SECT. III.1 THE CONQUtST OVER DEATH., 33 victory, throughour Lord, esus Christ. Which versesmay be thus explained: Death was the punishment threatened by the law for sin, but Christ, as our surety, having sus- tained theexecution of that threatening, andanswered the law by a satisfaction, equal to the offence, death has no more power over him. " God has raised him up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not pos- sible that he should beholden of it ;" Acts ii. 24. And as Christ by his dying is said to finish transgression, and make an end of sin, because he has taken away its power to condenrin believers, though he has not yet utterly de- stroyed its being, so he is said to have "abolished death;" 2 Tim. -i. 10. Because he has so far diminished, and made void its power, that it shall not do any final mis- chief to the saints. It is like a serpent whose sting is taken away, and whose teeth are broken out; it may fright us, and do us some injury, but it cannot inflict a venomous or fatal wound. Now the believer, bya lively faith, shares in this victory of Christ over death, and gives thanks to God for it. He knows that though it may hurt his body, and bring it down to the grave for a season, yet it cannot send the soul to destruction, nor confine the body to the dust any longer, than Christ shall permit. 2. Death is taken captive and enslaved by Christ at his resurrection and ascension, and made to serve his holy purposes ; Ps. lxviii. 18. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive. This is spoken of our Lord Jesus, who has taken into his own dominion death and the devil, who led the world captive. The enemy is not escaped out of the hands of this conqueror, but is put under his yoke, and constrained into his ser- vice. Death, ifl its first character, was the very threatening and curse of the law of God, and includes in it all mi- sery: but Christ having borne the curse, has redeemed his people from it; Gal. iii. 13. And now he has taken as many as he pleases of the threatenings and terrors of the law into his own new covenant, the covenant of grace ; and has sanctified their nature, and made them blessings to the saint; he has turned the curse into a blessing; Deut. xxiii: . so that afflictions, and pains, and sorrows, and death itself, are no longer a curse to 2
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