Matthew Poole and continuators on Mark 8:9

9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand, and he sent them away.

All these verses gives us an account of another Miracle wrought by our Saviour, of the same Nature with the other which we had, Chap. 6. only there five thousand (besides Women and Children) were fed, with [illegible: 1 letter]ive loaves and two Fishes, here, four thousand are fed, with seven L[illegible: 1 letter]aves, and a few Fishes, there twelve Baskets full of fragments were taken up, here but Seven. We meet with the same History Matth. 15.32. see the Notes on that place. Both M[illegible: 1 letter]racles testified Chr[illegible: 1 letter]st to have acted by a Divine Power, and were certainly wrought to prove, that the Doctrine which he delivered to them was from God; both of them shew the compassion that he had for the Sons of Men, shewed to them not only with relation to their Spiritual, but also to their Corporal wants, and Infirmities. In both of them is commended to us, from his great example, the religious custom, of begging a blessing upon our food, when we sit down to it, and receiving the good creatures of God, with Thanksgiving. From both of them we may learn, In the doing of our duty, not to be two sollicitous, what we shall eat, or what we shall drink. God will some way or other provide for those, who neglect themselves to follow him. From both we may also learn our duty to take a provident care, to make no wast of the [illegible: 1 letter]oo[illegible: 1 letter] things, which God lends us. These are the chief things this His[illegible: 1 letter]ory a[illegible: 2 letters]ordeth us for our Instruction.