ficence and largeness of heart. Yet this same Jesus would not that even "the fragments should be lost;" and herein He has showed us, that charity is very consistent with frugality: and, indeed, not only that they may, but that they always should, go together 3.

SECT. LX.-Christ walketh on the Sea.-Matt. xiv. 22-33; Mark vi. 45-56; John vi. 15–21.

STRUCK with astonishment and respect at so great a miracle, they at once pronounced Him to be the Saviour and Deliverer whom, according to the ancient prophecies, they expected to appear, and whom, according to their false notions of a Messiah, they considered to be a great temporal prince': and they would at once have invested Him with temporal honours, but He, who knew the thoughts and designs of men, perceived their intention and withdrew Himself. So hard was it for our Lord, whilst performing those miracles which were necessary to testify His mission, and which often drew great crowds of people after Him, to keep the headstrong and hasty multitude from such disorder, as would have disturbed the course, and cut short the time of His ministry, and drawn on Him the character and the fate of a turbulent seditious malefactor; contrary to the design of His coming, which was, to be offered up a lamb blameless, and void of offence. He con⚫ Bishop Mann.

Dean Stanhope.

Dr. S. Clarke.

tinued, however, always to keep free from their manifold indiscretions, His innocence appearing clear to the very last, even to him who delivered Him up for crucifixion o.

We read that our Saviour, having spent the day in acts of charity, and in relieving and instructing the people, withdrew to a secret place, where He spent the evening alone in prayer and contemplation. Our Saviour left not the people till the evening came on; and the hours which He ever passed in solitude and retirement were few, compared with those which He spent in the discharge of His duty; but He has hereby left us an example, that we also should set apart portions of our time for private and solitary acts of religion, "communing with our own hearts" and that, whilst we ought to employ all the powers and abilities which God has conferred upon us to the glory of their Author, and the benefit of our generation; so we have time enough, as our Saviour had, for the one and the other, for the exercise of public and of private duties and virtues, and that neither of them should be omitted". Our blessed Lord also entered on all His great works with prayer on His tongue. When He was about to enter on His great work of humiliation, in His passion He went into the garden to pray; and now, when He was about to enter on the great work

6 Locke.

7 Dr. Jortin.

of the exaltation of our flesh, by His transfiguration, He went up into a mountain to pray.

He had directed His disciples to depart and to take ship upon the lake, and the disciples were already on the sea, when they were overtaken by a storm, and were tossed about for many hours together upon the boisterous waves; Jesus, however, was not unmindful of them, and "in the fourth watch," that is, between the hours of three and six in the morning (for the Jews had adopted the division of time common to the Romans), He came to them "walking on the sea," and appeared as though He would pass by them, by which means He gave His disciples time to view Him distinctly and composedly, and St. Peter particularly an opportunity of addressing Him'. Yet their "heart was hardened," "they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. Jesus said, It is I; be not afraid; and Peter answering, said, If it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water; and Jesus said, Come." Yet his heart failed him, and, sinking in the water. he cried, "Lord, save me." This miracle of Christ walking on the sea, seems to have been designed to encourage their faith in Him, and to show that it was in proportion to the degree and perseverance of their faith, that "Archbishop Newcome.

8

Bishop Hale.

they could evidence their trust and dependence on God'

SECT. LXI.-Christ teacheth in the Synagogue at Capernaum.-Luke xii. 1-7; John vi. 22-65.

DIVERS of those that had been fed by Christ miraculously in the desert of Bethsaida, remained upon that ground all the night, still expecting that Jesus, who had withdrawn from them, would return again; for they had perceived that "Jesus went not with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone." But when, in the morning, they found Jesus did not come back to them, they also "took shipping and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.' And it was the day following the feeding of the five thousand, that He taught them in the synagogue of that city. He told them that they only followed Him for the present benefits which they hoped to receive through Him; and not for the true end for which He worked His miracles, which was, that they might believe on Him and have everlasting life. In allusion to their late feast, He makes His discourse expressive of spiritual food by a metaphor of meat and drink. Such a mode of speech is not uncommon in Scripture, or in other writings of Eastern nations'; and consequently, not as obscure to those whom Jesus addressed, as they might be thought to be to 'Bishop Porteus.

2 Dr. Clagett.

3 Dr. Whitby.

Q

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The

our colder and less imaginative minds. He thus speaks later in the story: "I spake it to you that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees "." multitudes had followed Christ for the sake of the loaves, expecting to be fed again as they had been the day preceding; and being disappointed, they affect to despise the miracle, and extol Moses for having wrought a greater in bringing bread from heaven. Our blessed Lord then took occasion to assert His own superiority, and invites them to eat, not such temporary perishable food as the manna which their forefathers had eaten in the wilderness, but the true living, that is, the everlasting bread from heaven; describing, under that name, belief in Him and obedience to His doctrine as being spiritual food and nourishment to the soul. Christ then tells them that they must expect no other food to be provided for them by Him, than His own flesh and blood. This doctrine was in truth a hard saying, and we may well understand their exclamation, "Who can bear it?" for He had said that He had come down from heaven, and that His flesh should feed men to eternal life ; and we may the more readily admit it to be a hard saying, when we see how difficult it is, even at the present day, to come to any agreement as to the true sense Bishop Mann. 6 Dr. Hammond.

Matt. xvi. 11.

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