That a man may choose for himself, here and now, a life to which no death can come, is not a commonly accepted thought. Death is regarded as one of the certain things in one's history; so much so that the few recorded instances of its escape by man born of woman are looked upon with much incredulity by the world at large. In the effort to accept the inevitable with the best possible grace, men have many times endeavored to persuade themselves and others that they looked upon death as a friend; but Paul's reference to it as an enemy—"the last enemy that shall be destroyed"—agrees with the general verdict.
When the lines,
. . . Approach thy grave
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams,
