used for fishing on the lake. His disciples.' Not merely the apostles, but others. There were many other ships in company with him, Mark iv. 36. This circumstance would render the miracle much more striking and impressive.

24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

'A great tempest.' A violent storm; or a wind so strong as to endanger their lives. This lake was subject to sudden squalls. The ship was covered with the waves.' The billows dashed against the ship, Mark iv. 37; so that it was fast filling, and in. danger of sinking. 'He was asleep.' On the hinder part of the vessel, on a pillow, Mark iv. 38. It was in the night, and Jesus had retired to rest, probably weary, and he slept calmly and serenely.

25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.

'Save us.' Save our lives. 'We perish.' We are in danger of perishing. This showed great confidence in the Saviour. It shows also where those should always go, who feel that they are in danger of perishing. There is none that can save from the storms of Divine wrath but the Son of God.

26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

'Why are ye fearful?" You should have remembered that the Son of God, the Messiah, was on board. You should not have forgotten that he had power to save, and that with him you are safe. Christians should never fear danger, disease, or death. With Jesus they are safe. No enemy can reach him; and as he is safe, so they shall be also, John xiv. 19. Rebuked the winds.' Reproved them; or commanded them to be still. What a power was this! What irresistible proof that he was Divine! His word awed the tempest, and allayed the storm! There is not, any where, a sublimer description of a display of power. Nor could there be stronger proof that he was truly the Son of God. 'Great calm.' The winds were still; and the sea ceased to endanger their lives.

27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

'The men marvelled.' Wondered; or were amazed. 'What manner of man!' What personage! How unlike other men' What a vast display of power; and how far exalted above mortals must ne be!

None but God could calm the heaving billows, and scatter the tempest. No scene could have been more grand than this display of the power of Jesus. The darkness; the dashing waves; the howling winds; the heaving and tossing ship; and the fears and cries of the seamen; all by a single word hushed into calm repose; all present an image of power and divinity irresistibly grand and awful. So the tempest rolls and thickens over the head of the awakened sinner. So he trembles over immediate and awful destruction. So while the storm of wrath howls, and hell threatens to engulf him, he comes trembling to the Saviour. Christ hears; he rebukes the storm; and the sinner is safe; indescribable peace takes possession of the soul; and he glides on a tranquil sea to the haven of eternal rest. See Isa. lvii. 20, 21. Rom. v. 1. Phil. iv. 7.

28 And when he was come to the other side, into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

The same account of the demoniacs substantially is found in Mark v. 1-20, and Luke viii. 26-39. 'Country of the Gergesenes.' Mark, v. 1, says that he came into the country of the Gadarenes. This difference is only apparent. Gadara was a city not far from the lake Genesareth. Note Matt. iv. 25. Gergesa was a city about twelve miles to the south-east of Gadara. He came into the region in which the two cities were situated, and one evangelist mentioned one, and the other another. No men would have written in this manner but those who were

acquainted with the facts. 'There met him two.' Mark and Luke speak of only one that met him. "There met him out of the tombs a man,' Mark v. 2; There met him out of the tombs a certain man,' Luke viii. 27. It is to be observed, however, that neither Mark nor Luke say that there was no more than one. They might be led to fix the attention on one of them that was more notorious, and furious, and difficult to be managed. Had they denied plainly that there was more than one, there would have been an irreconcilable contradiction. As it is, it shows that they were honest witnesses. Witnesses in courts of law often differ in unimportant matters; and, provided the main narrative coincides, their testimony is more valuable.

6

Luke has given us a hint why he recorded only the cure of one of them. He says, there met him out of the city,' a man, &c.; or, as it should be rendered, a man of the city,' a citizen. Yet the man did not dwell in the city; for he adds in the same verse, 'neither abode he in any house, but in the tombs.' The truth was, that he was well known; and the people felt a deep interest in his case. Luke was therefore particularly struck with it; and as his cure fully established the power of Jesus, he recorded it.

The other that Matthew mentions was probably a stranger, or a person less notorious. Coming out of the tombs.' Mark and Luke say that they dwelt in the tombs. The sepulchres of the Jews were commonly caves, beyond the walls of the cities in which they dwelt, or excavations made in the sides of hills, or sometimes in solid rocks. These caves, or excavations, were sometimes of great extent. They descended to them by flights of steps. They afforded, therefore, to demoniacs retreat and shelter. They delighted in these gloomy and melancholy recesses, as congenial to the wretched state of their minds.

29 And behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?

'What have we to do with thee? The meaning is, Why dost thou trouble, or disturb us? See 2 Sam. xvi. 10. 2 Kings ix. 18. Ezra iv. 3. Son of God.' The title, Son of God, is often given to Christ. It denotes his peculiar and near relation to the Father, as evinced by his resurrection, Ps. ii. 7. Acts xiii. 33. It denotes his peculiar relation to God as his Father, Luke i. 35; and is equivalent to a declaration that he is Divine, or equal to the Father, John x. 36. Art thou come hither to torment us,' &c. By the time here mentioned is meant the day of judgment. The bible reveals the doctrine that evil spirits are permitted to tempt and afflict men, but that in the day of judgment they also will be condemned, and bound to everlasting punishment with all the wicked, 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jude 6. These spirits seemed to be apprized of that, and alarmed lest the day which they feared had

come.

Mark and Luke say that Jesus inquired the name of the principal demoniac, and that he called his name Legion, for they were many. The name legion was given to a division in the Roman army. In the time of Christ it consisted of six thousand. It was used to signify a large number, without specifying the exact

amount.

30 And there was a good way off from them a herd of many swine, feeding. 31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 And they that kept them, fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing; and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.

"They that kept them fled.' These swine were doubtless owned by the inhabitants of Gadara. Swine were to Jews unclean animals, and it was unlawful for them to eat them, Lev. xi. 7. The Jews were forbidden by their own laws to keep them, even for the purpose of traffic. This conduct is easily vindicated. 1. If Christ be Divine as well as human-God as well as man- then he had an original right to that and all other property, and might dispose of it as he pleased, Ps. 1. 10-12. 2. If this property was held by the Jews, it was a violation of their law, and it was right that they should suffer the loss; if by the Gentiles, it was known also to be a violation of the law of the people among whom they lived; a temptation and a snare to them; and an abomination in their sight; and it was proper that the nuisance should be removed.

34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart cut of their coasts.

"The whole city came out.' The people of the city probably came with a view of arresting him for the injury done to the property; but seeing him, and being awed by his presence, they only besought him to leave them. 'Out of their coasts.' Out of their country. This shows: 1. That the design of Satan is to prejudice men against the Saviour; and even to make what Christ does an occasion why they should desire him to leave them. 2. The power of avarice. These men preferred their property to the Saviour. It is no uncommon thing for men to love the world so much, as to see no beauty in religion, and no excellence in the Saviour; and, rather than part with it, to beseech Jesus to withdraw from them. The most grovelling employment; the most abandoned sins; the most loathsome vices, are often loved more than the presence of Jesus, and all the blessings of his salvation. Alas, how many are there, like the dwellers in Gadara, that ask him to depart; that see him go without a sigh; and that never, never, again behold him coming to bless them with salvation.

CHAPTER IX.

1 AND he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city.

Jesus recrossed the lake of Genesareth, and returned to his own city. By 'his own city' is meant Capernaum, Mark ii. 1, the city which was at that time his home, or where he had his dwelling. See ch. iv. 13. This same account, with some additional circumstances, is contained in Mark ii. 3—12, and Luke v. 18-26.

2 And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of

the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus, seeing their faith, said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

See Note Matt. iv. 24. 'Lying on a bed.' This was a portable bed, probably a mattress, or perhaps a mere blanket spread to lie on, supported, so as to be easily borne.

Mark says 'they uncovered the roof,' ch. ii. 4. Luke says, 'they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling,' ch. v. 19. To us it would appear that much injury must have been done to the house where Jesus was, and that they must be much incommoded by the removal of tiles, and rafters, &c. Acquaintance, however, with the mode of building in the east, removes the difficulty. Houses, in eastern countries, are commonly square in their form, and of a single story. On approaching them from the street, a single door is seen in the centre, and directly above it a single latticed window. On entering the door, the first room is a small square room, surrounded with benches, called the porch. In this room the master of a family commonly transacts business, and, on private occasions, receives visits. Passing through the porch, you enter a large square place, directly in the centre of the building, called the court. Luke says that the paralytic was let down into the midst:' not in the midst of the people, but of the building-the middle place of the house. In this large place company is received on marriage, and other festive occasions. This room is surrounded by a gallery, or covered walk, on every side. From that covered walk doors open into the other apartments of the house. So that access from one room to another is always through the centre or court. This court is commonly uncovered or opened above. In wet weather, however, and in times of great heat of the sun, it is covered with an awning or canvass, stretched on cords, and capable of being easily removed or rolled up. This is what Mark probably means when he says they uncovered the roof. They rolled up or removed this awning. From the court to the roof the ascent is by flights of stairs, either in the covered walk or gallery, or in the porch. The roof is nearly flat. On those roofs blades of grass, or wheat, or barley sometimes spring up, but they are soon withered by the sun, Ps. cxxix. 6-8. On such a roof Rahab concealed the spies, Josh. ii. 6; Samuel talked with Saul, 1 Sam. ix. 25; David walked. at even tide, 2 Sam. xi. 2; and Peter went up to pray, Acts x. 9. This roof was surrounded with a balustrade, or railing, breast high, on the sides, covered with terras or matting. A breastwork or railing was of course built in the same manner around the open space in the centre, to prevent them from falling into the court below. This railing, or breastwork, is what Luke, ch. v. 19, says they let him down through. They removed it probably so that the couch could be conveniently let down with cords; and,