ÌEC r. Ii.:1 THE CONQUEST OVER DEATIH. 359 this world ; they refuse to comply with the temptations of it, when it would allure them astray from the path of duty ; they defy its frowns and discouragements, and break through all its oppositions in their way to heaven; James iv. 4. They resist Satan when he tempts them to sin, and vanquish him by " the sword of theSpirit, the word of God : Eph. vi. 11, 12, 17. and when he accuses them, and attempts to-bring terror into their souls, "they overcome him, and cast him down by the blood of the Lamb ; Rev. xii. 10, 11. They are made conquerors over these adversaries in the strength of Christ. --NOw the pangs of death are the last troubiers of their peace ; death is the last enemy that attacks them, and sonic have very terrible conflicts with it. It was in these agonies, in this sharp contention, the words of my text were uttered by that hònoùred saint whose memory will be always precious, and whose loss we this day mourn. This chearful language of hope,. .among many other scriptures, broke out from her lips. Thus lively was her faith in a dying hour. Methinks I hear her speaking the words with a firm trust in the promise ; The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. And this encouraged her onward through the few remain= ing struggles of life and pain, It is as if she had said, " I have given myself up long ago to Christ, I engaged myself young in his serYice» I have fought with sin, have learned to subdue flesh and sense, and to live by the faith of the son of God : I have not courted the flatteries of the world, the vain shews of life ; and I have been enabled to despise the.frowns of it, and been kept stedfast in my profession, in the most discouraging and the darkest times, Through the grace of Christ I have overcome the evil one; there- remains but one enemy more, whose name is death ; and I trust in the same grace still to obtain complete victory." Rejoice ye dear relatives, let all the friends of the deceased rejoice, her name is now written down in heaven amongst the over- comers. 2. Deathmay be called the last enemy, because it is not utterly destroyed till the resurrection, till Christ hath done all his work upon earth, till he has subdued all his other adversaries, and -made use of death as his slave ti) destroy many of them. It is in this se.i e especially that 2 -i 4
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