What Conscience is shall now be
stated. Conscience is formed in a man from his religious persuasion,
according to the reception of this within himself.
With the man of the church,
Conscience is formed by means of truths of faith from the Word, or
from doctrine drawn from the Word, according to the reception of
these in the heart. For when a man knows the truths of faith and
apprehends them in his own way, and afterward wills them and does
them, a Conscience is then being formed in him. Reception in the
heart is reception in the will, for the will of man is that which is
called his "heart."
From this it is that those who
have Conscience speak from the heart what they speak, and do from
the heart what they do. Such also have an undivided mind, for they
act in accordance with what they believe to be true and good, and in
accordance with what they understand. Consequently a more perfect
Conscience is possible with those who are more enlightened than
others in the truths of faith, and who are in a clearer perception
than others, than is possible with those who are less enlightened,
and who are in an obscure perception.
Those have Conscience who have
received from the Lord a new will. This will is itself the
Conscience; and therefore to act contrary to Conscience is to act
contrary to this will. And as the good of charity makes the new
will, the good of charity also makes the Conscience.
Seeing that, as before said,
Conscience is formed by means of the truths of faith, as also is the
new will, and charity, it follows that to act contrary to the truths
of faith is to act contrary to Conscience.
As the faith and charity which
are from the Lord make a man's spiritual life, it follows that to
act contrary to Conscience is to act contrary to this life.
As therefore to act contrary to
Conscience is to act contrary to the new will, contrary to charity,
and contrary to the truths of faith, consequently contrary to the
life which man has from the Lord, it is evident from this that a man
is in the tranquillity of peace, and in internal blessedness, when
he acts according to Conscience; and that he is in intranquility,
and also in pain, when he acts contrary to Conscience. This pain is
what is called "the stings of Conscience."
Man has a Conscience of what is
good, and a Conscience of what is just. The Conscience of what is
good is the Conscience of the internal man; and the Conscience of
what is just is the Conscience of the external man. The Conscience
of what is good consists in acting according to the precepts of
faith from internal affection; while the Conscience of what is just
consists in acting according to civil and moral laws from external
affection. They who have a Conscience of what is good, have also a
Conscience of what is just; but they who have only a Conscience of
what is just, have the capacity of receiving a Conscience of what is
good, and moreover do receive it when they are instructed.
What Conscience is may also be
illustrated by examples. If, unknown to the other, a man has the
property of that other in his possession, and thus can keep it for
himself without any fear of the law, or of the loss of honor and
reputation, and nevertheless restores it to the other because it is
not his own, he has Conscience, for he does what is good for the
sake of what is good, and what is just for the sake of what is just.
Again, if a man who has it in his power to attain a high position,
sees that another, who also is a candidate, would be more useful to
his country, and yields the position to this other man for the sake
of his country's good, he has Conscience. So in all other cases.
From these examples may be
inferred the character of those who have no Conscience. They are
known from the opposite. Those among them who for the sake of their
own advantage would make what is unjust to appear as just, and what
is evil to appear as good, and the reverse, have no Conscience.
Those of them who know that what they do is unjust and evil, and yet
do it, do not know what Conscience is, and if instructed, do not
wish to know. Such are they who do all things for the sake of
themselves and the world.
Those who have not received
Conscience in the world cannot receive Conscience in the other life.
Thus they cannot be saved, because they have no plane into which
heaven (that is, the Lord through heaven) can flow, and whereby it
may operate, and so draw them to itself; for Conscience is the plane
and receptacle of the influx of heaven. Wherefore in the other life
such persons are associated with those who love themselves and the
world above all things; and these are in hell.
