Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-06-17

us and interests us. So n is with the
lad with the loaves and fishes. So it
may be with you. my boy. and you, my
girl. You may be one of the bows or
girls TO carry the loaves and fishes
which Jesus will use to bless the ever
widening circle of those about.
RUT there is something else about
- this lad which attracts our atten-
ton. Andrew says to Jesus: There
is lad HERE" He was n lad who
could bee found. He was near Jesus.
l wonder what his playmates were
doing at this time, 1 wonder il il
didn't take good deal of moral
Courage for him TO leave his PLAY and
follow Jesus! l wonder il they didn't
try TO poke fun at him for wanting
TO go IL the Sunday school and preach
ing service and prayer meeting where
Jesus was. They do to-day. don't
they? He might have stayed behind
and divided mp his cakes and fish with
his companions and they would have
said he was good generous fellow.
Perhaps when he started off they
tainted him with being stingy be-
cause he would rather take his pos
sessions and give them TO Jesus than
selfishly use them for himself OBJ.
If we could only go back and know
all that il cost that lad TO bravely fol-
low Jesus, and be where Jesus could
find him and use his little Offering,
we would be ashamed of our coward.
ice and selfshness. when we STAY away
from Jesus because of the ridicule of
our associates, and because we selfish
~ want for ourselves what Jesus
would be SO glad to bless and use for
others. We need boys to-day. and
girls, too, who can be found. Bows
and girls whose actions and words are
right and clean, even though mother
and father, and teacher or employer
are not around to see and hear. One
of the greatest things that can be said
of any boy or girl is that il is known
where he or she may he found. The
boy is HERE! The girl is HERE!
BY reading between the lines we NAV
- know what kind of boy this lad
was. He was n thoughtful boy. or
else he would never have been the ONLY
one in all that vast company of peo-
pie who had been provident enough
TO bring something to eat. He was
"A generous boy, else he would not
have been so willing to give what he
might perhaps with good reason have
SAID lac needed and must have for his
own use. lie was n modest lad. for
lie stood in the background until
called out by Andrews words. lie
was an obedient boy, for it is certain
he was prompt 10 respond to the call
and TO yield TO the request made of
him. And, rs We have already sug-
g"sted, he was n brave, dare-t o. be a
Daniel boy. He dared To do right. he
dared TO stand alone. We know what
kind OF a boy he was at home, on
the playground, on the street, in the
schoolroom, everywhere. He was a
dependable boy. He was not playing
hockey that day. He was not idly
roaming In disobedience TO parents
and TO the neglect of his duties.
have &c doubt that he had been up
very early in the morning that he
might get his chores out of the way
and have a clear conscience when he
S'dIttu OH lHIS "TRIP 10 the mountains
where Jesus was. He was boy
mother and father were proud Of.
Sisters and brothers looked up to
him. lie held the good will and opin-
ion Of his associates, even though they
sometimes poked fun at him and tried
to make him believe that he was tied
to mothers apron strings.
A Nd this lad Of our text grew to be
~ man. no doubt. And il is not hard
10 tell what kind of man he made.
Did YOU ever see a sturdy young oak
tree turn out to be a gnarled briar
bush when grown? Did you ever see
wheat field turn to useless tares, as
it developed into maturity? Did you
ever see "A brave hearted, clean-lived
boy. who lived near Jesus. grow up
to be a wicked. bad man? It's the boy
that makes the man IT is the rule
that the good boy makes the good man,
and the bad boy the bad man. There
are exceptions. of course. i'm both di-
rections. But il is almost inevitably
the case that what the boy is to-day
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