Richard Baxter 2

Christian Directory

Directions 4 and 7

Keep a tender conscience, which will not make light of sin. It is those that have seared their consciences by infidelity or a course of sinning, who dare venture with Judas or Gehazi for the prey, and dare oppress the poor and innocent, and feel not, nor fear, whilst they cast themselves on the revenge of God.

Keep a tender conscience, which will do its office, and not suffer you to sin without remorse..A seared, senseless conscience will permit you to lie and steal and deceive, and will make no great matter of it, till God awaken it by his grace or vengeance. Hence it is that servants can deceive their masters, or take that which is not allowed them, and buyers and sellers overreach one another, because they have not tender consciences to reprove them.

Richard Baxter 1

"Make not your own judgements or consciences your law, or the maker of your duty which is but the discerner of the law of God, and of the duty which he maketh you, and of your own obedience or disobedience to him.'—There is a dangerous error grown too common in the world, that a man is bound to do everything which his conscience telleth him is the will of God; and that every man must obey his conscience as if it were the lawgiver of the world, whereas indeed it is not ourselves but God that is our Lawgiver. Conscience is not authorised to make us any duty which God hath not made us, only to discern the law of God and call upon us to observe it: an erring conscience is not to be obeyed, but to be better informed."

... Quest, iii.' But is it not a sin for a man to go against his conscience

Answ. Yes: not because conscience hath any authority to make laws for you; but because interpretatively you go against God. For you are bound to obey God in all things; and when you think that God commandeth you a thing, and yet you will not do it, you disobey formally, though not materially. The matter of obedience is the thing commanded: the form of obedience is our doing the thing, because it is commanded; when the authority of the commander causeth us to do it. Now you reject the authority of God, when you reject that which you think he commandeth, though he did not.

Christian Directory, Grand Direction X