mustard seed. Persuaded that his faith is too insignificant to satisfy the condition, he prays (1) for its increase ; in other words, he seeks to be helped against his unbelief. Another interpretation, though advocated by some good and great men, to the effect, (2) “ Help me, notwithstanding the weakness of my faith,” has but little, we think, to commend it to favour and acceptance. Now at length all is ready for the beneficent operation; the people are running together to the place, or running together yet more (é#l, denoting intensity or addition), when our Lord addressed the unclean spirit in terms of stern rebuke, and words of unmistakable authority, saying, ‘‘1” [¢yé expressed, and s0 emphatic and distinctive]—I, thy Master; I, whose authority you cannot evade; I, whose word of command you dare not disobey; I, not my disciples, who were non- plussed by the strange and sudden outburst of thy fiendish malignity; I order thee to come out of him at once, and never again to enter into him.
VII. THE COMPLETENESS OF THE CURE. The command to “enter no more into him” may be attributed to the weakness of the father’s faith—to assure him there would be no relapse, to convince him there would be no return of the paroxysm; it may also be owing in part to the malignant obstinacy of the foul fiend, who now, after crying aloud, and after convulsing the poor boy’s whole frame with a horrible spasm, came out of him, leaving him all but dead, so that the many said he was dead. The great primary act of expelling the demon had been accomplished, but the effect of his long dominion over the lad, and the shock to his system at departure, left him so thoroughly exhausted and prostrate that a second miracle was required to supplement the first. In conse- quence, our Lord seized him by the hand, or seized his hand, and lifted him up, so that he stood upon his feet well and sound and strong, as though the whole had been but the memory of a troubled dream. An explanation was subsequently given to the disciples touching their inability in the present case, and their want of success in the exercise of a gift which had been bestowed, and which had been most probably effectual in other instances. The explanation appears to have respect to the character of the demon, and the conduct of the apostles themselves. First, there is mention of “ this kind,” by which some understand (1) the race of demons in general— the race of all demons,” according to Euthymius; others limit the expression to (2) a special kind of spirits, peculiarly obstinate and stiffnecked, and consequently more difficult to be driven out ; while a recent authority on the subject suggests that the reference is to(3) a class of demons which manifested their presence by unexpectedly sudden and frightfully severe outbreaks, and for the expulsion of which the exurcist or physician operating required uncommon presence of mind and strength of nerve, as well as vigorous exercise of faith. But, waiving a discussion of this doubtful kind, and merely expressing our preference for the second of the opinions stated, we may notice bri-fly a strange term employed here, namely, go out (egeAdet). If the statement in which this word is used is to be interpreted literally, the meaning appears to be that demons of this kind could not go out, even if they would, of the persons possessed by any other means or in any other way than in the use or by the exercise of prayer and fasting. If this be the real, as it is the literal meaning, it is a circumstance of a strange, inscrutable kind; and, among matters more or less mysterious, it is not the least so. We may, however, give to the words a freer interpretation and take them in the more ordinary sense, that this kind can be expelled by nothing but by prayer and fasting. The conduct of the apostles themselves had most to do with their powerlessness to cast out the demon in this instance. They had received the requisite power, as we read in ch. vi. 7 that, in sending them forth by two and two, he “gave them power over unclean spirits;” but they had neglected thé discipline indispensable to the efficient and successful employment of that power. ‘l'wo circumstances in close connection with this neglect are assigned as the cause of failure—weakness of faith is mentioned by St. Matthew, and neglect of prayer is hinted by St. Mark. We may regard them as standing together in the relation of two joint causes, or rather as cause and effect in relation to this matter—neglect of prayer being the former, and debility of faith the latter.
Practica, Lessons. 1. We learn the important duty of parental solicitude for the spiritual as well as, or rather more than, for the bodily, well-being of their offspring, In the case of the Syro-phcenician woman we saw how she identified herself with her afflicted daughter, saying, “ Lord, help me!” Here likewise the father of the demoniag makes common cause with his child, in the words, ‘‘ Have compassion on us, and help
52 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. Lox. rx. 1—50
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