" Why tlien is that miracle less frequent (than the other) ? " Answer. It has nevertheless been performed sometimes ; but it is not necessary that it should be performed frequently., although the opulence of faith reaches thus far. A mountain is naturally by creation in its proper place : a devil is not so when possessing a man : wherefore it is more beneficial that the latter should be cast out, than that the former should be removed ; cf. on faith, Mark xi. 22, 23, 24, xvi. 17 ; John xiv. 12, 13. — l?ii-i,ye shall say) i.e. ye are able to say — ye have the power of saying. This is said especially to the apostles ; for all have not the gift of mi racles. — r& opsi -ovT'jj, to this mountain) sc. that mentioned in ver. 1 ; see also ch. xxi. 21. Examples of such miracles are not wanting in the history of the Church ; see one of them in Note to the Panegyric on Gregory Thaumaturgus,1 pp. 127, 128 ; see also Le Fevre's Commentary, f. 78. — ix.sT, there) Ye shall be able also to assign a place to a mountain. — ou&v, nothing) not even if the sun is to be staid in his course.
21. ToDro & TO ysvot, x.r.X., but this kind, etc.) Our Lord does not in this passage speak of the ichole race of devils, but of this particular kind or class of them ; from whence it appears that there are more than one kind of devils. The disciples had before this cast out devils even without prayer and fasting ; 2 but this kind of devils has a disposition especially opposed to, and re ducible by, prayer and fasting. The disciples were not accus tomed to fasting (see ch. ix. 14) ; and they appear to have been somewhat self-indulgent (sobrietatem . . . minus servare) dur ing their Lord's absence.
22.3 MlXXf/ — irapa&idoffdai, shall be betrayed — fig %f/p«c ai^w?rwv, into the hands of men) What a grievous condition ! Thus was He delivered up who exhibited such great authority in ver. 18.
24. KaTipvao-j/u, Capernaum) where Jesus dwelt.4 — ra di6pa^a,
1 See foot-note, p. 187.— (I. B.)
2 Since by [prayers and] fastings faith is increased. — V. g.
3 'E» TJ5 Tt*.~hihat,it$, in Galilee) As yet abiding in a place separated by a long distance from the scene of His passion. — V. g.
4 On a different footing, however, from what He had been on before : for He was now dwelling in obscurity with His disciples, to whom He gave the information as to His Passion, Luke ix. 18, etc., until He set out on the journey which was to end in His Passion; Luke ix. 51, xiii 32. — Harm., p. 380.