MY CONSCIENCE by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · May 4, 1869

MY CONSCIENCE.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

We often hear men evading the requirements of God's law by saying, “My conscience does not condemn me. If it were right, my conscience would tell me so. When my conscience upbraids me, I will think I am wrong,” &c. One would suppose, to hear them talk, that conscience was an infallible guide, that it never leads persons wrong, and never can err. But what is conscience? and whence does it come? It is formed by our education. This may be seen by the fact that men's consciences vary just according to the difference in their education. The conscience of a Roman Catholic leads him to do one thing, while the conscience of a Protestant leads him to do exactly the reverse. That Pagan mother's conscience leads her to cast her child to the wild beasts, to burn herself alive, &c., while the Christian's conscience would abhor such a deed. Now, where the teachings of conscience differ so greatly, whose conscience is to be the guide? I answer, No one's, but every man's conscience must be tested by some infallible rule, i. e., the word of God. But some persons reverse this rule, and test the teachings and requirements of the Bible by their consciences!! That we may judge of how dangerous a position this is, let us see what the Bible says about the conscience.

“Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Heb. x, 22.

“Having their conscience seared with a hot iron. 1. Tim. iv, 2.

“Unto the pure all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” Tit. i, 15.

“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Heb. ix, 14.

Here is the character of some men's consciences, they have “an evil conscience,” “a conscience seared with a hot iron,” a “defiled conscience” and a conscience not “purged from dead works.” To trust such a conscience to lead us, is sure destruction. But the Bible tells us of “a good conscience,” 1. Tim. i, 5, “a pure conscience,” 1. Tim. iii, 9, “a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men,” Acts xxiv, 16, &c. A conscience thus purified, made good, and regulated, it will do well to heed. But how are we to know what kind of a conscience we have, whether it is good or evil? There is one sure test and only one, that is the word of God and his law. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa. viii, 20. When a man's conscience will lead him to disregard the plain requirements of God's word, that man's conscience is evil, no matter how high his profession of holiness may be.

D. M. CANRIGHT.

New Ipswich, April 16, 1869.