not. "What manner of ma n" do you think He is? II. DELIVERANCE FROM THE DE- MONS. 1. Hell is restless, sleepless, and gives no rest to God's servants till Satan is bound, jailed, shut up, and sealed up (Rev. 20:1-3). They escaped the devil at sea to meet his demons ashore. 2. The man was not a mere maniac, but a demoniac. The devil and his an- gels are dread realities. The text proves it. Something, some things, passed from the man to the swine. Nei- ther reason, nor science has a word to say against the double miracle, nor has experience. The world is full of inex- plicable mysteries, and "there is more in heaven and earth than is dreamed of in our philosophy." Demons may be as familiar to our future experience as men are now. May we not be found keeping company with them! The de- monized' may be greater sufferers, but not necessarily greater sinners than others. It is worse to be a voluntary servant of evil, than an involuntary vic- tim of a devil. 3. The Ways of the devils. (1) How they treat their victims, (a) They keep them in dismal places: among the dead (Eph. 2:1-3); on the dark mountains (Jer. 13:16). ( b ) T h e y strip them of their glory and leave them naked and ashamed (Lk. 8:27; Gen. 3:'7). (c) They cause them to break through all moral restraints (v. 3; Psa. 2:3), and (d) give them no rest (v. 4; Isa. 48: 22), and (e) cause them to abuse their own bodies (1 Kgs. 18:28; Pr. 23:29- 35). (2) How they dread Christ, (a) They are irresistibly dragged to His feet (vs. 6, 7, 10; Mk. 1:23, 24 ); (b) they would have nothing to do with Him (v. 7), indeed there is nothing common between them (2 Cor. 6 : 1 5 ); (c) they know and deprecate their doom (Mat. 8:20; Lk. 8:31) ( " d e e p= "abyss"=Rev. 20:3; Mt. 25:41). (3) How they love mischief (vs. 12, 13). 4. The ways of Christ, (a) He deliv- ers the captives (vs. 8, 13); (b) clothes them (v, 15; Gen. 3 : 2 1 ); (c) gives them a right mind (v. 15; 1 Cor. 2 : 1 6 ); (d) sends them to save others (v. 19, 20; Rom. 10:10). (2) Chastises evil doers (v. 13, 16), It was unlawful to keep swine in the Holy Land. 5. The ways of men. (a) They are swineherds for all God's law. (b) They value swine beyond a man's sanity and salvation, (c) They prefer to keep the chatties' rather than Christ. "And He departed (v. 20).
JAIRUS' DAUGHTER AND THE TOUCH OF FAITH Lesson VII. Mark 5 f21-43. August 18th. I. JAIRUS' DAUGHTER. A. 1. ^'Behold!" "A ruler" asks Jesus' help! (1 Cor. 1:26; Jno. 7i48). He dares face the frowns of the synagogue. He had not owned Christ before. Yet "mighty works" had been done here at Capernaum. But when the heart strings crack the stubborn will is broken. Many are driven to the mercy seat by helpless grief. Better be drawn than driven to Jesus. But welcome the sorrow that shows us the Saviour. 2. "Be sought." His agony made him agonize in prayer. He humbled himself and "besought greatly" (see 2 Sam. 12:15-18). He cried "My daughter" (Mat.), "my little daughter" (Mk.) his "one only daughter," (Lk.- lieth at the point of death; come, lay Thy hands on her, that she may be healed, and she shall live." 3. "Jesus went." Such a prayer never fails. He is of "great compas- sion" and though He does not alway3 heal or raise our dead now He hears, all will be right. "Jesus went" and the crowd with them. II. THE TOUCH OF FAITH. 1. A wayside ministry. Jesus on His way to help one saves another. His "paths drop fatness." He scatters largesses by the way. He saves hum- ble and timid souls as freely as rich and noble rulers. 2. The woman's case. (1) Her mal- ady; (2) its long-standing; (3) much suffering; (4) skill baffling; (5) purse emptying; (6) no better; (7) but worse. 3. The woman's cure. (1) She heard of Jesus, (2) His cures, (3) their ful- ness, (4) their freeness. (5) She rea- soned: "If I touch but His clothes," etc. (6) She pressed through, ,(7) touched, (8) was healed, (9) imme- diately. 4. The woman's confession. (1) She had erred; had thought there was magic in Jesus' garment, as Romanists trust to priestly charms. (2) She must be taught that the virtue was in the Him, not in the hem she touched. (3) She thought to touch, withdraw, and none, even He, be the wiser. (4) But nought is hid from Him, or done without Him. It is Himself, not His church, its sacra- ments, or ordinances (these are His garments) which saves. Trust in these is superstition. Saving faith is in a
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