words to the taking of rest in sleep, he plainly says: "Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe." Martha hastens to receive him; she is grieved on account of his late arrival, but is, nevertheless, full of hope and faith. Then Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die." He proceeds to the grave. At the command of him who raises the dead (“ Lazarus, come forth"), death restores his prey. Then Jesus goeth to suffer death himself, and to pass through death unto life, so that his words: "I am the resurrection, and the life," may receive their most glorious and complete fulfilment. § 142. The Demoniacs. 1. The terrible form of disease designated by the term demoniacal possession, appeared with greater frequency than usual, during the days in which Christ lived. Cases of this kind are explained, not merely according to the prevailing popular opinion, but also according to the views and declarations of Christ, in the following manner: the personality of an evil spirit (a demon, whence the persons thus affected are called Demoniacs), while suppressing the human personality of an individual, takes possession of his corporeal-psychical organism, and misuses it in producing unnatural and destructive manifestations of life. The work of Christ to which he was called, specially required, therefore, that he, who had come to destroy all the works of the devil (I. John 3:8), should meet and, like a victor, subdue this horrible manifestation of the power of darkness. OBS.-The following explanatory remarks may aid in placing cases of this kind in a clearer light. If the first man, Adam (and, in and with him, his whole race), had chosen to adopt a course conformable to his destination, human life would have unfolded itself in security and repose, and have exhibited harmony and unity in all the acts of the body, the soul, and the spirit; the whole being of man would have constituted a perfect and complete unity, surrounded by the presence of God, and secure from every external hostile disturbance. But when sin destroyed the equilibrium and harmony of man's being, the immediate result was, that the spirit of man was expelled from its true position and—as the spirit is the central point and the point of union of human nature this disturbance extended to the corporeal-psychical region, in which it manifested itself as sickliness, and was consummated in the form of bodily death. Thus sin dissolved the ties between the body and the soul, and between the soul and the spirit; the entire organism was thereafter open to hostile influences of every description. Now if pernicious influences derived from the life of nature, such as epidemics, poisons, &c., are able to invade the human organism, and extort involuntary, unnatural and destructive manifestations of life, why may not the personal powers of darkness also be able to take possession of it in a similar manner? As in the case of the former, so also in the case of the latter, we may assume that a certain predisposition or susceptibility exists; but it is obvious that no man can presume to determine whether, or in what degree, the latter is the consequence of the individual's own particular offence. It belongs to that school of medicine which is animated by Christian faith, to answer the question whether the form of disease known as demoniacal possession was peculiar to the age of Jesus, or whether it has also appeared in later times, and even in our own day. In the former case, it would be easy to understand the circumstance that the power of darkness attained unusual prominence and extent, precisely at the time when it was defeated by the appearance and the redeeming work of Christ. If, however, science should even decide that such cases have occurred since the days of Christ, the circumstance that they are at least extremely rare under the Gospel dispensation, when compared with their frequency at a former period, would afford evidence in this respect also of the blessed influence of Christianity, and be a pledge to us that all the influences and assaults of the power of darkness will hereafter cease entirely. - 2. The following are the most important of the cases in which demoniacs were healed. While Jesus was teaching on the sabbath-day in the synagogue in Capernaum, "as one that had authority, and not as the scribes," a demoniac who was present began to cry: "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 even the power of darkness, overcome by the presence of the Holy One, was compelled to bear witness of him: but the Lord refused to receive such witness, and said to the unclean spirit: "Hold thy peace, and come out of him." Then the demon, after he had torn the man, came out of him (Mark 1 : 21–27).—A still more extraordinary event occurred in the country of the Gadarenes (Gergesenes), in Peræa. As Jesus, after crossing the sea of Galilee, was leaving the ship, he was observed by a demoniac who had often in his frenzy torn fetters and chains asunder, and who endured appalling agonies in the neighboring tombs in which he found shelter. Here, too, the presence of the Redeemer was immediately felt, and produced a strange and fearful conflict between. the wretched man's own personality and one that had taken possession of him. He ran towards Jesus, worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice: "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not." The psychical distraction of this man required a peculiar and very careful mode of treatment. This fact explains the unexpected question of the Redeemer: "What is thy name?" and the permission which he granted to the demons, who were many in number, to enter into the swine that were feeding on a declivity of the mountain. As soon as the swine felt the foreign influence which seized them, they ran violently down into the sea. The owners of the herd, in place of deriving a spiritual gain from this temporal loss, besought the Lord to depart out of their coasts (Mark 5: 1–17).—On another occasion, while the Lord was on the mount of transfiguration (§ 145. 2) with three of his disciples, a demoniac child was brought by his father to the other disciples at the foot of the mount; the demoniacal possession of the boy was manifested by the most frightful convulsions. The disciples in vain attempted to heal him. When Jesus came down to the multitude, he rebuked the father and all who were near him, on account of their unbelief, and commanded that the boy should be brought to him. When the unclean spirit saw him, he cried and rent the child sore. To the father whose weak faith exclaimed "If thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us," Christ replied, "If thou canst believe; all things are possible to him that believeth." Then a deep feeling of his need of faith was awakened in the father, and, with an ardent desire to obtain it, he said with tears: "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." At that moment the Lord commanded the foul spirit to come out of the child. When his disciples asked him afterwards: "Why could not we cast him out?" he answered: "Because of your unbelief. this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting" (Matt. 17: 14, &c.; Mark 9: 14, &c.; Luke 9 : 37, &c.). § 143. The Extent of the Labors of the Redeemer. 1. The Redeemer designedly confined his labors to the people of the covenant. He said himself: "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15: 24), and he imposed the same restriction on his disciples, until his ascension to heaven should occur. "Go not," said he, "into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 10 : 5, 6). His present labors were merely introductory, and hence, like all the Old Testament preparations of salvation, as well as for similar reasons (§ 21. 1), they were limited to the seed of Abraham. But he repeatedly declared, plainly and distinctly, that these barriers should hereafter be removed. "Other sheep I have," said he, "which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd" (John 10: 16). He even declared, in the plainest terms, that the Gentiles should enter into the kingdom of God before the people of the covenant, who persisted in hardening their hearts (§ 119; § 137. 2). He accordingly gave an express command to his disciples, immediately before his ascension, that they should extend their labors to all the nations of the earth (Mark 16: 15; Matt. 28: 19; Acts 9: 15). 2. It was only in certain special cases that he afforded relief and gave instructions to Gentiles and Samaritans. He was constrained, on these few occasions, to depart from his usual course by the faith which he beheld, and which, by its power and depth, put Israel to shame. Analogous instances occur in the Old Testament (Naaman; the people of Nineveh, &c.). The centurion of Capernaum is an instance (§ 140. 2). Another is furnished. by the Syrophenician woman (Matt. 15: 22, &c.; Mark 7: 24, &c.). The latter would not suffer herself to be repelled by the apparently harsh and offensive words: "It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs;" she was only urged by them, agreeably to the Lord's real intention, to express her faith the more unequivocally, as she did in those terms of deep and touching humility: "Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." — At another time he instructed the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well near Sychar (Shechem), concerning the water of life and the time when the true worshippers should worship the Father in spirit and in truth; he abode two days with the Samaritans of that city, of whom many believed, and said to the woman: "Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (John ch. 4). — Of the ten lepers whom Christ healed (Luke 17 : 12-19), the only one who returned to give him thanks and glorify God, was a Samaritan (compare here also the narrative concerning the good Samaritan, Luke 10: 30, &c.). § 144. The Immediate Results of the Labors of Christ. 1. The authority with which the Redeemer taught, and the signs and wonders which he did, soon produced a great sensation among the people, and they acknowledged that a higher power dwelt in him. They were astonished at his doctrine, and even if, on account of their carnal views and feelings which regarded external things alone, they could not comprehend the meaning of his deep discourses, but on many occasions grossly perverted it, nevertheless they testified that he taught as one that had authority, and not as the scribes (Mark 1: 22). They asked: "Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? (Matt. 13: 54.) What new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him (Mark 1: 27). Of a truth this is the Prophet. This is the Christ. Never man spake like this man" (John 7 : 40, 41, 46). They feared exceedingly, they glorified God, and many believed on him when they saw the signs which he did. The sick, the lame, the blind, those possessed with unclean spirits, lunatics, &c., were brought to him from all directions, and he healed them. Large masses of people, governed merely by an idle wish to see |