are no longer dead, the body
shall not remain dead; it shall come forth again, cleansed and
purified, on the last day, to be united with the soul. Then shall it
be a gentle, pure and obedient body, without sin or evil lust.

24. These words of Paul are an admirable Christian picture of death,
representing it not as an awful thing, but as something comforting
and pleasant to contemplate. For how could Paul present a more
attractive description than when he describes it as stripped of its
power and repulsiveness and makes it the medium through which we
attain life and joy? What is more desirable than to be freed from sin
and the punishment and misery it involves, and to possess a joyful,
cheerful heart and conscience? For where there is sin and real
death--the sense of sin and God's wrath--there are such terror and
dismay that man feels like rushing through iron walls. Christ says,
in Luke 23, 30, quoting from the prophet Hosea (ch. 10, v. 8), that
such a one shall pray that the mountains and the hills may fall on
him and cover him.

25. That dreadful death which is called in the Scriptures the second
death is taken away from the Christian through Christ, and is
swallowed up in his life. In place of it there is left a miniature
death, a death in which the bitterness is covered up. In it the
Christian dies according to the flesh; that is, he passes from
unbelief to faith, from the remaining sin to eternal righteousness,
from woes and sadness and tribulation to perfect eternal joy. Such a
death is sweeter and better than any life on earth. For not all the
life and wealth and delight and joy of the world can make man as
happy as he will be when he dies with a conscience at peace with God
and with the sure faith and comfort of everlasting life. Therefore
truly may this death of the body be said to be only a falling into a
sweet and gentle slumber. The body ceases from sin. It no longer
hinders or harasses the spirit. It is cleansed and freed from sin and
comes forth again in the resurrection clothed with the obedience, joy
and life which the spirit imparts.

26. The only trouble is that the stupid flesh cannot understand this.
It is terrified by the mask of death, and imagines that it is still
suffering the old death; for it does not understand the spiritual
dying unto sin. It judges only by outward appearance. It sees that
man perishes, decays under the ground and is consumed. Having only
this abominable and hideous mask