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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. · May 30, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 22.

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"Come"

By J. N. Quinn

J. N. QUINN
The Christian life reaches its climax even as it began its existence, by invitation. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden," will one day blend into, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." God's "Come" accepted, means a blessing, as none but "Ye blessed of my Father" will receive an abundant entrance into the kingdom of eternal glory.
Every recruiting station is an invitation to come and join the military forces of the government, and to accept the invitation means to leave the service of the past, to discard the garb of the civilian, and put on the uniform provided by the nation whose cause we have espoused. Enlistment means not only the acceptance of the uniform and every other article provided by the government, but it also stands for readiness to serve whenever and wherever the service is needed.
God calls all men to himself and to his service of love, and this call, when heeded, will remove us from the world's current of enmity, indifference, self-pleasing, which is sweeping thousands to destruction, and will put us into the channel of divine grace, leading up to the throne of God.
God's blessing means fruitfulness. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." "For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The blessing invariably accompanies the birthright (Gen. 27: 32-36), and the first-born is heir to the throne. 2 Chron. 21: 3. And thus "unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities" (Acts 3: 26), "and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Eph. 2: 6. By physical birth we obtain the nature of our parents, and the physical responds to the physical. Receiving as a gift the Holy Spirit, we become partakers of the divine nature, and by refusing to yield to the suggestions of the evil one come off conquerors through his grace.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places ["things," margin] in Christ." "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
This is the solution of all life's problems, the end of all our heart yearnings. Have we received Christ, not merely his teaching, but himself, the Lord Jesus Christ? If so, he abides with us; in our lives there is a great calm, and "we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." In a little while we shall be thrilled with the gracious invitation, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."
Takoma Park, D. C.