' in the
original, do stand before the '_that_,' and are distinctly separated by
it from the subsequent clause. They ought not, therefore, to be shifted
forward into it, as our translators and the Revised Version have, I
think, unfortunately done, unless there were some absolute necessity
either from meaning or from construction. I do not think that this is
the case; but on the contrary, if they are carried forward into the next
clause, which describes the result of Christ's dwelling in our hearts by
faith, they break the logical flow of the sentence by mixing together
result and occasion. And so I attach them to the first part of this
verse, and take them to express at once the consequence of Christ's
dwelling in the heart by faith, and the preparation or occasion for our
being able to comprehend and know the love of Christ which passeth
knowledge. Now that is all with which I need trouble you in the way of
explanation of the meaning of the words. Let us come now to deal with
their substance.

I. Consider the Indwelling of Christ, as desired by the Apostle for all
Christians.

To begin with, let me say in the plainest, simplest, strongest way that
I can, that that dwelling of Christ in the believing heart is to be
regarded as being a plain literal fact.

To a man who does not believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, of course
that is nonsense, but to those of us who do see in Him the manifested
incarnate God, there ought to be no difficulty in accepting this as the
simple literal force of the words before us, that in every soul where
faith, howsoever feeble, has been exercised, there Jesus Christ does
verily abide.

It is not to be weakened down into any notion of participation in His
likeness, sympathy with His character, submission to His influence,
following His example, listening to His instruction, or the like. A dead
Plato may so influence his followers, but that is not how a living
Christ influences His disciples. What is meant is no mere influence
derived but separable from Him, however blessed and gracious that
influence might be, but it is the presence of His own self, exercising
influences which are inseparable from His presence, and only to be
realised when He dwells in us.

I think that Christian people as a rule do far too little turn their
attention to this aspect of the Gospel teaching, and concentrate their
thoughts far too much upon that which is unspeakably precious in itself,
but does not exh