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Such was the

this for a human being to be! power which Satan had over the bodies of men in the Gentile world. Gergesa and Gadara are said to have been neighbouring towns on the eastern side of the lake of Galilee; the country about which was called indifferently that of the Gergesenes or the Gadarenes. It was in the portion of the half tribe of Manasseh, beyond Jordan, as the Israelites usually termed it. It is stated that the inhabitants of this country, were, for the most part, Gentiles or heathens; which may account for the large herds of swine they kept, since the Jews were forbidden to partake of those unclean animals, and consequently would not feed or keep them.

The wretched demoniacs whose case has been described, demonstrate not only the power which the devil had over the Gentile world, and intimate something of what he still retains in heathen lands; for the dark places of the earth, those which are unenlightened by the knowledge of the word of God, are full of the habitations of cruelty, which nothing but the Gospel of Christ can enlighten and reform. But we may also learn from the case of these miserable men, what cruelty Satan exercises wherever he has the dominion. The misery of mankind both in body and soul is his delight. He hurried these poor creatures about from place to place, at one time in the mountains, at another in

the wilderness, and then among the tombs, which were generally caves hewn out in the rocks, where some kind of shelter might be obtained. They were not only mischievous to others, but did injury to themselves. This may be considered as illustrating the effects produced by the dominion of sin over mankind at large. By means of sin, Satan persuades, and, as it were, compels numbers to ruin both their fellow-creatures and themselves. And alas! what multitudes are there, not in heathen countries only, but in Christian lands; not in places of darkness, but where the light of the glorious gospel of Christ shines, who are evidently under the dreadful influence of the Prince of darkness, injuring their own bodies and souls, and doing mischief to all around them by their vicious habits. The drunkard, the whoremonger, and the profane swearer; characters which peculiarly mark the infatuation of sin, and the power of the devil over mankind in soul and body, are alas! not unknown even in this land of religious privileges. And indeed, must it not be confessed, that every religious and moral precept is broken by persons who profess and call themselves Christians? These things ought not to be. They prove, however, that something more than a profession of Christianity is needful to deliver from the bondage of Satan those who, as par

takers of a fallen nature, are tied and bound with the chain of their sins. This chain is too strong to be broken by human power. We are no more able, in our own strength, to subdue our iniquities, the sins that most easily beset us, than these poor men were to expel the demons which had taken possession of them. But our Lord Jesus Christ came to heal them that were oppressed of the devil,89 and He will not suffer sin and Satan to have the dominion over those who implore His help, and deliverance from the power of their spiritual enemies.

As soon as our blessed Saviour saw these wretched demoniacs, He said, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.90 He was moved with compassion at their miserable condition; and, unsolicited, exerted His almighty power for their relief. The evil spirits were alarmed. 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? Our Saviour made the evil spirits confess that a multitude of them had taken possession of these miserable men. They acknowledged, My name is Legion, for we are many. And as He had commanded them to quit their prey, they besought Him much that He would not send them away out of the country.90 Our Evangelist relates that there was a

89 Acts x. 38.

90 Mark v. 8, 9, 10.

good way off from them a herd of many swine feeding. St. Mark says, They were about two thousand in number. 91 Being unwilling to return to their dire abode, the Him, saying, If Thou cast us out,

devils besought

suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And He said unto them, Go. As these swine were probably kept for the purpose of tempting the Jews to break the command of God; or to give occasion to the heathen to insult them, as being forbidden to eat swine's flesh; the evil spirits were permitted to effect the mischief which they were desirous of doing. And when they were come out of the poor men whom they had so long possessed, they entered into the swine; and behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. The malice of these fiends was thus gratified by the mischief which they did. But they also plunged themselves into that abyss into which they had begged the Saviour not to send them. For St. Luke mentions that they besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep.9%

Here we may observe how Satan acts towards those over whom he obtains the ascendancy. He hurries them on step by step, from sin to sin, as these swine were hurried down the hill,

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until he ensures their destruction; although at the same time he thereby increases his own condemnation. And it may be remarked, how often does crime grow up from small beginnings, until it is committed without shame or fear. Let us beware of the least deviations from the path of duty and rectitude. Let us seek grace to oppose sin in its first approaches, when it is most easily overcome; since it acquires such strength in its course, that it may be compared to the stream that runs through a small breach made in an embankment, which being disregarded and neglected at first, cannot afterwards be stopped without great labour and expence. It was the Apostle's maxim, Herein do I exercise myself to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men.93 Happy is the man who is watchful against his spiritual enemies, who gives himself to prayer when he is assaulted by them; and obtaining strength greater than his own to protect him against the malicious designs of Satan and the powers of darkness, is enabled to triumph over them. In this representation we may see whither it is that sin is leading the workers of iniquity. If it be indulged in the heart, it will soon undoubtedly appear in the life; and any one sin, if allowed in practice, will introduce others in its

93 Acts xxiv. 16.

94 James i. 14, 15.

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