THE BURIAL SERVICE FOR THE DEAD.
TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—There is .1 Presbyterian clergyman in the province of Auckland who admits that the worda of the Church of England's service at funerals are beautiful, touchine, feeling, and loving ; but that he could not use them as the words give too much hope. This clergyman is honest and conscientious, according to his light; but his light and my light are directly opposite in this matter. I think that the giving of hope is the reason above all reasons that a religious service should be held at burials, Why should hope not be given ? As long as man exists so long will man believe in a future state ; man cannot help believing in such, for this reason : God has implanted it in his nature, and what God has done cannot be undone. But what that future state is, will for ever on this side of the grave remain an unknown mystery. But when we consider and accept it as a great truth that God is all love, we then have every reason to hope and believe that all mankind will in the next world be rejoicing. The Great Creator understands the law of cause and effect and Ho knows that sin and evil in this world is the effect of a cause. Mr Editor, I think that in the past the teachings and sermons on death have been all wrong, thei'e has been too much terror preached about death. God, so that man may live has implanted in all a love of life, this is necessary or else man would commit suicide. If it were not for this implanted love of life,man would cease to exist, but as we have this necessary love of life, man has no right to increase the desire to live. Ido not say this on behalf of the old, who must die, but I say it on behalf of the young, who may die. The old know that, by the law of nature, they must die, and they accept the inevitable —it is natural for them to do so ; but it is different with the young, and on behalf of these I would have it that death be divested of the terrors which are usually ascribed to it, I would have more of the teachings and sermons that, fortunate are they that die young, as undoubtedly they are. And then, in the burial of the dead how inconsistent we are. With a feeling of love, tenderness and respect to the dear dead relation or friend, we surround the coffin with flowers, and in contradiction to this we have for a coffin that which is grim, hideous and revolting. Why should a coffin be all black? Why make grim death more grim? Why not like the flowers ? Why not also have the coffin a "thing of beauty?" I think the black about the coffin is unnatural. There are beautiful woods that require no paint, and certainly a coffin made of such without any adorning would not have the ghastly look that coffins now have. —Yours, &c., Haisapepe. Harapepe, Ist June, 1892.
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Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3112, 25 June 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)
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523THE BURIAL SERVICE FOR THE DEAD. Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3112, 25 June 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)
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