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《真实的基督教》 第665节

（一滴水译，2017）

　　665．此后，有声音从天堂传来，它来自我们正上方的天人，说：“到这里来，我们会问你们中的一个人，他尚在尘世的肉体中，关于良心，人们都知道些什么？”我们就上去，当我们进去时，有几个智者来迎接我们，他们问我：“在你的世界，人们对于良心都知道些什么？”我回答说：“请随我们下去，召集一批信徒和被公认智慧的牧师。我们会站在你们的正下方，对他们提问题，因此你们将亲耳听见他们给出的答案？”就这样，其中一个选民拿着一个喇叭，朝南北东西四个方向吹响，不一会儿就聚集了一群人，几乎挤满整个广场。但上面的天人把他们分成四组，其中一组由政治家组成，第二组是学者，第三组是医生，第四组则为牧师。如此安排完毕，我们对他们说：“很抱谦把你们召集到这儿，我们这样做是因为，我们正上方的天人急切地想知道你们在世时对于良心是怎么想的，因而你们现在对它又是怎么想的，因为你们对此类问题仍抱持以前的想法。天人得到报告说，关于良心的知识是尘世已没落的知识之一。”
　　然后我们依次开始，先转向由政治家组成的小组。我们要求，若他们愿意，发自内心告诉我们，关于良心他们原先是怎么想的，因此现在是怎么想的。对此，他们轮流作答，其答复的要点是，他们只知道良心是一种内在的自我认知，从而意识到自己的意图、思维、行为和言辞。但我们告知：“我们不是问良心一词的词语解释，而是何为良心。”“何为良心？“他们回答说：“不就是由于害怕将来损失名利，以及由此损失名声的危险而产生的焦虑吗？但这种焦虑会被美酒盛宴，以及爱情美女的娱乐话题驱散。”
　　我们对此回应说：“你们在开玩笑，若你们愿意，请告诉我们，你们当中谁体验过其它方面的焦虑。”他们回答说：“焦虑还能来自哪儿？整个世界不就象一个舞台，每个人都在上面扮演自己的角色，如同演员在舞台上的表演吗？我们通过迎和人的欲望来诱惑和欺骗人们，有的通过愚弄他们，有的通过奉承，有的通过诡计，有的通过假装的友情，有的通过虚伪的真诚，有的则通过各种政治艺术和引诱。这并没有给我们带来精神焦虑，恰恰相反，我们悄悄地但却尽性地从扩张的肺中呼出欢乐和喜悦。诚然，我们从一些同僚那里听说，他们有时感到焦虑不安，仿佛牵动心胸，从而引起一种心理紧张。但当他们就此咨询医生时，被告知，他们的烦恼来自由胃里未消化物质或脾脏紊乱造成的一种过度忧心。但我们听说，他们当中有些人通过用药恢复到从前的快乐。”
　　听完这番话，我们转向由学者组成的小组，其中包括一些物理学专家。我们跟他们说：“你们都研究过科学，因此被认为是智慧的圣贤，请告诉我们什么是良心。”他们回答：“这类问题用得着考虑吗？的确，我们是听说过一些人感到悲伤、忧郁和焦虑，这些情绪不但影响胃部，还影响大脑。我们认为，两个脑就是这些东西的居所，并且由于它们由相邻的纤维构成，有一种刺激性的体液会扯拉、刺激、啃啮这些纤维，所以压迫了大脑的思维区域，以至于它无法放松享受源自多样化的娱乐。这一切导致人只能专注于一件事，并且这会破坏纤维的张力和弹性，致使它们变得死板刚硬。所有这些导致一种动物精神的不规则运动，在医学界被称为共济失调，也叫做功能缺陷，即所谓的失去知觉。总之，这时头脑好象被敌对势力包围，也不能转向任一方向，就象轮子被钉子钉牢，或船只深陷流沙一样。这种头痛、以及随之胸腔的压迫，使得那些其主导爱遭受损失之人感到痛苦。因为若这爱受到打击，脑纤维就收缩，这种收缩会妨碍头脑自由寻求各种形式的乐趣。在这些危机期间，各种幻觉、疯狂与谵妄会根据各人的性情攻击这些人，有些人由于宗教问题患上脑疾病，他们称其为良心的谴责。”
　　此后，我们又转向由医生组成的第三组，包括一些医师和药剂师。对他们说：“你们或许知道何为良心。它真的是一种侵袭头部和心脏组织，并由此侵袭邻近部位、上腹和下腹的强烈疼痛吗？或是别的什么东西？”他们回答说：“良心无非就是这样一种疼痛。我们比其他人更了解它的根源。有些相关疾病会攻击身体的器官组织，也会攻击头部，以及随之心智的有机组织，因为心智位于脑器官，就象蜘蛛位于蛛网中间一样，并以同样的方式沿着这些纹路来回奔跑。我们把这些疾病叫做器质性疾病，时不时复发的这类我们称为慢性病。但病人向我们描述的良心痛苦之类的疼痛，无非是一种疑病症，该病主要影响脾脏，其次影响胰腺与肠系膜，使它们丧失正常功能，从而引发胃病，导致体液病变；因为胃孔周围会发生收缩，就是所谓的胃灼痛；由这些疾病产生浸透黑、黄或绿色胆汁的体液，这种体液造成最细的血管，即所谓的毛细血管堵塞；这一切导致恶液质、萎缩、耻骨联合、以及由慢性粘膜炎引发的假性肺炎、腐蚀整个血块的淋巴脓肿。当脓水进入血液及其由于体内脓疱、肿块和肿胀处破裂而产生的血清里面时，也会造成类似后果。当这种血液经由劲动脉上升到头部时，就会磨损、侵蚀并啃噬大脑髓质、皮质和脑膜，从而引发所谓良心痛苦的疼痛。”
　　一听这话，我们对他们说：“你们说的是希波克拉底（希腊名医）和伽林（古希腊名医及有关医书的作家）的语言，这对我们来说是希腊语，我们不懂。我们问的不是这些疾病，而是关于良心，纯粹精神的问题。”他们说：“精神疾病与头脑疾病一样，后者是从身体升起的，因为它们连结在一起，就象一栋房子的两个楼层通过楼梯连起来一样，人可以借助这楼梯上楼下楼。所以，我们知道精神状态密切依赖于身体状态，但我们已经治愈了这些头脑昏沉或头痛病（我们理解这个就是你们所说的良心痛苦），有的通过药膏和起水疱治愈，有的通过输液和乳剂，有的则通过草药和止痛药。”
　　我们听到的类似内容够多了，所以就离开他们，对牧师们说：“你们总该知道什么是良心，因此请告诉我们，并教导在场的人。”他们回答说：“关于良心，我们知道，也不知道。我们认为它就是先于拣选的悔罪，即在人被赐予信那一刻的悔罪，人通过这信获得新灵新心，并重生。但我们发现，这种悔罪发生在极少数人身上，仅在一些对地狱之火心存恐惧，从而焦虑的人身上出现，并且几乎没人会为自己的罪和由此引起神愤怒的后果而苦恼。但作为忏悔者的我们，已通过福音治愈了这类人，告诉他们，基督通过十字架受难除去了诅咒的判决，因而熄灭了地狱之火，并向被恩赐信的所有人敞开天堂的大门，神儿子功德的报应就系于这信。此外，还存在不同宗教信仰（无论正确还是错误）的有良心之人，他们在涉及拯救的问题上，不但在本质、也在形式、甚至无关紧要的问题上，也会良心不安。因此，就象我们之前说的那样，我们知道良心的存在，但至于什么是真正的良心，其性质如何，这完全是属灵的问题，我们就不得而知了。”

真实的基督教 #665 （火能翻译，2015）

665. 此后, 有声音从天堂传来, 它来自我们正上方的天人, 说: “到这里来, 我们会问你们中的一个人, 他尚在尘世的肉体中, 关于良心, 人们都知道些什么? ”我们就上去, 当我们进去时, 有几个智者来迎接我们, 他们问我: “在你的世界, 人们对于良心都知道些什么? ”我回答说: “请随我们下去, 召集一批信徒和被公认智慧的牧师。 我们会站在你们的正下方, 对他们提问题, 因此你们将亲耳听见他们给出的答案? ”就这样, 其中一个选民拿着一个喇叭, 朝南北东西四个方向吹响, 不一会儿就聚集了一群人, 几乎挤满整个广场。 但上面的天人把他们分成四组, 其中一组由政治家组成, 第二组是学者, 第三组是医生, 第四组则为牧师。 如此安排完毕, 我们对他们说: “很抱谦把你们召集到这儿, 我们这样做是因为, 我们正上方的天人急切地想知道你们在世时对于良心是怎么想的, 因而你们现在对它又是怎么想的, 因为你们对此类问题仍抱持以前的想法。 天人得到报告说, 关于良心的知识是尘世已没落的知识之一。 ”

然后我们依次开始, 先转向由政治家组成的小组。 我们要求, 若他们愿意, 发自内心告诉我们, 关于良心他们原先是怎么想的, 因此现在是怎么想的。 对此, 他们轮流作答, 其答复的要点是, 他们只知道良心是一种内在的自我认知, 从而意识到自己的意图, 思维, 行为和言辞。 但我们告知: “我们不是问良心一词的词语解释, 而是何为良心。 ”“何为良心? “他们回答说: “不就是由于害怕将来损失名利, 以及由此损失名声的危险而产生的焦虑吗? 但这种焦虑会被美酒盛宴, 以及爱情美女的娱乐话题驱散。 ”

我们对此回应说: “你们在开玩笑, 若你们愿意, 请告诉我们, 你们当中谁体验过其它方面的焦虑。 ”他们回答说: “焦虑还能来自哪儿? 整个世界不就象一个舞台, 每个人都在上面扮演自己的角色, 如同演员在舞台上的表演吗? 我们通过迎和人的欲望来诱惑和欺骗人们, 有的通过愚弄他们, 有的通过奉承, 有的通过诡计, 有的通过假装的友情, 有的通过虚伪的真诚, 有的则通过各种政治艺术和引诱。 这并没有给我们带来精神焦虑, 恰恰相反, 我们悄悄地但却尽性地从扩张的肺中呼出欢乐和喜悦。 诚然, 我们从一些同僚那里听说, 他们有时感到焦虑不安, 仿佛牵动心胸, 从而引起一种心理紧张。 但当他们就此咨询医生时, 被告知, 他们的烦恼来自由胃里未消化物质或脾脏紊乱造成的一种过度忧心。 但我们听说, 他们当中有些人通过用药恢复到从前的快乐。 ”

听完这番话, 我们转向由学者组成的小组, 其中包括一些物理学专家。 我们跟他们说: “你们都研究过科学, 因此被认为是智慧的圣贤, 请告诉我们什么是良心。 ”他们回答: “这类问题用得着考虑吗? 的确, 我们是听说过一些人感到悲伤, 忧郁和焦虑, 这些情绪不但影响胃部, 还影响大脑。 我们认为, 两个脑就是这些东西的居所, 并且由于它们由相邻的纤维构成, 有一种刺激性的体液会扯拉, 刺激, 啃啮这些纤维, 所以压迫了大脑的思维区域, 以至于它无法放松享受源自多样化的娱乐。 这一切导致人只能专注于一件事, 并且这会破坏纤维的张力和弹性, 致使它们变得死板刚硬。 所有这些导致一种动物精神的不规则运动, 在医学界被称为共济失调, 也叫做功能缺陷, 即所谓的失去知觉。 总之, 这时头脑好象被敌对势力包围, 也不能转向任一方向, 就象轮子被钉子钉牢, 或船只深陷流沙一样。 这种头痛, 以及随之胸腔的压迫, 使得那些其主导爱遭受损失之人感到痛苦。 因为若这爱受到打击, 脑纤维就收缩, 这种收缩会妨碍头脑自由寻求各种形式的乐趣。 在这些危机期间, 各种幻觉, 疯狂与谵妄会根据各人的性情攻击这些人, 有些人由于宗教问题患上脑疾病, 他们称其为良心的谴责。 ”

此后, 我们又转向由医生组成的第三组, 包括一些医师和药剂师。 对他们说: “你们或许知道何为良心。 它真的是一种侵袭头部和心脏组织, 并由此侵袭邻近部位, 上腹和下腹的强烈疼痛吗? 或是别的什么东西? ”他们回答说: “良心无非就是这样一种疼痛。 我们比其他人更了解它的根源。 有些相关疾病会攻击身体的器官组织, 也会攻击头部, 以及随之心智的有机组织, 因为心智位于脑器官, 就象蜘蛛位于蛛网中间一样, 并以同样的方式沿着这些纹路来回奔跑。 我们把这些疾病叫做器质性疾病, 时不时复发的这类我们称为慢性病。 但病人向我们描述的良心痛苦之类的疼痛, 无非是一种疑病症, 该病主要影响脾脏, 其次影响胰腺与肠系膜, 使它们丧失正常功能, 从而引发胃病, 导致体液病变; 因为胃孔周围会发生收缩, 就是所谓的胃灼痛; 由这些疾病产生浸透黑, 黄或绿色胆汁的体液, 这种体液造成最细的血管, 即所谓的毛细血管堵塞; 这一切导致恶液质, 萎缩, 耻骨联合, 以及由慢性粘膜炎引发的假性肺炎, 腐蚀整个血块的淋巴脓肿。 当脓水进入血液及其由于体内脓疱, 肿块和肿胀处破裂而产生的血清里面时, 也会造成类似后果。 当这种血液经由劲动脉上升到头部时, 就会磨损, 侵蚀并啃噬大脑髓质, 皮质和脑膜, 从而引发所谓良心痛苦的疼痛。 ”

一听这话, 我们对他们说: “你们说的是希波克拉底 (希腊名医) 和伽林 (古希腊名医及有关医书的作家) 的语言, 这对我们来说是希腊语, 我们不懂。 我们问的不是这些疾病, 而是关于良心, 纯粹精神的问题。 ”他们说: “精神疾病与头脑疾病一样, 后者是从身体升起的, 因为它们连结在一起, 就象一栋房子的两个楼层通过楼梯连起来一样, 人可以借助这楼梯上楼下楼。 所以, 我们知道精神状态密切依赖于身体状态, 但我们已经治愈了这些头脑昏沉或头痛病 (我们理解这个就是你们所说的良心痛苦), 有的通过药膏和起水疱治愈, 有的通过输液和乳剂, 有的则通过草药和止痛药。 ”

我们听到的类似内容够多了, 所以就离开他们, 对牧师们说: “你们总该知道什么是良心, 因此请告诉我们, 并教导在场的人。 ”他们回答说: “关于良心, 我们知道, 也不知道。 我们认为它就是先于拣选的悔罪, 即在人被赐予信那一刻的悔罪, 人通过这信获得新灵新心, 并重生。 但我们发现, 这种悔罪发生在极少数人身上, 仅在一些对地狱之火心存恐惧, 从而焦虑的人身上出现, 并且几乎没人会为自己的罪和由此引起神愤怒的后果而苦恼。 但作为忏悔者的我们, 已通过福音治愈了这类人, 告诉他们, 基督通过十字架受难除去了诅咒的判决, 因而熄灭了地狱之火, 并向被恩赐信的所有人敞开天堂的大门, 神儿子功德的归算就系于这信。 此外, 还存在不同宗教信仰 (无论正确还是错误) 的有良心之人, 他们在涉及拯救的问题上, 不但在本质, 也在形式, 甚至无关紧要的问题上, 也会良心不安。 因此, 就象我们之前说的那样, 我们知道良心的存在, 但至于什么是真正的良心, 其性质如何, 这完全是属灵的问题, 我们就不得而知了。 ”

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True Christianity #665 (Rose, 2010)

665. Then we heard a voice from heaven, coming from the angels who were directly above us. The voice said, "Come up here and we will ask the one among you who is still physically in the material world to tell us what the world knows about conscience. "

We went up. After we entered there, some wise people came to meet us. They asked me, "What is the current understanding of conscience in your world?"

"If you would like," I replied, "we will go down and call together a number of lay people and clergy who are believed to be wise. We will meet with them directly below you. We will pose the question, and you will hear with your own ears what their responses are. "

They agreed to this. One of the elect picked up a trumpet and sounded it toward the south, the north, the east, and the west. Within about half an hour so many people arrived that they filled about an eighth of a mile square.

The angels above arranged them all into four groups. The first group consisted of politicians; the second, of scholars; the third, of physicians; the fourth, of clergy.

Once they were in their groups, we said, "Forgive us for calling you together. The reason is that angels directly above us are longing to know what your thoughts were on the subject of conscience when you were in the physical world, where you previously lived. This will also indicate what you still think of conscience now, since you still retain the ideas you had before. "

The angels had been told, you see, that knowledge regarding conscience was among the information that had been lost to the world.

[2] After that, we got underway. We turned first to the group that consisted of politicians and asked them to tell us from their heart, if they would, what they had thought before and were therefore still thinking now about conscience.

One after the other, they gave their replies. Their answers added up to this: all they knew was that having conscience meant knowing within themselves, or being conscious of what they were intending, considering, doing, and saying.

"We did not ask," we said, "what you know about the etymology of the word conscience but what you know about conscience itself!"

"What else is conscience," they replied, "but the pain that arises from fear and anticipation that we might lose honor or wealth, and our reputation might suffer? But that pain is easy to deal with through a good feast, a few glasses of fine wine, and chatting about the games of Venus and Cupid!"

[3] "All right; you are joking around," we said. "But tell us, if you would, whether any of you ever felt any anxiety arising from any other source than the fears you just mentioned. "

"What other source could there be?" they replied. "Isn't the whole world like a stage on which each of us plays our scene, like some actor in a comedy? We have tricked and manipulated all kinds of people through their own particular weaknesses. We have used mockery on some, flattery on some, deceit on some, pretended friendship on some, supposed honesty on some, and various other political maneuvers and seductive ploys. None of that caused us any mental pain whatsoever! On the contrary, it cheered us up and made us happy; we practiced breathing deeply of that happiness without laughing out loud.

"Now, we have heard from some of our colleagues that they sometimes did suffer from anxiety and chest pains or heart pain, which would also inhibit their ability to think. But when they asked their doctors about it, they were told it was caused by a melancholy humor from undigested food in their stomach or from an unhealthy spleen. We heard that by taking medication some of them, at least, were brought back to enjoying life. "

[4] After listening to that group, we turned to the group that consisted of scholars. Many in the group were experts in anatomy.

To them we said, "You who have devoted yourselves to academic study and are therefore trusted as oracles of wisdom, tell us, if you would, what conscience is. "

"What an odd question!" they said. "Now, we have heard that some people experience a sadness, grief, or anxiety that affects not only the abdominal region of their body but also the dwelling place of the mind. We believe the mind inhabits the two brains. Because the brains consist of a network of fibers, we believe there is some harsh fluid that pulls at, or bites and chews on, the fibers of the brains. This has the effect of constricting the range of thoughts in the mind so that it is no longer able to be spread out across an enjoyable variety of different topics. As a result the afflicted person focuses on a single issue. This destroys the flexibility and elasticity of the fibers and makes them stubborn and rigid instead. This leads in turn to an irregular circulation of the animal spirits, a condition that physicians refer to as ataxia; and to a loss of functionality in the fibers, called lipothymy. Briefly put, the mind remains stuck, as if it were held by enemy troops, and can no longer turn in this or that direction any more than a wheel that has been nailed down or a ship that has run aground on a sandbank.

"Mental and physical anguish of this kind arises in people when their dominant love suffers a loss. When the dominant love is under attack, the fibers of the brain contract. This contraction prevents the mind from running free and finding pleasures of various kinds. When people are in a crisis like this, depending on what kind of temperament they have they are overcome by fantasies, dementia, and madness, and disturbances of the brain in regard to religious issues, which they call an attack of conscience. "

[5] We turned next to the third group, which consisted of those trained in medicine. The group included doctors and apothecaries.

We said, "Perhaps you know what conscience is, and whether it is a sharp pain that attacks the head and the soft tissues of the heart, and also affects areas below those, specifically the epigastric and hypogastric regions; or whether it is something else. "

"Conscience," they said, "is nothing but a pain of the type you just mentioned.

"We know more than others do about the origins of that pain. It originates in contingent diseases that attack the organic structures of the body and the head, and therefore the mind as well, since the mind sits in the organic structures of the brain like a spider at the center of its web. The mind runs back and forth in the brain much as the spider runs back and forth along the threads of its web. We call these contingent diseases organic; if they recur, we call them chronic.

"What our patients describe as pangs of conscience is in fact a disease of the organs surrounding the epigastric region. This disease inhibits the normal functioning first of the spleen and then of the pancreas and mesentery. This leads to diseases of the stomach and to cacochymy. There is increased pressure around the orifice of the stomach, known as heartburn. This leads in turn to humors that are saturated with black, yellow, or green bile, which causes a blockage of the smallest blood vessels, known as capillaries, that results in cachexia, atrophy, and symphysis, as well as pseudopneumonia from excessively thick mucus, and the presence of ichorous, acrid lymph throughout the blood supply. Similar symptoms are also brought about from pus finding its way into the blood serum because of burst empyemas, abscesses, and apostemes in the body. Once this blood rises through the carotid arteries into the head, it wears down and eats and gnaws away at the medullary, cortical, and meningeal substances in the brain, and causes the pains that are called pangs of conscience. "

[6] Upon hearing this we said, "You are speaking the language of Hippocrates and Galen, but that is Greek to us. We do not understand. We did not ask you, though, about those diseases, but about conscience, which affects the mind alone. "

"The diseases of the mind and diseases of the head are the same, and diseases of the head rise up from the body," they replied. "The mind and the body are attached. They are like two levels of the same house, having a staircase between them that allows people to go up or down. We know that the state of the mind depends inevitably on the state of the body. We have had success in healing that sense of heaviness or headache that we gather you mean by conscience. Some cases we have healed with bandages coated with irritating ointment to cause blisters; some cases with infusions of emulsion; some cases with herbal remedies or painkillers. "

[7] Because we were hearing the same things from them as before, we turned away from them and toward the clergy.

We said, "You know what conscience is. State what it is, and instruct the rest who are present. "

"In some ways we know what conscience is," they answered, "but in others we don't. We believe that it is the feeling of contrition that precedes being chosen - that is, the moment when we are granted the faith through which we gain a new heart and a new spirit and are regenerated. Our sense is that very few actually experience this feeling of contrition. Some experience trembling and anxiety about hellfire. Hardly any feel contrition regarding their sins and God's righteous anger. For the few who do, we who hear their confessions have been able to heal them through the good news that Christ took away damnation through his suffering on the cross. He extinguished the fires of hell and opened heaven to those who are blessed with the faith that carries with it the assignment of the merit of the Son of God.

"Various different religions, both the true and the fanatical, have conscientious adherents, who become scrupulous about salvation, not only in essential matters, but also in matters of form, and even in issues that make no difference at all.

"Therefore, as we said before, we know that there is such a thing as a conscience, but we don't know the exact nature of true conscience - although it must be something thoroughly spiritual. "

True Christian Religion #665 (Chadwick, 1988)

665. After this a voice was heard from heaven coming from the angels who were immediately above us. 'Come up here,' it said, 'and we will question one of you, who is still as to the body in the natural world, what people know about conscience.'

We went up and, after we were admitted, some wise men came to meet us. They asked me what was known about conscience in my world.

'Please let us go down,' I replied, 'and summon a number of both laity and clergy who are believed to be wise. We will stand vertically beneath you and question them, so you will hear with your own ears what answers they give.'

This was done, and one of the elect took a trumpet and sounded it to the south, the north, the east and the west. Then after a little while such a crowd gathered that they nearly filled the space of a furlong. But the angels overhead arranged them all into four groups; one of them consisted of politicians, the second of scholars, the third of medical men, the fourth of clergy.

When they were so arranged, we said to them: 'Forgive us for summoning you. The reason is that the angels who are exactly above us are most anxious to know what you thought when you were in your previous world about conscience; and so what you still think about it, since you retain your previous ideas on such matters. It has been reported to the angels that knowledge about conscience is one of the subjects the knowledge of which has been lost in the world.'

[2] After this we began by turning first to the group consisting of politicians. We asked them to say, if they would, what they had thought in their hearts and so continued to think about conscience. They replied to this one after the other. The gist of their replies collectively was that all they knew of conscience was that it was knowing in oneself, and so being conscious of what one intended, thought, did and said.

But we told them: We did not ask about the etymology of the word "conscience," but what conscience is.'

'What is conscience,' was their reply, 'but anxiety arising from fear of future danger to rank or wealth, and to one's reputation as the result of their loss? That anxiety is dispelled by feasts and a few glasses of fine wine, and by conversations about the sports of Venus and her son ¹ .'

[3] 'You are joking,' we said. 'Please tell us whether any of you has experienced any anxiety from other sources.'

'Where else could it be from?' they replied. 'Isn't the whole world like a stage on which each plays his own scene, as comic actors do on their stage? We baffle and get the better of anyone who comes along by means of his own longings, some by making fools of them, some by flattery, some by trickery, some by the pretence of friendship, some by a front of sincerity, and some by our skill as politicians in dangling inducements before them. This gives us no mental anxiety, but on the contrary joviality and gladness, which we fill our lungs with and breathe out silently but to the full. We have indeed heard from some of our colleagues that they are from time to time subject to anxiety and distress, as if affecting the heart and chest, thereby occasioning a sort of cramping of the mind. But on consulting the apothecaries about these, they were told that they are caused by a melancholy humour arising from undigested food in the stomach or from a morbid condition of the spleen. But in some of these cases we have heard of them being restored to their previous joviality by the use of medicines.'

[4] After hearing this we turned to the group composed of scholars, which included a number of experts on physics. We addressed them and said: 'You have studied the sciences and consequently have been thought to be oracles of wisdom; please tell us what conscience is.'

'What sort of a question is this?' they replied. 'We have indeed heard that some people suffer from sadness, grief and anxiety, which affect not only the gastric regions of the body, but also the seat of the mind. For we believe that the two brains are its seat. Since these are composed of adjacent fibres, there is an acrid humour which plucks, bites and gnaws at those fibres, and so contracts the sphere of thoughts in the mind that it is unable to relax to enjoy any of the diversions that come from variety. So it comes about that the person concentrates on only one topic, and this destroys the tensile properties and elasticity of the fibres, thus causing them to become resistant and rigid. This leads to the irregular movement of the animal spirits, known to the medical profession as ataxy, and also to the failure of function which is called loss of consciousness. In short, the mind then lies as if beset by hostile squadrons, and can no more turn one way or the other than a wheel fastened on with nails or a ship stuck fast on a sand-bank. Such distress of mind and consequently constriction of the chest afflicts those whose ruling love suffers loss. If this love is attacked, the fibres of the brain contract, and this contraction prevents the mind from moving freely and seeking its pleasures in various forms. When these people suffer this crisis, each depending upon his temperament, they are subject to delusions of various kinds, dementia and delirium, and some suffer from religious brainstorms, which they call the pangs of conscience.'

[5] After this we turned to the third group composed of medical men, including surgeons and apothecaries. 'Perhaps you,' we said, 'know what conscience is. Is it not a savage pain which grips the head and the substance of the heart, and so the subjacent epigastric and hypogastric regions; or is it something else?'

'Conscience,' they replied, 'is nothing but a pain of that sort. We are better placed than others to know its origins, for there are accidental diseases which attack the organic substances of the body, and of the head too, consequently also the mind, since the mind sits amid the organs of the brain like a spider in the centre of the threads composing its web, and it runs out and back in similar fashion along these. We call these diseases organic, and the ones which recur time and again chronic. But pain of this sort, described to us by invalids as the pain of conscience, is nothing but a hypochondriac disease, which robs primarily the spleen and secondarily the pancreas and the mesentery of their proper functions. From this arise diseases of the stomach, which result in unhealthiness of the humours; for compression occurs around the orifice of the stomach, which is called heartburn. From this arise humours saturated with black, yellow or green bile, which cause blockage of the smallest blood vessels, what are called the capillaries. This leads to cachexy, atrophy and symphysis, as well as false pneumonia due to sluggish catarrh, and ichorous lymph causing corrosion through the whole mass of blood. Similar results ensue from the emission of pus into the blood and its serum as the result of empyemas, abscesses and apostems in the body. When this blood rises through the carotid arteries into the head, it abrades, corrodes and gnaws the medullary, cortical and meningeal substances of the brain, so provoking the pains which are called those of conscience. ²

[6] On hearing this we told them: 'You speak the language of Hippocrates and Galen ³ . This is Greek to us, we don't understand. We did not ask about these diseases, but about conscience, a purely mental matter.'

'The diseases of the mind,' they said, 'and those of the head are the same; and those of the head rise up from the body. For they hang together like two floors of one house connected by a staircase permitting one to go up or down. We know therefore that mental states are indissolubly dependent upon the state of the body. But we have cured those heavinesses or headaches, which we grasp are what you mean by conscience, in some cases by plasters or blistering ointments, in some cases by infusions or emulsions, in some cases by herbal remedies and by anodynes.

[7] So when we heard more of the same from them we turned away and addressed the clergy. 'You,' we said, 'know what conscience is. So tell us and instruct the audience.'

'What conscience is,' they answered, 'is something we know and do not know. We have believed that it is contrition, which precedes election, that is, the moment at which a person is endowed with faith, by means of which he gets a new heart and a new spirit and is regenerated. But we have noticed that few people achieve that contrition; in some cases there is only fear and so anxiety about hell-fire, and hardly anyone worries about his sins and the wrath of God he deserves as a result. But we as confessors have cured them by the Gospel, telling them that Christ by suffering crucifixion removed the sentence of damnation, and so put out hell-fire, opening heaven to all blessed with faith, to which the imputation of the merit of the Son of God is attached. In addition there are people with consciences who belong to various religions, true as well as erroneous, who are scrupulous in matters relating to salvation, not only in essentials, but also in matters of form or of no consequence. Thus, as we said before, we know that conscience exists, but what it is and what true conscience, a wholly spiritual matter, is like, we do not know.'

Footnotes:

True Christian Religion #665 (Ager, 1970)

665. After this there was heard a voice out of heaven from the angels who were immediately above us, saying, "Come up hither, and we will question one of you (who is yet in the body in the natural world) what is there known about Conscience."

And we went up; and when we had entered, some wise men came to meet us, and asked me, "What is known in your world about conscience?"

I replied, "If you please, let us descend and call together both from the laity and clergy, a number of those who are esteemed wise; and we will stand directly beneath you and will question them; and thus with your own ears you will hear what they will answer."

This was done; and one of the elect took a trumpet and sounded it toward the south, north, east, and west; and then after a brief hour so many were present as almost to fill the space of a square furlong. But the angels above arranged them all in four assemblies, one consisting of statesmen, another of scholars, a third of physicians, and a fourth of clergy men.

When thus arranged, we said to them, "Pardon us for calling you together; we have done so because the angels who are directly above us are eager to know what you thought, while in the world in which you formerly were, about conscience, and thus what you still think about it, since you still retain your former ideas on such subjects; for it has been reported to the angels that in your world a knowledge of conscience is among the lost knowledges."

[2] After this we began, and turning first to the assembly composed of statesmen, we asked them to tell us from their hearts, if they were willing, what they had thought, and therefore what they still thought, about conscience.

To this they replied one after another; and the sum of their replies was that they knew only that conscience is secum scire [a knowing within one's self], thus conscire [a being conscious] of what one has intended, thought, done, and said.

But we said, "We do not ask about the etymology of the word conscience, but about conscience."

And they answered, "What is conscience but pain arising from anxiety about the loss of honor or wealth, and the loss of reputation on this account? But this pain is dispelled by feasts and cups of generous wine, as also by conversation about the sports of Venus and her boy."

[3] To this we replied, "You are jesting; tell us, if you please, whether any of you have felt any anxiety arising from any other source."

They answered, "What other source? Is not the whole world like a stage on which every man acts his part, as the player does on his stage? We cajole and circumvent people, each by his own lust, some by jests, some by flattery, some by cunning, some by pretended friendship, some by feigned sincerity, and some by various political arts and allurements. From this we feel no mental pain, but on the contrary, cheerfulness and gladness, which we quietly but fully exhale from an expanded breast. We have heard indeed from some of our class, that an anxiety and a sense of constriction, as it were, of the heart and breast has sometimes come over them causing a sort of contraction of the mind; but when they asked the apothecaries about it, they were informed that their trouble came from a hypochondriacal humor arising from undigested substances in the stomach, or from a disordered state of the spleen; and we have heard that some of these were restored to their former cheerfulness by medicines."

[4] After hearing this, we turned to the assembly composed of scholars, among whom there were also some skilful naturalists, and addressing them, we said, "You who have studied the sciences, and therefore are supposed to be oracles of wisdom: tell us, if you please, what conscience is."

They answered, "What kind of a question for consideration is that? We have heard, indeed, that with some there is a sadness, gloom, and anxiety, which infest not only the gastric regions of the body, but also the abodes of the mind; for we believe that the two brains are those abodes, and because they consist of containing fibers, that there is some acrid humor, which irritates, gnaws, and corrodes the fibers, and thus compresses the sphere of the mind's thoughts, so that it cannot flow forth into any of the enjoyments arising from variety. This causes a man to fix his attention upon one thing only, and this destroys the tension and elasticity of these fibers, so that they become numb and rigid. All this gives rise to an irregular motion of the animal spirits, which by physicians is called ataxy, and also a defective performance of their functions, which is called lipothymia. In a word, the mind is then situated as if it were beset by hostile forces, nor can it turn itself in any direction any more than a wheel fastened with nails, or a ship stuck fast in quicksands. Such oppression of mind and consequently of the chest, afflicts those whose ruling love suffers loss; for if this love is assaulted, the fibers of the brain contract, and this contraction prevents the mind from going out freely and partaking of the various forms of enjoyment. Hallucinations of various kinds, madness, and delirium, attack such persons during these crises, each according to his temperament, and some are affected with a brain sickness in religious matters, which they call remorse of conscience."

[5] After this we turned to the third assembly, which was composed of physicians, among whom were also some surgeons and apothecaries. And we said to them, "Perhaps you know what conscience is. Is it a grievous pain that seizes both the head and the parenchyma of the heart, and from these the subjacent regions, the epigastric and hypogastric? Or is it something else?"

They replied, "Conscience is nothing but such a pain; we understand its origin better than others; for there are related diseases that affect the organic parts of the body and of the head, and consequently the mind, since this has its seat in the organs of the brain like a spider in the midst of the threads of its web, by means of which it runs out and about in a like manner. These diseases we call organic, and such of them as return at intervals we call chronic. But the pain which has been described to us by the sick as a pain of conscience, is nothing but hypochondria, which primarily affects the spleen, and secondarily the pancreas and mesentery, depriving them of their normal functions; hence arise stomachic diseases, from which comes deterioration of juices; for there takes place a compression about the orifice of the stomach, which is called cardialgia; from these diseases arise humors impregnated with black, yellow, or green bile, by which the smallest blood-vessels, which are called the capillaries, are obstructed; and this is the cause of cachexy, atrophy, and symphysia, also bastard pneumonia arising from sluggish pituitous matter, and ichorous and corroding lymph throughout the entire mass of the blood. Like consequences arise when pus makes its way into the blood and its serum from the breaking of pustules, boils, and swellings in the body. This blood, as it ascends through the carotids to the head, frets, corrodes and eats into the medullary and cortical substances, and the meninges of the brain, and thus excites the pains that are called pains of conscience."

[6] Hearing this we said to them, "You talk the language of Hippocrates and Galen; these things are Greek to us; we do not understand them. We did not ask you about these diseases, but about conscience, which pertains only to the mind."

They said, "The diseases of the mind and those of the head are the same, and the latter ascend from the body; for there is a connection like the two stories of one house, between which is a stairway by which one can ascend or descend. We know therefore that the state of the mind depends inseparably on the state of the body; but we have cured these heavinesses of the head or headaches (which we take it are what you mean by troubles of conscience), some by plasters and blisters, some by infusions and emulsions, and some by stimulants and anodynes."

[7] When therefore we had heard more of this kind, we turned away from them and toward the clergy, saying, "You know what conscience is; tell us therefore and instruct those present." They replied, "What conscience is we know and we do not know. We have believed it to be the contrition that precedes election, that is, the moment when man is gifted with faith, through which he obtains a new heart and a new spirit, and is regenerated. But we have perceived that this contrition happens to but few; only with some is there a fear and consequent anxiety about hell-fire, while scarcely anyone is troubled about his sins and the consequent just anger of God. But we confessors have cured such by the gospel that Christ took away damnation by the passion of the cross and thus extinguished hell-fire and opened heaven to those who are blessed with the faith on which is inscribed the imputation of the merit of the Son of God. Moreover, there are conscientious persons of different religions, both true and fanatical, who make to themselves scruples about matters of salvation, both in things essential and in things formal, and even in what is indifferent. Therefore, as we have said before, we know that there is such a thing as conscience, but what and of what nature true conscience is, which must by all means be spiritual, we know not."

True Christian Religion #665 (Dick, 1950)

665. After this a voice was heard out of heaven from the angels immediately above as, saying, "Come up hither, and we will ask one of you, who as to his body is still in the natural world, what men know there about conscience." So we ascended, and when we had entered some wise men came to meet us, and asked me, "What do they know in your world about conscience?" I replied: "If you please, we will go down and call together a number of laity and clergymen from those who are reputed wise; and we will stand directly under you and question them; and so with your own ears you will hear their answers. This was done; and one of the elect took a trumpet and sounded it towards the south, the north, the east and the west; and then, after about an hour's time, so many were present that they occupied a space almost a furlong square. Thereupon the angels above us arranged them into four companies, one of which consisted of politicians, another of scholars, a third of physicians and a fourth of clergymen. When they were thus arranged we said to them, "Pardon us for calling you together. We have done so because the angels directly above us ardently desire to know what you thought about conscience when you were in the world, and thus what you still think, since you still retain your former ideas on such matters; for it has been reported to the angels that the knowledge of conscience is part of the knowledge that has been lost to the world."

[2] Then we began our inquiry; and first turning to the company of politicians, we asked them if they would please tell us from the heart what they had thought, and thus what they still thought about conscience. To this they replied one after the other, and their answers amounted to this, that conscience consisted in knowing within oneself, thus in being conscious of, what one intended, thought, did and said. But we said to them, "We did not inquire about the etymological meaning of the word conscience, but about conscience itself." They replied: "Conscience is but anxiety arising from an apprehensive fear of the loss of honor and wealth, and also of reputation as a result of their loss. However, that anxiety is dispelled by feasts, and cups of generous wine, and by conversation on the sports of Venus and her boy Cupid."

[3] To this we said, "You are jesting; tell us, if you please, whether any of you ever felt anxiety from any other cause?" They replied: "From what other cause? All the world is like a stage upon which every one plays his part, as actors do upon theirs. We trick and overreach others by taking advantage of their particular lust, deceiving some by jests, some by flattery, some by cunning, some by pretended friendship, some by feigned sincerity and some by various political arts and allurements. The consequence is that we have no anxiety of mind, but on the contrary, cheerfulness and gladness, which we silently yet generously shed around with open heart. We have heard indeed from some of our companions that they have experienced at times a certain anxiety and straitness as it were of heart and chest, and thus something like a constriction of the mind. When, however, they consulted apothecaries about these things, they were informed that they were caused by a melancholy humor arising from undigested food in the stomach, or from a disordered state of the spleen. With regard to some of these, we have heard that they have been restored to their former cheerfulness by drugs."

[4] Having heard this we turned to the company of scholars, among whom were several skilled in natural philosophy. Addressing them we said: "You who have studied the sciences, and are consequently supposed to be oracles of wisdom, tell us, if you please, what conscience is." They replied: "You ask us what our opinion on this matter is. Well, we have heard indeed that some persons are subject to sadness, sorrow and anxiety which affect not only the gastric regions of the body but also the abodes of the mind. We believe that the two brains are its abodes; and as these consist of connected fibres, there is some acrid humor which irritates, gnaws and eats away those fibres, and in this way so compresses the sphere of the thoughts of the mind that it cannot enjoy the pleasures that arise from various sources. Hence the man gives his attention to one thing only; and this destroys the resilience and elasticity of those fibres, causing a certain resistance and rigidity in them. This results in an irregular motion of the animal spirits called ataxy, and also in that functional defect called leipothymia. In a word, the mind then settles down as if hemmed in by hostile troops and has no more power to turn this way or that than a wheel locked with nails, or than a ship wrecked on quicksands. Such constriction of the mind, and consequently of the chest, arises where the ruling love is thwarted. For then, the fibres of the brain contract, so that the mind cannot roam at will and indulge in the various forms of pleasure. In such a crisis some men are exposed, each according to his own temperament, to different forms of delusion, insanity and madness, while others are subject to brain sickness in religious matters, which they call remorse of conscience."

[5] After this we turned to the third company which consisted of physicians, among whom were some surgeons and apothecaries; and we said, "You perhaps know what conscience is. Is it a troublesome pain which affects the head and the tissue of the heart, extending to the subjacent epigastric and hypogastric regions, or is it something else?" "Conscience," they replied, "is nothing but such a pain. We know its origin better than others. There are polluting diseases which affect the organic parts of the body and also those of the head, and consequently the mind also; for the mind has its seat in the organism of the brain, like a spider in the centre of the threads of its web, along which it hurries out and back as the mind roams to and fro. These diseases we call organic, and those that return at intervals chronic; but the pain which sick people describe to us as a pain of conscience is only a combination of melancholia and dyspepsia. This primarily affects the spleen, and secondarily the pancreas and the mesentery, depriving them of their proper functions; hence come diseases of the stomach, and from these a diseased state of the blood. For a compression takes place about the orifice of the stomach, called heartburn (cardialgia). From these diseases arise humors impregnated with black, yellow or green bile, causing an obstruction of the tiny capillary blood vessels, giving rise to cachexy, atrophy, symphysis, with a pseudo peri-pneumonia occasioned by the presence of a sluggish phlegm and a serous corroding lymph throughout the whole mass of the blood. Similar results follow when pus finds its way into the blood and its serum, owing to the bursting of empyemas, abscesses and pustules in the body. This blood, ascending by the carotids into the head, wears away, corrodes and consumes the medullary, cortical and meningeal substances of the brain, and thus excites the pains which are called pains of conscience."

[6] On hearing this we said to them, "You speak the language of Hippocrates ¹ and Galen; ² these things are Greek to us, and unintelligible. We did not ask about these diseases, but about conscience, which pertains to the mind alone." But they replied: "The diseases of the mind and those of the head are the same, and those of the head ascend from the body; for the head and the body are joined together like two stories of one house, between which there is a stairway for ascending and descending. We are well assured, therefore, that the state of the mind depends inseparably on the state of the body; and those very complaints, or pains in the head, which we understood you to mean by conscience, we have cured, some by plasters and blisters, some by infusions and emulsions, and some by herbs and anodynes."

[7] Finding that they continued still in the same strain, we turned from them to the clergy, and said: "You know what conscience is; tell us, therefore, and instruct those who are present." "What conscience is" they answered, "we know and yet we do not know. We used to believe that it was the contrition which precedes election, that is, the moment when a man is gifted with faith, by which a new heart and a new spirit are formed for him, and he is regenerated. We found, however, that such contrition is felt by few; some, indeed, are affected only with dread and consequent anxiety about hell-fire; but scarcely any one on account of his sins, and consequently the just anger of God. We confessors, however, have healed them by the Good Tidings that Christ, by the passion of the cross, took away condemnation, and so extinguished hell-fire, and opened heaven to those who are blessed with the faith on which is inscribed the imputation of the merit of the Son of God. There are, besides, certain conscientious persons of different religions, both true and fanatical, who create for themselves scruples in matters of salvation, not only in essentials but also in what is formal, and even in matters of indifference. Therefore, as we said before, we know that there is such a thing as conscience; but what it is, and what is the nature of true conscience which must be altogether spiritual, we do not know."

Footnotes:

Vera Christiana Religio #665 (original Latin,1770)

665. Post haec audita est vox e Coelo ex Angelis qui immediate supra nos erant, dicens, ascendite huc, ac interrogabimus unum ex vobis, qui adhuc in Mundo naturali est quoad corpus, quid ibi sciunt de CONSCIENTIA; et ascendimus, et post introitum, aliqui sapientes in occursum venerunt, et quaesiverunt me, quid sciunt in tuo Mundo, de Conscientia, et respondi, si placet descendamus et convocabimus et e Laicis et e Clericis numerum ex illis, qui creduntur sapientes, et stabimus in perpendiculo sub vobis, ac interrogabimus, et vos ita vestris auribus audituri estis quid responsuri sunt; et factum est ita, et unus ex Electis sumsit tubam, et sonuit illa ad Meridiem, Septentrionem, Orientem et Occidentem, et tunc post horulae tempus aderant tam multi, ut paene implerent spatium stadii; at Angeli desuper omnes ordinabant in quatuor Caetus, ex quibus unus constabat ex Politicis, alter ex Eruditis, Tertius ex Medicis, et Quartus ex Clericis; ad quos ita ordinatos diximus, ignoscite quod convocati sitis; causa est, quia Angeli qui e diametro supra nos sunt, ardent scire, quid in Mundo, in quo prius fuistis, cogitavistis de Conscientia, et inde quid adhuc de illa cogitatis, quoniam ideas priores de talibus adhuc retinetis; relatum enim est Angelis, quod Cognitio de Conscientia in Mundo inter cognitiones deperditas sit.

[2] Post haec, exorsi sumus, et primum convertimus nos ad Caetum, qui constabat ex Politicis, et rogavimus ¹ ut ex corde dicerent, si placet, quid cogitaverant, et quid inde adhuc cogitant, de CONSCIENTIA; ad haec responderunt, unus post alterum, quorum responsa in unum collecta erant, quod non sciant aliud quam quod Conscientia sit secum scire ita conscire quid intendit, cogitavit, egit, et loquutus est; sed diximus illis, non quaesivimus de etymologia vocis Conscientiae, sed de Conscientia, et respondebatur, quid Conscientia aliud quam dolor ex praeconcepto timore discriminum honoris aut opum, et quoque famae propter illa duo, at ille dolor discutitur per epulas et per cyathos nobilis vini, et per sermocinationes de ludis Veneris et ejus pueri;

[3] ad haec diximus, joculamini; dicite si lubet, num aliquis e vobis sentiverit aliquod anxium aliunde; respondebant, quid aliunde; estne totus Mundus sicut Theatrum, super quo quisque agit suam scenam, quemadmodum comoedi super suo; eludimus et circumvenimus quoscunque ex sua concupiscentia, hos ludibriis, hos assentationibus, hos astutiis, hos simulata amicitia, hos ficta sinceritate, et hos alia politica arte et pellacia, inde nobis nullus dolor mentis est, sed e contra, hilaritas et laetitia, quas expanso pectore tacite et usque plene exspiramus; audivimus quidem ex aliquibus e nostro sodalitio, ² quod illos alternis supervenerit anxietas et angustia sicut cordis et pectoris, et inde sicut contractio mentis, sed de his dum quaesiverunt pharmacopolas, instructi sunt, quod sint ex humore melancholico oriundo ex indigestis in Ventriculo, aut ex aegro statu lienis, sed de quibusdam ex his audivimus hilaritatibus suis prioribus per pharmaca restitutos.

[4] Postquam haec audivimus, convertimus nos ad Caetum, qui constabat ex Eruditis, inter quos etiam erant plures physicae artis gnari, et alloquuti illos diximus, vos qui Scientiis studuistis, et inde crediti estis sapientiae Oracula, dicite, si placet, quid Conscientia, et responderunt, quae qualis haec propositio; audivimus quidem, quod apud quosdam sit tristitia, maeror et anxietas, infestans non modo gastricas regiones corporis, sed etiam habitacula mentis, nos enim credimus quod duo Cerebra sint illa habitacula, et quia haec ex continentibus fibris consistunt, ³ quod sit aliquis humor acris, qui fibras ibi vellicat, mordet et rodit, et sic sphaeram cogitationum mentis ita comprimit, ut non possit in aliqua oblectamenta ex varietatibus effundi, inde fit, quod homo solum uni rei intendat, ex qua perit fibrarum illarum tensibilitas et elasticitas, unde illarum obnixitas et rigiditas, ex quibus oboritur motus irregularis spirituum animalium, qui a Medicis vocatur Ataxia, et quoque defectus in functionibus suis qui vocatur Lipothamia; ⁴ verbo Mens tunc sedet sicut turmis infestis obsessa, nec se plus potest huc illuc vertere, quam potest rota clavis affixa, et quam potest navis haerens super Syrtibus: Tales Mentis et inde Pectoris angustiae oboriuntur illis, apud quos regnans Amor patitur jacturam, qui si impugnatur, contrahunt se fibrae Cerebri, et contractio illa inhibet, ne Mens libere excurrat, ac delitias captet in variis formis; hos, quemque secundum suum temperamentum, cum in hac crisi sunt, invadunt diversi generis phantasiae, dementiae et deliria, et quosdam cerebrositates in religiosis, quas hi vocant Conscientiae morsus.

[5] Post haec convertimus nos ad Tertium Caetum, qui constabat ex Medicis, inter quos etiam erant Chirurgi et Pharmacopolae, et diximus, vos fortassis scitis quid Conscientia, num est infestus dolor qui corripit et Caput et parenchyma Cordis, et inde Regiones substratas, Epigastricam et Hypogastricam; aut aliquid aliud; et hi responderunt, Conscientia non est nisi talis dolor; nos prae aliis scimus ejus origines, sunt enim contingentes Morbi, qui infestant organica corporis et quoque organica Capitis, consequenter etiam Mentem, quoniam haec in organis Cerebri sedet sicut aranea in centro filorum suae telae, per quae excurrit et currit similiter; hos morbos vocamus Morbos organicos, et qui illorum per vices redeunt, Morbos Chronicos; at talis dolor, qualis ab aegrotis coram nobis describitur per dolorem Conscientiae, non aliud est quam Morbus hypocondriacus, ⁵ qui primario Lienem, et secundario Pancreatem et Mesenterium germanis suis functionibus deprivat, inde derivantur Morbi Stomachales, ex quibus Cachochymiae; ⁶ fit enim compressio circa orificium stomachi, quae Cardialgia nuncupatur; ex his derivantur humores bile atra, flava aut viridi impraegnati, ex quibus vascula minima sanguinis, quae vocantur capillaria, obstipantur, unde cachexia, atrophia, et symphesis, ⁷ et quoque Peripneumonia notha ex pituita lenta, ac lympha ichorosa et rodente in tota massa sanguinis: Similia etiam profluunt ex elapsu puris in sanguinem et ejus serum ex solutis empyematibus, abscessibus et apostematibus in corpore, qui sanguis cum per carotides in caput assurgit, medullaria, corticalia et meningea Cerebri terit, rodit et mordet, et sic excitat dolores, qui vocantur Conscientiae:

[6] his auditis diximus ad illos, loquimini lingua Hippocratica et Galeniana; illa nobis sunt graeca, non intelligimus; nos non quaesivimus de his Morbis, sed de Conscientia quae est solius Mentis; et dixerunt, Morbi mentis et morbi capitis sunt iidem, et hi ascendunt ex corpore, cohaerent enim sicut duae mansiones unius domus, inter quas est scala, per quam fit ascensus et descensus; quare novimus, quod status mentis indivulse pendeat a statu corporis; sed nos gravedines seu Cephalalgias illas, quas captavimus ⁸ vos intelligere per conscientias, sanavimus, quasdam per emplastra et vesicatoria, quasdam per infusa et emulsa, et quasdam per condimenta, et per anodyna.

[7] Cum ergo similia adhuc audivimus ab illis, avertimus nos, et convertimus ad Clericos, et diximus, vos scitis quid Conscientia; dicite ergo, et instruite praesentes; et responderunt, quid Conscientia, novimus et non novimus; credidimus quod sit CONTRITIO, quae praecedit Electionem; hoc est, momentum quo homo donatur fide, per quam ei novum cor et novus spiritus fit, ac regeneratur; sed appercepimus, quod Contritio ⁹ illa paucis obvenerit, solum quibusdam pavor et inde anxietas pro igne infernali, et vix alicui pro peccatis et inde justa ira Dei; sed illos nos confessionarii ¹⁰ sanavimus per Evangelium quod Christus per Passionem crucis sustulerit damnationem, et sic ignem infernalem exstinxerit, et aperuerit Coelum illis, qui fide, cui imputatio meriti Filii Dei inscripta est, beantur. Praeterea dantur Conscientiosi ex varia Religione, tam vera quam fanatica, qui sibi scrupulos faciunt in rebus salutis, non modo essentialibus, sed etiam formalibus, et quoque in adiaphoris; quare, ut supra diximus, novimus quod sit Conscientia, sed quid et qualis vera, quae omnino spiritualis erit, non novimus.

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