But how wretched were these Gadarenes, who preferred their swine to their souls, and besought him to depart out of their coasts, who was their defence and their glory! May divine grace preserve us from a temper like theirs! And may those of us, who have ourselves experienced the restoring power of Christ and his gospel, be engaged to adhere to our great Benefactor, and gratefully to devote those powers to his service, which he has rescued from dishonour, mischief and ruin!

We cannot but remark in this place, that we have here a fuller display of the tyranny and power of the devil than in any other part of Scripture; and, therefore, we may oppose it to the loose scoffs, and recommend it to the serious attention, of those infidels, and thoughtless sinners, who, like the Pharisees and Sadducees of old, when exhorted to abandon their evil courses, from a consideration of the power of Satan, and the dread of eternal torments, made a mock of both, esteeming them nothing more than religious fables, calculated to keep an ignorant world in awe. But with regard to themselves, they vainly think their minds too well furnished with wisdom, and their discernment too penetrating, to believe anything of the flames of the bottomless pit, and the malice of the prince who sways the sceptre of

that horrid place; esteeming him a more mild and generous governor than he is represented in this miracle. But could they be persuaded to attend seriously to the miserable spectacle drawn by the evangelists of a wretched mortal, naked, dwelling in tombs, crying out day and night, cutting himself with stones, furious, fierce, destructive; surely their scoffs and idle mockeries would be changed into compassion, and a watchful care of themselves. This certainly common prudence would dictate. But if they will deride, and still disbelieve, a short space of time, perhaps a single moment, will convince them of their fatal error; and dreadful experience force them to acknowledge the greatness of the tyranny, the bitterness of malice, of this prince of darkness against the souls of men.

May that blindness of mind, and obduracy of heart, be removed, that so they may know and acknowledge the salvation of God, even Jesus, who is the way, the truth, and the life!

CHAPTER IX.

OUR LORD PROCEEDS IN ACTS OF MERCY AND BENEVOLENCE.-ADDS MATTHEW TO THE NUMBER OF HIS DISCIPLES.-CASTS OUT AN EVIL SPIRIT.-PASSES AGAIN THROUGH GALILEE.SELECTS TWELVE FROM AMONG HIS DISCIPLES, AS HIS CONSTANT FOLLOWERS AND COMPANIONS, AND ADDRESSES THE MULTITUDE IN AN EXCELLENT DISCOURSE.

THE arrival of our Saviour and his disciples at Capernaum, a city of Galilee, was no sooner published, than such throngs of people were gathered together, that the house could not contain them, nor even the court before it. He, however, preached the words of eternal life to the listening audience, among whom were many Pharisees and doctors of the law, who from the fame of his miracles were come from all quarters to hear him.

He not only addressed them in the most nervous and pathetic manner, in order to inculcate the doctrines he delivered; but also performed such astonishing miracles as ought to have removed all their scruples with regard to the truth of his

mission.

Among other instances he gave of his divine

power, was that of restoring a man to perfect health, who had long been afflicted with the palsy, and was reduced by that terrible disease to the most melancholy condition, being unable to move any member of his body, but seemed rather an emaciated carcase than a man. This miserable object was brought in his bed by four persons, who being unable to enter by the door, on account of the multitude, carried him to the top of the house, which, like the other roofs in that country, was flat, and had a battlement round, according to the direction given by Moses."-Deut. xxii. 8.

On these roofs there was a kind of trap-door, by which they came out of the houses upon the roofs, where they spent a considerable part of the day. It was also common to have a flight of stairs from the garden to the roof; and by these the persons seemed to have carried the sick of the palsy; but finding the door fastened, forced it open, and uncovered the roof, and through the opening let down by ropes the sick of the palsy, lying on his bed, into the midst of the company, before Jesus; who, seeing the faith of the friends of this afflicted person, had compassion on him, and spake aloud, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven thee."

The Scribes, taking offence at this saying, cried out, This man speaketh blasphemy; for he appro

priates that to himself which is solely the province of Omnipotence. "Who can forgive sins but God only?" They were ignorant that the person who uttered such gracious words was the Son of God; and consequently, had the power of forgiving the sins of the human race.

But our Lord, who had recourse to the most secret recesses of the heart, and was willing to show them that he was really endued with the Spirit of God, said to them, "Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For whether is easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed and walk?" These were questions beyond the abilities of the haughty Scribes to answer, and therefore they held their peace. The blessed Jesus then added, that the miracle he was going to perform would sufficiently demonstrate that he had not usurped what did not, in the strictest manner, belong to him. And turning himself from those bigoted teachers of Israel, towards the sick of the palsy, he said unto him, "Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine own house."-Matt. ix. 6.

Nor was this divine mandate any sooner given, than the man was restored to his former health and strength; and, to the astonishment of all present, rose, took up his bed, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. And all the