Second, that of ritual observance. Action that is good, i.e. in absolute moral ((uality, can spring only from harmony with absolute good. lience no action of a merely external kind can produce the requisite h.armony. The historic demon- stration of this incapacity is the Jewish ceremonial law. It did, indeed, cleanse, but the cleansing reached only to the flesh (He 9"), and had to be constantly repeated (He lU'-'). The practical
Soint is that the most elaborate scheme ever evised — devised, be it observed, by divine wisdom — failed consciously and intentionally to reach the springs of action, emancipate the will, and purge tne conscience. Is it likely that any other sclieme will succeed, that any niondity which human wisdom can devise or individual care execute, will accomplish what the law failed to do? Conscience steadily pronounces against every such attempt, in name, not of arbitrary creed, but of essential righteousness.
A third solution presents itself. Jesus Christ perfectly reveals God to man, because He is Himself true and perfect man. Accordingly, He not only unveils to men the Absolute Good, but as man He Himself fullils this Good. If, then, He who is thus in inmost being one with the Good, that is, God, and perfectly satisfactory to Him, shall in virtue of His humanity take man's place, and bear as a substitute man's burden, ollering Himself a sacrilice for sin, will not this meet the rcriuirements of conscience? It is now possible, through faith in the Sin-bearer, to enter into that moral union with God which is the condition of good action. Sin no more interposes its barrier. It has been recognized and dealt with by One competent to do so. The blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit ofl'ered Himself without blemish unto God, avails to cleanse the conscience from dead works, and qualifies us to serve the living God (He 0"). In the death of Christ the demand of con.science is satisfied through atonement being made for sin. In union to Christ through faith, the ideal to which conscience witnesses is no longer an impossiljility for ever condemning us, but an artual realization upon the ba.sis of which we are justified, and through the power of which we are enabled to fulfil the will of God (Ro .T-* 5»- '» C'"- 8*""). The witness of conscience, which brings us to God and Christ, directs us also to that which is central in Christianity, atonement made by sacrifice.
LiTEliATURR. — Spcrlal treatment of the cloolrine of consclenoe Ifl to tie lonnfl In thr ethical works of I>orncr, Rotho, Ilarlcwi, Wiittke, Hofniann, Martensen, Manineati, T. H. Orecn, Newman Bniyth. The laMt hoM the (wlvantage of exhihitinp the pla<"0 of conscioneo in relation to the wltulo ayutein of OiriHtian ethiai. Tlie Ttililical Pnyrholoifien of Renk anei Delitzftch also contain HiHi-UHAions of conBcieni-e. Monotrraphs upon conscience have been written by K. II. Ilofmann (/>i<5 Lfhr^ ron dfin (tewi/mtru, lAiiv7.\g, 1800). W. Oasa (Pit Lehrt mm (ierritien, Berlin, Islili), A. RitHchI (Uet/er dat Gevngiten ; Kin Vortrag, Bonn, 1870), M. Knhler (Dm Gfwufn, Hallo, 1878), F. I). Maurice (Tl<e CnrtMrirnre ; Lfetnrfii on Ca*ui*try\ W. T. Pavison (TA^ Christian Conaeienee ; Fernley Lecture for 1888). An edition of BuUer'i Tkrt4 Sermon) hu been publiihcd by T. & T. Olark
with Introduction and Notes by T. B. Eilpatrick ; and Bee Gladstone's ed. of BxUler'i Work*, 1896.
T. B. KlLPATRICK. CONSECRATE, CONSECRATION.-InOT several Heb. wolds arc so tr"" : 1. imz'tr Nu G" or nrzcr Nu G'", better 'separate,' 'separation'; see Naziuite. 2. kiddfish as in Ex 28' 3lP, 2 Ch 31«, Ezr 3», or kodesh Jos 6'», 2 Ch 29**, better ' sanctify,' ' sancti- iication ' (wh. see). 3. hrhcrlm Mic 4", better ' devote ' (see CUKSE). 4. milla' yAd ; this is the commonest and only characteristic expression for 'consecrate' (with inillu'im for 'consecration'); lit. ' fill the hand.' The origin of the phrase is quite obscure.* The Heb. millu'im being plu., AV has ' consecrations' (Ex 29^, Lv 7" S'^- »') with- out difterenee of meaning ; KV sing, always. In E.K 29" 'the flesh of the consecrations,' the c. is transferred to the ollering by which the c. took
Elace ; so Lv 8^ ' they [the cake of unleavened reail, etc.] were consecrations for a sweet savour.'
J. Hastings. CONSENT. — To c. is now no more than to ac- quiesce ; in earlier Eng. it often included approval. Hence (I) to a[)prove of a thing, Ac 8' ' Saul was c'"* unto his death ' (awcv5oK(u, so 22^ ; in Lk 11" tr'' ' allow ' — ' ye allow the deeds of your fathers,' IIV 'consent unto); Ro 7" 'I c. unto the law that it is good ' {<rviiipr]iu). Cf. Shaks. 1 Henry VI. I. V. 34—
' You all consented unto Salisbury's death. For none would strike a stroke in his revenge.
Or (2) to be in sympathy with a person, Ps 50" ' When thou sawcst a thief, then thou consentedst with him ' (ny-i) ; Ro 1"^, AVm, RV ' not only do the same, but also c. with them that practise them ' (avvevioKiu}, AV ' have pleasure in them '). Cf. Eord (1633)—
' "T had been pity To sunder hearts so equally consented.'
J. Hastings. CONSIDER. — To c. is either to look carefully at or think carefully about. The former sense is now obsol. or archaic : I'r 31" ' She c""" a field and buyetli it'; Lv 13" 'the priest shall c' (i.e. examine the lejier, nx-;, RV 'look'); Sir SS^* 'The smith also Hitting by the anvil, and c""' the iron work ' ; He 13' ' c"« the end of their conversation ' (ara0(iji- poOi/Tfs) ; Gal 6' 'c. thyself, lest thou also be tempted ' (aKoiriw, RV ' looking to '). So Cover- dale s tr. of Neh 2" ' Then wente I on in the nighte . . . and considered the wall' (AV 'viewed'). ' Consider of ' is now rare : Jg 19* ' c. of it, take advice, and speak ' ; Ts 64" ; Pref. to AV ' [they] set them forth openly to be c'' of and perused by all.' J. Hastings.