The Loss of Conscience.
By Rev. W. S. Danley
THERE is a passage of scripture in 1 Tim. 1:19, which merits more attention than it has generally received. The thought of the apostle is that the thrusting away of a good conscience entails the shipwreck of the faith. The word “faith” has two uses,—first, confidence in God; second, the gospel doctrine in which we believe. The gospel is called the faith, because it is that on which our faith leans. The expression, “the faith,” is employed in this sense in the passage referred to. A man first loses faith in the gospel, and then loses the gospel—faith and “the faith” go down together. . . . There remains this, however, that when a man destroys the gospel it is destroyed only for himself; it continues a living power for others. The destructive critic makes a wild mistake by supposing that because he has put the truth beyond his own reach he has thereby utterly destroyed it. Conscience plays a prominent part in the destruction of faith in the soul. By putting away a good conscience, Paul tells us many have made shipwreck of the faith. A good conscience may be thrust away, and when the admonitions of this faithful monitor are persistently resisted, it ceases to utter its warning voice. Conscience is a voice that may be stifled, an alarm-bell which may be muffled, a mirror whose clear face may be sullied till it refuses to reflect the image of the persevering transgressor. Conscience is thrust away by the constant doing of deeds which conscience condemns. When the sinner loses his conscience, he loses a faithful monitor and a true friend; and that is enough to lose. But he loses more; he loses faith in the gospel, he makes shipwreck of the faith; and from him it sinks to the bottom of the sea. How does it happen? An evil life, a life disapproved by conscience, blinds the sinner so that he is unable to see the truth in its beauty; it has no beauty for him, and has lost its power over his life. He thinks it has no force, and believes he was childish when he owned the influence of gospel truth on his life. He thinks he is wiser now. It is common to say of bad men that they only pretend they do not believe the gospel, and thus make an open way to shun what they hate and are glad to get rid of. It is to be feared the truth lies deeper; that they in fact cannot see in the gospel plan of salvation the beauty others clearly see there, because they have blinded their faith, the soul's eye, by an ungodly life. The gospel has lost attraction for them, and that is unbelief in earnest; there is no need of making a show of skepticism. Their unbelief is but too real, too much of a stubborn fact in their experience. Many are in this sad state who would promptly repel the charge that they are skeptics. They have put their hands on their ears to shut out the sound of the truth till the gospel has ceased to sound in their ears. . . . He who daily declines to do what he knows is right, is fast making it probable the day may come when he shall not know what is right. The man who doeth Christ's will shall know of the doctrine. Obedience is the key to the inner chambers of gospel wisdom. Disobedience dulls the conscience, blinds the eyes, and thrusts the truth into the deep sea. The most discouraging fact concerning persons who thus destroy the influence of the truth upon them by unconscious living is, that they believe themselves all right, and think the defect is entirely with the truth itself, in which they perceive no remarkable beauty or power.—Rev. W. S. Danley.