The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 251

Klways nkin to self-irlolatry, to be men in unrlerstAnclin" but children in heart and Bf•irit,-this is the mBrk which he presents when, in an;wer to the reasoninz in the bnLrt, ho says, poillting to the child," He that is least among you all, the s11me Bhall be great." A Bell tence ever to be pondered, implying (Matt. xvi ii. 3) that the wul hns t•een turned to the right law of it.~ being. " He restorcth my l!Oul." With tbis lessou of humility there is joined at this time a lesson of charity and /orbearunre. llow this lesson was occasioned is explained in ver. 49. The expres~ion used by lb" Lord," in my Name," seems to have suggested to John an incident, perl1aps the circum- stance which somehow gave rise to the reasoning, "Master, we saw one ca,;tina n11t devils in thy Name, and we forbade him, because he followetb not with us." Int;nt:ct honestly enough meant! But one wholly foreign to the law of the spirit of Christ's life. His greatness is that he is not confined to any circle; his gospel 1s "tbe prefience of a good tlitru,ed." There is a virtue in even the hem of his garment. The com- nrnnion of Gud with men is always wider than the communion of men with Go<l. He is in contact with minds which <lo not even conscious! y surrender to him. lkware of i<lc11tifying the bestowment of spiritual grace with the acknowle<Lmcnts of hlief according to any set of words, or with adherence to any particular compauy of believers. "'l'he 8pirit divideth to every man severally as he wills." It is not for any to forbid another" because he followeth not with us." No; in the next chapter we shall fi11<l Christ protesting, "He that is not with me is against me." That is the one side uf h1~ mind. But it is balanced by tbe other ( ver. 50), "lie that is not against us is for us." 'l'he two sentences are not mutuall_v contradictory. The one establishes that there is no mid<lle course between Christ and Satan; that those who will nut join Christ in his warfare against Satan must, directly or indirectly, aid Satan against Christ. In the other it is shown that the man whom John and his brethren forbade was really with Christ in his warfare, an<l had received from him the faith which was mighty against the kingdom of darkness. 'l'he miracle in Christ's Name was the proof that he was really on Christ's side, gathering with him. "Try the spirits," such is practically the rejoinder of Jesus; "do not forbid simply bccanse one bas not complied with what you consider necessary or right; look at the character of the deed, at the motive present to him; if that bear the mark of my Name, account him with me, although he follows not with you." John would have been justified in going to the mau who cast out devils, and expounding the way of God more perfectly to him; be was not jnstilied in nrn- hibiting. Most difficult of graces is the grace of charity; charity as disLingwshetl Hvlil the toleration which is the outcome of a mind that has no positive conviction of irs own, and regards all views as alike to it; charity which has its hand firm in detinite truth, but recognizes that Christ, not any man or any system, is the Truth ; "Thon, 0 Lord, art more than they;" and because of this reverence, this feeling of the infinite- ness of truth, allows for many forms of apprehension, welcoming the N arne of the Lord, howsoever it is revealed in character and life, and, when there cannot be fellowship, sorrowing rather than denouncing. Humility and charity God has joined together. They are the two inseparable features of the childlike character. ,vhere humility reigns, there is always the desire to be fair, to acknowledge the excelleuces even of doctrines and opinions to which the mind is opposed; most of all, of persons from whom it may differ. "0 Lord, who bast taught us that all our doings without charity are nothing worth; send thy Holy Ghost, an<l pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whosoever Ii veth is counted dead before thee." Vera. 61-62.-Theface steadfustly set. Very pathetic and sublime is the announce- ment of the fifty-first verse. 'l'he briuht, joyous spring-time has gone. The corn- field8 and gardens, the hill and dale, the " lake's still face sleeping sweetly in the embrace of mountains terraced hi"b with mossy stone "-all the scenery which the Son of man so dearly loved, must no~v be left behind. No more for him the crowds of simple fisher-folk hanaiu" on his words; no more for him the circuits from village to v11lage, returning to the"quiet Capernaum home; no more for him tbe happy wurk which marked the earlier years of the Prophet of Nazareth. Now there are ouly the deepening opposition of scribe and Pharisee, and the leng1heni11g shadow of the cross. u~. is tue Man of men. Not without pain must he have left N~zarcth iu the distauc~, 252 'l'ITE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. [en. n:. 1-82.