When Adam sinned, then was there the abolition of life. The empire of death began. Death advanced by steps. There was a process observed in the establishment of his kingdom. He needed subjects, and therefore, he did not cause the bodies of Adam and Eve to crumble to dust at once. He showed what he could do when Abel fell by the hand of his brother. He made havoc of everything heavenly in the spiritual nature of man; brought out his instruments of torture to assail and overthrow his physical glory; and went forth conquering and to conquer. But Christ, who is the Life, in due time sets up his kingdom of life, abolishing death. What a glorious word for the confusion of the great abolisher! – he himself must be abolished.

Death was once between me and God. The king of terrors had pitched his throne in the very path, the only one that led to God. There was an eclipse of God unto my soul. But Christ abolished death. The eclipse passed. The favor of God, which is life, reached me through him who had died that death might be crucified in him. Then contrition, hope, faith, love, obedience, and other tokens of the new creation appeared in me. The fear of death is abolished by him who hath prepared a place for me. And even this body will not die, no, not a hair of my head perish, if Christ refuse consent. The world to which we aspire is not an undiscovered country from whose bourne no tidings have been wafted back to us. We are conversant with it. There are continents on this globe about which we do not know so much as we do about that world. We are acquainted with many of its inhabitants and with the life they lead. We know their manners and customs, their laws and principles, their employments, their government; their tastes and distastes; their desires, and their songs.