to look about for our weapons when the sudden temptation leaps upon us
like a strong man armed. You must have them familiar to you by devout
meditation, by frequent reflection, prayer, study of God's Word, if they
are to be of any use to you at all. And I am afraid that about the last
book in the world that loads of young men and women think of sitting
down to read, systematically and connectedly, is the Bible. You will
read sermons and other religious books; you will read newspapers,
pamphlets, novels; but the Scripture, in its entirety, is a strange book
to myriads of men who call themselves Christians. And so they are weak.
If you want to be strong, 'let the Word of God abide in your hearts.'

And then if we take the other view, which at bottom is not another, of
the meaning of this phrase, and apply it rather to the personal word,
Jesus Christ Himself, that will yield us another exhortation, and that
is, let Jesus Christ into your hearts and keep Him there, and He will
make you strong. I believe that it is no piece of metaphor or an
exaggerated way of putting the continuance of the influence of Christ's
example and Christ's teaching upon men's hearts and minds, when He tells
us that 'if any man open the door He will come in and sup with him.' I
want to urge the one thought on you that it is possible, in simple
literal fact, for that Divine Saviour, who was 'in Heaven' whilst He
walked on earth, and walks on earth to-day when He has returned to His
native Heaven, to enter into my spirit and yours, and really to abide
within us, the life of our lives, 'the strength of our hearts, and our
portion for ever.' The rest of us can render help to one another by
strength ministered from without; Jesus Christ will come into your
hearts, if you let Him, in His very sweetness and omnipotence of power,
and will breathe His own grace into your weakness, strengthening you as
from within. Others can help you from without, as you put an iron band
round some over-weighted, crumbling brick pillar in order to prevent it
from collapsing, but He will pass into us as you may drive an iron rod
up through the centre of the column, and make it strong inside, and we
shall be strong if Jesus Christ dwells within us. Open the door, dear
young friends; let Christ come into your hearts, which He will do if you
do not hinder Him, and if you ask Him. Trust Him with simple reliance
upon Him for everything. Faith is 'the door'; the door is nothing of