September 7
Daily Gleanings of the Saintly LifeSeventh Saturday after Trinity
This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever: and the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. S. John 6:50, 51.
If it needed humble trust and patient waiting for the men, women, and children of that company (the four thousand that were fed with seven loaves and a few small fishes) to partake of Christ's outward visible feast, surely He will expect us to be trustful and patient in respect of the Bread which cometh down from heaven. What that Bread is we know; it is the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ, verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful in the Lord's Supper. That is the seven loaves, the sevenfold or perfect feast, the feast full of all the rich gifts of the Holy Ghost, which He has miraculously provided to sustain us here in the wilderness of this present world. Do not go away from this feast, do not separate yourself from the mount and congregation of God's people; only wait on Him in patience and confidence, and see if He do not, according to the prayer which He hath taught you, give you this day your daily bread, the bread both of your souls and bodies. This day and all the days of your life "commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." He will save His people and give His blessing unto His inheritance, will feed them and set them up for ever.
Uphold our footsteps in Thy way, Nor suffer us in heart to stray; With patience bear, with counsel guide; From follies wean, from perils hide; In suffering soothe, in want defend; Confirm and stablish to the end!