The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-01-26
A Christian
\ Burial
BY REV. W. BEHNKEN
Pastor Of Trinity Lutheran Church
Houston. Texas

|
ought a Christian burial be granted
Our answer is short and concise
Christians burial ought to be granted
only to Christians and to no one else
even II he were the mightiest ruler
on earth. Is that answer not clear
plain and concise enough? Now, lei
US look at that matter little closer
When see funeral procession
composed of heathens. headed by q
heather priest, ] conclude that the de
ceased was a heather. When | see
Jews, headed by a rabbi in funeral
professions. rightly conclude that the
deceased was a Jew When com
pany of men wearing aprons or badges
or other paraphernalia follow a cof
fin | conclude that the deceased was
lodge member When | see cof
fin decked with the country's flag. ac
companed by military men, and when
! see military rites performed at the
grave, | can safely conclude that the
deceased was soldier And when
| see the Christian congregation, with
their pastor, at the grave and hear
them sing or pray or use the word OF
God, ought to be able to conclude
that the deceased was a Christian and
died Christian death
Is that not right? Ought we not to
be able to conclude that? Yes, we
ought to, and years ago we could, but
/ nowadays you cannot. Almost daily
you can see where so-called Christian
ministers ofliciate at the graves of open
unbelieyers, suicides. criminals and
the like. Is this not true? They are
| not abashed to grant such who have
died in open unbelief Christian bur
ial That is shameful. unspeakably
horrible.
But, they say, you cannot Judge
others, you cannot see into their
heart whether they were Christians or
not, whether they have died In the
faith or not. God says: Judge not,
that ye be not Judged" and that f.
what you do when you deny them a
Christian burial
Now, my dear friends. II Is true that
We cannot look into other mems hearts
TO see whether they are upright Chris
tians or not But we do snow, and
that most assuredly, what kind Of peu-
pie are not Christians. namely. those
who despised the word of God and
the sacraments and refused to make
use Of the means OF grace and that
such people are not Christians, we
know from the word of God that can.
net lie, Christ says In unmistakable
words: "lle that is of God heareth
Gods word"
And God also says; Because thou
hast rejected knowledge, | will also
reject thee" Think Of this a mo.
ment. There is a man who knows. our
church doors are open to him, he
y ows that the ringing of the bells in
vi'e him. but he passes by.
| ask everyone who still has
sparS of conscience In him. ought such
a man to have a Christian burial?
Ought we to open the door to such a
person, who refused to enter them
VIXEN alive? Shall we confess that we
,ook forward to his resurrection into
everlasting life? Is that denying the
faith, denying Christ as the only hope
of salvation? Do we not know that
God says, Blessed are the dead who
died in the Lord" Shall we alter or
change this? Let us remember that
God said: BE rot deceived God is
not mocked."
II is Just this gross denial Of faith /
at the graves of the ungodly that
causes men to become Indifferent In !
religious matters. Christianity Is |
therefore laid bare to open rldicule. |
Men will ask why should run tC |
church? When die they can easily .
get preacher who Will bury me for ,
ten dollars and will preach as fine
sermon as for those who constantly 20
to church,"
But some vii say. "lIa viii not men
tion the deceased at all. We do rot
want to have the impression that the
deceased is blessed and elernally
saved That makes matters worse
still Then they become hypocrtes
BY the fact that the deceased is no.
mentioned in the prayers they show
he is not worthy of IT,
They stand there as Christian min.
listers and yet 30 not dare to mention
the deceased, because they and every
one present knows that he was not
Christian, and that a Chris Ian min
lister has no business there.
But they say, I'VE are preaching to
the living and not the dead" What,
are we burying the living? Is II not
he dead to whom the honor of a Chris.
ian burial is given? And do they say
hat they want to comfort the survlv
)rs? How shall they comfort? If they
'ay the deceased IS saved, they are
guilty of fa'sshood or If they speak
he truth and say the deceased did
lot die a Christian and cannot be
aved then they have aroused a storm
If hatred against themselves. Or
hall they preach repentance there?
That will fail also, Are they no: Off
ating at the burial of an unbelieyer9
YIN not the people say, "lf what you
ay be true, why are you here granting
Christian burial to an ulbeliever?"
Oh, my friends, let us remember
Blessed are the dead (and only they)
'ho die in the Lord" And to them
lone ought Christian burial be
rented If they have been hyrocrites
nd deceived us, they will find their
ldge whom they cannot deceive. But