5001.  Manathaar mukurathin prakaasham

 

Meaning:

The light of the mirror, ie., your conscience will bring unity to the opinions of all people. It will remove the pride and arrogance that arise in your heart. You will take the opinions of great and noble people as your example. Your heart will always remain joyful. Those who once opposed you will eventually come to your feet and bow before you.

My soul, do not reject this and then go and throw yourself into a deep pit. God will shine a new light around this conscience. If you guard it carefully, you will have no reason to be troubled or confused in the slightest. But if you act contrary to it, you will suffer.

If you reject the grace of God that you now possess, you will lose all your virtues. Not only that, there is no doubt that you will become a person without goodness—weak, exhausted, and empty, with a heart as unstable as mud. Satan will open his mouth and swallow you up like water. The people of the world will give you the shameful name of a false teacher. You will soon be forced to say that something you once declared to be absolutely right was actually wrong. When you meet people who are firm and steadfast, you will have to lower your face in shame. Even your neighbours will mock you, distrust you, and regard you as a rejected and disgraced person.

Oh, do not let fine silk clothes deceive you. Do not allow a magnificent golden crown to attract you. Above all, do not let their sweet words steal away your faith. No matter how beautiful a person's silk garments may be, he will eventually leave everything behind and go helplessly to the grave. He will be buried wearing nothing more than some old clothing. At the time of death, no one will put even a single coin into his hands. The wealthy man who lived comfortably in a magnificent mansion will meet the same fate.

Human life here is filled with great suffering. What help can relatives ultimately give at the time of death? Therefore, dear friend, always think of Christ in your heart—the One who removes sorrow and gives lasting peace.

Do not abandon your principles merely by looking at worldly honour, as A did. Do not turn back simply because of money, as B did. Do not follow someone because of outward appearance and physical attractiveness, as C did. Nor is it wise to pursue a life merely because it promises comfort and pleasure, as D did.

And do not go astray by shamelessly accepting irrational and meaningless arguments, by listening to the words of impure people simply because they appear outwardly reasonable, by believing the ignorant empty talk of people who have nothing worthwhile to say, or by giving importance to the errors spoken by those who claim to be learned.

Give your complete devotion and respect to the person who has freedom from attachment to worldly pleasures, a very firm and discerning mind, genuine interest in serving God, and a thoughtful and disciplined way of living according to what is right.

Remember "Martin Luther”, "John Calvin"," the great reformers. Think also of "John Wycliffe", the English theologian and reformer, "Huldrych Zwingli, the Swiss Reformation leader, "Jan Hus" (John Huss) the Bohemian religious reformer and "Thomas Cranmer", the Archbishop of Canterbury, as he held out the very hand that was being burned in the flames. (Cranmer had once agreed to sign a statement declaring that the Bible was wrong, but later repented of what he had done. When he was condemned to be burned, he asked that the hand which had signed that statement should be burned first. Thus he extended that hand into the flames.)

The power of conscience is so great that it cannot be fully described.

When a royal command was issued against what was taught in Scripture, John Bunyan", refused to obtain a licence simply in order to comply with the king's command. As a result, he had to spend twelve sorrowful years in prison.

When we remember all these things, we see that those who serve God and protect their conscience may suffer greatly in this world. Yet there is no doubt that, in the end, the Almighty will give them a supremely blessed world. There they will remain forever, quickly forgetting the great sorrow they endured here and enjoying eternal happiness.

Whoever recognizes the value of conscience—even though it may be as tiny as the point of a needle—and considers it a matter of honour, guarding it carefully like a bright and precious lamp, that person will be appointed by the Almighty as an eternal guardian of truth and righteousness.

Because he has no desire to sell the truth merely to make a living, he will live according to Paul's words: “We can do nothing against the truth.” With that conviction firmly established in his heart, he will live without fear until death.

And when the time comes, he will cross the vast ocean of death in peace, riding in the boat of God's Word, and finally reach the other shore. Then it will be the wicked and misguided who will be left behind, suffering in anguish.

The circumstances behind the writing of this song: A preacher—who had been saved, baptized, and had separated from a nominal Christian denomination—returned to his former church due to pressure from his family.