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stances, Paul says to the parties, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind;" that is, let every man be careful to satisfy himself that what he is doing is right. The situation of these parties was, that one perceived the truth upon the subject, and the other did not; in the one, the sense of obligation was connected with an accurate, in the other, with an inaccurate opinion.

Thus again:-"I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself;" therefore, absolutely speaking, it is lawful to eat all things; "but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean.” That is, it is wrong for any man to violate his own sense of duty. To the doubter, the sin of eating was certain, though the act was right in itself.

Again, as a general rule, "He that doubteth, is condemned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin;” that is, whatever we do which we are not sure is right, is wrong.

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[Hodge on Romans xiv.] 185. Men sometimes make light of the authority of conscience. They exclaim: 'Every man pleads his conscientious opinions, and that he is bound in conscience to do this or that; and yet his neighbor makes the same plea, and urges the same obligation, to do just the contrary."

186. The alleged fact contained in this remark is true; but it only proves that conscience is not an unerring standard of action, is not alone a safe guide; but it is far from proving that conscience is not an authoritative principle, to which we are bound to yield obedience.

Historical Illustration.

187. A jeweler, of good character and considerable wealth, having occasion, in the way of his business, to travel at some distance from the place of his abode, took along with him a servant, in order to take care of his portmanteau. He had with him some of his best jewels, and a large sum of money, to which his servant was likewise privy.

The master having dismounted, the servant, watching his opportunity, took a pistol from his master's saddle, and shot him dead on the spot; then robbed him of his

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jewels and money; and, hanging a large stone to his neck, he threw him into the nearest canal.

With this booty, he made off to a distant part of the country, where he had reason to believe that neither he nor his master was known. There he began to trade, in a very low way at first that his obscurity might screen him from observation, and, in the course of a good many years, seemed to rise by natural progress of business into wealth and consideration: so that his good fortune appeared at once the effect and the reward of industry and

virtue.

he

Of these he counterfeited the appearance so well that grew into great credit, married into a good family, and, by laying out his sudden stores discreetly, as he saw occasion, and joining to all a universal affability, he was admitted to a share of the government of the town, and rose from one post to another, till at length he was chosen chief magistrate.

In this office he maintained a fair character, and continued to fill it with no small applause, both as a governor and judge; till one day as he sat upon the bench with some of his brethren, a criminal was brought before him, who was accused of murdering his master.

The evidence came out full, the jury brought in their verdict that the prisoner was guilty, and the whole assembly waited the sentence of the president of the court (which he happened to be that day) with great suspense. Meanwhile he appeared to be in unusual disorder and agitation of mind; his color changed often, and at length he arose from his seat, and coming down from the bench, placed himself just by the unfortunate man at the bar, to the no small astonishment of all present.

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"You see before you," said he, addressing himself to those who sat on the bench, a striking instance of the just awards of heaven, which, this day, after thirty years' concealment, presents to you a greater criminal than the man just now found guilty." He then made an ample confession of his guilt and of all the aggravations of his crime. "Nor can I feel," continued he, "any relief from the agonies of an awakened conscience, but by requiring that justice be forthwith done against me in the most public and solemn manner."

We may easily suppose the amazement of the whole

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assembly, and especially of his fellow judges. However, they proceeded, upon his confession, to pass sentence upon him and he died with all the manifestations of a penitent mind. [Beauties of History.]

180. What authority belongs to conscience as a director of individual conduct?

181. How does it appear that this faculty has a natural right to regulate the whole human system?

182. What conclusion may be drawn from these facts?

183. What is the practical reason for insisting so much upon the natural authority of conscience?

184. What is the teaching of Scripture respecting the authority of conscience?

185. In what way do men sometimes make light of the authority of conscience?

186. What reply is to be made to such a remark?

187. What historical illustration may be given of the power of conscience?

SECTION V.-ON THE IMPERFECTION OF CONSCIENCE.

188. A MAN may act according to his conscience and yet commit a very criminal act. Thefts, frauds, homicides have often been committed in accordance with conscience, The crime, however, lies not in acting according to conscience, but in the state of mind or course of life which made that appear right which in fact was wrong.

Men often judge amiss respecting their duties in consequence of their own faults. Some take little pains to ascertain the truth; some voluntarily exclude knowledge; and most persons would possess more accurate perceptions of the moral law if they sufficiently endeavored to obtain them. And, therefore, although a man may not be criminal in performing a given act which he ignorantly supposes to be lawful, he may be punished for that ignorance or vice in which his wrong supposition originates.

189. It appears then that men ought to act at all times according to the dictates of conscience when there is no doubt or suspense in their minds: if the case is not clear, it is evident that they should wait till, by the due use of means, they have ascertained what is their duty. If conscience should pronounce anything to be a crime which is not a crime, they ought to abstain because they do not know the judgment to be erroneous, and would not be guiltless if they should act in opposition to it. The reason is, that supposing, as they may, the voice of conscience to be the voice of God, they could not transgress its orders, without expressly

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rebelling against what appeared to them to be the authority of God. "There is nothing unclean of itself (no meat); but to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean." The apostle Paul (Rom. xiv. 14) is speaking of an action which was not sinful in itself, and yet he declares that it was sinful to the man whose conscience pronounced it to be such. The judgment of conscience does not change the nature of actions, but it changes them to us; because the authority of God seems to us to be interposed either to command or to forbid. In the case to which Paul referred, the sin did not consist properly in the action itself, but in doing it with the persuasion that it was sinful.

[Lectures by Dr. John Dick, vol. ii. p. 270.] 190. The value of conscience as a moral guide has been overrated by some writers in consequence of neglecting to consider the fact that man is in a state of moral depravity, and thus exposed to the undue influence of his appetites and passions, of prejudices and temptations, that tend to obscure and pervert his moral judgment, and to weaken the authority, or rather the power of conscience.

In the account, for instance, that is given, by Dr. Abercrombie, of conscience, as the presiding and regulating power in the moral constitution of man, there does not appear to be an adequate impression of the degree in which that faculty has been affected by the entrance of sin into our world. It would seem to be regarded as having escaped the general depravation, and as still sitting the uncorrupted censor of all the other powers and passions of the soul. But this surely is a great mistake.

191. To the question whether conscience has, in common with other powers, suffered depravation, Dr. Wardlaw, in his Christian Ethics, furnishes a full reply, which in substance is as follows:

Where is "conscience toward God?" What are the results of its authority? Let the speedy and universal loss of the original knowledge of the true God answer the question. Let the polytheistic superstitions of heathenism, with all their fooleries, impurities, and cruelties; let the skeptical theism, and the presumptuous atheism of philosophy; let the manifest and conscious ungodliness of the whole race of mankind answer the question.

D*

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Even in its dictates toward fellow-creatures, too, how sadly is it under the domination of the appetites, and passions, and selfish desires; how constantly liable to be swayed and bribed to wrong decisions; and how much in danger are even its right judgments of being set aside by the power of such interfering influences. If conscience has not become depraved, how comes it, that this faculty has not, everywhere and always, with authoritative voice, said to man, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart?" How comes it that it has not always condemned the absence of this love as the most deeply criminal of all the breaches of moral obligation?

The apostle Paul says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God." If, in saying so, he gives the character of human nature, there must, in this enmity, be a tendency to influence the decision of the judgment respecting the affections and the conduct due to God; and this depraved state of man must vitiate, more or less, the judgment of mankind on the fundamental principles of morals.

192. Conscience must therefore have a rule. It must be directed by some higher rule than itself. This rule is not the example of others, although wise and good, because the best of men are imperfect, and are liable to errors and infirmities.

It may be added that the opinion of men is not the rule of conscience, any more than their example, because they may mislead us, either from design or from their own previous error. Hence in the Scriptures we are commanded to call no man master, and to give this honor to Christ alone. The true rule of conscience, or of moral obligation, will be exhibited in another chapter.

Conscience is only a subordinate rule, to which we are properly under obligation to yield obedience, only when it is conformable to the supreme rule; and the obligation of which we speak, results solely from the supposition of its conformity. An appeal may always be made from its decisions to the Scriptures; and as soon as a difference is discovered between its dictates and those of Scripture, the sentence which it has pronounced is made void.

Hence it is plain that the plea of conscience will not avail to exempt us from guilt and punishment.