Broken Bread, from an Evangelist's Wallet

1.—Man needs help. “They have nothing to eat.” (Mark vi. 36.)

2.—God is better than good men. “Send them away,” said the disciples. (Mark vi. 36.) “They need not depart,” the Lord replied. (Matt. xiv. 16.)

3.—Ministers should always be on the look-out for the children, they give help as well as trouble. Andrew said, “There is a lad here.” (John vi. 9.)

4.—Youth can give to jesus what no one else possesses. “There is a lad here which hath five barley loaves.” (John vi. 9.)

5.—Unbelief would fain cramp the love of jesus. “What are they among so many.” (John vi. 9.)

6.—“Order is heaven’s first law.” The crowd must sit down in companies of fifty before Jesus would feed them. “He commanded them to make them all sit down by companies.” (Mark vi. 39.)

7.—Christ would not have us eat without asking a blessing. “Looking up to heaven he blessed.” (Matt. xiv. 19.)

8.—Christ’s hands can do no more than ours. It was His touch that multiplied the loaves. If the disciples had kept the one basket, there would have been many faint by the way. Faith is the truest economy. (Matt xiv. 19.)

9.—The use of the church is to pass it on. “Gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.” (Matt. xiv. 19.)

10.—Eat what god sends. You cannot be saved by knowing the doctrine any more than looking at bread will satisfy hunger. “They did all eat, and were filled.” (Matt. xiv. 20.)

11.—When God is the host there will be plenty for everybody. “As much as they would.” (John vi. 11.) “Enough for each, enough for all, enough for evermore.”

12.—Omnipotence dislikes waste. “Gather up the fragments.” (John vi. 12.) “And they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.” (Matt. xiv. 20.) A basketful for each apostle.