THE MAN POSSESSED BY DEVILS.

O

NE day Jesus came with His disciples in a boat to the country of the Gadarenes, near Galilee. They landed near the tombs, that is, caverns cut into

the rock, where the dead were buried. And there met them a man, who, for a long time, had been possessed by many unclean spirits. He lived in the tombs and wore no clothes. He had been so fierce and wild that his friends had been obliged to chain him up, but he had burst his fetters, and the devils had driven him out to the tombs.

Jesus bade the unclean spirits to come out of the man. And when the man caught sight of Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before Him, saying, "What have I to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God most high? I beseech Thee to torment me not."

And Jesus asked him his name. And he said, "Legion," because many devils were in him. They besought Him that He would not make them go into the sea, but would let them enter into a herd of swine that were feeding on the cliffs close by. He suffered them to do so, and the devils went out of the man and entered into the pigs, and the whole herd ran violently over the cliff into the water and were drowned. And when the herdsmen saw what was done, they fled into the city and told all the people. Then the people came out to Jesus, and they saw the man that had been possessed, clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus. And they that had seen it told them by what means the man had been healed, and they were afraid. The man out of whom the devils had departed, besought Him that he might stay with Jesus, but He sent him away, saying, "Return to thy house and show what great things God hath done unto thee." And he went his way and published throughout the city what great things Jesus had done unto him.

THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE.

ERY similar to the parable of the Hidden Treasure is this one of the merchant seeking goodly pearls.

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

In the picture we see the merchant on the sea-shore, where he has waited for the landing of these sailors from another country. He asks them if they have any goodly pearls for sale, and one man opens his box and takes out this "pearl of great price." It is just the kind of pearl the merchant had been seeking, so he quickly produces his two bags of gold and offers them to the man for his pearl. But the man smiles. "What! part with so large and so beautiful a pearl for two bags of gold?" He could not think of it. The pearl is again placed in its box and the merchant has to go away disappointed. But the longing to have that pearl is too great. A thought occurs to him. He will go

home and sell all that is his, and the money he shall thus obtain, added to his two bags of gold, will surely buy the precious jewel.

And so it is with men when they seek that pearl of pearls, the forgiveness of God. They will give up a great deal in order to obtain it, but they find that God requires them to give up everything that is sinful or worldly. And if their hearts are really set upon obtaining it, they will do as this merchant did and part with everything.