MEETINGS AND FUNERALS

I will try and tell how meetings were conducted in the early days. When they all came to worship at the appointed time, ten o'clock, the Bishop and ministers and deacons would all sit behind the table. It was the Bishop's duty, or if he was absent the older minister's duty, to find out who had the message. Another minister would open the meetings and have prayer, then the one with the message would give the deacon a chapter to read after which he would give the message. After that liberty was given to the deacons and ministers to testify to the truth which they had listened to. They always opened their meetings and closed them with singing a hymn and prayer.

These are a few of the hymns which were often sung: –

Lord dismiss us with Thy blessing, fill our hearts with joy and peace,
Let us each Thy love possessing, Triumph in redeeming grace.
0 refresh us, 0 refresh us, traveling through this wilderness.

Thanks we give and adoration for the gospels joyful sound,
May the fruits of Thy salvation in our hearts and lives abound.
Ever faithful, ever faithful to the truth, may we be found.

ALSO: –

When we pass through yonder river, when we reach the farther shore,
There's an end of war forever, we shall see our foes no more;
All our conflicts then shall cease, followed by eternal peace.

When we gain the heavenly regions, when we touch the heavenly shore,
Blessed thought! no hostile legions can alarm or trouble more;
Far beyond the reach of foes, we shall dwell in sweet repose.

I Will Also Try and Tell How Funerals Were Conducted

For a number of years they thought it was worldly to have a hearse. After a short service at the home a neighbor would take his team and democrat and take the coffin to the church, the undertaker going with him.

One of the German hymns often sung at their funeral services was: –

Bedenke, mensch, das ende, Bedenke deinen tod,
Der tod Kommt oft behende, der heute frisch und roth
Kann morgen und geschwinder hinweg gestorben sein:
Drum bilde dir, O sünder, ein taglick sterben ein.

Bedenke, mensch, das ende, bedenke das gericht,
Es müssen alle stande vor Jesu angesicht:
Kein, mensch ist ausgenommen, hier musz ein yeder dran,
Und wird den lohn beKommen, nackdem er hat gethan.

After the services they would proceed to the cemetery, and the custom was to sing a hymn, lined off two lines at a time, everybody taking part except the mourners, and the pall-bearers filling in the grave as the hymn was being sung. One of the hymns were "Hark from the tomb a doleful sound" and one of the German hymns were "Nun bringden wir den leib zu ruh".

Hark from the tomb a doleful sound;
My ears attend the cry;
"Ye living men come view the ground
Where you must shortly lie.

"Princes, this clay must be your bed,
In spite of all your towers!
The tall, the wise, the reverend head
Must lie as low as ours."

Great God! is this our certain doom?
And are we still secure?
Still walking downard to our tomb
And yet prepare no more?

Grant us the power of quickening grace,
To fit our souls to fly:
Then when me drop this dying flesh
We'll rise above the sky.

Nun bringen wir den leib zur ruh, Und decken ihn mit erde zu,
Der leib, der nach des Schöpfers schlusz, Zu staub und erde werden musz.

Hier mensch, hier lerne, was du bist, Lern hier, was unser leben ist,
Nach sorge, furcht und mancher noth Kommt endlich noch zuletzt der tod.

Schnell schwindet unsre lebensgeit, Auf's Sterben folgt die Ewigkeit;
Wie wir die zeit hier angewandt, so folgt der lohn aus Gottes hand.

O, sichrer mensch, besinne dich, Tod grab und Rickter naken sich;
In allem, was du denkst und thust, Bedenke das du sterben muszt.

Hier, wo wir bei den Gräbern stehen, Soll yeder zu dem Vater flehn;
Ich bitt O Gott, durch Christi blut, Mah's einst mit meinhen ende gut.

I will give you the names of some of the hymn books that were used in our church from the time it was organized by Bishop Jacob Engle of Pennsylvania in 1808. "Das Kleine Davidische Psalterspiel der Kinder Zions" 1843. They also used the Old Mennonite hymn book "Die Gemeinschaftliche Liedersammlung" 1838. "Geistliches Blumengartlein" 1840. The first English hymn book was used around 1860, compiled by a committee of brethren. The next was Spiritual Hymns used by the Brethren in Christ known as River Brethren, compiled by Abram M. Engle, Samuel Zook, Jacob M. Engle in 1874. Also a separate hymn book by the same name in German, compiled by the same three brethren, which was considered by the conservative brethren the best hymn book they ever had. The next hymn book came in around 1908, with notes, also called Spiritual Hymns.