in T h e e" (Psa. LVI:3). Little faith becomes apparent in the midst of great trial. They had faith enough to awak- en Him, but-not enough to wait for Him to awake. He rebuked the winds and waves, ' ' Hold your peace, be dumb, be muz- zled," as though the howling wind was a wild man and needed the manacles. Why does He speak as though the ele- ii mts were personified? Was it because the Prince of the power of the air had soug!>t to destroy the lives of the dis- ciple» and to prevent the party from reaching their destination? Has satan power .0 hinder? (1 Thess. 11:18). Does he control the elements? (Job 1:12-19). What might and majesty are manifested as the Master issues His edict to the elements, and the wind withdraws from His presence and the waves crouch at His feet. Storms await us on the sea of life, but if the Lord is with us in the ship, there can be no shipwreck. 2. Delivering the Demoniac. " A n d He said unto them, Go ." The destination of the Lord is the country of the Gadarenes. There are two satan-bound men there whose con- dition appeals to Him. When the boat reaehed the shore, the men meet Him. To understand the condition of these men, we must read the parallel pass- ages in Mark and Luke to speak of only one man. Doctrine of Demons. This lesson af- fords the opportunity of presenting Bible teaching concerning demons. It must be done briefly. The fall of Adam and Eve brought man in subjection to satan-. In yielding to satan's snare, they took themselves out of God's hands and surrendered their wills to the enemy; through this act they became followers of the evil one and partook of his nature (Eom. VI: 16; Jno. V I I I: 44; Eph. 11:2-3). Demons are disem- bodied spirits, under the powers of darkness, seeking to inhabit a body. A wicked heart is an open door. Men who give themselves up to unrestrained passions are fit subjects for such tenants, and the Scripture justifies the statement that men become possessed by demons. That they are still active in this matter is proven by the state- ments of missionaries, who have had the joy of seeing men and women deliv- ered from their power, through prayer. Why should we doubt that men are still subject to the presence and power of these evil spirits? As the days darken
down into the gloom of the awful night that must fall upon the end of the age, will there not be more and more out- broken manifestation of their presence? Evil men shall wax worse and worse (2 Tim. 3:13). Heading the accounts in Mark and Luke we are struck with the struggle between the man and the demons, sometimes one speaking and sometimes the other. The., demon-possessed man. The demons recognized the Lord and make the first public confession of His Deity. " J e s u s, thou Son of God," ver. 29. The demons also manifested knowledge of the purpose of God. They recognized the torment that awaited them (Jude VI; Rev. XX:10). They acknowledged the authority of the Lord Jesus in re- questing the privilege of going into the swine. How much better posted they were than many of our teachers today, who deny the personality of demons, and the Deity of Christ; in whose phil- osophies there is no place for a place of torment. One thing ought to be noted; the devil nor his angels ever ask for mercy or forgiveness, and there is not a shadow of foundation for a second chance for them or for anyone else. Th'ese men dwelt in the tombs, defied all restraint, defeated all attempts to tame or chains and were destroying their own bodies. The Deliverance of Christ. Mark tells us that the Lord com- manded the Spirits to come out of the man, thus mauifesting the authority which they recognized. The demons believe and tremble (Jas. 11:19). A le- gion of Roman soldiers comprised 6000 men. Is it possible that so many could have housed themselves in these men? In no instance is there any sign of re- sistance to the authority of Christ upon the part of demons. The departure of Christ. The demons take to the swine and the swine to the sea. The loss of the swine affects the business interests of the neighborhood and Jesus is invited to leave. The man, sitting clothed and in his right mind is a marvelous testimony to the power of Christ, but this does not compensate the owner of the swine. They pray Him to depart. His mercy is shown in His seeking the deliverance of these men; His majesty is manifested in the driving out of the demons; His meek- ness is proven by His modest departure. Whoever will not have Jesus must have the demons. The garnished house must have some tenant (Matt. XII:44). He
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