Conscience and the 'Parochial and Plain Sermons' of John Henry Newman

A theme rightly associated with the personality of John Henry Newman is that of conscience. To the general reader, Newman's life story comes across as a witness of someone who followed the light of his conscience wherever it lead him. Yet, for those who decide to enter into a more familiar knowledge of the man, it will soon become clear that the meaning of conscience in his life goes much deeper than was originally thought. The main aim of this book is to discover what Newman understands by the term conscience in a particular period of his life, that which stretches from 1816 to 1843, his Anglican period. Within this particular period we find two sources that are intimately linked with one another. They are his sermons, the Parochial and Plain Sermons, and the varied biographical events as they come across to us through his Letters and Diaries. This book aims to find in these two sources the answers to the question: How is Newman's own understanding of conscience within the Parochial and Plain Sermons related to his personal life story? This question is dealt with from the standpoint of the biographical events and that of the written word. For this reason this volume is divided into two parts: The first examines the whole domain of the events, aiming to highlight the importance they hold for the theme of conscience. The second is directly concerned with Newman's writing on conscience within the Parochial and Plain Sermons. Contents: The discovery of Conscience 1816-1825; Advocacy of Conscience 1825-1832; Advocacy of Conscience 1833-1843; The reason behind the sermon; Analysis of the term Conscience; Conclusion.