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SECT.
III.1
THE CONQUtST OVER DEATH.,
33
victory,
through
our Lord,
esus
Christ.
Which
verses
may
be
thus
explained:
Death
was
the
punishment
threatened
by the
law
for
sin,
but
Christ,
as
our
surety, having sus-
tained
the
execution
of
that
threatening, and
answered
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
be
holden
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,
by
a
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