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

We would ask, then, TO WnOm alone
| ought a Christian burial be granted?
Our answer is short and concise-a
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, let
us look at that matter a little closer
When see funeral procession
composed Of heathens, headed by a
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 Jew When com.
pany of men wearing aprons or badges
or other paraphernalia follow cof.
fin | conclude that the deceased was
lodge member When | see a cof.
fin decked with the country's flag. ac
companled by military men, and when
! see military rites performed at the
grave, | can safely conclude that the
deceased was a soldier And when
see the Christian congregation, with
their pastor, at the grave aud hear
them sing or pray or use the word Of
God, | ought to be able to conclude
that the deceased was Christian and
died a Christian death.
Is that not right? Ought we not to
be able 10 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 oficlate at the graves Of open
unbellevers, suicides, criminals and
the like Is this not true? They are
not abashed to grant such who have
died in open unbellef a 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 Is
what you do when you deny them
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 inow, and
that most assuredly, what kind OF peo.
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 unmlstakable
words: "EIe that is of God heareth
Gods word"
And God also says: Because thou
hast rejected knowledge. | will also
reject thee" Think OF this mo.
ment. There is a man who knows our
church doors are open to him, he
rows that the ringing of the bells in.
yi,e him, but he passes by
| ask everyone who still has
sparS of conscience In him, ought such
man to have Christian burial?
Ought we to open the door to such
person, who refused to enter them
when 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 tr
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 80
to church,
But some wi say. "Ha will not men
ton the deceased at ALL We do rol
want to have the impression that the
deceased is blessed and elernally |
saved" That makes matters worse
still. Then they become hypocrites |
by the fact that the deceased is no.
mentioned In the prayers they show
he is not worthy OF il,
They stand there as Christian min !
isters and yet 40 not dare to mention |
the deceased. because they and every
one present knows that he was not a
Christian, and that Chris Ian min |
lister has no business there.
But they say. we are preaching to |
the living and not the dead" What, !
are we burylng the living? Is It not |
the dead to whom the honor of a Chris.
tian burial is given? And do they say
that they want to comfort the surylv |
ors? How shall they comfort? If they /
say the deceased is saved, they are
guilty of fa'sshood or II they speak |
the truth and say the deceased did |
not die a Christian and cannot be |
saved, then they have aroused n storm |
of hatred against themselves. Or
shall they preach repentance there |
That will fail also. Are they no, Off !
ciating at the burial of an unbelievero |
WIN not the people say, III what you
say be true, why are you here granting |
a Christian burial to an ulbeliever?"
oh, my friends, let us remember
Blessed are the dead (and only they |
who die in the Lord" And to them |
alone ought Christian burial be
granted, If they have been hypocrites
and deceived us, they will find their
Judge whom they cannot deceive. But