Some early writers, not without justice, call this the greatest miracle that our Lord ever wrought. Perhaps we are poor judges of such points, and little able to make comparisons. But it is certain that on no other occasion did our Lord manifest so clearly His creative power. No doubt it was as easy to Him to cause bread to be, as to say " let there be light," or to make the earth bring forth herbs and corn at the creation of the world. But the miracle was clearly intended to be one which Christians should hold in special remembrance. It is at any rate note- worthy that this is the only passage in Christ's hfe which all the four Gospel-writers aUke record. In this respect the miracle stands alone.
The attempts of Neologians to explain away this miracle are simply contemptible and ridiculous. It requires more faith to believe their explanations than to believe the miracle and take it as we find it. None but a person determined to disbelieve all miracles, and cast them out of the Sacred narrative, would ever try to make out (as some actually have tried) that the four times repeated story of the miraculous feeding which we have consi- dered, only meant that the multitude brought out the hidden stores, of provisions which they had carried with them, and shared them with one another I
14. — [^Then those men.] This probably means the whole crowd and multitude which had been fed on this occasion.
* When they had seen the miracle.] Signs and wonders were ex^