Tract IV. On Conscience

Cf. St. Thomas, S. theol. 1, 2, q. 19; Quaest. disput. de verit. q. 17; St. Alphonsus, Theol. mor. l. 1, tract. 1. The Holy Doctor rightly notes beforehand that this tract was worked out by him with special study; Brocardus a S. Nicolao, Order of Carmel, De conscientia (Migne, Curs. theol. XI 65 sqq.); Billuart, De conscientia; Reg. Beaudouin, O. Pr., Tractatus de conscientia, Tournai 1911; H. Simar, Das Gewissen und die Gewissensfreiheit, 10 lectures, ed. 2, Freiburg 1902; Noldin, Sum. theol. mor. de principiis l. 4; Bouquillon, Theol. fund. n. 253-317.

After it has been said concerning laws, which are the external rule of morality, it is now necessary to treat the internal rule according to which all human acts ought to be directed, namely conscience, which is the application of laws to particular cases. The old scholastics of the thirteenth century treated this matter very briefly. But after disputes concerning Probabilism arose, the tract on conscience was amplified by no small amount. We shall proceed in the following order: 1. concerning the notion and division of conscience; 2. concerning true and erroneous conscience; 3. concerning lax conscience; 4. concerning perplexed and scrupulous conscience; 5. concerning certain and doubtful conscience; 6. concerning the various moral systems; 7. concerning the education of conscience.