to any attempt of minority or majority, weak or strong, to afflict their brethren, wound their feelings, or defile their consciences. Terms of communion in the church of God are never to be made more or less close than Christ has made them.

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CHAPTER XXVII.

CONSCIENCE.

N morals and religion, conscience holds a prominent place. Nice and curious questions on this subject are unprofitable. The practical views of the matter are far the most important.

The word conscience means joint or double knowledge. There is a knowledge of the law, which binds us, and a knowledge of the fact, that we have kept or broken the law. For present purposes it is sufficient to say that conscience is the judgment of a man concerning the moral character of his thoughts, words and deeds. Because its decisions are accompanied by peculiar sensations of approbation or remorse, it is often called the moral sense. It is the office of conscience to judge and decide on the morality of all our acts. Conscience is the soul of man sitting in judgment upon his moral conduct, condemning or justifying as the case may be. The decisions of conscience are never theoretical but always practical. It accuses, it excuses; it afflicts, it consoles; it terrifies, it gives joy. Nothing produces such consternation, nothing imparts such boldness.

As conscience determines the right or wrong of acts before they are committed, we speak of it as a light or a law. As it respects guilt or innocence in

a given matter, we speak of it as a judge pronouncing, or a witness testifying. Its process is simple. It says: "The soul that sinneth it shall die." That is the law. "I have sinned." That is the fact. "I am therefore exposed to death."

Or, "Thou shalt not covet any thing that is thy neighbour's. "I have coveted my neighbour's prosperity." Therefore I have broken the tenth commandment.

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The rule by which the conscience is to be governed is the whole will of God, however made known. The heathen learn God's will by the law of nature. Every man knows that murder, theft and ingratitude are wicked. But in the Bible we have the whole will of God revealed for our guidance. There all is clear and plain. This binds the conscience. It obliges every one to obey its teachings. God alone is Lord of the conscience. He alone can bind it. Blindly to follow the teachings of any creature is an act of wickedness. It is giving to a worm a prerogative of God. To assert a right to control the conscience of another, except by reason and Scripture, is an atrocious offence. It is the foundation of all diabolical persecutions. In a sense conscience impels us to duty, that is, it is accompanied by a strong sense of moral obligation. Thus Paul says, "Woe is me if I preach not the gospel;" the meaning is, that he had so strong, so controlling a sense of duty that he knew he would be guilty if he kept silence. Conscience is a safe guide so far as it is informed of the will of God, and is not perverted by sin, error or ignorance.

Whatever falls short of supreme love to God, or equal love to our neighbour as to ourselves, whatever

violates the letter or spirit of the commandments, burdens an enlightened conscience. Simple questions of morality are easily solved. It is on complex matters that we are most liable to err. We should therefore study with docility the whole word of God, and impartially scrutinize our own acts, ends and motives. The extreme evil of an erring conscience is, that it always involves us in guilt. If we follow it, we sin, as did Saul of Tarsus in persecuting the church. If we violate it, we are guilty of doing what we believe to be wrong. An erring conscience is almost invariably the result of a gross want of the love of truth. If your conscience is not clear, stand still. "Happy

is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth." The great duty of those having erring consciences is to seek for light.

A doubting conscience is one that is not clear respecting duty. Here too we must stand still, till we are resolved. It may be one's duty to preach the gospel, but not while he prevailingly doubts his call to the sacred office. (guilty) if he eat.” conscience be idle.

"He that doubteth is damned But let not one with a doubting Let him diligently seek to know the will of God in every matter of duty. A doubting conscience not enlightened and not resolved is very apt to end in

A scrupulous conscience. The habit of doubting in questions of morality grows by indulgence. Scrupulousness is evinced by doubts in clear cases, by a morbid fearfulness of doing wrong, and so life is wasted in considering vexed and vexatious questions. A scrupulous conscience is like a diseased eye, which weeps if air, or water, or light reaches it. It is very

favourable to the temptations of the devil. Hearty prayer, an honest search after truth, holding fast great principles, and an earnest performance of all known duties are the chief remedies for a scrupulous conscience. It has been found very useful also to abound in acts of kindness to the poor and afflicted. Such a conscience is well called "weak," and it will probably be best strengthened by vigorous exercise in what it admits to be plain duty.

A conscience is said to be evil when it is guided by wrong principles, when it decides contrary to known truth, or when it is burdened with a load of guilt. Thus the consciences of all unregenerate men are greatly defiled. They do not give ready and hearty assent to the duty of loving God supremely, and their neighbour as themselves. They see not the iniquity or the danger of rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the greatest sin of the impenitent in Christian lands. Such have, indeed, misgivings, qualms, or even terrors, but these lead to no thorough amendment. Some consciences seem wholly blind. They call good evil and evil good. This darkness is followed by stupidity. If such hold the truth, it is in unrighteousness. Even the most pungent words of God do not properly move their affections. Their lives are unrestrained by the most sacred laws of Heaven. Their minds are inflated with delusive opinions of their own worth. If they have zeal in religion, it is not according to knowledge, or wisdom or meekness. Sometimes such a conscience whispers, all is not right; and sometimes it thunders. When a great calamity is feared or felt, when some truth is brought home with power, when death seems to be near, the anguish