A CAUTION AGAINST BIGOTRY. MARK ix. 38, 39. _And John answered him saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. And Jesus said, Forbid him not._ 1. IN the preceding verses we read, that after the twelve had been disputing, _which of them should be the greatest_, Jesus _took a little child, and set him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of these little children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not me_ (only) _but him that sent me_. Then _John answered_ (that is, said with reference to what our Lord had spoken just before) _Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and we forbad him, because he followeth not us_. As if he had said, “Ought we to have received him? In receiving him, should we have received thee? Ought we not rather to have forbidden him? Did not we do well therein?” _But Jesus said, Forbid him not._ 2. The same passage is recited by St. _Luke_, and almost in the same words. But it may be asked, What is this to us? Seeing no man now _casts out devils_. Has not the power of doing this been withdrawn from the church, for twelve or fourteen hundred years? How then are _we_ concerned in the case here proposed, or in our Lord’s decision of it? 3. Perhaps more nearly than is commonly imagined, the case proposed being no uncommon case. That we may reap our full advantage from it I design to shew, first, In what sense men may and do now _cast out devils_: secondly, What we may understand by, _He followeth not us_. I shall, thirdly, explain our Lord’s direction, _Forbid him not_, and conclude with an inference from the whole. I. 1. I am, in the first place to shew, in what sense men may, and do now _cast out devils_. In order to have the clearest view of this, we should remember, that (according to the scriptural account) as God dwells and works in the children of light, so the devil dwells and works in the children of darkness. As the holy Spirit possesses the souls of good men, so the evil spirit possesses the souls of the wicked. Hence it is that the apostle terms him, _The God of this world_: from the uncontrolled power he has over worldly men. Hence our blessed Lord stiles him _the prince of this world_: so absolute is his dominion over it. And hence St. _John_, _We know that we are of God_, and all who are not of God, _the whole world_, ἐν τῷ πονηρῷ κεῖται· Not, lieth in wickedness: but _lieth in the wicked one_; lives and moves in him, as they who are not of the world, do in God.