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SERMON
xtIL
THE DEATII
OF KI,NDRED
IMPROVEïJ.
1
eon.
iii.
22.
---
Whetherr Iife
or
death,-----all
are
yours.
HAPPY
and immortal
had Adam been, and
all
his
children,
if
he
had
not ventured
to
break the command
of
his
Creator
:
Life had
been theirs
in
the most
glorious
sense
of
it;
and death had
not
been known.
But
when
sin
entered into the
world,
death
followed close
behind.
it, according
to
that
just
and
solemn
threatening,
"
In
the
day
thou eatest, thou shalt surely
die
;
Gen.
ii. 17.
And what
a
dismal havoc has this enemy made
amongst
the inhabitants of our
world
!
It
has strewed
the
earth
with
carcases, and
turned
millions
of
human bodies
into
dust
and corruption.
The
very
name
of
death spreads
a
terror
through
all
nature
:
But
as
dreadful
and
formi-
dable
as
it
is
in itself,
the grace
of
Christ
makes
a bles-
sing
of
it,
and
sanctifies
it
to the advantage
of
his own
people.
In
the former discourse on this subject,
we
have
learned
some divine lessons from
death,
in
its
widest
extent
of
dominion.
The
death of
all
mankind
yields
some
special
advantage
to
a.saint:
He
is
taught
to reap
some
benefit from
the death
of impenitent
sinners,
though
it
carries along
with
it
such
a
fearful train
of at-
tendants,
and draws
after
it
a
long-
eternity of
torments.
He
knows
how to
derive
some
advantage
from the
death
of
his fellow
christians
;
and
whether
they die in the
joy
of
faith,
and serenity
of
spirit,
or
whether their
sun
sets in
aclotud, and fears
and doubts
attend
them, in
that
im-
portant
hour,
still
he
is
taught
to
profit
by it.
In
these
three
instances;
it
appears
that
death
is
ours;
death
is
in this
respect made the treasure and property
of
a
Christian, as he
is
instructed
to improve
it,
to
his
own
sacred interest, and
to the welfare
of
his
soul.
We proceed
now to
the
Fourth
general head, and
shall endeavour
to
shew
1rev