at the gentler Gospel set forth
afterward by the Evangelical brother was scarcely heeded.

The Reverend Brother Abram Underwocht, in the "plain" garb of the
Mennonite sect, took his place at the foot of the stairway opening out
of the sitting-room, and gave expression to his own profound sense of
the solemnity of the occasion by a question introductory to his sermon,
and asked in a tone of heavy import: "If this ain't a blow, what is it?"

Handkerchiefs were promptly produced and agitated faces hidden therein.

Why this was a "blow" of more than usual force, Brother Underwocht
proceeded to explain in a blood-curdling talk of more than an hour's
length, in which he set forth the New Mennonite doctrine that none
outside of the only true faith of Christ, as held and taught by the New
Mennonites, could be saved from the fire which cannot be quenched. With
the heroism born of deep conviction, he stoically disregarded the
feelings of the bereaved family, and affirmed that the deceased having
belonged to one of "the World's churches," no hope could be entertained
for him, nor could his grieving widow look forward to meeting him again
in the heavenly home to which she, a saved New Mennonite, was destined.

Taking advantage of the fact that at least one third of those present
were non-Mennonites, Brother Underwoeht followed the usual course of
the preachers of his sect on such an occasion, and made of his funeral
sermon an exposition of the whole field of New Mennonite faith and
practice. Beginning in the Garden of Eden, he graphically described
that renowned locality as a type of the Paradise from which Adam Schunk
and others who did not "give themselves up" were excluded.

"It must have been a magnificent scenery to Almighty Gawd," he said,
referring to the beauties of man's first Paradise. "But how soon to be
snatched by sin from man's mortal vision, when Eve started that
conversation with the enemy of her soul! Beloved, that was an
unfortunate circumstance! And you that are still out of Christ and in
the world, have need to pray fur Gawd's help, his aid, and his
assistance, to enable you to overcome the enemy who that day was turned
loose upon the world--that Gawd may see fit to have you when you're
done here a'ready. Heed the solemn warning of this poor soul now laying
before you cold in death!

"'Know that you're a transient creature,
Soon to fade and pass away."

"Even Lazarus, where [who] was raised to lif