Though natural conscience is a principle common to mankind, yet in some it operates as an evil, in others as a good principle. It will, therefore, be necessary to consider the qualifications of a good conscience-such an one as the apostle was confident he had. These may all be comprised in such a disposition as the apostle professed, a willingness, or purpose, in all things to live honestly.

1. The first and leading property of a good conscience is light, or right information. This distinguishes it from a blind and deceived heart, which turns men aside. The Jews, having a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge, crucified the Lord of glory. Being ignorant of God's righteousness, they went about to establish their own. Paul once did, and thought that he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus; and though he acted in this persecuting business, with what he then called a good conscience, yet, as this conscience was deceived, it involved him in guilt. He afterward condemned himself as a blasphemer and injurious for doing that which he before had approved.

If conscience is to be the immediate guide of our actions, it must be well informed; for, otherwise, it will lead us astray. If it makes false reports concerning the will of God, it ceases to be his voice; its authority is usurpation, and obedience to it is presumption.

A well informed conscience is free, both from ignorance and error. If it be uninformed, it cannot direct us at all; and the consequence will be, that doubt and uncertainty will always attend us, or passion, lust and prejudice will assume the full command of us. And as our wrong actions will involve us in guilt, because they are evil in themselves, and we might have known them to be such; so our right actions, if we happen to perform any that are materially right, will be unacceptable to God, because they proceed not from a good principle in the heart. And so far as the conscience is misinformed, it will call evil, good, and good, evil; it will frame iniquity as by a law, and will harden us against repentance. It will repel, as impertinent, every Divine warning,

and when we are admonished to return to God, it will embolden us to demand, "Wherein shall we return ?"

2. Another qualification of a good conscience is integrity, or a universal regard to rectitude and virtue, in distinction from a conscience which respects only particular branches of duty.

The apostle had a good conscience in all things: he exercised himself to have always a conscience void of offence toward God and men. You may see some men who are extremely nice and scrupulous in particular branches of religion-in things of little importance-in matters which have but a remote relation, and perhaps no relation to true godliness; but in duties of real consequence and solid weight, they are as easy and indifferent, as those who make no pretensions at all, to religion. Their stomachs, like those of the Pharisees, will be disgusted at a gnat, but can absorb and digest a camel. They are exact and critical about mint, anise and cummin; but regardless of mercy, justice, truth and the love of God. Balaam's conscience forbad him to assist the destruction of the Israelites by the formal ceremony of execration. In this he would not go beyond the word of the Lord to do less, or more. But he seems to have had no hesitancy in advising Balack to seduce them into fornication and idolatry, which he knew would provoke God to destroy them. Herod was afraid to violate a rash oath; but he would venture to commit deliberate murder. There are some, who plead in excuse for their neglect of stated prayer, or sacramental communion, that they apprehend themselves to be unregenerate men, and that the sacrifices of such are abomination; and yet they seem to have no concern to obtain deliverance from their supposed state, as if they thought, that no wickedness was abomination to God, but what they call sacrifice. They are afraid to attend on two, or three particular duties, lest these duties should, in them, become sins; but are very little afraid of retaining that inward corruption, which, they suppose, will turn these duties into sins. And, I cannot say, but that some think they are really conscientious in their fears and scruples. But the truth is, the authority of God injoins every duty, and forbids every sin, one as well as another; and that is

not an honest and upright conscience, which remonstrates against this, or that sin, only, and tolerates others; or which urges to a few particular duties, and allows the omission of all the rest which are required. Such a conscience is not subject to the Divine law, but claims an impious superiority. And to them, whose conscience is thus defiled, is nothing pure.

3. An essential property of a good conscience is impartiality in opposition to selfishness.

Under the influence of such a conscience, we shall view our own sins, and our own obligations, in the same light, as we view those of other men : we shall not excuse a sin, because we have done it, nor diminish an obligation, because it relates to us; but shall judge of the latter by the authority of God's law, and of the former by its opposition to this authority. It is too common a defect of conscience, that it indulges a partial respect to self, admits excuses for its own faults, which it would reject in the case of another, and is swayed in the representations of duty, by personal inclination and interest. David's conscience, for a time, seems to have made no remonstrance against his injustice and cruelty in slaying Uriah and taking his wife; but at the recital of the story of a rich man, who had taken a poor neighbor's only łamb, to make an entertainment for a friend, it rose in high indignation. There was a great disparity in the crimes; but one was his own. This could be excused; the other could not.

4. A good conscience is deliberate and faithful-not rash and heedless.

Paul says, that while he was a Pharisee, he had lived in all good conscience, and, as touching the righteousness in the law, had been blameless. According to the ceremonial strictness, but lax morality of the day, he exhibited an uncensurable behaviour, and possessed an unupbraiding conscience. He was alive without the law. But when the commandment came-when it was applied to his conscience in its purity and spirituality, then sin revived, and he died. He saw himself to be a transgressor and under condemnation. There are many who acquire a general knowledge of religion, observe the external forms of devotion, and

maintain a decent morality, and yet have never felt the real power of godliness in their hearts. These, like Paul, the Pharisee, may seem to themselves to live in all good conscience, because their conscience is indolent and unfaithful; it is content with the exterior and formal garb of religion, and never looks deep into the heart, to learn and report what is there. A conscience really good is humble and inquisitive; solicitous to know the truth; attentive to the whole man, especially to the hidden man of the heart; observant of the secret springs of action; faithful to register what it finds, and honest to report the discoveries which it makes. Its aim is not to flatter, but inform-not to soothe and pacify, but to correct and amend.

5. Tenderness belongs to a good conscience. This the scripture expresses by a heart of flesh, in opposition to a heart of stone.

Paul speaks of some, "who depart from the faith, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron." One whose conscience is erroneous, does evil, thinking it to be right. But he whose conscience is seared, does evil, knowing it to be evil, and with little remorse for what he has done. He holds the truth in unrighteousness. He speaks lies in hypocrisy. He is not ashamed when he commits abomination, but rather glories in his shame. The apostle says, "To those who are unbelieving and defiled, is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Hence they are abominable and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." A good conscience is the reverse of this it is tender and sensible; it is easily touched and affected; it is shocked with the deformity of vice, charmed with the beauty of holiness; and by the authority, alarmed at the threatenings and enlivened with the promises of God; jealous of itself; fearful of offending, and cautious in matters of doubt and uncertainty. The good man esteems it an important point in religion, always to prefer, in a doubtful case, the side which is certainly innocent.

He, who can, without remorse, deliberately do an action, which he suspects to be wrong, is already hardened in a degree. If he does the action in opposition to his conscience, he prepares him

self to oppose it in plainer instances; and repeated opposition will terminate in absolute hardness.

A tender conscience checks men's first approaches to evil; it forbids suspicious actions; it feels a quick remorse at the remembrance of sin, and a deep concern to recover the favor of God. Peter, though his conscience neglected its office, when he was tempted to deny his Lord, felt its rebukes in the recollection of his conduct. When his Lord turned and looked upon him, struck with a sense of his baseness, he went out and wept bitterly.

6. A good conscience has a powerful and commanding influence, in distinction from one that is impotent, and subject to fleshly control.

A conscience which dictates only what pleases the corrupt inclinations, and which is studious to invent, or ready to admit, excuses for every evil action, is perverted and enslaved; it has lost, if not its discernment, yet, at least, its dominion. A good conscience acts with dignity, and asserts its power; it controls all subordinate principles, and will, itself, be controled by none of them; it will be reverenced and obeyed in its place, and not dethroned and trampled down, by passion and lust. A blind conscience can neither direct the conduct, nor give peace to the mind. An impotent conscience, prescribing duty, without ensuring compliance, may produce remorse; but, still, it leaves the soul under guilt. It leads men to see what is good, but allows them to follow. what is evil; and, though it has not power to command obedience, it has the justice to condemn transgression. Hence there is no peace to the wicked, but they are as a troubled sea which cannot rest. Borne away by the lusts and passions, it goes over. to their interest, and pleads in their excuse: but, when these subside, it rises in sharp reproaches, which give pain, but effect no repentance. It was thus with Herod when his false sense of honor urged him to behead the baptist, his conscience, though it feebly remonstrated at first, was soon bribed to justify the action under pretence of the religious obligation of a previous oath. But his conscience could not leave him quiet under this pretext.