Richard L. Evans
Music and the Spoken Word
28 February 1960
“A Still and Quiet Conscience”
In recent weeks, we have commented on some essential qualities of character, including faith, integrity, and courage — and today would turn for a moment or two to the question of a quiet conscience, which is, in a sense, simply self-respect, the real respect that comes with being free from the inward accusation that surely follows offenses.
J. A. Petit-Senn, more than a century ago, said, “A good conscience never costs as much as it is worth.” Shakespeare said it in this sentence: “I feel within me a peace above all earthly dignities, A still and quiet conscience.” And Austin Phelps added: “A disciplined conscience is a man’s best friend. It may not be his most amiable, but it is his most faithful monitor.” And from Joseph Addison comes this comment, “A good conscience is to the soul what health is to the body; it preserves constant ease and serenity within us.” And from Sir Walter Raleigh, “the justice of God doth require none other accuser than our own consciences.”
To these we would add two short citations from the Epistles of Paul: “Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly.” And “finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, … think on these things.”
All this to some may sound like a citation of platitudes and of old-fashioned axioms, but such factors are indispensable to all satisfactory personal and professional and public relationships in life — and to the whole working of the world. (And parenthetically, whatever pertains to the people personally. ) Without the basic virtues no one can continue confidently to do business with anyone, nor can anyone find peace or abiding satisfaction inside himself. And what sometimes seems impractical or idealistic, proves, in fact, to be the only practical or workable relationship between men and between the organizations they create to front for them.
Despite all the cynical may say, there is always the irrevocable accounting a man keeps inside himself—and honesty and fairness and freedom from offense are essential to a quiet conscience and to sincere self-respect.
I can hear Brother Evan’s voice when I read these, and I miss his voice. These just feel meatier than the current offerings. Maybe it’s just because they’re the words from my youth. Do you know if he wrote them himself?
Yes, he wrote them himself. Someone else may have occasionally suggested a theme or helped hunt up quotations, but I have numerous letters where he mentions thinking about or having just worked on such-and-such a “sermonette” (his name for them). They really are solid, aren’t they?
Is there a place to find his sermons?
Jeff, these were published in at least five books with various titles. At least one of them is online here; you might find others by Googling.
Many years, they were also published in the Improvement Era. You can track down a lot of them online by Googling this search string:
“spoken word” “richard l. evans” site:archive.org
Happy hunting! (If you find some that you especially like and think would be enjoyed here, please drop me a note at AEParshall [at] aol [dot] com and I’ll share them.