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ing the evil spirits to come out of the men: but he allowed a petition to be presented to him, which was in part granted.

St. Mark's account is after this manner: "Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine. And the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand,) and were choaked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they came to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And they that saw it, told them, how it befell to him that was possessed with the devils, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts."

St. Luke's relation is to the like purpose: "And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain. And they besought him, that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the men and entered into the swine. And the berd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choaked. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city, and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done, and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right inind; and they were afraid. They also which saw it, told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them, for they were taken with great fear. And he went up into the ship, and returned back again.”

As this country was a part of the land of Israel, and the Jews were forbidden by the law of Moses to eat swine's flesh; it may seem strange to some, that there should have been in this place so large a number of those animals. But there is reason to think, that this country was then chiefly inhabited by Gentiles, though there were Jews likewise; and it may be supposed, that the herd belonged to the Gentile inhabitants. However, possibly some Jews might have a property in them, and might trade in those creatures, selling them to heathens, without partaking of them as food.

The evangelists do all agree in this part of the history. But two inquiries may be here put. 1. By what means was this herd of swine hurried down the precipice, and drowned in the waters? 2. For what reasons did our Lord suffer this to be done?

First, How, or by what means was this herd hurried down the precipice, and drowned in the waters? And there are several ways of accounting for this. They who suppose that there was here only a distemper, and are unwilling to admit the agency of any bad spirits in this case, say, these men, or one of them, might, with the permission of Jesus, go and drive the swine off the precipice into the sea, where they were drowned. Or else, our Lord was pleased to transfer the lunacy, or distraction, from this man, or these men, to the swine; and the distemper having seized them, they took their way down a steep road, and perished in the

sea.

Others, who readily admit the agency of evil spirits in this affair, say, that with our Lord's permission, when these spirits were removed out of the men, they took possession of the swine, and hurried them into the waters, where they were drowned.

But I

Every one is at liberty to judge for himself. readily own, that I do not approve of that solution, which supposeth, that the lunacy was transferred from the men to the swine; for this implies, that the drowning of the swine was owing to our Lord's agency or interposition: whereas I do not perceive, that our Lord wrought any miracles that were hurtful. The only instance of this kind which I recollect, is the withering a barren, useless fig-tree in the way between Bethany and Jerusalem. As then there is no clear evidence of our Lord's interposing in this matter, I presume it ought not to be admitted.

Secondly, it is inquired: Why, or for what reasons did our Lord suffer this to be done? by the men themselves before they were quite cured; or by the evil spirits when they were departed from the men? For according to the accounts given by the evangelists, it was not, and could not be done without his permission: his leave was asked and granted.

Some think, that our Lord permitted this to be done, as a proof of the real agency of evil spirits, in this case.

But whether that was a reason or not, there are, I think, other uses which this event would answer, and therefore probably were intended herein. For the loss of the swine tended to make the cure of the man public. It had this

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effect: "They that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country;" that is, they hasted to noise it abroad every where and many were brought to Jesus, and came to see the man who was healed, and stayed with him, sitting at his feet. Hereby, therefore, and by means of the immediate publication of the miracle, the people of the neighbouring town and country were proved. Jesus, by his presence with them, and by the great miracle performed among them, with which they were presently acquainted, made them a tender of divine knowledge, and other spiritual blessings. But though a great and evident miracle had been wrought among them, one of the most desirable works that can be thought of, delivering a man from distraction, restoring him to the use of reason and understanding; these people were so carnal, and so apprehensive of suffering in their worldly interests, that instead of entreating Jesus to stay with them, a while at least, that they might partake in some other like benefits of his great power, and be instructed by him in things of religion, that they joined together with much unanimity in beseeching him to depart out of their coasts which he did, and went back again to the other side of the lake.

There remains yet one article in this history, omitted indeed by St. Matthew, but related by both the other evangelists. Says St. Mark: "And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devils, prayed him, that he might be with him; Howbeit, Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them, how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis, how great things Jesus had done for him, and all men did marvel." St. Luke's words are these: "Now the man out of whom the devils were departed, besought him, that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thy own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city, how great things Jesus had done unto him."

It is likely, that this person requested to be with Jesus for his own security, fearing that those evil spirits would again take possession of him and torment him. But Jesus suffered him not to be with him. For our Lord to have

b Non quod concesserit Salvator dæmonibus quod petebant, dixit, Ite: sed at per interfectionem porcorum hominibus salutis occasio præberetur. Pastores enim, ista cernentes, statim nuntiant civitati. Hieron. in Matt. Tom. 4. p. 29. m.

allowed the man to accompany him in his journeys would have looked like ostentation, and might have been esteemed vain-glorious; besides, the power of Jesus was more conspicuous in the man's safety at a distance. And it was fit, likewise, that this person should now increase in faith, and live without fear, trusting in God every where, and at all times.

His request not being granted, "he went his way, and published throughout the whole city, how great things Jesus had done unto him." He was an honest and grateful man; and in the place where he dwelt, and every where, and to all men, as he had opportunity, he declared the great work which Jesus had done for him.

Perhaps some may here inquire; How shall we reconcile the direction given by Christ upon this occasion with what we find elsewhere? Sometimes he commanded silence, and charged men not to speak of the miracles he had wrought. Here he directs this man to tell others what "God had done for him." To which I answer: Our Lord never desired, that any miracles wrought by him should be denied or disowned by any; nor did he intend that men, on whom they were performed, should conceal them from their friends and relatives, or their own family; though he did forbid a general and open publication of some of his mighty works. And what he says to this man is no more than this: "Return to thy own house; or, go home to thy friends; and tell them, how great things the Lord has done for thee, and has had compassion on thee."

II. Having gone over this history, I would now add some remarks and observations.

1. We hence perceive that St. Mark's gospel is not an abridgment of St. Matthew's, as some have thought. St. Mark entirely omits divers things recorded by St. Matthew, and he has some histories quite wanting in that other evangelist. This history, which we have now considered, affords a good argument against that opinion: St. Matthew speaks of two in this country of the Gergesenes possessed with devils, St. Mark mentions one only. If he had seen St. Matthew's gospel, he would not have so written this history, without assigning some reason for the difference, or inserting a hint for reconciling it. St. Mark says, "the number of the swine was about two thousand," which is not mentioned by either of the other evangelists. St. Mark is, besides, in several parts of his relation of this miracle, more full and copious than St. Matthew, who has nothing of the discourse which our Lord held with the man called

Legion; and also entirely omits the man's request, when cured, to be with Jesus, and our Lord's refusal, and the publication which the man afterwards made every where, of the great cure which had been wrought upon him.

In a word, the first three evangelists are all distinct and independent witnesses of our Lord's life and miracles; they did not write by concert: nor had any one of them, when he wrote, seen either of the other two gospels. The case however is somewhat different with regard to St. John: he perused the other three gospels before he wrote, and he has both confirmed their history, and made additions of his own.

2. The distemper, with which these men were afflicted, was lunacy or distraction: I say, the distemper of this man, or these two men, (whatever influence evil spirits might have,) was lunacy or distraction. This is evident from particulars mentioned by all the evangelists. St. Matthew says, that the two men which met Jesus upon his coming on shore, were "exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass that way." The particulars related by the other evangelists, concerning one of these men, are indications of the same thing his having been bound and fettered, and his breaking his bands, living in the tombs, without clothing, cutting himself with flints; as also the whimsical answer which he made, when our Lord asked what was his name. And the cure is represented by his recovering his reason and understanding, and a composed temper and behaviour: for it is observed, that when the people came out of the city, they saw him" sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind."

3. This is the only miracle of this kind which is particularly recorded in the gospels. There might be many others; but I do not recollect any other particularly related by the evangelists. There are divers instances of persons who had evil spirits, and were lunatic; but their distemper was not the same with that of these men. The young man brought to the disciples, when our Lord was in the mount, was lunatic and sore vexed; but his distemper was the epilepsy, or falling sickness: "Oft-times," it is said, Matt. xvii. 15, "he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water:" and other symptoms of that distemper are to be found in the history of his case.

Of Mary Magdalene it is said, that "out of her went seven devils," Mark xvi. 9; and I am not unwilling to allow her case to have been much the same with that of the two men at the tombs: though it is not quite certain. But her cure, or the miracle wrought upon her, is no where particularly related: all that is said of her case is no more than

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