The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1896-11-27
COUNTY OFFICERS.
SERMON BY REV. III. C..
PARKMAN,
Sunday next before Advent.

Text; ''Iather up the fragments
that remain. that nothing be lost. :"
st. John, 9Th chapter and 18th verse.
This Sunday is noted in the
Church's calendar as the Sunday
next before Advent. The Christian
year is almost at an end. The light
OF the Church's year is almost gone, a
little flickeriug for Il few days more
and then it will he burnt out. The
season of Advent is close at hand
when the Christian year begins again
its course. We may note here fact
probably known to you all that the
first Sunday in Advent is always the
Sunday falling nearest to st. Andrews
day which is the 3Oth day of Novem-
Der. Monday next will be ST. An
drew's day and the Sunday before,
the first Sunday in Advent.
In the past year We have enjoyed.
OR it has been our privilege to enjoy,
many days very sacred and dear to the
heart of the true Christian and ear
nest, devoted child Of the Church of
Christ. We have been led to ponder
on all the great truths of the Gospel
and life Of Christ in turn, and have,
God grant, learned we'll many of the
lessons which flow from those truths.
Christmas, Epiphany. Passion week,
Faster, Ascension aud Wmtsuntlde,
these were the stations at which we
we're hidden To stop that We might
carefully consider each truth rs sol
hath revealed 1t to US by His Holy
Spirit, tie spirit of Truth, whom
Shfist promised should lead HIS fai, h.
Sul ones into all truth.
In the Holy seaSuu OF Advent W.
llr..td as II vert flft, veIr.. Of rn- crl
InG''h the Wilderness saying 'Prtp;.I O
yt The way of tho Lord Bertnt W
for the kingdoM of Heaven Is at
hand" ana if We rightly used the time,
when Christmas Day came we had pre-
pared in our hearts place for Jesus.
our Emanuel to dwell. In the Epiph-
any season we learned of the many
Instances OF His manifestation to the
Gentiles.
Ia Lent We passed OH to the Fast
ing, the Temptation. the Betrayal,
Sutferings and Death of the Savior,
LEARNING the lessons of repentance and
sorrow for sin and to bear patiently
our cross after Him. Then we follow
ed Him Through the grave and gate
of death and saw Him pass Oh to the
joyful resurrection. teaching us that if
we are willing to be baptized into His
death we may also rise from the death
of sin to the life of righteousness. and
finally enter the gate Of everlasting
life witch lie hath opened for us.
We watched Him in the great forty
days following His resurrection, teach
ing the apostles what they should do
III founding His Earthly Kingdom, the
Church, .and tl,en; I'VE saw Him ascend
inth Heaven, learning the lesson that
We must also in heart and mind thlth-
er ascend. After this we saw the
Holy Ghost descend on the infant Ch-
urch gathered together on the Day of
Pentecost. as He had promised before
His ascension. Then all through the
season of Trinity we have been instru-
cted in Christian duties, in the neces-
. sary parts of an upright and holy life,
that We might indeed bring forth the
fruits of good works.
Let us now turn to our text and see
why the passage from which it is TAX
ell was chosen by the Church to lie
read as the Gospel for the Bay.
This miracle of the feeding
of the 5000 is the enly miracle
of our Lord related by all four
Evangelists and is therefore one of the
greatest Importance. 1t is the more
important from its bearing or the
Doctrine Of the Holy Communion, or
more strictly from its close connection
with the wonderful discourse OIL the
Bread of Life, which follows in the
latter part of the chapter. Of the
multitude which was fell We may fitly
say lsays Archbishop Trench] that in
them the promise Of tile Savior .'Seek
ye first the Kingdom of G<d and HIS
righteousness, and all these things
shall be added unto you," found u
practical fulfllment. They had come,
for that day at least, taking no
thought of what they Should eat or
what they should drink, only anxious
to hear the word nf life, only seeking
the Kingdom of Heaven; AMI now the
other things for which men strive to
the exclusion Of the performance of
t.-