A funeral sermon on the death of that pious gentlewoman Mrs. Judith Hamond Late…

We should deal closely with our selves in this. Do we think this saying a Fable; or a Trifle? Have these Words no meaning? We should labour to come to a point, and say, If we have no reason to dis-believe them, we will believe them absolutely; and live as having gained our point, and overcome already, i. e. who are as sure of Victory, as of Death. Some overcome by dying, as others are overcome by it. There are, who are not hurt by the second Death. If Death strike once, it thereby puts it out of its own power ever to strike a second time, or hurt them more. Let us once bring our case to that state as to live in continual defiance of Death, let it strike when it will. Dependence only on the Grace and Spirit of Christ; must give us this confidence, not an opinion that we are our selves strong enough to act separately, but that knowing our relation to him, we are thorough him that loved us, more than Conquerors, or as that [Greek or Hebrew], Rom. 8. 27. ⟨p. 23⟩may be understood to signify; We are a glorious Triumphant sort of Conquerors. We not only Conquer, but Triumph too, through him that loved us, being persuaded that neither Death nor Life—shall separate us from his Love—. So a noted Expositor understands that word, observing how great a delight this Apostle takes, when he would heighten a matter, in the use of that particle [Greek or Hebrew].

We should deal closely with our selves in this. Do we think this saying a Fable; or a Trifle? Have these Words no meaning? We should labour to come to a point, and say, If we have no reason to dis-believe them, we will believe them absolutely; and live as having gain'd our point, and overcome already, i. e. who are as sure of Victory, as of Death. Some overcome by dying, as others are overcome by it. There are, who are not hurt by the second Death. If Death strike once, it thereby puts it out of its own power ever to strike a second time, or hurt them more. Let us once bring our case to that state as to live in continual defiance of Death, let it strike when it will. Dependance only on the Grace and Spirit of Christ; must give us this confidence, not an opinion that we are our selves strong enough to act separately, but that knowing our relation to him, we are thorough him that loved us, more than Conquerours, or as that 〈non-Latin alphabet〉,