and the world were made thou art God from everlasting, and world without end.

Thou turnest man to destruction again thou sayest, Come again, ye children of men.

For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday : seeing that is past as a watch in the night.

As soon as thou scatterest them, they are even as a sleep : and fade away suddenly like the grass.

In the morning it is green, and groweth up: but in the evening it is cut down, dried up, and withered.

For we consume away in thy displeasure : and are afraid at thy wrathful indignation.

Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee: and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.

For when thou art angry all our days are gone: we bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is told.

The days of our age are threescore years and ten; and though men be so strong, that they come to fourscore years: yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow; so soon passeth it away, and we are gone.

But who regardeth the power of thy wrath for even thereafter as a man feareth, so is thy displeasure.

So teach us to number our days

hearts unto wisdom.

that we may apply our

Turn thee again, O Lord, at the last and be gracious unto thy servants.

O satisfy us with thy mercy, and that soon so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.

Comfort us again now after the time that thou hast plagued us and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity. Shew thy servants thy work : and their children thy glory.

And the glorious Majesty of the Lord our God be upon us : prosper thou the work of our hands upon us, O prosper thou our handy-work.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen.

26. Repeat the next Rubric.

Then shall follow the Lesson taken out of the fifteenth Chapter of the former Epistle of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.

27. Why is this Lesson well adapted to this service?

Because faith in the resurrection is not only the principal article of a Christian's belief, but also that which chiefly concerns us on this occasion. The compilers of this office chose this Lesson for this

service, since it is the fullest account of the resurrection that the whole Scripture contains.

28. Repeat the Lesson taken from 1 Cor. xv. 20.

The

Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order Christ the first-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's, at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead? and why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die. Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain : But God giveth it a body, as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh; but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial 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 natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the

:

As is the

last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit, that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy the second man is the Lord from heaven. : earthy, such are they 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 shew 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 be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality; then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

29. Repeat the Rubric following this lesson.

When they come to the Grave, while the Corpse is made ready to be laid into the earth, the Priest shall say, or the Priest and Clerks shall sing:

30. Repeat the first sentence or meditation now to be said or sung.

MAN that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay.

31. Where is this meditation on the shortness and uncertainty of life taken from?

From Job xiv. 1, 2. "Man that is born of a woman is few of days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not."

32. Repeat the second meditation.

:

In the midst of life we are in death of whom may we seek for succour, but of thee, O Lord, who for our sins art justly displeased?

33. Give a text of Scripture to shew that in the midst of life we are in death.

"Boast not thyself of to-morrow: for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." (Prov. xxvii. 1.)

34. To whom, under this uncertainty, are we to fly for succour ? "Lord, to whom should we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." (John vi. 69.)

35. What are the sentiments of God towards sinners?

He is justly displeased. "God is angry with the wicked every day." (Ps. vii. 11.)

36. From what do we nevertheless pray him to deliver us in the third sentence?

From eternal death. "He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." (Rev. ii. 11.)

Yet, O Lord God most holy, O Lord most mighty, O holy and most merciful Saviour, deliver us not into the bitter pains of eternal death.

37. Repeat the fourth meditation.

Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts; shut not thy merciful ears to our prayer; but spare us, Lord most holy, O God most mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, thou most worthy Judge eternal, suffer us not, at our last hour, for any pains of death, to fall from thee.

38. Shew that God knoweth the secrets of our hearts.

"Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in thy sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." (Heb. iv. 13.)

39. Unto what do we beseech God not to shut his merciful ears? Unto our prayers. "Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be

attentive to the voice of my supplications." (Ps. cxxx. 2.)

40. From whom do we pray the fears of death may not make us fall?

From God. "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.)

41. What part of the service now follows?

The solemn interment.

42. Repeat the Rubric and the sentence following.

Then, while the earth shall be cast upon the Body by some standing by, the Priest shall say,

FORASMUCH as it hath pleased Almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother here departed, we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself.

43. Has it been a general custom to cast earth upon the body?

Yes; it was esteemed an act of piety by the very heathens: insomuch, that to find a body unburied, and to leave it uncovered, was judged amongst them a very great crime. In the Greek Church this has been accounted so essential to the solemnity, that it is done by the priest himself. In our Liturgy it is only ordered that it shall be done by some one standing by; it is therefore left to the bearers, or sexton, who gives three casts upon the body when the priest utters the words, "earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust."

44. Shew that God takes unto himself the souls of the righteous. "The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God: there shall no torment touch them." (Wisdom iii. 1.) "Then shall the spirit return unto God that gave it." (Eccles. xii. 7.)

45. Why do we commit the body to the ground?

Because of the sentence," Dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return." (Gen. iii. 19.)

46. In hope of what event do we commit the body to the ground? In hope of the resurrection to eternal life. "And have hope towards God, which they themselves also allow, that there will be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust." (Acts xxiv. 15.)

47. How will our vile bodies then be changed?

So that they may be like Christ's glorious body. "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself." (Phil. iii. 21.)

48. Repeat the words which shall be next said or sung.

Then shall be said or sung,

I HEARD a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours.

49. From what part of Scripture is this taken?

From Rev. xiv. 13.

50. Is this consolatory sentence properly placed here?

It is; for it records the special revelation given to St. John of the blessed state of those who die in the Lord, and is well adapted to allay grief for all holy persons deceased, who are here declared to be blessed. It shews also a sufficient reason for not praying for the dead, who, if they died in the Lord, are blessed already; so that we cannot, with any sense, pray that they may obtain that which they already enjoy.

51. What follows the sentence from the Revelation?

OUR Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy