" And who are they?" asks my reader.
If some one said to us "I am one of the white men," or "I am one of the black," we should at once understand that the speaker belonged to the white or to the black race. So again, if some one said "I am one of the rich," or "one of the poor," we should know that he was either rich or' poor.
Or yet again, if some said." I am one of the good," or "one of the bad," we should suppose that he was either good or bad.
But who can these "whosoevers" be? Are they white or black, rich or poor, good or bad? To what nation do they belong-what language do they speak-what dress do they wear?
Well, strange to say, they do not belong to any particular country-nor do they all speak the same language-nor do they all dress alike. And yet though they are all outwardly different, there is one thing that marks them all-they are all the children of God.
And I will tell you how!
Do you remember a verse in the first chapter of John, speaking of the Lord Jesus it says, " He came unto His own and His own received Him not." Who were "His own" who would not receive Him? The Jews-for they were His special people-His chosen nation. And when He came to them as their Messiah-though not in the way they expected their Messiah to come-they would not have Him-but they crucified and slew Him-they "received Him not."
Very well, for this they were cast off as a nation-and, as we know, they were scattered over the face of the whole earth, mixed up with, though quite distinct from, the nations amongst which they dwell.
Seeing then that " His own " would not receive Him, what followed? The next verse tells us-"as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the Sons of God." What wonderful forbearance and grace I Instead of acting as judge, and punishing all because of the treatment He bad received-He opens a wider door-one that would take in not only the Gentiles but even those very Jews who had been directly the cause of His death. "As many as," whether Jew or Gentile, "received Him became Sons of God."
Now "whosoever" is another word for "as many as," from the third chapter and sixteenth verse, we read "God so loved the world, (not the Jews only) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever (whether Jew or Gen- tile) believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
It is no question of nation or language-and, as to nature, they were all bad, all sinners, all undone and helpless-they could not save themselves-yet God in richest, fullest love says, " that whosoever believeth should. not perish, but have eternal life."
" I am one of the whosoevers," said one who was both young in years and young in grace, in a letter she had written to a friend, in which she earnestly and lovingly urged that friend to come to Jesus-to believe in Jesus-to trust in Jesus-and to decide for Jesus. She explained in her own artless way the plan of salvation-and sheaved that "whosoever will may take of the water of life freely" -and then clearly and boldly said that she had found this water of life-the salvation of her soul, and heartily praised the Lord for His love and mercy.
Now are you "one of the whosoevers" my dear friend? No matter what nation-no matter what condition may be yours. Salvation is for whosoever will-Oh! take it. Let whosoever be your name-and doubt no more-but go forth and live for Him who died for you. J. W. S.