DISCOURSE I. 363 shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, andall power; for he must reign till he ligth put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death. With re- gard to each particular'christian, all other enemies are destroyed when he diet, for Whither he goes, they cannot come; he puts off the body of flesh andof sin together ; he leaves every Corruption behind him, when "he ascends to the company of the spirits of the just made perfect. The smiles and the frowns of this vain and 'vexing world, are too far o(l'to influence the inhábitants'pf hea- ven ; and Satan, the tempter and accuser, is for ever forbid en- trance atthe gates of thatholy city. But death holds one part of the saint in his prison, the grave: And'though the departed soul has overcome the terrors of this enemy, and triumphs in this ex- pression, O death, where is thy sting ? yet the body is confined asa prisoner under hispower : But the hour is coming, when those that are dead shall hear the voice ofthe Son of God and live. All the prisons ofthe saints shall bebroke to pieces, and burnt up, and the keeper destroyed for ever. Let us make thèse two reflections on the second oeneral head'of this discourse : I. 'What abundant encouragement may we derive from hence, to'engageus betimes in a war with all the other enemies of our salvation, that havingovercome them, we may beassured death is the last enema we'shall meet with : And then also we may face death with a braver courage, may conflict with If with better success, may vanquish it by a lively faith, and rejoice in the prospect Of its final destruction. The same armour of God, thesame divineweapons, and the same almighty assistances by Which we have subdued our former advarsaries, sin, Satan, and the world, shall be sufficient to gain this conquest too. We cannot begin the holy warfare too soon; none of us are too young to be assaultedbydeath ; but let -it come never so early in tiie morningof our days, it is the last enemy that we can fear, if we are listed in the army of Christ and have begun the gloriouswar....' I would address myself to the yoi nger branches of the mourninghouse, and say, have ye had such a noble example of victory over sin and death in vein ? Will ye basely submit to the slavery of the flesh, and yield tamely to the oppositions of this world, which were so bravely resisted by her that is gone before you ? Will ye love this world, which is at enmity with God, and has ever been atenmity with all the saints ? Are yecontent to have your naines for ever excluded from that honourable list of conquerors, where the names of your ancestors shine before the throne of God, and are recorded with honour in the memory of his churches ? Think how dreadful a moment that will be, when
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