will preserve them alive; and let thy widows trust in Me.

A Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.

When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.

For an Infant:

And David said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the Name of the Lord.

A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench.

Let us pray.

PRAYER.

GOD, Merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who hath said, Blessed are they that

mourn, for they shall be comforted: Under the shadow

of Thy judgments we come to Thee, and acknowledge Thee to be the Lord alone. Thou hast entered this house with Thy chastenings: Oh! be Thou nigh in Thy tender compassion to these afflicted ones. Bless Thy sorrowing servants with Thy consolations, which are neither few nor small. Convert them wholly to Thyself, and fill their bleeding hearts with Thy love. Make the night of their grief to be light by Thy grace. Deliver us Thy servants, we pray Thee, from the bondage of our sins, that we may be free from fear of death, and be ready at Thy coming. Yea, Lord! for Christ's sake, sanctify us by Thy Holy Spirit, that whether we live, we may live unto the Lord, or whether we die, we may die unto the Lord; whether we live or die, may we be the Lord's. AMEN.

THE

HE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with you all.

AMEN.

THE

SERVICE AT THE CHURCH.

[If the service be performed in whole at the house, then a part of the following may be used in connection with the preceding form.]

Upon entering the church, when all shall have taken the attitude of prayer, let the Ninetieth Psalm be read as an

INVOCATION.

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 carriest 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 by Thine anger, and by Thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in the

light of Thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in Thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are three score years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be four-score years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of Thine anger? even according to Thy fear, so is Thy wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Return, O Lord! how long? and let it repent Thee concerning Thy servants. O satisfy us early 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 unto 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. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Here may be sung » Funeral Hymn.

Then let there be read two portions of Scripture, from the Gospels and the Epistles. The following are suitable passages:

Hear the comfortable words of the Gospel of our

Saviour Jesus Christ, as they are written in the eleventh chapter of Saint John:

HEN said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if Thou hadst

THEN

been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever Thou wilt ask of

Jesus saith unto her,

Martha saith unto Him,

God, God will give it thee. Thy brother shall rise again. I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth on Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me, shall never die. Believest thou

this? She saith unto Him, Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

Or this:

Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Jesus Christ, in the fifth chapter of Saint John:

́ERILY, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth

VER

My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me,

hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condem