Death in the Covenant

God hath put death into the covenant. “Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, all are yours,’ 1 Cor. ili. 21. Death! there is a great purchase, you will say; what advantage is that? Yes, death is advantage. To die is gain. For,

I. The commission of death is changed. It was once, Take him jailer; away with him, carry him down, to prison with him, there to be reserved to the judgment of the great day. It is now, Take him, janitor; take him, porter; take him in, give him — an entrance into his master’s joy.. Death doth but take the bride when she is ready, and lodges her in the chamber of the bridegroom; this made death the apostle’s desire; ‘‘ 1 desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better,” Phil. i. 23.

II. Death is conquered. What does this mean? Your enemy is yours; other than this, your enemy is conquered to you; a conquered enemy is made a tributary; death is disarmed, it hath lost its sting. When a serpent hath lost its sting, you may take it into your bosom.

He that can say, ‘‘ Death, where is thy sting?” may go on and add, “Thanks be to God, which hath given me the victory.” A signet sent from heaven, with a death’s head, is a precious token, Come, christians, be of good courage, set your feet on the neck of this king of terrors,

DEATH IN THE COVENANT. re

III. Death is at once the destruction of all their. enemies. When once death hath done its office upon them, then farewell Edom, and Ammon, and Amalek,

and Egypt; farewell the pricking brier and the grieving thorn; then farewell sin and sorrow for ever; the Egyptians they have seen, and feared, and felt to-day, they shall never see again for ever. ‘It destroys itself, their last enemy, by destroying them; it hath its welcome and farewell the same moment; it is but welcome death, and farewell death for ever. Death dies with them; once dead, they die no more for ever; mortality is swallowed up of life, death is cast into the lake of fire; that is its region; there, there they die, and die, and die again: over and over, for ever and ever; but for the saints — it doth but set them on the banks of that Nae Sie land, whither it cannot follow them. Our ord by death, by ours as well as his own, hath delivered those who, for fear of death, were all their life-time subject to bondage.. é Christians, you may now not only with patience, but with desire, expect the assault of this king of terrors. What! shall tribulation, and persecution, and famine, and nakedness, and peril, and sword; shall sorrows, and fears, and mortality die with me? Yea, shall sin die with me? then welcome death. Lord strengthen me this once, let me die with the Philistines. Would it be good for thee to be with thy Father? in the bosom of thy bridegroom? the” presence-chamber of thy Lord and love? would it be a mercy to thee, to weep no more, fear no more, suffer no more, be tempted no more, sin no more; to be unclothed of corruption, and be clothed upon with immortality and incorruption? Then bid death welcome,

. Blessed souls, when you come ashore, and see the light, the love, the joy, the rest, the glory, that is on the other side, you will then more fully understand what this meaneth, Deathis yours. He knew something, who said, I cannot tell you what sweet pain and delightsome torments are in Christ’s love; I often challenge time, that holdeth us asunder; I have for the present a sick life, much pain, and much lJove-sickness for Christ; O what would I give to “have a bed made to my wearied soul in his bosom! O when shall we meet! O how long is it to the dawning of the marriage-day! O sweet Lord Jesus, take wide steps: come over the mountains at one stride. O my beloved, flee as a roe, or a young hart upon the mountains of separation! O if he would fold the heavens together like an old cloak, and shovel time and days out of the way, and come away!