“The Great Creator having in his infinite wisdom, removed our brother from the cares and troubles of this earthly life, thus severing another link in the fraternal chain by which we are bound together, let us who survive him be yet more strongly cemented by the ties of brotherly love; that during the brief space allotted to us here, we may wisely and usefully employ our time, and, in the mutual exchange of kind and friendly acts, promote the welfare and happiness of each other.

While we pay this fraternal tribute to his memory, let us not forget, my brethren, that we too, are mortal; and that our spirits, too, must return to the God who spake them into existence. “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.” The almighty fiat has gone forth – “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return;” and that we are all subject to that decree, the daily observation of our lives furnishes evidence not to be forgotten.

Seeing then, my brethren, that life is so uncertain, and that all material pursuits are vain, let us no longer postpone the all important concern of preparing for eternity; but let us embrace the present moment, while time and opportunity are offered, to provide for that great change when all the pomp and pleasure of this fleeting world will pall upon the senses, and the recollection of a virtuous and well-spent life will yield the only comfort and consolation. Thus we shall not be unprepared to enter into the presence of the one all-wise and powerful Judge, to whom the secrets of all hearts are known; and on the great day of reckoning we shall be ready to give a good account of our stewardship while here on earth.”

“With becoming reverence, let us supplicate the Divine Grace, whose goodness and power know no bounds, that, on the arrival of the momentous hour, our Faith may remove the clouds of doubt, draw aside the sable curtains of the hidden world beyond, and bid Hope sustain and cheer the departing spirit.”

“Our brother has been raised in that blissful lodge which no time can close, but which will remain open during the boundless ages of eternity. In that Heavenly Sanctuary, the Mystic Light, un-mingled with darkness, will reign unbroken and perpetual. There, under the protection of the All-Seeing Eye, amid the smiles of Immutable Love, in that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, - there, my brethren, may Almighty God in His infinite mercy, grant that we may meet again, to part no more.”

“Soft and safe to thee, my brother, be thy resting place! Bright and glorious be thy rising from it! Fragrant be the Acacia sprig that there shall flourish! May the earliest buds of spring unfold their beauties o’er thy resting place, and there may the sweetness of the summer’s last rose linger longest! Though the winds of Autumn may destroy the loveliness of their existence, yet the destruction is not final, and in the springtime, they shall surely bloom again. So, in the bright morning of the resurrection, thy spirit shall spring into newness of life and expand in immortal beauty, in realms beyond the skies. Until then, dear Brother, until then, farewell!”