If a man is in Christ, let death come. Suppose death should come
stealing up into this pulpit, and should lay his cold, icy hand upon
my heart, and it should cease to throb; I should rise to another
world, and should be present with the King. I should be absent from
the body, but present with the Lord. That is not bad news. There is no
use in trying to conceal it, death is an enemy to a man's rest. What a
glorious thought to think that when you die you will sink into the
arms of Jesus, and that He will carry you away to yon world of light.
A little while longer here, a few more tears, and then you can gain an
unbroken rest in yon world of light. The gospel turns that enemy into
a friend, and you even shout for death. Well, then, I used to go and
look into the cold, silent grave, and I used to think of that terrible
hour when I would have to be laid down in the grave, and this body
would be eaten up with the worm. But now the grave has lost its terror
and gloom; I can go and look down into the grave and shout over it,
and cry out, "O grave, where is thy victory?" And I hear a shout
coming up from the grave; it is the shout of the Conqueror, of Him who
has been down and measured the depth of it, of my Lord and Saviour:
"Because I live, ye shall live also." Yes, the grave has lost its
victory. The grave has no terror to the man in Christ Jesus. The
gospel takes that enemy out of the way.