Partakers of The Inheritance!
"Giving thanks to the Father, Who hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." —Colossians 1:12 [KJV]
Too many of God's dear children seem to abound more in complaining of what they find and feel in themselves than in praising God for what He hath done for and in them. Why is this? They do not live enough in their own kingdom; they do not enough consider their own privileges; they dwell not enough upon the rich love of God their Father to them; the free-grace of Jesus their Redeemer FOR them, and the work of the comforter IN them.
But, what from a sense of their corruptions, the devices of Satan, the sight of the spirituality of the law, the legality that is in them, they cannot think themselves made meet for God's kingdom; therefore they do not praise God for it. Say, O ye sons and daughters of the Most High, is this right? What! because you find sin abound in you, will you not give praise that grace doth much more abound towards you and IN you also? Consider, God the Father HATH made us meet. Who? Us vile sinners.
How? by taking away the being of all sin in us? No, no more than by taking us out of the body. If we never have meetness for glory till all sin is perfectly destroyed in us, we shall never begin the work of praise till we get to glory. But praise is a present work for what God HATH already done in us. First, "God HATH delivered us from the power of darkness." The prince of darkness no more blinds our eyes to the evil of sin, the curse of the law, the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus, and the preciousness of His salvation. For, secondly, "God HATH translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son."
We are out of the kingdom of nature, sin, pride, and unbelief; we live under the spiritual reign of JESUS. Therefore, thirdly, we possess all the graces of this kingdom; FAITH in the King of saints, love to the King of saints, and "love to all the saints;" to all our fellow-sinners, who confess Jesus the Son of God, and salvation by Him ONLY. Is sin our burden? Christ our glory, our life of holiness? Is holiness the desire of our souls? we have light, life, faith, love, holiness; then God HATH made us meet for the enjoyment of His glory.
Nay, we do enjoy Him NOW. We have fellowship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, therefore, we are now to give Him thanks; we shall never have any other meetness for heaven on earth, though greater degrees of the comforts of this may be experienced. O my soul, art thou no longer in the darkness of sin? Satan's slave? under the curse of the law? blinded by pride to the charms of Jesus? tied and bound by the chains of unbelief? an enemy to God's grace, His truth, and His people? "O LORD, Thou art my God, I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name, for Thou hast done marvelous things." etc.—Isaiah 25:1.
-preacher William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)
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