The basis of dealing with the conscience is also the feeling of the conscience. All normal feelings in our conscience, if in agreement with our growth of life and derived from the enlightening of the Holy Spirit, form the basis of dealing with the conscience.
We have mentioned previously that there are three categories of the feelings of the conscience-namely, the feeling toward sin, the feeling toward the world, and all other uneasy feelings. When dealing with sin, we must deal only with the feeling that exists in our conscience toward sin; when dealing with the world, we must deal only with the feeling in our conscience toward the world; when dealing with other matters apart from sin and the world, we must deal only with the uneasy feelings in our conscience. According to the objects of dealings, these three categories seem different. But their sole basis is the feeling of the conscience.
In the former chapters we did not base the dealing with sin and the world on the feeling of the conscience, but rather on the feeling of life within. We did this because the feeling of the conscience is originally the feeling of life within. Yet, although this feeling of life comes from the life of God and the Holy Spirit, it is through the conscience that we sense it. Therefore, although it is the feeling of life, it is also the feeling of the conscience.
The extent of our dealing with the conscience is the same as that of dealing with sin and the world-“life and peace.” We must deal to such an extent that we sense not only peace within, but also life. Not only do we need to feel restful, secure, and assured, but we must also feel strengthened, enlightened, and satisfied. Anything short of life and peace means that our dealings are not thorough enough.
However, in our experience, the feeling of life and peace cannot always be maintained without change. On the contrary, after a period of time, we may again feel empty and confused, uneasy and insecure, as if the feeling of life and peace were gone. Two factors are responsible for this condition. One is our carelessness and failure, which has caused us to become contaminated again and possessed of things not pleasing to God. Another is that the standard of God’s inward demand of life is greatly uplifted when we continue to submit to our conscience, receive the supply of grace, grow in life, and increase with the enlightening of the Holy Spirit. These two reasons can cause us to feel neither life nor peace.
At first, this kind of feeling is a vague feeling within us that we lack life. In other words, we no longer feel “life.” Whenever we sense a lack of life, we must realize that God has a deeper lesson within for us to learn and additional matters without for us to deal with. If at this time we enter more deeply into His presence, seeking more revealing light, God will go a step further and show us what matters need to be dealt with. When the light on the matter becomes clear, our vague feeling concerning the lack of life becomes a definite feeling of unrest. This feeling is a feeling in the conscience. We ought to deal accordingly with this feeling until we have recovered the inward condition of life and peace. Such cycles of repeated dealings will purge us again and again and take us forward in the way of life.
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