been fatisfied. But it is evident, that both Four, and Five thousand fo fed, is an Effect infinitely above the Power of Natural Causes and Agents; and so is the Remainder of Seven, or of Twelve Baskets: be the Meafure of those Baskets, what it will. The Confiderations therefore, on which I design to insist, and the Practical Improvements to be made of them, belonging by Parity of Reafon to each Account, I shall think Both fufficiently treated of, under the Three following Obfervations, and the Inferences resulting from them. I. First, Our Lord's Behaviour, before this Feeding and Distribution, taken notice of Ver. 11. when he had given thanks, he distributed, &c. Or, as St. Matthew, fomewhat more expressly, looking up to Heaven, be blessed, and brake, and gave, &c. Matth. xiv. 19. II. Secondly, The fatisfying so many with so small a Store; He distributed of the loaves to his Disciples, and his Disciples to the multitude, and likewise of the fishes, as much as they would. III. Thirdly, The saving of the Remainders, Ver. 12. and 13. Upon these Particulars I shall endeavour to fay something, that may be of Ufe to Us in our own respective Circumstances. I. I begin with our Lord's Behaviour, before this Feeding and Distribution, called by the Evangelifts, Bleffing, and Giving of Thanks. By the Former, some Interpreters understand the multiplying Virtue, which he then commanded down upon the Suftenance they were about to take; and that marvellous Increase in the Hands of the Distributers, whereby it became a Repaft fufficient for fo vast a Multitude. Others, that he thus gave Thanks to his Father for, and begged his Blessing upon it, for the wholsome Nourishment of those Bodies, which were to be fed with it. And these Notions seem abfolutely necessary to that Passage of St. Mark, who, after the mention of his giving Thanks, adds, that he blessed Cc bleffed a few small fishes, and commanded to Chap. viii. 12. Set them also before the People. It is enough to warrant the indifferent Use of these two Words, that the Forms of Address to Almighty God, upon the Use of his Gifts for our Refreshment, have usually been mixed; and consist partly of Praises, and partly of Petitions. Accordingly we expressly call this Action, Giving Thanks, faying Grace, Blessing the Table, Craving a Blessing, and the like. Because the End of fuch Devotions is manifeftly Two-fold. They are defigned to render our Acknowledgments to God for his Liberality; and also to beg, that it may be sanctified to us, by tending to promote all those good Purposes, which fuch Bounty is intended to serve and advance. The Whole indeed of this Service feems to have been exactly described by St. Paul, when, condemning the Erroneous Superftition of Some, who preached up the Diftinction of Meats, he declares the Lawfulness of All, and, that the Danger lay not fo much in the Kinds eaten, as in the Manner of Eating. For every Creature of God 1 Tim. iv. 4, 5. (fays he) is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with Thanksgiving. For it is Sanctified by the Word of God, and by Prayer. Hence it seems evident, that a fecret Sense of God's Goodness, upon fuch Occafions, is by no means enough; but that it is expected, Men should make folemn and outward Expressions of it, when they receive his Crea tures for their Support. This is a Service and Homage, not only due to Him, but profitable to Themselves. The Creatures are, His, and therefore to be received with Thanksgiving: But the Santtifying those Creatures to Man's Use, and rendring that which is good in its own Nature, serviceable and advantageous to the Party receiving it, this depends upon the Word, or particular Blessing of the Creator; and therefore it is Our part to draw down that Word by Prayer. This 1 Drufius on This is to eat, and drink, like Men and Chriftians, when we perform an Act of Worship, which appears to have had a place even in Natural Religion, and the PraEtice of Heathens themselves. This was certainly observed by the Jews; This St. Paul would not omit in all the Confufion of a Storm and Shipwrack: This we have several Instances of in our Saviour: And This he here performed with great Seriousness and Zeal; thus teaching us, when, looking up to Heaven, that the Eyes of all ought, in the most literal Sense, to wait upon that Lord, who gives them their Meat in due Seafon. Luke xxiv. 30. And, What part of Religion can be better contrived, to keep up a conftant Awe and Reverence of God in our Minds? Which are too apt, but will scarce find it possible, to forget him, when accustomed to call upon his Name, at every Supply of those Natural Appetites, and Neceffities, which cannot but of course refresh our Memories very often. What can more effectually humble us, with a just Sense of our own precarious and depending Condition? What more dispose Men to ufe his Gifts moderately, to entertain them thankfully, to be content with their Portion, if it be little; to impart of their Abundance, if it be much; to compaffionate those who want the same Comforts, to recollect, that they are Stewards; and that their Orders are, to give freely of what they have received freely? What, Lastly, can be more likely to fanctify, to enlarge, and multiply our Blessings, than so decent, so publick, so devout, so humble, a Testimony of our Great Benefactor's Goodness? II. The Second Thing, I proposed to confider on this Occafion, is, The fatisfying so many with so small a Store. And here I might observe the Zeal of these Multitudes; the Nature of that Refreshment they were provided with; the Quantity, which only was a present Meal, CC 2 undeniably plain, that, what we fow is not quickened, except it die; and that which we fow, we fow not that Body that shall be, but bare Grain, but God giveth it a Body, as it hath 38. Cor. xv. 37, pleased Him, and to every Seed his own Body. This is what we call Natural, because it proceeds by Method and Rule, and in a Series of Causes. But if we trace Each of these to its first Head, there is no less Demonstration of infinite Power and Wisdom in this Increase, than in That, which, in the Scripture now at hand, we diftinguish as miraculous, because it was extraordinary and uncommon. Nay, I had almost faid, the Demonftration I am speaking of, is greater. For, when a Miracle is wrought, Nature is set aside, and its Process superseded; the thing is done at once, in an instant, and at an heat. But in That, which we call Nature, Providence acts by Inferior Causes, and fome of those, free ones too. And, albeit the whole goes on leifurely, and makes less vigorous Impressions upon the Senses: The Multiplicity however of those Caufes, what Wisdom must it require to direct, what Power to influence and invigorate, what steady Management to keep them uniform? So that This is, in Effect, a long Succession of Wonders; A Chain, in which, if one Link be broken or difplaced, the Whole falls to pieces. And the Links of this Chain are the Variations of every Day in the whole Year. Thus every Furrow in our Fields is loaded with Evidences of a Divine Power : And not Five thousand only, but Millions of Millions, to whom God gives Meat in due Seafon, are sustained by Omnipotence; and not one of them ever feeds at less Expence than that of a Wonder, nay, of an infinite Train of Wonders. III. The Last Head, I promised to speak to, is, Our Blessed Master's Care, that the Fragments remaining might be gathered up, and put into Baskets. For which, no doubt, this had been a fufficient Reafon, that Thofe might might prove both the Reality of the Miracle, and the exceeding Greatness of the Increase. But, in regard our Lord affigns Another, when saying, Gather up the Fragments, that nothing be loft: The proper Ufe, I think, of this Head, is, thence to form a Direction, how to manage our Substance to the best Advantage; and so to approve our selves Charitable and Kind, as at the fame time not to be Profuse and Indiscreet. Jesus, 'tis true, by setting his whole Store before the Multitudes, hath left us a Pattern of Beneficence and Largeness of Heart. The Provisions, growing so prodigiously upon his Hands, are an Emblem and Intimation of those unaccountable Acceffions, which we may sometimes obferve to the Fortunes of generous and merciful Perfons. And, by fome Paffages of Scripture, an unwary Reader might be led to think, that in those Actions there could be no Excess, at least no Possibility of Offending by such Excess. But yet the fame Jesus would not, that even Fragments should be loft; And herein he hath shewed, that all Referving for the future is not unlawful; that Charity is very confiftent with Frugality; indeed not only that they may, but should go together. For God will be fure to make a mighty Difference, between the Virtue, and the specious Extreme beyond it; between the Liberal, and the Lavish Man. That every one is bound, by the Rules both of Prydence and Religion, to moderate his Expences, to keep within his own Property, and retrench all Superfluities unsuitable to his Calling and Condition, is too notorious to need a Proof. That, which the Case before us feems rather to fuggeft, is, good Husbandry, in not laying out, even upon proper Objects, beyond such Proportions, as the Circumstances of our Affairs willallow. For, altho the Poor be our Care, yet are not they our only Care. The Justice of those Demands, which our Families have upon us, I had Occafion Fit for Adformerly to take notice of. But, befides CC 4 vent Sunday. These, |