When the usual sentences have been read, and the body of the deceased brought into the church, the priest begins with the invocation, and then says: Brethren, we are met together here to-day to celebrate the passing into a higher life of our dear brother. . . It is but natural that we who have known and loved him should regret his departure from amongst us; yet on this occasion it is our duty to think not of ourselves, but of him. Therefore must we strenuously endeavour to lay aside the thought of our personal loss, and dwell only upon his great and most glorious gain. And then he calls upon them to join him in singing the Te Deum in celebration of the joy which has come to the departed brother. When there is great haste, the twenty-third psalm may be substituted, but it is of course less effective. Then the priest sprinkles the coffin with holy water and censes it, while some beautiful versicles are said, and then pronounces the absolution which follows: P. Rest in the eternal grant unto him, O Lord. C. And let light perpetual shine upon him. P. Come forth to meet him, ye Angels of the Lord. C. And guide him into eternal peace. P. Rest in the eternal grant unto him, O Lord. C. And let light perpetual shine upon him. P. O God, in Whose unspeakable love the souls of the departed find rest and peace, in Thy Name we absolve from every bond of sin Thy servant who has cast off this garment of flesh. May Thy holy Angels bear him in their tender care, that he may enter the brightness of the everlasting light and find his peace in Thee. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. If there is to be a special celebration of the Holy Eucharist at this time for the departed, it begins at this point. If not, the following collects are said: H Almighty God, who hast dominion over both the living and the dead, and dost hold all Thy creation in the everlasting arms of Thy love, we pray Thee for the peace and repose of Thy servant, that he, being dead unto this world, yet ever living unto Thee, may find in Thy continued and unceasing service the perfect consummation of happiness and peace. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. Likewise, O Lord, we pray Thee for those who love Thy servant, those whom Thou hast called to sacrifice the solace of his earthly presence; do Thou, O Lord, comfort them with the balm of Thy lovingkindness, that, strengthened by Thee and resting upon the surety of Thy wisdom, they may put aside their thoughts of sorrow and grief, and pour out upon him only such thoughts of love as may help him in the higher life of service to which Thou hast now called him. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. The procession bearing the coffin now goes to the grave. Before the coffin is lowered the grave is sprinkled with holy water, censed and blessed by the priest. The coffin is then lowered, and the priest delivers a rhapsody which is partly a declaration of fact and partly a prayer, but gives a fair idea of the thoughts with which we wish to inspire those who attend the funeral. Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God of His great love to take unto Himself our dear brother hence departed, we therefore commit this his cast-off body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, that in that more glorious spiritual body, which now he weareth, he may be free from earthly chains to serve God as he ought. For I say unto you: Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord; for the souls of the righteous are in the Hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seem to die, and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction, but they are in peace. For God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of His own eternity. The Lord sitteth above the waterfloods; the Lord remaineth a King for ever. The universe is His temple; wisdom, strength and beauty are about His throne as pillars of His works; for His wisdom is infinite, His strength is omnipotent, and His beauty shines through the whole universe in order and symmetry. The heavens He has stretched forth as a canopy; the earth He has planted as His footstool; He crowns His temple with stars as with a diadem, and from His Hands flow all power and glory. The sun and the moon are messengers of His will, and all His law is concord. If we ascend up into heaven, He is there; if we go down to hell, He is there also. If we take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there also His Hand shall lead us, and His right Hand shall hold us. In His almighty care we rest in perfect peace, and equally in His care rests this our loved one, whom He has deigned to draw nearer to the vision of His eternal beauty. Ever praising Him therefore, in firm but humble confidence we call upon Him and say: O Father of Light, in Whom is no darkness at all, we pray Thee to fill our hearts with calm and peace, and to open within us the eyes of the soul, that we may see by faith the radiance and the glory that Thou art pouring upon us Thy servants. For Thou ever givest us far more than we can ask or think, and it is only through our feebleness and faithlessness that we ever need crave anything from Thy omnipotence. But Thou knowest well the weakness of the human heart, and in Thy limitless love Thou wilt make allowance for our human love when we beseech Thee to grant eternal rest unto this our dear brother, and that light perpetual may shine upon him. We thank Thee that in Thy loving providence Thou hast drawn him from the unreal towards the Real from the darkness of earth into Thy glorious light, through the gates of death into a splendour beyond our comprehension. Our loving thought shall follow and surround him; O take Thou this our gift of thought, imperfect though it be, and touch it with the eternal Fire of Thy love, so that it may become for him a guardian Angel to help him on his upward way. Thus through Thy lovingkindness may we in deep humility and reverence become fellow-workers with Thy boundless power, and may our weakness be supported by Thy infinite strength; that we, with this our dearly-beloved brother, may in due time attain unto the wisdom of the Spirit, Who with the Father and the Son liveth and reigneth, God throughout all ages of ages. R. Amen. So, with a collect and an aspiration, this unique service ends. APPENDIX THE SOUL AND ITS VESTURES Our theory of this world, and of the solar system of which it forms a part, is that there is much more in them than there is usually supposed to be that they extend much farther than is commonly thought, not outward, but inward. We hold that there is an unseen world, that it is around us here and now, and not far away from us, and that it remains unseen only because most of us have not yet developed the senses by which it can be perceived; that for those who have developed these senses that world is not unseen and not unknown, but is entirely within reach, and can be explored and investigated as may be desired, precisely as any country here on earth might be. We find that besides the matter which we can see about us, and besides the matter which we do not see, but of whose presence science assures us— the various gases and the ether, for examplethere exist many other still finer kinds of matter, which can only be seen by means of these finer senses. We put this before you as a hypothesis, for your consideration and examination; but it is only fair to tell you that to us it is much more than a hypothesis that to many of us it is a certainty based upon our own individual observations. We have worked for many years at these studies; I my |