The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1899-02-17


did on them that were diseased" The true
disciples followed Him because they be-
lieved Him to be the Messiah, Israels de-
liverer and King, but the majority of peo-
pie saw no beauty in Him; they only saw
wonder working man who could heal
them when they were sick or feed them
when hungry. He had crossed the sea,
perhaps to be more alone Nith His Father,
for He was SO misunderstood by men, even
by His disciples, but His Father under
stood Him perfectly. Tho multitudes,
however, would not let Him alone, their
needs were SO many and He was SO able to
meet them
8, a. "And Jesus went up into noun
tain, and there He sat with His disciples,
and the Passover, a feast of the jews was
nigh The Passover was feast of the
Lord, but it had become a mere feast of
the Jews, anything but an honor to God.
To Him all was very real; the animals
slain by His own hand to provide coats of
skins for Adam and Eve (Gen. Iii, 21);
the lambs by whose blood the flrstborn
were saved in Egypt; the sacrifice He was
soon to offer of Himself-all were to Him
very, very real, but to them a religious
ceremony, weary FORM
g. "When Jesus then lifted up His eyes
and saw great company come unto Him,
He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we
buy bread, that these may eatp" He was
full of compassion for the multitudes,
who were as sheep without shepherd
AS to their spiritual condition, their teach
ers, the scribes and Pharisees, would nei-
Their enter the kingdom themselves nor
suffer others to enter Whatever religious
rites they performed the object was to be
seen of men (Math xiii, 5. 49,
6. "And this He said to prove him, for
He Himself knew what He would do.
Mans thoughts and ways are very earthly.
The Lord needs none of them. His are as
far above ours as heaven is higher than
the earth lisa. lv, 81. He intends to fill
this earth with His glory, and He knows
just how He will do it. 1t was all plain
to Him from the beginning. He will
complete His body, the church, He will
make Israel all righteous, He will subdue
all things unto Himself, and He will let
us be partners with Him in His kingdom
and in all things tending to it, but He
needs no suggestions from us as to how it
shall be done.
z. "Philip answered Him, Two hun
bred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient
for them that every one of them may take
little" Therefore the matter of feeding
them was wholly out of the question, the
money necessary was not to be had, and
If they had the money where was the bread
to be found? So to Philips mind tho idea
was simply preposterous. He did not
know his Lord, nor did he know Him
even up to the night before He was cruel
fed (John xiv, 81.
8, g. lone of His disciples, Andrew,
Simon Peters brother, saith unto Him,
There is lad here which hath five barley
loaves and two small fishes, but what are
they among SO many?' We look around
and find that we have just so much, just
the veriest trife of what is necessary for
the work, so little that it Is not worth
considering, and SO we, like Andrew, feel
that it is folly to think of it. These things
are written for our instruction. May we
learn from them and from other Scrip
lures to have faith in God, to dwell with
the King for His work Il Chron. iv, 23),
sure that what the King purposes He is
able to carry out All power in heaven
and on earth is His
10. "And Jesus said, Make the men sit
down. Now, there was much grass in the
place. So the men sat down, in number
about 5000. All suggestions, encourag
ing or discouraging, are now ended. The
Lord, who knew just what He would do.
takes the matter in hand and begins to
work. He is the author and hnisher of
every good work He is the only Creator.
tho only Redeemer, there is none but He,
and none like Him. He says, | will work,
and who shall let it or turn 1t back? lisa.
xiii, 49, All the disciples have now to
do is simply to watch Him and obey His
orders. He fed millions for 40 years. He
gave them flesh to the full without kill
ing single OK or sheep.
H. "And Jesus took the loaves, and
when He had given thanks He distributed
to the disciples, and the disciples to them
that were set down, and likewise of the
fishes, as much as they would" He
might have rained bread from heaven as
He did in the wilderness, but He took
what was at hand, and looking to His Fa-
Their that He might work He multiplied
it, as He did the oil and meal for the
prophet and those with whom He lodged,
and the oil for the widow that her debt
might be paid Il Kings, XII, IA; II Kings
iv, y.
10. "When they were filed He said I'M
to His disciples, Gather up the fragments
that remain that nothing be lost" While
He provides abundantly He will have moth
ing wasted. Filled and OVERLOOKING but
all to His glory, and that many may be
benefited. An abundance of wine at the
feast in Cana and much over, an abun-
dance to eat on this occasion and much to
spare, but nothing wasted, nothing lost
Whatever He gives us is that He may be
glorified. How sad when He has to say
"the God in whose hand thy breath is and
whose are all thy ways hast thou not
glorified" (Dan. V, 2S). When He per-
oeives in us real desire to glorify Him.
we shall be abundantly filled
IS. Therefore they gathered them to-
gether and filled 10 baskets with the frag
ments of the five barley loaves which re-
manned over and above unto them that
had eaten" People filed and baskets
filed, and He did it all without any help
from man. How wonderfully He used
the lad and his loaves. Years ago pray
ed that might be like one of those loayes,