November 11

"And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them"—John 17:26.

LET us now contemplate

THE END FOR WHICH THESE INSTRUCTIONS WERE GIVEN. It is twofold.

The possession of God's love. There is a resemblance between the Father's love to the Son, and his love to believers. This love must be in us in its effects. Its fruits are felt when we are savingly brought to God in conversion. Then it is in us as a living, influential principle; or, as one has expressed it, like the virtue which the loadstone gives to the needle, inclining it to move towards the pole: it draws out the soul toward God in pious and devout affections. In its experience. I mean, when we have such a sense and feeling of it, that we are assured that it is shed abroad in our hearts, and that we are the objects of the Divine favor. The love of God in us, as to its effects, is like ointment shut up in a box; but in its enjoyment and assurance, it is like ointment poured forth. The safety of a Christian consists in the fact that God loves him, and has forgiven his sins; but his comfort arises from the sensible apprehension and feeling of it.

The indwelling of Christ. "And I in them." This we are to understand of the mystical union which exists between Christ and his people. How does Christ dwell in us? By his Spirit. He dwells in us as a Comforter, Teacher, Guide, Witness, and Advocate. By his word. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly." This word dwells in us richly when it is carefully studied, firmly believed, prayerfully read, closely applied, and conscientiously practised. By faith. The apostle prays for the Ephesians, "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." If Christ is such a blessed inhabitant, let us open our hearts to receive him. He brings salvation with him.