but he inclosed such a multitude of fishes, that the net broke, and they were forced to call to their partners for help; who coming, filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. This prodigious draught of fish struck Simon Peter and his partners with amazement and fear; insomuch that Peter, under a sense of his own unworthiness, fell down at the feet of Jesus, and desired him to depart from him, for he was a sinful man. But Jesus speaks comfort to Peter, bids him not fear; for by that miracle he had consigned him and his partners to become fishers of men, who by their prudence, holiness, and evangelical doctrine, should gain souls to God. And as soon as they had brought their ships to land, and secured them, Jesus commanded Simon and his brother Andrew to follow him; who in dutiful obedience to the call of their blessed Lord, left their nets and all their connexions, and followed him. When Jesus had proceeded a little farther, he saw two other persons, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. And immediately he called them, whose early faith and cheerful obedience to the commands of the Lord caused them to enter into the service of him, who alone was able to emancipate them from the slavery of sin, and of this wicked world. They therefore, leaving their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, immediately followed him.* With this little family, Jesus went up and down Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, healing all manner of diseases, curing demoniacs, cleansing lepers, and administering strength and comfort to all diseased and afflicted persons that were brought to him.

Among the many instances of remarkable cures which Jesus wrought, one was very conspicuous; for while he was teaching in a synagogue at Capernaum, and the people stood astonished at his doctrine (for the authority and power with which he expressed himself, proved him

Him. Our Lord was pleased to call his first disciples, not from the palaces of kings, or the schools of philosophers, but from among the poor and unlearned, that the success of his gospel," the excellency of the power," might the more evidently appear to be "of God and not of man.”

to be more than mortal) to add to their admiration, one of the congregation that was possessed with an unclean spirit cried with a loud voice, "Let us alone, what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth, art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God." Thus the devils themselves confessed him to be the very Christ, the Son of God: but Jesus rebuked the devils, not suffering them farther to proclaim him to the world; choosing rather to implant faith in the hearts of his disciples by suitable arguments, and the holy influence of his Spirit, than to be manifested by the conviction and forced testimonies of accursed and unwilling spirits. These wonders spread his fame abroad universally, which daily increased by the addition of new miracles: for going from the Synagogue to Simon's house, by a touch of his sacred hand, he cured the mother of Simon's wife of a fever. These repeated instances of his divine power and authority invite all people either through curiosity or necessity to come to him, but especially the latter; for whoever had any diseased persons among their relations and friends, or such as were possessed by devils, brought them to him, in an assured expectation of speedy cure and relief; of which none who ever addressed themselves to him failed, for his compassion was as great as his power. These miraculous cures rendered him the subject of general conversation and admiration; insomuch, that by the continual application of the distressed to him, he was, as it were, besieged by an army of invalids in Simon's house, who flocked thither for relief, and whom he expeditiously dismissed with cure

and comfort.

After he had healed those multitudes which came to Simons' house, he retired into a desert place very early in the morning, that he might have an opportunity to pray, free from the importunities and noise of the multitude. But he could not be so hid, being soon discovered even in his very solitude; for the multitude found him out, thronging him with their constant attendance. To prevent their more importunate addresses, Jesus plainly told them, he must preach the gospel to other cities also, resolving to pass to the other side of the lake of Genesa

reth, so to avoid the throng; whither, as he was passing, a scribe offered himself as a disciple, till Jesus candidly informed him that his condition was worse than that of foxes and birds, for whom an habitation was provided, but none for him, no not a place to lay his head, and find rest. What afterward became of this forward professor we find not. Others who were probationers of this fellowship, Jesus bound to a speedy profession, not suffering one to go home to bid his friends farewell, nor another so much as to bury his dead.

By the time that Jesus reached the ship it was late, and he, heavy to sleep, slept as soundly as weariness and innocence could make him, insomuch that a violent storm which then happened could not awake him; till the ship almost covered with the impetuous fury and dashing of the waves, the men already sunk in their spirits, and the ship ready to sink too, the disciples awaked him, and called for help, saying, "Master, carest not thou that we perish?" Jesus arising, reproved their unbelief, and commanding the winds to be still, and the sea peaceable, immediately there was a great calm. This excited fresh surprise in all the people in the ship, who, seeing with what authority he restrained the raging winds and waves, could not forbear asking who he was, though his actions plainly denoted him a person sent from God, and endued with divine power.

The storm thus appeased, they presently arrived in the land of the Gerasens, * or Gadarenes. Near to the city of Gadara, there were many sepulchres in the caves of the rocks,† where the dead were buried, and where

* Gerasens. St. Matthew, ch. viii. v. 28, calls them so; but St. Mark, ch. v. ver. 1, and St. Luke, ch. viii. ver. . 26, call them Gadarenes; the reason of which is their lying near together. The word Gergesenes or Gerasens was the remaining name of an extinct people, being one of the nations whom the sons of Jacob drove from their inheritance. In this land there were two cities; Gadara from the tribe of Gad, to whom it fell by lot in the division of the land, (which having been destroyed by the Jews, was rebuilt by Pompey at the request of Demetrius Gadarensis, Pompey's freed-man; and near it was Gerasa, as Josephus reports. Which diversity of towns and names is the cause of the various recitation of this story by the evangelists.

+ Rocks. The sepulchres of the Jews were frequently hollowed out of rocks, and the melancholy disposition of madmen naturally led them to such places.

many superstitious persons used the Memphitic and Thessalic rites, invoking evil spirits. At the very instant of our Saviour's arrival in the country there met him two* possessed with devils from these tombs, exceedingly fierce, as they had been for a long time, and so infested those parts that no man durst pass that way. As soon as they saw the holy Jesus approach, they cried out, "Jesus, thou Son of God, what have we to do with thee, art thou come to torment us before our time?" But Jesus immediately displays his power over them, by commanding the devils out of the possessed persons. There was no room to dispute his authority; they must forsake the poor wretches, whom they had so long possessed and tortured, and seek another habitation.

At that time there were certain men feeding swine,‡ which though extremely abhorred by the Jewish religion, yet for the use of the Roman armies, and quartering of soldiers, they were permitted, and divers privileges granted to the masters of such herds. The devils therefore besought Jesus that he would not send them into the eternal abyss, but permit them to enter into the

*Two. St. Mark, ch. v. ver. 1, and St. Luke, ch. viii. ver. 27, mentions but one man; St. Matthew, ch. viii. ver. 28, mentions two; which difference has little weight in it, if any: for St. Matthew naming two says the truth, and the others, which name but one, do not deny that there were more. Besides, St. John, ch. xxi. ver. 25, says, the evangelists do not pretend to write all that was done by Christ, for the world then could not contain all the books of his acts.

Augustin thinks that one of these demoniacs was more remarkable than the other, perhaps for his birth, or parts, or interest in the country, and that his cure made more noise, and for that reason was mentioned by Mark and Luke, while they omitted the cure of the other. De Consensu Evang. lib. 2, No. 56.

† Time. That is, before the time of the last judgment, when they are to be eternally punished; till then they remain in the airy region. Thus St. Augustin de civitate Dei.

Swine. Though it was contrary to the custom of the Jews to keep swine; yet the city of Gadara being a Greek city, and inhabited chiefly by Greeks and Syrians, and for the necessities of the Roman soldiers, it is no way strange, that swine were kept there. Besides, this city of Gadara is by Josephus reckoned among the Greek cities which Pompey took from the Jews, and consequently but few, if any Jews at that time inhabited there.

swine; which he allowed, and the swine immediately ran down a steep place into the lake of Genesareth, and perished in the waters: revenging hereby, as they in their diabolical cunning and malice thought, their being dis possessed of man, whom they delight to torment and destroy, and so exasperate the inhabitants against our Lord for the loss of their swine, that they should neither entertain him nor his gospel; which at that time, was the effect actually produced; for this event so offended the inhabitants, that they came and intreated Jesus to leave their country.

*

These Gadarenes certainly proved themselves unworthy of the distinguished honour of enjoying the presence, discourses and miracles of the Son of God: he was therefore pleased to take them at their word, and immediately leave their country, from whence we find him bending his course to the lesser Galilee, and so again to the city of Capernaum, where he was met by several Scribes and Pharisees, who came from Galilee. And while they were sitting in a house, which was so encompassed with the multitude, that no business or necessities could be admitted at the door, a poor paralytic was brought by four men to the house, where being denied entrance by the vast crouds that thronged about the door, their earnest zeal and hope soon furnished them with means to approach the heavenly physician; for they uncovered the roof of the house,† and let the sick man down in his bed

S* Country. Though several difficulties attend the explanation of this story, and relates to evil spirits, and to the abyss ; yet we are plainly taught a very useful lesson, namely, That it was not in the power of a vast number of evil spirits, to do the deast mischief even to so contemptible a creature as a swine, without divine permission. This should encourage all christians to rely on the providence of God, and never to give way to the fear of evil spirits.

+ House. Great houses in the east, had commonly a court yard in the midst This court was surrounded with cloisters, and chambers, the roof of which was always flat, and furnished with a balustrade, or parapet wall. The entrance to the roof was by a stair-case from the porch, so that access might be had to it by the friends of the paralytic, who let him down by cords, having first removed part of the parapet into the court, or the midst, which was properly called "the house."