The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 238

healed them." If &sked why demoniac possession BO manifested itself at the time of our Lord's appearance on earth, and not before, nor at least in the same way since? we must simply reply, in addition to what we have formerly said on this subject, that we can no more tell this than we can tell why small-pox manifested itself as a terrible scourge to our race at a certain time, and not sooner; or why cholera. ravaged Europe at a certain period since the beginning of this century, and not before; or why that fearful plague, which the Greek historian has described with such graphic power and thrilling effect, never visited them till the time of the Peloponnesian war, and has never returned a,,,oain, as far as history informs us, to renew its work of desolation there. But, though Scripture does not explicitly specify the cause, we can readily suppose a reason which has the appearance at least of probability. That reason we have already alluded to as found in Satan's well-authenticated powers of imitation, and we shall only sub- join in this place a few ~ditional circumstances to confirm its probability. In early times, when the Lord affhcted Egypt with his plagues, and his servants, Moses and Aaron, wrought miracles in the field of Zoan, Satan had his servants there also, and Jannes and Jambres either possessed or pretended the power to work miracles too, counterfeiting or counteracting to the utmost of their capacity those of Moses and Aaron. From time to time, in the subsequent history of Israel, the Lord raised up prophets to instruct and forewarn the people; but who can be ignorant of the fact that Satan at times employed his prophets-false prophets to beguile and mislead? When our Sa,·iour was on earth he warned his disciples that false Christa would ntj_se and deceive many. Sa.tan raised them up, and so history confirmed the statement. In like manner, when the Lord Jesus Christ had taken to himself a true body and a reasonable soul-when the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among men-Sa.tan, by himself or by his ser~ants, took possession of the bodies of men, cruelly torturing their flesh ancl agonizing their spirit. Nor are we prepared to say that demoniac possession has altogether ceased. We have seen men so act, and heard men so speak, and have been informed of such :fiendish atrocity on their part, that we could account for their violent and outrageous conduct, or for their mischievous and diabolical acts, or for their horrid and blasphemous expressions, in no other way than that some demon, or the devil himself, had been permitted to take temporary possession of them. u THE PAST HISTORY OR PREVIOUS STATE OF THIS DEMONIAC. 1. His mad11ess. When we compare and combine the account given of this poor demoniac by St. Mark and St. Luke, as also the brief notice of both demoniacs by St. Matthew, we have a most affecting picture. He had lost his senses and become exceeding fierce, so that no man could tame him, and no man could in safety pass that way. To the folly of the lunatic he had added the furiousness of the madman. Reason had reeled and left the helm; the once goodly ship had lost compass and chart and helmsman; it was drifting along, the sport of Carious winds and stormy waves. 2. His wretchedness. 'l'his wretched man had not lost life, it is true, but all that could make life desirable, or render it happy. Unclothed, uncared for, he had fallen back into the condition of savage life, and to some extent had sunk lower than the brute. Houseless and homeless, he led a vagrant life--now a dweller in the mountains, now a tenant of the tombs. His agony of mind was fearful. When not attacking others he acted the part of a self-tormentor. His cries waked the echoes of the mountains, or made the gloom of the sepulchre more dreadful. But cries were insuficient to vent the deep anguish of his spirit. He cut himself with stones, and, by making gashes in his body, sought to transfer his suffering from the mind to the body, or at least divide it between them. All this had lasted for years, as it would appear from the statement, "he had devils long time." Neither had he known much of respite or aught of relaxation; "always night and day" this sorrowful and suffering condition continued; no lucid interval that we read of; no pleasant period of relief, ho1:V'ever short, that we know of. At times, moreover, he ":'as deprived of his liberty. This had frequently occurred. " He had often been bound with fetters and chains," until, by a sort of superhuman power, he plucked them asunder or broke them in pieces. 3. 'l'he lessons to be learnt from all this. There are two lessons to be learnt from this part of the subject. The first lesson we may learn from it is the con<lition of the sinner, and the second ia the hostility of Satan. Confining atten- tion to the first, while we have examined the condition of the demoniac aa a fact-a ~tern fact, and a sad one-we cannot help thinking that it furnishes us at the same  CH. V. 1-4.3.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. 235