October 11

"As dying and behold¹ we live" (2 Cor. 6:9)

I had a bed of asters last summer, that reached clear across my garden in the country. Oh, how gaily² they bloomed. They were planted late. On the sides were yet fresh blossoming flowers, while the tops had gone to seed. Early frosts came, and I found one day that that long line of radiant beauty was seared, and I said, "Ah! the season is too much for them; they have perished"; and I bade them farewell.

I disliked to go and look at the bed, it looked so like a graveyard³ of flowers. But, four or five weeks ago one of my men called my attention to the fact that along the whole line of that bed there were asters coming up in the greatest abundance; and I looked, and behold, for every plant that I thought the winter had destroyed there were fifty plants that it had planted. What did those frosts and surly winds do?

They caught my flowers, they slew⁴ them, they cast them to the ground, they trod with snowy feet upon them, and they said, leaving their work, "This is the end of you." And the next spring there were for every root, fifty witnesses to rise up and say, "By death we live."

And as it is in the floral tribe, so it is in God's kingdom. By death came everlasting⁵ life. By crucifixion and the sepulchre came the throne and the palace of the Eternal God. By overthrow⁶ came victory.

Do not be afraid to suffer. Do not be afraid to be overthrown⁷.

It is by being cast down and not destroyed; it is by being shaken to pieces, and the pieces torn to shreds⁸, that men become men of might, and that one a host; whereas men that yield to the appearance of things, and go with the world, have their quick blossoming, their momentary⁹ prosperity and then their end, which is an end forever.━Beecher

“Measure thy life by loss and not by gain,

Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth¹⁰.

For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice,

And he who suffers most has most to give”

十月十一日

「似乎要死，却是活着。」 （林后六:9）

有一年夏天，我在乡间园子里修了一个长方形的花圃，种着紫菀花，花开茂盛。但它们下种是很晚，当枝顶结子的时候，两侧还在萌出鲜花。初霜降临后，我发现那些艳丽的花朵枯萎了，我叹道：「唉，它们受不住这里的气候，都完了。」我向它们告别。

我不愿再去看那花圃，它的样子落到好相像一个花的坟场。但到了翌年春天，有一位园丁请我注意那块花圃，已长满了极其茂盛的紫菀；我去一看，只见那我认为在去年冬季枯萎而死的每一株紫菀，却已经繁殖了五十株新苗。去冬的冰霜和寒风，完成了繁殖紫菀的任务，我问自己：是破坏呢，是建设呢！

当那去年冬季的寒风将紫菀花横施摧折，吹掷满地，用沾雪的脚任意践踏，并且说：「这是你们的末日。」到了第二年的春天，每一枝残花的所在却长出了根来，说道：「我们因死得生。」

在植物界如此，在天国也是如此。从死亡里茁出了不朽的生命。永生真神的宝座和宫殿，得自十字架和坟墓。胜利得自失败。

不要怕受苦，不要怕失败。

凡是伟人常被打倒而未被消灭，先被折磨得片片粉碎，然后才能变成伟人，才能力敌千军；而那些只顾眼前的人，随俗浮沈，必然昙花一现，在短暂的兴旺之后，随即消逝，而永劫不复。━皮邱

生命要以捐失，而非收获来估计,

不问你之所得,而问你的所施多少,

因爱的力量,建立在犠牲之中,

受苦最多的人,施给纔会周到。

1 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

2 gaily   

adv.欢乐地，高兴地

参考例句：

• The children sing gaily.孩子们欢唱着。
• She waved goodbye very gaily.她欢快地挥手告别。

3 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

4 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

5 everlasting   

adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的

参考例句：

• These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
• He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。

6 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

7 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。

8 shreds   

v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件）

参考例句：

• Peel the carrots and cut them into shreds. 将胡罗卜削皮，切成丝。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I want to take this diary and rip it into shreds. 我真想一赌气扯了这日记。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

9 momentary   

adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的

参考例句：

• We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
• I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

10 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。