JESUS WALKING ON THE SEA.

and the fishes, he did it by his own
power; for Jesus is God. And a
little time afterwards, he again fed
four thousand people with a few
loaves and fishes; and then seven
baskets full of fragments were taken
up. How kind he was to his hungry
suffering people!

God gives us bread to eat every
day we live, and we should. be very
thankful to Him for it. But He
can give us better food than this.
He can give us food for our souls,
as well as for our bodies. What is
this food? Jesus Christ; He is the
“bread of life,” the “living bread
which came down from Heaven,” of
which the manna in the wilderness

421

was the type. John vi. 35, 49—51.
Christ is compared to bread, be-
cause He can keep the soul from
perishing, as bread can keep the
body from dying of hunger. But
bread will do our bodies no good, if
we do not eat it; and so Christ will
do our souls no good, if we do not
receive Him into our hearts by faith.
The bread we eat only keeps our
bodies alive for a little time; but
Christ can keep our souls to eternal
hfe. He says, “He that eateth of
this bread shall live for ever.” John
vi. 58. Let us say then as the
disciples did, “ Lord, evermore give
us this bread.” John vi. 34,

 

CCLXXXVI.

JESUS WALKING ON THE PEA.

IHEN the people had fin-
( {S| nished eating, Jesus told
~)| His disciples to get into a
ship, and go to the other
side of the sea of Galilee.
sent away the multitude,

 

Then He
and went up to a mountain alone,
and there He spent many hours

in prayer. Jesus was weak and
tired; but He was never too tired
to_pray, nor too tired to do good to
any who came to Him.

But where were the disciples. all
this time? They were in the ship
in the midst of the sea. And they
were in great danger; for the wind
was high, and the sea was rough, and
the ship was tossed with the waves ;
and Jesus was not there to comfort

and take care of them. But He
had not forgotten His disciples; He
had seen them all the’ time; and
now, when they were in sorrow and
danger, He came to help them.
How did He come? Did He get
into a ship, and sail to them across
the sea? No; Jesus did not want
a ship to take Him across; he came
to them “ walking on the sea.” But
did He not sink in the water? No;
He had made the sea, and He could
do as He pleased with it. The
waves did not bend under His feet ;
He walked on firmly, and came
near to the ship. The disciples saw
Him coming, but they did not
know Him at first; and they
thought an evil spirit was coming