As to a consciousness of guilt, there is no doubt that he who falls asleep in Jesus, with reliance on his blood and righteousness, will immediately, at death, receive such a consciousness of being purified from all taint of sin, as now is beyond our conception.  In the language of Scripture, we shall be presented faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.  For the sake of Christ, in whom we trust, we shall be received and treated as though we had never sinned; we shall say, in the full assurance of pardon, righteousness, and peace with God, without waiting for the question to be asked in our behalf, “Who is he that condemneth?” “It is Christ that died.”

And if this be so, as it surely is, why may not Christians in this world before they die, nay, from the first hour of justification by faith in Christ, triumph thus in him?  Why should their remaining sinfulness, their poor, frail, erring nature, which they must carry with them to the grave, prevent them from having the same joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have received the atonement?  Every true believer in Jesus Christ is warranted in having the same consciousness of pardon and peace with God, now, as after death; the justifying righteousness of Christ is as powerful now as it will be then.  Some tell us, “Live a sinless life, and you may have this perfect peace.”  That is self-righteousness.  It will not be a sinless life which, in the moment after death, will make us to be openly acknowledged and acquitted; it will be the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is by faith; and he who has faith in that righteousness may, living as well as dying, here as well as in heaven, say, ’There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit.’

There are several things which may reconcile us to the thought of dying: 

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All the people of God since the creation, with two exceptions, have died.  Of the two who were excepted, neither of them was his only begotten Son.  Those whom God has loved peculiarly have not been exempted from the stroke of death.  Shall we ask exemption from that which, all the good and great have suffered?  Let me die the death of the righteous.  If he must find the grave, there will I be buried.  We would not go to heaven but in the way which prophets, apostles, martyrs trod.  The footsteps of the flock lead through the valley; we will seek no other, no easier, way.

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Surely we should be willing to follow our great Forerunner.  He tasted death for every man; and he could enter into his triumph only by dying.  We should be more than resigned to follow our blessed Lord into the tomb.  Christ conquered death by dying; we shall be more than conquerors in the same way.  If we suffer great pain, we cannot suffer more than Christ suffered on our account.  Sufferings borne in the spirit of Christ are counted as sufferings borne for Christ.  “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him.”  “If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”