The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 174

in Rppr£'£'fating the full signification of their a ola88 oalled lunatics, distinct frnm the Mneter•~ instructions. paralytic and posecssed. It is by no moans Vere. 14-21.-Hooling o/ tlu! demoniaa an exploded fBllRcy that the moon lms som11 1,oy. (Mark ix. 16-29; Luke ix. 87-42.) mysterious influence on certain constitutions, and produces an aggravntion of symptoms The 1t£'Muut of the miracle ie much cur- in accordance with some of its ohnuges. It tailed in our Gospel; the fullest n1trrnti,-e was from observation of this phenomenon is given by St. llfork, to whom we must thRt this form of insanity was termed sele11i- refer for the oomplete details. asmt1,• or lunaey. Iu the ]resent inetnnce- tile disense was complicate and of no ordi- Yer. H.-When they were come to the nary nllture. Tile other syuoptists etate- multitude. Elt. Luke says this arrival was tl11tt the child was possessed by o demon. on" the next day" after the Transfiguration. This was the fact which difforentiated the If this event took place at uight, the follow- ma.Indy from any merely orga.nio eiokness. ing morning will be meant. The contrast It was in truth epilepsy aocompanied by or between the scene on the mountain and that occasioned by domonia.oal poeecesion. St. presented by the demoniac below bas been Matthew does not mention tile possession in 8Cizcd byR&phael,in his picture of the Trans- his introductory account, bnt he afterwards figuration, at Rome-the last great work (ver. 18) speaks of the demon departing. thnt he painted. The upper pa.rt of this Sore voxed (1Ca1Cws 1rd.o-x«); is in evil case; pil'ture represents Jesue radiant in glory suffers grievously. He was affected with with the heavenly visitants, while the lower terrible paroxysms, which are detailed more pnnel shows tuc agonized father, surrounded at leugth by Mark and Luke. Matthew by the unbelieving crowd, bringing his narrates some of tile effects of the mania tortured son to the apostles, who stand help- upon the victim. Ofttimes he falleth into less and discredited. The painter has, the fire. Tile fits, coming on suddenly and indeed, sacrificed fact to dramatic effect (ae without warning, brought the auff~rer into the two Mente were not synchronous); but imminent dangers, perhnps produced sui- the lesson enforced thereby ie most impres- cidal tendencies, which urged him to destroy sive, and lays holds of the imagination, himself. show:ing different phases of the life of Christ, Ver. 16.-I brought him to thy disoipleB'. and the realms of light and darkneee. There He ilad come with the multitude, hoping to came to him a certain man. Things had find Jesus, and, being disappointed, he bad not gone well while Jesue and the tilree applied to the nine to relieve hie misery. chief apostles were away on the mount. As When the apostles were sent forth with during the abeence of Moses at Sinai the commission to heal the sick, they returned people had fallen into idolatry (Exod. x.xxii.), with joy to report the success of their tour: so now, when their Master and their leaders they cast forth mo.ny devils; they notecl were withdrawn, the nine apostles bad with glad surprise that the very demons fallered in faith and failed in exercising were subject to them in tile Name or Jesus the miraculone powers bestowed upon them. (eh. x. 1; Luke ix. 17). It was different Kneeling down to him. Direcily the father now. They oould not oure him. Who.t ea w Christ coming, he disengaged himself means they need we know not; at any rate, from the crowd and ran to meet him. they were ineffectual. The writers who Ver. 15.-Thie verse in the Vnlgate is record the failure must be allowed to be contained in ver. 14. Rave meroy on my truthful and honest. There bed been much ■on. According to St. Luke, the father to depress these disciples. Their Maater makes hie plea more touching by adding wae absent, gone they knew not whither; that he was hie only son-an appeal to how long he would be away they could not which the Saviour's tender heart was always tell ; the boldest and moat trusted of tileir open, as when he stopped the bier at Nain, company were no longer present to cheer eud said to the childless widow, "Weep them with sympathy, to repel attacks, to not." He ie lunatic (O'<A7/Y•a.(na,). The stanrl forth as champions. The soribee' un- Revi.Jied Version most unnecessarily renders compromising disbelief (Mark ix. 16) had tile verb, lu iB epileptic. Doubtless the case for the momeut obscured their own perfect in many respects 11imulated epilepsy, and trust; the atmosphere of infidelity had might have been so deseribed ; but it seems effected their own breathing; the memory inexpedient to conceal the actual word used, of Christ's words concerning his Passion Rnd which gave the popular and probably correct deatil recurred again with cliepiritiug effect, view of one phase of tile complaint. Surely infllBing doubt and cliequict; they bncl for a rral fact well known to medical science the time lost the ardour end confidence nnrlerlies the term lunacy. In the catalogue which had animated them iu tilcir first of the diseased persona who were brought mission ; retaining belief in Christ's olB.ims, Ml Chriat to be healed (eh. iv. 24), we find they felt a hesitation concerning their own- (Ill, xvu. 1-27.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. 177