The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-22
FRANCIS BUTLER.
Died June IL, 1874,
Aged "a Years.

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{ FRANCIS BUTLER.
Died June IL, 1874,
Aged "a Years.
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rare assortment OF flowers and immOrtelles
was strewed upon the liz and shed fragrance
through the church. The pabearers were as fol-
ows:-George O. Bennett James Sater, A. B.
Martin, Edward West, Daniel L. Brayton and John
L. Nostrand. The regular choir Of the church,
which was in attendance, rendered the music in O
most impressive manner. AFT lncarnatus," from
mass In nat, Henry Farmer ana Theme from the
Seventh symphony, Beethoven, were specially fine.
William J. Rand, Jr., presided at the organ.
The Rev. Mr. Henry h. Hovey, pastor of the
church, preached the funeral service in the morn
Ing taking for his text the iolowing:-"It is bet
ter to 60 to the house Of mourning than to 60 to
the house of feasting "-Ecclesiastes, viii, 2
What most men think by no means makes the
truth. The opinion of the majority is by no means
always the right opinion. Not to mention here
the uncommon instances Of whole communities OF
men fascinated to believe lie, it will be suf-
fcient to observe that the ordinary and common
place ideas OF men in general in regard to varl.
GUS matters are often ideas which are erroneous.
Now, we would all agree IN saying that the state
ments of the Holy Scriptures in regard to anything
arc correct statements; that the truth Is found
II not elsewhere at least in Gods book.
SO, whenever we find the notions current among
mankind to be at variance with tine teachings of
the Bible we may be sure that those notions are
wrong IL is interesting TO apply to some preva-
lent opinions OF men this tombstone OF appeal to
Scripture and see how the two agree. Sometimes
Scripture will be found to bear out aud corr0bo-
rate view held among men in general, and in
this opinion they are fully borne out by Holy
Scripture, which assures us that good name is
better than great riches. Is the better occasion
the day of our birth or the day Of our deathf
Ninety nine out Of a hundred men would immedi-
atey give the preference to the day of our birth.
Is not that accompanied with festivities, hand.
shaking and general merrymaking9 And is not
the day Of our death heavy with the mourning Of
bereaved relatives and friends, the dropping tear,
the sable garment and all the habiliments or woe2
Consider which is best for the one chiefly inter-
ested in the birth or death-the subject Of them
BOTH We, even after oil, coincide with this
1.-THE DAY OF DEATH"
when he who has rightly lived is ushered into a
world OF eternal rest and joy, is better than the
gay o. BIRTH Wnen one Is brought into the danger
world. All through this same chapter, from the
pen OF the wise Solomon, there are comparisons
are mostly contrary to the Judgment OF mankind
in general. We are told here that rebuke is to be
preferred to praise; that sadness is better than
laughter; that the end of thing is happier than
the beginning OF it, that patient suffering spirit
Is to DC chosen IN preference to hignstrung tenn
wIsest OF sayings, inspired by God the Holy Ghost,
is contrary to the Judgment most men are inclined
20 give. A notable instance OF this disagreement
OF Scripture with the general notions prevalent
,s sss'' texts ass Very ''1s we shs
to the to ouss se of sss yet s"as
Is the assurance before US in the text Indeed,
believe there Is certain kind OF jolly preaching
sufficiently fashionable which tells US from the
pulpit that sadness Is dyspeptic, while laughter Is
healthy. Because religion is not gloomy thing,
therefore ian Illogical concluson) the principal duty
OF the religious man IS to commune with nature,
to laugh and grow fat There is, they say, a GER
tain KIND OF preaching not understandable IN this
hardly to be distinguished from this broad charac-
terization. But still We have the oid-iashioned
for by sadness Of the countenance the heart IS
made wiser; and here again in the text ut Is
to the house Of ieastng, for that is the end Of ali
men, and the living will lay it to heartn Let us,
then, to-day try to see why this Is SO; how it can
and cares Of busy life, should receive
We would have to stare n the sorrow Which sur
rounds 1t than we would by going to another place
where there would, would not only be no sorrow, put
senses. Now this is the reason why 1t is so. Our
life on earth Is 30 short and unimportant in itself
\
long run whether we ENJOY ourselves in this life
do not The main object we nave in living this
much more enjoyabie. Anything Which helps US
forward In tins preparation Is better Tor us than
better than anything which sets us backward.
Going to house OF feasting, lawful and eminently
proper as 1t is on certain occasions could not be
heaven. Our thoughts at those times are gener.
ally fixed on things below rather than on
sninss TEMPORAL e rather p''t than with things
eternal The whole aim, tendency and scope Of
the entertainment Is ayowedly to make us ENJOY
the passing moment, and so when we come away
rom the house OF feasting, conscious though we
may be that we have had a thoroughly good time,
us with this enjoyment, still we generally con-
scious Of no new, high and holy thoughts which
nave es1 to s e what nave
been stlrred.wtthin US; no more heavenly asplra-
lions have been kindled in our hearts to set them
ALL AGLOw.
No advance In fact, in the inner spiritual life
which Ia hidden IN our hearts. We feel thus gen.
orally when we come away from house OF feasting,
that we have learned no new motives for serving
God faithfully, and so we are no nearer heaven
than we were when we went there. Now come TO
the house OF mourning and see how that compares
with the other IN this matter OF striving towards
the salvation or our souls. At the house OF mourn
has known in lie now cold, lifeess piece Of
clay. We are called upon by this sight to reflect
that TINS is what our own bodies WIZ Some time be.
sarlly lea away from this life beyond the grave;
our reflections are fixed upon things ABOVE. The
whole tendency of the occasion Is TO start us up
30 to live that we may fA3ver ne afraid
to die ourselves. And when we come
away from the house OF mourning think there
are very few or who will not feel that there has
been another and nearer motive for serving GOD
faithfully, for living tnis LIE, the end of which
nave just had glimpse or In such way that we
may
LIVE THE LIFE ETERNAL.
SO the main object OF our lie Is advance In the
one house and no advance in the other, and this Is
why 1t Is better to go to the house OF mourning
tnan TO 90 10 the house OF ieastlng. And so we
learn In the mouse OF mourning the terrible thing
that the philosophers OF old Thought IL to be- 1t is
not from annihilation-that fate rom which every
soul naturally recoils with horror. II is not that
passage OF the soul OF one man into the
body OF another. or the body of some
beast OF the 1eld-the species OF the
beast being determined by the strongest traits
OF the man, so that the soul of the meek man