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fever and from the imposition of his hands many sick persons of all manner of diseases were healed; many devils were cast out, crying out and saying, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of God; but he rebuked them, saying that they should not speak who he was; for he knew that he was the Messiah."

Thomas. These evil spirits could not be human maladies, for I never read of human maladies knowing that Jesus was the Christ.

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Olympas. The Neologists of Germany, France, and England, have converted them into eastern metaphors, but by a most violent outrage on all the rules of interpretation. Demons came out of many, crying out and saying, "Thou art Christ the Son of God." "Jesus rebuked them, and suffered them not to speak; for they knew that he was Christ." Could any rhetorician or grammarian, not infatuated with some extravagant fancy or theory, suppose that any physical malady could not only be gifted with speech, but with more intelligence than the person himself who was the subject of the disease. What epilepsy ever came out of a man saying the Doctor was a person of divine science, and when rebuked by the Physician became dumb as a stone!! Or, to allegorize the whole passage: - Diseases came out of many persons intimating by their manner of departure that the person under whose practice they migrated was a great Doctor. But when the Doctor's life became endangered by his rivals because of his excessive fame among the people, he inhibited these diseases from proving that he was possessed of more than common skill.

Thomas. Really, that would be rather a ridiculous version of the matter I wonder that any

person of common sense could read Luke iv. 41, and then affirm that demon is only another name for palsy, epilepsy, or some physical malady.

William. What were those demons, father? Olympas. They are called "unclean spirits," and is not that enough?

William. What kind of spirits, father?

Olympas. We know of only two classes of spirits -human spirits and angelic spirits; but as to the properties or personal attributes of the one or the other, we know nothing positive and clear. They can think, reason, and speak; but they have neither flesh, blood, nor bones. They have great strength, and evil spirits are fond of using it malignantly. All those legions of evil spirits or demons spoken of in the Testament appear to be the unclean spirits of dead men. But if any one imagine them to be fallen angels, he has as good a right, political and ecclesiastical, to cherish and express that opinion when called upon as I have to give mine. It is not with me absolute faith, but plausible opinion; and I think there is more reason and historic evidence, and less difficulty in the way of this opinion, than of any other of which I have heard. But we may have a better oppor tunity of dilating on this subject hereafter.

CONVERSATION XXXI.

Father Olympas. My family will now prepare for a close and minute examination of the apostolic family; and preparatory to this, we shall read Matthew x. in connexion with our present lesson in Luke, as well as some general readings in the sequel. William, read again the first seven verses of Matthew x. new version.

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And having called to him his twelve disciples, he gave them power to expel unclean spirits, and to cure diseases and maladies of every kind. Now these are the names of the twelve Apostles. The first Simon, called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James, son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus, surnamed Thaddeus ; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, he who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus commissioned, instructing them; and saying, Go not away to the Gentiles, nor enter a Samaritan city; but go directly to the lost sheep of the stock of Israel. And as you go, proclaim, saying, The reign of heaven approaches."

Olympas. Observe that those who became Apostles were first called disciples.

William. Are they not afterwards called Disciples as well as Apostles?

Olympas. Very frequently. That was a generic name, while that of Apostle was special.

Thomas. Are they not called heralds too?

Olympas. Paul calls himself a herald, a keerux, and Peter calls Noah the keerux or herald of righteousness to the antediluvians. But their peculiar and divinely appointed name is Apostles-persons sent forth; Shilohs, messengers sent from the Lord; sometimes called Ambassadors.

Thomas. Is not Jesus called an Apostle by Paul, and a Shiloh by Jacob; and do not these two names indicate the same office?

Olympas. The Vulgate has qui mittendus esthe that is to be sent the ambassador, for Shiloh. So the ancient Rabbis say that the Messiah is called the sent. The proper arrangement and sacred use of these are:-Jesus was himself first named the Shiloh, or Ambassador, and is afterwards called by Paul "the Apostle and High Priest of our religion." He calls himself the Apostle of God-" As," said he in his intercessory prayer, as thou hast made me thy Apostle, so have I made them my Apostles to the world." [New Version.] Jesus is God's Apostle, or Ambassador and Herald to the world; and the twelve already named are called the Apostles not of God, but of Christ.

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Thomas. God, then, has but one Ambassador, or Chief Apostle to the world, and Jesus our Saviour has twelve,

Olympas. Just so: they are his Apostles, and he is God's. Let us then attend to their history.

At the head of these stands Simon Peter, a son of Jonas, a citizen of Bethsaida, situate on the western coast of the lake Gennesareth. He was a householder in Capernaum at the time of his calling, and a fisherman by trade. His name was afterwards changed into Cephas, a Syriac word

meaning petra, or rock. But though he was first in standing, he was not the first called of the twelve. His own brother Andrew having been a disciple of the Baptist, was first introduced to the Messiah, and became his disciple, and he introduced his brother Peter to the Lord. He also became his disciple, but went back for some time to his calling. It was the thirtieth year of Jesus that these two brothers enlisted in his cause. Next to the first pair were James and Jolin, sons of Zebedee and Salome, natives, or, at least, citizens of Bethsaida in Galilee. This James is sometimes called the Greater or Senior to distinguish him from another James called the Less or Junior. He and John his brother were intimate with the Lord, and were amongst his most confidential friends. They were present on the Holy Mount of transfiguration. They were also present at his ascension. James was exposed to martyrdom by Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, about A. D. 42. The next in order are the sons of Cleopas and Mary, the sister of the mother of Jesus. Of these sons three were Apostles-James the Less, Judas, and Simon. Two of these wrote epistles-James the Less, sometimes called James the Just, and Jude. This is that James, son of Alpheus or Cleopas, who was in Jerusalem regarded as a pillar, and who presided at the council of Jerusalem. This Simon is called the Canaanite, identical in our language with the Zealous, to distinguish him from Simon Peter; and the other is called Judas the Traitor, in contrast with Judas who wrote the epistle. There yet remain other five, of which we know but little. These are Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas,

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