14. All this is indeed the work of God. It is God alone who can cast out Satan. But he is generally pleased to do this by man, as an instrument in his hand: who is then said, to cast out devils in his name, by his power and authority. And he sends whom he will send upon this great work: but usually such as man would never have thought of. For his ways are not as our ways, neither his thoughts as our thoughts. Accordingly he chuses the weak to confound the mighty, the foolish, to confound the wise: for this plain reason, that he may secure the glory to himself; that no flesh may glory in his sight.
II. 1. But shall we not forbid one who thus casteth out devils, if he followeth not us? This it seems was both the judgment and practice of the apostle, till he referred the case to his Master. We forbad him, saith he, because he followeth not us, which he supposed to be a very sufficient reason. What we may understand by this expression, He followeth not us, is the next point to be considered.
The lowest circumstance we can understand thereby, is, he has no outward connexion with us. We do not labour in conjunction with each other. He is not our fellow-helper in the gospel. And indeed whensoever our Lord is pleased, to send many labourers into his harvest, they cannot all act, in subordination to, or connexion with each other. Nay, they cannot all have personal acquaintance with, nor be so much as known to one another. Many there will necessarily be in different parts of the harvest, so far from having any mutual intercourse, that they will be as absolute strangers to each other, as if they had lived in different ages. And concerning any of these whom we know not, we may doubtless say, He followeth not us.
2. A second meaning of this expression may be, he is not of our party. It has long been matter of melancholy consideration, to all who pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that so many several parties are still subsisting, among those who are all stiled Christians. This has been particularly observable in our own countrymen, who have been continually dividing from each other, upon points of no moment, and many times such as religion had no concern in. The most trifling circumstances have given rise to different parties, which have continued for many generations. And each of these would be ready to object to one who was on the other side, He followeth not us.
3. That expression may mean, thirdly, he differs from us, in our religious opinions. There was a time, when all Christians were of one mind, as well as of one heart. So great grace was upon them all, when they were first filled with the Holy Ghost. But how short a space did this blessing continue? How soon was that unanimity lost, and difference of opinion sprang up again, even in the church of Christ? And that not in nominal, but in real Christians: nay in the very chief of them, the apostles themselves? Nor does it appear, that the difference which then began, was ever entirely removed. We do not find, that even those pillars in the temple of God, so long as they remained upon earth, were ever brought to think alike, to be of one mind, particularly with regard to the ceremonial law. ’Tis therefore no way surprizing, that infinite varieties of opinion should now be found in the Christian church. A very probable consequence of this is, that whenever we see any casting out devils, he will be one that, in this sense, followeth not us: that is not of our opinion. ’Tis scarce to be imagined he will be of our mind, in all points, even of religion. He may very probably think in a different manner from us, even on several subjects of importance: such as, the nature and use of the moral law, the eternal decrees of God, the sufficiency and efficacy of his grace, and the perseverance of his children.
4. He may differ from us, fourthly, not only in opinion, but likewise in some points of practice. He may not approve of that manner of worshipping God, which is practised in our congregation: and may judge that to be more profitable for his soul, which took its rise from Calvin, or Martin Luther. He may have many objections to that liturgy, which we approve of, beyond all others; many doubts concerning that form of Church-government, which we esteem both apostolical and scriptural. Perhaps he may go farther from us yet: he may, from a principle of conscience, refrain from several of those, which we believe to be the ordinances of Christ. Or if we both agree, that they are ordained of God, there may still remain a difference between us, either as to the manner of administring those ordinances, or the persons to whom they should be administred. Now the unavoidable consequence of any of these differences, will be, that he who thus differs from us, must separate himself, with regard to those points, from our society. In this respect therefore he followeth not us: he is not (as we phrase it) of our church.
5. But in a far stronger sense, he followeth not us, who is not only of a different church, but of such a church as we account to be in many respects antiscriptural and antichristian: a church which we believe to be utterly false and erroneous in her doctrines, as well as very dangerously wrong in her practice, guilty of gross superstition as well as idolatry. A church that has added many articles to the faith, which was once delivered to the saints: that has dropt one whole commandment of God, and made void several of the rest by her traditions: and that pretending the highest veneration for, and strictest conformity to the antient church, has nevertheless brought in numberless innovations, without any warrant either from antiquity or scripture. Now most certainly he followeth not us, who stands at so great a distance from us.
6. And yet there may be a still wider difference than this. He who differs from us in judgment or practice, may possibly stand at a greater distance from us, in affection than in judgment. And this indeed is a very natural and a very common effect of the other. The differences which begin in points of opinion, seldom terminate there. They generally spread into the affections, and then separate chief friends. Nor are any animosities so deep and irreconcileable, as those that spring from disagreement in religion. For this cause the bitterest enemies of a man, are those of his own houshold. For this the father rises against his own children, and the children against the father; and perhaps persecute each other even to the death, thinking all the time they are doing God service. It is therefore nothing more than we may expect, if those who differ from us either in religious opinions or practice, soon contract a sharpness, yea bitterness toward us; if they are more and more prejudiced against us, till they conceive as ill an opinion of our persons as of our principles. An almost necessary consequence of this will be, they will speak in the same manner as they think of us. They will set themselves in opposition to us, and as far as they are able hinder our work: seeing it does not appear to them to be the work of God, but either of man or of the devil. He that thinks, speaks and acts in such a manner as this, in the highest sense, followeth not us.
7. I do not indeed conceive, That the person of whom the apostle speaks in the text (altho’ we have no particular account of him, either in the context, or in any other part of holy writ) went so far as this. We have no ground to suppose, That there was any material difference between him and the apostles; much less that he had any prejudice either against them or their Master. It seems we may gather thus much from our Lord’s own words, which immediately follow the text, There is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. But I purposely put the case in the strongest light, adding all the circumstances which can well be conceived: that being forewarned of the temptation in its full strength, we may in no case yield to it, and fight against God.
III. 1. Suppose then a man have no intercourse with us, suppose he be not of our party, suppose he separate from our church, yea, and widely differ from us, both in judgment, practice, and affection: yet if we see even this man casting out devils, Jesus saith, Forbid him not. This important direction of our Lord, I am, in the third place, to explain.