Treatise of Conscience Wherein Divers Secrets are Discovered, Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
Quhat Conscience is, and how it differis from knowledge.
BLissed is he (say is the Apostle Paull) that condemneth not him selfe in that thing quhilk hee alloweth:Rom. 14, 22▪ For hee that doubtis, is condemnit gif he eat, becaus hee eatis not of faith: And quhatsoeuer is not of faith, is sinne. In thir wordis the Apostle countis him blissed, that is not condemnit nor accusit be his awin Conscience, in that thing quhilk hee dois. On the vther pairt, hee countis the man condemnit, that doubtis quhidder that thing be gude or euill quhilk he dois: And he subjoynis the ressoun, becaus (say is hee) it is not done in faith, that is to say, the doer thairof is not certified be his Conscience that hee dois weill: For all that is not of faith, that is to say, all that proceidis not of ane vpricht Conscience, is sinne. Nowe, seing that this point of Conscience, is of so great importance, it is verry necessary that wee knowe quhat Conscience is. It wald appeare be the phrase of speaking, quhilke men are accustomed to vse, that Conscience were a certaine substance, and substantial pairt of man, that subsistis be the self: Bot leist ony suld be dissaifit heirin; it is to be vnderstand, that Conscience is na mair a substance, nor the thocht, the ressoun, or the memorie; bot is onelie a function or office of the saul, like as thay are: For man consistis onelyonly of twa substantiall pairtis, to wit, the saull, and the bodie: All the rest of the pairtis of man are bot accidentis, euen qualiteis and offices of the body, and of the saull. Conscience then, is a perfite knawledge, or a suir perswasioun in the hairt of man, that his thochtis, wordis, or deidis, ar gude, or that thay ar euil. Thairfoir like as that office of the saul, quhairby man dois think, imagine and apprehend thingis, is callit the thocht, or the minde: And that functioun quhairby hee discussis, and decernis of the thingis consauit, is callit reson or judgement: And that office of the saul quhairby the thingis apprehendit, and discussed, ar conseruit and keipit, is callit the memorie: Euin swa, that functioun and office of the saul quhairby man is certified that hee hes done, saide, or thocht that quhilk is gude, or that quhilk is euil, is callit, Conscience.
Now the difference betuix Knawledg and Conscience, may be this: First, knawledge is mair generall, nor Conscience: For knawledge may bee extendit to all thingis that fallis vnderunder the vnderstanding, alsweill spirituall, as temporall and warldly thingis, and to the effairis of vther men. Bot Conscience is a particular knawledg quhilk every man hes of himself, and that onlie of the thochtis, words and deids, quhilk he hes committit, whether thay be gude or euill. As for example: I know quhat the commandementis of God ar, quhilk he hes geuin vsus to keip, This cannot as ȝit be callit Conscience, for it is onlie a naked knawledge quhait na deid is done: Bot quhen I knowe that I hauehave brokin thir Commaundementis quhilk God hes geuin me, thair arrysis Conscience, ȝe ane euill Conscience, that is to say, ane euill knawledge of my selfe through the deid that I haif done: Again I knaw it repenteth me, that I haif violat the commandement of God, and that I beleif that Iesus Christ hes satisfy it for my offence: Heir arrysis the testimonie of a gude Conscience. Siklike, I knaw sum men that hes committit greuous sinnis: That hes nathing to do with my Conscience, for it is ane vther manis deid: Bot quhen I knaw that I haif committit ane haynous offence my selfe; that twichis my Conscience. Againe, I knaw, and am certainly perswadit, that Abraham wes a faithfull man and familiar with GOD: Neuerthelesse, this knawledg cannot be callit Conscience: Bot gif I woulde deny that, quhilk I knaw, & quhairof I am certainly perswadit, in sa doing, I suld haif ane euill Conscience: For in a word, thair mon be euer a deid done, a word spoken, or a thocht consaifit, annixit, and joynit with the knawledge, to make it arrise in Conscience. The vther difference quhilk I mark betuix knawledge, and Conscience, is; that manis knawledge is mair certain, nor his Conscience sumtyme is: For that quhilk man knawis, hee either comprehendis it with his outward senses, or vnderstandis the causes thairof; either else hes ane sufficient authoritie and warrant for him, that it is swa: Bot at sumtyme he may haif ane euill Conscience, quhair he hes na sufficient warrant for him, saue on lie a suir perswasioun, and estimatioun within himselfe, of that thing quhilk is fals. As for example: hee that estemis it vnlauchfull to cit of every kinde of meit indifferentlie at all tymes; Gif hee notwithstanding, make na difference in eating of every kinde of meat at all tymes; hee man haif ane euill Conscience; becaus he dois that thing quhilk hee estemis to be wrang in his hart, and in sa doing sinneth: Neuertheles, hee can haif na sufficient warrand for him, to esteme it vnlauchfull to eit of every kinde of meat indifferently at all times, seing it is fals of itselfe. To conclude, that quhilk the Lord is to lay to manis charge, and quhairof man is astrictit to rander account at the latter day of judgement, it fallis all vnderunder Conscience: For then every manis Conscience, sall beir him witnes,1. Cor. 4. 5. quhat he hes done, said, thocht, or beleifit, whether it be gude, or euill, and how secreit soeuer it be, it sal be disclosed that day, quhen the counsels of all harts sal be maide open and manifest.