"LOAVES AND FISHES."

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 40, 17 February 1914, Page 3

"LOAVES AND FISHES."

At the Foresters' Hull on Sunday evening an address was given by Mrs Harris-Roberts, who took for her subject "Loaves and Fishes;" in which she remarked that the Divine Master would no allow anyone of those five thousand to be turned away, but bade the descjiples "give them to eat."' The supply of spiritual food was inexhaustible, the five loaves representing■ the accumulated knowledge, wisdom, and experience of the five races of humanity; and the two fishes being the emblems of two living truths drawn from the ocean of infinite love, viz,, "The Fatherhood of God, and the- Brotherhood of Man." The people were bidden to "sit down in companies," so all teachings, all religions, held some aspects of truth, being fragments of the universaL whole, because in all could bo found the central faith in immortality. The twelve baskets of fragments gathered tip "afer they had all eaten," represent a thought of comfort for all of us; because our human efforts often appear so futilp,, and we leave so many things unfinished, imperfect, but the Christ gathers all our broken fragments into baskets, "nothing is wasted," there is enough to feed a thousand more. The motive, the desire, is greater than the seeming failure; and that great love which implants the desire, will gather up the fragments of human effort, and mako'them serve a supreme purpose in the place of life. Let us take heart of cheer, and "sit down" in the sweet silence of soul communion by the wayside, f;,o receive the sacrament of truth and love from the Christ; so shall "we also receive ' strength to "go away" and continue our appointed work. Let us "give thanks unto God" for the deathlessness of love; and so we can leave the fragmentary service of our lives to fUm who has, said, "Gather up fragments that remain, that nothing i be wasted."