to be ejected from humanity (ver. 29). (2) They prefer enshrinement in the body or a beast to being houseless. Satan enshrined himself in a serpent. These demons -entreated to be allowed to enter into tbe swine. (3) They make havoc wherever they come. The evil disposition of the heart is a tomb in which a demon dwells. II. DEMONIACAL ASCENDENCY IS DISASTROUS TO HUMANITY. 1. Disastrovs because assimilating. (1) Thie is more evident in Mark's account, in which the plural and singular ere so mingled that it is difficult to know whether the demons or the demoniac speaks (cf. Mark v. 6-10). (2) Thie possession is 1he more deplorable as it d;abolizcs the Godward side of humanity. 2. Disastrous because dissocializing. (1) These demoniacs were driven from society into the solitude of the tombs. (2) Sin breaks up homes and friendships. (3) It destroys commonwealths. (4) The rich man in hell did not desire the company of his five brethren. 3. Disaatrous because infuriating. (1) It is suicidal. These demoniacs cut themselves with stones (see Mark v. 5). 'Jhe priests of Baal cut themselves with knives (1 Kings xviii. 28; see also Lev. xix. 28; Jer. xvi. 6). Sin is moral suicide. (2) It is fratricidal. "Cain was of that wicked <me, and slew his brother." These demoniacs were the terror of pas~ensers (ver. 28). "One sinner destroyeth much good." III. ABSOLUTE SUPREMACY VESTS IN CHRYST. 1. Demons confess him their SuperiO'T'. (1) This is remarkable in their history since the experiment in the wilderness. There it was, "If thou be the Son of God." Here it is, "What have we to do with thee, thou Son of God?" (2) They tremble in the presence of their Judge. "Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" They were preconscious of their casting out. '!'hat casting out they regarded as a presage of their time of final judgment (cf. John xii. 31; xiv. 11). 2. He may listen to a devil's prayer. (1) He consented to the prayer of these demons that they should be suffered to enter into the swine. He con- sented to the prayer of Satan that he might torment Job. (2) Why should he not? He can work gracious purposes by the most unlikely agency. His consent to the prayer of the demons was a judgment upon the sin of the s,dne-dealers. (3) The injury wrought upon the fig tree, that upon the traffickers in the temple, and this upon the swine-dealers, were severally presages of future vengeance. 3. He may listen to 1i rebellious sinner's prayer. (1) The Gadarenes besought him to depart out of their borders. 'l'hey would rather have demons and swine among them than the holy Jesus. He heard their prayer. (2) Let the blasphemer beware. His horrible prayers may be answered. The imprecation, "His blood be upon us, and upon our children," had a terrible response in the wars of the Jews and in the horrors of their long captivity. (3) Let the rejecter of the gospel beware. 4. He may refuse the prayer of a saint. (1) The Gadnrene, now no longer a demoniac, but a grateful believer, entreated that he might be with his Deliverer (see Mark v. 15), but was refused (Mark v. 18, 19). The bodily presence of Jesus he must not have; but his spiritual presence he may enjoy. (2) Jesus had other work for him to do (Mark v. 19, 20). He was to go home, where he was best known, and there to let his light shine. (3) Let us not be dis- couraged if our prayers are not answered precisely as we desired. God answers our prayers to our utmost advanto.ge.--J. A. M. Ver. 2.-Doubts turned into prayers. "If thou wilt." This may be the first instance in which our Lord put forth his power to cleanse a leper, and, if so, the hesitation and anxiety of the man is very naturally explained. His approach is that of a man who had his doubts and fears, but had also his confidences and hopes; and he very properly let his faith decide his action rather than his fears. We may look on him as a man doubting, but showing us how to deal with our doubts; and proving to us how easily our doubts may be dispelled, if we deal wisely with them; and we deal wisely wheu we do not keep them to ourselves, but tlll'D them into prayers, and epeak them out to God. I. THE SPIRIT OF DOUBT. This can only be r"1!arded as an evil thing. The spirit of trustfulness, receptiveness, is becoming to the child of God. A fasl1ion of doubting, and a pride in doubting, as if it were something very clever, are in every way most mischievous, ruinous to our moral nature, beco.use destrnotive of that which is the great glory of the creature, the capacity for trust. And yet it must also be seen and recognized, that doubt is really the working of a necessary quality of mental manhood. MATTHEW. 24 354 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [011. vm. 1-34.
He is not really a man who is unable to doubt. To see two eidee of a thing, and have to choose between them, involves a period of doubting. The man who cannot doubt cannot have an intelligent faith. The basis of all moral decision is doubt that can weigh considerations. So it is a great thing to say," We can doubt, yet we do believe." This leper may have heard of the great things Jesus bad done, but the question came- Could he cleanse a leper? There was no settling that doubt; so he turned it into a prayer, and took it to Christ. II. OUR ACTUAL D01Jl3Ts. It may be well to notice what subjects those doubts chiefly concern. And we must deal, not with intellectual doubts, but with re!iaious doubts-those which bear relation to our spiritual condition, our cleansing frorn° sin. Letting the case of the leper be suggestive, we may notice that: 1. Our doubts may concern our need of Ch1ist as a Saviour. It may be that we admit he is the Saviour but we doubt our need of him as our Saviour. 2. Our doubts may concern the ability of Christ to save. We may incline to accept his good will, and to doubt his power. We may be disposed to say," If thou canst." Doubt often makes men think there is something special in their case that puts them beyond the reach of Christ. 3, Our doubts may concern the good will of Christ. Everybody else shunned the leper; how well the man might fear that Christ would shun him too I But he took all his doubts to Christ.-R. T.