The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 309

warfa1:9 on enrtb. Tc11.Ch us to pray, 0 Lord I' And then," adde hie biographer, " he burst into a flood of tears, aud begged me lo pray for him. Oh, what a sight was there I" Vel'II. 14-26.-0hrist and his adversariu. Obeerve- 1. 'I'B:E OONTRAST. "He was casting out a devil, and it was dumb." Thie wae hia work. As the Redeemer, he was ever intent on setting the human nature free from ita manifold evil by acting on the hidden cause of the evil. It is to be noted that the dum~ness is traced to a dem~m-to t)ie possession of the inner nature by a spirit whose fettenng of the man Wl\9 evidenced ID tlie fettering of the organ of spoccb, !' To cure sorrow by curing sin" is the special service of Christ's Church. In this deeper reference -~be reforence to sin and the e~l one-it is distinguished from mero pllilanthropy. Philanthro1 1y contemplates the evil, and seeks to remove its occasions in social life or in the personal hi~tory. Christianity reaches to the springs of the evil. It contemplates sin; and it sees in i:in an enslavement from which the soul is to be delivered by the One stronger than Satan. But eee the attitude of the world. There is wonder (ver. 14) on the part of eome when the long silence is broken, and the dumb speaks. There is (ver. 15) the tempting or provocation of the Holy One by the demand for sofue :6.amincr portent. And there is the devilish opposition of the Pharisees, who always hung o;{ his rear, and who, unable to deny facts, insinuated that there was a league between the Lord e.nd Beelzebub. So it is still The darkness which will not receive the liaht has degrees of guilt. The blackest form of the guilt is that which cannot but ad~it the force that is active amongst men, which sees the results of that force, and yet refuses to aclcwwledge it to be light, closes the soul against it. "The deaf mny hoor the Saviour's voice, The fotterorl tongue its cha.in may bree.k : But the deaf heart, the dumb by choice, The laggard soul, that will not we.ke, Tile guilt tbo.t scorns to be forgiven,- Thcse h..ffle e'en the spells of Heaven. In thought of these, his brows benign Not e'en in healing, cloudless shiue." II. THI: LORD'S DISCOURSE IN REPLY TO THE THOUGHTS WHICH HE BEADS. The three " ife" in \'era. 18, 19, 20, may well be studied. The first exposes the absurdity of the supposition that he is posse~cd by Beelzebub. B,-elzP.bub in him divided against Beel- zebub without him I the one destroying the works of the other I How could such a. power stand? The second takes another ground. Before him there are heada of the state ; now, their sons claimed to exorcise spirits by repeating formulas of incantation: would they allow that such exorcism was by Beelzebub? They pointed to it as an evidence of Divine favour; how inconsisteut and absurd to see the hand of the devil in his work, and the finger of God in theirs ? The third drives the argument home. If the same finger e.s that which they recognized in their so-called exorcisms is being really put forth, as they themselves can discern, is it not clear that the kingdom of God is come on them, and that to resist this kingdom is their condemnation? The parable and the worda which follow (vers. 21-26) relate to this. A strong man, fully armed, guards his own court, and all his goods are secure ; he and his will 1:1ta.nd or fall together, How can the goods be taken ? Only by overcoming the strong man, by proving that there i.s Another stronger than he. It is only through this personal conflict that the possessions can be abstracted. So in the Lord's holy wars, a. symbol of which had been given that day. Satan bad been holding the afflicted person in hie grasp; and the wasted life could be restored only by the mightier power of love-the love incarnated in Christ-" coming upon him, and overcoming hiw, and ta.king from him hie whole armour wherein hti trusted." '£bis he bad done; the departure of the me.ligne.nt spirit, and the restoration of the man. were the sign of his victory to be fulfilled through all the ages. IIL And then follow TWO WORDS CONSTANTLY TO BE PONDERED. 1. In respect of this, Christ's holy war, there can be no neutrality. The eye, perhaps, is directed to the /!roups of the people "wondering," and of those tempting hi°;!, They had not ac~ua.lly taken part with the Hcorners ; they a.re now reminded, as all m all t1mcH are rcnnnded, on. :u. 1-64.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 31:1