Matthew Poole and continuators on Matthew 14:21

21 And they that had eaten, were about five thousand men, besides women, and children.

In the Relation of this Story, by the other Evangelists, there is no difference in what is Material, the others relate some Circumstances more, as that they sate down on the Grass, and by Fifties, one saith, by hundreds, and by Fifties, &c But they all agree in the quantity of the Provision, Five Loaves, and two Fishes the Number of the Persons fed five thousand (only one addeth, besides Women and Children) and in the Number of the Baskets full of Fragments. And in our Saviours lifting up his E[illegible: 1 letter]es to Heaven, and blessing them. These are the main things, observable in this History. In the History of the Miracle, as there is no difference between the Evangelists, to be reconciled, so there is no difficulty to be explained. It is a plain Relation of a matter of Fact, by which our Lord evidently shewed himself to be the Son of God, God blessed for ever, for he must in this necessarily exert a Creating Power, here must be a Production of a Substance or being, out of a not being, or it had not been possible, that five thousand Men) beside Women and Children) should have been fed with five Loves and two Fishes, and therefore some think, that it is said, that Christ Blessed the Loaves, as he blessed the living Creatures, Gen. 1.22. but we have not here the following Words, Increase and Multiply, which incline me rather to think, that the Blessing mentioned here, upon his lifting up of his Eyes to Heaven, was a begging Gods Blessing upon their Food, himself thereby paying the Homage of his Humane Nature to his Father, and teaching us according to that, 1 Tim. 4.4, 5. to receive the good Creatures, which Gods Providence affordeth us for our Nourishment, with Thanksgiving, Sanctifying them by Prayer. By this Miracle, and others of the like Nature. Our Saviour took from the unbelieving Jews, all manner of Cavil, and Exception to his Works: Tho Devils might by Compact, give place one to another, and some Exorcists of their own, might seem to cast them out, yet none ever pretended to multiply Bread and Fish, to such a Proportion as this, that such a quantity of either should feed such a Number, and leave such a remainder. This Hi[illegible: 2 letters]ory likewise further instructeth us, both concerning the low Condition of Christ, and his Disciples, their Faith in the Word of Christ, and our Duty, and safety in depending upon his Providence, while we are doing of our Duty, and minding the things of the Kingdo[illegible: 1 letter] o[illegible: 1 letter] God▪ and obeying the Will of God. St. Iohn observeth the Fruit of this Miracle, Iohn 6.14. Those Men when they had seen the Miracle which Iesus did, said, This is of a truth, that Prophet which should come into the World.