sinnerd/' and daily debtots to mercy and gr&ce P Are W6 the followers of Jesus, who was "meek and lowly of heart/' and "made Himself of no reputation" for our sakes P Then let that same mind be in us which was in Christ Jesus. Let us lay aside all high thoughts and self- conceit. In lowliness of mind, let us esteem others better than ourselves. Let us be ready, on all occasions, to take the lowest place. And let the words of our Sayiour ring in our ears continually, " He that is least among you aU, the same shall be great."
In the second place, our Lord Jesus Christ gives us a warning against a bigotted and illiberal spirit As in the preceding verses, so here, the occasion of the warning is suppKed by the conduct of His own disciples. "We read that John said to Him, "Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name : and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us." Who this man was, and why he did not consort with the disciples, we do not know. But we do know that he was doing a good work in casting out devils, and that he was doing what he did in the name of Christ. And yet John says, "we forbade him." — Very striking is the reply which the Lord at once gave him : " Forbid him not : for he that is not agaiDst us is for us."
The conduct of John and the disciples on this occasion is a curious illustration of the oneness of human nature, in every age. Thousands, in every period of Church history, have spent their lives in copying John's mistake. They have laboured to stop every man who will not work for Christ in their way, from working for Christ at all. They have imagined, in their petty self-conceit, that no