so. The crowd was "amazed" when they saw
Him, and "saluted" Him. His presence changed all. The demon angrily left,
doing his worst to wreck the house he had to vacate. The boy is restored;
and the crowd astonished at the power of God.

Then these disciples did a very keen thing. They made some bad blunders
but this is not one of them. They sought a private talk with Jesus. No
shrewder thing was ever done. When you fail, quit your service and get
away for a private interview with Jesus. With eyes big, and voices
dejected, the question wrung itself out of their sinking hearts, "Why
could not _we_ cast it out?" Matthew and Mark together supply the full
answer. Probably first came this:--"because of your little faith." They
had quailed in their hearts before the power of this malicious demon. And
the demon knew it. They were more impressed with the power of the demon
than with the power of God. And the demon saw it. They had not prayed
victoriously against the demon. The Master says, "faith only as big as a
mustard seed (you cannot measure the strength of the mustard seed by its
size) will say to this mountain--'Remove.'" Mark keenly:--the direction of
the faith is towards the obstacle. Its force is against the enemy. It was
the demon who was most directly influenced by Jesus' faith.

Then comes the second part of the reply:--"This kind can come out by
nothing but by prayer." Some less-stubborn demons may be cast out by the
faith that comes of our regular prayer-touch with God. This extreme sort
takes special prayer. This kind of a demon goes out by prayer. It can be
put out by nothing less. The real victory must be in the secret place. The
exercise of faith in the open battle is then a mere pressing of the
victory already won. These men had the language of Jesus on their lips,
but they had not gotten the victory first off somewhere alone. This demon
is determined not to go. He fights stubbornly and strongly. He succeeds.
Then this _Man of Prayer_ came. The quiet word of command is spoken. The
demon must go. These disciples were strikingly like some of us. They had
not _realized_ where the real victory is won. They had used the word of
command to the demon, doubtless coupling Jesus' name with it. But there
was not the secret touch with God that gives victory. Their eyes showed
their fear of the demon.

Prayer, real prayer, intelligent prayer, it is this that routs Satan's
demons, for it routs their chief. David killed the