our sky is darkened with clouds,
and mourning and lamentations are heard among us.

J. Warden: Our life is a vapor that appeareth for a little while, and
then vanisheth away. All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as
the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth
away.

Master--It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the
house of feasting; for that is the end of all men; and the living will
lay it to his heart.

Response: So mote it be.

Ode--Air, Naomi.

Here Death his sacred seal hath set,
On bright and by-gone hours;
The dead we mourn are with us yet,
And--more than ever--ours!

Ours, by the pledge of love and faith;
By hopes of heaven on high;
By trust, triumphant over death,
In immortality.

The dead are like the stars by day,
Withdrawn from mortal eye;
Yet holding unperceived their way
Through the unclouded sky.

By them, through holy hope and love,
We feel, in hours serene,
Connected with the Lodge above,
Immortal and unseen.

The service may be concluded with the following, or some other suitable
prayer:

Most Glorious God, Author of all good and Giver of all mercy, pour down
Thy blessings upon us, and strengthen our solemn engagements with the
ties of sincere affection. May the present instance of mortality remind
us of our own approaching fate, and, by drawing our attention toward
Thee, the only refuge in time of need, may we be induced to so regulate
our conduct here that when the awful moment shall arrive at which we
must quit this transitory scene, the enlivening prospect of Thy mercy
may dispel the gloom of death, and that after our departure hence in
peace and Thy favor, we may be received into Thine everlasting kingdom,
and there join in union with our friends, and enjoy that uninterrupted
and unceasing felicity which is allotted to the souls of just men made
perfect. Amen.

Response: So mote it be.

If the remains of the deceased are to be removed to a distance, where
the brethren cannot follow to perform the ceremonies at the grave, the
procession will return to the Lodge room or disperse, as most
convenient.

Service at Grave.

When the solemn rites of the dead are to be performed at the grave, the
procession should be formed, and proceed to the place of interment in
the following order:

Tiler, with drawn sword.

Masters of Cere