{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/ecf/106/1060211.htm","path":"chr/ecf/106/1060211.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/106/1060211.htm","text":"Chapter V.\u2014Of the Statement Which John Made Concerning the Man Who Cast Out Devils Although He Did Not Belong to the Circle of the Disciples; And of the Lord\u2019s Reply, \u201cForbid Them Not, for He that is Not Against You is on Your Part;\u201d And of the Question Whether that Response Does Not Contradict the Other Sentence, in Which He Said, \u201cHe that is Not with Me is Against Me.\u201d\n6. Mark proceeds as follows: \u201cIn those days again, 1603 the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat;\u201d and so on, down to the words, \u201cJohn answered Him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in Thy name, and he followeth not us; and we forbade him. 1604 But Jesus said, Forbid him not; for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me; for he that is not against you is on your side.\u201d 1605 Luke relates this in similar terms, with this exception, that he does not insert the clause, \u201cfor there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name that can lightly speak evil of me.\u201d Consequently, there is nothing here to raise the question of any discrepancy between these two. We must see, however, whether this sentence must be supposed to stand in opposition to another of the Lord\u2019s sayings, namely, the one to this effect, \u201cHe that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.\u201d 1606 For how was this man not against Him, who was not with Him, and of whom John reported that he did not unite with them in following Him, if he is against Him who is not with Him? Or if the man was against Him, how does He say to the disciples, \u201cForbid him not; for he that is not against you is on your side\u201d? Will any one aver that it is of consequence to observe that here He says to the disciples, \u201cHe that is not against you is on your side;\u201d whereas, in the other passage, He spoke of Himself in the terms, \u201cHe that is not with me is against me\u201d? That would make it appear, indeed, as if it were possible for one not to be with Him, although he was associated with those disciples of His who are, so to speak, His very members. Besides, how would the truth of such sayings as these stand then: \u201cHe that receiveth you receiveth me;\u201d 1607 and \u201cInasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me\u201d? 1608 Or is it possible for one not to be against Him, although he may be against His disciples? Nay; for what shall we make then of words like these: \u201cHe that despiseth you, despiseth me;\u201d 1609 and, \u201cInasmuch as ye did it not unto the least of mine, ye did it not unto me;\u201d 1610 and, \u201cSaul, Saul, why persecutest thou me,\u201d 1611 \u2014although it was His disciples that Saul was persecuting? But, in good truth, the sense intended to be conveyed is just this, that, so far as a man is not with Him, so far is he against Him; and again, that, so far as a man is not against Him, so far is he with Him. For example, take this very case of the individual who was working miracles in the name of Christ, and yet was not in the company of Christ\u2019s disciples: so far as this man was working miracles in His name, so far was he with them, and so far he was not against them. 1612 But, inasmuch as they had prohibited the man from doing a thing in which, so far forth, he was really with them, the Lord said to them, \u201cForbid him not.\u201d For what they ought to have forbidden was what was outside their fellowship, so that they might bring him over to the unity of the Church, and not a thing like this, in which he was at one with them, that is to say, so far as he commended the name of their Master and Lord in the casting out of devils. And this is the principle on which the Catholic Church acts, not condemning common sacraments among heretics; for in these they are with us, and they are not against us. But she condemns and forbids division and separation, or any sentiment adverse to peace and truth. For therein they are against us, just because they are not with us in that, and because, not gathering with us, they are consequently scattering.\nIterum, inserted. [The Greek text, according to the best mss. reads: \u201cwhen there was again a great multitude.\u201d So Revised Version. Augustin\u2019s text is: \u201cIn those days again, when there was a great multitude.\u201d\u2014R.]\n227:1604\nThe words, \u201cbecause he followeth not us,\u201d are omitted. [So the Vulgate and old Latin text; but the best Greek mss. omit the clause, \u201cand he followeth not us,\u201d inserting the last clause, \u201cbecause he followeth not us,\u201d as in Luke ix. 49.\u2014R.]\n227:1605 227:1606 227:1607 227:1608 227:1609 227:1610 227:1611 227:1612\n[The correct reading in Luke ix. 50: \u201cFor he that is not against you is for you,\u201d gives the key to the meaning. See commentaries in loco.\u2014R.]","title":"Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Vol. VI: The Harmony of t...","type":"page"}