BX 9185 .J65 1900 
 
 Johnson, Herrick, 1832-1913 
 
 Forms for special occasions 
 
FORMSA 
 
 f JAN 12 1915 
 
 Special Occasions; 
 
 MARRIAGE, BURIAL, BAPTISM, THE LORD'S SUPPER, 
 ORDINATION, DEDICATION, ETC.: 
 
 WITH 
 
 SCRIPTURE SELECTIONS 
 
 [REVISED VERSION] 
 FOR 
 
 'HE CHAMBER OF SICKNESS, 
 
 THE HOUSE OF MOURNING, 
 
 THE SERVICE AT FUNERALS. 
 
 v/ BY 
 
 HKRRICK JOHNSON, D.D. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA: 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION 
 
 AND SABBATH-SCHOOL WORK, 
 
 1900. 
 
COPYRIGHT, 1889. 
 
 BY C. H. WHITING. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 The Author and Compiler of this Book of Forms is in 
 fullest sympathy with the conviction that the genius of 
 Presbyterian ism is for doctrine and instruction, that it 
 has affinity for a simple mode of worship, and that lit- 
 urgical repetitions, however packed with Scripture and 
 however redolent of devotion, can never take large place 
 in the service of the Presbyterian Church, while she re- 
 mains true to her historic precedents and instincts. 
 
 Yet, while recognizing the fact that elaborate cere- 
 mony, prescribed chant and liturgy, and fixed grooves 
 for devotion, are uncongenial to the great body of those 
 holding the Presb}i:erian faith and polity, it still re- 
 mains true that there are occasional and special services 
 where an appointed order, even to the suggestion of 
 specific verbal form, may be helpful to the minister, and 
 in the interests of an edifying conduct of such services. 
 An authoritative, mandatory submission of even these 
 limited formulas would meet with no favor in the Pres- 
 byterian Church. But it is believed by the writer that 
 there is large room and wide use for a further contribu- 
 tion to our limited treasury of forms for special services, 
 provided respect be shown to the liberty of the individ- 
 
 iii 
 
iv INTROD UCTOR V. 
 
 ual, and loyal regard be paid to our standards of faith 
 and worship. 
 
 It has been the Author's aim to make this little 
 Manual especially rich in its selections of Scripture, and 
 to give such prayers as are herein recorded the flavor of 
 the Divine Word. 
 
 For a bridal service two original forms are given, the 
 one much briefer than the other, having their conceived 
 adaptation to the differing circumstances in which mar- 
 riage may be administered. A third form of bridal ser- 
 vice is given, taken from the Book of Common Prayer 
 of the Protestant Episcopal Church. It is inserted as a 
 matter of convenience to meet a possible preference. 
 
 It is hoped the grouping of passages of Scripture 
 for the sick room will be found to meet a need for which 
 it is not known that any special provision has hitherto 
 been made. 
 
 It is believed, also, that the distinction made between 
 the baptized children of the church and others, in their 
 reception for the first time to the Lord's table is of grave 
 importance, serving to emphasize the covenant relation 
 into which God has been pleased to enter with his people, 
 and to mark a distinct feature of our church order and 
 life. 
 
 Herrick Johnson. 
 
 Chicago, January igih, 1889. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Form for Marriage; i 
 
 Scripture Selections for the Chamber of Sick- 
 ness ii 
 
 Green Pastures Page n 
 
 Still Waters " 12 
 
 Delectable Mountains " 14 
 
 The Entrance Gate " 16 
 
 At Eventide " 18 
 
 Scripture Selections for the House of Mourn- 
 ing 20 
 
 Everlasting Foundations Page 20 
 
 Exceeding Great Promises " 25 
 
 Safe Hiding Places " 27 
 
 Precious Consolations " 2S 
 
 Form for Burial of the Dead 32 
 
 Service at the Church Page 32 
 
 Service at the House ,: 34 
 
 Service at the Grave ' : 34 
 
 Scripture Selections for Funeral Service. . . 36 
 
 For a Child Page 36 
 
 For the Aged " 43 
 
 God's Comfort " 45 
 
 Sovereignty " 48 
 
 Mortality " 51 
 
 Chastening " 55 
 
 Godly Sorrow " 58 
 
 Trust " 60 
 
 Resurrection . . " 63 
 
 Heaven ... " 68 
 
 Form for Infant Baptism 74 
 
 V 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Form for Reception to the Lord's Supper . . 78 
 
 Of Persons Baptized in Infancy Page 78 
 
 Of Persons to be Baptized on Profession of 
 
 Faith " 79 
 
 Of Persons from Other Churches ... " 82 
 
 Summary of Presbyterian Doctrine 84 
 
 Notes Concerning the Lord's Supper 87 
 
 Form for Administration of the Lord's Supper 89 
 
 Form for Organization of a Church 96 
 
 Form for Ordination of Elders 100 
 
 Form for Re-installation of Elders 105 
 
 Form for Ordination of Deacons 108 
 
 Form for Laying of a Corner-Stone 112 
 
 Form for Dedication of a Church 116 
 
 Poetical Selections 125 
 
MARRIAGE. 
 
 FORM I. 
 
 The persons to be married standing together, the man on 
 the right hand and the woman on the left, the minister 
 shall say : 
 
 Marriage was ordained of God in Eden, and con- 
 firmed at the wedding in Cana of Galilee by the 
 gracious presence and miraculous blessing of Christ. 
 It is to unite two hearts and lives, blending all 
 their interests, and sympathies, and hopes. It in- 
 volves mutual compromise, loving sufferance and 
 holy trust. 
 
 I charge and entreat you, therefore, in entering 
 upon and sustaining this hallowed union, to seek 
 the favor and blessing of Him whose favor is life : 
 whose blessing maketh rich and addeth no sorrow. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Lord Jesus, we beseech thee, come by thy grace 
 to this marriage. And give to these that marry a 
 due sense of the obligations they are now to assume. 
 With true intent and in utter unreserve of love 
 may they plight their troth, and henceforth be helps 
 meet for each other, till death do them part. Amen. 
 
 The man and the woman here joining their right hands, 
 the minister shall say : 
 
 ,p,\\ Do you, M , take this woman whose hand you 
 
 now hold, before God and these witnesses, to be 
 your wife ? 
 I do. 
 
2 MARRIAGE. 
 
 Do you promise to love, honor, sustain and cher- 
 ish her, in joy and sorrow, in health and sickness, 
 in prosperity and adversity, and to be faithful unto 
 her as becometh a good husband, so long as you 
 both shall live ? 
 
 ido. 
 
 Do you, N , take this man whose hand you 
 
 ow hold, before God and these witnesses, to be 
 your husband ? 
 
 I do. 
 
 Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and obey 
 him, in joy and sorrow, in health and sickness, in 
 prosperity and adversity, and to be faithful unto 
 him as becometh a good wife, so long as you both 
 shall live ? 
 
 I do. 
 
 [A second form of consenting together and pledging troth 
 in holy wedlock is here inserted, to be used in place of the 
 above if the parties prefer. - 
 The man and the woman having joined their right hands, 
 
 the man shall say after the minister : 
 
 I, M , take thee, N , to my wedded wife, to have 
 
 and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for 
 richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to 
 cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordi- 
 nance ; and thereto I plight thee my troth. 
 Then the woman shall say after the minister : 
 
 I, N , take thee, M , to my wedded husband, to 
 
 have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, 
 for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cher- 
 ish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's 
 holy ordinance ; and thereto I give thee my troth.] 
 
MARRIAGE. 3 
 
 If a ring is used the minister shall here say to the man : 
 What token do you give in pledge that you will 
 faithfully perform these vows ? 
 
 Here the man, without speaking, shall present the ring, 
 still holding it in his hand, and the minister shall say 
 to the woman ; 
 
 Do you receive this ring in pledge of the same on 
 your part ? 
 
 Here the woman, without speaking, shall take the ring, hi 
 acceptance of the pledge on her part, pass it to the minis- 
 ter, and he to the man, thus making the unbroken circle; 
 and the man shall place it upon the third finger of the 
 woman's left hand ; when the minister shall say : 
 
 May this ring henceforth be the chaste and 
 changeless symbol of your evermore pure and 
 changeless affection. 
 
 Here the minister shall say: -, JKM J t £^ KiJjL 
 
 Forasmuch, then, as you, M , and you, N-^^^?- 
 
 have consented together in holy wedlock, and have 
 plighted each to the other your sacred troth, in the 
 name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy 
 Ghost, I pronounce you husband and wife. Amen. 
 What, therefore, God hath joined together, let 
 not man put asunder. 
 
 Henceforth, you go dowm life's way together. 
 Let love be the charmed word in the dialect of your 
 home and hearts. And may Heaven's constant 
 benediction crown your union with ever-increasing 
 joy and blessedness, and unite your hearts and lives 
 by all the grace and true affection of a happy mar- 
 riage. 
 
4 
 
 MARRIAGE. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O thou, God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 the God of all comfort, grant now to set thy blessed 
 seal upon these nuptials. We thank thee for the tie 
 of holy wedlock, and for all the sweet amenities and 
 sanctities of love and home that have been born of 
 it. Maj T this new marriage bond have thine abun- 
 dant favor, making the union of these two hearts 
 more and more blessed as the years go by. Let the 
 wife be as a fruitful vine \>y the side of the house, 
 and the husband dwell with the wife as a man of 
 knowledge, the husband loving the wife, and the 
 wife reverencing the husband, according to Thy 
 Holy Scripture. May the fellowship of their wedded 
 life be the dearer and purer for fellowship with 
 Thee, and their love be glorified in Thy love. 
 
 Grant, most gracious Lord, that they may trust 
 each other and Thee when the clouds come ; that 
 they may be patient and gentle amidst fretting and 
 worrying cares ; that they may make their pathway 
 radiant with the bright shining of good deeds done 
 in Thy name and for Thy sake : and living beauti- 
 ful lives, may they die the death of the righteous. 
 
 Let Thy benediction, we beseech Thee, rest also 
 upon the homes here represented, and upon the 
 hearts that lean to this nuptial hour with tender 
 interest for the love they have for these that are 
 married. 
 
 And permit us all at last to share in the heavenly 
 fellowship of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and 
 the Bride of the Lamb. Amen. 
 
MARRIAGE. 5 
 
 Here the minister shaft say : 
 
 The Lord bless you and keep you : the Lord 
 make His face to shine upon you and be gracious 
 unto you : the Lord lift up His countenance upon 
 you and give you peace. Amen. 
 
 FORM 11. 
 
 As the parties present themselves to be married the minister 
 shall say : 
 
 Marriage is a divine institution, and honorable to 
 all who maintain therein a true fidelity. I charge 
 you both to seek the help of God in all its duties, 
 and to keep with sacred constancy the vows of wed- 
 lock you are now to assume. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 most holy and merciful Lord God, we beseech 
 thee for this man and this woman, that they may 
 enter into the covenant of marriage with true hearts, 
 and ever cherish each for the other a tender and an 
 unalterable affection. We ask it for Jesus' sake. 
 Amen. 
 
 The man and the woman here joining their right hands, 
 the minister shall say to the man : 
 
 Do you, M , take this woman whose hand you 
 
 now hold, before God and these witnesses, to be your 
 wife? 
 
 1 do. 
 
 Do you promise to love, honor, sustain and cher- 
 ish her, in joy and sorrow, in health and sickness, 
 in prosperity and adversity, and to be faithful unto 
 
6 MARRIAGE. 
 
 her as becometh a good husband, so long as you 
 both shall live ? 
 I do. 
 
 Addressing now the woman, the minister shall say : 
 
 Do you, N , take this man whose hand you 
 
 now hold, before God and these witnesses, to be 
 your husband ? 
 
 I do. 
 
 Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and obey 
 him, in joy and sorrow, in health and sickness, in 
 prosperity and adversity, and to be faithful unto 
 him as becometh a good wife, so long as you both 
 shall live ? 
 
 I do. 
 
 In the name of God, the Father, the Son and the 
 Holy Ghost, I pronounce you husband and wife. 
 Amen. 
 
 What, therefore, God hath joined together, let not 
 man put asunder. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O God, our heavenly Father, we pray for thy 
 gracious blessing upon this marriage. We thank 
 thee that thou hast ordained this union of two 
 hearts in the sacred bonds of wedlock. Set thy seal 
 upon the nuptials that have here been celebrated in 
 thy name. Help these that have now been made 
 husband and wife to keep, with loving and unbroken 
 fidelity, the vows with which they have consented 
 together in holy matrimony. May they be true to 
 each other and to thee, and at last enter thy blessed 
 kingdom : through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
MARK I ACE. 
 
 FORM III. 
 
 ACCORDING TO THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER AS USED BY THE 
 PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 The persons to be married standing together, the tnan on 
 the right hand and the woman on the te/t, the Minister 
 shall say : 
 
 Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in 
 the sight of God, and in the face of this company, 
 to join together this man and this woman in holy 
 matrimony ; which is commended of St. Paul to be 
 honorable among all men ; and therefore is not by 
 any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly ; but 
 reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the 
 fear of God. Into this holy estate these two per- 
 sons present come now to be joined. If any man 
 can show any just cause why they may not lawfully 
 be joined together, let him now speak or else here- 
 after forever hold his peace. 
 
 Then shall the Minister say unto the persons who are to be 
 ■married : 
 
 I require and charge you both as ye will answer 
 at the dreadful day of judgment when the secrets of 
 all hearts shall be disclosed, that if either of you 
 know any impediment why ye may not be lawfully 
 joined together in matrimony, ye do now confess it : 
 for be ye well assured, that if any persons are joined 
 together otherwise than as God's word doth allow, 
 their marriage is not lawful. 
 
8 MARRIAGE. 
 
 The Minister, if he shall have reason to doubt of the law- 
 fulness of the proposed marriage, may demand sufficient 
 surety for his indemnification ; but if no impediment 
 shall be alleged, or suspected, the Minister shall say to the 
 man : 
 
 M. Wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded 
 wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the 
 holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love her, 
 comfort her, honor, and keep her, in sickness and 
 in health ; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only 
 unto her, so long as ye both shall live ? 
 
 The man shall answer : 
 I will. 
 
 Then shall the Minister say unto the woman : 
 
 N. Wilt thou have this man to thy wedded hus- 
 band, to live together after God's ordinance, in the 
 holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, 
 and serve him, love, honor, and keep him, in sick- 
 ness and in health ; and, forsaking all others, keep 
 thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live ? 
 
 The woman shall answer : 
 
 I will. 
 Then shall the Minister say : 
 
 Who giveth this woman to be married to this 
 man? 
 
 Then shall they give their troth to each other in this man- 
 ner : The Minister, receiving the woman at her father's 
 or friend's hands, shall cause the man, with his right 
 hand, to take the woman by her right hand, and to say 
 after him as followeth : 
 
 I M. take thee N. to my wedded wife, to have 
 
MARRIAGE. g 
 
 and to hold, from this day forward, for better for 
 worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, 
 to love and to cherish, till death us do part, accord- 
 ing to God's holy ordinance ; and thereto I plight 
 thee my troth. 
 
 Then shall they loose their hands, and the woman, with her 
 right hand taking the man by his right hand, should like- 
 wise say after the Minister : 
 
 I N. take thee M. to my wedded husband, to have 
 and to hold, from this day forward, for better for 
 worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, 
 to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, 
 according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I 
 give thee my troth. 
 
 Then shall they again loose their hands, and the man shall 
 give unto the zuoman a ring, and the Minister, taking the 
 ring, shall deliver it unto the man to put it upon the fourth 
 finger of the woman' s left hand; and the man, holding 
 the ring there, and taught by the Minister, shall say : 
 
 With this ring I thee wed, and with all my worldly 
 goods I thee endow, in the name of the Father, and 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 Then the Minister shall say : 
 
 Let as pray. 
 
 Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy 
 name ; Thy kingdom come ; Th}^ will be done in 
 earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily 
 bread ; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive 
 those who trespass against us. And lead us not 
 into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. 
 
 O Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all man- 
 
IO MARRIAGE. 
 
 kind, Giver of all spiritual grace, the Author of 
 everlasting life ; send Thy blessing upon these Thy 
 servants, this man and this woman whom we bless 
 in Thy name, that as Isaac and Rebecca lived faith- 
 fully together, so these persons may surely perform 
 and keep the vow and covenant between them made, 
 (whereof this Ring given and received is a token 
 and pledge), and may ever remain in perfect love 
 and peace together, and live according to Thy laws, 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 Then shall the Minister join their right hands together and 
 say : 
 
 Those whom God hath joined together let no man 
 put asunder. 
 
 Then shall the Minister speak unto the company : 
 
 Forasmuch as these persons have consented to- 
 gether in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same 
 before God and this company, and thereto have given 
 and pledged their troth each to the other, and have 
 declared the same by giving and receiving a ring, 
 and by joining hands ; I pronounce that they are 
 Man and Wife, in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amkn. 
 
 And the Minister shall add this blessing : 
 
 God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy 
 Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord 
 mercifully with His favor look upon you, and so fill 
 you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye 
 may so live together in this life, that in the world to 
 come ye may have life everlasting. Amen. 
 
( '//. \MBER < >/■■ SICKNESS. 1 1 
 
 SELECTIONS OF SCRIPTURE FOR THE 
 CHAMBER OF SICKNESS. 
 
 I. GREEN PASTURES. 
 
 The Lord's Word. 
 
 I am the good shepherd. — John x. ii. 
 
 The good shepherd " knoweth his sheep." — John 
 x. 14. 
 
 He " calleth them all by name." — John x. 3. 
 
 He " goeth before them." — John x. 4. 
 
 He " give th his life for them." — John x. ii. 
 
 He " giveth them eternal life." — John x. 28. 
 
 They shall become one flock, one shepherd. — John 
 x. 16. 
 
 And they shall never perish. — John x. 28. 
 
 The Soul's Response. 
 
 The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. 
 
 He maketh me to lie down in»green pastures : 
 
 He leadeth me beside the still waters. 
 
 He restoreth my soul : 
 
 He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his 
 
 name's sake. 
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
 
 of death, 
 I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me : 
 Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 
 
12 CHAMBER OF SICKNESS. 
 
 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of 
 mine enemies : 
 
 Thou hast anointed my head with oil ; my cup run- 
 neth over. 
 
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
 days of my life : 
 
 And I will dwell in the house of the L,ord for ever. 
 — Psalm xxiii. 
 
 II. STILL WATERS. 
 
 Be still, and know that I am God. — Ps. xlvi. 10. 
 
 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind 
 is stayed on thee. — Is A. xxvi. 3. 
 Thou makest all his bed in his sickness. — Ps. xli. 3. 
 For so he giveth unto his beloved sleep. — Ps. cxxvii. 2. 
 He maketh the storm a calm, 
 So that the waves thereof are still. 
 Then are they glad because they be quiet ; 
 So he bringeth them unto the haven where they 
 would be. — Ps. cvii. 29-30. 
 
 There the weary be at rest. — Job iii. 17. 
 
 And he shall wipe away every tear from their 
 eyes ; and death shall be no more ; neither shall there 
 be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. — 
 Rev. xxi. 4. 
 
 And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick. — Isa. 
 xxxiii. 24. 
 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do 
 
 change, 
 And though the mountains be moved in the heart of 
 the seas ; 
 
CHAM BER OF SICKNESS. 
 
 13 
 
 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled : 
 Though the mountains shake with the swelling 
 
 thereof. — Ps. xlvi. 2-3. 
 What time I am afraid, 
 I will put my trust in thee. — Ps. lvi. 3. 
 
 I will trust, and will not be afraid. — Isa. xii. 2. 
 In peace will I both lay me down and sleep : 
 For thou, Lord, alone makest me dwell in safety. — 
 
 Ps. iv. 8. 
 
 I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains : 
 From whence shall my help come ? 
 My help cometh from the Lord, 
 Which made heaven and earth. 
 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved : 
 He that keepeth thee will not slumber. 
 Behold, he that keepeth Israel 
 Shall neither slumber nor sleep. 
 The Lord is thy keeper : 
 The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. 
 The sun shall not smite thee by day, 
 Nor the moon by night. 
 The Lord shall keep thee from all evil ; 
 He shall keep thy soul. 
 
 The Lord shall keep thy going out and thy com- 
 ing in, 
 From this time forth and for evermore. — Ps. cxxi. 
 
 The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom shall 
 
 I fear ? 
 The Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall 
 
 I be afraid ? 
 When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, 
 
14 CHAMBER OF SICKNESS. 
 
 Even mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled 
 
 and fell. 
 Though an host should encamp against me, 
 My heart shall not fear : 
 Though war should rise against me, 
 Even then will I be confident. 
 One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I 
 
 seek after ; 
 That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the 
 
 days of my life, 
 To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in 
 
 his temple. 
 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me secretly 
 
 in his pavilion : 
 In the covert of his tabernacle shall he hide me ; 
 He shall lift me up upon a rock. 
 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine 
 
 enemies round about me ; 
 And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy ; 
 I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. — 
 
 Ps. xxvii. 1-6. 
 
 III. DELECTABLE MOUNTAINS. 
 
 " So they went up to the delectable mountains, to behold 
 the gardens and orchards, the vineyards and fountains of 
 water : where also they drank and washed themselves, and 
 did freely eat of the vineyards. Now there were on the tops 
 of these mountains shepherds feeding their flocks. . . . 
 These mountains are Immanuel's land, and they are within 
 sight of the city." — Butty an' s Pilgrim's Progress. 
 
 Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, 
 
CHAMBER OF SICKNESS. 
 
 15 
 
 I will get me to the mountain of myrrh. Cant. iv. 6. 
 
 1 am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: 
 
 He feedeth Jiisjlock among the lilies. — Cant. vi. 3. 
 
 He giveth power to the faint ; and to him that 
 hath no might he inereaseth strength. — ISA. xl. 29. 
 He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their 
 wounds. — Ps. exlvii. 3. 
 
 And I have put my words in thy month, and have 
 covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may 
 plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the 
 earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people. — 
 ISA. li. 16. 
 
 As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I 
 comfort you. — Isa. lxvi. 13. 
 
 Sing, O heavens ; and be joyful, O earth ; and 
 break forth into singing, O mountains : for the Lord 
 hath comforted his people, and will have compassion 
 upon his afflicted. — Isa. xlix. 13. 
 
 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall 
 gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his 
 bosom, and shall gently lead those that give suck. 
 — Isa. xl. 11. 
 
 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a moun- 
 tain great and high, and shewed me the holy city 
 Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 
 having the gloiy of God. — Rev. xxi. 10. 
 
 And he shewed me a river of water of life, bright 
 as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and 
 of the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof. And 
 on this side of the river and on that was the tree of 
 life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yielding its 
 fruit every month : and the leaves of the tree were 
 
1 6 CHAMBER OF SICKNESS. 
 
 for the healing of the nations. And there shall be 
 no curse any more : and the throne of God and of the 
 Lamb shall be therein : and his servants shall do him 
 service ; and they shall see his face ; and his name 
 shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be 
 night no more ; and they need no light of lamp, 
 neither light of sun ; for the Lord God shall give 
 them light : and they shall reign for ever and ever. 
 — REV.xxii. 1-5. 
 
 IV. THE ENTRANCE GATE. 
 
 These selections are chiefly for those not yet in the fold. 
 They are the inviting and assuring words of Scripture to one 
 who would "see Jesus." May their use change many a 
 sick-room into a "Bethel," and put "a new song " in the 
 mouth. 
 
 Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. — Matt. 
 vii. 7. 
 
 Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the 
 sin of the world ! — John i. 29. 
 
 I am the door : by me if any man enter in, he 
 shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall 
 find pasture. — John x. 9. 
 
 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only 
 begotten Son, that whosoever belie veth on him 
 should not perish, but have eternal life. — John iii. 16. 
 
 And in none other is there salvation : for neither is 
 there any other name under heaven, that is given 
 among men, wherein we must be saved. — Acts iv. 12. 
 
 Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be 
 saved. — Acts xvi. 31. 
 
CHAMBER OF SICKNESS. 1 7 
 
 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
 laden, and I will give you rest. — Matt. xi. 28. 
 
 If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and 
 drink. — John vii. 37. 
 
 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the 
 waters, and he that hath no money ; come ye, buy, 
 and eat ; yea, come, buy wine and milk without 
 money and without price. — Isa. lv. 1. 
 
 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and 
 they follow me : and I give unto them eternal life ; 
 and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch 
 them out of my hand. — John x. 27. 
 
 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking 
 flax shall he not quench. — Matt. xii. 20. 
 
 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the 
 Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
 as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, 
 they shall be as wool. — Is A. i. 18. 
 
 Him that cometh to me I w T ill in no wise cast out. 
 — John vi. 37. 
 
 He that will, let him take the water of life freely. 
 ■ — Rev. xxii. 17. 
 
 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unright- 
 eous man his thoughts : and let him return unto the 
 Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; and to 
 our God, for he will abundantly pardon. — Isa. lv. 7. 
 
 And he spake unto them this parable, saying, 
 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and 
 having lost one of them, doth not leave the ninety 
 and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which 
 is lost, until he find it ? And when he hath found 
 it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And 
 2 
 
1 8 CHAMBER OF SICKNESS. 
 
 when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends 
 and his neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with 
 me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I 
 say unto you, that even so there shall be joy in 
 heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than 
 over ninety and nine righteous persons, which need 
 no repentance. — Luke xv. 3-7. 
 
 But when he (the prodigal son) came to himself he 
 said, How man}- hired servants of my father's have 
 bread enough and to spare, and I perish here with 
 hunger ! I will arise and go to my father, and will 
 say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, 
 and in thy sight : I am no more worthy to be called 
 thy son : make me as one of thy hired servants. And 
 he arose, and came to his father. But while he was 
 yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved 
 with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and 
 kissed him. — Luke xv. 17-20. 
 
 V. AT EVENTIDE. 
 
 These selections are for that last hour when the shadows 
 are almost at their full lengthening, ere "the silver cord be 
 loosed or the golden bowl be broken. ' ' Much speech of man 
 seems idle. It is a time for "Jesus only." Some brief word 
 of Scripture, whether a cry of need or a cry of trust, spoken 
 by the minister and repeated by the dying, may change "the 
 valley of weeping " into "a place of springs," and "the 
 valley of the shadow of death " into " a garden of spices." 
 
 Lord, save me.— Matt. xiv. 30. 
 
 Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. — Acts vii. 59. 
 
 God, be merciful to me a sinner. — Luke xviii. 13. 
 
CHAMBER OF SICKNESS. 19 
 
 The blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all 
 
 sin.— 1 John i. 7. 
 
 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners ; 
 of whom I am chief. — 1 Tim. i. 15. 
 
 Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the 
 sin of the world ! — John i. 29. 
 
 (Lord) I believe : help thou mine unbelief. — 
 Mark ix. 24. 
 
 Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. — Ps. lxi. 2. 
 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lov- 
 
 ingkindness : 
 According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot 
 
 out my transgressions. — Ps. li. 1. 
 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of 
 
 death, 
 I will fear no evil ; for thou art w r ith me : 
 Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. — Ps. xxiii. 4. 
 
 Though he slay me, yet will I wait for him. — Job 
 xiii. 15. 
 
 For so he giveth unto his beloved sleep. — Ps- exxvii. 2. 
 My flesh and my heart faileth : 
 
 But God is the strength of my heart and my portion 
 for ever. — Ps. lxxiii. 26. 
 
 Into thy hands I commend my spirit. — Luke xxiii. 
 46. 
 
 Now lettest thou thy servant depart, O Lord, ac- 
 cording to thy word, in peace ; for mine eyes have 
 seen thy salvation. — Luke ii. 29. 
 
20 HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 SELECTIONS OF SCRIPTURE FOR THE 
 HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 I. EVERLASTING FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 Howbeit the firm foundation of God standeth, 
 having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are 
 his. — 2 Tim. ii. 19. 
 
 Trust 3^e in the Lord for ever : for in the Lord 
 Jehovah is an everlasting rock (a rock of ages). — 
 Isa. xxvi. 4. 
 
 The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my de- 
 liverer, even mine ; 
 The God of my rock, in him will I trust ; 
 My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high 
 
 tower, and my refuge. — 2 Sam. xxii. 2-3. 
 For who is God, save the Lord ? 
 And who is a rock, save our God? 
 God is my strong fortress : 
 And he guideth the perfect in his way. 
 He maketh his feet like hinds' feet : 
 And setteth me upon my high places. — 2 Sam. xxii. 
 
 32-34- 
 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation : 
 And thy gentleness hath made me great. — 2 Sam. 
 
 xxii. 36. 
 But Israel shall be saved by the Lord with an 
 everlasting salvation : ye shall not be ashamed nor 
 confounded world without end.— Isa. xlv. 17. 
 
HOUSE OF MOURNING. 2 1 
 
 In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for 
 a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I 
 have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy redeemer. 
 —ISA. liv. 8. 
 
 The eternal God is thy dwelling place, 
 And underneath are the everlasting arms. — Dkit 
 
 xxxiii. 27. 
 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day. yea 
 and for ever. — Heb. xiii. 8. 
 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, 
 And from the River unto the ends of the earth. 
 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before 
 
 him ; 
 And his enemies shall lick the dust. — Ps. lxxii. 8-9. 
 His name shall endure for ever. — Ps. lxxii. 17. 
 
 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay 
 in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a 
 precious corner stone of sure foundation : he that be- 
 lieveth shall not make haste. — Isa. xxviii. 16. 
 
 For other foundation can no man lay than that 
 which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. — 1 Cor. iii. 11. 
 
 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High 
 
 Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 
 
 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my 
 
 fortress ; 
 My God, in whom I trust. 
 
 For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, 
 And from the noisome pestilence. 
 He shall cover thee with his pinions, 
 And under his wings shalt thou take refuge : 
 His truth is a shield and a buckler. 
 
22 HO USE OF MO URNING. 
 
 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, 
 
 Nor for the arrow that flieth by day ; 
 
 For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, 
 
 Xor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 
 
 A thousand shall fall at thy side, 
 
 And ten thousand at thy right hand ; 
 
 But it shall not come nigh thee. 
 
 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, 
 
 And see the reward of the wicked. 
 
 For thou, O Lord, art my refuge ! 
 
 Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation ; 
 
 There shall no evil befall thee, 
 
 Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. 
 
 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, 
 
 To keep thee in all thy ways. 
 
 They shall bear thee up in their hands, 
 
 Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 
 
 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder : 
 
 The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample 
 
 under feet. 
 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will 
 
 I deliver him : 
 I will set him on high, because he hath known my 
 
 name. 
 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him ; 
 I will be with him in trouble : 
 I will deliver him, and honour him. 
 With long life will I satisfy him, 
 And shew him my salvation. — Ps. xci. 
 
 God is our refuge and strength, 
 A very present help in trouble. 
 
HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 23 
 
 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do 
 
 change, 
 And though the mountains be moved in the heart of 
 
 the seas ; 
 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, 
 Though the mountains shake with the swelling 
 
 thereof. 
 There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the 
 
 city of God, 
 The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. 
 God is in the midst of her ; she shall not be moved : 
 God shall help her and that right early. 
 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved : 
 He uttered his voice, the earth melted. 
 The Lord of hosts is with us ; 
 The God of Jacob is our refuge. 
 Come, behold the works of the Lord, 
 What desolations he hath made in the earth. 
 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth : 
 He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in 
 
 sunder ; 
 He burnetii the chariots in the fire. 
 Be still, and know that I am God : 
 I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted 
 
 in the earth. 
 The Lord of hosts is with us : 
 The God of Jacob is our refuge. — Ps. xlvi. 
 
 And we know that to them that love God all 
 things work together for good, even to them that 
 are called according to his purpose. For whom he 
 foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to 
 
24 HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn 
 among many brethren : and whom he foreordained, 
 them he also called : and whom he called, them he 
 also justified : and whom he justified, them he also 
 glorified. 
 
 What then shall we say to these things ? If God 
 is for us, who is against us ? He that spared not his 
 own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall 
 he not also with him freely give us all things ? Who 
 shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? It 
 is God that justifieth ; who is he that shall condemn ? 
 It is Christ Jesus that died, } r ea rather, that was 
 raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of 
 God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who 
 shall separate us from the love of Christ ? shall tribu- 
 lation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or 
 nakedness, or peril, or sword ? Even as it is written, 
 
 For thy sake we are killed all the day long ; 
 We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
 
 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquer- 
 ors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded 
 that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principali- 
 ties, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 
 powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other crea- 
 ture, shall be able to separate us from the love of 
 God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Rom. viii. 
 28-39. 
 
HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 25 
 
 II. EXCEEDING GREAT PROMISES. 
 
 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is 
 God ; the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and 
 mercy with them that love him and keep his com- 
 mandments to a thousand generations. — Deut. vii. 9. 
 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : for 
 when he hath been approved, he shall receive the 
 crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that 
 love him. — James i. 12. 
 Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid 
 
 up for them that fear thee, 
 Which thou hast wrought for them that put their 
 
 trust in thee, before the sons of men ! 
 In the covert of thy presence shalt thou hide them 
 
 from the plottings of man : 
 Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the 
 
 strife of tongues. — Ps. xxxi. 19-20. 
 Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear 
 
 him, 
 Upon them that hope in his mercy ; 
 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them 
 
 alive in famine. — Ps. xxxiii. 18-19. 
 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them 
 
 that fear him, 
 And delivereth them. — Ps. xxxiv. 7. 
 Like as a father pitieth his children, 
 So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. — Ps. ciii. 13. 
 And their soul shall be as a watered garden. — 
 JER. xxxi. 12. 
 
26 HO USE OF MO I 'RNIXG. 
 
 The}- that sow in tears shall reap in joy. 
 
 Though he goeth on his way weeping, bearing forth 
 
 the seed ; 
 He shall come again with joy, bringing his sheaves 
 
 with him. — Ps. cxxvi. 5-6. 
 Call upon me in the day of trouble ; 
 I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. — Ps. 
 
 1. 15- 
 Deep ealleth unto deep at the noise of thy water- 
 spouts : 
 All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 
 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in 
 
 the day-time, 
 And in the night his song shall be with me, 
 Even a prayer unto the God of my life. — Ps. xlii. 7-8. 
 
 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
 laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon 
 you, and learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly in 
 heart : and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For 
 my yoke is easy and my burden is light. — Matt. 
 xi. 28-30. 
 
 When thou passest through the waters, I will be 
 with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not 
 overflow thee : when thou walkest through the fire, 
 thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame 
 kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the 
 Holy One of Israel, thy saviour. — Isa. xliii. 2-3. , 
 
 Certainly I will be with thee. — Exodus iii. 12. 
 
 I will commune with thee from above the mercy- 
 seat. — Exodus xxv. 22. 
 
 I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee. — 
 Isa. xli. 10. 
 
HOUSE OF MOI'KXING. 
 
 2 7 
 
 Let not your heart be troubled. — John xiv. 1. 
 
 I will not Leave you desolate: I come unto you. 
 —John xiv. 18. 
 
 I conic again, and will receive you unto myself; 
 that where I am, there ye may be also. — John xiv. 3. 
 
 III. SAFK HIDING PLACES. 
 
 The name of the Lord is a strong tower : 
 
 The righteous runneth into it, and is safe. — Prov. 
 
 xviii. 10. 
 God is our refuge and strength, 
 A very present help in trouble. — Ps. xlvi. 1. 
 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me ; 
 For my soul taketh refuge in thee : 
 Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge, 
 Until these calamities be overpast. — Ps. lvii. 1. 
 It is better to trust in the Lord 
 Than to put confidence in man. 
 It is better to trust in the Lord 
 Than to put confidence in princes. — Ps. cxviii. 8-9. 
 They that trust in the Lord 
 Are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but 
 
 abideth for ever. — Ps. exxv. 1. 
 Be thou to me a rock of habitation, whereunto I may 
 
 continually resort. — Ps. lxxi. 3. 
 Keep me as the apple of the eye, 
 Hide me under the shadow of thy wings. — Ps. xvii. 8. 
 Thou art my hiding place ; thou wilt preserve me 
 
 from trouble ; 
 
28 HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliver- 
 ance. — Ps. xxxii. 7. 
 
 In the Lord put I my trust : 
 
 How say ye to my soul, 
 
 Flee as a bird to }^our mountain ? — Ps. xi. 1. 
 
 The Lord is my light and my salvation ; whom shall 
 I fear? 
 
 The Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall 
 I be afraid? — Ps. xxvii. 1. 
 
 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me secretly 
 in his pavilion : 
 
 In the covert of his tabernacle shall he hide me, — 
 Ps. xxvii. 5. 
 
 For the Lord God is a sun and a shield. — Ps. 
 lxxxiv. 11. 
 
 IV. PRECIOUS CONSOLATIONS. 
 
 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord. 
 — Ps. xciv. 12. 
 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation : for 
 
 when he hath been approved, he shall receive the 
 
 crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that 
 
 love him. — James i. 12. 
 
 In the world ye have tribulation : but be of good 
 
 cheer ; I have overcome the world. — John xvi. 33. 
 
 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sus- 
 tain thee : 
 
 He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. — 
 Ps. lv. 22. 
 
HOUSE OF MOURNING. 29 
 
 And not only so, but let us also rejoice in our 
 tribulations : knowing that tribulation worketh pa- 
 tience ; and patience, probation ; and probation, 
 hope : and hope putteth not to shame ; because the 
 love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts 
 through the Holy Ghost which was given unto us. — 
 Rom. v. 3-5. 
 
 For our light affliction, which is for the moment, 
 worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eter- 
 nal weight of glory ; while we look not at the things 
 which are seen, but at the things which are not .seen : 
 for the things which are seen are temporal ; but the 
 things which are not seen are eternal. — 2 Cor. iv. 
 17-18. 
 
 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery 
 trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove 
 you, as though a strange thing happened unto you : 
 but insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffer- 
 ings, rejoice ; that at the revelation of his glory also 
 ye may rejoice with exceeding joy. — 1 Pkt. iv. 12- 
 
 13- 
 
 When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt 
 not be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon 
 thee. — Isa. xliii. 2. 
 
 Behold, I have refined thee, but not as silver ; I 
 have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. — Isa. 
 xlviii. 10. 
 
 My son , regard not lightly the chastening of the 
 
 Lord, 
 Nor faint when thou art reproved of him ; 
 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, 
 And scourge th every son whom he receiveth. 
 
30 
 
 HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 It is for chastening that ye endure ; God dealeth 
 with you as with sons ; for what son is there whom 
 his father ehasteneth not? But if ye are without 
 chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, 
 then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, 
 we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and we 
 gave them reverence : shall we not much rather be 
 in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live ? 
 For they verily for a few days chastened us as seemed 
 good to them ; but he for our profit, that we may be 
 partakers of his holiness. All chastening seemeth 
 for the present to be not joyous, but grievous : yet 
 afterward it 3 T ieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that 
 have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of right- 
 eousness. — Heb. xii. 5-1 1. 
 
 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, 
 that we are children of God : and if children, then 
 heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ ; 
 if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be 
 also glorified with him. 
 
 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present 
 time are not worthy to be compared with the glory 
 which shall be revealed to us- ward. — Rom. viii. 
 16-18. 
 
 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, 
 These which are arrayed in the white robes, who 
 are they, and whence came they ? And I say unto 
 him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, 
 These are they which come out of the great tribula- 
 tion, and they washed their robes, and made them 
 white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they 
 before the throne of God ; and they serve him day 
 
HOUSE OF MOURNING. 3 1 
 
 and night in his temple : and he that sitteth on the 
 throne shall spread his tabernacle oxer them. They 
 shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; 
 neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any 
 heat : for the Lamb which is in the midst of the 
 throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them 
 unto fountains of waters of life : and God shall wipe 
 away every tear from their eyes. — Risv. vii. 13-17. 
 
32 
 
 BURIAL, 
 
 BURIAL. 
 
 Form for Burial of the Dead. 
 
 I. THE SERVICE AT THE CHURCH. 
 
 As the body is borne to its place before the pulpit, the minis 
 ter shall say : 
 
 I am the resurrection and the life : he that be- 
 lieveth on me, though he die, yet shall he live : 
 and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall 
 never die.— John xi. 25, 26. 
 
 Blessed be the God and Father of our L,ord Jesus 
 Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all com- 
 fort ; who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we 
 may be able to comfort them that are in any afflic- 
 tion, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves 
 are comforted. — 2 Cor. 1. 3, 4. 
 
 When the assembly is seated and ready for service the min- 
 ister shall say : 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Almighty God, the framer of our bodies and the 
 Father of our spirits, we enter thy courts with 
 bowed and burdened hearts this day. But our hope 
 is in thee. To whom shall we go, but to thee. 
 Thou hast the words of eternal life. Vouchsafe thy 
 comforting and guiding Spirit, as we are met for this 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 33 
 
 tender and solemn service in the presence of the 
 dead. Let not our eyes be so holden with ^rief that 
 we cannot read the truth thou wouldst teach us by 
 this affliction. And may we be sanctified in all the 
 discipline of thy providence, through Jesus Christ. 
 Amen. 
 
 Here, if desired, a hymn may be sung. 
 
 Then shall be read such portions of Scripture as may be 
 most appropriate to the specific circumstances. 
 
 [ Varied selections for this purpose, both of disconnected 
 single verses and of connected passages, will be found fol- 
 lowing this order of service.] 
 
 I 
 
 v After the reading of the Scripture the minister shall make 
 bJ^an address suited to the occasion, provided any remarks at 
 all are judged to be desirable. 
 
 Then shall follow the prayer, the special features of which 
 must be largely determined by the distinctive features of the 
 providence that has brought the people to the house of 
 mourning. Hence no form of prayer is here given. But 
 manifestly, in the presence of death, the prayer should em- 
 brace acknoiuledgment of God's sovereign mercy, confession 
 of sin, submission to the divine will, thanksgiving for the 
 victory over death wrought by the gospel, and trustful com- 
 mitment of bereaved and smitten hearts to the infinitely 
 tender and gracious care of the Saviour. 
 
 Then another hymn shall be sung, after which the congre- 
 gation shall be dismissed with the apostolic benediction. 
 
 3 i 
 
 I 
 
34 BURIAL. 
 
 II. ORDER OF SERVICE AT A PRIVATE HOUSE. 
 
 Invocation. 
 
 Reading of Scripture. See pp. 36-73. 
 Singing (if previously arranged for). See pp. 
 125-134. 
 Remarks (if thought desirable). 
 Prayer. 
 Benediction. 
 
 III. FORM FOR SERVICE AT THE GRAVE. 
 
 After the body has been placed in the grave the minister 
 shall say {if the dead be one that has "fallen asleep in 
 Jesus ") / 
 
 Here we pay the last rites of the living to the de- 
 parted : earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. 
 In committing this body to the grave, the dust 
 returns to the earth as it was. The spirit has gone 
 to God who gave it. I heard a voice from heaven 
 saying, ' ' Write : Blessed are the dead which die in 
 the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, 
 that they may rest from their labors ; for their works 
 follow with them." For them that sleep in Jesus 
 shall God bring with him : and over such the second 
 death hath no power. 
 Or this {if the dead be not known as a believer) : 
 
 Here we commit the bpdj r to its kindred dust — 
 earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. The 
 
BURIAL. 35 
 
 spirit \vc leave with God. This is the end of all the 
 living. May the living lay it to heart. As there is 
 no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in 
 the grave whither we go, and as we know that God 
 will bring us to death— to the house appointed for 
 all living ; let us here renewedly consecrate ourselves 
 to do with our might what our hands find to do. 
 And may our trust be in Him who said, "lam the 
 resurrection and the life. He that believeth on me, 
 though he die, yet shall he live. And whosoever 
 liveth and believeth in me shall never die." 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 We thank thee, O Lord, that thou art the resur- 
 rection and the life. And that thou hast been 
 declared to be the Son of God with power by the 
 resurrection of the dead. We rejoice in the blessed 
 hope born of thy resurrection victory. May it be 
 our stay and comfort, as we stand by this fresh-made 
 grave where we have laid our beloved dead. Hence- 
 forth living godly and obedient lives, may thy grace 
 enable us to die the death of the righteous. And 
 when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dis- 
 solved, let us have a building of God, a house not 
 made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Amen. 
 
 The Lord bless you and keep you, bereaved and 
 smitten hearts. The Lord make his face shine upon 
 you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up 
 his countenance upon you and give you peace. 
 
 And the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the 
 love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, 
 be with you all. Amen. 
 
36 BURIAL, 
 
 SCRIPTURE SELECTIONS FOR FUNERAL 
 SERVICE. 
 
 [God's Word, in its undisturbed and inspired connections, 
 will always be of unspeakable comfort and profit. But to 
 insist that continuous passages only shall have use in the 
 burial of the dead, would be to miss some of the rarest 
 words of consolation and hope in all the Scriptures. In 
 the selections that follow it has been the aim to realize the 
 advantages of both methods, care having been taken that 
 the isolated gems gathered from out God's precious casket 
 of jewels should not be flung indiscriminately before the 
 reader, but given an appropriate setting.'] 
 
 I. FOR A CHILD. 
 
 My beloved is gone down to his garden ... to 
 gather lilies. — Sol. Song vi. 2. 
 
 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd, he shall 
 gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his 
 bosom. — ISA. xl. 11. 
 
 In that hour came the disciples unto Jesus, say- 
 ing, Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven ? 
 And he called to him a little child, and set him in 
 the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, 
 Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye 
 shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this 
 little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom 
 of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little 
 child in my name receiveth me : but whoso shall 
 cause one of these little ones which believe on me to 
 stumble it is profitable for him that a great millstone 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 37 
 
 should be hanged about his neck, and that he should 
 be sunk in the depth of the sea. — Matt, xviii. 1-6. 
 
 See that ye despise not one of these little ones ; 
 for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do 
 always behold the face of my Father which is in 
 heaven. How think ye ? if any man have a hun- 
 dred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth 
 he not leave the ninety and nine, and go unto the 
 mountains, and seek that which goeth astray ? And 
 if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he 
 rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine 
 which have not gone astray. Even so it is not the 
 will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of 
 these little ones should perish. — Matt, xviii. 10-14. 
 
 And they brought unto him also their babes, that 
 he should touch them : but when the disciples saw 
 it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto 
 him, saying, Suffer the little children to come unto 
 me, and forbid them not : for of such is the kingdom 
 of God. — Luke xviii. 15-16. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord : A voice is heard in Ramah, 
 lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for 
 her children ; she refuseth to be comforted for her 
 children, because they are not. Thus saith the 
 Lord : Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine 
 eyes from tears : for thy work shall be rewarded, 
 saith the Lord ; and they shall come again from the 
 land of the enemy. And there is hope for thy latter 
 end, saith the Lord ; and thy children shall come 
 again to their own border. — Jer. xxxi. 15-17. 
 
 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys 
 and girls playing in the streets thereof. — Zech. viii. 5- 
 
38 BURIAL. 
 
 Wait on the Lord : 
 
 Be strong, and let thine heart take courage ; 
 
 Yea, wait thou on the Lord. — Ps. xxvii. 14. 
 
 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of 
 trouble ; and he knoweth them that put their trust 
 in him. — Nahum i. 7. 
 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken 
 
 heart, 
 And saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.— Ps. 
 
 xxxiv. 18. 
 Like as a father pitieth his children, 
 So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. 
 For he knoweth our frame ; 
 He remembereth that we are dust. — Ps. ciii. 13-14. 
 
 O Lord, be gracious unto us ; we have waited for 
 thee : be thou their arm every morning, our salvation 
 also in the time of trouble. — Is A. xxxiii. 2. 
 
 The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away ; 
 blessed be the name of the Lord. — Job i. 21. 
 
 FOR A CHILD. 
 
 And the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife 
 bare unto David, and it was very sick. David there- 
 fore besought God for the child ; and David fasted, 
 and went in, and lay all night upon the earth. And 
 the elders of his house arose, a?id stood beside him, 
 to raise him up from the earth : but he would not, 
 neither did he eat bread with them. And it came to 
 pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And 
 the servants of David feared to tell him that the 
 child was dead : for they said, Behold, while the 
 child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 39 
 
 hearkened not unto our voice : how will he then vex 
 himself, if we tell him that the child is dead? But 
 when David saw that his servants whispered to- 
 gether, David perceived that the child was dead: 
 and David said unto his servants, Is the child dead ? 
 And they said, He is dead. Then David arose from 
 the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and 
 changed his apparel ; and he came into the house of 
 the Lord, and worshipped : then he came to his own 
 house ; and when he required they set bread before 
 him, and he did eat. Then said his servants unto 
 him, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou 
 didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive ; 
 but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat 
 bread. And he said, While the child was yet alive, I 
 fasted and wept : for I said, Who knoweth whether 
 the Lord will not be gracious to me, that the child 
 may live ? But now he is dead, wherefore should I 
 fast ? can I bring it back again ? I shall go to him, 
 but he shall not return to me. — 2 Sam. xii. 15-23. 
 
 Suffer the little children to come unto me ; forbid 
 them not : for of such is the kingdom of God. 
 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive 
 the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall in no 
 wise enter therein. And he took them in his arms, 
 and blessed them, laying his hands upon them. — 
 Mark x. 14-16. 
 
 He shall gather the lambs in his arm, and carry 
 them in his bosom. — ISA. xl. n. 
 
 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any 
 more ; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor 
 any heat. — Rev. vii. 16. 
 
4o 
 
 BURIAL. 
 
 And he shall wipe away every tear from their 
 eyes ; and death shall be no more ; neither shall 
 there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. 
 — Rev. xxi. 4. 
 
 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 
 — 1 Thess. iv. 18. 
 
 My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the Lord, 
 Nor faint when thou art reproved of him ; 
 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, 
 And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. — Heb. 
 xii. 5-6. 
 
 Furthermore, we had the fathers of our flesh to 
 chasten us, and we gave them reverence : shall we 
 not much rather be in subjection unto the Father 
 of spirits, and live ? For they verily for a few days 
 chastened us as seemed good to them ; but he for 
 our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. 
 All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joy- 
 ous, but grievous : yet afterward it yieldeth peace- 
 able fruit unto them that have been exercised there- 
 by, even the fruit oi righteousness. — Heb. xii. 9-1 1. 
 
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort ; 
 who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may 
 be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, 
 through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are 
 comforted of God. - 2 Cor. i. 3-4. 
 
 FOR A CHILD. 
 
 Boast not thyself of to-morrow ; 
 For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. 
 — Prov. xxvii. 1. 
 
BURIAL. 41 
 
 Remember also, thy Creator in the days of thy 
 youth, or ever the evil days come, and the years 
 draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure 
 in them ; or ever the sun, and the light, and the 
 moon, and the stars, be darkened, and the clouds 
 return after the rain : in the day when the keepers 
 of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall 
 bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they 
 are few, and those that look out of the windows be 
 darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the street ; 
 when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall 
 rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters 
 of music shall be brought low ; yea, they shall be 
 afraid of that which is high, and terrors shall be in 
 the way ; and the almond tree shall. blossom, and the 
 grasshopper shall be a burden, and the caper-berry 
 shall fail : because man goeth to his long home, and 
 the mourners go about the streets : or ever the silver 
 cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the 
 pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel 
 broken at the cistern ; and the dust return to the 
 earth as it was, and the spirit return unto God who 
 gave it. — Ecc xii. 1-7. 
 
 Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we 
 will go into this city, and spend a year there, and 
 trade, and get gain : whereas ye know not what shall 
 be on the morrow. What is your life ? For ye are 
 a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then 
 vanisheth away. — James iv. 13-14. 
 
 As for man, his days are as grass ; 
 
 As a flower of the field, so he flourished! . 
 
42 BURIAL. 
 
 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; 
 
 And the place thereof shall know it no more. 
 
 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to 
 
 everlasting upon them that fear him, 
 And his righteousness unto children's children ; 
 To such as keep his covenant, 
 And to those that remember his precepts to do them. 
 
 — Ps. ciii. 15-18. 
 The Lord is full of compassion and gracious, 
 Slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. 
 He will not always chide ; 
 Neither will he keep his anger for ever. 
 He hath not dealt with us after our sins, 
 Nor rewarded us after our iniquities. 
 For as the heaven is high above the earth, 
 So great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 
 As far as the east is from the west, 
 So far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 
 Like as a father pitieth his children, 
 So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. 
 For he knoweth our frame ; 
 He remembereth that we are dust. — Ps. ciii. 8-14. 
 
 And it came to pass soon afterwards, that he went 
 to a city called Nain ; and his disciples went with 
 him, and a great multitude. Now when he drew near 
 to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried out 
 one that was dead, the only son of his mother, and 
 she was a widow : and much people of the city was 
 with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had 
 compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 
 And he came nigh and touched the bier : and the 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 43 
 
 bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say 
 unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, 
 and began to speak. And he gave him to his 
 mother. — L,uke vii. 11-15- 
 
 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to-day, yea 
 and for ever. — Heb. xiii. 8. 
 He is our peace. — Eph. ii. 14. 
 And turneth the shadow of death into the morning. 
 
 — Amos v. 8. 
 He will be our guide even unto death. — Ps. xlviii. 14. 
 For so he giveth unto his beloved sleep. — Ps. 
 exxvii. 2. 
 
 II. FOR THE AGED. 
 
 And Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a 
 good old age, an old man, and full of years ; and was 
 gathered to his people. — Gen. xxv. 8-10. 
 
 And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was 
 gathered unto his people, old and full of days. — 
 Gen. xxxv. 29. 
 So Job died, being old and full of days. — Job xlii. 17. 
 
 Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace ; thou shalt 
 be buried in a good old age. — Gen. xv. 15. 
 Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age, 
 Iyike as a shock of corn cometh in in its season. — 
 
 Job v. 26. 
 The hoary head is a crown of glory, 
 It shall be found in the way of righteousness. — 
 Prov. xvi. 31. 
 
 Even to old age I am he, and even to hoar hairs 
 will I carry you : I have made, and I will bear ; yea, 
 I will carry, and will deliver. — Is A. xlvi. 4. 
 
44 
 
 BURIAL. 
 
 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty : they 
 shall behold a far stretching land. — Isa. xxxiii. 17. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord of hosts : There shall yet 
 old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jeru- 
 salem, every man with his staff in his hand for very 
 age. — Zech. viii. 4. 
 
 And the work of righteousness shall be peace ; 
 and the effect of righteousness quietness and confi- 
 dence for ever. — Isa. xxxii. 17. 
 
 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, thou 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 earnest 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 in thine anger, 
 And in thy wrath are we troubled. 
 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, 
 Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 
 For all our daj T s are passed away in thy wrath : 
 We bring our years to an end as a tale that is told 
 The days of our years are threescore years and ten, 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 45 
 
 Or even by reason of strength fourscore years ; 
 
 Yet is their pride but labour and sorrow ; 
 
 For it is soon gone, and we fly away. 
 
 Who knoweth the power of thine anger, 
 
 And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto 
 
 thee ? 
 So teach us to number our days, 
 That we may get us an heart of wisdom. 
 Return, O Lord ; how long ? 
 And let it repent thee concerning thy servants. 
 O satisfy us in the morning 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 upon 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. — Ps. 
 
 xc. 
 
 III. GOD'S COMFORT. 
 
 Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be 
 comforted. — Matt. v. 4. 
 
 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your 
 God. — Isa. xl. 1. 
 
 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me ; because 
 the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings 
 unto the meek ; he hath sent me to bind up the 
 
46 BURIAL. 
 
 brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, 
 and the opening of the prison to them that are 
 bound ; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, 
 and the day of vengeance of our God ; to comfort 
 all that mourn ; to appoint unto them that mourn in 
 Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil 
 of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the 
 spirit of heaviness ; that they might be called trees 
 of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he 
 might be glorified, — Isa. lxi. 1-3. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, the Holy One 
 of Israel : I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth 
 thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that 
 thou shouldest go. — Isa. xlviii. 17. 
 
 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I 
 will bring you into the bond of the covenant. — 
 Kzek. xx. 37. 
 
 And thou shalt consider in thine heart, that, as a 
 man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chas- 
 teneth thee. — Deut. viii. 5. 
 
 And I will bring the third part through the fire, 
 and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try 
 them as gold is tried : they shall call on my name, 
 and I will hear them : I will say, It is my people ; 
 and they shall say, The Lord is my God. — Zech. 
 xiii. 9. 
 
 Fear not, for I have redeemed thee ; I have called 
 thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou pass- 
 est through the waters, I will be with thee ; and 
 through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : 
 when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not 
 be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 47 
 
 For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, 
 thy saviour.— ISA. xliii. 1-3. 
 
 For a small moment have I forsaken thee ; but 
 with great mercies will I gather thee. In overflow- 
 ing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment ; but 
 with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, 
 saith the Lord thy redeemer. For the mountains 
 shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but my kind- 
 ness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my 
 covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that 
 hath mercy on thee. — Isa. liv. 7-8, 10. 
 
 Fear thou not, for I am with thee ; be not dis- 
 mayed, for I am thy God : I will strengthen thee ; 
 yea, I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with 
 the right hand of my righteousness. — Is A. xli. 10. 
 
 I will in no wise fail thee, neither will I in any 
 wise forsake thee. — Heb. xiii. 5. 
 
 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. — Rev. 
 iii. 19. 
 
 And ye therefore now have sorrow : but I will see 
 you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy 
 no one taketh away from you. — John xvi. 22. 
 
 My grace is sufficient for thee : for my power is 
 made perfect in weakness. — 2 Cor. xii. 9. 
 
 I, even I, am he that comforteth you. — Isa. li. 12. 
 
 These things have I spoken unto you, that in me 
 ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribula- 
 tion : but be of good cheer ; I have overcome the 
 world. — John xvi. 33. 
 
 Peace I leave with you ; my peace I give unto 
 you : not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let 
 not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful. 
 ~-John xiv. 27. 
 
48 BURIAL. 
 
 I am the resurrection, and the life : he that be- 
 lieveth on me, though he die, yet shall he live : and 
 whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never 
 die. — John xi. 25-26. 
 
 Behold, happy is the man whom God correeteth : 
 Therefore despise not thou the chastening of the 
 
 Almighty. 
 For he maketh sore and bindeth up ; 
 He woundeth, and his hands make whole. 
 He shall deliver thee in six troubles ; 
 Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. — Job 
 v. 17-19. 
 
 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? 
 shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or 
 famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in 
 all these things we are more than conquerors through 
 him that loved us. — Rom. viii. 35, 37. 
 
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all com- 
 fort ; who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we 
 may be able to comfort them that are in any afflic- 
 tion, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves 
 are comforted of God. — 2 Cor. i. 3-4. 
 
 IV. SOVEREIGNTY. 
 
 Be still, and know that I am God.— Ps. xlvi. 10. 
 
 He doeth according to his will in the army of 
 heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth : 
 and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What 
 doest thou ?— Dan. iv. 35. 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 49 
 
 Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord, or 
 being his counsellor hath taught him ? With whom 
 took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught 
 him the path of judgment, and taught him knowl- 
 edge, and shewed to him the way of understanding ? 
 Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and 
 are counted as the small dust of the balance : be- 
 hold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. 
 To whom then will ye liken God ? or what likeness 
 will ye compare unto him ? // is he that sitteth 
 upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants 
 thereof are as grasshoppers ; that stretcheth out the 
 heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a 
 tent to dwell in. — Is A. xl. 13-15, 18, 22. 
 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, 
 And the breath of all mankind. — Job xii. 10. 
 The bows of the mighty men are broken, 
 And they that stumbled are girded with strength. 
 The Lord killeth, and maketh alive : 
 He bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. 
 The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich : 
 He bringeth low, he also lifteth up. 
 For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, 
 And he hath set the world upon them. 
 He will keep the feet of his holy ones. — 1 Sam. ii. 4, 6-9. 
 Before the mountains were brought forth, 
 Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the w r orld, 
 Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. 
 Thou turnest man to destruction ; 
 Andsayest, Return, ye children of men. — Ps. xc. 2-3. 
 Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God ; 
 Thy judgments are a great deep. — Ps. xxxvi. 6. 
 4 
 
5° 
 
 BURIAL. 
 
 The Lord reigneth ; let the earth rejoice ; 
 Let the multitude of isles be glad. 
 Clouds and darkness are round about him : 
 Righteousness and judgment are the foundation 
 of his throne. — Ps. xcvii. 1-2. 
 
 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom 
 and the knowledge of God ! how unsearchable 
 are his judgments, and his ways past tracing 
 out ! For who hath known the mind of the 
 Lord ? or who hath been his counsellor ? or who 
 hath first given to him, and it shall be recom- 
 pensed unto him again ? For of him, and through 
 him, and unto him, are all things. To him be 
 the glory for ever. Amen. — Rom. xi. 33-36. 
 
 Trust ye in the Lord for ever : for in the 
 Lord Jehovah is an everlasting rock (a rock of 
 ages). — Isa. xxvi. 4. 
 
 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants : 
 And none of them that trust in him shall be 
 
 condemned. — Ps. xxxiv. 22. 
 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: 
 The righteous runneth into it, and is safe. — Prov. 
 
 xviii. 10. 
 In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence : 
 And his children shall have a place of refuge. — 
 Prov. xiv. 26. 
 
 Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard ? the 
 everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends 
 of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary ; there is no 
 searching of his understanding. He giveth power 
 to the faint; and to him that hath no might he 
 increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint 
 
BURIAL. 51 
 
 and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail : 
 but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew theii 
 strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; 
 they shall run, and not be weary ; they shall walk, 
 and not faint. — ISA. xl. 2S-31. 
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
 
 shadow of death, 
 I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me : 
 Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. — Ps. xxiii. 4. 
 Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. — Ps. 
 
 ii. 12. 
 
 V. MORTALITV. 
 
 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place 
 
 In all generations. 
 
 Before the mountains w T ere brought forth, 
 
 Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world. 
 
 Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou 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 wdien 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 wmich groweth up. 
 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up ; 
 In the evening it is cut down, and withereth. 
 For w T e are consumed in thine anger, 
 And in thy wrath are we troubled. 
 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, 
 
52 BURIAL. 
 
 Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. 
 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath : 
 We bring our years to an end as a tale that is told. 
 The days of our years are threescore years and ten, 
 Or even by reason of strength fourscore years ; 
 Yet is their pride but labour and sorrow ; 
 For it is soon gone, and we fly away. 
 Who knoweth the power of thine anger, 
 And thy wrath according to the fear that is due unto 
 
 thee? 
 So teach us to number our days, 
 That we may get us an heart of wisdom. 
 Return, O IyORD ; how long ? 
 And let it repent thee concerning thy servants. 
 O satisfy us in the morning 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. 
 L,et thy work appear unto thy servants, 
 And thy glory upon 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. — Ps. xc. 
 
 Man that is born of a woman 
 
 Is of few days, and full of trouble. 
 
 He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down : 
 
 He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. — • 
 
 Job xiv. 1-2. 
 As for man, his days are as grass ; 
 As a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 
 
BURIAL. 5 3 
 
 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; 
 
 And the place thereof shall know it no more. — PS. 
 
 ciii. 15-16. 
 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, 
 Because our days upon earth are a shadow.) — Joi; 
 
 viii. 9. 
 My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle.— Job 
 
 vii. 6. 
 Now my days are swifter than a post : 
 They flee away, they see no good. 
 They are passed away as the swift ships 
 As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey. — Job ix. 
 
 25-26. 
 My days are like a shadow that decline th. — Ps. 
 
 cii. 11. 
 Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of 
 
 him ? 
 Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him ? 
 Man is like to vanity : 
 His days are as a shadow that passeth away. — Ps. 
 
 cxliv. 3-4. 
 The voice of one saying, Cry. And one said, 
 What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the 
 goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field : the 
 grass withereth, the flower fadeth ; because the breath 
 of the Lord bloweth upon it : surely the people is 
 grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth : but 
 the word of our God shall stand for ever. — ISA. xl 6-8. 
 Go to now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we 
 will go into this city, and spend a year there, and 
 trade, and get gain : whereas ye know not what shall 
 be on the morrow. What is your life ? For ye are 
 
54 
 
 BURIAL. 
 
 a vapour, that appearetli for a little time, and then 
 vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the 
 Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. — 
 Jas. iv. 13-15. 
 
 There is no man that hath power over the spirit 
 to retain the spirit ; neither hath he power over the 
 day of death ; and there is no discharge in that war. 
 — Ecc. viii. 8. 
 
 Lord, make me to know mine end, 
 And the measure of my days, what it is ; 
 Let me know how frail I am. 
 
 Behold, thou hast made my days as handbreadths ; 
 And mine age is as nothing before thee : 
 Surely every man at his best estate 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. — Ps. xxxix. 4-7. 
 Blessed be the Lord, who daily beareth our burden, 
 Even the God who is our salvation. 
 God is unto us a God of deliverances ; 
 And unto Jehovah the Lord belong the issues from 
 
 death. — Ps. lxviii. 19-20. 
 Let me die the death of the righteous, 
 And let my last end be like his ! — Numb, xxiii. 10. 
 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, 
 even so them also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will 
 God bring with him. — 1 Thess. iv. 14. 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 VI. CHASTENING. 
 
 55 
 
 Therefore let us also, seeing we are compassed 
 about with so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside 
 every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset 
 us, and let us run with patience the race that is set 
 before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter 
 of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him 
 endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat 
 down at the right hand of the throne of God. For 
 consider him that hath endured such gainsaying of 
 sinners against themselves, that ye wax not weary, 
 fainting in your souls. Ye have not yet resisted 
 unto blood, striving against sin : and ye have forgot- 
 ten the exhortation, which reasoneth with you as 
 with sons, 
 My son, regard not lightly the chastening of the 
 
 Lord, 
 Nor faint when thou art reproved of him ; 
 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, 
 And scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
 
 It is for chastening that ye endure ; God dealeth 
 with you as with sons ; for what son is there whom 
 his father chasteneth not? But if ye are without 
 chastening, whereof all have been made partakers, 
 then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore, 
 we had the fathers of our flesh to chasten us, and 
 we gave them reverence : shall we not much rather 
 be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 
 For they verily for a few days chastened us as seemed 
 good to them ; but he for our profit, that we may be 
 
56 BURIAL. 
 
 partakers of his holiness. All chastening seemeth 
 for the present to be not joyous, but grievous ; yet 
 afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that 
 have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of right- 
 eousness. — Heb. xii. i— ii. 
 
 For a small moment have I forsaken thee ; but 
 with great mercies will I gather thee. In overflow- 
 ing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment ; 
 but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on 
 thee, saith the Lord thy redeemer. For this is as 
 the waters of Noah unto me : for as I have sworn 
 that the waters of Noah should no more go over the 
 earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth 
 with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains, 
 shall depart, and the hills be removed ; but my kind- 
 ness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my 
 covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that 
 hath mercy on thee. 
 
 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not 
 comforted, behold, I will set thy stones in fair 
 colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. 
 And I will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy 
 gates of carbuncles, and all thy border of pleasant 
 stones. — Isa. liv. 7-12. 
 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, 
 So panteth my soul after thee, O God. 
 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God : 
 When shall I come and appear before God ? 
 My tears have been my meat day and night, 
 While they continually say unto me, Where is thy 
 God? 
 
BURIAL. 57 
 
 These things I remember, and pour out my soul 
 
 within me, 
 
 How I went with the throng, and led them to the 
 house of God, 
 
 With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keep- 
 ing holyday. 
 
 Why art thou east down, O my soul ? 
 
 And why art thou disquieted within me ? 
 
 Hope thou in God : for I shall yet praise him 
 
 For the health of his countenance. 
 
 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy water- 
 spouts : 
 
 All thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 
 
 Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in 
 the day-time, 
 
 And in the night his song shall be with me, 
 
 Even a prayer unto the God of my life. — Ps. xlii. 
 
 i-5, 7-3- 
 Will the Lord cast off for ever ? 
 And will he be favorable no more ? 
 Is his mercy clean gone for ever ? 
 Doth his promise fail for evermore ? 
 Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? 
 Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies ? 
 And I said, This is my infirmity ; 
 But I will remember the years of the right hand of 
 
 the Most High. 
 I will make mention of the deeds of the Lord ; 
 For I will remember thy wonders of old. 
 I will meditate also upon all thy work, 
 And muse on thy doings. — Ps. lxxvii. 7-12. 
 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning ; 
 
58 BURIAL. 
 
 For in thee do I trust : 
 
 Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk ; 
 
 For I lift up my soul unto thee. 
 
 Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies : 
 
 I flee unto thee to hide me. 
 
 Teach me to do thy will ; for thou art my God : 
 
 Thy spirit is good ; lead me in the land of upright- 
 ness. 
 
 Quicken me, Lord, for thy name's sake : 
 
 In thy righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. -J 
 Ps. cxliii. 8-1 1. 
 
 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest. — Ps. 
 xciv. 12. 
 
 Behold, happy is 4:he 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. 
 
 He shall deliver thee in six troubles ; 
 
 Yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee. — Job 
 v. 17-19. 
 
 VII. GODLY SORROW. 
 
 Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, 
 a repeiitance which bringeth no regret : but the 
 sorrow of the world worketh death. — 2 Cor. vii. 10. 
 
 And not only so, but let us also rejoice in our 
 tribulations : knowing that tribulation worketh 
 patience ; and patience, probation ; and probation, 
 hope : and hope putteth not to shame ; because the 
 love of God hath been shed abroad in our hearts 
 
BURIAL 
 
 59 
 
 through the Holy Ghost which was given unto us. 
 
 —Rom. v. 3-5. 
 
 Wherefore we faint not ; but though our outward 
 man is decaying, yet onr inward man is renewed day 
 by day. For onr light affliction, which is for the 
 moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly 
 an eternal weight of glory ; while we look not at 
 the things which are seen, but at the things which 
 are not seen : for the things which are seen are tem- 
 poral ; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 
 — 2 Cor. iv. 16-18. 
 Before I was afflicted I went astray ; 
 But now I observe thy word. 
 It is good for me that I have been afflicted ; 
 That I might learn thy statutes. — Ps. cxix. 67, 71. 
 When he slew them, then they inquired after him : 
 And they returned and sought God early. 
 And they remembered that God was their rock, 
 And the Most High God their redeemer. — Ps. lxxviii. 
 
 34-35- 
 
 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery 
 trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove 
 you, as though a strange thing happened unto you : 
 but insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffer- 
 ings, rejoice ; that at the revelation of his glory also 
 ye may rejoice with exceeding joy. — 1 Pet. iv. 12-13. 
 
 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, 
 nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor 
 things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, 
 nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us 
 from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our 
 Lord. — Rom. viii. 38-39. 
 
6o BURIAL. 
 
 VIII. TRUST. 
 
 God is our refuge and strength, 
 A very present help in trouble. 
 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do 
 
 change, 
 And though the mountains be moved in the heart of 
 
 the seas ; 
 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, 
 Though the mountains shake with the swelling 
 
 thereof. — Ps. xlvi. 1-3. 
 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High 
 Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 
 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my 
 
 fortress ; 
 My God, in whom I trust. 
 
 For he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, 
 And from the noisome pestilence. 
 He shall cover thee with his pinions, 
 And under his wings shalt thou take refuge : 
 His truth is a shield and a buckler. 
 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, 
 Nor for the arrow that flieth by day ; 
 For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, 
 Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 
 A thousand shall fall at thy side, 
 And ten thousand at thy right hand ; 
 But it shall not come nigh thee. 
 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, 
 And see the reward of the wicked. 
 For thou, O Lord, art my refuge ! — Ps. xci. 1-9. 
 
BURIAL. 6l 
 
 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, 
 
 And afterward receive me to glory. 
 
 Whom have I in heaven but thee? 
 
 And there is none upon earth that I desire beside 
 
 thee. 
 My flesh and my heart faileth : 
 
 But God is the strength of my heart and my portion 
 for ever. — Ps. lxxiii. 24-26. 
 For I know him whom I have believed, and I am 
 persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have 
 committed unto him against that day. — 2 Tim. i. 12. 
 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me secretly 
 
 in his pavilion : 
 In the covert of his tabernacle shall he hide me : 
 He shall lift me up upon a rock. — Ps. xxvii. 5. 
 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wait re- 
 vive me. — Ps. exxxviii. 7. 
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
 
 of death, 
 I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me ; 
 Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. — Ps. xxiii. 4. 
 As for me, I shall behold thy face in righteousness : 
 I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. 
 
 — Ps. xvii. 15. 
 I know that my redeemer liveth, 
 And that he shall stand up at the last upon the earth : 
 And after my skin hath been thus destroyed, 
 Yet from my flesh shall I see God. — Job xix. 25-26. 
 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 
 But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the de- 
 sire to depart and be with Christ ; for it is very far 
 better. — Phil. i. 21, 23. 
 
62 BURIAL. 
 
 For we know that if the earthly house of our tab- 
 ernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, 
 a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heav- 
 ens. Being therefore always of good courage, and 
 knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, 
 we are absent from the Lord (for we walk by faith, 
 not by sight) ; we are of good courage, I say, and 
 are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to 
 be at home with the Lord. — 2 Cor. v. 1, 6-8. 
 
 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present 
 time are not worthy to be compared with the glory 
 which shall be revealed to us-ward. — Rom. viii. 18. 
 
 Bless the Lord, O my soul ; 
 
 And all that is within me, bless his holy name. 
 
 Bless the Lord, O my soul, 
 
 And forget not all his benefits : 
 
 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities ; 
 
 Who healeth all thy diseases ; 
 
 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction ; 
 
 Who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender 
 
 mercies : 
 He will not alwaj^s chide ; 
 Neither will he keep his anger for ever. 
 He hath not dealt with us after our sins, 
 Xor rewarded us after our iniquities. 
 For as the heaven is high above the earth, 
 So great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 
 As far as the east is from the west, 
 So far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 
 Like as a father pitieth his children, 
 So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 
 63 
 
 For he knoweth our frame ; 
 
 
 
 He remembereth that we arc dust. 
 
 — PS. ciii. 
 
 1-4. 
 
 9-14. 
 
 
 
 The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. 
 
 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures : 
 
 He leadeth me beside the still waters. 
 
 He restoreth my soul : 
 
 He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his 
 name's sake. 
 
 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow 
 of death, 
 
 I will fear no evil ; for thou art with me : 
 
 Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. 
 
 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of 
 mine enemies : 
 
 Thou hast anointed my head with oil ; my cup run- 
 neth over. 
 
 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the 
 days of my life : 
 
 And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. 
 — Ps. xxiii. 
 
 IX. RESURRECTION. 
 
 For to this end Christ died, and lived again, that 
 he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. — 
 Rom. xiv. 9. 
 
 Jesus saith unto Martha, Thy brother shall rise 
 again. Martha saith unto him, I know 7 that he shall 
 rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus 
 
64 BURIAL. 
 
 said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life : 
 he that believe th on me, though he die, yet shall he 
 live : and whosoever liveth and believeth on me 
 shall never die. — John xi. 23-26. 
 
 For this is the will of my Father, that every one 
 that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should 
 have eternal life : and I will raise him up at the last 
 day. — John vi. 40. 
 
 Why is it judged incredible with you, if God doth 
 raise the dead ? — Acts xxvi. 8. 
 
 Thou foolish one, that which thou thyself so west 
 is not quickened, except it die : and that which thou 
 sowest, thou sowest not the body that shall be, but 
 a bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some 
 other kind ; but God giveth it a body even as it 
 pleased him, and to each seed a body of its own. 
 So also is the resurrection of the dead. — 1 Cor. xv. 
 36-38, 42. 
 
 For our citizenship is in heaven ; from whence 
 also we wait for a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ : 
 who shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, 
 that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, 
 according to the working whereby he is able even to 
 subject all things unto himself. — Phil. iii. 20-21. 
 
 But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, 
 concerning them that fall asleep ; that ye sorrow not, 
 even as the rest, which have no hope. For if we 
 believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them 
 also that are fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring 
 with him. For this we say unto you by the word of 
 the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto 
 the coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede 
 
BURIAL. 65 
 
 them that are fallen asleep. For the Lord himself 
 shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the 
 voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God : 
 and the dead in Christ shall rise first : then we that 
 are alive, that are left, shall together with them be 
 caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the 
 air : and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Where- 
 fore comfort one another with these words. — 1 Thess. 
 iv. 13-18. 
 
 And I saw thrones, and the}- sat upon them, and 
 judgment was given unto them : and / saw the 
 souls of them that had been beheaded for the testi- 
 mony of Jesus, and for the word of God, and such 
 as worshipped not the beast, neither his image, and 
 received not the mark upon their forehead and upon 
 their hand ; and they lived, and reigned with Christ 
 a thousand years. The rest of the dead lived not 
 until the thousand years should be finished. This 
 is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that 
 hath part in the first resurrection : over these the 
 second death hath no power ; but they shall be 
 priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with 
 him a thousand years. — Rev. xx. 4-6. 
 
 Now if Christ is preached that he hath been raised 
 from the dead, how T say some among you that there 
 is no resurrection of the dead ? But if there is no 
 resurrection of the dead, neither hath Christ been 
 raised : and if Christ hath not been raised, then is 
 our preaching vain, your faith also is vain. Yea, 
 and w r e are found false witnesses of God ; because 
 we witnessed of God that he raised up Christ : 
 whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead are 
 5 
 
66 BURIAL. 
 
 not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither 
 hath Christ been raised : and if Christ hath not been 
 raised, your faith is vain ; ye are yet in your sins. 
 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ 
 have perished. If in this life only we have hoped 
 in Christ, we are of all men most pitiable. 
 
 But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, 
 the firstfruits of them that are asleep. For since by 
 man came death, by man came also the resurrection 
 of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in 
 Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own 
 order : Christ the firstfruits ; then they that are 
 Christ's, at his coming. Then cometh the end, when 
 he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the 
 Father ; when he shall have abolished all rule and 
 all authority and power. For he must reign, till he 
 hath put all his enemies under his feet. The last 
 enemy that shall be abolished is death. For, He put 
 all things in subjection under his feet. But when 
 he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evi- 
 dent that he is excepted who did subject all things 
 unto him. And when all things have been subjected 
 unto him, then shall the Son also himself be sub- 
 jected to him that did subject all things unto him, 
 that God may be all in all. 
 
 But some one will say, How are the dead raised ? 
 and with what manner of body do they come ? Thou 
 foolish one, that which thou thyself sowest is not 
 quickened, except it die : and that which thou sow- 
 est, thou sowest not the body that shall be, but a 
 bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other 
 kind ; but God giveth it a body even as it pleased 
 
BURIAL, 67 
 
 him, and to each seed a body of its own. All flesh 
 i.^ not the same flesh : but there is one flesh of men, 
 and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of 
 birds, and another of fishes. There are also celes- 
 tial bodies, and bodies terrestrial : but the glory of 
 the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial 
 is another. There is one glory of the sun, and 
 another glory of the moon, and another glory of the 
 stars ; for one star differeth from another star in 
 glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It 
 is sown in corruption ; it is raised in incorruption : it 
 is sown in dishonour ; it is raised in glory : it is sown 
 in weakness ; it is raised in power : it is sown a nat- 
 ural body ; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is 
 a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So 
 also it is written, The first man Adam became a 
 living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving 
 spirit. Howbeit that is not first which is spiritual, 
 but that which is natural ; then that which is spir- 
 itual. The first man is of the earth, earthy ; the 
 second man is of heaven. As is the earthy, such 
 are they also that are earthy : and as is the heavenly, 
 such are they also that are heavenly. And as we 
 have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also 
 bear the image of the heavenly. 
 
 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood 
 cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; neither doth 
 corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you 
 a mystery : We shall not all sleep, but we shall all 
 be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, 
 at the last trump : for the trumpet shall sound, and 
 the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall 
 
68 BURIAL. 
 
 be changed. For this corruptible must put on in- 
 corruption, and this mortal must put on immortal- 
 ity. But when this corruptible shall have put on 
 incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on 
 immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that 
 is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O 
 death, where is thy victory ? O death, where is thy 
 sting ? The sting of death is sin ; and the power of 
 sin is the law : but thanks be to God, which giveth 
 us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, un- 
 movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 
 forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not vain 
 in the Lord. — i Cor. xv. 12-58. 
 
 X. HEAVKN — THE PLACE. 
 
 Let not your heart be troubled : fye\ believe in 
 God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are 
 many mansions ; if it were not so, I would have 
 told you ; for I go to prepare a place for you. And 
 if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, 
 and will receive you unto myself ; that where I am, 
 there ye may be also. — John xiv. 1-3. 
 
 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth : for 
 the first heaven and the first earth are passed away ; 
 and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, 
 new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from 
 God, made ready as a bride adorned for her hus- 
 band. And I heard a great voice out of the throne 
 
BURIAL, 69 
 
 saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 
 and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his 
 peoples, and God himself shall be with them, and 
 be their God. And he carried me away in the Spirit 
 to a mountain great and high, and showed me the 
 holy city Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven 
 from God, having the glory of God : her light was 
 like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper 
 stone, clear as crystal : having a wall great and 
 high ; having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve 
 angels. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls ; 
 each one of the several gates was of one pearl : and 
 the street of the city was pure gold, as it were 
 transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein : 
 for the Lord God the Almighty, and the Lamb, are 
 the temple thereof. And the city hath no need of 
 the sun, neither of the moon, to shine upon it : for 
 the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp 
 thereof is the Lamb. And the nations shall walk 
 amidst the light thereof : and the kings of the earth 
 do bring their glory into it. And the gates thereof 
 shall in no wise be shut by day (for there shall be 
 no night there) : And they shall bring the glory 
 and the honor of the nations into it. And there 
 shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or 
 he that maketh an abomination and a lie : but 
 only they which are written in the Lamb's book of 
 life. — Rev. xxi. 1-4, 10-12, 21-27. 
 
 And he shewed me a river of water of life, bright 
 as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and 
 of the Lamb, in the midst of the street thereof. 
 And on this side of the river and on that was the 
 
7 o 
 
 BURIAL. 
 
 tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits, yield- 
 ing its fruit every month : and the leaves of the 
 
 tree were for the healing of the nations. — RKV. 
 
 .. 
 
 XXll. 1-2. 
 
 HEAVEN — THE WORSHIP. 
 
 And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels 
 round about the throne and the living creatures and 
 the elders ; and the number of them was ten thou- 
 sand times ten thousand, and thousands of thou- 
 sands ; saying with a great voice, Worthy is the 
 Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, 
 and riches, and wisdom, and might, and honour, 
 and glory, and blessing. And every created thing 
 which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and un- 
 der the earth, and on the sea, and all things that 
 are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth 
 on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, 
 and the honour, and the glory, and the dominion, 
 for ever and ever. — Rev. v. ii— 13. 
 
 After these things I saw, and behold, a great 
 multitude, which no man could number, out of 
 every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and 
 tongues, standing before the throne and before the 
 Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms in their 
 hands ; and they cry with a great voice, saying, 
 Salvation unto our God which sitteth on the throne, 
 and unto the Lamb. And all the angels were 
 standing round about the throne, and about the 
 elders and the four living creatures ; and they fell 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 V- 
 
 before the throne on their faces, and worshipped 
 God, saying, Amen : Blessing, and glory, and 
 wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, 
 and might, be unto God for ever and ever. Amen. 
 — Rev. vii. 9-13. 
 
 HEAVEN — THE REWARD. 
 
 And I heard a voice from heaven saying , Write, 
 Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from 
 henceforth : yea, saith the Spirit, that they may 
 rest from their labours ; for their works follow with 
 them. — Rev. xiv. 13. 
 
 And he that received the five talents came and 
 brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou de- 
 liveredst unto me five talents : lo, I have gained 
 other five talents. His lord said unto him, Well 
 done, good and faithful servant : thou hast been 
 faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many 
 things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. And 
 he also that received the two talents came and said, 
 Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents : lo, I 
 have gained other two talents. His lord said unto 
 him, Well done, good and faithful servant ; thou hast 
 been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over 
 many things : enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 
 — Matt. xxv. 20-23. 
 
 And they that be wise shall shine as the bright- 
 ness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to 
 righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. — Dan. 
 xii. 3. 
 
72 
 
 BURIAL. 
 
 And I heard a great voice out of the throne say- 
 ing, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, 
 and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be 
 his people, and God himself shall be with them, 
 and be their God : and he shall wipe away every 
 tear from their eyes ; and death shall be no more ; 
 neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor 
 pain, any more : the first things are passed away. 
 And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I 
 make all things new. And he saith, Write : for 
 these words are faithful and true. And he said un- 
 to me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and 
 the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will 
 give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the 
 water of life freely. He that overcometh shall in- 
 herit these things ; and I will be his God, and he 
 shall be my son.— REV. xxi. 3-7. 
 
 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, 
 These which are arrayed in the white robes, who 
 are they, and whence came they ? And I say unto 
 him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, 
 These are they which come out of the great tribu- 
 lation, and they washed their robes, and made 
 them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore 
 are they before the throne of God ; and they serve 
 him day and night in his temple : and he that sit- 
 teth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over 
 them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst 
 any more ; neither shall the sun strike upon them, 
 nor any heat : for the Lamb which is in the midst 
 of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall 
 guide them unto fountains of waters of life : and 
 
BURIAL. 
 
 73 
 
 God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. — 
 Rev. vii. 13-17. 
 
 And they shall see his face ; and his name shall be 
 on their foreheads. And there shall be night no 
 more ; and they need no light of lamp, neither light 
 of sun ; for the Lord God shall give them light : and 
 they shall reign for ever and ever. — Rev. xxii. 4-5. 
 
 [In addition to the above Scripture Selections for Funeral 
 Service, it is recommended that the minister consult the se- 
 lections arranged for "The House of Mourning." Many of 
 thei k will be found of rare adaptation .] 
 
74 INFANT BAPTISM. 
 
 INFANT BAPTISM. 
 
 "Infants descending from their parents, either both "r but 
 one of them, professing faith in Christ, a?id obedii e to 
 Him, are, in that respect, within the covenant, and are to be 
 baptised." — Larger Catechism. Ans. 166. 
 
 "Baptism is not to be imnecessarily delayed; n be 
 
 admi?Ustered by any private person." — Directory fo 'or- 
 ship. Ch. vii. I. 
 
 ' ' // is usually to be administered in the church in the * -*j- 
 ence of the congregation." — Directory for Worship. Ch. 
 vii. 2. 
 
 FORM FOR INFANT BAPTISM. 
 
 While the child is being brought to the font, the ?n<. 'ster 
 may say : 
 
 And they brought unto him also their babes, thr 
 he should touch them ; but when the disciples saw 
 it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto 
 him, saying, Suffer the little children to come unto 
 me, and forbid them not : for of such is the kingdom 
 of God. — Luke xviii. 15-16. 
 
 For I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do 
 always behold the face of my Father which is in 
 heaven. — Matt, xviii. 10. 
 
 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is 
 in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. 
 — Matt, xviii. 14. 
 
INFAN1 BAPTISM. 75 
 
 When the parents and child have taken their appropriate 
 place, the minister shall say : 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Blessed Jesus, thou hast encouraged us to bring 
 our babes to thee ; for thou hast said, Of such is the 
 kingdom of heaven. We beseech thee take up this 
 child in the arms of thy power and grace, put thy 
 han«ls upon it, and bless it. May it be a vessel of 
 honor sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and 
 owned as one of thine in the day when thou makest 
 up thy jewels. Amen. 
 
 Here the minister shall address the parents, saying : 
 
 Dearly Beloved : In thus presenting your child 
 for -baptism, you renew your profession of faith in 
 Christianity, and your hearty acceptance and adop- 
 f : ou of it as the religion of your household. 
 
 You confess that this child has inherited a de- 
 ed nature, and that thus he [or she, and so 
 elsewhere] needs the renewing and sanctifying in- 
 fluence of the Holy Spirit, of which the water of 
 baptism is the scriptural emblem. 
 
 You, do here and now, in this solemn and pre- 
 cious rite, publicly express that faith of your hearts, 
 in which you have already given this child to God ; 
 and you acknowledge God's right to take him from 
 you when He pleases, and to employ him as He 
 pleases in His service and to His glory. 
 
 You do promise to pray with, and for, this child, 
 to instruct him diligently in the doctrines and du- 
 ties of Christianity, and to do what in you lies to 
 bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the 
 Lord. 
 
7 6 
 
 INFANT BAPTISM. 
 
 This you do, humbly hoping that you are Christ's, 
 and therefore Abraham's seed and heirs, according 
 to the promise, and on this scriptural ground be- 
 lieving that the God of Abraham will be your God ; 
 and the God of your children after you. 
 
 Do you thus believe and promise ? 
 
 Here the parents shall audibly answer : 
 
 I do. 
 
 Then the minister {taking the child in his arms or not, 
 according to the wish of parents], dipping his hand in water 
 and then placing his hand upon the child's head, a?id using 
 the full given name of the child, shall say : 
 
 M N , child of the covenant, I baptize 
 
 thee into the name of the Father and of the Son 
 and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O thou Almighty and most gracious God, who 
 hast consented to enter into covenant with thy peo- 
 ple, and who hast granted us the spirit of adoption, 
 whereby we call thee Our Father, we joyfully pre- 
 sent to thee this dear treasure of the Christian 
 household, a living sacrifice, which we desire may 
 be holy and acceptable. It is a child of the cove- 
 nant, born unto thee, born in thy house. Write 
 thou this new baptismal name in the Lamb's book 
 of life. Own it graciously evermore in the cove- 
 nant of thy love. Help these parents to keep the 
 solemn and tender vows they have taken. And 
 may this child grow like the Child Jesus, wax 
 strong in spirit, be filled with grace and wisdom, 
 and prove a beautiful plant in the household gar- 
 den, and a joy to these parents forever. 
 
INFANT BAPTISM. 
 
 77 
 
 Pour thy Spirit, wc beseech thee, upon all our 
 offspring, that they may grow up as willows by the 
 water-courses, and may come to subscribe with 
 their own hands unto the Lord, and to surname 
 themselves by the name of Israel. 
 
 This we humbly ask in the name of thy beloved 
 Son, who has taught us that it is not the will of our 
 Father in heaven that one of these little ones should 
 perish. Amen. 
 
j8 RECEPTION TO THE LORDS SUPPER. 
 
 FORM FOR RECEPTION TO THE LORD'S 
 SUPPER. 
 
 T, RECEPTION OF PERSONS BAPTIZED IN THEIR 
 INFANCY.* 
 
 The following persons tl born within the pale ot 
 the visible Church " and in their infancy dedicated 
 to God in baptism, having been examined and ap- 
 proved by the Session as to their knowledge and 
 Christian experience, will now present themselves 
 as their names are called, publicly to confirm their 
 baptismal obligations. 
 
 Here the names shall be read by the minister, and when the 
 
 candidates have presented themselves, the mi?iister shall 
 
 say: J? 
 
 Beloved: — Grace be unto you and peace from 
 
 God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 This is the word of faith which we preach : " If 
 
 thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus 
 
 and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 
 
 raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." 
 
 By virtue of your connection with the visible 
 Church through believing parents, you received the 
 sacrament of baptism in infancy, according to 
 
 * When they come to years of discretion, if they be free from scan- 
 dal, appear sober and steady, and to have sufficient knowledge to 
 discern the Lord's body, they ought to be informed it is their duty 
 and privilege to come to the Lord's Supper. (Directory for Worship, 
 ch. ix.) 
 
RECEPTION TO THE LORD'S SUPPER. 79 
 
 Scriptural warrant. You have been instructed in 
 the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. 
 You have been taught to abhor sin, to fear God, 
 and obey the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 As children of the covenant you do now humbly 
 trust that you have been chosen of God to salva- 
 tion through sanctification of the Spirit and belief 
 of the truth, and you regard it to be your duty 
 and privilege to come to the Lord's Supper ? 
 Here each shall audibly ansiver : 
 
 I do. 
 
 Then the minister shall say : 
 
 We thankfully recognize the seal of God thus 
 set to His promise, which is unto us and to our 
 children. We rejoice in your obedience to our 
 common Master, who said to His disciples, " This 
 do in remembrance of me." We welcome you to 
 the table of the Lord. Henceforth, let your man- 
 ner of life be worthy of the Gospel of Christ; and 
 may you adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in 
 all things. 
 
 II. RECEPTION OF PERSONS TO BE BAPTIZED ON 
 PUBLIC PROFESSION OF THEIR FAITH. * 
 
 ADUI/T BAPTISM. 
 
 The following persons, having given satisfaction 
 with respect to their knowledge and Christian ex- 
 
 *When unbaptized persons apply for admission into the church, 
 they shall, in ordinary cases, after giving satisfaction with respect to 
 their knowledge and piety, make a public profession of their faith, 
 in the presence of the congregation ; and thereupon be baptized. 
 (Directory for Worship, ch. ix. 4.) 
 
So RECEPTION TO THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 perience and having been received into the church 
 by the Session, are now to make a public profes- 
 sion of their faith, and thereupon to be baptized. 
 
 Here the candidates will come forward, as their names are 
 called, and having presented themselves the minister shall 
 say : 
 
 Beloved in the Lord : — In accordance with our 
 Saviour's words, "Whosoever shall confess Me 
 before men, him will I confess also before my Fa- 
 ther which is in heaven;" — you here and now, 
 confessing and repenting of your sins, and trusting 
 that they are pardoned solely through the atoning 
 sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord, do publicly 
 profess your faith in Jesus Christ and your accept- 
 ance of Him as your Saviour and King, whose life 
 is your supreme example, whose death is your only 
 ground of hope, whose commandment is your 
 supreme law, and whose perpetual and prevailing 
 intercession is your evermore blessed assurance of 
 salvation to the uttermost 
 
 Henceforth avoiding that worldly conformity 
 which is forbidden in the Scriptures, and seeking 
 fellowship with the people of God, you do engage 
 to keep covenant with them, and with Him, in the 
 faithful and diligent observance of all the com- 
 mandments and ordinances of our Lord and Sa- 
 viour Jesus Christ. 
 
 Do you thus believe and promise ? 
 
 Here each shall audibly answer : 
 I do. 
 
RECEPTION TO THE LORD'S SUPPER. 8 1 
 
 litre baptism shall be administered. The minister, dipping 
 his hand in water, and then placing his hand on the head 
 of the candidate for baptism, and using- the full giyi.x 
 name of the candidate, shall say : 
 
 M N , believer in Jesus, I baptize thee 
 
 into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 Most holy and gracious God, thou hast heard 
 this public confession of faith. We trust it is the 
 answer of a true heart. Thou hast witnessed this 
 outward seal of baptism, given in thy triune name, 
 Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We trust it marks 
 an inward washing of regeneration already wrought 
 by thy Spirit. In this holy sacramental hour may 
 there be a solemn setting apart of heart and life to 
 thy service forevermore. And as these, that have 
 now publicly confessed their faith, henceforth wear 
 the sacramental seal and badge of discipleship, wilt 
 thou by thy transforming grace make them living 
 and loving epistles of Christ, known and read of 
 all men. May they love the peace of thy church, 
 and find in thy courts a goodly fellowship, and in 
 the keeping of thy commandments a great reward. 
 Let thy statutes be their songs in the house of 
 their pilgrimage : and let thy testimonies, which 
 they have taken as a heritage for ever, be always 
 the rejoicing of their hearts. We ask it in Jesus' 
 name. Amen. 
 
82 RECEPTION TO THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 III. RECEPTION OF PERSONS COMING BY CERTIFI- 
 CATE. 
 
 The following persons have presented letters of 
 dismission and recommendation to this Church, 
 which have been accepted by the Session. They 
 will rise in their places as their names are called. 
 
 Here the minister shall read the names of those uniting by 
 letter, and when they have risen in the presence of the 
 congregation, the minister shall say : 
 
 Dearly Beloved : — Having heretofore made a 
 public profession of your faith, and having been 
 commended to us by the respective churches of 
 which you were members, you do now cordially 
 acknowledge your special relations to this Church, 
 desiring in all things to walk worthy the vocation 
 wherewith we are called. 
 
 IV. WELCOME BY THE CHURCH. 
 
 Here all the members of the Church will rise, to 'welcome 
 all that have presented themselves, either on profession or 
 by letter, and the minister shall say: 
 
 We, the officers and members of this Church, 
 earnestly welcome you to our communion, to share 
 with us the labors and privileges, the trials and the 
 rewards, of Christian discipleship. 
 
 Let us together " confess that we are pilgrims 
 on the earth," and " declare plainly that we seek a 
 country ;" " looking for the blessed hope, and ap- 
 
RECEPTION TO THE LORD'S SUPPER. S3 
 
 pearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ." 
 
 " We are persuaded of you things that accom- 
 pany salvation." Living and dying may you be 
 the Lord's; and at last, may you and we, faithful 
 unto death, and more than conquerors through 
 Him that loved us, stand holy and unreprovable in 
 His sight to the praise of the glory of His grace, 
 being entered into that blessed heavenly fellowship, 
 where our communion shall be forever perfect and 
 our joy forever full. 
 
 Here may be sung this stanza : 
 
 Blest be the tie that binds 
 Our hearts in Christian love ; 
 
 The fellowship of kindred minds 
 Is like to that above. 
 
 " The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord 
 make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto 
 you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you 
 and give you peace." 
 
 " Now unto Him that is able to guard you from 
 stumbling, and to set you before the presence of 
 His glory without blemish, in exceeding joy, to 
 the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, 
 before all time, and now, and for evermore. Amen." 
 
84 PRESBYTERIAN DOCTRINE. 
 
 SUMMARY OF PRESBYTERIAN DOCTRINE. 
 
 The doctrines of the Presbyterian Church are set forth in 
 the Confession of Faith, as also in the Larger and Shorter 
 Catechism. The sincere reception and adoption of this 
 Confession of Faith, "as containing the system of doctrine 
 taught in the Scriptures" is demanded of all ministers and 
 ruling-elders. 
 
 But of Church members it is only required that they give 
 credible evidence of faith in the Lord fesus Christ, the 
 faith proving itself in penitence for sin, and obedience to 
 the commandments. To demand public assent to an ex- 
 tended creed from those uniting with the visible Church 
 is not according to the letter or the spirit of Presbytertian 
 law. 
 
 It would seem to be fitting, however, that there should be 
 occasionally set forth a brief summary of the chief doctrines 
 of the faith held by the Church. It is, therefore, suggested 
 that the following, or a like statement, of the principal doc- 
 trines of the Confession of Faith, be publicly read in connec- 
 tion with the reception of new members to the fellowship of 
 the Church, and the administration of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 SUMMARY OF DOCTRINE HELD BY THE PRESBY- 
 TERIAN CHURCH. 
 
 I. One God ; infinite, eternal and unchangeable 
 in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, good- 
 ness and truth, subsisting in mysterious and eternal 
 trinity — Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 
 
PRESBYTERL IN DOCTRINE. 85 
 
 II. One Word ; the Scriptures of the Old and 
 New Testaments, all given by inspiration of God, 
 and our only infallible rule of faith and practice. 
 
 III. One Condemnation ; there being no differ- 
 ence, for all have sinned and come short of the 
 glory, of God, because the carnal mind is enmity 
 against God. 
 
 IV. One Saviour ; the Lord Jesus Christ, God 
 manifest in the flesh, the power unto salvation from 
 sin and endless death, by atoning expiatory sacrifice, 
 through faith. 
 
 V. One Atonement for Sin ; made by Jesus 
 Christ in his obedience unto death, sufficient for all, 
 adapted to all, taking every legal obstacle out of 
 the way of all, and on these grounds to be offered 
 to all. 
 
 VI. One Spirit; God, the Holy Ghost, through 
 whose sovereign agency in regeneration, the soul, 
 dead in sin, is made alive in Christ, and through 
 whose sovereign agency in sanctification, the soul is 
 changed more and more into the divine image from 
 glory to glory. 
 
 VII. One Life ; the life hid with Christ in God 
 — the life eternal ; begun when a sinner believes, and 
 assured forever thereafter by the effectual and sover- 
 eign grace of God ; so that once given this eternal 
 life, no believer shall ever perish. 
 
 VIII. One Church ; which is Christ's body, all 
 the members of which, God hath from the beginning 
 chosen to salvation through sanctification of the 
 Spirit and belief of the Truth. 
 
 IX. Two Sacraments, and only two, as ordained 
 
86 PRESB YTERIAN DOCTRINE. 
 
 by Christ — Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Bap- 
 tism being a sacrament wherein we have " sign and 
 seal of ingrafting into Christ, of remission of sins 
 by His blood, and regeneration by His spirit;" and 
 the Lord's Supper being a sacrament wherein " the 
 Lord's death is showed forth," and the worthy 
 receivers are, by faith, " made partakers of his body 
 and blood, to their spiritual nourishment and growth 
 in grace." 
 
 X. One Judgment; when the dead, small and 
 great shall stand before God, and every man shall 
 be judged according to his works ; and the wicked 
 shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the 
 righteous into life eternal. 
 
NOTES UN PUE LORD'S SUPPER. Sy 
 
 NOTES CONCERNING THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 "Our Lord Jesus, in the night wherein he was 
 betrayed, instituted the sacrament of His body and 
 blood, called the Lord's Supper, to be observed in 
 His church unto the end of the world; for the per- 
 petual remembrance of the sacrifice of Himself in 
 His death, the sealing all benefits thereof unto true 
 believers, their spiritual nourishment and growth in 
 Him, their further engagement in and to all duties 
 which they owe unto Him ; and to be a bond and 
 pledge of their communion with Him and with each 
 other, as members of His mystical body." Conf. 
 of Faith, chap, xxix., I. 
 
 The Presbyterian Church, recognizing all true 
 disciples of Jesus Christ as brethren, does not deny 
 the right to this sacramental table of any who call 
 Jesus Lord, and have life in Him " through faith in 
 His blood," and prove the possession of that life by 
 practical obedience. " The cup of blessing which 
 we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of 
 Christ?" I Cor. x., 1 6. 
 
 Therefore, " such as, sensible of their lost and 
 helpless state by sin, depend upon the atonement 
 of Christ for pardon and acceptance with God, and, 
 renouncing their sins, are determined to lead a holy 
 and godly life," are invited to this Supper of the 
 Lord. 
 
88 NOTES OiV THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 " The profane, the ignorant, and the scandalous, 
 and those that secretly indulge themselves in any 
 known sin, are not to approach the holy table." 
 Directory for Worship, chap, viii., 4. 
 
 " One who doubteth of his being in Christ, or of 
 his due preparation to the sacrament of the Lord's 
 Supper, may have true interest in Christ, though he 
 be not yet assured thereof; and in God's account 
 hath it, if he be duly affected with the apprehen- 
 sion of the want of it, and unfeignedly desires to 
 be found in Christ, and to depart from iniquity ; in 
 which case (because promises are made and this 
 sacrament is appointed for the relief even of weak 
 and doubting Christians) he is to bewail his unbe- 
 lief, and labor to have his doubts resolved ; and, so 
 doing, he may and ought to come to the Lord's 
 Supper, that he may be further strengthened." 
 Larger Catechism, Ans. 172. 
 
 'O 
 
ADMINISTR. I TION OP' LORD'S SUPPER. 89 
 
 FORM FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE 
 LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 If the communion shall immediately follow a preaching 
 service, the minister, at the close of the sermon, and after the 
 reception of new members, shall give opportunity, to those 
 who may so desire, to withdraw from the service. IJut a 
 cordial invitation should be extended to all to remain. Per- 
 haps the least disturbance would arise by having those who 
 wish to withdraw, pass from the church during the singing 
 of the hymn. But this termination of the precedent general 
 public service may be more distinctly marked by the bene- 
 diction. 
 
 If the administration of the communion shall be a dis- 
 tinct service, it may be introduced after the usual manner 
 of public service, by an invocation, the singing of a hymn, 
 the reading of Scripture, and the offering of prayer. After 
 which the service shall proceed as at the close of the sermon. 
 
 After the public recognition and reception of any who 
 may for the first time come to the Lord's table (the form for 
 which is elsewhere given, pp. 78-83), the congregation shall 
 nite in singing an appropriate sacramental hymn. 
 
 During^ or at the close of, the singing of this hymn, the 
 'nister shall pass from the pulpit to the communion-table, 
 nil the elders shall come forward and take their scats on 
 either side of him. Then the minister shall say : 
 
 Hear the words of the Institution of this Holy 
 Supper of our Lord, as they are given by the 
 Apostle Paul : 
 
 For I received of the Lord that which also I 
 delivered unto youjhowithat the Lord Jesus in the 
 
90 ADMINISTRATION OF LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 night in which he was betrayed took bread ; and 
 when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, 
 This is my body, which is for you : this do in r^ 
 membrance of me. In like manner also the cup, 
 after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant 
 in my blood : this do, as often as ye drink it, in re- 
 membrance of me. For as often as ye eat this 
 bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's 
 death till he come. — I Cor. xi. 23-26. 
 
 Here the minister shall make a brief address, if further 
 word of counsel or comfort be thought desirable ; setting 
 forth the nature of the feast, as a memorial feast — " this do 
 in remembrance of me ; " or, a sacramental feast — " this is 
 my blood of the covenant ; " or, a feast of appropriation — 
 " take, eat, this is my body ; " or, a feast of testimony — 
 " ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come ; " or, a feast 
 of communion — " the cup of blessing which we bless, is it 
 not a communion of the blood of Christ ? the bread which 
 we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? " 
 And thus, or in some like manner, it may be shown that 
 this Holy Supper of our Lord "is of inestimable benefit, 
 to strengthen his people against sin ; to support them under 
 troubles ; to encourage and quicken them in duty ; to in- 
 spire them with love and zeal ; to increase their faith, and 
 holy resolution ; and to beget peace of conscience, and com- 
 fortable hopes of eternal life." 
 
 Then the minister shall extend invitation to the Lord's 
 Supper, saying : 
 
 All who, " sensible of their lost and helpless 
 state by sin, depend upon the atonement of Christ 
 for pardon and acceptance with God," and who are 
 duly instructed in gospel doctrine so as " to discern 
 the Lord's body," and who "desire to renounce 
 
 
ADMINISTR. I TION OF LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 91 
 
 their sins, and arc determined to lead a holy 
 and godly life," are invited to partake of this sup- 
 per.* 
 
 Here the congregation may audibly repeat with the min- 
 ister the Apostle? Creed . 
 
 I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of 
 heaven and earth : 
 
 And in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, 
 who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the 
 Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was 
 crucified, dead, and buried ; He descended into 
 hell; the third day He rose from the dead; He 
 ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right 
 hand of God the Father Almighty ; from thence 
 He shall come to judge the quick and the 
 dead. 
 
 I believe in the Holy Ghost ; the Holy Catholic 
 Church; the communion of saints ; the forgiveness 
 of sins ; the resurrection of the body, and the life 
 everlasting. Amen. 
 
 Then the minister shall offer the prayer of consecration, 
 setting the elements of bread and wine apart from a com- -. 
 men to a sacred use. The prayer here following, as also 
 prayer elsavhere found in this book, is not intended as a 
 fixed form for rigid observance, but as simply suggestive, 
 and a possible help to devotional expression. 
 
 O thou ever-blessed God, our divine Master and 
 King^ve are again met in thy banqueting hous^ 
 (with thy banner of love over us^ Thou hast called 
 us once more to thy sacramental supper. We are 
 
 *See Directory for Worship, Ch. viii. 4. 
 
92 ADMINISTRA TION OF LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 invited to come and eat of wisdom's bread, and 
 drink of the wine that she has mingled. Give us 
 to hunger and thirst after righteousness. 
 
 We acknowledge ourselves utterly unworthy of 
 being invited to communion with thee at thy holy 
 table, where are spread the memorials of thy love 
 and sacrifice. We deserve not the crumbs that may 
 fall from thy table ; yet thou hast called us to eat 
 the children's bread. | But thou hast taken us into 
 covenant with thee ; for we are thy baptized ones, 
 set apart for thee, and sealed to be thine. And we 
 would not question the ways of thy grace. Forgive 
 us, Lord, for all our past offences, and bless us now 
 with thy pardon and thy peace. 
 
 We do thank thee for the institution of this 
 blessed ordinance, this precious legacy and token 
 of thy love. And that we may not come unworth- 
 ily to this sacred memorial feast, we beseech thee, 
 O thou Holy Spirit of God, lead us into a more in- 
 timate and experimental acquaintance with Jesus 
 Christ and him crucified — with Jesus Christ and 
 him glorified ; that, knowing him and the power of 
 his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffer- 
 ings, we may both discern the Lord's body and 
 show the Lord's death. 
 
 O let the great gospel doctrine of Christ's dying 
 to save sinners, which is represented in this ordi- 
 nance, be both nourishing and refreshing to us; be 
 both our strength and our song; the spring of our 
 holiness and our joy. Seal to us, O thou Lamb of 
 God, who art at once the Lord and the victim of 
 this sacrificial feast — seal to us these symbols of 
 
ADMINISTRATION OF LORD'S SUPPER. 93 
 
 thy body and thy blood, as they arc now set apart 
 to sacred use. 
 
 Let this cup of blessing which we bless, be the 
 communion of the blood of Christ; let this 
 bread which we break, be the communion of the 
 body of Christ ; and enable us herein to show the 
 Lord's death till he come. Let Christ's flesh be 
 meat indeed to us, and his blood drink indeed. 
 And give us so by faith to eat his flesh and drink 
 his blood, that he may dwell in us, and we in him, 
 that we may live by him. 
 /"Awake, O north wind, and come, thou soutl 
 I and blow upon our garden, that the spices thereof] 
 may flow forth ; and then let our Beloved come 
 into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits, so that 
 each of us may be able to say, in the fullness of a 
 humble, yet trustful and confia^ejo^J^ve^^l^Be; 
 love^jsjnine^and I amhis.JWe ask it in Jesus' 
 Enamel Amen! 
 
 The bread and the wine being- thus set apart by prayer, the 
 minister shall take the bread, and say : 
 
 Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the same night in 
 which he was betrayed, having taken bread and 
 blessed and broken it, gave it to his disciples, as I, 
 ministering in his name, give this bread unto you, 
 saying [here the bread is to be Jianded to the 
 eldcrs\, Take, eat : this is my body, which is for 
 you : this do, in remembrance of me. 
 
 Then the elders shall proceed in the orderly distribution 
 of the bread to the people, the minister himself receiving the 
 bread of one of the officers and communicating at such time 
 as may appear to him most convenient. 
 
94 ADMINISTRATION OF LORD'S SUPPER. 
 
 During the distribution of both the bread and the wine, it 
 would seem most jit to leave the communicants, each in un- 
 disturbed, personal, silent communion with the Lord. 
 
 After the elders have returned from distributing the 
 bread, the minister should ask ,iny who may have been 
 passed by in the distribution to manifest it by the uplifted 
 hand, or by i ising. 
 
 Then the minister should take the bread and pass it to 
 each of the elders for their participation, saying : 
 
 The body of the Lord Jesus, which is for you. 
 This do in remembrance of him. 
 
 After all have thus partaken of the bread, the minister 
 shall take the cup, and say : 
 
 After the same manner, our Saviour also took 
 the cup : and, having given thanks, as hath been 
 done in his name, he gave it to the disciples : say- 
 ing \here the cup is to be 1 landed to the elders], This 
 cup is the new covenant in my blood : this do, as 
 oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. And the 
 Apostle added, For as often as ye eat this bread 
 and drink this cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death 
 till he come. 
 
 Then the elders shall proceed with the distribution of the 
 cup after the same order as with the bread, until minister, 
 people, and elders have all drank of it. 
 
 Then the minister is to pray and give thanks to God "for 
 his rich mercy and invaluable goodness, vouchsafed to them 
 in the sacred communion ; to implore pardon for the defects 
 of the whole service ; and to pray for the acceptance of their 
 persons and performances ; for the gracious assistance of the 
 Holy Spirit, to enable them, as they have received Christ 
 Jesus the Lord, so to walk in him ; that they may holdfast 
 that which they have received, that no man take their crown ; 
 that their conversation may be as becometh the gospel ; that 
 
ADMINISTRA TION OF LORD'S SUPPER, 95 
 
 they may bear about with them, continually, the dying of the 
 
 Lord Jesus ; that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in 
 their mortal body ; that their light may so shine before men, 
 that others, seeing their good works, may glorify their 
 Father who is in heaven.* 1 
 
 Then the offering in behalf of the poor shall be made; 
 after which shall be sung a hymn, such as " Poe/c of Ages , u 
 
 Then the minister shall pronouuee the following, or some 
 other gospel benediction : 
 
 Now the God of peace, who brought again from 
 the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep, with the 
 blood of the eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus, 
 make you perfect in every good thing to do his 
 will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in 
 his sight, through Jesus Christ: to whom be the 
 glory for ever and ever. Amen. 
 
96 ORGANIZATION OF A CHURCH. 
 
 FORM FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF A 
 CHURCH. 
 
 " A particular church consists of a number of professing 
 Christians with their off spring voluntarily associated to- 
 gether for divine worship and godly living, agreeably to 
 the Holy Scriptures ; and submitting to a certain form 
 of government." — Form of Government, Ch. ii. 4. 
 While such an orga?iizatio?i undoubtedly can be effected 
 without the agency of a Presbytery, it is, nevertheless, ex- 
 ceedingly desirable that it be secia'ed under Presbyterial 
 direction , by a Committee of Presbytery duly appointed 
 for the purpose, so that everything may be done ' ' dece?itly 
 and i?i order." 
 " This organization ought always to be made by application 
 to the Presbytery within the bounds of which the church 
 to be organized is found, unless this be exceedi?igly incon- 
 venient, in which case it may be done by a duly author- 
 ized missionary, or a neighboring minister of the gos- 
 pel. ' ' — General Assembly, 1 83 1 . 
 
 At a preliminary meeting of those wishing to be formed 
 into a church organization, presided over by a minister of 
 the Committee of Presbytery duly appointed for the pur- 
 pose, or \>y a duly authorized neighboring minister, certifi- 
 cates should be received from those who are dismissed from 
 other churches, and examination should be had of those 
 desiring to unite with the new church on profession of faith. 
 The certificates having been found in order, and the ex- 
 amination having been sustained, the applicants for mem- 
 bership in the new church are to be notified of their ac- 
 ceptance, and asked to appear at the public service, that the 
 church may be duly constituted. 
 
ORGANIZA TION OF A CHI r R( If. 97 
 
 At the service of organization it is appropriate that a ser- 
 mon should be preached. The minister conducting the ex- 
 ercises should then state the purpose of the meeting, the 
 
 action already had and the responsibility and solemnity of 
 the step now to be taken in formally constituting a church 
 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 Then the applicants approved for membership in the new 
 church shall rise in their places as their names are catted, 
 and be addressed as follows : 
 
 Do you whose names have just now been read 
 publicly declare that you desire to be organized as 
 a Church of Jesus Christ, for the glory of God and 
 for the benefit of yourselves and your children and 
 your fellow-men ? 
 
 To this, and each of the folloztring questions, the applicants 
 shall unitedly and audibly anszver : 
 
 We do. 
 
 Do you approve and adopt " The Form of Gov- 
 ernment," " The Book of Discipline " and " The 
 Directory of Worship" of the Presbyterian Church 
 in the United States of America, and desire to be 
 regulated thereby ? 
 
 We do. 
 
 Do you recognize the Confession of Faith and 
 the Larger and Shorter Catechisms as containing 
 the system of scriptural doctrine held by the Pres- 
 byterian Church, taught in her pulpits and sin- 
 cerely received and adopted by every minister and 
 elder in her communion ? 
 
 We do. 
 
 Do you promise to yield all due obedience in 
 the Lord to those who shall be set as office-bearers 
 7 
 
98 ORGANIZATION OF A CHURCH. 
 
 in this Church, and to seek the peace, purity and 
 prosperity of the Church ? 
 
 We do. 
 
 Do you desire to be known as the Pres- 
 byterian Church of ? 
 
 We do. 
 
 Here those applicants, if any, who were received on pro- 
 fession of faith, and who had not been baptized in infancy, 
 shall come forward as their names are called, and shall re- 
 ceive the sacrament of baptism. (See p. 79.) 
 Then the Minister shall say : 
 
 Having thus publicly avowed your desire to be 
 organized as a Church of Christ, and having given 
 your assent to Presbyterian order, and pledged 
 your obedience to Presbyterian law, I, therefore, 
 in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the great 
 Head of the Church (and by the authority of the 
 
 Presbytery of *) do pronounce and declare 
 
 that you are now regularly organized as the 
 
 Presbyterian Church of . 
 
 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 Here the minister shall offer the prayer of organization, 
 and invoke the blessing of God upon the infant Church. 
 
 If now it shall be determined to proceed at once to the 
 election of Elders and Deacons, nominations may be for- 
 mally made, and the election proceed by ballot, only those 
 being allowed to vote who have been constituted members 
 of the new Church. 
 
 Those elected, upon signifying their consent to serve, 
 shall come before the Church, and the minister shall pro- 
 ceed to ordain them to their respective offices, according to 
 
 ♦This clause to be added if the action is under Presbyterial direction. 
 
ORGANIZATION OF A CHURCH 
 
 99 
 
 the direction of the Form of Government (ch. xiii.) and in 
 the order of ordination for elders and deacons, given in this 
 book, pp. ioo-iii. 
 
 In conclusion the minister shall say : 
 
 It is most fitting that this beginning of a goodly 
 and godly fellowship should be marked by some 
 outward expression. Therefore, after the bene- 
 diction is pronounced, let all the members of the 
 Church cordially take each other by the hand, and 
 come forward to give to each of the newly-elected 
 officers the right hand in token of hearty reception 
 and regard. 
 Here shall be pronounced the Apostolic benediction. 
 
IOO ORDIXA TION OF ELDERS. 
 
 FORM FOR ORDINATION OF ELDERS. 
 
 The newly-elected elders will come forward as their names 
 are read by the minister ; and when they have taken their 
 places in front of the pulpit, the minister shall say : 
 
 Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord ? 
 And who shall stand in his holy place ? 
 He that hath clean hands and a pure heart ; 
 Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, 
 And hath not sworn deceitfully. — Ps. xxiv. 3, 4. 
 
 Dearly Beloved : — Haying been chosen to the 
 office of Ruling Elder by the voice of this Church, 
 it is made my duty, as the first step in the service 
 of ordination, " to set forth in a concise manner the 
 warrant and nature of the office, together with the 
 character to be sustained and the duties to be ful- 
 filled." 
 
 Ruling elders are properly the representatives 
 of the people, chosen by them for the purpose of 
 exercising government and discipline in conjunc- 
 tion with pastors or ministers." 
 
 The warrant for the office is the record of the 
 Scriptures, making it manifest that elders were 
 ordained in every church." 
 
 It is an office of government, to which is very 
 largely entrusted the order and discipline of the 
 church of God. This involves the reception of 
 church members, the regulation of the worship, 
 the prevention, so far as possible, of the profana- 
 
ORDINATION OF ELDERS. ioi 
 
 tion of the sacraments, the guardianship of doc- 
 trine, the due dealing with those who deserve 
 censure, and the restoration of these, when penitent, 
 to the household of faith. 
 
 It is an office of spiritual oversight, involving 
 tender and constant concern for every interest of 
 the church : a faithful and prayerful taking heed to 
 all the flock, by watch and care and guidance. 
 
 It is an office of example — the elders being 
 charged to take heed to themselves, as " examples 
 to the flock/' in all godly walk and conversation. 
 
 And now, dearly beloved, in this further service 
 of ordination, according to the usage of the Pres- 
 byterian Church,* it is appointed that you give 
 answer to the following questions : 
 
 i. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and 
 New Testaments to be the word of God, the only 
 infallible rule of faith and practice? 
 
 2. Do you sincerely receive and adopt the 
 confession of faith of this church, as containing 
 the system of doctrine taught in the holy Scrip- 
 tures ? 
 
 3. Do you approve of the government and dis- 
 cipline of the Presbyterian church in these United 
 States ? 
 
 4. Do you accept the office of ruling elder in 
 this congregation, and promise faithfully to perform 
 all the duties thereof? 
 
 5. Do you promise to study the peace, unity, 
 and purity of the church? 
 
 * Form of Government, ch. 13, sec. 4. 
 
1 02 ORDINA TION OF ELDERS. 
 
 The elders-elect shall audibly answer these questions, saying 
 in each instance : 
 
 I do. 
 
 The minister shall now address the members of the Church, 
 saying : 
 
 Do you, the members of this Church, acknowl- 
 edge and receive these brethren as ruling elders, 
 and do you promise to yield tliem all that honor, 
 encouragernent and obedience in the Lord, to 
 which their office, according to the Word of,. God 
 and the constitution of this Church, entitles them ? 
 
 The members of the Church shall answer by holding up 
 their right hands. 
 
 Here the elders-elect shall devoutly kneel, and the minister 
 shall set them apart to the holy office, by prayer of ordina- 
 tion {and, if desired, by the imposition of hands), saying : 
 
 O Lord our God, King in Zion and Head of the 
 Church, we beseech thee that thou will now set 
 apart inese, thy servants, by ordainment of thy 
 Holy Spirit to the work to which they have been 
 called by the voice of this people. Endue, thern^ 
 plenteously with heavenly wisdom. May tlrey be (X 
 \iJLl ^jytorttMefcjfull of the HolyShost and of faith, rul- 
 ing in the fear of God and always speaking the 
 things which become sound doctrmej' Make them 
 good examples to the believers in word, in earner- 
 •sefeiea in GftaSfy, in spirit, in faith and in purity. 
 Fill therewith a sense of both the responsibility 
 and the privilege of their official stewardship. Let 
 the arms of their hands be made strong by the 
 hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. And when the 
 
ORDINATION OF ELDERS. 103 
 
 Chief Shepherd shall appear, ma)- they receive a 
 crown of life that fadeth not away. Amen. 
 
 the minister shall say : 
 By the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ and 
 according to the law of the Presbyterian Church, 
 you have now been ordained to the office of Ruling 
 Elder ; and I hereby declare you duly constituted 
 and set apart as Ruling Elders of this Church. 
 May you faithfully keep the vows of ordination, 
 and discharge with loving zeal and fidelity the 
 duties of your sacred office. Amen. 
 
 I now charge you, in the ^ name of the Lord 
 Jesus„to take heed to yourselves and to all the 
 flock\^v*er the\ which the rfoly Gnost hath made 
 you overseers, to feed the Church of God which 
 He hath purchased with His own blood; and that 
 you keep this commandment without spot, unre- 
 bukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 * J also charge you, de^J£>eopTe of God, to accept 
 these elders, whom you have chosen to rule in this 
 Church, in the spirit of affectionate obedience and 
 trust. Esteem them very highly in love for their 
 work's sake. And bear tliern v on your hearts in 
 daily prayer to God that they may be abundant in 
 godly counsel, and fruitful in heavenly consola 
 tions, and tenderly faithful in the exercise of Chris- 
 tian discipline. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O Lord God, most merciful and gracious, we 
 thank thee for the new relationship that has been 
 here established. Make it a blessing and a joy to 
 
1 04 OR DIN A TION OF ELDERS. 
 
 elders and people forevermore. Grant that these 
 office-bearers may rule well, and with befitting sense 
 of their high ordainment as called of God to this 
 stewardship. And may the people count them 
 worthy of double honor, and willingly submit 
 themselves unto the godly admonition of these, 
 thy servants, walking with them in all obedience 
 and charity. Amen. 
 
 And now may the peace of God, which passeth 
 all understanding, keep your hearts and minds 
 through Christ Jesus. And the grace of the Lord 
 Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the commu- 
 nion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen. 
 
 Where there is an existing Session, it is proper that the 
 members of that body, at the close of the service, a?id i?i 
 the face of the congregation, take the newly-ordained elder 
 by the hatid, saying in words to this purpose. — " W*>- give 
 you the right hand of fellowship, to take part of this office 
 with us." 
 
RE-INSTALLA TION OF ELDERS. 105 
 
 FORM OF REINSTALLATION OF ELDERS. 
 
 According to the decisions of the General Assembly, when 
 a ruling elder has terminated his connection with the 
 Session by removal to another Church, or by resignation, 
 or when he is re-elected tinder the rotary system, he is to 
 be reinstalled before he can regularly exercise the duties 
 of his office .—{See Digest, pp. 347, 546, 547.) 
 
 The elders to be installed will come forward as their names 
 are called. 
 
 Dearly Beloved : — Having heretofore been sol- 
 emnly ordained to the office of ruling elder, you do 
 now present yourselves to be reinstalled, in response 
 to the voice of this church, calling you once more 
 to the discharge of the active duties of said office. 
 
 It is an office of divine appointment, and to it, 
 very largely, is entrusted the care of the Church of 
 God. Beloved brethren, let me urge you to carry 
 in your memories and hearts the solemn charge of 
 the Apostle, " Take heed to yourselves and to all 
 the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made 
 you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which 
 he hath purchased with his own blood." And may 
 you keep this commandment without spot, un- 
 rebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 According to the usage of the Presbyterian 
 Church,* you will now give answer to the follow- 
 ing questions : 
 
 * See Presbyterian Digest, p. 348. 
 
1 06 RE-INSTALLA TION OF ELDERS. 
 
 Do you sincerely receive and adopt the Confes- 
 sion of Faith of this church as containing the sys- 
 tem of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures ? 
 
 Do you accept the office of ruling elder in this 
 congregation and promise faithfully to perform all 
 the duties thereof? 
 
 Do you promise to study the peace, unity and 
 purity of the Church ? 
 
 Each elder-elect shall audibly afiwer these questions, saying 
 in each instance : 
 
 I do. 
 
 The minister shall now address the members of the Church, 
 
 saying : 
 
 Do you, the members of this Church, receive 
 these brethren as ruling elders, and do you promise 
 to yield them all that honor, encouragement and 
 obedience in the Lord, to which their office, ac- 
 cording to the Word of God and constitution of 
 this Church, entitles them ? 
 
 The members of the Church shall answer by holding up 
 
 their right hands. 
 Then the Minister shall say: 
 
 I hereby declare you to be reinstalled in the 
 office of ruling elder, and now appointed to the 
 active duties of that office in this particular Church. 
 May you discharge these sacred duties with dis- 
 criminating judgment and unflagging devotion. 
 
 Let us pray. 
 
 O Lord God, our heavenly Father, grant now 
 thy special blessing to these brethren who here 
 again have assumed the obligations of official 
 
RE-INSTALLA TION OF ELDERS. 
 
 °7 
 
 stewardship in thy Church. We thank thee for 
 their past fidelity. And now that this people have 
 been moved to put them again in trust of this holy 
 office, may they study more than ever to show 
 themselves approved unto God, workmen that need 
 not be ashamed. Bind elders and people together 
 in loving and reverent fellowship. And by the 
 power of thy Holy Spirit, through this official 
 trust, make this Church more and more fruitful in 
 every good work to the glory of thy name in 
 Christ Jesus. Amen. 
 
IOS ORDINA HON OF DEACONS. 
 
 FORM OF ORDINATION OF DEACONS. 
 
 The newly-elected deacons will come forward as their names 
 are read by the minister, and when they have taken their 
 places in front of the pulpit, the minister shall say : 
 
 In the inspired history of the early Church it is 
 recorded that when the number of the disciples 
 was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the 
 Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because their 
 widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 
 And the twelve called the multitude of the disci- 
 ples unto them, and said, It is not fit that we 
 should forsake the word of God, and serve tables. 
 Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you, 
 seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of 
 wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 
 But we will continue steadfastly in prayer, and in 
 the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased 
 the whole multitude : and they chose Stephen, a 
 man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and 
 Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, 
 and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: 
 whom they set before the apostles : and when they 
 had prayed, they laid their hands on them. 
 
 This is our Scriptural warrant for setting men 
 apart to the office of a Deacon in Christ's Church. 
 
 Dearly beloved brethren, as you have been 
 chosen to this office by the members of this par- 
 ticular Church, in due form assembled and with 
 
ORDINATION OF ni'lACONS. 
 
 109 
 
 prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you 
 will now, according to the usage of the Presby- 
 terian Church,* give answer to the following ques- 
 tions : 
 
 1. " Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old 
 and New Testaments to be the word of God, the 
 only infallible rule of faith and practice ? 
 
 2. " Do you sincerely receive and adopt the 
 confession of faith of this church, as containing 
 the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scrip- 
 tures ? 
 
 3. " Do you approve of the government and 
 discipline of the Presbyterian Church in these 
 United States ? 
 
 4. u Do you accept the office of deacon in this 
 congregation, and promise faithfully to perform all 
 the duties thereof? 
 
 5. " Do you promise to study the peace, unity, 
 and purity of the church ? " 
 
 The deacons-elect shall audibly answer these questions, say- 
 ing in each instance : 
 
 I do. 
 
 The minister shall now address the members of the 
 Ch u rch , saying- : 
 
 Do you, the members of this church, acknowl- 
 edge and receive these brethren as deacons, and do 
 you promise to yield them all that honor, encour- 
 agement and co-operation in the Lord, to which 
 their office, according to the word of God and the 
 constitution of this church, entitles them. 
 
 * Form of Government, Ch. 13, Sec. 4. 
 
HO OR DIN A TION OF DEA CONS. 
 
 The members of the Church shall answer by holding up 
 their right hands. 
 
 Here the Deaco?is-elect shall devoutly k?ieel, a?id the min- 
 ister shall set them apart by prayer of ordination {and, if 
 desired, by the laying on of hands), saying ; 
 
 O thou blessed Lord Jesus, anointed to preach 
 good tidings to the poor, and to set at liberty them 
 that are bruised, set apart these thy servants, we 
 beseech thee, by ordainment of thy Holy Spirit, to 
 this same ministry of love and blessing to the poor 
 of thy flock. Fill their hearts with something of 
 that spirit by which thou wast prompted in thine 
 infinite compassion to leave thy riches and become 
 poor, that we, through thy poverty, might be rich. 
 Give to these thy servants a prompt and hearty 
 willingness to enter upon holy, self-denying service 
 in behalf of those who suffer and are in want. 
 And may they be called at last to the reward of 
 those who shall be told by thee, " Inasmuch as ye 
 ministered unto one of the least of my brethren, 
 ye ministered unto me." This we ask in thy name 
 and for thy sake, O thou gracious and condescend- 
 ing Lord, our Saviour. Amen. 
 
 By the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 according to the law of the Presbyterian Church, 
 you have now been ordained to the office of Dea- 
 con ; and I hereby declare you duly constituted 
 and set apart as Deacons of this church. May 
 you faithfully keep the vows of ordination and dis- 
 charge, with wise discretion and sympathetic fidel- 
 ity, the duties of your sacred office. Amen. 
 
OR DIN A TION OF DEACONS. 1 1 1 
 
 And now I charge you, brethren, ordained to be 
 Deacons, study the Word to sec what manner of 
 men you ought to be. For the beloved apostle, 
 writing by inspiration of God, declares that Dea- 
 cons must be grave, not double-tongued, blameless, 
 ruling their children and their own houses well, 
 not greedy of filthy lucre, holding the mystery of 
 the faith in a pure conscience. For they that have 
 served well as Deacons gain to themselves a good 
 standing, and great boldness in the faith which is 
 in Christ Jesus. 
 
 And I also charge you, dear people of God, into 
 whose service and ministry of love these brethren 
 have entered, that you baptize this ministry to the 
 poor with your daily prayers, that you supply it 
 constantly and cheerfully with your liberal gifts, 
 that you accept the offices of these brethren when 
 needed with hearty appreciation and gratitude as 
 from Christ himself. And may the blessing of 
 God in abundant measure be vouchsafed to officers 
 and people, through Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
112 LA YING OF CORNER-STONE. 
 
 FORM FOR LAYING OF A CORNER-STONE. 
 
 Frequently some public service is desired to mark the comple- 
 tion of the foundation of ths house of God, and the laying 
 of the corner-stone, upon which the superstructure is to 
 be builded. Hence the submission of the following order 
 of service. 
 
 The minister shall say : 
 
 We are met this day to lay the corner-stone of 
 this church building. We thus mark the first stage 
 in the progress of material construction. When we 
 have carried the head-stone to its place with shout- 
 ings of Grace, grace unto it, we shall solemnly 
 dedicate the completer! temple to the service of Al- 
 mighty God. The Church of the living God has 
 but one true corner-stone — Jesus Christ — tried, 
 precious and true. 
 
 Let 7i s invoke the divi?ie blessing. 
 
 O thou, Lord God Almighty, who didst direct 
 the foundations of the holy temple to be laid by thy 
 people Israel, and who didst inspire thy people with 
 joy, so that they shouted with a great shout when 
 they praised the Lord, because the foundation of 
 the house of the Lord was laid, bow thy heavens, 
 we beseech thee, and vouchsafe thy presence and 
 thy blessing, that we, too, may be stirred with de- 
 vout thanksgiving and joy because the foundation 
 of this house of the Lord is laid. And may this 
 service of prayer and praise, in connection with the 
 
LA YING OF CORNER-STONE. i r 3 
 
 laying of the corner-stone of this new temple of 
 worship, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our 
 strength and our Redeemer ! Amen. 
 
 Here shall be sung by the entire people : 
 
 Praise God from whom all blessings flow ; 
 Praise him, all creatures here below ; 
 Praise him above, ye heavenly host ; 
 Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 
 
 Here shall be read by the secretary of the Board of Trustees, 
 or by any one appointed for the purpose, a brief historical 
 record of the Church. 
 
 Then the minister shall read the following Scripture : 
 
 And when the builders laid the foundation of the 
 temple of the Lord, they set the priests in their ap- 
 parel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of 
 Asaph with cymbals, to praise the Lord, after the 
 order of David king of Israel. And they sang one 
 to another in praising and giving thanks unto the 
 Lord, saying, For he is good, for his mercy cn- 
 dureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people 
 shouted with a great shout, when they praised the 
 Lord, because the foundation of the house of the 
 Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Le- 
 vites and heads of fathers' houses, the old men that 
 had seen the first house when the foundation of this 
 house was laid before their eyes, wept with a loud 
 voice ; and many shouted aloud for joy : so that 
 the people could not discern the noise of the shout 
 of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people: 
 for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the 
 noise was heard afar off. — Ezra iii. 10-13. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion 
 8 
 
114 LAYING OF CORNER-STONE. 
 
 for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious 
 corner --stone \ of sure foundation. — Isa. xxviii. 16. 
 
 Unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected in- 
 deed of men, but with God elect, precious, ye 
 also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, 
 to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacri- 
 fices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
 
 For you therefore which believe is the precious- 
 ness : but for such as disbelieve, 
 The stone which the builders rejected, 
 The same was made the head of the corner ; 
 
 and, 
 A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence. — I Pet. 
 ii. 4-5, 7-S. 
 
 Here shall follow a brief address, in which may be set 
 forth the significance of the service, as a declaration of faith 
 in Jesus Christ, as the one only foundation of the Church ; 
 unto whom, coming, a living stone, all believing souls, as 
 living stones, are built up a spiritual house, and in whom all 
 the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto an holy 
 temple in the L,ord. 
 
 Here may be sung the following, or some other hymn : 
 
 An earthly temple here we raise, 
 Lord God, our Saviour ! to thy praise ; 
 Oh, make thy gracious presence known 
 While now we lay its corner-stone. 
 
 Within the house thy servants rear 
 Deign by thy Spirit to appear ; 
 On all its walls salvation write, 
 From corner-stone to topmost height. 
 
 And when this temple, "made with hands," 
 Upon its firm foundation stands, 
 
LAYING OF CORNERSTONE. 1 15 
 
 Oh, may we all with loving heart 
 In nobler building bear a part. 
 
 Where every polished stone shall be 
 A human soul won back to thee ; 
 All resting upon Christ alone, 
 The chief and precious Corner-stone. 
 
 So when our toil is o'er at last, 
 All labor in both temples passed, 
 Oh, may it theu by works be shown 
 That faith hath laid this corner-stone. 
 
 All things being now in readiness for the laying of the 
 corner-stone, the minister shall distinctly announce the arti- 
 cles which have been placed in the box to be deposited in 
 the stone. 
 
 These contents vary, but they commonly include a copy of 
 the Bible, a historical record of the church and list of offi- 
 cers, a manual of the church, and some religious and 
 secular papers. 
 
 Here the box shall be deposited, and the stone formally 
 put in place, and the minister shall declare it duly laid. 
 
 Then shall be offered a prayer of dedication and thanks- 
 giving. 
 
 Here shall be sung : 
 
 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty ! 
 
 All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and 
 sea ; 
 Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty — 
 
 God in three persons, blessed Trinity. 
 
 The bc?iediction. 
 
1 1 6 DEDICA TION OF A CHURCH. 
 
 FORM FOR DEDICATION OF A CHURCH. 
 
 After the sermon the order of dedicatory service may be as 
 follows : 
 
 THE "TB DKUM." 
 
 (To be read unitedly by minister and people standing.) 
 
 We praise Thee, O God ; we acknowledge Thee 
 to be the Lord. All the Earth doth worship Thee, 
 the Father everlasting. To Thee all angels cry- 
 aloud; — the Heavens, and all the powers there- 
 in. To Thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually 
 do cry;—" Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God of Sa- 
 baoth ; Heaven and Earth are full of the majesty 
 of Thy glory !" 
 
 The glorious company of the Apostles praise 
 Thee. The goodly fellowship of the Prophets 
 praise Thee. The noble army of Martyrs praise 
 Thee. The Holy Church throughout all the 
 world doth acknowledge Thee ; — the Father of 
 an infinite majesty; — Thine adorable, true and only 
 Son ; — also the Holy Ghost, The Comforter. 
 
 Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ ; — Thou 
 art the Everlasting Son of the Father. When 
 Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man, Thou 
 didst humble Thyself to be born of a Virgin. 
 When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of 
 death, Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven 
 to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of 
 
DEDICA TION OF A CHURCH. 117 
 
 God, in the glory of the Father. We believe that 
 Thou shalt come to be our Judge. We therefore 
 pray Thee, help Thy servants, whom Thou hast 
 redeemed with Thy precious blood ; make them to 
 be numbered with Thy saints in glory everlasting. 
 
 O Lord, save Thy people, and bless Thine heri- 
 tage ; govern them and lift them up forever ! Day 
 by day we magnify Thee ; and we worship Thy 
 name ever, world without end. 
 
 Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without 
 sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us, have mercy 
 upon us. O Lord, let Thy mercy be upon us, as 
 our trust is in Thee. O Lord, in Thee have I 
 trusted; let me never be confounded. 
 
 the doxology. 
 
 (To be sung by the people still standing.) 
 
 Praise God from whom all blessings flow; 
 Praise Him all creatures here below; 
 Praise Him above, ye heavenly host: 
 Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 
 
 the lord's prayer. 
 Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be 
 
 Thy name. 
 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in Earth, 
 
 as it is in Heaven. 
 Give us this day our daily bread. 
 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
 
 debtors. 
 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us 
 
 from Evil. 
 
1 1 8 DEDICA TION OF A CHURCH. 
 
 For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and 
 the Glory, forever. Amen. 
 
 The congregatioji being seated, the minister will now read 
 the following Scripture : 
 
 And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord 
 in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, 
 and spread forth his hands toward heaven : and he 
 said, O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God 
 like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath ; 
 who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants, 
 that walk before thee with all their heart : who 
 hast kept with thy servant David my father that 
 which thou didst promise him : yea, thou spakest 
 with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine 
 hand, as it is this day. Now therefore, O Lord, 
 the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my 
 father that which thou hast promised him, saying, 
 There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit 
 on the throne of Israel ; if only thy children take 
 heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast 
 walked before me. Now therefore, O God of Is- 
 rael, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which 
 thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. 
 But will God in very deed dwell on the earth ? 
 behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot 
 contain thee ; how much less this house that I have 
 builded! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer 
 of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my 
 God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer 
 which thy servant prayeth before thee this day : 
 that thine eyes may be open toward this house 
 night and day, even toward the place whereof thou 
 
DEDICA riON OF A CHURCH. 119 
 
 hast said, My name shall be there : to hearken 
 unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray 
 toward this place. And hearken thou to the sup- 
 plication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, 
 when they shall pray toward this place : yea, hear 
 thou in heaven thy dwelling place : and when thou 
 hearest, forgive. — 1 Kings viii. 22-30. 
 
 And it came to pass, when Solomon had finished 
 the building of the house of the Lord, and the 
 king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he 
 was pleased to do, that the Lord appeared to Solo- 
 mon the second time, as he had appeared unto him 
 at Gibeon. And the Lord said unto him, I have 
 heard thy prayer and thy supplication, that thou 
 hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, 
 which thou hast built, to put my name there for 
 ever ; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there 
 perpetually. — 1 Kings ix. 1-3. 
 
 Here the keys of the house shall be formally transferred by 
 the Chairman of the Building Committee to the legally 
 constituted custodians of the property, the Chairman say- 
 ing : 
 
 I hereby transfer to you, as Representative of 
 the Board of Trust, the keys of this now completed 
 building. 
 To which the response shall be : 
 
 I accept these keys in behalf of the legally con- 
 stituted custodians of this building. 
 
 thk dedication. 
 (To be said responsively, the people standing.) 
 Minister. — Blessing and glory and wisdom and 
 
1 20 DEDICA TION OF A CHURCH. 
 
 thanksgiving and honor and power and might be 
 unto our God for ever and ever. 
 
 People. — Amen. 
 
 Minister. — Behold, the tabernacle of God is with 
 men and He shall dwell with them. 
 
 People. — And they shall be His people, and God 
 Himself shall be with them, and be their God. 
 
 Minister. — Lord, who shall sojourn in thy taber- 
 nacle ? 
 
 People. — Who shall dwell in thy holy hill ? 
 
 Minister. — He that walketh uprightly and work- 
 eth righteousness. 
 
 People. — And speaketh truth in his heart. 
 
 Minister. — Who shall ascend into the hill of the 
 Lord? 
 
 People. — And who shall stand in the holy place ? 
 
 Minister. — He that hath clean hands and a pure 
 heart. 
 
 People. — Who hath not lifted up his soul unto 
 vanity, 
 And hath not sworn deceitfully. 
 
 Minister. — He shall receive a blessing from the 
 Lord. 
 
 People.— And righteousness from the God of his 
 salvation. 
 
 Minister. — Lift up your heads, O ye gates; yea, 
 lift them up, ye everlasting doors ; 
 
 People. — And the King of Glory shall come in. 
 
 Minister. — Who is this King of Glory? 
 
 People. — The Lord of hosts, He is the King oi 
 Glory. 
 
 Minister. — But will God in very deed dwell on 
 
DEDICA TION OF A CHURL 11. i 2 I 
 
 the earth ? behold, heaven and the heaven of 
 heavens cannot contain thee ; how much less this 
 house which we have builded. 
 
 People. — Yet have respect, O Lord, unto the 
 prayer which thy servants pray before thee this 
 day, that thine eyes may be open towards this house 
 night and day. 
 
 Minister. — Let the beauty of the Lord, our God, 
 be upon us. 
 
 People. — And establish thou the work of our 
 hands upon us ; yea, the work of our hands, estab- 
 lish thou it. 
 
 Minister and People unitedly. — This house, 
 which we have bp:en permitted to build 
 through the gracious favor of divine provi- 
 dence, we do now solemnly dedicate to the 
 worship and service of almighty god, the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen. 
 
 Here shall be sung this word of praise : 
 Holy, holy, holy ! Lord God almighty ! 
 
 All thy works shall praise thy name iu earth and sky and 
 sea : 
 Holy, holy, holy ! merciful and mighty, 
 
 God in three persons, blessed Trinity. 
 
 DEDICATORY PRAYER. 
 
 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which 
 art and wast and art to come, Thou art the Father of 
 lights in whom is no variableness, neither shadow 
 of turning. Of old thou hast laid the foundations 
 of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy 
 hands. Thou hast prepared thy throne in the 
 
122 DEDICA HON OF A CHURCH. 
 
 heavens, and it is a throne of glory high and lifted 
 up, and before thee the seraphim cover their faces. 
 
 Yet blessed be thy holy name, O thou God of 
 infinite majesty, though the heaven of heavens can- 
 not contain thee, thou hast condescended to dwell 
 with the children of men. Thy way, O God, is in 
 the sanctuary. Of old thou didst command a 
 house to be built for thy worship. And when it 
 was finished thou didst say to thy servant, I have 
 chosen and sanctified this house that my name 
 may be there forever, and mine eyes and mine 
 heart may be there perpetually. And thou didst 
 make it the place of thy throne and the place of 
 the soles of thy feet, and thy council chamber. 
 So that strength and beauty were in thy sanctuary. 
 And thy people counted a day in thy courts better 
 than a thousand, and were glad when they said, 
 Let us go into the house of the Lord. For the 
 Lord is in his holy temple : let all the earth keep 
 silence before him. 
 
 We rejoice, O God, that thou dost still write 
 salvation upon the walls and praise upon the gates 
 of the temples thy people build for thee. Though 
 we no longer have the visible Shekinah, thou dost 
 vouchsafe the invisible presence of the Holy Spirit. 
 Though we no longer have the audible voice and 
 the mystic sign of Urim and Thummim, yet we 
 possess thy holy oracles and sure word of prophecy. 
 We know that those who truly seek thee may find 
 thee anywhere, in any wilderness or desert place. 
 But thou hast commanded the assembling of our- 
 selves together for worship. Thou hast ordained 
 
DEDICATION OF A CHURCH. 
 
 "3 
 
 that by the foolishness of preaching men should 
 be saved. And thou hast given some very precious 
 promises to them that are met together in thy 
 name. 
 
 And so we bring thee this place of Assembly, 
 this house that we have builded. We solemnly 
 dedicate it to thee. We set it apart for thy wor- 
 ship — for the offering of prayer and thanksgiving; 
 for the sacrifice of broken and contrite hearts ; for 
 the reading and hearing of thy holy Word; for the 
 unfolding of the heavenly oracles; and for the ad- 
 ministration of thine appointed sacraments. Bow 
 thy heavens, O Lord, and come down, and make 
 this house now and forever thy dwelling-place. 
 Fill it with the glory of thy presence. Upon wall 
 and window, upon lintel and door-post, upon pulpit 
 and pew and organ, may there be written, Holiness 
 to the Lord. 
 
 We beseech thee, O thou most merciful God, 
 that thou wilt keep covenant with thy people as 
 they assemble here for worship. Satisfy the souls 
 that come hither hungering and thirsting after 
 righteousness. Meet here the souls that would see 
 Jesus. Welcome here the prodigals that have wan- 
 dered in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, and 
 that would come back to the Father's house, where 
 there is bread enough and to spare. Here throw 
 thy shields over those that are assaulted of Satan, 
 and compass them about with songs of deliverance. 
 Here spread thy table with the choicest bounties of 
 thy grace — yea, with the bread and wine of the 
 Kingdom of God — so that the hungry may be filled 
 
1 24 DEDICA TION OF A CHURCH. 
 
 with good things. Lord, teach transgressors thy 
 ways, in this sanctuary, and let sinners be con- 
 verted unto thee. Let the Word of God prevail 
 to the pulling down of strongholds and the casting 
 down imaginations and every high thing that is ex- 
 alted against the knowledge of God. Open thou 
 our eyes that we may behold wondrous things out 
 of thy law. Order our steps in thy word. Write 
 thy law in our hearts. 
 
 Give especially to thy servants who may here 
 hold forth the Word of life, so to cry after knowl- 
 edge and to lift up their voice for understanding, to 
 seek for it as silver and to search for it as for hid 
 treasure, that they may understand the fear of the 
 Lord and find the knowledge of God. Make them 
 mighty in the Scriptures, that they may be perfect, 
 thoroughly furnished unto all good works. And 
 may multitudes pass from the worship and com- 
 munion of this earthly house to the heavenly fel- 
 lowship of the house not made with hands, the 
 City without foundation, whose builder and maker 
 is God. 
 
 And unto the King eternal, incorruptible, invisi- 
 ble, the only God, be honor and glory, for ever and 
 ever. Amen. 
 
POETICAL SELECTIONS. 
 
 POETICAL SELECTIONS. 
 
 "5 
 
 Often it happens that some rare bit of sons; or sacred lyric, 
 by one of God's singers, Jits into the need of an hour of sick- 
 ness or sorrow, as if dropped out of heaven. Readily to 
 command these deep and sweet thoughts of God that have 
 been set in verse, is not always possible. That a minister of 
 consolation may now and then be convenienced by finding in 
 this little manual a few of these " voices of the earth," is 
 the onlv reason why they are here. 
 
 LOOKING HEAVENWARD. 
 
 Beyond the smiling and the weeping, 
 
 I shall be soon ; 
 Beyond the waking and the sleeping, 
 Beyond the sowing and the reaping 
 I shall be soon. 
 Love, rest and home ! 
 
 Sweet home ! 
 Lord, tarry not, but come. 
 
 H. Bonar. 
 The land beyond the sea ! 
 Sometimes across the strait, 
 Like a drawbridge to a castle-gate, 
 The slanting sunbeams lie, and seem to wait 
 For us to pass to thee, 
 Calm land beyond the sea. 
 
 F. IV. Fader. 
 One sweetly solemn thought 
 Comes to me o'er and o'er; 
 I'm nearer home to day 
 
 Than I ever have been before. 
 
126 POETICAL SELECTIONS, 
 
 Nearer the bound of life, 
 Where we lay our burdens down ; 
 
 Nearer leaving the cross — 
 Nearer wearing the crown. 
 
 But l} T ing darkly between, 
 Winding down through the night, 
 
 Is the dim and unknown stream 
 That leads, at last, to the light. 
 
 Saviour, perfect my trust, 
 
 Strengthen the might of my faith ; 
 
 Let me feel as I would when I stand 
 On the rock of the shore of death,— 
 
 Feel as I would when my feet 
 Are slipping over the brink ; 
 
 For it may be I'm nearer home- 
 Nearer now than I think. 
 
 Miss P. Cary, 
 
 How pleasant are thy paths, O Death ! 
 
 Like the bright slanting west, 
 Thou leadest down into the glow, 
 Where all those heaven-bound sunsets go 
 
 Ever from toil to rest. 
 
 How pleasant are thy paths, O Death ! 
 
 From sin to pleasing God ; 
 For the pardoned in thy land are bright 
 As innocence in robe of white, 
 
 And walk on the same road. 
 
 How pleasant are thy paths, O Death ! 
 
 Straight to our Father's home ; 
 All loss were gain that gained us this, 
 The sight of God—that single bliss 
 
 Of the grand world to come. 
 
 F W. Fader. 
 
POETICAL SELECTIONS. 
 
 127 
 
 Jerusalem the golden, 
 
 With milk and honey blest ! 
 Beneath thy contemplation 
 
 Sink heart and voice oppressed ; 
 I know not, Oh ! I know not 
 
 What social joys are there — 
 What radiancy of glory — 
 
 What light beyond compare. 
 
 Tr. J. M. Neale. 
 
 SUBMISSION IN TRIAL. 
 
 My Jesus, as thou wilt ! 
 
 Oh ! may thy will be mine ; 
 Into thy hand of love 
 
 I would my all resign ; 
 Through sorrow or through joy, 
 
 Conduct me as thine own, 
 And help me still to say — 
 
 My L,ord, thy will be done. 
 
 My Jesus, as thou wilt ! 
 
 All vShall be well for me ; 
 Each changing future scene 
 
 I gladly trust with thee ; 
 Straight to my home above 
 
 I travel calmly on, 
 And sing, in life or death, — 
 
 My Lord, thy will be done. 
 
 Schmolke. 
 
 He comes and lays my heart, all heated, 
 
 On the bare anvil, minded so 
 Into his own fair shape to beat it, 
 
 With his great hammer, blow on blow ; 
 And yet I whisper, " As God will ! " 
 And at his heaviest blows hold still. 
 
j 28 POETICAL SELECTIONS* 
 
 TRUST IN TRIAL. 
 
 I worship thee, sweet will of God 1 
 
 And all thy ways adore, 
 And every day I live I seem 
 
 To love thee more and more. 
 
 I love to kiss each print where thou 
 
 Hast set thine unseen feet ; 
 I cannot fear thee, blessed will ! 
 
 Thine empire is so sweet. 
 
 When obstacles and trials seem 
 
 Like prison walls to be, 
 I do the little I can do, 
 
 And leave the rest to thee. 
 
 F. IV. Faber. 
 
 PEACE IN TRIAL. 
 
 These surface troubles come and go, 
 
 Like rufflings of the sea ; 
 The deeper depth is out of reach 
 
 To all, my God, but thee. 
 
 F. W. Fader. 
 
 COMFORT IN TRIAL. 
 
 Christ leads me through no darker rooms 
 
 Than he went through before ; 
 He that into God's kingdom comes 
 
 Must enter by this door. 
 
 Richard Baxter. 
 
POETICAL SELECTIONS. 129 
 
 GRATITUDE IN TRIAL. 
 
 I praise thee while 1113- days go on ; 
 
 I love thee while my days go on ; 
 Through dark and dearth, through fire and frost, 
 With emptied arms and treasure lost, 
 
 I thank thee while my days go on. 
 
 Mrs. Browning. 
 
 TEARS. 
 
 To forge a sun, to rivet myriad stars, 
 
 Through serried veins to pour earth's flashing rills, 
 To kennel hungry seas in granite bars, 
 
 To whet the lightnings on the rock-browed hills — 
 Majestic wonders ! But sweet to be kept, 
 And, crowning wonder of them all, God wept. 
 
 Lo ! our humanity has touched God's crown 
 
 As some frail leaf might touch the bending spheres ; 
 
 And from the heights of Godship he stooped down 
 To bathe his forehead in the brine of tears. 
 
 He lived and talked with men ; he toiled and slept, 
 
 But struck our human key-note w r hen he wept. 
 
 Weep, burdened soul ! Let fall thy tears like rain ; 
 
 God counts the drops in which thy slow years steep 
 He gathers them like mountain dew again, 
 
 Transformed to pearls which seraphim shall keep 
 For thy soul's crowning, when, by grief unswept, 
 It leans upon the breast of him that wept 
 
 Lillian Blanche Fearing. 
 
 Thank God, bless God, all ye who suffer not 
 More grief than ye can weep for. 
 9 
 
130 POETICAL SELECTIONS. 
 
 Thank God for grace, 
 Ye who weep only ! If, as some have done, 
 Ye grope, tear-blinded, in a desert place, 
 And touch but tombs, — look up ! Those tears will run 
 
 Soon in long rivers down the lifted face, 
 And leave the vision clear for stars and sun. 
 
 Mrs. Browning. 
 
 OF WELLINGTON. 
 O, iron nerve to true occasion true ! 
 
 O fall'n at length, that tower of strength, 
 Which stood four-square to all the winds that blew. 
 
 Te?i?iyson. 
 
 OF COWPKR. 
 O man ! this man in brotherhood your weary paths be- 
 guiling. 
 Groaned inly while he taught you peace, and died while 
 ye were smiling. 
 
 Mrs. Browning. 
 
 TRANSIENT AND PERMANENT. 
 Our little systems have their day ; 
 They have their day and cease to be ; 
 They are but broken lights of thee, 
 And thou, O Lord, art more than they. 
 
 Tennyson. 
 
 Truth is large. Our aspiration 
 
 Scarce embraces half we be. 
 Shame ! to stand in his creation 
 
 And doubt Truth's sufficiency ! 
 To think God's song unexcelling, 
 The poor tales of our own telling. 
 
 Mrs. Browning. 
 
POETICAL SELECTIONS. 131 
 
 OF A CHILD. 
 
 The still affection of the heart 
 Became an outward breathing type, 
 That into stillness passed again, 
 And left a want unknown before. 
 
 Tennyson. 
 
 We could not wish her whiter— her 
 Who perfumed with pure blossom 
 
 The house !— a lovely thing to wear 
 Upon a mother's bosom. 
 
 Mrs. Browyiing. 
 
 The baby w r ept ; 
 The mother took it from the nurse's arms, 
 And hushed its fears and soothed its vain alarms ; 
 
 And baby slept. 
 
 Again it weeps ; 
 And God doth take it from the mother's arms, 
 From present griefs and future unknown harms, 
 
 And baby sleeps. 
 
 ASLEEP. 
 Of all the thoughts of God that are 
 Borne inward unto souls afar, 
 
 Along the Psalmist's music deep, 
 Now tell me if that any is 
 For gift or grace surpassing this — 
 
 He giveth his beloved sleep. 
 
 And friends, dear friends, when it shall be 
 That this low breath is gone from me, 
 
 And round my bier ye come to weep ; 
 Let one, most loving of you all 
 Say, "Not a tear must o'er her fall — 
 
 He giveth his beloved sleep." 
 
132 POETICAL SELECTIONS. 
 
 I Asleep in Jesus ! blessed sleep ! 
 
 From which none ever wakes to weep ; 
 A calm and undisturbed repose, 
 Unbroken by the last of foes. 
 
 Asleep in Jesus ! peaceful rest ! 
 Whose waking is supremely blest ; 
 No fear, no woe, shall dim that hour 
 That manifests the Saviour's power. 
 
 Asleep in Jesus ! Oh, for me 
 
 Ma}' such a blissful refuge be ; 
 
 Securely shall my ashes lie 
 
 And wait the summons from on high. 
 
 Mrs. Mackay. 
 
 HYMNS OF TRUST. 
 
 Abide with me ! Fast falls the eventide ; 
 The darkness deepens ; Lord ! with me abide ; 
 When other helpers fail and comforts flee, 
 Help of the helpless ! oh, abide with me ! 
 
 Swift to its close ebbs out life's little day ; 
 Earth's joys grow dim ; its glories pass awa} T ; 
 Change and decay in all around I see ; 
 
 thou who changest not ! abide with me. 
 
 1 need thy presence even- passing hour ; 
 
 What but \ky grace can foil the tempter's power ? 
 Who like thyself my guide and stay can be ? 
 Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me ! 
 
 I fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless ; 
 Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness ; 
 Where is death's sting? where, grave, thy victory? 
 I triumph still, if thou abide with me. 
 
POETICAL SELECTIONS. 133 
 
 Hold thou thy cross before 1113- closing eyes, 
 Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies ; 
 Heaven's morning breaks and earth's vain shadows flee; 
 In life, in death, O Lord ! abide with me. 
 
 Lyte. 
 Jesus, lover of my soul ! 
 
 Let me to thy bosom fly 
 While the billows near me roll, 
 
 While the tempest still is high ; 
 Hide me, O \\\y Saviour, hide, 
 Till the storm of life is past ; 
 Safe into the haven guide, 
 Oh, receive my soul at last. 
 
 Other refuge have I none ; 
 
 Hangs my helpless soul on thee ; 
 Leave, ah ! leave me not alone, 
 
 Still support and comfort me ; 
 All my trust on thee is stayed, 
 
 All my help from thee I bring ; 
 Cover my defenceless head 
 
 With the shadow of thy wing. 
 
 Chas. Wesley. 
 
 Lead, kindly light ! amid the encircling gloom, 
 
 Lead thou me on ; 
 The night is dark, and I am far from home ; 
 
 Lead thou me on ; 
 Keep thou my feet ; I do not ask to see 
 The distant scene ; one step enough for me. 
 
 I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou 
 
 Shouldst lead me on ; 
 I loved to choose and see my path ; but now 
 
 Lead thou me on ; 
 I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, 
 Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years. 
 
134 POETICAL SELECTIONS. 
 
 So long thy power has blest me, sure it still 
 
 Will lead me on 
 O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till 
 
 The night is gone, 
 And with the morn those angel faces smile 
 Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile ! 
 
 /. H. Newman. 
 
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