the women were on no account allowed, as was customary among Jews and many pagan nations. Such lamentations were exceedingly incongruous to the Christian, who regarded death as no loss, but unspeakable gain. The office of sexton was of very early date, and held in high repute, as an honourable occupation. § 3. OF FUNERAL SOLEMNITIES. THE body was borne on a bier in solemn procession to the burialplace, and followed by the relatives and friends of the deceased as mourners, among whom the clergy and some others were reckoned. Besides these, many others, as spectators, joined in the procession. These processions were sometimes so thronged as to occasion serious accidents, and even the loss of life. It was the duty of the acolyths to conduct the procession. The bier was borne sometimes on the shoulder, and sometimes by the hands. The nearest relations or persons of rank and distinction were the bearers. Even the bishops and clergy often officiated in this capacity. In the early ages of the church the nearest relatives especially were the pall-bearers to carry the body to the grave. The tolling of bells at funerals was introduced in the eighth and ninth centuries. This office is expressed in the following distich, which was inscribed upon the church-bell: Laudo Deum verum; plebem voco; congresso clerum, Previous to the use of bells, the trumpet and wooden clappers were used for similar purposes. The carrying of the cross in funeral processions is mentioned in the sixth century, and again in the ninth, but it does not appear to have been in earlier use. Palms and olive-branches were carried in funeral processions for the first time in the fourth century, in imitation of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The cypress was rejected, because it was a symbol of mourning. The carrying of burning lamps and tapers was earlier and more general. This was a festive representation of the triumph of the deceased over death, and of his union with Christ, as in the festival of the Lamb in the Apocalypse.2 The Christians repudiated the custom of crowning the corpse and the coffin with garlands, as savouring of idolatry. But it was usual with them to strew flowers upon the grave. Lighted torches were sometimes carried before and after 3 the coffin, in token of victory over death, and union with Christ at the marriage-supper of the Lamb. References to this rite date back no further than the fourth century. 5 Psalms and hymns were sung while the corpse was kept, while it was carried in procession, and around the grave. Notices of this custom are found in several authors. These anthems were altogether of a joyful character. But Bingham has well remarked that we cannot expect to find much of this in the first ages, while the Christians were in a state of persecution; but as soon as their peaceable times were come, we find it in every writer. The author of the Apostolical Constitutions gives this direction, that they should carry forth their dead with 'reading the holy books and singing for the martyrs who are fallen asleep in the Lord; for all the saints from the beginning of the world, and for your brethren that are asleep in the Lord.' 'For precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.' And again it is said, 'Return to thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath rewarded thee. And the memory of the just shall be blessed; and the souls of the just are in the hand of the Lord.' These, probably, were some of the versicles which made up their psalmody on such occasions. For Chrysostom, speaking of this matter, not only tells us the reason of their psalmody, but what particular psalms or portions of them they made use of for this solemnity. What mean our hymns?' says he; 'do we not glorify God and give him thanks, that he hath crowned him that is departed, that he hath delivered him from trouble, that he hath set him free from all fear? Consider what thou singest at that time: Turn again unto thy rest, O my soul," for the Lord hath rewarded thee. And again, I fear no evil, because thou art with me. And again, Thou art my refuge from the affliction which compasseth me about. Consider what these psalms mean. If thou believest the things which thou sayest to be true, why dost thou weep and lament, and make a mere pageantry and mock of thy singing? If thou believest them not to be true, why dost thou play the hypocrite, so much as to sing?'7 He speaks this against those who used excessive mourning at funerals, showing them the incongruity of that with this psalmody of the church." (Book xxiii. c. 3.) Funeral prayers also constituted an appropriate part of the burialservice of the dead. Funeral orations, λόγο ιἐπικήδειοι, ἐπιτάφια, were also delivered, commemorative of the deceased. Several of these are still extant, as that of Eusebius at the funeral of Constantine; those of Ambrose on the deaths of Theodosius and Valentinian, and of his own brother Satyrus; those of Gregory, and of Nazianzum upon his father, his brother Cæsarius, and his sister Gorgonia. The sacrament of the Lord's supper was administered at funerals and often at the grave itself." By this rite it was intimated that the communion of saints was still perpetuated between the living and the dead. It was a favourite idea that both still continued members of the same mystical body, one and the same on earth and in heaven. This mode of celebrating the supper was also an honourable testimony to the faith of the deceased, and of his consistent Christian profession in life. The Roman Catholic superstition of offerings and masses for the dead took its rise from this ancient usage of the church. Some time previous to the sixth and seventh centuries, it became customary to administer the elements to the dead-to deposit a portion of the consecrated elements in the coffin-to give a parting kiss of charity, and to conclude the funeral solemnities with an entertainment similar to the agapæ. Of these usages the first mentioned were speedily abolished," and the last was gradually discontinued. It was universally customary with Christians to deposit the corpse in the grave, as in modern times, facing the east; and in the same attitude as at the present day. The reasons for this are given in the following extract:-" Christiani solent sepelire-1. Supinos, quia mors nostra proprie non est mors, sed brevis quidam somnus. 2. Vultu ad cœlum converso, quia solo in cœlo spes nostra fundata est. 3. Versus orientem, argumento sperandæ et exoptandæ resurrectionis." " The burial-service was concluded, like all other religious solemnities, with the Lord's prayer and the benediction. § 4. OF MOURners. DEATH was regarded by the early Christians, not as an afflictive but joyful event. All immoderate grief or mourning was accordingly inconsistent, in their view, with Christian faith and hope.* * Fratres nostri non lugendi accersione Dominica de sæculo liberati, cum sciamus, non eos omitti, sed præmitti, recedentes præcedere, ut proficiscentes et navigantes, desiderari eos debere, non plangi; nec accipiendas hic atras vestes, quando illi ibi indumenta alba jam sumserint: occasionem non dandam esse gentilibus, ut nos merito et jure reprehendant, quod quos vivere apud Deum dicimus For this reason they severely reproved the Jewish and Roman custom of hiring women to make lamentations for the dead.1 It must not be supposed, however, that they either condemned the exercise of natural affection or affected a stoical indifference. On the con trary, there are many passages of ancient authors in which the right and power of nature in this respect are recognised, and a becoming sorrow, occasioned by the death of friends, is justified, both on principles of reason, and by reference to examples in Scripture.* In conformity with their views of death, Christians also utterly discarded the Jewish badges of mourning-sackcloth and ashes, and garments rent. Some of the fathers severely censure the Roman custom of wearing black. Augustin especially is peculiarly severe on this point. "Why," says he, "should we disfigure ourselves with black, unless we would imitate unbelieving nations, not only in their wailing for the dead, but also in their mourning apparel! Be assured these are foreign and unlawful usages; but if lawful, ut exstinctos et perditos lugeamus, et fidem, quam sermone et voce depromimus, cordis et pectoris testimonio reprobemur.-CYPRIAN, De Mortal. Omnibus Christianis prohibitum defunctos flere.-Concil. Tolet. 111. * Non omnis infidelitatis aut infirmitatis est fletus; alius est naturæ dolor, alia est tristitia in diffidentia, et plurimum refert, desiderare, quod habueris, et lugere, quod amiseris. . . . Fecerunt et fletum magnum sui, cum patriarchæ sepelirentur. Lacrymæ ergo pietatis indices, non illices sunt doloris. Lacrymatus sum ergo, fateor, et ego, sed lacrymatus est et Dominus; ille alienum, ego fratrem.-AMRROs. Orat. in Obit. Fratris. Quorum nos vita propter amicitiæ solatia delectabat, unde fieri potest, ut eorum mors nullam nobis ingerat moestitudinem? Quam qui prohibet, prohibeat, si potest, amica colloquia, interdicat amicalem societatem, vel intercidat adfectum omnium humanarum necessitudinum, vincula mentis immiti stupore disrumpat, aut sic eis utendem esse censeat, ut nulla ex eis animum dulcedo perfundat. Quod si fieri nullo modo potest, etiam hoc, quo pacto futurum est, ut ejus nobis amara mors non sit, cujus dulcis est vita? Hinc enim est luctus quidem [al. quidam] humano corde quasi vulnus aut ulcus, cui sanando adhibentur officiosa consolationes. Non enim propterea est, quod non sanetur; quoniam quanto est animus melior, tanto in eo citius faciliusque sanatur.-AUGUSTIN. De Civ. Dei, lib. xix. c. 8. Premebam oculos ejus [sc. matris,] et confluebat in præcordia mea moestitudo ingens, et transfluebat in lacrimas, ibidemque oculi mei violento animi imperio resorbebant fontem suum usque ad siccitatem, et in tali luctamine valde male mihi erat. Tum vero ubi efflavit extremum spiritum, puer Adeodatus exclamavit in planctum, atque ab omnibus nobis coërcitus tacuit. Hoc modo etiam meum quiddam puerile, quod labebatur in fletus, juvenili voce cordis coërcebatur et tacebat. Neque enim decere arbitrabamur, funus illud questibus lacrimosis gemitibusque celebrare, quia his plerumque solet deplorari quædam miseria morientium, aut quasi omnimoda exstinctio. At illa nec misere moriebatur, nec omnino moriebatur.-AUGUSTIN. Confess. lib. ix. c. 12. Conf. CHRYSOST. Hom. 29, De Dormient.; Hom. 61, in Johann. they are not becoming." Black, however, was, from the beginning, the customary mourning habit in the Greek church, and the use of it soon became general. No precise rules prevailed respecting the duration of mourning for the dead. This matter was left to custom and the feeling of the parties concerned. “The heathen had a custom of repeating their mourning on the third, seventh, and ninth day, which was particularly called the novendiale; and some added the twentieth, thirtieth, and fortieth, not without a superstitious opinion of those particular days, wherein they used to sacrifice to their manes with milk, and wine, and garlands, and flowers, as the Roman antiquities inform us. Something of this superstition, abating the sacrifice, was still remaining among the ignorant Christians in St. Austin's time; for he speaks of some who observed a novendial in relation to their dead, which he thinks they ought to be forbidden, because it was only a heathen custom. He does not seem to intimate that they kept it exactly as the heathen did; but rather that they were superstitious in their observation of nine days of mourning, which was without example in Scripture. There was another way, of continuing the funeral offices for three days together, which was allowed among Christians, because it had nothing in it but the same worship of God repeated. Then Euodius, writing to St. Austin, and giving him an account of the funeral of a very pious young man, who had been his votary, says that he had given him honourable obsequies, worthy of so great a soul: for he continued to sing hymns to God for three days together at his grave, and on the third day offered the sacraments of redemption. The author of the Constitutions takes notice of the repetition of the funeral office on the third day, and the ninth day, and the fortieth day, giving peculiar reasons for each of them:-"Let the third day be observed for the dead with psalms, and lessons, and prayers, because Christ on the third day rose again from the dead; and let the ninth day be observed in remembrance of the living and the dead; and also the fortieth day, according to the ancient manner of the Israelites mourning for Moses forty days; and finally let the anniversary day be observed in commemoration of the deceased." "On the anniversary days of commemorating the dead, they were used to make a common feast or entertainment, inviting both the clergy and people, but especially the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, that it might not only be a memorial of rest to the dead, but an odour of sweet smell to themselves in the |