PART ance, are often figured in the gofpel by a IV. marriage which a king made for his fon, and by a feaft, to which many guests were invited. The old patriarchs and prophets foretold, and expected this alliance. They were, in fpirit, the amicable guests of the bridegroom, and partook of the firft wine he provided. The fynagogue, occupied in external purifications, and neither in body or mind prepared for the nuptials, had only empty water-pots, and were fatisfied that the minifters, whofe power extended no further, fhould fill them with water. But when the time was accomplifhed, the bridegroom came in perfon to fit down at the table of the guests, with his mother and his disciples: and, by the efficacy of his Spirit, turned the water (with which the fynagogue was contented) into a fine-flavoured wine, not only far exceeding that infipid water, but by many degrees more excellent than the wine of the patriarchs and prophets, who had only a bare hope, but not the reality of bleffings; and even more delicious and exquifite than what had been served to the disciples at the beginning of the feaft, before the ample effufion of the Spirit, and before they were divinely inebriated with it on the day of Pentecoft, a day of compleat folemnity of nuptials, in which the bride and bridegroom enjoyed the entire poffeffion of the divinity in common, and in which Jefus Chrift's humanity was not only placed at the right hand of the Almighty, but shared alfo with the Word, the effufion of the Spirit and the heavenly wine.

1.

That Spirit of grace and love was not to be CHAP. communicated with that abundance, till after Jefus Chrift had entered his glory. It was requiring a miracle of him, before his hour

was come, to afk of him the most exquifite wine before his return to heaven. But the figure might precede without inverting the order; and whilft Jefus Chrift refuses the truth even at the request of his mother, in order to obey his heavenly Father, he obliged her with a miracle which was the external fign and pledge thereof.

The first increase of loaves in the defart: Jefus Chrift's divinity proved: The heavenly fuftenance figured by a miraculous food.

A de

Great multitude followed Jefus in the defart, because they faw his miracles "which he did on them that were diseased ; "* he was moved with compaffion toward "them, and he healed their fick. And "when it was evening, his disciples came to << him, faying, This is a defart place, and the "time is now paft; fend the multitude away, "that they may go into the villages and buy "them victuals. But Jefus faid unto them,

They need not depart, give ye them to eat ; "and addreffed himself in particular to Philip,

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"fay

PART " faying, Whence fhall we buy bread "that these may eat? (and this he faid to

IV.

prove him, for he himself knew what "he would do). Philip answered him, "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not "fufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. Jefus answered, How ‡ many loaves have ye? go and fee. And Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, faith unto "him, There is a lad here, which hath five "barley loaves and two small fishes; but what are they among fo many? Jefus faith unto them, Make them all to fit down by companies upon the green grafs. And they fat "down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties. "And Jefus took the loaves, and when he "had given thanks, he diftributed to the dif

ciples, and the difciples to them that were "fet down; and likewife of the fishes, as "much as they would. When they were filled, he faid unto his difciples, Gather up "the fragments that remain, that nothing be loft. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which "remained over and above unto them that had "eaten. And they that had eaten were about "five thousand men, befide women and chil"dren. Then thofe men, when they had "feen the miracle that Jefus did, faid, This "is of a truth that prophet* that should come "into the world. When Jefus therefore per"ceived

+ John vi. 5. ↑ Mark vi. 38.
Whom God had promised to Mofes.

John vi. 9.

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"ceived that they would come and take him CHAP. by force, to make him a king, he departed I. again into a mountain himself alone."

He had already constrained his difciples to enter into a ship without him, to go to Capernaum, whither he went the next day, and where the multitude, which he miraculously fed in the defart, demanded of him how he came thither, as he did not enter the ship with his disciples? And then it was that Jefus made that long speech related by Saint John * in these words, cc Verily, verily, I fay unto you, ye feek me, not because ye faw the miracle, but because ye did eat of the loaves " and were filled. Labour not for the meat " which perifheth, but for that meat which "endureth unto everlasting life, which the "Son of man fhall give unto you; for him "hath God the Father + fealed:" and this hath he typified under the miraculous bread with which ye were fed.

I fuppofe that all this is read by a man who unhappily has no faith, but is concerned at it, and endeavours to be inftructed; or at least by one who judges impartially, and is an enemy to all frivolous or ill-grounded difficulties. What precaution would he have had taken before the increase of loaves, in order to be affured of the truth of it? 'Tis Chrift's disciples that remind him it was time to dismiss the people, that they might adjourn to the neighbouring villages and get food. Upon his ordering them

* Verse 26.

† Τετὸν γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐσφράγισεν ὁ Θεός;

to

PART to buy provifions themselves for the multiIV. tude, they replied, That it was impoffible, becaufe even with a large fum they could provide but a little quantity of victuals for each. He bids them enquire, whether there was any provifion remaining among the multitude of people that staid behind, and diftribute to them who were most in need of it; and after a strict examination, they found only five loaves and two fishes. What would the above-mentioned perfon have defired more? was not the teftimony of twelve infpectors fufficient? And as the people were all acquainted with the difquietude in which Jefus Christ seems to be on their account, were they not obliged by all reafon to eafe him, by fhewing their refources and helps, if they had any? The want is therefore certain, and the means of providing against it seems impoffible. This is the firft circumftance.

Jefus Chrift commands his apostles to make the people fit down upon the grafs, and to place them in ranks by hundreds and by fifties. By this method all confufion was avoided, and the attendance render'd easier. Besides, the miraculous operation was hereby exposed to the view of all the multitude, and there was no poffibility to deceive by any artifice, a people feated at different tables, who certainly knew whether they were fed or not, and whether they had abundance or fearcity. Confufion might have covered the deceit. They might have thrown a few loaves among

the