here is nothing sad about the dying of the seed-vessel. What
lovely things they are, these little burnt offerings! Their bright
golden browns look far happier than the greens of spring.

And they have come now to a point of beautiful heedless freedom about
the future. When once the last shade of green that marks a clinging
to the old days has vanished, all carefulness for the earthly side of
things vanishes too. No matter how soon now the last strand of
earthly support and supply gives way: its loss is not felt. The life
is "hid" with such a hiding that nothing from around can touch it.
The fiercest summer glow only causes the little germ to wrap itself
close together in happy recklessness, the careless feet that tread it
down can only hasten the burial that is its next stage onward, the
autumn storms can bring it nothing but fresh draughts of quickening.

Yes, our life is hid with Christ in God, in actual truth as well in
God's purpose, if it has come to this that it is "no longer" we that
live but Christ that liveth in us. Oh! the simplicity of that "no
longer"--as the seed-vessel pictures it now, taken up with the seed
it bears, and heedless of itself and whatever may come. And yet, in
the absolute simplicity, there is a depth of mystery that the former
days never knew. It is like a soul that has come into the Holiest,
where it has God alone.

* * * * * *

And now we turn to the other side, to watch what God can do, in the
world around, with the Christ-life that He creates in us. We have
seen its in-flowing: we will follow its outflow. To be to Jesus all
for which He has called us--letting Him have His way utterly with us,
possessed by Him, taken up with Him--that is the first purpose for
our souls. But the Father's plan for us reaches wider than that,
though it can reach no deeper. "The first Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit." His ultimate aim
is to set free for His own use that which He has wrought in us in
secret, and to give us the power of communicating that Divine life of
which we have been made partakers. We are to be "good stewards of the
manifold grace of God," entrusted with "the true riches" to minister
for Him--His for His spending. The promise to Abraham: "I will bless
thee ... and thou shalt be a blessing," gives the double purpose for
His people--"grace" for our own souls, and "apostleship" for those
around.

We have seen in parable, in the seed's growing an