SECTION FIFTEENTH.

DRAUGHT OF FISHES, AND CALL OF PETER.

Now, when he had finished his discourse, he said to Simon: Launch into deep water, and let down your nets for a draught. But Simon answered: Master, we have toiled all night, and have taken nothing; nevertheless, at thy word, I will let down the net and having done so, they inclosed such a multitude of fish, that the net began to break. Then they made signs to partners in the other vessel, to come to their assistance: and they came and filled both the vessels until they were beginning to sink. Now Simon Peter beholding, fell at the knees of Jesus, saying: O Sir, depart from me, for I am a sinful

There is a seeming discordance among the Evangelists, in their account of the call of Simon and Andrew, James and John: but all can be reconciled on the rule proposed by Le Clerc :-" He who relates many things, comprehends the few; while he who relates the few only, does not deny the many." Matthew and Mark say :-—Jesus saw Simon and Andrew casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. This is not contradicted by Luke, who says, at the command of Christ, they let down the net for a draught. Again, both the former Evangelists say, that it was a little after Jesus called Peter, when he saw James and John in the vessel with their father, mending their nets, and called them to follow him but all this is included in the narrative of Luke, who describes James and John as the partners of Simon, assisting him in the draught of fishes, bringing their vessels to land, and forsaking all to follow Jesus. Nor is it unnatural to suppose, that the sons of Zebedee, might be so engaged with the concerns of their father, when about to leave him, as to require a second, or particular invitation to follow Christ, and renounce the world: yet, be it remembered, immediately on receiving the second invitation, they leave nets, vessel, servants, father, and all, to follow Christ. Oh! how often has Christ repeated his calls to thousands, who have never, like these sincere fishermen, fully devoted themselves to his service.

This draught of fishes is exceedingly like that mentioned by John, but it is very probable, that the miracle was repeated, as a mean to produce faith and confidence in the disciples, at two special seasons: the first, when he called them to forsake their usual employment, and become his followers; the second, when he was about to give the final and grand commission to preach the Gospel to the whole hu

man.

For amazement, at the draught of fishes which they had taken, seized him, and also James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were Simon's partners; and, likewise, all that were present. But Jesus said to them: Be not afraid; follow me, and henceforth I will cause you to become fishers of men. And when they had brought their vessels to land, they straightway forsook all, and followed him.

man race. Often the faithful minister of the Gospel feels discouraged when, like Peter, he toils long and takes nothing; but perseverance, in obedience to the commission of Jesus, will assuredly be crowned with success. May none be afraid: the kingdom is the Lord's, and he gives to whomsoever he will. There never will be an instance, where God will permit honest, pious efforts to prove unavailing, and totally fail. But ever be it remembered: the minister, who would be useful, must feel his own unworthiness, and entire dependence on the co-operation of God; and be, at all times, ready to imitate these disciples, and forsake all at the call of Jesus. Without such dispo sition, even the minister of religion is contemptible.

SECTION SIXTEENTH.

CURE OF A DEMONIAC AT CAPERNAUM. And they went into Capernaum, and immediately, on the Sabbath, he taught in the synagogue. And they were astonished at his doctrine; for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the Scribes. Now, in the synagogue, there was a man possess

The doctrine of demoniacal possessions, has been a source of much discussion, since the time of the learned Joseph Mede, who laboured to prove, that the demoniacs were not supernaturally tormented, but only insane. His view of the subject has been ably maintained by Heinsius, Syke, Mead, Farmer, Lardner, Kuincel, Rosenmuller, and Priestley: and, in general, by all those writers of every sect, who would believe that origin of the Scriptures, which appears to them rational. It was the opinion of the Jews, and of all the eastern nations, that insanity was produced by the agency of evil spirits, whom they called demons. They were supposed to enter the bodies of men, and to disorder their understandings; and,

ed of an impure demon; and he cried with a loud voice: Ah! Jesus Nazarene, what have we to do with thee? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying: Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And the demon, having thrown him.

consequently, no cure was expected till the demon was cast out.Hence the ancients had recourse to a variety of exorcisms, or charms to compel those demons to depart. Pythagoras, Thales, Plato, and the Stoics, taught, that the world was full of demons, whom Plato calls visible and generated gods, but all antiquity considered them the souls, or ghosts of dead men. These spirits were believed to have power to produce, or greatly augment, the disorders of man, such as lunacy, epilepsy, and insanity. This appears from the history of Job and Saul: the practice of exorcism among the Jews, Matt. xii. 27; Acts xvi. 16; and the account given of Saul's distemper by Josephus, Antiq. vi. 1.

The word demon, is derived from daw, which signifies to divide, because the ancients believed the demons to be intermediate beings between God and men, who performed the office of intercessors and executors of the divine purposes, and therefore distributed to mankind their due proportion of pain or pleasure. Hence that famous passage in the sixth book of Virgil:

All have their manes, and their manes bear, &c.

Augustine and others supposed, that the term demon always implies an evil spirit or a devil, wherever it is used by the sacred writers; and this opinion seems generally if not universally supported by the scope of the passage where the word is used. The following distinction should nevertheless be carefully observed: The heathen writers considered demon as a general term, like the word angel, applicable to spirits in general, but the writers of the New Testament, use demon, in the sense of devil or evil spirit, except where they refer to heathen usages or opinions. There is no difference of opinion among the ancients about the nature of the beings called demons. All are united in the belief, that they were spirits of dead men, pursuing the bent of their inclinations, in doing good or evil among the living. Hesiod describes that happy race of men, whe lived in the first or golden age of the world, as beings promoted after death, to the rank of demons; and appointed by the will of the Deity, to be guardians of men, and observers of their good or evil actions. Plato agrees with Hesiod, and thinks that he, and many of the poets, are praiseworthy for affirming, that when good men die, they obtain great honour and become demons. Eusebius and Theodoret cite these passages from Hesiod and Plato, in their argument for similar honour and dignity being bestowed on saints and martyrs: and thus Paul was understood by the people at Athens, when he preached Jesus and the Resurrection. Acts 17. 18.

But

down in the midst, convulsed him, and crying aloud, came out of him, and did him no hurt. Then were they all amazed, and said to each other: What new doctrine is this? for with authority he commands even the impure spirits, and they obey him. And his fame spread through the whole country of Galilee.

Josephus says, "Evil demons are no other, than the spirits of the wicked, who enter into the bodies of the living, and kill them, unless they obtain help against them." Now since the whole world believed in the influence of the dead, over the living, at the time of Christ's public ministry, what shall we say of those teachers or Commentators, who suppose that Jesus either knew nothing of the matter, or passed over it, as a popular superstition? We cannot avoid saying, that such an opinion, either subverts the whole Gospel, by representing the sayings of Christ and the writings of his disciples, as a medley of pagan, vulgar, and Jewish opinions, intermixed with the Gospel, without any mark of distinction; or it invalidates the whole testimony of Christ, by reason of his incompetency through lack of knowledge or fidelity. The doctrine of real possession, must therefore be true, and it must also be true, that the souls of men became either angels or devils after death. Let therefore all opposition cease; for there can be no more inconsistency in the permission of demons to tempt or even injure men, than in suffering storms, fires, and earthquakes to destroy life, or devastate a country.

SECTION SEVENTEENTH.

CURE OF SIMON PETER'S MOTHER-IN-LAW. And when they came out of the synagogue, Jesus, Simon and Andrew, with James and John, entered into Peter's house. Now the mother of Simon's wife lay sick of a great fever, and they besought him on her behalf. And going to her, he took her by the hand, and raising her up, rebuked the fever, and immediately it left her: then she arose and served them.

Now, at even, when the sun was setting, they brought to him all that were sick of any disease, and many possessed of demons; and, laying his hands on each of them, he healed them all. And the whole city was assembled at the door. Demons also came

out of many, crying: Thou art the Son of God. But rebuking, he suffered them not to speak, for they knew him to be the Christ. Thus was fulfilled,* what was said by Isaiah the prophet: He took our infirmities, and bear our diseases.t

Now, in the morning, rising before day, he departed into a solitary place, and was praying there, when

*Theologians give four rules for the application of the phraseIt might be fulfilled, in the New Testament. 1. When the thing predicted is literally accomplished. 2. When an event happens agreeably to the spirit of the prediction, though it be not in conformity to the letter. 3. When something happens of a similar nature to that contained in the Scripture, to which the reference is made. 4. When something mentioned in the Old Testament, is more fully accomplished in the New.

+ The extraordinary cures performed by Christ, were undoubtedly miraculous; and as such he appealed to them. Miracles may be defined, events contrary to experience or the established order of things. The opposers of miracles, or unbelievers, are fond of Hume's rash declaration, that "no human testimony_can prove a miracle ;" and talk loudly of Nature and its laws. But Cowper has well said: Nature is but a name for an effect, whose cause is God. The uniform course of circumstances, in animal and vegetable life, which we daily observe, does not proceed from an innate principle of life and motion in the inert masses of which the visible universe is composed; but from the immediate agency of that Omnipotence, which first gave them existence, and appointed the laws by which they are governed. The various results of the will of Omnipotence, may be called constant, but unobserved miracles: while the deviations from these uniform results, are the unusual, and, therefore, the more regarded miracles. The credibility of both classes of miracles, depends on the testimony of the senses of those who observe them. If the miracles, daily observed, were from this moment to cease, and another uniform course of events were to demonstrate, in a different manner, the power of God, then the experience of one age would be contary to that which preceded: yet, the experience of the latter age would not falsify the testimony of the former. Hence they act very irrationally, who disbelieve the miracles of Christ; since they are transmitted to us by the united and concurrent testimony of that age; and sustained by an uninterrupted succession of credible witnesses. The Deist, therefore, stands as self-confuted, as the sceptic who denies the existence of a material world.

The Evangelist here tells us, in what sense Jesus bare our sins; not by suffering the punishment of sins, but by delivering us from them and their consequences. This is not to be expected, however,