all his wonted earnestness, but supplied by miracle the wants of all who waited on him. This event being replete with instruction, I shall set before you,
I. The Miracle he wrought —
The multitudes who followed him were reduced to the greatest straits —
[The evening was closing in upon them, and they had no provision for the support of their bodies after their great fatigues. What their motives were for such a protracted attendance upon him we do not exactly know. It is possible that some loved to hear his instructions ; whilst others sought to obtain either for themselves or their friends a miraculous cure of their disorders : and some possibly were actuated by no better motive than that of gratifying an idle curiosity. But, however this might be, our Lord " had compassion on them," and determined to avert from them the evils to which their inconsiderate zeal had exposed them. He proposed indeed to Philip, in the first instance, to purchase bread for them. But this proposal was made solely to try the faith of Philip ; Philip knew that no funds which they possessed would suffice to feed so many. Two hundred pence, which is about six guineas of our money, would scarcely suffice to give to every one of them a little piece of bread, and much less to satisfy their hunger : and therefore the Apostles proposed that the multitude should be dispersed.]
But our Lord wrought a stupendous miracle for their relief —
[He ordered the multitude to be arranged in rows of fifty in depth and a hundred in breadth: and, that being done, he told his Disciples to dispense to them all the food which they had, consisting of five loaves and two small fishes. This was done : and every Apostle, whilst distributing the food, found the pieces in his hand still undiminished. And, after all were satisfied, he commanded the remnants to be gathered, to no less an amount than twelve baskets full; so ample was the supply, and so indisputable the miracle that had been wrought for them.]
Without dwelling on any of the smaller incidents of the miracle, we may proceed to consider,
II. The instruction to be derived from it — Truly, it will be found very instructive — 1 . In a moral view —