who had found the "one pearl of great price," was to sell all that he had, and buy that pearl.

23. And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples Mark iv. followed him.

37-41.

Luke viii.

24. And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, 22-25. insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.

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

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.

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

In the circumstances of this short voyage, the disciples might find a sample of their future life. They might perceive that they would be exposed to trials. Their Master uniformly assured them so. His prayer was, not that they might be taken out of the world, but that they might be kept from the evil. He told them, that "in the world" they should have tribulation." But he added, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." And here they learn, by experience, to whom they may apply, and where they may find assistance in their danger. Why were they so fearful? However it might seem, he was really wakeful to all their wants, and watching over all their trials. And with him they were safe.

Remember, too, that it is not only in a season of unusual difficulty that we need this preservaWe must acknowledge in the calm of pros

tion.

6 John xvii. 15.

perity, no less than in the severest storms of life, that CHRIST must save us, or we perish. He must save us from being so engrossed with "the cares or pleasures of this world," as to become unfruitful. He must save us from setting our affections on earthly things, when we have many earthly things to allure our affections.

Have you been aware of this? Are you daily sensible of it? Daily coming to him in prayer, that he may deliver you in all time of your wealth, as well as in all time of your tribulation! Satan will raise up storms or calms, within us or around us;-this is our danger: but Christ will carry us safely through them;-this is the security of all who have sincerely made this prayer their own, Lord save us we perish.

LECTURE XXI.

UNCLEAN SPIRITS CAST INTO THE HERD OF SWINE.

MATT. viii. 28-34.

28. And when he was come to the other side, to 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.

'This was the region of Gadara, chiefly inhabited by Jews, but surrounded by Gentiles.

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?

This history, more fully than any other, acquaints us with the power of those evil spirits which Christ Jesus came to subdue. It is a subject upon which we can proceed no further than Scripture leads us by the hand. Scripture, however, tells us, as of the great enemy of mankind, "the prince of darkness," "the prince of this world;" so likewise of other evil spirits who are permitted to exercise power over men. Jesus had begun his ministry by overcoming Satan; he proceeds to show that the Son of God was come, and for what purpose he was come, by subduing those inferior spirits, who at this period seem especially to have exerted their malevolent power. They knew, it appears, who was appointed to restrain them and break their dominion. They cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? Thou art light, and we are darkness: what have we to do with thee? Happily for the world, for this purpose he came ; "for this was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." And an awful subject of thought is opened to us in the words that follow, Art thou come hither to torment us before the time? This shows a fearful expectation of wrath to come; of the judgment awaiting them, of which St. Peter speaks, (2 Ep. ii. 4,) "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment."

For them, then, "there remaineth no more sacrifice

for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries." To us they seem to say, "To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Behold, now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation."

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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.

The devils besought him, suffer us to go into the herd of swine. Without permission they could do nothing. This agrees with what we read in Job's history, (ch. i. 12,) "The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand." And again, (ch. ii. 6,) "The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand: but save his life."

The Jews were forbidden to eat the flesh of swine. (Deut. xiv. 8.) "The swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase." Therefore those who kept them were not obedient to the law, and this destruction of their herd may have been intended as a punishment. But the great purpose of the whole was, no doubt, to show the dominion of Jesus over the spiritual world. It has been supposed, that the power of devils was allowed to be more evidently exerted at the period of our Lord's

ministry than at any other time before or since, in order that his own superior power, his universal sovereignty, might appear. In the same way as temporal evils and bodily disorders are permitted for some purpose which God brings about by means of them, which we know not now, but may know hereafter. When the disciples inquired of our Lord, whether it was the sin of the parents, or of the man himself, which had been punished by his being "born blind," the answer was, "Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents:" no particular sin on the part of either has been the cause, though all evils are derived to us from Adam's sin; "but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." So by the power at this time exercised, evidently exercised, by unclean spirits, the greater power of him who "with authority commanded them, and they obeyed him," was displayed in the sight of all who witnessed this miracle.

Another truth appears which well deserves attention; namely, the miserable end to which those bring themselves who are given up to the dominion of evil spirits. We are well assured that none are so given up, till they have rejected all means of grace. But do we not sometimes see sinners run headlong upon their own destruction, in a manner of which this history exhibits a striking example? Pharaoh, for instance; proceeding, in defiance of repeated warnings and judgments, first to sin, and then to profess repentance, and then to sin again; till at last he openly arrayed himself against God, pursued his people into the midst of the sea, and pe2 See John ix. 1-3.