Earlier text: HOW TO SPEND HOLIDAYSPERILS OF WORLDLY-WISE TEACHERS
All the treasures of heaven were committed to Jesus Christ, that He might impart these precious gifts to the diligent, persevering seeker. He “is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Cor. 1:30. But even the prayers of many are so formal that they carry with them no influence for good. They are not a savor of life. If teachers would humble their hearts before God, and realize the responsibilities they have accepted372 in taking charge of the youth with the object of educating them for the future immortal life, a marked change would soon be seen in their attitude. Their prayers would not be dry and lifeless, but they would pray with the earnestness of souls who feel their peril. They would learn daily of Jesus, taking the word of God as their lesson-book, having a living sense that it is the voice of God, and the atmosphere surrounding their souls would change materially. The temptation to be first would be quenched in the lessons daily learned in the school of Christ. They would not lean so confidently to their own understanding. . . . The teachers in our schools are to-day in danger of following in the same track as did the Jews in Christ’s day. Whatever may be their position, however they may pride themselves upon their ability to teach, unless they open the chambers of the soul-temple to receive the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness, they are written in the books of heaven as unbelievers. By precept and example they intercept the rays of light that would come to the students. Their danger is in being self-centered, and too wise to be instructed. We are living in a world full of corruption, and if we do not receive the living Christ into our hearts, believing and doing His words, we shall be left as blind as were the Jews. All teachers need to grasp every ray of heavenly light shed upon their pathway; for as instructors they need light. Some say, “Yes, I think I am anxious for this;” but they deceive themselves. Where do you get your light? From what fountain have you been drinking? I373 have the word of the Lord that not a few of the teachers have left the snow waters of Lebanon for the turbid streams of the valley. God alone can guide us safely in paths which lead to the better country. But the teachers who are not earnestly and intelligently seeking that better country, are leading those under their influence to be careless, and to neglect the great salvation bought for them at an infinite price. A close connection with God must be maintained by all our teachers. If God should send His Holy Spirit into our schools to mould hearts, elevate the intellect, and give divine wisdom to the students, there are those who, in their present state, would interpose between God and those who need the light. They would not understand the work of the Holy Spirit; they have never understood it; in the past it has been to them as great a mystery as were Christ’s lessons to the Jews. The working of the Holy Spirit of God is not to create curiosity. It is not for men to decide whether they shall lay their hands upon the manifestations of the Spirit of God. We must let God work. When teachers are willing to sit in the school of Christ and learn of the great Teacher, they will know far less in their own estimation than they do now. When God becomes the teacher, He will be acknowledged, His name will be magnified. The students will be as were the young men in the schools of the prophets, upon whom the Spirit of God came, and they prophesied. The great adversary of souls is seeking to bring a dead, lifeless spiritual atmosphere into all our institutions.374 He works to turn and twist every circumstance to his own advantage, to the exclusion of Jesus Christ. To-day, as in the days of Christ, God cannot do many mighty works because of the unbelief of those who stand in responsible positions. The converting power of God is needed before they will understand the word of God, and be willing to humble themselves before Him as learners. FINISHING AT WORLDLY SCHOOLS
Prophecy tells us that we are near the close of time. Intellectual power, natural abilities, supposed excellent judgment, will not prepare the youth to become missionaries for God. No one who is seeking an education for the work and service of God, will be made more complete in Jesus Christ by receiving the supposed finishing touch at —— in either literary or medical lines. Many have been unfitted to do missionary work by attending such schools. They have dishonored God by leaving Him on one side, and accepting man as their helper. “Them that honor Me I will honor,” God declares, “and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1 Sam. 2:30. . . . God’s word should be received as the foundation and the finisher of our faith. It is to be received with the understanding and with the whole heart; it is life, and is to be incorporated into our very existence. Thus received, the word of God will humble man at the footstool of mercy, and separate him from every corrupting influence. “In the year that King Uzziah died,” says Isaiah, “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and375 lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.” Beholding this grand and glorious representation, the prophet discerned his own imperfections, and those of the people with whom he dwelt. “Woe is me!” he cried, “for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” Isa. 6:1-5. Oh, how many who are engaged in this work of responsibility need to behold God as did Isaiah; for in the presence of His glory and majesty self will sink into nothingness.—“Special Testimonies on Education,” pp. 165-170; written from Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 10, 1894, to the teachers in Battle Creek College. Only as the higher life is brought to view, as shown in the teachings of Christ, can any learning and instruction rightly be called higher education; and only by the aid of the Holy Spirit can this education be gained. Man’s study of the science of nature, unaided by the Holy Spirit, falls short of the precious things Christ desires him to learn from the things of the natural world; for he fails to be instructed376 in the great and important truths which concern his salvation. There are great possibilities in the human understanding when connected with the true Teacher, who in His presentation of the things of the natural world revealed truth in its practical bearings. God works all unseen upon the human heart; for without the divine power operating upon the understanding, the mind of man cannot grasp the sentiments of elevating, ennobling truth. It cannot read the book of nature, nor can it understand the simplicity of godliness found therein. When the human mind is freed from perverting influences, it can receive the lessons of Christ. But no man can understand the true science of education, only as God in His wisdom shall through the Holy Spirit sanctify his observation. If the students who attend our colleges would be firm and maintain integrity, if they would not associate with those who walk in the paths of sin, nor be charmed by their society, like Daniel they would enjoy the favor of God. If they would discard unprofitable amusements and indulgence of appetite, their minds would be clear for the pursuit of knowledge. They would thus gain a moral power that would enable them to remain unmoved when assailed by temptation. Those who are connected with our institutions in positions of responsibility, should take upon themselves the burden of caring for the souls of those placed under their charge. “The excellency of knowledge is that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.”
THE FALSE AND THE TRUE IN EDUCATION
The master-mind in the confederacy of evil is ever working to keep out of sight the words of God, and to bring into view the opinions of men. He means that we shall not hear the voice of God saying, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” Isa. 30:21. Through perverted educational processes he is doing his utmost to obscure heaven’s light. Philosophical speculation and scientific research in which God is not acknowledged are making skeptics of thousands. In the schools of to-day the conclusions that learned men have reached as the result of their scientific investigations, are carefully taught and fully explained; while the impression is distinctly given that if these learned men are correct, the Bible cannot be. Skepticism is attractive to the human mind. The youth see in it an independence that captivates the imagination, and they are deceived. Satan triumphs. He nourishes every seed of doubt that is sown in young hearts. He causes it to grow and bear fruit, and soon a plentiful harvest of infidelity is reaped. It is because the human heart is inclined to evil that it is so dangerous to sow the seeds of skepticism378 in young minds. Whatever weakens faith in God robs the soul of power to resist temptation. It removes the only real safeguard against sin. We are in need of schools where the youth shall be taught that greatness consists in honoring God by revealing His character in daily life. Through His word and His works we need to learn of God, that our lives may fulfil His purpose. In order to obtain an education, many think it essential to study the writings of infidel authors, because these works contain many bright gems of thought. But who was the originator of these gems of thought? — It was God, and God only. He is the source of all light. Why, then, should we wade through the mass of error contained in the works of infidels for the sake of a few intellectual truths, when all truth is at our command? How is it that men who are at war with the government of God come into possession of the wisdom which they sometimes display? Satan himself was educated in the heavenly courts, and he has a knowledge of good as well as of evil. He mingles the precious with the vile, and this is what gives him power to deceive. But because Satan has robed himself in garments of heavenly brightness, shall we receive him as an angel of light? The tempter has his agents, educated according to his methods, inspired by his spirit, and adapted to his work. Shall we co-operate with them? Shall we receive the works of his agents as essential to the acquirement of an education? If the time and effort spent in seeking to grasp the bright ideas of infidels were given to studying the precious things of the word of God, thousands who now sit in darkness and in the shadow of death would be rejoicing in the glory of the Light of life. HISTORICAL AND THEOLOGICAL LORE
As a preparation for Christian work, many think it essential to acquire an extensive knowledge of historical and theological writings. They suppose that this knowledge will be an aid to them in teaching the gospel. But their laborious study of the opinions of men tends to the enfeebling of their ministry, rather than to its strengthening. As I see libraries filled with ponderous volumes of historical and theological lore, I think, Why spend money for that which is not bread? The sixth chapter of John tells us more than can be found in such works. Christ says: “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever.” “He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.” “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6: 35, 51, 47, 63. There is a study of history that is not to be condemned. Sacred history was one of the studies in the schools of the prophets. In the record of His dealings with the nations were traced the footsteps of Jehovah. So to-day we are to consider the dealings of God with the nations of the earth. We are to see in history the fulfilment of prophecy, to study the380 workings of Providence in the great reformatory movements, and to understand the progress of events in the marshaling of the nations for the final conflict of the great controversy. Such study will give broad, comprehensive views of life. It will help us to understand something of its relations and dependencies, how wonderfully we are bound together in the great brotherhood of society and nations, and to how great an extent the oppression and degradation of one member means loss to all. But history, as commonly studied, is concerned with man’s achievements, his victories in battle, his success in attaining power and greatness. God’s agency in the affairs of men is lost sight of. Few study the working out of His purpose in the rise and fall of nations. And to a great degree theology, as studied and taught, is but a record of human speculation, serving only to darken “counsel by words without knowledge.” Job 38:2. Too often the motive in accumulating these many books is not so much a desire to obtain food for mind and soul, as it is an ambition to become acquainted with philosophers and theologians, a desire to present Christianity to the people in learned terms and propositions. Not all the books written can serve the purpose of a holy life. “Learn of Me,” said the great Teacher, “take My yoke upon you, learn My meekness and lowliness.” Your intellectual pride will not aid you in communicating with souls that are perishing for want of the bread of life. In your study of these books, you are allowing them to take the place of381 the practical lessons you should be learning from Christ. With the results of this study the people are not fed. Very little of the research which is so wearying to the mind furnishes that which will help one to be a successful laborer for souls. The Saviour came “to preach the gospel to the poor.” Luke 4:18. In His teaching He used the simplest terms and the plainest symbols. And it is said that “the common people heard Him gladly.” Mark 12:37. Those who are seeking to do His work for this time need a deeper insight into the lessons He has given. The words of the living God are the highest of all education. Those who minister to the people need to eat of the bread of life. This will give them spiritual strength; then they will be prepared to minister to all classes of people. In the colleges and universities, thousands of youth devote a large part of the best years of life to the study of Greek and Latin. And while they are engaged in these studies, mind and character are moulded by the evil sentiments of pagan literature, the reading of which is generally regarded as an essential part of the study of these languages. Those who are conversant with the classics declare that “the Greek tragedies are full of incest, murder, and human sacrifices to lustful and revengeful gods.” Far better would it be for the world were the education gained from such sources to be dispensed with. “Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?” Prov. 6:28. “Who can bring a clean382 thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job 14:4. Can we, then, expect the youth to develop Christian character while their education is moulded by the teaching of those who set at defiance the principles of the law of God? In casting off restraint, and plunging into reckless amusement, dissipation, and vice, students are but imitating that which is kept before their minds by these studies. There are callings in which a knowledge of Greek and Latin is needed. Some must study these languages. But the knowledge of them essential for practical uses might be gained without a study of literature that is corrupt and corrupting. And a knowledge of Greek and Latin is not needed by many. The study of dead languages should be made secondary to a study of those subjects that teach the right use of all the powers of body and mind. It is folly for students to devote their time to the acquirement of dead languages, or of book knowledge in any line, to the neglect of a training for life’s practical duties. What do students carry with them when they leave school? Where are they going? What are they to do? Have they the knowledge that will enable them to teach others? Have they been educated to be true fathers and mothers? Can they stand at the head of a family as wise instructors? The only education worthy of the name is that which leads young men and women to be Christlike, which fits them to bear life’s responsibilities, fits them to stand at the head of their families. Such an education is not to be acquired by a study of heathen classics. . . . There are works of fiction that were written for the purpose of teaching truth or exposing some great evil. Some of these works have accomplished good. Yet they have also wrought untold harm. They contain statements and highly wrought pen-pictures that excite the imagination and give rise to a train of thought which is full of danger, especially to the youth. The scenes described are lived over and over again in their thoughts. Such reading unfits the mind for usefulness, and disqualifies it for spiritual exercise. It destroys interest in the Bible. Heavenly things find little place in the thoughts. As the mind dwells upon the scenes of impurity portrayed, passion is aroused, and the end is sin. Even fiction which contains no suggestion of impurity, and which may be intended to teach excellent principles, is harmful. It encourages the habit of hasty and superficial reading, merely for the story. Thus it tends to destroy the power of connected and vigorous thought; it unfits the soul to contemplate the great problems of duty and destiny. By fostering love for mere amusement, the reading of fiction creates a distaste for life’s practical duties. Through its exciting, intoxicating power, it is not infrequently a cause of both mental and physical disease. Many a miserable, neglected home, many a lifelong invalid, many an inmate of the insane asylum, has become such through the habit of novel-reading. It is often urged that in order to win the youth from sensational or worthless literature, we should384 supply them with a better class of fiction. This is like trying to cure the drunkard by giving him, in the place of whisky or brandy, the milder intoxicants, such as wine, beer, or cider. The use of these would continually foster the appetite for stronger stimulants. The only safety for the inebriate, and the only safeguard for the temperate man, is total abstinence. For the lover of fiction the same rule holds true. Total abstinence is his only safety. In the education of children and youth, fairy tales, myths, and fictitious stories are now given a large place. Books of this character are used in the schools, and they are to be found in many homes. How can Christian parents permit their children to use books so filled with falsehood? When the children ask the meaning of stories so contrary to the teaching of their parents, the answer is that the stories are not true; but this does not do away with the evil results of their use. The ideas presented in these books mislead the children. They impart false views of life, and beget and foster a desire for the unreal. The wide-spread use of such books at this time is one of the cunning devices of Satan. He is seeking to divert the minds of old and young from the great work of character-building. He means that our children and youth shall be swept away by the soul-destroying deceptions with which he is filling the world. Therefore he seeks to divert their minds from the word of God, and thus prevent them from obtaining a knowledge of those truths that would be their safeguard. Never should books containing a perversion of truth be placed in the hands of children or youth. Let not our children, in the very process of obtaining an education, receive ideas that will prove to be seeds of sin. If those with mature minds had nothing to do with such books, they would themselves be far safer, and their example and influence on the right side would make it far less difficult to guard the youth from temptation. “Bow down thine ear,” and hear the words of the wise,
And apply thine heart unto My knowledge. . . .
That thy trust may be in the Lord,
I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.
“Have I not written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” Prov. 22:17-21.
“He established a testimony in Jacob,
And appointed a law in Israel,
Which He commanded our fathers,
That they should make them known to their children;”
“Showing to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength, and His wonderful works that He hath done.”
“That the generation to come might know them,
Even the children which should be born;
Who should arise and declare them to their children:
That they might set their hope in God.” Ps. 78:4-7.
“The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich,
And He addeth no sorrow with it.” Prov. 10:22.
So also Christ presented the principles of truth in the gospel. In His teaching we may drink of386 the pure streams that flow from the throne of God. Christ could have imparted to men knowledge that would have surpassed any previous disclosures, and put in the background every other discovery. He could have unlocked mystery after mystery, and could have concentrated around these wonderful revelations the active, earnest thought of successive generations till the close of time. But He would not spare a moment from teaching the science of salvation. His time, His faculties, and His life were appreciated and used only as a means for working out the salvation of the souls of men. He had come to seek and to save that which was lost, and He would not be turned from His purpose. He allowed nothing to divert Him. Christ imparted only that knowledge which could be utilized. His instruction of the people was confined to the needs of their own condition in practical life. The curiosity that led them to come to Him with prying questions, He did not gratify. All such questionings He made the occasion for solemn, earnest, vital appeals. To those who were so eager to pluck from the tree of knowledge, He offered the fruit of the tree of life. They found every avenue closed, except the way that leads to God. Every fountain was sealed, save the fountain of eternal life. Our Saviour did not encourage any to attend the rabbinical schools of His day, for the reason that their minds would be corrupted with the continually repeated, “They say,” or “It has been said.” Why, then, should we accept the unstable words of men as exalted wisdom, when a greater, a certain wisdom is at our command? That which I have seen of eternal things, and that which I have seen of the weakness of humanity, has deeply impressed my mind and influenced my life-work. I see nothing wherein man should be praised or glorified. I see no reason why the opinions of worldly-wise men and so-called great men should be trusted in and exalted. How can those who are destitute of divine enlightenment have correct ideas of God’s plans and ways? They either deny Him altogether and ignore His existence, or they circumscribe His power by their own finite conceptions. Let us choose to be taught by Him who created the heavens and the earth, by Him who set the stars in their order in the firmament, and appointed the sun and the moon to do their work. KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN BE UTILIZED
It is right for the youth to feel that they must reach the highest development of their mental powers. We would not restrict the education to which God has set no limit. But our attainments avail nothing if not put to use for the honor of God and the good of humanity. It is not well to crowd the mind with studies that require intense application, but that are not brought into use in practical life. Such education will be a loss to the student; for these studies lessen his desire and inclination for the studies that would fit him for usefulness and enable him to fulfil his responsibilities. A practical training is worth far more than any amount of mere theorizing. It is not enough even to have knowledge; we must have ability to use the knowledge aright. The time, means, and study that so many expend for a comparatively useless education, should be devoted to gaining an education that would make them practical men and women, fitted to bear life’s responsibilities. Such an education would be of the highest value. What we need is knowledge that will strengthen mind and soul, that will make us better men and women. Heart education is of far more importance than mere book learning. It is well, even essential, to have a knowledge of the world in which we live; but if we leave eternity out of our reckoning, we shall make a failure from which we can never recover. . . . If the youth understood their own weakness, they would find in God their strength. If they seek to be taught by Him, they will become wise in His wisdom, and their lives will be fruitful in blessing to the world. But if they give up their minds to mere worldly and speculative study, and thus separate from God, they will lose all that enriches life.— “Ministry of Healing,” pp. 439-450. To gain the higher education means to become a partaker of the divine nature. It means to copy the life and character of Christ, so that we shall stand on vantage-ground as we fight the battles of life. It means to gain daily victories over sin. As we seek for this education, angels of God are our companions; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up a standard for us against him. THE KNOWLEDGE THAT ENDURES
I am given words of caution for the teachers in our schools. The work of our schools should bear a different stamp from that borne by some of the most popular of our institutions of learning. Many of the text-books used in these schools are unnecessary for the work of preparing students for the school above. As a result, the youth are not receiving the most perfect Christian education. Those points of study are neglected that are most needed to fit them for missionary work in home and foreign fields, and to prepare them to stand in the last great examination. The education needed is that which will qualify students for practical service, by teaching them to bring every faculty under the control of the Spirit of God. The study book of the highest value is that which contains the instruction of Christ, the Teacher of teachers. The Lord requires our teachers to put away from our schools those books teaching sentiments which are not in accordance with His word, and to give place to those books that are of the highest value. He will be honored when they show to the world that a wisdom more than human is theirs, because the Master-teacher is standing as their instructor. There is need of separating from our educational work an erroneous, polluted literature, so that ideas which are the seeds of sin will not be received and cherished as the truth. Let not any suppose that a study of books which will lead to the reception of false ideas, is valuable education. Those ideas which,390 gaining entrance to the mind, separate the youth from the Source of all wisdom, all efficiency, all power, leave them the sport of Satan’s temptations. A pure education for the youth in our schools, unmixed with heathen philosophy, is a positive necessity. We need to guard continually against those books which contain sophistry in regard to geology and other branches of science. Before the theories of men of science are presented to immature students, they need to be carefully sifted from every trace of infidel suggestions. One tiny seed of infidelity sown by a teacher in the heart of a student may spring up and bring forth a harvest of unbelief. The sophistries regarding God and nature that are flooding the world with skepticism, are the inspiration of the fallen foe. Satan is a Bible student. He knows the truths that are essential for salvation, and it is his study to divert minds from these truths. Let our teachers beware lest they echo the falsehoods of the enemy of God and man. It is a mistake to put into the hands of the youth books that perplex and confuse them. The reason sometimes given for this study is that the teacher has passed over this ground, and the student must follow. But if teachers were receiving light and wisdom from the divine Teacher, they would look at this matter in a very different way. They would measure the relative importance of the things to be learned in school. The common, essential branches of education would be more thoroughly taught, and the word of God would be esteemed as the bread sent down from heaven, which sustains all spiritual life. We are slow to realize how much we need to understand the teachings of Christ and His methods of labor. If these were better understood, much of the instruction given in our schools would be counted as of no value. It would be seen that much that is now taught does not develop the simplicity of true godliness in the life of the student. Finite wisdom would receive less esteem, and the word of God would have a more honored place. If the teachers in our schools would search the Scriptures for the purpose of securing a better understanding for themselves, opening their hearts to the light given in the word, they would be taught of God. They would love and practise the truth, and would labor to bring in less of the theories and sentiments of men who have never had a connection with God, and more of the knowledge that endures. They would feel a deep soul-hunger for the wisdom that comes from above. Often students spend many years in study that is conducted on wrong lines and to useless ends. The mind is trained to think in a wrong channel, taught to grasp those things that are not only utterly worthless, but an injury to the physical and mental health. The student obtains a slender store of information upon many subjects that are of little value to him, a limited knowledge along many lines that he will never use, when he might obtain knowledge that would be of the highest service in practical life, and which would be a storehouse of wisdom from which to draw in time of need. It is difficult to depart from old customs and established ideas. But few realize the loss that is sustained by many in long courses of study. Much that is crowded into the brain is of no value, yet students suppose this education to be all-sufficient, and after years of study they leave school with their diplomas, believing that they are men and women properly educated and ready for service. In many cases this preparation for service is nothing more than a farce, yet it will continue until teachers receive the wisdom of heaven through the influence of the Holy Spirit. Many a student has so long taxed the mind to learn that which his reason tells him will never be of any use, that his mental powers have become weakened, and incapable of vigorous exertion and persevering effort to comprehend those things which are of vital importance. The money expended in his education, which perhaps was provided as the result of great sacrifice on the part of his parents, is well-nigh wasted; and a misapprehension as to what is of importance leads to a mistake in his life-work. What a fraud is that education obtained in literary or scientific lines, if it must be stripped from the learner before he is counted worthy to enter upon that life which measures with the life of God, himself saved as by fire. God has given us a probation in which to prepare for the school above. For this the youth are here to be educated, disciplined, and trained. In the lower school of earth they are to form characters that God can approve. They are to receive a training, not in the customs and amusements of worldly society, but in Christ’s lines, a393 training, that will fit them to be co-laborers with heavenly intelligences. The studies given the youth should be of a character to make them more successful in the service of God; to enable them to follow in the footsteps of Christ, and to maintain the great principles that He maintained. Our standard is to be the character of Him who is pure, holy, undefiled. . . . The knowledge of God is the real essence of education. The education that would supersede this knowledge, or dismiss it from the mind, as Felix dismissed Paul, when he spoke to him of temperance, righteousness, and judgment to come, is not of God. Paul’s words made Felix tremble; but the governor dismissed the apostle with the words, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Acts 24:25. And to-day multitudes are saying the same. Their minds are called to the deep subjects of truth, problems as high as heaven and as broad as eternity; but they say, “I cannot bring these subjects into my daily studies; for they would so stir up my mind as to unfit me for the daily routine of study. I have never mastered Bible problems. I cannot take up this study now. Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” Thus God’s great lesson-book is set aside, because it is not regarded as the one thing needful. THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT
I do not wish any one to receive from the words I have written the impression that the standard of education in our schools is to be in any way lowered.394 Every student should remember that the Lord requires him to make of himself all that is possible, that he may wisely teach others also. Our students should tax the mental powers; every faculty should reach the highest possible development. Many students come to college with intellectual habits that are a hindrance to them. One of the most difficult to manage is the habit of performing mental work as a matter of routine, instead of bringing to bear upon each study thoughtful, determined effort to master difficulties, and to grasp the principles at the foundation of the subject under consideration. Indolence, apathy, irregularity, are to be dreaded, and the binding of oneself to routine is just as much to be dreaded. Through the grace of Christ it is in the power of students to change this habit of routine, and it is for their best interests and future usefulness rightly to direct the mental faculties, training them to do service under the guidance of the wisest of all teachers, whose power they may claim by faith. This will give them success in their intellectual efforts, in accordance with God’s promise. A thorough education, which will fit young men and women for service, is to be given in our schools. In order to secure such an education the wisdom that comes from God must be made first and most important. All who engage in the acquisition of knowledge should strive to reach the highest round of the ladder. Let students advance as fast and as far as they can; let the field of their study be as broad as their powers can compass; but let them make God their wisdom, clinging to Him who is infinite in knowledge, who can reveal secrets hidden for ages,395 and who can solve the most difficult problems for minds that believe in Him. We commend to every student the Book of books as the grandest study for human intelligence, the book that contains the knowledge essential for this life and for the life to come. But I do not encourage a letting down of the educational standard in the study of the sciences. The light that has been given on this subject is clear, and should in no case be disregarded. In the instruction given in our schools, the natural and the spiritual are to be combined. The laws obeyed by the earth reveal the fact that it is under the masterly power of an infinite God. The same principles run through the spiritual and the natural world. Divorce God from the acquisition of knowledge, and you have a lame, one-sided education, dead to all the saving qualities that give true power to man. The Author of nature is the Author of the Bible. Creation and Christianity have one God. God is revealed in nature, and God is revealed in His word. In clear rays the light shines from the sacred page, showing us the living God, as represented in the laws of His government, in the creation of the world, in the heavens that He has garnished. His power is to be recognized as the only means of redeeming the world from the degrading superstitions that are so dishonoring to God and man. The student who in his school life becomes familiar with the truths of God’s word and feels their transforming power upon his heart, will represent the396 character of Christ to the world in a well-ordered life and a godly conversation. God will do great things for those who will open the heart to His word, and let it take possession of the soul-temple. The departure from the simplicity of true godliness on the part of students has had an influence to weaken character and lessen mental vigor. Their advancement in the sciences has been retarded, while if they had been like Daniel, hearers and doers of the word of God, they would have advanced as he did in all branches of learning upon which they entered. Being pure-minded, they would have become strong-minded. Every intellectual faculty would have been sharpened. When the Bible is made the guide and counselor, it exerts an ennobling influence upon the mind. Its study more than any other will refine and elevate. It will enlarge the mind of the candid student, endowing it with new impulses and fresh vigor. It will give greater efficiency to the faculties by bringing them in contact with grand, far-reaching truths. If the mind becomes dwarfed and inefficient, it is because it is left to deal with commonplace subjects only. Let the Bible be received as the food of the soul, the best and most effectual means of purifying and strengthening the intellect. Out of the heart are the issues of life; and the heart of the community, of the church, and of the nation, is the household. The well-being of society, the success of the church, the prosperity of the nation, depend upon home influences.