The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-01-27 00:00:00

THANKSGIVING SERVICES.

AT SANDRINGHAM.

On Sunday morning the princess of Wales, with the Hon.
Mrs. Gray, Sir W. Knotty!, Colonel Teesdale, Mr. Franels
Knollys, Mr. Hohmann, and Dr. Gull, attended Divine
service In the pariah church of St. Mary. Her Royal High-
ness, who was looking much improved in health, drove to
and from the church hi a brougham There was a
iiinnerons congregation, the beautiful little edifice
being tilled with the Boyal household. the tenantry,
:int the villagers, and an air of cheerfulness pre-
vailed in fall accordance with the spirit of tiumksgiving
.oiliest forth anil expressed in the form of prayer provided
for tiled:ay. The service was performed by the Rev. W.
Lake Grialow, the responses being vie nrat, according to
Tatham, the hymn selected being 2..0 and 324, from
" Hymns Ancient and Modern." The prayers of the con-
gregation for the continued recovery of the Prince of
Wales were asked in the Litany, and the Archbishop
of Canterbury's Form of Prayer for the day was
impressively read SIM respondent to. The sermon wan
preached lie the rev, rector, from the text. Psalm 110, 7th
verse Return onto thy rest, 0 my ltoul, for the Lord
hoth dealt bottotifatly with th," The preacher with
deep emotion, expatiated on the feelings of gratitude Mr
deliverence from trouble and danger expressed by the
psalmist, and the lesson to Ile drawn both from the
trials of this life and from the mercies vouchsafes/ by
the bounty of Providence.. It is one thing, he
observed, to receive that Inounty, Will another ,„,to
discern the hand that lestows every goo.' and per. Rot
gift, to be sensible of the absolute and constant dependence
of every being upon God for Me, and breath, and all things.
The Almighty frequently marks the bounty of His dealings
with the favoured souls in the means which lie eniploys, and
in the results which appear extraordinary and far beyond the
reach of human wisdom, thus leading His children tni
see the entire inability nit creatures to procure deliverance,
in order that their escape may be more signal, and may
more evidently point out the finger nit God. Ile proceeded
to illustrate the acknowle.imnent which such Divine/teatimes
demand, and made a speoial allusion to the mercy for which
they. were that day returning thanks, ''To-day, ' he said,
"we have had a form of thanksgiving sent to us; we
have heard it read, and followed it, I trust, with
our deep and earnest feelings for our beloved and
Royal master. We have not been behind in sincere
thought and aspiration, and we well know that
God Almighty ha. answered those prayers and intercessions
which we have coffered up day and night at the Throne of
Grace and thus, by the mercy of I hint, he Is preserved to
us, and we, If all is well, shall see him again among us in
his bright rejoicinih manhood, and to the joy of all the
hearts of this our nation. Ile stands, as it were, a monu-
ment of God's mercy to our sanitary, ourselves, our
homes, and every social tic which binds man with
man. Anal even in those distant missions where the
British flag flies, where the telegraphic wire has
communicated the fact, ' All Is well,' we hear
those words sounding forth across land and ocean from
thrilling and rejoicing voices, ' God bless the Prince of
Wales, the Princess n 1 Wales. and every member of Eng-
land's Roy,' Family.'" The preacher concluded with the
following lines which had been written and sent to him by
an eminent poet of the day :

For further answer be it known
That a whole people's prayerful love
Drew down on earth's most glorious throne
Each brighter r,Tace from Heaven above,
And that the mother and the wife,
sweet watchers by his couch of fear,
So lovely both In heart and life.
Lived with him long to bless us here.

WINDSOR.

Thanksgiving for the recovery of tha Prince of Wales was
observed at the Chapel Royal, St. George, Windsor Castle,
when a , ry eloquent and appropriate sermon was preached
In the morning by the Hon. and Rev. Canon Courtney, the
text being from the sth chapter of St Matthew, 4th verse,
"A ad Jeene saith unto him , See thru tell no man it go
thy tray,shoto thyself to the pried, and ofer the gift that Mods
commanded, for a testimony unto them." In the afternoon
there was a grand choral service, and the thanksgiving
anthem," nix is the day !" composed by Sir George Elvey,
was beautifully sung by the choir. The chapel was crowded
to excess at both services, and the National Anthem was
played at the close. At the parish church of St. John, the
Rev. H. J. Minion, vicar of Windsor, and chaplain to the
Queen, preached an impressive sermon. The National
Anthem was also played at the close of the service.