alone," la srnrccly the impora.tive of M.w, but oure of the revor n( 8irnon's wifo'a mothn, nn interjection, po88ibly the Greek repro• we know was rapidly nni•erl ahroo.rl, anrl in duction of the Hebrew r:im,, ah! woe I '£here greo.t meo.sure a.ccoun ted for the crr>wrls whn wna evidently some deepa"°r' degree of misery brought their sick to him in the even in"'. It possible for the unhappy spirit; hence its was evidently in the lifo of Jesus o note.hie "Art thou come to destroy us?" '£he same occasion, anrl many o sick tortured one had droad appearY in the case of the Gadarene occasion to bless the M>1Ster's preRence then. demoniac (eh, viii. 31; Matt. viii. 29), where It was so memorable an occasion tho.t all the the spirits dreaded being driven into the three evangelists notice it; their reports art deep, where such spirits await the juclgment, recorded in almost the same word e. No that abyss, literally, "the bottomless place;" doubt, in the early days of the preaching of nny doom seemed to these lost ones prefer- the faith, this evening's work was constantly nble to tha.t. I know thee who thou art; alluded to by the first teachers. The noto the Roly One of God. of time, "when the sun was setting," indi- Ver. 35.-And Jesus rebuked him, aaying, ce.tes that the moment in question bad been Rold thy pea.oe. Jesus e.t once indignantly waited for, for sunset ended the sabbath, and refuses this homage. He never allowed then those ontside Ca.pernaurn anrl in its devils to proclaim they knew him. There outlying Sllburbs were en a.bled to bring their is something very awful in the thought that sick and afflicted without infringing the to this whole class of cree.ted beings he is strict sabbath rules. "The twilight scene, ever pitiless. In bis dee.linga with these we of Jesus moving about with word and touch never a.re allowed to catch sight of one ray of healing e.mong the sick and suffering, of the Redeemer's tender pitiful love. the raving and tortured crowd (Matt. iv. 24), Ver, 37.-And the fame of him went out; is one of the most striking in the Gospels, more accurately rendered, and there tDent and St. Matthew quotes it e.a a fulfilment of out a rumour concerning him, Isa. liii. 4" (Farrar). Ver. 38.-And he a.rose out of the syna- Ver. 41.-Thou art Christ the Son of God. gogue, and entered into Simon's house. And The older authorities omit '' Christ," and Simon's wife's mother was ta.ken with e. read simply, "Thou art the Son of God." great fever; and they besought him for her. For they knew that he wae Christ ; better Thie abrupt mention of Peter (Simon) for rendered, that he ica, the Christ, or Messiah. the first time, without any explanatory After the Crucifixion, but not till then, notice, tells us that when St. Luke wrote his "Christ" became e. proper name. It we.a Gospel Peter we.a well known e.nd honoured before simply a title, signifying "the in all the Churches, The Lord's choice of Messiah," "the Anointed One." These one who we.a already married, the subsequent words of the evil spirits do not seem to have favour showed to him, the high position been prompted by any design, as some have evidently accorded_ to him in the Church of supposed, to excite the people either for or the first days, is e. perpetual protest against against the fresh Teacber; they e.re simply the exaggerated asceticism which later was a cry of involuntary adoration. They knew so earnestly taught in ecclesiastical Chris- who that poor Carpenter-Rabbi was; they tianity. The epithet "great," applied to had seen him in hia Di,,ine glory! the fever, was a well-known technical term; Ver. 42.-And when it was day, ha de- it was used by Galen of fevers. There are parted and want into a desert place. For several expressions in this Gospel which solitude, medite.tion, and pre.yer. The night, remind us that the author was a trained or at least most of it, mnst have been spent physician. in these blessed works of mercv. It was Ver, 40.-l'iow when the sun was setting, very early in the deep, dark dawn that the all they that had any siok with divers diseases Redeemer was up again seeking fresh brought them unto him; and he laid his strength from his Fe.tber. St. lUark tells hands on every one of them, and healed them, ns when hA !f,ft the hnnae " it was still very The healing of the " possessed " in the dark." synagogue that morning, followed by the
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-13.-Tlu! temptation in the wilderness. One of the most ~ysterious_ bu~ most suggestive passages in the history of the Christ. Without attemptrng to indicate e.11 the points presented for reflection (see homiletics on Matt. i!.), observ&- 1. THE TEMPTATION IB NEOESSARY TO THE PERFECTING OP' JESUS AS TllE S.\VlOOll o~ SINNERS, He i3 led by the Spirit into the wildemesa-led for the P':l'pos~ of being tned by the devil. In the solitudes e.nd simplicitie11 of the Nazareth hie, ho had no, THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO BT. LUK:E. [oa. 1v. 1-U,