from water, at the marriage in Cana: equally seen in the corn, gradually ripened, and made into bread for the support of mankind, as in the bread miraculously blessed to the support of the five thousand. But the constant repetition of these surprising operations render them common, and being common, they are less observed. Our heavenly Father, therefore, condescends to deviate from the common order of things to rouse and awaken our attention. But if we are dead and utterly inattentive to the work of God in nature, where we see the divine magnificence and bounty so visible, so richly displayed, there is too much reason to fear, that outward miracles will not now awaken us. We are, however, apt to deceive ourselves in this respect, and are often led to conclude, that had we been present at so stupendous a miracle as that we are contemplating, we should have adored the divine hand that wrought it, and never have forsaken the blessed Jesus. But, alas! if all the displays of God's divine power of the works of creation, if all the evidences of his Omnipotence, if the continual supplies of his bounty, and the most legible characters of his adorable love written upon all the creatures of his hand, will not elevate our grateful and rejoicing hearts to him, there is great reason to fear, that had we seen the blessed Jesus feed five thousand men with five barley loaves and two small fishes; had we ourselves been partakers of this miraculous banquet, we should have acted like many' who really enjoyed these privileges, and have turned away at some of his hard sayings, "and walked no more with him.”

But to return. The people, when they had seen the Saviour of the world perform so stupendous a miracle, were astonished above measure; and, in the height of their transport, purposed to take Jesus by force, and make him a king, concluding that he must then assume the title of the Messiah, whose coming they had so long earnestly expected, and under whose reign they expected all kinds of temporal felicities.

But our Lord, well knowing the intentions of the multitude, and the inclinations of his disciples to second them, ordered the latter to repair immediately to their boat and sail to Bethsaida, while he sent away the former. They would, it seems, gladly have detained the people, with whom they fully agreed in sentiments; and even lingered till he constrained them to get into the boat; so fully were they still possessed, that their master was to take the reins of government, and become a powerful Prince over the house of Jacob.

The people suffered the disciples to depart without the least remorse, as they saw that Jesus did not go with them.

Perhaps they imagined he was sending them away to provide such things as they had need of in the expedition. Nor did they refuse to disperse when he commanded them, purposing to return in the morning, as we find they actually did.

Having thus sent the disciples and the multitude away, Jesus repaired himself to the summit of a mountain, spending the evening in heavenly contemplations and ardent prayers to his Almighty Father.

But the disciples meeting with a contrary wind, could not continue their course to Bethsaida, which lay about two leagues to the north-ward of the desart mountain, where the multitudes were miraculously fed. They, however, did all in their power to land as near that city as possible, and were tossed up and down all night by the tempest; so that at the conclusion of the fourth watch, or five o'clock in the morning, they were not above a league from the shore.

Their divine Master beheld from the mountain, the dilemma in which they were; but they were ignorant of his presence, though he was now coming to their relief, From hence we should learn, when the stormy billows of affliction assault, and seem

ready to overwhelm us, not to despair of relief; for God beholds every particular of our distress, and hath not forgotten to be gracious, but will surely hear our distress, and work our deliverance in a manner altogether unexpected. He often calms the storm of affliction that surrounds us, and commands the bellowing waves of distress to subside. Human wisdom, indeed, is often at a loss it can discover no hopes of deliverance, nor see any way to escape; but he can easily effect the one, or point out the other.

Such was the state of these disciples: they were tossed by boisterous waves, and opposed in their course by the rapid current of the wind, so that all hopes of reaching the place intended were vanished; when, behold their heavenly Master, to assist them in this distressful situation, comes to them, walking on the foaming surface of the sea. Their Lord's approach, filled them with astonishment; they took him for one of the apostate spirits, and shrieked for fear. Their terrors, however, soon removed; their great and affectionate Master talked to them, with the sound of whose voice they were perfectly acquainted. "Be of good cheer (said the blessed Jesus) it is I, be not afraid."

Peter, a man of a warm and forward temper, beholding Jesus walking on the sea, was exceedingly amazed, and conceived the strongest desire of being enabled to perform so wonderful an action.

Accordingly, without the least reflection, he immediately begged that his Master would bid him come to him on the water. He did not doubt but that Jesus would gratify his request, as it sufficiently intimated that he would readily undertake any thing, however difficult, at the command of his Saviour. But it appeared, that his faith was two weak to support him to that height of obedience to which he would have willingly soared. To convince this forward

disciple of the weakness of his faith, and render him more diffident of his own strength, our blessed Saviour granted Peter his request, He ordered him to come to him upon the

water.

Peter joyfully obeyed his divine Master : he left the boat, and walked on the surface of the sea. But the wind increasing, made a dreadful noise, and the boisterous waves at the same time threatened every moment to overwhelm him. His faith now staggered, his presence of mind forsook him; he forgot that his Saviour was at his hand; and in proportion as his faith decreased, the waters yielded, and he sunk. In this extremity he looked around for his Master; and on the very brink of being swallowed up, cried, "Lord, save me!" His cry was not disregarded by his compassionate Saviour; "He stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?" Matt. xiv. 31.

Peter was convinced, before he left the ship, that it was Jesus who was coming to them on the water: nor did he even doubt it when he was sinking, because he then implored his assistance. But when he found the storm increase, and the billows rage more horribly than before, his fears suggested, that either his Master would be unable or unwilling to support him amidst the frightful blasts of the tempest.

His fears were therefore both unreasonable and culpable; unreasonable, because the same power that had enabled him to walk on the surface of the deep, was abundantly sufficient to support him there, notwithstanding all the horrors of the storm; culpable, because he considered his Master as unable to preserve him, or that he paid no regard to his promise; for Jesus had virtually promised him his assistance, when he granted his petition. This circumstance should teach us not to be presumptuous and self-sufficient; not to rush on danger, and

Bly in the face of opposition, unless there is a necessity for so doing. We should never refuse to undertake any action, however difficult, when the cause of Christ calls upon us; or abandon the paths of virtue from a fear of the resentment of the children of this world; but we should, at the same time, be careful not to go farther than necessity obliges us, lest, like Peter, we repent our own temerity.

This miracle alarmed the disciples, for though they had so very lately seen the miracle of the five loaves, they did not seem to have before formed a proper idea of his power; but being now fully convinced that he could be no other than the expected Messiah, they "came and worshipped him, saying, of a truth, thou art the Son of God." Matt. xiv. 33.

When our Lord disembarked, the inhabitants of the neighbouring country ran to him, bringing with them all those that were sick, and they were all healed. It must be remembered, that though Jesus ordinarily resided in the neighbourhood of Capernaum, yet he had been absent ever since his visiting Nazareth; and therefore it is natural to think, that the inhabitants, on his return, would not omit the opportunity of bringing their sick in such crowds, that it was impossible for Jesus to bestow particular attention on each of them; and this was the reason for their beseeching him, "that they might only touch the hem of his garment and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." Matt. xiv. 36.

No. 6.

The virtue of that power by which he wrought these things, lay not in his garment, for then the soldiers who seized them at his crucifixion might have wrought the same miracles, but it was because Jesus willed it to be so. It was now the acceptable time, the day of salvation, foretold by Isaiah, and Christ's volition was sufficient to remove any distemper whatsoever.

It has been mentioned that our blessed Saviour, after miraculously feeding the people, ordered them to disperse and retire to their places of abode.

The former command they obeyed, but instead of complying with the latter, they stayed in the neighbourhood of the desart mountain; and observing that no boat had come thither since the disciples had left their Master, they concluded that Jesus still continued in that place, and had no Hence design of leaving his attendants.

they were persuaded, that though Jesus had modestly declined the honour of being made a king, he would accept it the next day; especially as they might fancy his disciples. were dispatched to the other side, with no other intention than to prepare every thing necessary for that purpose. Hopes like these animated them to continue in this solitary wilderness, and take up their lodgings, in the caverns of the rocks and mountains, notwithstanding their difficulties were greatly increased by the raging of the storm.

But no sooner did the cheering rays of light appear, than the multitude left their retreat, and searched for Jesus in every part of the mountain, to the summit of which they had seen him retire. Finding their search in vain, they concluded that he must have departed for the other side, in some boat belonging to Tiberius, which had been forced by the storm to take shelter in a creek at the foot of the mountain. Accordingly, they repaired to Capernaum, where they found him in the synagogue teaching the people; and could not help asking him

with some surprize, "Rabbi, wheu camest thou hither?" John vi. 25.

To this question our Lord replied, that they did not seek him, because they were convinced by his miracles of the truth of his mission, but because they hoped to be continually fed in the same miraculous manper as before. Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat the loaves and were were filled." These filled." These are the views which induce ye to follow me; but ye are entirely mistaken; for happiness does not consist in the meat that perisheth, nor is it that sort of meat ye must expect to receive from the Messiah.

Mere animal food, which please and delight the body only, are not the gifts he came down from heaven to bestow; it is the meat that endureth to everlasting life, divine knowledge and grace, which, by invigorating all the faculties of the soul, make it at once incorruptible and immortal; neither ought ye to follow the Son of man with no other intention than to obtain the meat that perisheth; but in hopes of being rewarded with the meat that endureth to everlasting life; "Labour not for the meat. which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you for him hath God the Father sealed." John vi. 27.

The Jews, who were accustomed to the metaphors of meat and drink, as they are frequently found in the writings of their own prophets to signify wisdom and knowledge, might have easily understood what our blessed Saviour meant by the meat" enduring to everlasting life." They, however, entirely mistook him; imagining that he spake of some delicious healthful animal food, which would render them immortal, and which was only to be procured under the government of their great Messiah. It is therefore no wonder that his exhortation should so greatly affect them, that they

asked him what they should do to erect the Messiah's kingdom, and obtain that excellent meat which he said God had authorised him to give to his followers.

The Jews were elated with the prospect of the mighty empire the promised Messiah was to establish, and, doubtless, expected, that Jesus would have bidden them first to rise against the Romans, vindicate their own liberties, and then establish in every country, by the terror of fire and sword, the authority of that powerful Prince so long promised to the Jewish nation.

To con

vince them, therefore, of their mistake, and inform them what God had really required of them, towards erecting the Messiah's kingdom, Jesus told them, that they should believe on the person sent to them from the God of Jacob; but at this answer they were exceedingly offended. They were persuaded that he could not be the Messiah, promised by the prophets, who took no care to erect a temporal kingdom. And some of them more audacious than the rest, had the confidence to tell him that since he assumed the character of the Messiab, and required them to believe in him as such, notwithstanding his character was entirely different from the great deliverer described in the sacred writings, it was necessary that he should perform greater miracles than either Moses, or any of the old prophets, if he was desirous of convincing them that they ought to believe him the long-promised Messiah. "They said, therefore, unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work? Our Fathers did eat manna in the desart; as it is written he gave them bread from heaven to eat." John vi. 30.

By extolling the miracles of the manna, by calling it bread from heaven, and by insinuating that this miracle was wrought by Moses, the Jews endeavoured to depreciate both Christ's mission, and his miracles of the loaves. They considered his miracles as a single meal of terrestrial food, at which

not above nine or ten thousand had been fed; whereas Moses had supported the whole Jewish nation, during the space of forty years in the wilderness, by celestial food. To this objection the blessed Jesus replied, " Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." John vi. 32. Moses did not give you the manna that fell around the camp in the wilderness, nor did it descend from heaven; it was formed in the regions. of the air, by the Omnipotent hand of the God of Jacob. But by the miracles of the loaves, my heavenly Father hath typified the true, the spiritual, the heavenly bread, which he himself giveth to the sons of men, and of which the manna was only a symbolic representation; the food that sustained the Israelites in the wilderness was sufficient only for a single nation; but this is for all the children of men.

Having made this answer to those who listened attentively to his doctrine, he turned himself to such as had heard him with prejudice, and took every advantage of wrestling his words. You asked me, said he, to shew you a sign that ye may see and believe me to be the true Messiah. Surely you have seen it: you have seen my character and mission in the many miracles I have performed; miracles abundantly sufficient to convince you that I am really the Messiah so often promised by the ancient prophets, so long expected by the whole Jewish nation. But notwithstanding all these proofs, your hearts are still hardened;

you expect a temporal prince who shall raise the Jewish kingdom above all the empires of the earth: and because I do not affect the authority and pomp of an earthly monarch, you reject me as an impostor. Your infidelity, therefore, does not proceed from want of evidence, as you vainly pretend, but from the perverseness of your own dispositions, which perhaps may in time be overcome; for all those that the Father hath given me, however obstinate they may be for a season, will at last believe on the Son of God. Nor will I ever reject any who may at any time come to me, however low their circumstances may be, however vile they may appear in their own eyes, or however greatly their violence against my doctrines may have been exerted. I came : down from heaven not to act according to the common method of human passions, which excite men to return evil for evil, but to bear with them; to try all possible means to bring them to repentance; and lead them in the strait paths of virtue, which terminate at the mansions of the heavenly Canaan.

It is the fixed determination of my Father, to bestow eternal life on all who truly believe in me and therefore I will raise them up at the last day.

As the prospect of the greatest part of the Jews, extended no farther than temporal privileges and advantages, it is no wonder that they were offended at this doctrine: especially at his affirming that he was the bread of life, and that he came down from heaven. Was not this Man, said they, born into the world like other mortals? And are we not acquainted with his parents? How then can he pretend to come down from heaven?

But these degrading thoughts could not escape the censure of him, to whom nothing is secret; you need not, said the blessed Jesus, object to my birth, and meanness of my relations, nor consider them as incon