Tuairimí agus Smaointeoireacht shíoladh an pheaca (Feeling and Thinking propagate the sin)

One of the most beautiful gifts the Lord God granted to undeserving man, the creature which was formed in His own image and likeness, is a sound conscience. With that necessary tool, one can comprehend if something is right, that is morally beneficial for all involved persons in a given situation, or wrong, that is morally degrading for all. Even though one still must look to the Holy Spirit for His useful gift of spiritual discernment, the conscience is nevertheless a vital gift. For that, among a plethora of other reasons, I offer exultations of praise to the Lord who reigns over all creation. Although I sincerely and lovingly offer these phrases of praise to He whom I cleave onto, I have on at least one recent occasion betrayed my conscience. Were not for the great mercy of our Lord, I would not know what to do, other than mull the realistic possibility of spending an eternity not in Paradise, but rather in the fiery and corrupted abyss that is hell. Having sought his compassion, I believe I am ready to commit that particular account of the defiance of my conscience to writing, that I may muse upon my errors in a later time without a shred of guilt to be found in my being. Even now, what I offer to my Lord is that which this verse of the Holy Scriptures entails:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise" (Psalms 51.17).

For the moment, I offer to my Maker ‘a broken and a contrite heart,’ that very heart upon which the law is written (cf. Hebrews 8.10). In time, I shall fully grasp that godly sorrow which ‘...produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted’ (II Corinthians 7.10a). At this time, I merely recount that which has attempted to overtake my portion of the Holy Spirit, which dwells in the temple within me (cf. I Corinthians 6.19-20).

[Source: http://www.wf-f.org/WFFResource/StThomasBecket.jpg]

In the past few days, something legitimately dangerous and trying has played with me. That conniving lady, Lust, has attempted to seduce me, to play the harlot with me. Her aesthetically-pleasing looks, along with her sultry voice, were enough for her to have a bit of success in luring me to dishonour and defile the Lord, whom I truly love. But how could I possibly allow myself to even contemplate the idea of compromising my conscience in the name of a fleeting and an ultimately trivial moment of pleasure? How could I possibly allow myself to turn the focus of my wretched and scarred face from His magnificent appearance? Such thoughts have haunted me. Ah, but that serpent of old greatly desires that I would be in such a moral and spiritual predicament. His scheme is all too simple, yet disgusting, to one who calls himself a Christian: To become addicted to the wiles of his deceptively intimidating agent of iniquity, and consequently be judged unworthy of entrance into Paradise by the Lord of all creation. In other words, that snake wants nothing else but to see myself ruthlessly destroyed. I believe that he covets my desolation not because he despises me for myself, but due to his envy of our Lord. Since He crafted all that exists, including myself, that serpent shall unceasingly work to see the demise of everything which He lovingly created and said ‘was good’ (cf. Genesis 1).

[Source: http://accad.osu.edu/~zmaynard/images/Artists_Work/stained%20Glass/Adam_And_Eve_StainedGlassWindow.jpg]

But the Lord God reminded me of precedent. His people, Israel, once played the harlot against their God. The prophet Hosea explicitly relays how the relationship between the Lord and Israel, that being a covenantal sealant, pictured as a marriage contract, was ruined once Israel was lured to the wicked reverence of the Canaanite fertility deity, Baal, and its related cult (cf. Hosea 2). Israel, through punishment by the Lord, would ultimately realize that relying to temporal means of ‘success’ and ‘stability’ is futile, and would decide to turn back to its God as if captured by the secure and comforting embrace of love the first time.

“Therefore, behold,
I will hedge up your way with thorns,
And wall her in,
So that she cannot find her paths.
She will chase her lovers,
But not overtake them;
Yes, she will seek them, but not find them.
Then she will say,

‘ I will go and return to my first husband,
For then it was better for me than now'" (Hosea 2.6-7).

From her decision to turn back to Her husband, the Lord is able to proclaim this beautiful statement regarding the renewal of the ‘marriage contract’ between the two parties, by the lips of Hosea:

“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me
In righteousness and justice,
In lovingkindness and mercy;
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness,
And you shall know the LORD" (Hosea 2.19-20).

Through the compassion of the Lord, there is the realistic possibility of the refreshing of the heart, provided one is ready and willing to accept such a renewing of the heart. Through the mercy of the Lord, there is true freedom from spiritual bondage.

[Source: http://vidimus.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/issue_19_2008_news17.jpg]

Yet, one may question the validity and strength of my faith in the Lord Christ through such a trial. One would think that I would be in love with my God enough to be absolutely unswayed by that vile serpent Lust, who believes that she is a queen amongst ladies. Ah, perish the thought! She is a deceiving, conniving, and scheming agent of the serpent of old. By choosing to love and worship the Lord God, the Alpha and the Omega, I have made a choice to not be overtaken by the attacks of the enemy, no matter what agent that serpent may send my way. I have the words of the psalmist to take solace in:

“The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble” (Psalms 9.9).

Through the Lord, who is ‘my stronghold... the rock of my refuge’ (cf. Psalms 94.22), I have the confidence and courage to proclaim

“The LORD is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalms 27.1).

He is the strongest of strongholds. By His might, by His encouragement, the brothers and I have the necessary means to fight the wiles of the spiritual smiths and wizards, and the righteous state of mind needed to boldly confront such ladies of iniquity as Lust. Indeed, that serpent of old, along with his agents of darkness, have already been defeated by He who chose to give His life up on the tree of Calvary out of merciful love, and take it back up again three days later, just as He said He could do to His disciples (cf. John 10.17-18).

Honestly, it is a relief to my healing soul that Bréanninn believes it to be best that we finally leave this isle within the next few days. We have had an extended time to minister to the Lord God on dry land, he has said. Now, we must once again face the flows and ebbs of the trials, the waves, of life, in the name of our Lord. The brothers and I have sworn not only chastity and continence, but also a wholehearted effort to honour the Lord God by this adventure through the vast unknown that is this sea, which shall become a mere pond of grace should we fulfill our goal of completing this mission for His sake with clean hearts. May our Lord see the successful end of our laborious, yet enriching nautical trek, provided that be His will.

Conscience is instinct bred in the house,
Feeling and Thinking propagate the sin
By an unnatural breeding in and in.
I say, Turn it out doors,
Into the moors.
I love a life whose plot is simple,
And does not thicken with every pimple,
A soul so sound no sickly conscience binds it,
That makes the universe no worse than 't finds it.
I love an earnest soul,
Whose mighty joy and sorrow
Are not drowned in a bowl,
And brought to life to-morrow;
That lives one tragedy,
And not seventy;
A conscience worth keeping;
Laughing not weeping;
A conscience wise and steady,
And forever ready;
Not changing with events,
Dealing in compliments;
A conscience exercised about
Large things, where one may doubt.
I love a soul not all of wood,
Predestinated to be good,
But true to the backbone
Unto itself alone,
And false to none;
Born to its own affairs,
Its own joys and own cares;
By whom the work which God begun
Is finished, and not undone;
Taken up where he left off,
Whether to worship or to scoff;
If not good, why then evil,
If not good god, good devil.
Goodness! you hypocrite, come out of that,
Live your life, do your work, then take your hat.
I have no patience towards
Such conscientious cowards.
Give me simple laboring folk,
Who love their work,
Whose virtue is song
To cheer God along

- Henry David Thoreau, ‘Conscience’ (1841-2).*

[Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwU8ZcdynYw0hySHzJeStuM1dNCczrFWsY_5Xf8CoT968O12_ZiQ2mUQ_3mADs8bOGqVnyvWZipy45X_cgQkf3RQgxL2IYsWyGj6s0XIWLTq7gMR1-VlYWKzV7_lWyYptv-9RnPJTo80E/s1600/Detail+John+Harvey+lower.jpg]

*Source: http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/thoreaupoems.html#conscience

An serenity fíor agus scíthe foirfe (The true serenity and perfect rest)

Ah, my friends! An apology is in order for seemingly dropping off the face of this corporeal earth by not composing an entry in quite a number of God-given days. I have been plagued. If my esteemed audience is confused as to my usage of the term ‘plagued’ to describe my recent state, despite that ‘distant smote’ I mentioned in my last journal entry truly being an isle upon which I sit, I shall attempt to clarify those events which have transpired these past several days. Before I begin to recall those events, though, all I can do at this point regarding the anomaly that is the unusually long duration of time between my last entry and this one is to beseech my loving audience for its compassion.

[Source: http://reyven.jreyven.com/gallery/Na/StainedGlass/OceanCliff.jpg]

As I previously wrote, one of the brothers apparently spotted something promising in the horizon that looked like a grain of sand through the lens of the naked eye. His estimated guess as to the identity of that speck was proven to be correct. By the grace of God, our leather boat did reach a curious iota of an isle a few days after I logged my last entry. Out of devotion to my band of brothers, I have left my journal aside while we have thoroughly scouted the isle, which poorly explains my recent silence. Bréanninn seemed confident that the Lord certainly had willed us to spend some time here; that confidence was well-founded, for not only did we arrive at this island safely, but we also have been blessed by our time here. The Lord knew that we were running low on staples, primarily our rations of fruits and fresh water. Here, an abundance of gorgeous and rich fruits have been discovered. Additionally, glimmering pools of fresh water have been scouted. Naturally, the band of brothers and I had found yet another reason to offer exultations of praise to our Creator and our Sustainer.

Bréanninn had told us on numerous occasions that the power behind prayer cannot be understated or underestimated, particularly by we believers who live through faith in Christ. From our recent adventures, I certainly can do nothing but concur with my brother. After all, Paul did charge the Thessalonian church to “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5.17). Our first night here was simply memorable and beautiful. After preparing a magnificent fire on the shoreline, we spent the twilight hours offering our wholehearted praise to our Lord Christ, like Paul charged to that aforementioned church (cf. I Thessalonians 5.18a). One of the greatest experiences one can have in this life is the ‘warm’ sensation one can feel whilst the Holy Spirit is ‘working’ within oneself during a time devoted to worshipping the one true God. The reality of such an experience cannot be denied: To a different audience, Paul wrote that the body of a saved Christian is “...the temple of the Holy Spirit...” which is within one (cf. I Corinthians 6.19-20). That supernatural sensation is one that grants me a reason, among a multitude of them, to thank the Lord that I used his gift of free will to acknowledge His Son as “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14.6).

[Source: http://www.boston.com/community/photos/raw/Cape_Cod_Beach_Fire.jpg]

Now, I must document the other significant happening, which is one that can be called ‘unfortunate.’ I am not afraid to admit that complacency has toyed with me in recent days. Although temporarily staying on this island has been a perfect rest, that serpent of old, being one who never ceases to bombard my brothers and me with temptations and attacks, seems to believe that my content state can be manipulated to one of ungratefulness or complacency. Even though the rich fruit was have found here has been fulfilling and has been a new reason to thank the Lord, complacency has nevertheless plagued me, albeit disguised as boredom. Humans are weak and constantly need the strength of He whom I love. In the Holy Scriptures, the complacency of the weakening and wandering Israelites in the Wilderness of Sin is well-documented. In Exodus 32, while Moses is experiencing the Lord God atop Mount Horeb, the Israelites grew impatient and particularly complacent, as can be seen when they asked Aaron to construct an artificial calf out of their gold. Rather than continue to fear and believe the Lord, as they had done after the wonder at the sea (cf. Exodus 14.30), they collectively chose to disobey the Lord by making an idol. Instead of finding a way to strengthen their trust in the Lord, they unfortunately chose to be complacent. In Numbers 11, the Israelites chose to complain before Moses, saying in apparent unison,

“'Who will give us meat to eat? We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, "'the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this "'manna before our eyes!'” (Numbers 11.5-6).

Through the intercession of Moses, the people received quail to eat along with the manna. However, the wrath of the Lord struck them “while the meat was still between their teeth” (Numbers 11.33). Rather than finding a way to strengthen their faith in the Lord, or instead of choosing to be grateful for what food they did have, the people of Israel chose to be complacent by not choosing to strive diligently enough for God. I am thankful that the brothers and I have persevered in our faith thus far, even with the distractions this island has offered. The serpent of old has tempted us, but by the grace of our Lord, we have remained in His light and have chosen life.

[Source: http://www.stlukeschurchmaidenhead.org.uk/Pages/]

The most important subject of my prayers throughout the past handful of days has been that the Lord God would keep us from giving in to the wiles of the serpent of old, particularly and pertinently his attacks of the spirits of complacency and ungratefulness. The Lord God has charged us to praise His beautiful name in the best of times, and to worship His majestic name in the worst of times. As it is truly written, “If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’” (Job 9.12). In another place, we are charged to “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful” (Psalms 147.1). Finally, it is written that “The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul” (Psalms 121.7). The brothers and I, by the influence of Bréanninn and the Lord, chose to embark on this spiritual mission to exult His magnificence and to show both the Lord and ourselves that we are zealous enough to obey the call to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thessalonians 5.16-18). We have been call as thus: “Do not quench the Spirit” (I Thessalonians 5.19). My prayer is that during the rest of our stay here on this blessed island, we shall not falter in our adherence to His calls, for we love Him through the passionate love of our Lord Christ. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I John 4.8) always resides in the back of my petty and undeserving mind. But through even so much as knowing the Lord, we shall eternally prosper and flourish.

Thou joinest and diffusest through the whole,

Linking accordantly its several parts,

A soul of threefold nature, moving all.

This, cleft in twain, and in two circles gathered,

Speeds in a path that on itself returns,

Encompassing mind's limits, and conforms

The heavens to her true semblance. Lesser souls

And lesser lives by a like ordinance

Thou sendest forth, each to its starry car

Affixing, and dost strew them far and wide

O'er earth and heaven. These by a law benign

Thou biddest turn again, and render back

To thee their fires. Oh, grant, almighty Father,

Grant us on reason's wing to soar aloft

To heaven's exalted height; grant us to see

The fount of good; grant us, the true light found,

To fix our steadfast eyes in vision clear

On Thee. Disperse the heavy mists of earth,

And shine in Thine own splendour. For Thou art

The true serenity and perfect rest

Of every pious soul, to see Thy face,

The end and the beginning; One the guide,

The traveller, the pathway, and the goal.

Boethius, Invocation 20-42.*

[Source: Darcy Ireland]

*Source - http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/B/Boethius/Invocation.htm