Use of the Burial Service as Required by Law. By
the Rev. T. S. L. Vegan, M.A. (Bell and Daldy.)—This gentleman, a vicar, a prebendary, and a rural dean, writes in the spirit of Archdeacon Grautley. The clergy have nothing to do but to stand on their rights. They should carefully inquire whether the deceased person has been baptized, and if not, refuse to read the burial service. A careful exposition of the state of the lalv would soothe the wounded feelings of the relatives. As for suicides, the difficulty has arisen from the culpable weakness of the clergy in paying attention to the verdicts of coroners' juries, with which they have nothing to do. The rubric says they are not to use the service over those sane or insane who have laid violent hands on them- selves, and Mr. Vogan never will. With respect to the wicked, he does not want to revive excommunication, but he cannot be prosecuted for refusing to read the service without the consent of the Bishop ; and if he thinks the deceased wicked, or at least if he thinks the Bishop would think the deceased wicked, he does not mean to read it. Besides, he says, the law only requires me to read the service over Christian; for Sir John Nicholl laid it down that the rationale of the exception of untiaptized and excommunicated persons and suicides is, that they are not Christians. And people whom I think wicked are not Christians, so it is legal to refuse to read the service over them. As a specimen of clerical law we consider this to be unique.
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