The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-07-14

not supplied with truths ready made,
neither do they have given them a
stock of sound conclusions to save them
the trouble of arriving at such conclu-
sions by personal endeavor.
But these truths are such that, on
the presentation of single experience
involving any of them, the mind recog-
nizes them as valid, not only in this
case, but in all cases. ANY argument
which may occupy your mind, any in
duction in the scientific sphere, if per-
sistently questioned and pushed back
step by step, will ultimately reveal one
or other of these elementary truths,
for which no further reason can be
given. Amongst these simple, unre-
sOlvable truths, we find some which
have special reference to the actions
of man. They refer not to what man
may know, but to what a man should
do. When in any given case we are
asked why we call this right and that
wrong, or in what does it's rightness or
wrOngfulness consist, we can give no
answer. We could no more dispute it
than we could dispute that the parts
are equal to the whole; we could no
more say why the mind recognizes it as
right or wrong than we can say why it
recognizes at once that straight line
is the shortest distance between two
points.
Now, these first principles of moral
ity are true for all men and at all times;
they are the moral law of God; law
not indeed written upon tablets of
stone, but upon the tablet of the heart.
That faculty within man by which
these simple elementary truths of NOR
ality are discovered, is what is meant
by conscience" When its still small
voice is heard, we hear tie very voice
of the eternal God. Its simple COM
mand is categorical Imperative" it
makes no account of inclination or
circumstance, but utters for all men
and at all times alike, "Thou ought
est" If this be so, then with what
unspeakable reverence should we listen
to its words? What absolute obedience
should we yield to its behest? If men
did thus yield obedience, or if con-
science could compel obedience, then
indeed we should have heaven began on
earth.
But some one may be inclined to say:
Surely the question has more obscurity
than the preacher seems to suggest;
for, to judge by the action of many ap-
parently sincere men, conscience in
different men seems to sanction most
contradictory practices. How can its
supremacy on the one hand be recon-
ciled with the diversity of moral judg-
ments amongst men on the other?
Must it be said of that which is intend
ed by God to be the guide of life, that
it is Enthusiastically or weakp and that
some higher teaching is necessary,
some further guidance to ensure this
one speaking arightp Perplexity here
is oftentifnes deepened by popular
language, which speaks of an educated
or an ignorant conscience, a perverted, a
hardened, or enlightened conscience,
and SO on, SO that it would appear as
though, after all, Gods gift Of guild
ance to man still requires guidance and
light from elsewhere before it can be
of practical service to the soul of the
individual
need not point out to you how this
confusion has led to numerous errors,
and how especially it has been made
the support of ecclesiastical usurpa-
lions; how, for example, men have been
taught to mistrust their own conscience,
and to give themselves over to the
spiritual guidance of others. However
excellent this may be in rare, excep.
tional spiritual diseases, such as our
prayer-book contemplates in its direc-
tions concerning private confession,
there is no doubt that for man or
woman of ordinary power and capacity
such practice is dangerous to them in
tellectually and morally, as it is dishon-
oring to God. Now in order to avoid
confusion here, we need carefully to
distinguish two things,-the knowledge
of perception of moral law, and the
translation of these, or rather their ap-
plication, by an act Of judgment, to
the details of daily life.
In popular language, we call any con-
viction which is honestly entertained,
conscientious convictions" but no
one would care to assert that every
conviction honestly entertained Is in
fallibly right. Yet, on the other hand,
we cannot suppose it possible for con-
science to err without obviously sur
rendering its claim to be the divine
gift for the guidance of conduct. To
say that all men are obeying the voice
of conscience whilst pursuing the most
opposing lines of conduct, simply be-
cause certain opinions are honestly en-
tertained, is to rob conscience Of all
value whatever. In this case there