this  
way of the ,cross8 ,it is as impossible 
as it would be to pass from to-day into 
to-morrow except through the night4     
,your battling is a battling against    
,god4 ,yield and come to ,his terms4    
,yield now4  99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99    
,but blessed as it is1 this passage into

 a life of peace with ,him1 woe to the  
soul that stops there1 thinking that the
 goal is reached1 and dwindles1 so to   
speak1 into a stunted bud4 ,holiness1   
not safety1 is the end of our calling4  
,and so it comes to pass that a fresh   
need for deliverance is soon pressed    
upon him who is true to ,god's voice in 
his heart4 ,the two lives are there     
together1 one new-born and feeble1 the  
other strong with an earlier growth4    
,the flesh lusteth against the spirit   
and the spirit against the flesh1 and   
the will power is distracted between the
 two1 like the sap that flows partly    
into the old condemned leaves1 partly   
into the fresh buds4 ,consequently there
 is the strife of a kingdom divided     
against itself3 sometimes the one life  
grows and flourishes1 sometimes the     
other2 sometimes they struggle on side  
by side1 till the cry is forced         
out--,oh1 wretched man that ,i am2 who  
shall deliver me8  ,and here again1 when
 the point of self-despair is reached1  

and we come to see that our efforts     
after holiness are as vain as our       
efforts after acceptance with ,god1 the 
door of escape opens afresh4  ,for there
 is glory be to ,god1 a definite way out
 from the prison life of sruggling and  
failure1 sinning and repenting1 wherein 
many a soul beats its wings for years   
after the question of pardon has been   
settled4 ,and that way is again the way 
of death4  ,a stage of dying must come  
over the plant before the new leaves can
 grow and thrive4 ,there must be a      
deliberate choice between the former    
growth and the new2 one must give way to
 the other2 the acorn has to come to the
 point where it ceases to keep its rag  
of former existence1 and lets everything
 go to the fresh shoot3 the twig must   
withdraw its sap from last year's leaf1 
and let it flow into this year's bud4   
,and before the soul can really enter   
upon a life of holiness1 with all its   
blessed endless possibilities1 a like   
choice must be made3 all known sin must 

be deliberately given up1 that the      
rising current may have its full play4  
,but1 you say1 ,i have tried again and  
again to give up sin3 ,i have prayed1   
and ,i have resolved1 but the will finds
 its way back into the old channels1 and
 is keeping alive the past before ,i    
know it4  ,look at our parable4 ,if you 
picked off one of the dead leaves and   
examined the leaf-stalk through a       
microscope1 you would find that the old 
channel is silted up by a barrier       
invisible to the naked eye4 ,the plant  
has shut the door on the last year's    
leaf1 condemning it to decay1 and soon  
without further effort the stalk        
loosens1 the winds of ,god play around  
it1 and it falls away4   ,but where is  
the barrier that we can place between   
ourselves and the old nature8 ,where is 
the sentence of death that we can pass  
upon it8  ,back to the ,cross again6 ,it
 is there1 within our reach4 ,our old   
man is crucified with ,him1 that the    
body of sin might be destroyed1 that    

henceforth we should not serve sin2 for 
he that is dead is freed from sin4      
,death to ,sin is the ,way ,out into a  
,life of ,holiness4  ,the ,cross of our 
,lord ,jesus ,christ shuts off the life 
of sin2 like the silted-up channel1 it  
stands a blessed invisible barrier      
between us and sinning1 as we reckon it 
there3 that is1 hold it there by faith  
and will4 ,and ,his open grave is the   
open way into a life1 wherein our rising
 powers can develop into all their      
spring vigour4  ,the sap--the will--the 
ego--is withdrawn from the former       
existence1 its aims and desires1 and is 
sent into the new4 ,it is given over to 
the other side3 we hold to it that this 
is now our life1 the only one that has  
the right to be4 ,we reckon ourselves   
dead to the old2 we reckon ourselves    
alive to the new2 putting off the       
former1 putting on the latter4  ,take a 
practical instance4 ,an old habit of    
doubting and fearing asserts itself in  
your soul1 alive and strong4 ,you have  

two things to do4 ,close the door upon  
the doubt3 shut your eyes to it3 reckon 
yourself dead to it4  ,and then reckon  
into life the new-born growth of faith  
in your soul1 and put all your force    
into believing3 lift up your eyes to the
 ,god in ,whom you believe3 believe in  
the teeth of everything1 as if the cause
 for doubt were not there4 ,then the    
sap1 ceasing from feeding the old shoot1
 will flow into the new4  ,but is it an 
act1 or a gradual process1 this putting 
off the old man8 ,it is both4 ,it is a  
resolve taken once for all1 but carried 
out in detail day by day4 ,the first    
hour that the sap begins to withdraw1   
and the leaf-stalk begins to silt up1   
the leaf's fate is sealed3 there is     
never a moment's reversal of the        
decision4 ,each day that follows is a   
steady carrying out of the plant's      
purpose3 this old leaf shall die1 and   
the new leaf shall live4 ,so with your  
soul4 ,come to the decision once for    
all3 every known sin shall go--if there 

is a deliverance to be had1 ,i will have
 it4 ,put the ,cross of ,christ1 in its 
mysterious delivering power1 irrevocably
 between you and sinning1 and hold on   
there4 ,that is your part1 and you must 
do it4 ,there is no further progress    
possible to you1 till you make up your  
mind to part company with every sin in  
which you know you are indulging--every 
sin of thought1 word1 or deed1 every    
link with the world1 the flesh1 or the  
devil1 everything on which the shadow of
 a question falls1 as ,god's light      
shines in3 to part company1 not by a    
series of gradual struggles1 but by an  
honest act of renouncing1 maintained by 
faith and obedience4 ,and as you make   
the decision up to your present         
knowledge1 you must determine that this 
is henceforth your attitude towards all 
that is not of the ,father1 as ,his     
growing light shall reveal it4  ,from   
,his side ,god will come in with a      
breath of ,his resurrection power2 for  
the ,cross and the empty tomb cannot be 

long divided4 ,the law of the ,spirit of
 ,life can work now1 as you deliberately
 loose hold of all clinging to sin2 the 
expulsive power of ,his working within1 
and the play of ,his winds around1 will 
make you free indeed1 like these young  
shoots when last year's leaves have     
fallen4  99 99 99 99 99 99 99 99  ,this 
brings us to the positive side2 for when
 the sentence of death on the old nature
 is realised1 the new nature can be     
manifested4 ,separation from all known  
sin is the starting-point for           
santification1 not the goal3 it is only 
the negative side of holiness2 it is    
only reaching the place where ,god can  
develop ,his ideal in us unhindered4 ,it
 is when the death of winter has done   
its work that the sun can draw out in   
each plant its own individuality1 and   
make its existence full and fragrant4   
,holiness means something more than the 
sweeping away of the old leaves of sin3 
it means the life of ,jesus developed in
 us4  ,no matter if we feel utterly     

helpless before that lovely life of     
,his4 ,given the conditions--the hidden 
power within1 and the old outlets of    
growth shut off--the sun will do the    
rest2 out of the midst of apparent      
lifelessness1 of barrenness1 of         
difficulty1 the blossoms will be drawn  
forth4 ,do not let us limit the ,holy   
,one of ,israel by putting off ,his     
power to work this miracle into a       
distant future4 ,how hopeless the naked 
wood of a fruit tree would look to us in
 ,february if we had never seen the     
marvel of springtime6 ,yet the heavenly 
bloom bursts straight out1 with hardly  
an intermediate step of new growth4     
,look again at a flowering rush4 ,the   
crest breaks forth from nothingness--out
 of the lifeless-seeming pith come      
crowding the golden brown blossoms1 till
 there is hardly room to receive them4  
,what more do we need for our souls than
 to have this ,god for our ,god8  ,once 
allow the manifestation of ,his grace in
 these poor hearts of ours to be a      

miracle1 and there is no need to defer  
it vaguely4 ,how many of the wonders    
wrought by ,christ on earth lay in      
concentrating the long processes of     
nature into a sudden act of power4 ,the 
sick would1 many of them1 have been     
healed by degrees in the ordinary course
 of things2 the lapse of years would    
have brought about the withering of the 
fig-tree2 the storm would have spent    
itself in few hours4 ,the miracle in    
each case consisted in the slow process 
being quickened by the ,divine breath1  
and condensed into a moment4  ,cannot we
 trust ,him for like marvels in our     
souls8 ,there1 too1 a day is with the   
,lord as a thousand years4 ,there is no 
needs be on ,his part that ,he should   
prolong this first act of makings us    
holy over the rest of our lives4 ,a     
miracle--a wonder--is all that we need1 
and ,he is the ,god1 that doeth wonders4
 ,satan is quite content that we should 
have faith for future sanctification1   
just as he was content that we should   

have faith for future salvation4 ,it is 
when the soul rises to here and now that
 he trembles4  ,whatever is the next    
grace for your soul1 can you believe for
 its supply at once1 straight out from  
the dry1 bare need8 ,christ's process is
 very simple and very swift3 ,whatsoever
 things ye desire1 when ye pray1 believe
 that ye receive them1 and ye shall have
 them4  ,and not only with the          
barrenness of our souls can ,god deal   
with ,his quickening breath1 but with   
our difficulties as well3 with those    
things in our surroundings that seem the
 most unfavourable4  ,see this bit of   
gorse-bush4 ,the whole year round the   
thorn has been hardening and sharpening4
 ,spring comes3 the thorn does not drop 
off1 and it does not soften2 there it   
is1 as uncompromising as ever2 but      
half-way up appear two brown furry      
balls1 mere specks at first1 that break 
at last--straight out of last year's    
thorn--into a blaze of fragrant golden  
glory4  ,see this bit of gorse-bush4    

,the whole year round the thorn has been
 hardening and sharpening4 ,spring      
comes3 the thorn does not drop off1 and 
it does not soften2 there it is1 as     
uncompromising as ever2 but half-way up 
appear two brown furry balls1 mere      
specks at first1 that break at          
last--straight out of last year's       
thorn--into a blaze of fragrant golden  
glory4  ,now no chastening for the      
present seemeth to be joyous1 but       
grievous2 nevertheless afterward it     
yieldeth the peaceable fruit of         
righteousness unto them that are        
exercised thereby4 ,never mind if the   
trouble shews no sign of giving way3 it 
is just when it seems most hopelessly   
unyielding1 holding on through the      
spring days1 alive and strong1 it is    
then that the tiny buds appear that soon
 will clothe it with glory4 ,take the   
very hardest thing in your life--the    
place of difficulty1 outward or inward1 
and expect ,god to triumph gloriously in
 that very spot4 ,just there ,he can    

bring your soul into blossom6  99 99 99 
99 99 99 99 99  ,and so the spring-time 
expands1 till it passes once more into  
the shadow of ,calvary4 ,for the        
blessedness of receiving is not all that
 ,god has for us3 a new world lies      
beyond--a world of giving3 a giving     
first to ,god in surrender1 then to man 
in sacrifice4  ,a flower that stops     
short at its flowering misses its       
purpose4 ,we were created for more than 
our own spiritual development2          
reproduction1 not mere development1 is  
the goal of matured being--reproduction 
in other lives4 ,there is a tendency in 
some characters1 running parallel to the
 high cultivation that spends its whole 
energy on the production of bloom at the
 expense of seed4 ,the flowers that are 
bent on perfecting themselves1 by       
becoming double1 end in barrenness1 and 
a like barrenness comes to the soul     
whose interests are all concentrated    
upon its own spiritual well-being1      
heedless of the needs around4 ,the true1

 ideal flower is the one that uses its  
gifts as means to an end2 the brightness
 and sweetness are not for its own      
glory2 they are but to attract the bees 
and butterflies that will fertilise and 
make it fruitful4 ,all may go when the  
work is done--it is more blessed to give
 than to receive4  ,and we ourselves are
 saved to save--we are made to give--to 
let everything go if only we may have   
more to give4 ,the pebble takes in all  
the rays of light that fall on it1 but  
the diamond flashes them out again3     
every little facet is a means1 not      
simply of drinking more in1 but of      
giving more out4 ,the unearthly         
loveliness of the opal arises from the  
same process1 carried on within the     
stone3 the microscope shows it to be    
shattered through and through with      
numberless fissures that catch and      
refract and radiate every ray that they 
can seize4  ,yes1 there lies before us a
 beautiful possible life--one that shall
 have a passion for giving3 that shall  

be poured forth to ,god--spent out for  
man3 that shall be consecrated for the  
hardest work and the darkest sinners4   
,but how are we to enter in8 ,how are we
 to escape from the self-life that holds
 us1 even after the sin-life has loosed 
its grasp8  ,back to the ,cross3 not    
only from the world of condemnation and 
from the world of sinning does it free  
us as we accept it1 but from the power  
of outward things and from the thraldom 
of self3 not only does it open the door 
into the world of acquittal1 and again  
into that of holiness1 but yet again    
into the new realm of surrender1 and    
thence into that of sacrifice4 ,for the 
essential idea of the ,cross is a life  
lost to be found again in those around4 
,let us look at ,god's picturing4 ,as   
the plant develops there comes a fresh  
stage of yielding4 ,at first it was only
 the dead1 disfiguring leaves that had  
to go--now it is the fair new petals3   
they must fall1 and for no visible      
reason--no one seems enriched by the    

stripping4  ,and the first step into the
 realm of giving is a like              
surrender--not manward1 but ,godward3 an
 utter yielding of our best4 ,so long as
 our idea of surrender is limited to the
 renouncing of unlawful things1 we have 
never grasped its true meaning3 that is 
not worthy of the name for no polluted  
thing can be offered4  ,the life lost on
 the ,cross was not a sinful one--the   
treasure poured forth there was         
,god-given1 ,god-blessed treasure1      
lawful and right to be kept3 only that  
there was the life of the world at      
stake6   ,death to ,lawful ,things is   
the ,way ,out into a ,life of           
,surrender4  ,look at this buttercup as 
it begins to learn its new lesson4 ,the 
little hands of the calyx clasp tightly 
in the bud1 round the beautiful petals2 
in the young flower their grasp grows   
more elastic--loosening somewhat in the 
daytime1 but keeping the power of       
contracting1 able to close in again     
during a rainstorm1 or when night comes 

on4 ,but see the central flower1 which  
has reached its maturity4 ,the calyx    
hands have unclasped utterly now--they  
have folded themselves back1 past all   
power of closing again upon the petals1 
leaving the golden crown free to float  
away when ,god's time comes4  ,have we  
learned the buttercup's lesson yet8 ,are
 our hands off the very blossom of our  
life8 ,are all things--even the         
treasures that ,he has sanctified--held 
loosely1 ready to be parted with1       
without a struggle1 when ,he asks for   
them8  ,it is not in the partial        
relaxing of grasp1 with power to take   
back again1 that this fresh victory of  
death is won3 it is won when that very  
power of taking back is yielded2 when   
our hands1 like the little calyx hands  
of ,god's buttercups1 are not only taken
 off1 but folded behind our back in     
utter abandonment4 ,death means a       
loosened grasp--loosened beyond all     
power of grasping again4  ,and it is no 
strange thing that happens to us1 if    

,god takes us at our word1 and strips us
 for a while of all that made life      
beautiful4 ,it may be outward           
things--bodily comfort1 leisure1        
culture1 reputation1 friendships--that  
have to drift away as our hands refuse  
to clasp on anything but ,god's will for
 us4 ,or it may be on our inner life    
that the stripping falls1 and we have to
 leave the sunny lands of spiritual     
enjoyment for one after another of      
temptation's battlefields1 where every  
inch of our foothold has to be tested1  
where even1 it may seem to give         
way--till no experience1 no             
resting-place remains to us in heaven or
 earth but ,god ,himself--till we are   
wrecked upon ,god4  ,have faith1 like   
the flowers1 to let the old things go4  
,earn ,his beatitude1 ,his ,blessed is  
he1 whosoever shall not be offended in  
,me--the beatitude of the trusting1 as  
it has well been called--even if you    
have to earn it like ,john the ,baptist 
in an hour of desolation4 ,you have told

 ,him that you want ,him only4 ,are you 
ready to ratify the words when ,his     
emptying begins to come8 ,is ,god       
enough8 ,is it still ,my ,god that you  
cry1 even as ,jesus cried when nothing  
else was left ,him8  ,yes1 practical    
death with ,him to lawful things is just
 letting go1 even as ,he on the ,cross  
let go all but ,god4 ,it is not to be   
reached by struggling for it1 but simply
 by yielding as the body yields at last 
to the physical death that lays hold on 
it--as the dying calyx yields its       
flower4 ,only to no iron law with its   
merciless grasp do we let ourselves go1 
but into the hands of the ,father3 it is
 there that our spirit falls1 as we are 
made conformable unto the death of      
,jesus4  ,does all this seem hard8 ,does
 any soul1 young in this life and in    
that to come1 shrink back and say ,i    
would rather keep in the springtime--,i 
do not want to reach unto the things    
that are before if it must mean all this
 of pain4  ,to such comes the ,master's 

voice3 ,fear none of those things which 
thou shalt suffer3 ,you are right to be 
glad in ,his ,april days while he gives 
them4 ,every stage of the heavenly      
growth in us is lovely to ,him2 ,he is  
the ,god of the daisies and the lambs   
and the merry child hearts6 ,it may be  
that no such path of loss lies before   
you2 there are people like the lands    
where spring and summer weave the year  
between them1 and the autumn processes  
are hardly noticed as they come and go4 
,the one thing is to keep obedient in   
spirit1 then you will be ready to let   
the flower-time pass if ,he bids you1   
when the sun of ,his love has worked    
some more ripening4 ,you will feel by   
then that to try to keep the withering  
blossoms would be to cramp and ruin your
 soul4 ,it is loss to keep when ,god    
says 'give'4  ,for here again death is  
the gate of life3 it is an entering in1 
not a going forth only2 it means a      
liberating of new powers as the former  
treasures float away like the dying     

petals4  ,we cannot feel a consciousness
 of death3 the words are a contradiction
 in terms4 ,if we had literally passed  
out of this world into the next we      
should not feel dead1 we should only be 
conscious of a new wonderful life       
beating within us4 ,our consciousness of
 death would be an entirely negative    
matter--the old pains would be unable to
 touch us1 the old bonds would be unable
 to fetter us4 ,our actual consciousness
 would have passed into the new         
existence3 we should be independent of  
the old4  ,and a like independence is   
the characteristic of the new flood of  
resurrection life that comes to our     
souls as we learn this fresh lesson of  
dying--a grand independence of any      
earthly thing to satisfy our soul1 the  
liberty of those who have nothing to    
lose1 because they have nothing to keep4
 ,we can do without anything while we   
have ,god4 ,hallelujah6  ,nor is this   
all4 ,look at the expression of         
abandonment about this wild-rose calyx  

as time goes on1 and it begins to grow  
towards the end for which it has had to 
count all things but loss3 the look of  
dumb emptiness has gone--it is flung    
back joyously now1 for simultaneously   
with the new dying a richer life has    
begun to work at its heart--so much     
death1 so much life--for  ,ever with    
death it weaveth ,the warp and woof of  
the world4  ,the lovely wild-rose petals
 that have drifted away are almost      
forgotten in the reaching forth unto the
 things that are before3 the seed-vessel
 has begun to form3 it is yielded 4 4 4 
to bring forth fruit4  ,yes1 there is   
another stage to be developed in us     
after the lesson of absolute            
unquestioning surrender to ,god has been
 learnt4 ,a life that has been poured   
forth to ,him must find its crown1 its  
completion1 in being poured forth for   
man3 it must grow out of surrender into 
sacrifice4 ,they first gave their own   
selves to the ,lord1 and unto us by the 
will of ,god4  ,back to the ,cross once 

more3 if there is any place where this  
fresh lesson can be learnt1 it is there6
 ,hereby perceive we the love of ,god1  
because ,he laid down ,his life for us1 
and we ought to lay down our lives for  
the brethren4 ,it is the very love of   
,calvary that must come down into our   
souls1 ,yea1 if ,i be poured forth upon 
the service of your faith ,i joy and    
rejoice with you all3 so spoke the      
apostle who drank most deeply into the  
,master's spirit3 and again--,death     
worketh in us1 but life in you4 ,neither
 count ,i my life dear unto myself1 that
 ,i may finish 4 4 4 the ministry4      
,deeper and deeper must be the dying1   
for wider and fuller is the lifetide    
that it is to liberate--no longer       
limited by the narrow range of our own  
being1 but with endless powers of       
multiplying in other souls4 ,death must 
reach the very springs of our nature to 
set it free3 it is not this thing or    
that thing that must go now3 it is      
blindly1 helplessly1 recklessly1 our    

very selves4 ,a dying must come upon all
 that would hinder ,god's working       
through us--all interests1 all impulses1
 all energies that are born of the      
flesh--all that is merely human and     
apart from ,his ,spirit4 ,only thus can 
the ,life of ,jesus1 in its intensity of
 love for sinners1 have its way in our  
souls4   ,death to ,self is the ,way    
,out into a ,life of ,sacrifice4  ,this 
dandelion has long ago surrendered its  
golden petals1 and has reached its      
crowning stage of dying--the delicate   
seed-globe must break up now--it gives  
and gives till it has nothing left4     
,what a revolution would come over the  
world--the world of starving bodies at  
home--the world of starving souls       
abroad1 if something like this were the 
standard of giving2 if ,god's people    
ventured on making themselves poor as   
,jesus did1 for the sake of the need    
around2 if the ,i--me--mine were        
practically delivered up1 no longer to  
be recognised when they clash with those

 needs4  ,the hour of this new dying is 
clearly defined to the dandelion globe3 
it is marked by detachment4 ,there is no
 sense of wrenching3 it stands ready1   
holding up its little life1 not knowing 
when or where or how the wind that      
bloweth where it listeth may carry it   
away4 ,it holds itself no longer for its
 own keeping1 only as something to be   
given3 a breath does the rest1 turning  
the readiness to will into the          
performance4 7#b ,cor4 #h4 #aa47 ,and to
 a soul that through deaths oft has been
 brought to this point1 even acts that  
look as if they must involve an effort1 
become something natural1 spontaneous1  
full of a heavenly involuntariness1 so  
simply are they the outcome of the      
indwelling love of ,christ4  ,shall we  
not ask ,god to convict us1 as to where 
lies the hindrance to this              
self-emptying8 ,it is not alone mere    
selfishness1 in its ordinary sense1 that
 prevents it2 long after this has been  
cleansed away by the ,precious ,blood   

there may remain1 unrecognised1 the     
self-life in more subtle forms4 ,it may 
co-exist with much that looks like      
sacrifice2 there may be much of         
usefulness and of outward self-denial1  
and yet below the surface may remain a  
clinging to our own judgment1 a         
confidence in our own resources1 an     
unconscious taking of our own way1 even 
in ,god's service4 ,and these things    
hold down1 hold in our souls1 and       
frustrate the ,spirit in ,his working4  
,the latent self-life needs to be       
brought down into the place of death    
before ,his breath can carry us hither  
and thither as the wind wafts the seeds4
 ,are we ready for this last surrender8 
,do you ask ,does ,god really mean the  
emptying to reach so far as this8 ,study
 the inner life of ,jesus4 ,i speak not 
of ,myself ,he says4 ,i can of ,mine own
 self do nothing4 ,i seek not ,mine own 
will1 but the will of ,him that sent    
,me4 ,his human self-life1 sinless      
though it was1 was laid down that ,he   

might live by the ,father1 and our      
self-life1 defiled and worthless1 shall 
we not lay it down that we may live by  
,him8  ,but how8 ,again not by          
struggling and wrestling1 but by dying  
to it in ,jesus4 ,i am crucified with   
,christ--,i myself in the very essence  
of my being1 ,i let myself go to that   
death1 and by the mysterious power with 
which ,god meets faith1 ,i find that ,he
 has made it true3 the bonds are loosed 
and ,he can have ,his way with me4  ,see
 in these wild iris-pods how the last   
tiny threads must be broken1 and with   
that loosing1 all that they have is free
 for ,god's use in ,his world around4   
,all reluctance1 all calculating1 all   
holding in is gone2 the husks are opened
 wide1 the seeds can shed themselves    
unhindered4 ,again and again has a      
breaking come3--the seed broke to let go
 the shoot--the leaf-bud broke to let go
 the leaf1 and the flower-bud to let go 
the flower--but all to no practical     
avail1 if there is a holding back now4  

,love is the fulfilling of the law1 and 
sacrifice is the very life-breath of    
love4 ,may ,god shew us every witholding
 thread of self that needs breaking     
still1 and may ,his own touch shrivel it
 into death4  ,see how this bit of      
oat-grass is emptying itself out4 ,look 
at the wide-openness with which the     
seed-sheaths loose all that they have to
 yield1 and then the patient content    
with which they fold their hands--the   
content of finished work4 ,she hath done
 what she could4 ,oh1 the depth of rest 
that falls on the soul when the voice of
 the ,beloved speaks those words6 ,will 
they be said to us8  ,the seed-vessel   
hopes for nothing again3 it seeks only  
the chance of shedding itself3 its      
purpose is fulfilled when the wind      
shakes forth the last seed1 and the     
flower-stalk is beaten low by the autumn
 storms4 ,it not only spends1 but is    
spent out 7,r4 ,v47 at last4 ,it is     
through ,christ's poverty that we are   
rich--as poor in their turn yet making  

many rich is the mark of those who      
follow ,his steps4  ,are we following   
,his steps2 are we8 ,how the dark places
 of the earth are crying out for all the
 powers of giving and living and loving 
that are locked up in hearts at home6   
,how the waste places are pleading      
dumbly for the treasure that lies there 
in abundance1 stored as it were in the  
seedvessels of ,god's garden that have  
not been broken1 not emptied for ,his   
world1 not freed for ,his use4  ,shall  
we not free it all gladly4--,it is not  
grudgingly or of necessity that the     
little caskets break up and scatter the 
seed1 but with the cheerful giving that 
,god loves4 ,have you ever noticed how  
often the emptied calyx grows into a    
diadem1 and they stand crowned for their
 ministry as if they gloried in their   
power to give as the time draws near8   
,even here in measure the faithfulness  
unto death and the crown of life go     
together3 even here1 if we suffer1 we   
shall also reign with ,him4  ,it is when

 the sun goes out from our horizon to   
light up the dayspring in far-away      
lands1 that the glory of the day comes  
on3 it is in the autumn1 when the       
harvest is gathered and the fruit is    
stored for the use of man1 that the glow
 of red and gold touches and            
transfigures bush and tree with a beauty
 that the summer days never knew4  ,so  
with us--,the clear pure dawn of        
cleansing through the ,blood--the       
sunrise gladness of resurrection life2  
the mid-day light and warmth of growth  
and service1 all are good in their own  
order3 but he who stops short there     
misses the crown of glory1 before which 
the brightness of former days grows poor
 and cold4 ,it is when the glow and     
radiance of a life delivered up to death
 begins to gather3 a life poured forth  
to ,jesus and for ,his sake to          
others--it is then that even the        
commonest things put on a new beauty1 as
 in the sunset1 for ,his life becomes   
manifest in our mortal flesh2 a bloom   

comes on the soul like the bloom on the 
fruit as its hour of sacrifice arrives4 
,oh1 that we may learn to die to all    
that is of self with this royal         
joyfulness that swallows up death in    
victory in ,god's world around6 ,he can 
make every step of the path full of the 
triumph of gladness that glows in the   
golden leaves4 ,glory be to ,his ,name6 
,and the outcome1 like the outcome of   
the autumn1 is this3 there is1 a new    
power set free2 a power of multiplying  
life around4 ,the promise to ,christ was
 that because ,he poured forth ,his soul
 unto death1 ,he should see ,his seed3  
and ,he leads ,his children in their    
little measure by the same road4 ,over  
and over the promise of seed is linked  
with sacrifice1 as with ,abraham and    
,rebekah and ,ruth2 those who at ,his   
bidding have forsaken all receive an    
hundred-fold more now in this time1 for 
sacrifice is ,god's factor in ,his work 
of multiplying4 ,except a corn of wheat 
fall into the ground and die1 it abideth

 alone2 but if it die1 it bringeth forth
 much fruit4  ,it is the poured-out life
 that ,god blesses--the life that heeds 
not itself1 if only other souls may be  
won4 ,ask and it shall be given unto you
 is one of ,god's nursery lessons to    
,his children4 ,give1 and it shall be   
given unto you comes further on4  ,the  
reason is this3--that into the being    
that is ready to let the self-life go1  
,god the ,holy ,ghost can come and dwell
 and work unfettered2 and by that       
indwelling ,he will manifest within us  
,his wonderful ,divine power of         
communicating vitality--of reproducing  
the image of ,jesus in souls around4    
,it is true that it is a rule that      
sometimes has exceptions3 there are     
those to whom a blessed life of         
fruitfulness to ,god comes in a simple  
way1 with seemingly no hard process of  
dying involved1 just as there are plants
 that reproduce themselves by bulb and  
tuber1 sucker and shoot1 without going  
through the stripping and scattering    

that we have been watching4 ,but the law
 of creation is the herb yielding seed  
and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after 
its kind1 whose seed is in itself4 ,and 
let us count it all joy if this law is  
carried out in us4  ,if it die1 it      
bringeth forth much fruit4 ,whether it  
is laid down in toil among the lost1 or 
in travail of soul among ,his children  
that ,christ be formed in them1 either  
way there will be life brought forth4   
,it does not follow that every seed will
 spring up3 it is not so in the natural 
world4 ,the plant's business is to      
scatter it1 not withholding1 not knowing
 which shall prosper1 either this or    
that1 or whether they both shall be     
alike good2 once scattered1 the         
responsibility is transferred to the    
ground that receives it4 ,but the aim of
 the plant--the goal of all the budding 
and blossoming and ripening--is that    
every seed should carry potential life4 
,thus are we responsible1 not for the   
tangible results of our ministry to     

others1 but for its being a ministry in 
demonstration of the ,spirit and of     
power1 such a ministry as will make     
those around us definitely responsible  
to ,god for accepting or rejecting the  
fulness of ,his salvation4 ,if so1 the  
signs following will not be wanting4 ,it
 will be to the one the savour of death 
unto death1 and to the other the savour 
of life unto life1 but whether they will
 hear1 or whether they will forbear1    
they shall know that there hath been a  
prophet among them4  99 99 99 99 99 99  
99 99  ,but even when the plant's goal  
is reached1 it is not a finality4 ,there
 is no end in nature1 but every end is a
 beginning4 ,every ultimate fact is only
 the beginning of a new                 
series4,footnote993,emerson ,while the  
earth remaineth seed-time and harvest 4 
4 4 shall not cease4 ,life leads on to  
new death1 and new death back to life   
again4 ,over and over when we think we  
know our lesson1 we find ourselves      
beginning another round of ,god's       

,divine spiral3 in deaths oft is the    
measure of our growth1 always delivered 
unto death for ,jesus' sake1 that the   
life also of ,jesus might be made       
manifest in our mortal flesh4  ,this bit
 of sphagnum shows the process in       
miniature3 stage after stage of dying   
has been gone through1 and each has been
 all the while crowned with life4 ,each 
time that the crown has sunk down again 
into death1 that death has again been   
crowned in the act of dying3 and the    
life all the time is the apparent thing3
 the daily dying that underlies it is   
out of sight to the passing glance4     
,yes1 life is the uppermost1            
resurrection life1 radiant and joyful   
and strong1 for we represent down here  
,him who liveth and was dead and is     
alive for evermore4 ,stress had to be   
laid in these pages on the death        
gateway1 but a gateway is never a       
dwelling-place2 the death-stage is never
 meant for our souls to stay and brood  
over1 but to pass through with a will   

into the light beyond4 ,we may and must1
 like the plants1 bear its marks1 but   
they should be visible to ,god rather   
than to man1 for above all and through  
all is the inflowing1 overflowing life  
of ,jesus3 oh let us not dim it by a    
shadow of morbidness or of gloom3 ,he is
 not a ,god of the dead1 but a ,god of  
the living1 and ,he would have us let   
the glory of ,his gladness shine out4   
,think of the wonder of it--the         
,fountain of ,life ,himself wells up    
within us1 taking the place of all that 
we have delivered1 bit by bit1 into ,his
 grave4 ,i live1 yet not ,i1 but ,christ
 liveth in me4 ,little have we proved1  
any of us1 the resources that lie in    
that mighty indwelling1 little have we  
learnt what it is to have all our       
soul-fibres penetrated by its power4    
,may ,god lead us1 no matter what the   
cost1 into all that can be known of it1 
here on earth4  ,and the results need   
not end with our earthly days4 ,should  
,jesus tarry our works will follow us4  

,the closing in of the signs around us  
make it seem as if we should not taste  
of death1 and as if the time left us to 
work and suffer for ,him were growing   
very short2 but if that last gate has to
 be passed before our spirits are sent  
free into the land of perfect life1 ,god
 may use1 by reason of the wonderful    
solidarity of ,his ,church1 the things  
that ,he has wrought in us1 for the     
blessing of souls unknown to us3 as     
these twigs and leaves of bygone years1 
whose individuality is forgotten1 pass  
on vitality still to the new-born       
wood-sorrel4 ,god only knows the endless
 possibilities that lie folded in each  
one of us6  ,shall we not let ,him have 
,his way8 ,shall we not go all lengths  
with ,him in ,his plans for us--not1 as 
these green things upon the earth in    
their unconsciousness1 but with the     
glory of free choice8 ,shall we not     
translate the story of their little     
lives into our own8  ,for all their     
teaching of surrender and sacrifice is  

no fanciful mysticism2 it is a simple   
reality that can be tested at every     
turn--nay1 that must be so tested4 ,if  
we are apprehending ,christ's death in  
its delivering power1 our homes will not
 be slow to find it out4  99 99 99 99 99
 99 99 99  ,o ,jesus the ,crucied ,i    
will follow ,thee in thy path4 ,inspire 
me for the next step1 whether it leads  
down into the shadow of death or up into
 the light4 ,surely in what place my    
,lord the ,king shall be1 whether in    
death or life1 even there also will thy 
servant be4  ,amen4