FORM FOR THE BURIAL OF THE DEAD,

The Minister, meeting the Corpse at the entrance of the Churchyard, and going before it, either into the Church or towards the grave, shall say one or more of these

sentences:

FOR what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. JAMES iv., 14.

:

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty for he maketh sore and bindeth up; he woundeth, and his hands make whole. JOB v., 17. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord. Joв i., 21.

All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof fadeth away but the Word of the Lord endureth for ever. 1 PET. i., 24.

Then shall be read one or both of these Psalms following:

PSALM XXXIX., 4.

Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.

Behold thou hast made my days as an handbreadth : and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity.

Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

I was dumb, I opened not my mouth because thou didst it.

Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.

When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth; surely every man is vanity.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.

O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

PSALM XC.

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thoa art God.

Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight, are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sleep in the morning they are like grass which groweth up.

In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.

For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.

Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.

The days of our years are threescore years and ten and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath.

So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Return, O Lord, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us : and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

Then may be read verses from ROMANS viii., 14; or from 1 COR. XV., 20. Also the following:

There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death and there is no discharge in that war. ECCLES. viii., 8.

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest. ECCLES. ix., 10.

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time

I

of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. 2 TIM. iv., 6.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, "Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God."

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away.

And he said unto me, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

REV.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. xxi., 3–7.

Then shall be said this Prayer:

Grant us, we beseech Thee, Almighty and Merciful God, to desire fervently, to acknowledge sincerely, and to fulfil perfectly the things that please Thee. Dispose our state of life to the praise and glory of Thy name. Give us the knowledge, ability, and will to do what Thou

requirest of us, and grant us grace to perform it well, to the advancement of our soul's salvation. Let our way to Thee, we beseech Thee, be safe direct and perfect, not failing, either in prosperity or adversity, but leaving us unelated by the one and undepressed by the other. Let us thank Thee in prosperity, and preserve our patience in adversity. Let us be glad or sorry for nothing except what carries us on to Thee, or draws us back from Thee. Grant us to do all things in charity, and to count for dead what has nothing to do with Thy service. Grant that we may not perform our actions from custom, but with devotion, as an offering to Thee. Let all that is transitory be worthless to us for Thy sake, and all that is Thine precious; but Thou, our God, more precious than all. Let every labour that is for Thee delight us, and all repose that is not in Thee be wearisome to Enable us, gracious Lord, to turn our hearts to Thee frequently and fervently, and to atone for our faults by sorrow and amendment. Make us humble without pretence, joyful without dissipation, sorrowful without dejection, sedate without moroseness, active without levity, truthful without dup icity, timid without despair, hopeful without presumption, and patient without murmuring. Give us, O God, a watchful heart, never to be led away from Thee by foolish or curious thoughts; steadfast, never to be dragged down from Thee by unworthy affection; dauntless, to be tired out by no tribulation; free, to be enslaved by no pleasure

us.