Acts 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void to offense toward God, and toward men. I. THE KEYNOTE OF THE WHOLE SENTENCE IS THAT WORD CONSCIENCE. 1. What is conscience? (1) A moral memory. Conscience has to do with the past chiefly. "This is twice living, to enjoy life past." On the other hand, "The first and foremost punishment of sinners is to have sinned."(2) A fellow knowledge; a knowledge shared with another, and that other oneself; a man's privity to his own conduct, in thought and word and deed. I am so made that I cannot help this fellow knowledge. 2. The word occurs more than thirty times in the New Testament, and of these more than twenty are in St. Paul's unquestioned writings. (1) It is to the conscience of man that he addresses his gospel. "By manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." Let each man's fellow knowledge feel, as he listens to my gospel, that it is a word worthy of God, and wholesome for man. "We are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences."(2) To his own conscience he appeals for testimony. "My conscience also bearing me witness." His own fellow knowledge assures him of perfect truthfulness. (3) He speaks more than once of a good conscience. (4) He speaks of a weak conscience; of one whose self-judgment is timid, over scrupulous, unenlightened as to the extent of his Christian freedom, but who yet must respect and follow it. (5) He tells of an evil or bad conscience, of a self-knowledge which is a knowledge of evil, creating a discord within, and raising an impassable barrier between man and God. (6) He refers to a defiled conscience; a self-knowledge which is privy not only to particular acts of transgression, but to a thorough choice and love of evil. (7) From these there is but a step, if one, to the "conscience seared with a hot iron"; cauterised with an indelible mark and stain of evil. II. THE CONSCIENCE AFTER WHICH ST. PAUL STROVE was an unstumbling one, not striking against stumbling stones. 1. He does not speak here of preserving his life from stumbling, but his conscience. He is determined that his perpetual judgment upon himself shall not find itself embarrassed in its course by evil done and the good left undone; shall not trip here over a hasty or uncharitable word, and there over a neglected duty, and there over an injured soul, and there over a corrupt imagination: its course shall be clear as it judges: the straight and smooth and unstained surface of the life and soul shall present nothing for the self-cognisance to dash against as a condemning object. 2. There are two chief departments of this unstumbling conscience; corresponding to the two great divisions of human duty. When the thought of God is presented, the self-judgment is not staggered: and when the thought of man is presented, still the self-cognisance is not beset by monuments of reproach or evil. Some men are not afraid of the second table. Like the rich young ruler they can say, "All these commandments have I observed from my youth." But when the attention of the inward judge is turned to the first table, then surely the self-deceiver will be unmasked to himself: the conscience is not void of offence: its course, as it hears the case, is not smooth but stumbling. III. ST. PAUL'S EFFORT AFTER THE ATTAINMENT OF THIS CONSCIENCE. "Herein," on the strength of the hope of the resurrection. "I exercise" or train myself as an athlete. We are apt to think that, whatever other difficulties the apostles had to contend with, they had none within. How strongly does St. Paul combat this error! "So fight I, as not beating the air: but I keep under my body." It did not come naturally to him to have a conscience void of offence. He had to train himself for it, by daily buffetings of his own body, mortifications of his own inclination, and crucifixions of his own will. The hope of a glorious resurrection bore him up, and in Christ's strength he went forward conquering and to conquer. The subject is its own application. (1) The Christian life is not easy. St. Paul found it severe. But what then? Brave men are only roused by difficulties: if the gospel demands courage, it is all the more a gospel for men. (2) Learn the place of conscience in the Christian scheme. It is not enough for a man to be what is commonly called a conscientious man. Cornelius was that, and more, and so was Paul before conversion. Yet the one must send men to Joppa for one who should tell him words of salvation. And the other must see Christ showing him to his own heart as "the chief of sinners," and then disclosing to him "a more excellent way." But though obedience to conscience (apart from Christ) is not salvation, yet there is thus much of connection and continuity between a life before and a life after conversion, that it is still conscience which guides, only conscience itself has widened its field of vision and gained a new criterion of judgment. A man is not a conscientious man now, unless Christ, as well as God, "is in all his thoughts." (Dean Vaughan.) Parallel Verses KJV: And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.WEB: Herein I also practice always having a conscience void of offense toward God and men. |
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