ours, with all its faults, with all its defects, its sins, and its deficiencies; a land overshadowing with its wings almost the four quarters of the globe; a land that spreads its sail to every breeze, and drops its anchor on every strand; the home of exiles, the asylum of the persecuted, where even the Hungarian Bem might come and find a shelter, without the necessity of changing his faith and taking ours; where Turk, Mohammedan, Mussulman, Hungarian, and Russian, may come and find peace; a land whose acres are dotted with temples as with stars, and from whose homes and hearths there ascends every where increasingly the song of praise; and where all men, blessed be God, may have, and I hope ever will have while it lasts, a sabbath rest and a sabbath repose. I ask, my dear friends, if you find not in the demoniac, clothed, restored, and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus, the very type of our land, enjoying its sabbaths, thus blessed, thus mighty. And what has made it so? Who has made us to differ? Only the Son of God, through his Bible, which is his will, through his sabbath, which is his witness, through the gospel, which is his voice. Perish all England's swine together, but let her sabbaths

still shine. Let all depart from our coasts, but, in the language of the disciples going to Emmaus, "Blessed Master, abide with us even unto the end."

Amen.

LECTURE XIV.

NATURE SITTING AT THE FEET OF JESUS.

And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was pos

sessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done for thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.-LUKE VIII. 26-39.

THE passage which is parallel to this, and which contains in substance the same sentiment, in words little different, is in Mark v., where we read, "And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with a devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And when Jesus was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but 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 [that is, in the city] how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel."

In my last lecture I described at length the historical portion of the very remarkable,

and, in some respects, difficult miracle, the record of which I have now read. I do not here recapitulate, but proceed to notice two grand features in the close of the parable: first, the position in which the man was found; and, secondly, the duty which our Lord devolved upon him.

The position in which he was found, we are told, was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind. How interesting is this spectacle! how appropriate the seat selected by the recovered demoniac! It was the place of nearness to Jesus, and intimate communion with him. From that blessed source he had received a great and unspeakable blessing, and to that Lord his love and gratitude taught him to cling and cleave closer and closer. Perhaps he selected this place also as the site of safety. The man feared that there might be a return of the evil spirits that had departed from him, and therefore he sat near to him who alone was mighty to exorcise them, and in whose presence alone he thought he would be able to prevent their ultimate return. Or perhaps his sitting at the feet of Jesus may denote that, having been delivered from the grievous curse under which he groaned,