Befitting close to a calm and noiseless existence! It would seem as if the guardian angels who had been hovering round his death-pillow had well-nigh reached the gates of glory ere the sorrowing survivors discovered that the clay tabernacle was all that was left of a "brother beloved!" From the abrupt manner in which, in the course of the narrative, our Lord makes the announcement to His disciples,[10] we are almost led to surmise that He did so at the very moment of the spirit's dismissal--the Redeemer speaks while the eyelids are just closing, and the emancipated soul is winging its arrowy flight up to the spirit-land! _Death_ a SLEEP!--How beautiful the image! Beautifully true, and _only_ true regarding the Christian. It is here where the true and the false--Christianity and Paganism--meet together in impressive and significant contrast. The one comes to the dark river with her pale, sickly lamp. It refuses to burn--the damps of Lethe dim and quench it. Philosophy tries to discourse on death as a "stern necessity"--of the duty of passing heroically into this mysterious, oblivion-world--taking with bold heart "the leap in the dark," and confronting, as we best can, blended images of annihilation and terror. The Gospel takes us to the tomb, and shews us Death vanquished, and the Grave spoiled. Death truly is in itself an unwelcome messenger at our door. It is the dark event in this our earth,--the deepest of the many deep shadows of an otherwise fair creation--a cold, cheerless avalanche lying at the heart of humanity, freezing up the gushing fountains of joyous life. But the Gospel shines, and the cold iceberg melts. The Sun of Righteousness effects what philosophy, with all its boasted power, never could. Jesus is the abolisher of Death. He has taken all that is terrible from it. It is said of some venomous insects that when they once inflict a sting, they are deprived of any future power to hurt. Death left his envenomed sting in the body of the great victim of Calvary. It was thenceforward disarmed of its fearfulness! So complete, indeed, is the Redeemer's victory over this last enemy, that He Himself speaks of it as no longer a reality, but a shadow--a phantom-foe from which we have nothing to dread. "Whosoever believeth in Me shall _never die_." "If a man keep My sayings, he shall _never see death_." These are an echo of the sweet Psalmist's beautiful words, a transcript of his expressive figure when he pictures the Dark Valley to the believer as the Valley of a "_shadow_." The substance is removed! When the gaunt spirit meets him on the midnight waters, he may, like the disciples at first, be led to "cry out for fear." But a gentle voice of love and tenderness rebukes his dread, and calms his misgivings--"It is I! be not afraid!" Yes, here is the wondrous secret of a calm departure--the "sleep" of the believer in death. It is the name and presence of JESUS. There may be many accompaniments of weakness and prostration, pain and