And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship asleep on a pillow; and they awoke him,-And he arose and rebuked the wind. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. -And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him? And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes." That is, our Lord passed from the western to the eastern side of the sca of Galilee, or of Tiberias, as it is called at other times.

St. Matthew calls the place where our Lord arrived, “the country of the Gergesenes:" whereas the two other evangelists, as we have just seen, call it "the country of the Gadarenes." Some learned men think, that this last is the right reading in St. Matthew's gospel also.

It follows in St. Mark, whose history we shall for the most part take for our text, and cite in the first place: "And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit." From which words, I think, it may be concluded, that this man's abode, and the burial-place, where he chiefly was, lay near the shore, or upon the sea-side. St. Luke's words confirm this supposition, which are these: " And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time."

66

But here is a difference between St. Matthew and the two other evangelists. St. Mark says, " Immediately there met him a man with an unclean spirit." St. Luke, "A certain man, which had devils." But St. Matthew says, "There met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs." Of this difficulty several solutions have been offered by learned interpreters of scripture. The most likely seems to be this, that one of these men was upon divers accounts more remarkable than the other: he, especially, may have been "exceeding fierce," and his distemper of the longest standing. Perhaps he was best known in those parts, being an inhabitant of the city not far off. He likewise was the person with whom our Lord discoursed chiefly, asking him his name, and receiving for answer, that he was called Legion. It is likely, that one only desired to accompany the Lord Jesus when cured: and, possibly, he only of the two had a grateful sense of the benefit conferred, and afterwards declared, "how great things the

Lord had done for him.”

There being therefore several things peculiar to one, two of the evangelists speak of him only, omitting the other, for the sake of brevity: but there is no contradiction between them and the third evangelist. There were two, as St. Matthew says: which is not denied by St. Mark or St. Luke, though they confine their relation to one only.

Says St. Mark," Immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs." St. Luke, "Neither abode in any house, but in the tombs." St. Matthew, "There met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs.

This circumstance therefore is mentioned by all the three evangelists; that this man, or these two men, had their abode in tombs, or among tombs. It was not then usual to bury within the walls of cities, but at some distance without them, more or less. By tombs may be meant in general a burying-place, where were many sepulchres; or by tombs may be meant sepulchres. And indeed many of the sepulchres of the eastern countries at that time were large, capable of containing divers persons. And to this day, travellers, when overtaken by storms and bad weather, take shelter in them.

These men then being fierce and melancholy, shunning company and being shunned, abode at a distance from all cities, and particularly among' or in sepulchres.' This place suited their gloomy apprehensions, and here in the night season and in bad weather they had shelter. Moreover, there might be another reason of this. For some are of opinion that the dæmons, or unclean spirits, by which these persons were possessed, were not supposed to be fallen angels, but the souls or departed spirits of bad men. If so, a lunatic, acted by such spirits, or thinking himself acted by them, might be much disposed to be chiefly among the dead, or in burial-places. But whether there be any ground for that opinion or not, it is likely, the two reasons before mentioned ought not to be disregarded these places suited their melancholy apprehensions, and here at some seasons they had shelter and relief from rain and cold.

There follows in the evangelists a description of the unhappy circumstances of one or both these persons. Says St. Mark, who is most particular: "And no man could bind him, no not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces. And always night and day he was on the mountains, and in

St.

the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." Luke's account is: "There met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs." And afterwards: "For oftentimes it had caught him. And he was kept, bound with chains, and in fetters. And he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness," or the desert, mountainous country, where the tombs were situated. St. Matthew more briefly says, "There met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass that way."

The sum is, that this was a deplorable case. One of these men, especially, had been in this condition, of a discomposed mind, for a long season. He was exceeding fierce and dangerous at some times. He had been fast bound, but he had broken his bands, escaped out of his confinement, and had been for some while in desert, mountainous places, lodging in sepulchres only, not in any house. All which are evident symptoms of lunacy or distraction. That is the unhappy case before us.

Possibly it may be here inquired by some, how came the evangelists, especially Mark and Luke, who are most particular, to be so well acquainted with the history of this man's case in time past, to be able to say, "he had been so long time," and that he had been "often bound with chains, and that they had been broken asunder by him?" His present circumstances and actions, his nakedness, bis fierceness, his cutting himself with flints, his crying, or raving, as he did, were discerned immediately. These things the disciples were eye or ear-witnesses of, upon the man's approaching them, when they came out of the ship. But how came they to know the circumstances of his indisposition in time past, and the treatment that had been given him?

To which I answer, that it is easy to suppose divers things, which are not mentioned in relations of this kind: which therefore are omitted, because all intelligent and attentive persons are able to supply them. It is not unlikely, that the man himself, when cured by our Lord, gave some account of his former condition. Moreover, here were the keepers of the swine, who might be able to relate several things concerning him. Possibly too it was a well known case, and the people who came over with Jesus from the other side of the lake, might be able to give the disciples some information concerning him.

Finally, before our Lord went away, great multitudes of that country had come to the place where Jesus was. And

it is reasonable for us to conclude, that some of those persons were able and disposed to give an account of both these men, especially of one of them; which indeed, as before hinted, I take to be a main reason, why the evangelists Mark and Luke confined their history to one, though there were two of these men, as said by St. Matthew: even because they had received more particular intelligence concerning one than the other.

It follows in St. Mark: "But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him. And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God. I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. (For he had said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.) And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, for we are many. And he besought him much, that he would not send them away out of the country." St. Luke likewise says: "When he saw Jesus he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus thou Son of God most high. I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion, because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him, that he would not command them to go out into the deep." St. Matthew, though briefer than the others, says: "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 ?"

By all the evangelists we are assured, that one, or both these men, either they, or the evil spirits in them, owned our Lord's character, as the Messiah, or the Son of God; and they entreat him not to send them away. But I think it appears, both from St. Mark and St. Luke, that these things are not said by them until our Lord had signified his will that the man, or men, should be delivered from this unhappy circumstance: then they own the character of Jesus, that he was the Christ, and his power, as such, to command and send them whither he pleased. But they entreat him, not to punish them for having taken possession of these persons, and made them miserable. Yea, they are represented complaining of his command as unreasonable: "What have we to do with thee?" Why should you concern yourself with us? Leave us to act as we think fit, until the last day, the time of the full punishment allotted to us.

The unclean spirits speaking in this manner, Jesus asked

one of the men, what was his name, and he answered, Legion, because there were in him many unclean spirits.

As these spirits desired, that they might not be "tormented before the time;" so in particular, they petitioned our Lord, that he would "not send them away out of the country," as it is expressed in St. Mark: or, that he would "not command them to go out into the deep," as in St. Luke.

Evil spirits delight in mischief, and are afraid of punishment. They therefore make it their request to Jesus, if he would be obeyed with regard to the commandment he had given them, to come out of the men whom they had so long tormented, that yet he would not require them quite to leave that country, but permit them to act as they pleased toward some other persons in those parts. At least they entreat him, however, that he would not order them away into the deep, or the abyss, that is, the place of torment.

As the full punishment of fallen angels, as well as of bad men, was deferred to the great day of the general judgment; it was the opinion of many at that time, that some of those evil angels and spirits were allowed (though subject to control) to visit the region of our air, and this earth, and to inflict diseases and other calamities upon men. this number are these unclean spirits, and they earnestly entreat not to be sent back to their prison and confined in the abyss, or place of torment, as yet.

Of

I proceed to what remains, now first reading St. Matthew: "And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go into the herd of swine. 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. 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. And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they besought him, that he would depart out of their coasts. And he entered into a ship, and passed over, and came into his own city."

Here I would observe, that this great work of our Lord was performed with deliberation. There was some time between his intimation, that these evil spirits should remove, and their actual departure; or, in other words, the men were not healed at once, immediately upon his commanda See 2 Pet. ii. 4. and Jude ver. 6.