how far, and in what fenfe, Prayers for the Dead were Sect. IV. used by the primitive church, I have already had occafion to fhew. And how different the prayers for departed fouls, in our first Common Prayer-Books, were from those which the church of Rome makes ufe of, and how inconfiftent with their doctrine of Purgatory, may be gathered from the paragraph which I there tranfcribed out of the old prayer for the whole ftate of Chrift's Church; and will farther appear from this prayer in the Burial-Office, which I have here inferted, as well as from others which I fhall have occafion to transcribe by and by. All therefore I shall fay in reference to them here, fhall be only to note once for all, that whatever in that book related directly and immediately to the Dead was all thrown out of the fecond Liturgy, at the inftance of Calvin and his old friend Bucer. There was one claufe indeed permitted to stand till the laft review, viz. in the prayer that immediately follows the Lord's Prayer, in which, till then, we prayed, that we WITH THIS OUR BROTHER, and all other departed in the true faith of God's holy name, might have our perfect confummation and blifs, &c. Nor did the Presbyterians at the Savoy Conference make any other objection against this clause, than what they did in general against all that expreffed any affurance of the deceased party's Prieft. O Lord, graciously bear my prayer, Let us pray. O Lord, with whom do live the fpirits of them that be dead; and in whom the fouls of them that be elected, after they be delivered from the burden of the flesh, be in joy and felicity: Grant unto this thy fervant, that the fins which he bath committed in this world be not imputed unto him, but that he, escaping the gates of bell, and pains of eternal darkness, may ever dwell in the regions of light, with Abrabam, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the place where there is no weeping, forrow, nor beavinefs: and when that dreadful day of the general Refurrection fball come, make bim to rife alfo with the juft and righteous; and receive this body again to glory, then made pure and incorruptible: fet him on the right band of thy Son Jefus Chrift, among thy boly and elect, that then be may bear with them these most fweet and comfortable words: Come to me, ye bleffed of my Father, poffefs the kingdom which hath been prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this, we beJeech thee, O merciful Father, through Jefus Chrift our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen. XII. 66 Chap. happiness, which they did not think proper to be said indifferently over all that died. However, upon the review of the Common Prayer afterwards, these words were left out. Not but that the fentence, as it is ftill left ftanding, may well enough be understood to imply the Dead as well as the Living: for we pray (as it is now) that we, with all thofe that are departed in the true faith of God's holy name, may have our perfect confummation and blifs; which is not barely a fuppofition, that all thofe, who are fo departed, will have their perfect confummation and blifs; but a prayer alfo that they may have it, viz. that we with them, and they with us, may be made perfect together, both in body and foul, in the eternal and everlasting glory of God, For" though (faith Bifhop Cofin upon this very prayer) "the fouls of the faithful be in joy and felicity; yet be"cause they are not in such a degree of that joy and feli city, as that they can never receive no more than they "have already; therefore in the latter part here of this our prayer, we befeech God to give them a full and perfect confummation of blifs both in body and foul, in his eter"nal kingdom of glory, which is yet to come. And what"foever the effect and fruit of this prayer will be, though "it be uncertain; yet hereby we fhew that charity which 66 we owe to all thofe that are fellow-fervants with us to "Chrift and in this regard our prayers cannot be con"demned, being neither impious nor unfit for those that "profefs the Chriftian religion. For in like manner, if I "hould make a prayer to God for my father or mother, "for my brother or fifter, for my fon or daughter, or any "other friend of mine who were travelling in a journey, "befeeching him that he would profper them in their "way, and keep them from all danger and fickness, till "they fhould fafely and happily arrive at their journey's "end, and the place where they defire to be; although "at the fame time, when I prayed this for them, perad"venture they be arrived at the place already (which I "knew not) with all fafety, and met with no danger or 66 diseases by the way, whereby all my prayer is pre"vented; yet the folicitude and charity, in the mean "while, that I had for them, cannot be juftly or charitably "reprehended by any others "." Much to the fame purpose juft before: "Although (faith he) it cannot be 7 See their Exceptions against the Book of Common Prayer, page 31, 4to. 1661. or in Baxter's Narrative of his own Life, page 332.. 8 "exactly and diftinctly declared what benefit the Dead Sect. IV. "receive by these prayers which the Living make for "them; yet if there be nothing elfe, there is this at least "in it, that hereby is declared the communion and con→ junction which we have still with one another, as mem"bers of the fame body whereof Chrift is the head"." So also before him Bishop Overal, in his notes upon this fame place: "The Puritans (faith he) think that here is prayer 66 for the Dead allowed and practifed by the church of "England; and fo think I but we are not both in one "mind for cenfuring the church for fo doing. They say "it is popish and fuperftitious; I for my part efteem it "pious and chriftian. The body lies dead in the grave, "but by Chrift's power and God's goodness fhall men be "raised up again: and the benefit is fo great, that sure "it is worth the praying for: because then we may pray "for what we ourselves or our deceased brethren as yet ❝ have not, therefore doth the church pray for the perfect "confummation of bliss, both in foul and body, to be given "to our brethren departed. We believe the Resurrection ; દર yet may pray for it as we do for God's kingdom to come. "Befides, prayer for the dead cannot be denied but to "have been univerfally used of all Chriftians in the an"cienteft and pureft times of the church, and by the Greek "fathers, who never admitted any Purgatory, no more "than we do, and yet pray for the Dead notwithstanding. "What though their fouls be in blifs already? they may "have a greater degree of blifs by our prayers: and when "their bodies come to be raised, and joined to their fouls "again, they fhall be fure of a better ftate. Our prayers "for them then will not be in vain, were it but for that "alone to " But to return. and Leffon, §. 3. By the firft Common Prayer, both the Pfalms and The Pfalms Leffon, with the fuffrages above mentioned, were to be whether faid in the church either before or after the Burial of the ever to be Corpfe. But from that time to the Restoration of King omitted. Charles, the Leffon (for I have observed during all that time there were no Pfalms) was appointed to be read wherever the grave was, whether in the church, or church-yard, immediately after the fentence taken out of the Revelation. But the Prefbyterians objecting, that this expofed both Minifter and People to many inconveniences, by standing in the air, there was a rubric added 9 See the additional Notes to Dr. Nichols on the Comm. Prayer, p. 64. 10 Ibid. 11 See Exceptions as before. at XII. Chap. at the last review, which orders, that the Pfalms and Leffon fhall be faid, after they are come into the Church: fo that now, I fuppofe, it is again left to the Minifter's difcretion (as it was in the rubric of the first book of King Edward) whether he will read them before or after the Burial of the Corpfe. For the fecond rubric at the beginning of the office permits him to go to the Church, or to the Grave, i. e. to either of them directly, which he pleases; nor is there any farther direction, that if he goes into the church, it fhall be before he goes to the grave: but only that after they are come into the Church, one or both of the Pfalms shall be read with the Leffon that follows; and when they come to the Grave, the rest of the devotions that are to be ufed. I know fome are of opinion, that the defign of the rubrics, as they are worded now, is to give liberty to the Minifter to go immediately to the Grave, and fo wholly to omit the Leffon and Pfalms: but if that were the defign of them, one would have expected fome hint, that they might be omitted; whereas the expreffion in the rubric, after they are come into the Church, feems to suppose that either first or laft they will come thither. I am therefore rather inclined to think, that the meaning of leaving the rubric fo dubious, is, that if the Minifter go directly into the Church, the Grave being there, he should use the Pfalms and Leffon before the Burial: but if the Grave be without the Church, he may first go thither to bury the Corpfe, and then afterwards, to prevent any inconveniency from the air, proceed to the Church itfelf, to read the Pfalms and Leffon, according to the rubric in the first Common Prayer. For I do not know any inftance in the whole Liturgy befides, where the Minifter is at liberty to leave out fo confiderable a part of an office, when it is fo proper to be used. But I only give this as my private opinion: for I know it belongs to a much higher authority to appeafe diverfity, and to refolve doubts concerning the manner how to understand, do, and execute, the things contained in this book 12. SECT. V. Of the Devotions and Solemnity to be used at the Grave. The Medi- I. WHEN the body is ftript of all but its gravetation at the attire, and is just going to be put into the ground, it is most like to make the deepest impreffion upon 12 See the Preface concerning the Service of the Church. Grave. us, us, and to ftrike us with the most serious apprehen- Sect. V. fions of our mortality. This happy opportunity the church is unwilling to lofe; and therefore, whilst we are in fuch good difpofitions of mind, the presents us with a noble strain of devotion, confifting of a meditation on the fhortnefs, and mifery, and uncertainty of life, together with an acknowledgment of our dependence on God, whom yet we have disobliged and offended with our fins. However, we presume to fly to him for fuccour, and beg of him to preserve us from eternal Death hereafter, and to fupport us under the pains of temporal Death here. II. Next after this follows the folemn interment: imThe taking mediately before which the Gentiles took their leave of leave of the their deceased friends, by bidding them Farewell for Body. ever 13. And the ancient Chriftians used to give a parting kifs of charity, juft as the body was about to be put into the grave, to declare their affection, and evidence that he died in the unity and peace of the church 14, a custom still retained in the Greek church's, and in fome of the northern parts of England. the Grave. §. 2. As for the pofture or Pofition of the Corpfe in The Pofithe grave, it hath been always a cuftom to bury them tion of the with their Feet eastward, and their Face upwards, that fo Corpfe in at the Refurrection they may be ready to meet Chrift, who is expected from the East, and that they may be in a pofture of prayer as foon as they are raised 16. §. 3. The cafting Earth upon the body was efteemed The throwan act of piety by the very Heathens"; infomuch that ing Earth to find a body unburied, and leave it uncovered, was upon the judged amongst them a great crime 18. In the Greek Body. church this has been accounted fo effential to the folemnity, that it is ordered to be done by the Prieft himfelf1. And the fame was enjoined by our own rubric in the first Common Prayer of King Edward VI. But in our prefent Liturgy it is only ordered that it shall be caft upon the body by Jome standing by: and fo it is generally left to one of the Bearers, or Sexton, who, according to Horace's defcription 20, gives three cafts of earth upon the body, or coffin, whilst the Priest pronounces the fo 13 Virg. Æn. 11. v. 97. Alex. ab Alex. 1. 3. c. 7. 14 Dionyf. Areop. c. 7. pag. 150. A. Durand. Rational. 1. 7. c. 35. 15 Eucholog. pag. 535. 16 Durand, ut fupra. 17 Elian. Var. Hift. 1. 5. c. 14. 20 Injecto ter pulvere. Horat. ut lmen |