he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of 31 mustard-seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, it groweth 32 up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. - And with many such parables spake he the word unto 33 them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable spake 34 he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto 35 them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had 36 sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And 37 there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of 38 the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, 39 and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said 40 unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, 41 What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

lers tell us, blowing strongly against the current in the lake, made by the Jordan, immediately raises a high and dangerous sea.

39. God had delegated power to his Son to still the raging elements, raise the dead, cure the sick, and foretell the future. These things were the seal and sign-manual of a more than mortal authority. They leave him apparently without excuse, who bows not to one who has thus been appointed, as the spiritual Guide and Saviour of mankind, and furnished with the most weighty credentials of his office.

CHAPTER V.

Several Miracles of Jesus.

AND they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the 2 country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the

ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an 3 unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no 4 man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: 5 neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting 6 himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran 7 and worshipped him, and cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? 8 I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. (For he said 9 unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.) And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My 10 name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much

CHAPTER V.

Mark is generally more minute in the detail of facts than Matthew; a characteristic, which will be apparent from a comparison of this chapter with the parallel parts of that Gospel. This is an indication that Mark was not an abridger of Matthew, but an original and independent writer. Matthew contains a fuller report of the discourses and conversations of our Lord.

1-20. Mat. viii. 28-34, and the notes.

2. A man. Matthew mentions two; Mark and Luke speak of only one, probably the worst diseased, or the most known. - With an unclean spirit. Goadby justly remarks here, "It being the design of the sacred writers to instruct men in religion, and not natural philosophy; therefore in natural philosophy they retained the vulgar language, though that language owed its rise to false opinions; so the Scripture speaks as

if the earth was fixed and immovable; which every one skilled in mathematics now knows to be absolutely false. The sacred writers contented themselves, to speak according to appearances and the vulgar conceptions. Hence, from the language made use of, we have no reason to conclude that devils possessed men; or that demons, or the souls of departed men, occasioned madness or the like disorders."

3-13. These verses contain a perfect and vivid delineation of raging insanity, which was caused, probably, as madness is now, by sickness or injury, but which was attributed, in the superstitious opinions of the people, to possession by evil spirits; in which hallucination the maniac himself naturally participated. Legion. A Roman division of about six thousand. The furious madman seized upon this tremendous name, as representing the number of spirits which he believed haunted him.

that he would not send them away out of the country. Now 11 there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into 12 the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus 13 gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand,) and were choked in the sea. And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the 14 city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was 15 possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And they that 16 saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray 17 him to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into 18 the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but 19 saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how 20 great things Jesus had done for him. And all men did marvel.

And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other 21 side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the

of his malady.- Go home to thy friends, and tell, &c. There was no apprehension of a popular sedition or tumult on this side of the lake, for Jesus was soon to leave it, and he therefore commands the man to spread the news of his restoration, token as it was of the divine compassion.

20, 21. Parallel to Luke viii. 39, 40.- Decapolis. See note on Mat. iv. 25.-All men did marvel. The miracles of Jesus accomplished a great moral result. They rolled off the dead weight of indifference from the minds of his hearers, and opened the fountains of wonder, awe, interest, and curiosity. Men listened to the words of one whose deeds were more than human. He was nigh unto the sea. The words signify that

22 sea.

And behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the

point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that 24 she may be healed; and she shall live. And Jesus went with

him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent

all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and 28 touched his garment: for she said, If I may touch but his clothes, 29 I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood

was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of 30 that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and 31 said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him,

Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who 32 touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had 33 done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and 34 told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy 35 plague. While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: 36 why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the 37 synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man

to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of 38 James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed 39 greatly. And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why

he continued near the sea. Various reasons might be assigned. One was, that, while in the neighborhood of the lake, he could at any time escape by water from the vast multitudes attracted around him, in case of tumult or sedition.

22-43. See notes on Mat. ix. 18-26.

30. That virtue had gone out of him. A popular mode of speaking, populare loquendi genus. By virtue is here understood miraculous power, which Jesus had knowingly exerted to cure the woman when she touched his garments.

34. Plague, i. e. her disease, not the malady called the plague.

make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But, when he had put 40 them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto 41 her, Talitha cumi: which is, being interpreted, Damsel, (I say unto thee,) arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; 42 for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. And he charged them straitly 43 that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.

CHAPTER VI.

Continuation of the Ministry of Jesus, with his Teachings and Miracles, and the Death of John the Baptist.

AND he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the Sabbath day was 2 come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this 3 the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses,

40. Them that were with him, i. e. Peter, James, and John, ver. 37; Luke viii. 51. These, with the parents, were sufficient as witnesses.

41. Talitha cumi. Syriac words. In the language of Furness, "If the girl instantly came to life at the command of Jesus, we see how natural it was that the very words uttered by him, and the utterance of which was followed by such startling effects, should have instantly appeared to the bystanders to be possessed of supernatural and untranslatable significance." He applies the same remark to Ephphatha. Mark vii. 34.

43. That no man should know it. Lest a tumult might be raised. Difference of situation dictated a different direction from that in ver. 19. Something should be given her to eat.