Eternal life is the receiving of the living elements in the Scriptures, the doing of the will of God. This is what is meant by eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God. It is the privilege of all to partake of the bread of heaven by studying the Word, and thus gain spiritual sinew and muscle.

Each one must appropriate the blessing to his own soul, or he will not be fed. Each must work for himself. Suppose that a table were spread with every desirable thing, and you were invited to come and eat, but you should make excuse and say, “I am not prepared. Let others eat; it is not for me.” You know you would not be nourished by seeing a well-spread table, and by others eating. We would starve if we did not partake of physical nourishment, and we shall lose our spiritual strength and vitality if we do not feed on spiritual bread eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God, which is, receiving and doing his word.

The invitation has been given, “Let him that is athirst come, and take of the water of life freely.” “Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.” The invitation has been given, and the question is, Will we come and eat? Others cannot receive blessings for us; and we have kept the Saviour apart from our lives. Jesus prayed that his disciples might be one with him as he was one with the Father; and if we are one with him, if we are obedient to his word, the Father loves us even as he loves his Son.

When Philip asked the Master to show him the Father, Jesus looked upon him in sorrow, and said, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” Our lives can be so connected with God that we can have this oneness with Christ. Our thoughts, inclinations, desires, and appetites may all be on the Lord's side. Then we shall have nothing separate and distinct from Christ. There will be perfect harmony between our hearts and his, so that we shall be one with him as he is one with the Father. And now is the time to come into this union with Christ. We have only today to call our own; tomorrow is not ours. We want today to determine that we will no longer dishonor God by our unbelief, by standing back from the Master when he says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

The table has been spread, and Christ invites you to the feast. Shall we stand back, refusing bounties, and declaring, “He does not mean this for me?” We used to sing a hymn that described a feast where a happy household gathered to partake of the bounties of the board at a kind father's invitation. While the happy children gathered at the table, there stood a hungry beggar child at the threshold. She was invited to come in; but sadly she turned away, exclaiming, “I have no father there.” Will you take this position as Jesus invites you in? Oh! if you have a Father in the courts above, I entreat you to reveal the fact. He wants to make you a partaker of His rich bounties and blessings. All who come with the confiding love of a little child will find a Father there.

Come to the water of life, and drink. Do not stay away and complain of thirst. The water of life is free to all.

Those who eat and digest this Word, making it a part of every action and of every attribute of character, grow strong in the strength of God. It gives immortal vigor to the soul, perfecting the experience, and bringing joys that will abide forever.

Note: In some areas phrases have been omitted by the compilers for whatever reason. I have restored them as underlined text, that the full intent of the author may be given.