Connecticut western news., 1890-05-07
FEEDING THE MULTITUDE.
LESSON VI, SECOND QUARTER, IN- TERNATlONAL SERIES, MAY fl.

Text of the Lesson, Luke K, 1O-17-Com-
 init Verses 16, 17-Golden Text, John vi, | S5-Commentary by the Rev. D. M. Stearns.
 [Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
 mission of H. S. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel | phia
 The sending forth of the twelve, and the beheading of John the Baptist, briefly refer l red to in the opening verses of this chapter, are more fully recorded by Matthew and Mark. In connection with the first, it Is l worthy of note that He had just taught them | to pray that the Lord of the harvest would l send forth laborers into His harvest; then He called tho twelve and sent them forth to answer their own prayers. When we pray let us remember that God expects us to be | willing to be used by Him in answering our l prayers. .-.
 | 10. And the apostles, when they were re- 1 turned, told Him all that they had done."
 And He took them, and went aside private | ly" There were so many coming and going that they had no leisure even to eat, and He | took them aside to rest awhile tMark vi, 3I. l While we continue in these morta bodies we cannot work unceasingly, but the time will l come when we shall be able to serve unwea- l riedly Rev vii, 14 To be often alone with | Jesus is another essential to faithful service, for He Himself spent whole nights in prayer l to God.
 1 II. .And the people, when they knew it, l followed Him." John says that Jesus crossed | the Sea of Galilee, and the people followed 1 because they saw His miracles Matthew | and Mark say that Jesus went by ship and l that the people followed on foot and outwent Him. In the boat He would be an hour or Fl, and fIov1 a l have little rest; but what busy life He ! lived; it was true of Him 1.-The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up" tPs. lxix, 9; John ii, ID.
 "And He received them" Matthew and ! Mark both say that He was moved with com passion toward them. No pity for Himself, but full of pity for these sheep without 8 shepherd, even though he knew their motives in following Him. How unwilling are to be intruded upon by thoughtless people, our time is so precious. Oh, how unlike our l Masterl -
 "And spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of heal ingn Both body and soul He attended to, for He is Saviour for both, and the time will come when every saved soul shall have a redeemed body in which to dwell.
 12 'Send the multitude away" So said the twelve as the day began to wear away, and as they, weary and hungry, saw no prospect of rest, and not much prospect of even bite for themselves from their few loaves and fishes, if that hungry crowd re- mained. Not all the glorious things of the kingdom, of which Jesus had been speaking, could make even the twelve forget that they were hungry men, They had seen Him still the storm and raise the dead, but they seeni- ed not to consider that the same power could feed these hungry thousands. Their wisdom was to let them scatter where they might, and find food and shelter as they were able in the towns and country round about The l old question still lived, ssCan God furnish table in the wildernessf' Ps lxxviii, 19).
 13 "But He said unto them, Give ye them to eat" He had asked Philip, "Whence shall we buy bread that these may eat2' and Philip had replied that they would need about two hundred penny to give every one little.
 ''We have no more but five loaves and two fishes" When He asked Philip, He did it to prove him, for He Himself knew what He would do John vi, 8, just as He so often lets us get into a strait place to prove us, while l all the time He knows the way out and just what He will do
 IA, 15 "And He said to His disciples, Make them sit down by hfties in a company. And they did SO, and made them all sit down." Mark says: "Upon the green grass" John says: sThere was much grass in the place" (Mark vi, 80; John vi, 1O. The thousands were all now orderly arranged and seated in companies upon the green grass. Matthew says there were 5000 men besides women and children tMatt. xiv, 2D; so there may have been 12O companies of 50 each, or ten com panies to each of the twelve disciples. But observe the order, and remember the precept, "Let all things be done decently and in or l der," for God is not the author of confusion l q Cor. xiv, S3, 40. A disorderly home or room or wardrobe or bureau drawer or office or store is no credit to Christian. Confu- sion, disorder, tumult, unquietness are none 1 of the doings of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and the life of Christ is to be manifest in us. Let us lay it to heart.
 16. "Then He took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to Heaven, He blessed them, and brake, and gave to the dis ciples to set before the multitude" He took just what they had and used it. He took the | rod that was in Moses hand and wrought wonders with it. He took the widows pot of : oil and multiplied it.
 IT, ::'And they did eat, and were all filled. Philip thought that two hundred penny worth might be enough to give every one @ little, but Jesus does not give that way. His invitation is ''Eat O friends; drink, yea drink abundantly, o beloved" (Song of Sol V, D. And even these poor shepherdless 5 sheep He delights to fill. As the disciples pass around from company to company pressing more food upon them the answer comes from all directions, Satisfied, abun dantly satisfied.
 And there was taken up of fragment: that remained to them twelve baskets" In stead of a little for each disciple, which would have been all that twelve men could obtai1 Qx,1 azL1~ ,o 2 basketful for each. Had they selfishly kep
 what they had for themselves, how little they 3 would have had, but by giving it away wha I abundance becomes theirs. Afraid to givt l to God lest we have not enough for ourselves Q we continue poor; but when we cheerfully e give Him that which is all His own any way 3 then He makes us to enjoy His fullness, ant
 our cup runneth over. "The blessing of th
 Lord, it maketh rich; and He addeth n'
 sorrow with 1t" Prov. x, 29. He gav
 Himself to be broken and poured forth fo
 us; why should we hesitate to place our
 selves in His hands most unreservedly
 that we may be broken and passet
 round by His hands for the life O
 others? It may not be pleasant to the flesh
 but it will be wonderfully profitable "Ex
 cept corn of wheat fail into the ground ant
 die, it abideth alone: but If it die, 1t bringetl
 forth much fruitn John xii, 24. Who i
 willing to be passed round for the good o
 others, not loving his life here, so that he ma,
 keep it unto life eternal? Some miracles art
 recorded by three of the evangehsts, some b,
 two and some by only one; but this one is re
 corded by all four, and 1t Is, think, the onl
 one so recorded. May the reason be to teacl
 us that having received Jesus as the Bread Q
 Life for ourselves our great work now is t u pass the same bread to others. If all Chris
 tians everywhere would seek above all thing e to do this, the Gospel would soon be preache
 to every creature and the kingdom woul