pieces; and he was driven by the demon, into desert places. Night and day was he in the mountains, or in the tombs, continually crying and bruising himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus, he ran and fell prostrate before him, crying with a loud voice: What hast thou to do with me? Son of the most high God, I beseech thee torment me not; for Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man.*

Then Jesus asked him: What is thy name? And he answered: Legion; because many demons had entered into him. Now a great herd of swine, about two thousand, were nigh, feeding on the mountain : and the demons earnestly besought him, not to drive them out of the country, nor into the abyss; but if he should cast them out, to suffer them to enter into the swine so Jesus gave them leave. Then went the demons out of the man, and entered into the swine; and the whole herd rushed down a steep bank into the Lake and were choked.† Now when the keepers

* Matthew mentions two demoniacs, Mark and Luke, only one. Here we can apply the maxim of Le Clerc: "He who relates many things, comprehends the few; whilst he who relates the few only, denies not the relation of the many." But a reason for this difference is usually assigned from Augustine, that one of the demoniacs had been a person of great respectability, and the country was in greater anxiety concerning him. Farmer and Wetstein are nearly of the same opinion. Nor is it improbable, that two demoniacs might have met on this occasion, who lived separately at other times. However, a principal reason may be collected from the Gospels themselves, why Mark and Luke mention only one; because only one being grateful for his cure, his gratitude is recorded by the two Evangelists, who were more intent on inculcating the moral, than in magnifying the power of their Master. See Newcome's Harmony.

The fourth objection arises from the destructive tendency of the miracle. But this being the only miracle wrought by Christ to the disadvantage of any individual, supposes some special cause. Now the keepers of these swine were either Jews or Heathens: If Jews, a punitive miracle may be allowed, in the destruction of their swine, kept in direct violation of their own Law. which they acknowledged to be of divine origin. But if these Gadarenes were heathen, their city, being in the confines of Palestine, was inhabited by disciples of Moses, and their conduct in keeping swine, among

saw what had happened, they fled, and told every thing in the city and country, and what had befallen the demoniac. Therefore the whole city and people of the neighbouring country of the Gadarenes, went out to see what had been done; and coming to Jesus, they found the man out of whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and of a sound mind,* and they were afraid: and on being informed, by those who had seen, of the means by which the demoniac had been cured, and concerning the swine, they began to entreat him to leave their coasts. So entering the vessel, he was about to return, when the man who had been possessed of the demons earnestly begged leave to accompany him. But Jesus sent him away, saying: Return to thy home and friends, and tell them, how great things God in pity has done for thee. So departing, he published through the whole city and Decapolis, what things Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

the Jews, was not only a snare to them, but open contempt of the national religion, founded on divine authority, and therefore meritorious of rebuke. Moreover, though the miracle was of individual disadvantage, its tendency was benevolent; for in that country, swine's flesh has a powerful influence in superinducing Leprosy, which is a most bainful and loathsome disease, and was therefore graciously prohibited.

* Here Luke and Mark seem plainly to express their opinion that the man's disorder was insanity. This is farther evident from the language of the man himself. He says, his name was legion! Such a name could only originate in a mind, sufficiently frantic to imagine something of which there could be no possibility of knowledge. Again could demons have such predilection for the country of Gadara, and such dread of being drowned, as to be so importunate with Jesus, not to drive them out of that country, nor into the deep! If they were so much afraid of water, and so desirous of inhabiting the swine, why did they run straightway into the water, and destroy their new abode? Now, if the man's case were a certain species of insanity, all this would seem natural; and the narrative, intelligible, but dressed in the peculiar phraseology, and conveyed through the medium of the popular superstition, with which the historian had no right to intermeddle. See Lecture eighth of my Systematical Theology

SECTION TWENTY-FIRST.

CURE OF THE PARALYTIC.

Now when Jesus had passed over in the vessel to the other side, a great multitude gathered around him, and rejoiced at his return; for they were all waiting for him. And entering Capernaum after some days' absence, it was reported that he was at home; and immediately so many were assembled that even the places about the door could not contain them; and he preached the doctrine to them. And it came to pass that while he was teaching, there were present Pharisees and Doctors of Law, who had come from Jerusalem, and from every village of Galilee and Judea; and a mighty power of healing was displayed before them. Lo! four men came, bearing on a couch a man sick of the palsy; and they tried to bring him and place him before Jesus; but finding no means of approaching him, because of the multitude, they ascended the flat-roof,* and having removed the cover

* The houses of the Jews, as well as those of the ancient Greeks and Romans, were flat-roofed, and had stairs on the outside, or in the porch, by which persons might ascend the roof, without entering the house. In some of their cities, these roofs form a continued terrace, extending from one end of the city to the other; so that a person on the roof, might flee from the city, without coming down, Matt. xxiv. 17. These roofs are covered with a strong coat of plaster of terrace, having in them a trap-door, level with the roof, and covered with the same materials, which opened for the convenience of ascending to take fresh air. The roofs were also furnished with battlements round about for safety, Deut. xxii. 8; Judges xvi 27; 2 Sam. xi. 2. Now many have thought that the men, having ascended the roof, forced this trap-door, and removed some part of the adjoining roof, to make way for the lowering of the paralytic on his bed, into the midst of the house where Jesus sat.

Shaw, however, has very ingeniously, and, I think, successfully, shown, that the roof was not broken, nor the trap-door forced, by the bearers of the paralytic. He says the entrance to one of the principal houses, is through a porch, having benches on each side, and sufficiently large for transacting business and receiving visits, persons being seldom admitted into the interior of the dwelling. In this gateway are generally placed the stairs, leading to the upper

ing and forced a passage, they lowered down, by the tiling, the couch on which the Paralytic lay, into the court before Jesus, who seeing their faith said: Courage, son; be thy sins forgiven.*

Then began some of the Scribes and Pharisees to reason, saying within themselves: Why does this fellow speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but the ONE GOD? Then Jesus perceiving their thoughts, said to them: Why reasoning in your

apartments of the house. From this porch the entrance is through a large court or quadrangle, generally paved with marble, and strewed with mats or carpets for the accommodation of company, being the usual place of reception for large parties or entertainments; and from the structure of the building, being in the resemblance of a square, around the court, properly styled the midst of the house, Luke v. 19. The court is covered with a veil, as a protection from the heat or inclemency of the weather, which being extended from one side to the other, by ropes fixed to the parapet walls or ballustrades, can be rolled up at pleasure. The bearers of the Paralytic, therefore, either forced a passage through the door, in the gateway, which leads to the roof, or they ascended by the adjoining terraces, and as Jesus was, in all probability, preaching to the people in the court, from one of the windows of the house, the men having rolled back a part of the veil, let down the sick man over the parapet wall of the roof, into the area, or court of the house before Jesus. In justification of this interpretation, Shaw observes, that oreyn, translated roof, may mean any covering, consequently the veil or covering of the court; that the word ouavres, breaking up, is omitted by the Cambridge Ms. and Syriac version; and that the preposition dia, through, may mean by, agreeably to Acts ix. 25; and 2 Cor. xi. 33, where it is rendered by or over, the wall. Hence the couch of the Paralytic was let down over the battlement, or ballustrade, by the tiling into the court, or midst of the house where Jesus was teaching: and there was no breaking of roofs or forcing of trap-doors, but a suitable zeal, faith, and perseverance, manifested by the bearers of the Paralytic, which God rewarded with an abundant blessing.

στεγη,

* Physicians say that palsies are sometimes occasioned by intemperance, if this was an instance, great appropriateness would appear in the address of Jesus: Thy sins be forgiven. We have already shown both the Jewish opinion, and, indeed, the scriptural doctrine, of connexion between sin and disease, we therefore judge it unnecessary, to add any further remarks at present, but only observe, that when sin is removed or forgiven, disease must depart; and he that would live long, and see good days, must do good and shun evil continvally.

hearts, think ye evil? Whether is it easier to say to this paralytic: Thy sins be forgiven, or Rise and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins, I say, (addressing the paralytic) arise, take up thy couch and go to thine abode. Then instantly he arose in their presup that whereon he lay, and went home, glorifying God. But when the multitude saw this, they were all amazed and filled with fear, saying: We have seen stranger things to-day and they glofied God, who had given such power to men.

ence, took

*The beds of the eastern nations, especially the Jews, consist ed of only a matress, laid on the floor, and over it a sheet; but in winter a carpet.-Harmer.

+ The strange things which they had seen that day were these: 1. The power of working miracles displayed before them, in a very eminent degree.

2. The return of a prophet, after an absence of many generations, whose claims to a divine commission were, that day, duly attested by the miracle for the Jews had no prophets from Malachi to Christ. 3. An authority assumed by man to act as the deputy of the Most High, in absolving sin; and saving mankind.

4. Lastly, the reign of heaven, commenced under the auspices of their long expected Messiah.

Oh! these were strange things to the Jews, and, heaven knows, to many Christians. Reader, is thy soul under the influence of heaven's reign? Is the kingdom within you? Is thy soul at peace with thy Maker? and art thou reconciled to him through the blood of the everlasting Covenant? If not, thou art as blind, dark, and hardened as these Jews, who crucified their Lord; and except a divine power be exerted on thy soul, thou canst not see the kingdom. May God speak to the frozen, and morally dead thousands of mankind, that they also may exclaim: We have seen strange things to-day!

SECTION TWENTY SECOND.

CALL OF MATTHEW LEVI.

And after these things as Jesus passed thence, he saw a Publican, named Matthew Levi, son of Alpheus, sitting at the Tax-office, and said to him: Follow