ral body, it is raised a spiritual body. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God: neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show 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 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, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better. There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the

Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.a

PRAYER.

ALMIGHTY GOD, our heavenly Father, thou art from everlasting to everlasting, and thy years fail not; but we are of yesterday and know nothing. Cause us, we humbly beseech thee, to lay to heart this dispensation of thy providence, and so to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Knowing that our time is short, and not knowing what a day may bring forth, we pray thee, of thine infinite mercy, to prepare us for our departure. Bless this instructive event to our immortal souls. Call us away from the pursuit of earthly vanities. Grant us that renewal of nature, and that faith in Jesus Christ, without which we can never hope to see thy face in peace. And while we commit the remains of our brother to the deep, in expectation of the day when the sea shall give up the dead which are in it, work in us, O Lord, by thy Holy Spirit, that mighty change of heart, which thou alone canst effect. Then, when we also come to die, be thou the strength of our heart and our portion for ever, and administer to us an abundant entrance into thy kingdom. All which we ask, in the name of him who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light. And to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, one God, be praise and glory for ever. Amen.

a 2 Cor. v. 1, 6, 8. Phil. i. 21, 23. Job iii. 17. Rev. xxi. 4; xxii. 5.-From Everts' Pastor's Hand-Book.

b Here the remains may be lowered into the sea.

FUNERAL SERVICE. NO. II.

TO BE USED AT SEA.

The service may be opened by reading either the Scripture passages elsewhere given, or those which here follow.

ALL flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh. The time is short. It remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none; and they that weep as though they wept not; and they that rejoice as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy as though they possessed not; and they that use this world as not abusing it, for the fashion of this world passeth away. It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.

Lord make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily, man at his best estate, is altogether vanity.

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell de

livered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works.

II. PRAYER.

O LORD, Thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God. Thou turnest man unto destruction, and sayest, Return ye children of men: for a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday, when it is past-as a watch in the night.

Lord, make us to know our end, and the measure of our days what it is, that we may know how frail we are. Behold, thou hast made our days as a handbreadth, and our age is as nothing before thee. Verily, man at his best estate is altogether vanity. The sentence, "dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return," must soon be executed upon us all; for it is appointed unto men once to die and after that the judgment. For by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men because all have sinned. O Lord, our times are in thy hand, and thou hast appointed unto man a boundary over which he cannot pass; and thou wilt surely bring us to the house appointed for all living. In the dispensations of thy wise, sovereign, and righteous providence, thou hast been pleased to remove from the midst of us, one of our number; and we have no right to murmur, or to say, "What doest thou?" With humility and resignation, it behoves

us to submit to thy holy will; believing that thou wilt deal justly and mercifully with the creatures thou hast made. But our present duty relates not to the soul of our departed friend; for we are met to dispose of the lifeless body in as decent and solemn a manner as we can. And as it is necessary to bury our dead out of our sight, we do now commit the remains of our late companion to the bosom of the mighty deep [here the remains should be lowered into the sea] in the full persuasion, that by thy power it shall be raised again, in the resurrection, at the last day; when the dead shall come forth from their graves, and when the sea shall also give up her dead, that all may be judged according to the deeds done in the body.

And now, most merciful God, enable us to take warning from this solemn dispensation of thy providence, that we may all be led to meditate on the uncertainty of life, and the nearness of death; and to make due preparation for that great and inevitable change. We beseech thee, O Lord, not to call any of us away in an unprepared state. So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. O make us wise to consider our latter end; so that when called to die, we may have hope in our death. Grant, O Lord, thy blessing to the surviving relatives of our deceased friend. Comfort them under their sore bereavement, and enable them to make a wise use of this dispensation of thy providence for their soul's benefit. These petitions we humbly offer in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be praise and glory. Amen.