If It Die

If it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.’’
— John 12:24

"If it die," oh hear the message
Falling from thy Lord,
"If it die," much fruit it beareth
'Tis thy Saviour's word.

As the seed the sower scatters
Broadcast o'er the plain,
Falling, sinks into the furrows,
Dies a helpless grain:

As it springs in risen glory
After winter's cold,
Covering the barren upland
With a flood of gold.

So beloved, must thou enter
By the gate of death,
If thou wouldst see dead souls quickened
By His living breath.

Thou must take the path to Calvary
Crucified must be,
That the risen life of Jesus,
May go forth from thee.

Wouldst thou see life work in others?
Thou thyself must die,
Fall into the ground, be buried,
Low in darkness lie.

But He leaves thee not in darkness,
Light shall greet thine eyes,
And in glad new life and glory
He shall bid thee rise.

Where is now the grain once buried?
It has passed away,
Yet it lives in countless others
Sprung from its decay.

Hast thou counted brother, sister,
Thine own life but dross?
Hast thou viewed all earthly glory
From beneath the cross?

Hast thou marked the life of Jesus
Step by step laid down,
And the throng of the redeemed
That adorn His crown?

Dost thou crave to tread the pathway
And His life to share?
As thou passest through death's gateway,
He will meet thee there.

Thou shalt learn the blessed secret,
He shall live that dies,
From thy life poured out in secret
Shall a harvest rise.