The "Summa Theologica" Of St. Thomas Aquinas #271115

Further, As human judgment is to external evidence, so is the Divine judgment to the witness of the conscience, accord ing to I Kings xvi. 7, Man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord beholdeth the heart. Now man cannot pass a perfect judgment on a matter unless evidence be taken on all the points that need to be judged. Therefore, since the Divine judgment is most perfect, it is necessary for the conscience to witness to everything that has to be judged. But all works, both good and evil, Will have to be judged (2 Cor. V. We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil. Therefore each one's conscience must needs retain all the works he has done, Whether good or evil. I answer that, According to Rom. Ii. 15, 16, In the day when God shall judge each one's conscience will bear witness to him, and his thoughts will accuse and defend him. And since in every judicial hearing, the witness, the accuser, and the defendant need to be acquainted with the matter on which judgment has to be pronounced, and since at the general judgment all the works of men will be submitted to judgment, it will behove every man to be cognizant then of all his works. Wherefore each man's conscience will be as a book containing his deeds on which judgment will be pronounced, even as in the human court of law we make use of records. Of these books it is written in the Apocalypse (xx. The books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books (vulg., book) according to their works. According to Augustine's exposition (de Civ. Dei, xx.) the books which are here said to be opened denote the saints of the New and Old Testaments in whom God's commandments are exemplified. Hence Richard of S. Victor (de judic. Potest.) says: Their hearts will be like the code of law. But the book of life, of which the text goes on to speak, signifies each one's conscience, which is said to be one single book, because the one Divine power will cause all to recall their deeds, and this energy.