The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-11-29
THE EPISCOPAL SERVICES.

THE EPISCOPAL SERVICES.
The congregations of St. Andrew s
Cathedral and of st. Clement s church
united yesterday in Thanksgiving Day
services at St. Andrew s Cathedral.
The services were at 10 O'Clock and
were exceedingly weil-attended.
On the altar. which was draped in
green, the color of the Trinity season,
were a number of masses of pampas
grass effective in its similitude of
sheaves of wheat, and within the chan
eel rail were potted palms. Outside
the chancel rail were potted fig trees
and other symbols of harvest and plen-
ty, the whole being very much IN keep
ing with the occasion.
The services were conducted by the
Rev. E. 7. Simpson, Rector Of the Ha-
waiian congregation. The service in
Guided that for morning prayer, and
the special services for Thanksgiving
Day as appointed in the prayerbook.
The Scripture lessons were read by the
Rev. l.. A Bliss, rector of St. Glenn
emf s church. The sermon was by the
Rev. w. f. Potwine. sThe TIE Deum
was Hopkins in G, and the anthem
was 1.-The River of God is Full of
Water (tenor solo) and ''Great is the
Lord and Marvellous. " Mr.. r. Bode
was the organist.
The Rev. W. E. Potwine took for
his text. l Chronicles 29:14, For all
| things come of thee. "
81 know of no better Words he
said, ''bv which to give direction to
your thoughts on this day set apart
by both civil and ecclesiastical author
ity for Thanksgiving to Almighty God
for his goodness and gifts during the
wear. | doubt not this declaration
made by King David finds an echo in
your hearts as you hear it in the daily
service of the church. But with what
ever profit we hear it on other Occa-
sions we will make no mistake | think
| in making it the theme and direction
| of our thoughts on this occasion. If
these services and the thoughts of this
| day shall have their influence IN con-
| duet throughout the year, they will bear
the natural fruit of the profound truth
which they embody.
| HThese words are a part of that
| HYMN of praise which the Shepherd
King composed shortly before his death.
He had appealed to the tribes over
| which he was called to rule to give of
| their substance for that temple which
| Solomon, his son, was to build. There
| had been a noble response. There were
| gathered there great quantities of gold
and silver and bronze and iron and
| other materials, and we are told that
those who had precious stones gave
| them. There seems to have been a gem
/ eral enthusiasm for making sacrifices
such as we hoped there would be when
| the appeal was made last year for the
men s thank offering on the occasion
of the 300th anniversary of the estab-
| lishment of English Christianity IN
| America. There seems to have been a
contagions of rapture from monarch to
people. The record says, ''Then the
| people rejoiced because they offered
willingly.
HThe ioy of David 'on this occasion
was more than a refreshing delight. AS
was usual with him when taken posses
sion of by such rapture, he took himself
to God, and composed the hymn OF
which the words of my text are
part. They seem to express truth
| too often forgot And it is certainly
i becoming to Christian people at least
on occasions like this of public thanks
| giving to make public expression of
their recognition that all things come
| from God. There can be no better
| words to express what ought to be the
sentiment of this day. They express
truth that rises high above the oc-
casion that called them forth. They
enunciate an inspired truth.
"Faith and religion know no other
/ 4 1zn,sn
| ligious scientists may do, the truly re-
ligious man at times turns himself away
from himself. and toward the infinite.
The statement in the first verse of
Genesis that sin the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth,
satisfies Him as to the origin of things,
and that, whether he chooses to believe
that God created all that is with
one stroke of his creative power, OF,
as seems more reasonable to believe, by
the slow processes of measured periods,
and the developing processes of his law,
it is God who supplies the finishing
touches of beauty whether in the king
dom of nature or in the kingdom of
grace. 1t was the thought uppermost
in David IS mind when he surveyed the
gathered gifts OF his people to be
united in a temple which should be call
ed the House of Prayer for all ma
tiOns.
"This is true in material things. 1t
is true of property. 1t is true of
wealth. Wealth no less than poverty
is the gift of God. Industry, economy,
temperance, virtue, Judgment, what we
call push, may contribute to success,
but they are powerless alone to bring
| it. In all the affairs of men there is
| that element which is called chance or
| luck which makes the difference be-
| tween success or failure. This element
which we may call opportunity is en-
tirely beyond man s control. Whence
comes it but from Code In whose hand
is the destiny of nations and who marks
the sparrow s fall? Luck and chance
with any other meaning can be nothing
but blinds pulled down which shut out
the flood of light that would otherwise
| pour into our souls.
''With what deepening significance
should these words sink into our minds
as we hear them from day TO day,
for all things come from Thee.
/