that they rise,' said our Lord to the unbelieving Sadducees; have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: Ye therefore do greatly err.' (Mark xii. 26.) And in Luke he saith still more expressly, as it should be rendered: He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.' (Luke xx. 38.)

Against the fear therefore, of the death of the body, we have a sufficient antidote. But there is a death, which hath terrors to excite even the apprehensions of the wise. "Be not afraid, says our Lord, of them, who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do: but I will forewarn you, whom ye shall fear: fear him, who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him." The death, then, which we should fear, is spiritual death, the death, against which we are every where warned in the holy Word. This death is induced by the love and the life of evil, and is in truth the work of our own hands. Wherefore let us not deceive ourselves, but ever bear in mind that the life of every one follows him to the eternal world, that a good life leads to heaven, and an evil life to hell. For the Lord saith, I will give unto every one of you according to his works. Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man ac

cording as his work shall be. Knowing, therefore, the importance of the great change, which shall one day be assuredly our own, let us henceforth resolve to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance; to seek the Lord while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous 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.

In hope, therefore, that our departed brother [or sister] hath experienced a joyful resurrection, we commit his [or her] mortal remains to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Let us pray.

LORD God of our fathers, most merciful Lord Jesus Christ, in whose presence the living and the dead are standing together, to whom all are alive, and with whom there is no death, through whose tender mercy, in these latter times, the day-spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace, give us to see in this, as in all the dispensations of thy wisdom, the bright footsteps of an all merciful providence, which in every act of apparent destruction, doth but further the progress of an eternal creation, and through the death of this life, doth bestow the life of a heavenly kingdom. O cause we beseech

thee, that this solemn visitation may deeply impress us with the uncertainty of our own perishable state, and the necessity of preparing for the concerns of an eternal world; and seeing that the ax is laid unto the root of the trees, we may without delay strive to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Grant, O Lord, that we may watch, as becometh those who know not the hour in which the Son of man cometh, and that following thee in the regeneration, when the cry shall be made at midnight, behold the bridegroom cometh, we may go out to meet him, and being ready with our lamps trimmed and filled with oil, may enter with him to the marriage. We ask this, O Lord, in thine own name and for thy divine mercy's sake.

OUR Father, who art in the heavens; hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so also upon earth. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Åmen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all for evermore. Amen.

BURIAL OF INFANTS.

The Minister preceding the corpse at the entrance of the place of Burial, and going towards the grave shall say,

JESUS said, suffer little children, and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. xix. 14.)

The disciples came unto Jesus saying, who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. xviii. 1, 2, 3, 4.)

Take heed 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. (Matt. xviii. 10.)

Then will follow the same order, as that which is prescribed for the burial of Adults snbstituting the following for the sentence immediately before the prayers, beginning with, In hope, &c.

As concerning the eternal lot of our infant brother [or sister] we know of a certainty in the New Jerusalem, that every infant dying

such, whether born in the Church or out of the Church, whether of godly or ungodly parents, is accepted of the Lord, and educated by angels according to divine order; and being thus formed to good affections and through them to the knowledge of truth, when advanced in understanding and wisdom, he is introduced into heaven, and becomes an angel. Every one that thinks rationally, may know of a truth, that none were ever designedly born for hell, but on the contrary, all for heaven; and consequently, that whoever goes to the former, must owe it to his own fault, which cannot be the case of infants.

Wherefore in perfect assurance that our infant brother [or sister] hath experienced a blessed resurrection, we commit his [or her] mortal remains to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

Let us pray.

Then are to follow the prayers in page 98 and 99.