FAITH IS OUR VICTORY

"Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." —I John 1:3 [KJV]

The prophet asks, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"—Amos 3:3. No. There can be no sweet communion, no comfortable fellowship between God and man, except they be agreed. See then, O soul, this fellowship is enjoyed by faith: for by faith we are brought into agreement with God. Consider, how the glorious THREE concur to make our souls thus happy. It pleased God the Father, that all fulness should dwell in His Son. He determined to display all His grace and glory in the MAN Jesus, for the sinner's salvation—Hence he saith to us, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased, HEAR YE HIM." 

But we are averse to agree with God and to hear Jesus. We had rather have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, and that the devil should rule over us; than that Jesus should have the whole glory of saving us by His grace. But the dear Spirit loves us with equally the same love as the Father and the Son doth. He takes the scales of ignorance from our eyes, and the veil of unbelief from our hearts; then we fall in love with Jesus' precious person. He convinces us of our sin and misery. O, then we gladly hear and joyfully receive Jesus to be our Saviour, Then we come to the exact point where the Father meets us and embraces us, even IN His Son Jesus. He saith to us, O My blessed sons! 

All I have is yours. We say to Him, O our loving Father! All we are is Thine. And just as children of one family have sweet communion, loving intercourse, and agreeable fellowship with each other, and with their common parents; so have we with our heavenly Father, and our dear Brother, JESUS, in our spirits. He speaks to us; we hear and obey. We pray to Him; He hears and answers. We have fellowship in the Father's everlasting love; in the Son's everlasting righteousness, atonement, salvation, and intercession, through the Spirit's everlasting consolation. O, what astonishing grace! O, what wonder of love is this! Sinners of a mortal race enjoy close fellowship and intimate communion with the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity. 

This is our highest felicity (-happiness) below. Here we admire, adore, and love. Angels behold with wonder and joy our conversion to it. But this fills with envy and fires with rage, the infernal spirits. They hate THE TRUTH, and oppose our knowledge and enjoyment of it. Though Satan is not acquainted with our sweet fellowship, yet he sees we are not delighted to have fellowship with him in unfruitful works of darkness. 

Hence he is our adversary. And all the world, who are under his influence, he stirs up with implacable enmity against us. But what of all this! Faith is our victory. And as this fellowship is begun in faith; so the Holy Spirit will maintain it in the soul by faith below, till we come to the fullest enjoyment of God the Lamb above.

-preacher William Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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