The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-07-13
THE FOUR THOUSAND

LII lilCSS I'd vs. inc Illuililuuc vel
great and having nothing to eat Jesus
called His Disciples unto Him and satin
unto them: Il have compassion on the
multitude. and If send them away fast
ing to their own homes, they will faint
by the way, for divers of them came
from far" And His disciples answered
Him: IRON whence can man satisfy
these men with bread here in the wild
erness?" And He asked them, How
many loaves have ye?" And they said
seven And He commanded the peo-
pie to sit down on the ground and He
took the seven loaves, gave thanks and
broke and gave to His disciples and they
did set them before the people. And
they had few small fishes and He
blessed and commanded to set them also
before them. So they did eat and were
filled and they took up the broken meat
that was left seven baskets. And they
that had eaten were about four thousand
and He sent them away.
Mark viii 10
In Christ philanthropy was control
ling power; not a dream, but a fact.
There are two different methods of
dealing with social problems.
Send the mutitudes away is one;
give we them to eat is another. We
often have the remedy at hand while
we faithfully seek it afar.
No man knows the full range Of his re-
sources This applies to mind, money.
Influence. in fact to all that goes to
make up his life. His powers seem from
the outside to be as a grain of mustard
seed, but planted and used in the right
way. none can foresee what the issues
maybe.
The disciples took a discouraged view
OF their situation.
''t?FJe have but seven loaves, but few
small fishes Lower, lower, yet they
sink in their representation Of their stock
"a Picture of men who have no faith.
The life that is in a man multiplies the
Slender outside resources.
See the entire fulness of Christ in re-
laucn to all human need. Christ cared
for the bodies of men. and His religion
can never be unnindfpl of social, COM
rnerclal or physical question. The white
man came from God and the end Of time
the white man must be profoundly inter-
esting to God.
All our resources must be taken to
Christ, if we would make them truly
available for the needs of men. We
hardly yet understand Christ's relation
to natural questions LET the people
rraise Thee. + Then shall the
Garth yield her increase" Man does
not lose bread by praying over it. No
life spent in true devotion is wasted. II
Christ Cooked up to heaven while using
the things Of earth, shall we use the
Things of earth as though there was no
heaven?
great bounty. '"Fhey took up Of the
broken meat that was left seven baskets
full God will not suffer loss. He makes
use Of every sunbeam now that fell upon
the first morning of time; the dew which
eittered in Eden, sparkles in the rainbow
of to-day.
With such power to multiply leaves
why be SO careful about these frae-
ments? The spiritual here vindicatesl
itself from the charge of wasteful-
ness. The one is the counterpart of the
other. The spiritual is not, cannot, be
waste, but rather the fresh accumula-
ton of power. The crumbs OF one meal
should be the germs Of another In the
whole universe there is nothing wasted,
though the bounty be so liberal and the
feast SO long continued
Standing in full view of that molly
company, He paused. Cooked up to
Heaven and gave thanks" before He
divided the food to the waiting multi
tude.
AS we stand daily by our tables blessed
by His bounty, with abundant cheer and
encrcled by our loved ones. do we lift
up our hearts and hands to the Giver
of All Good Things?
Or, as we sit solitary and alone, with
perhaps very meagre fare, do we still
give thanks in remembrance of His
love?
He has shown us that no place is too
public, no act too commonplace no busI-
ness too urgent, no trial too intense, but
that we may hallow it by asking Gods
blessing on it. Do we follow where He
has led?
Chrst's power remains the same IN
all the wilderness Of time.
ibid ever trouble yet befall
And He refuse to hear thy call?"
There need be no surprise at this state
ment.
If man will closely examine himself
he will find that in his own experiences
have been delivera1ces unexpected and
thrilling, which will prove that in every
life the miraculous element is the most
positive and influential.
Trials may arise through following
Christ. But if they come He is there
to divine to understand, and to relieve
Do they not come everywhere? Which
is BEST trials with or without Christ?
In Christs hands the impossible become
the possible. Hear the startling order
Feed four thousand people with seven
1oaves and few small fishes! The dis.