Prayers for the Dead.

Manawatu Herald, 2 October 1900, Page 2

Prayers for the Dead.

».- _ „ SERMON BY THE REV. T. H. SPROTT. At St. Paul's pro-Cathedral on Sunday night the Rev. T. H. Sprott, M.A., delivered an interesting sermon on this subject. After dealing with various theories as to the origin of the soul, and pointing out the great difficulties surrounding the teaching of the theosoy. phists on this point, Mr Sprott ex- | pressed the opinion that the belief that . men inherited their souls from their parents was the most satisfactory explanation of known facts. This view, he said,. accorded with God's general method of working by gradual processes and not special and separate creative acts. It also helped to ex- + plain and to foster that feeling of fellowship and community of interest between members of the same family. Mr Sprott then proceeded to consider whether this bond of fellowship also existed between members of a family on earth and. those on the same family who were in Heaven. He contended that the history of various rites connected with the burial of the dead showed that this feeling of fellowship was natural to the heart of man, and before the Reformation prayers for the dead were common among Christian people ; but owing to abuses that grew up around this custom such prayers were omitted by the Reformers from the public services of the Church of England. However, if there was to be any fellowship and sympathy between the living and the dead it could only, so far as he could see, be by means of prayer. Most of his bearers would readily admit that the dead might pray for us, but many would contend that it would be very wrong for us to pray for them. Mr Sprott went oh to show that there was much to be said in favour of prayers for the dead, though our limited knowledge prevented us from fully understanding their special needs. He, however, doubted whether the time had arrived when prayers for the dead should be restored to the public worship of the Church. The world was, in some respects, still superstitious, and unless our idea of God was very high and pure it was possible that abuses might again grow up if the practice of praying for the, dead again became general. Still, Mr Sprott went on to say, we should not be afraid to give expression in our prayers to the desires that rose naturally and spontaneously in our minds for the welfare of our friends in the unseen world.