{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_62102/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_62102","id":"gutenberg_62102","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/62102","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Religion/Spirituality","Category: Teaching & Education","Education"],"text":"_EDUCATION_\n\n\n\n\n \u201c_That our sons may be as plants grown up\n in their youth; that our daughters may be as\n corner-stones, polished after the similitude\n of a palace_\u201d\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n _Education_\n\n\n _BY\n ELLEN G. WHITE_\n\n\n \u201c_The knowledge of the Holy is\n understanding_\u201d\n\n _Pacific Press Publishing Company_\n\n _OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA_\n _NEW YORK_ _SAN FRANCISCO_ _LONDON_\n\n\n\n\n _Entered According to Act of Congress in the year 1903 by\n MRS. E. G. WHITE\n In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, D. C.\n All Rights Reserved_\n\n\n _Entered at Stationers\u2019 Hall, London, England_\n\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n _TO\n PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS_,\n\n _all pupils in earth\u2019s preparatory school,\n this book is dedicated.\n May it aid them in securing life\u2019s greatest benefits,\n development and joy in service here,\n and thus a fitness for that wider service,\n the \u201chigher course\u201d\n open to every human being in the\n school of the hereafter._\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n _CONTENTS_\n\n\n _Page_\n _FIRST PRINCIPLES_\n\n _Source and Aim of True Education_ _13_\n\n _The Eden School_ _20_\n\n _The Knowledge of Good and Evil_ _23_\n\n _Relation of Education to Redemption_ _28_\n\n\n _ILLUSTRATIONS_\n\n _The Education of Israel_ _33_\n\n _The Schools of the Prophets_ _45_\n\n _Lives of Great Men_ _51_\n\n\n _THE MASTER TEACHER_\n\n _The Teacher Sent from God_ _73_\n\n _An Illustration of His Methods_ _84_\n\n\n _NATURE TEACHING_\n\n _God in Nature_ _99_\n\n _Lessons of Life_ _102_\n\n _Other Object Lessons_ _113_\n\n\n _THE BIBLE AS AN EDUCATOR_\n\n _Mental and Spiritual Culture_ _123_\n\n _Science and the Bible_ _128_\n\n _Business Principles and Methods_ _135_\n\n _Bible Biographies_ _146_\n\n _Poetry and Song_ _159_\n\n _Mysteries of the Bible_ _169_\n\n _History and Prophecy_ _173_\n\n _Bible Teaching and Study_ _185_\n\n\n _PHYSICAL CULTURE_\n\n _Study of Physiology_ _195_\n\n _Temperance and Dietetics_ _202_\n\n _Recreation_ _207_\n\n _Manual Training_ _214_\n\n\n _CHARACTER-BUILDING_\n\n _Education and Character_ _225_\n\n _Methods of Teaching_ _230_\n\n _Deportment_ _240_\n\n _Relation of Dress to Education_ _246_\n\n _The Sabbath_ _250_\n\n _Faith and Prayer_ _253_\n\n _The Life-Work_ _262_\n\n\n _THE UNDER-TEACHER_\n\n _Preparation_ _275_\n\n _Co-operation_ _283_\n\n _Discipline_ _287_\n\n\n _THE HIGHER COURSE_\n\n _The School of the Hereafter_ _301_\n\n\n _SCRIPTURAL INDEX_ _311_\n\n\n _GENERAL INDEX_ _315_\n\n\n\n\n _FIRST PRINCIPLES_\n\n\n \u201c_We, reflecting as a mirror the glory of\n the Lord, are transformed into the same\n image from glory to glory_\u201d\n\n\n _Source and Aim of True Education_\n\n \u201cTHE KNOWLEDGE OF THE HOLY\n IS UNDERSTANDING;\u201d \u201cACQUAINT\n NOW THYSELF WITH HIM\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _What Is Education?_]\n\nOur ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range. There is\nneed of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than\nthe pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a\npreparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being,\nand with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the\nharmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual\npowers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world,\nand for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.\n\n[Sidenote: _Its Source_]\n\nThe source of such an education is brought to view in these words of\nHoly Writ, pointing to the Infinite One: In Him \u201care hid all the\ntreasures of wisdom.\u201d[1] \u201cHe hath counsel and understanding.\u201d[2]\n\nThe world has had its great teachers, men of giant intellect and\nextensive research, men whose utterances have stimulated thought, and\nopened to view vast fields of knowledge; and these men have been honored\nas guides and benefactors of their race; but there is One who stands\nhigher than they. We can trace the line of the world\u2019s teachers as far\nback as human records extend; but the Light was before them. As the moon\nand the stars of our solar system shine by the reflected light of the\nsun, so, as far as their teaching is true, do the world\u2019s great thinkers\nreflect the rays of the Sun of Righteousness. Every gleam of thought,\nevery flash of the intellect, is from the Light of the world.\n\n[Sidenote: _The True \u201cHigher Education\u201d_]\n\nIn these days much is said concerning the nature and importance of\n\u201chigher education.\u201d The true \u201chigher education\u201d is that imparted by Him\nwith whom \u201cis wisdom and strength;\u201d[3] out of whose mouth \u201ccometh\nknowledge and understanding.\u201d[4]\n\nIn a knowledge of God, all true knowledge and real development have\ntheir source. Wherever we turn, in the physical, the mental, or the\nspiritual realm; in whatever we behold, apart from the blight of sin,\nthis knowledge is revealed. Whatever line of investigation we pursue,\nwith a sincere purpose to arrive at truth, we are brought in touch with\nthe unseen, mighty Intelligence that is working in and through all. The\nmind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite\nwith the Infinite. The effect of such communion on body and mind and\nsoul is beyond estimate.\n\n[Sidenote: _Education in Eden_]\n\nIn this communion is found the highest education. It is God\u2019s own method\nof development. \u201cAcquaint now thyself with Him,\u201d[5] is His message to\nmankind. The method outlined in these words was the method followed in\nthe education of the father of our race. When in the glory of sinless\nmanhood Adam stood in holy Eden, it was thus that God instructed him.\n\nIn order to understand what is comprehended in the work of education, we\nneed to consider both the nature of man and the purpose of God in\ncreating him. We need to consider also the change in man\u2019s condition\nthrough the coming in of a knowledge of evil, and God\u2019s plan for still\nfulfilling His glorious purpose in the education of the human race.\n\n[Sidenote: _God\u2019s Purpose for Man_]\n\nWhen Adam came from the Creator\u2019s hand, he bore, in his physical,\nmental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker. \u201cGod created man\nin His own image,\u201d[6] and it was His purpose that the longer man lived,\nthe more fully he should reveal this image,\u2014the more fully reflect the\nglory of the Creator. All his faculties were capable of development;\ntheir capacity and vigor were continually to increase. Vast was the\nscope offered for their exercise; glorious the field opened to their\nresearch. The mysteries of the visible universe\u2014the \u201cwondrous works of\nHim who is perfect in knowledge\u201d[7]\u2014invited man\u2019s study. Face-to-face,\nheart-to-heart communion with his Maker was his high privilege. Had he\nremained loyal to God, all this would have been his forever. Throughout\neternal ages he would have continued to gain new treasures of knowledge,\nto discover fresh springs of happiness, and to obtain clearer and yet\nclearer conceptions of the wisdom, the power, and the love of God. More\nand more fully would he have fulfilled the object of his creation, more\nand more fully have reflected the Creator\u2019s glory.\n\n[Sidenote: _Marred and Restored_]\n\nBut by disobedience this was forfeited. Through sin the divine likeness\nwas marred, and well-nigh obliterated. Man\u2019s physical powers were\nweakened, his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed.\nHe had become subject to death. Yet the race was not left without hope.\nBy infinite love and mercy the plan of salvation had been devised, and a\nlife of probation was granted. To restore in man the image of his Maker,\nto bring him back to the perfection in which he was created, to promote\nthe development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his\ncreation might be realized,\u2014this was to be the work of redemption. This\nis the object of education, the great object of life.\n\n[Sidenote: _Love the Basis of Education_]\n\nLove, the basis of creation and of redemption, is the basis of true\neducation. This is made plain in the law that God has given as the guide\nof life. The first and great commandment is, \u201cThou shalt love the Lord\nthy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy\nstrength, and with all thy mind.\u201d[8] To love Him, the infinite, the\nomniscient One, with the whole strength, and mind, and heart, means the\nhighest development of every power. It means that in the whole being\u2014the\nbody, the mind, as well as the soul\u2014the image of God is to be restored.\n\nLike the first is the second commandment,\u2014\u201cThou shalt love thy neighbor\nas thyself.\u201d[9] The law of love calls for the devotion of body, mind,\nand soul to the service of God and our fellow-men. And this service,\nwhile making us a blessing to others, brings the greatest blessing to\nourselves. Unselfishness underlies all true development. Through\nunselfish service we receive the highest culture of every faculty. More\nand more fully do we become partakers of the divine nature. We are\nfitted for heaven; for we receive heaven into our hearts.\n\n[Sidenote: _Revelation of God_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Nature\u2019s Teaching Insufficient_]\n\nSince God is the source of all true knowledge, it is, as we have seen,\nthe first object of education to direct our minds to His own revelation\nof Himself. Adam and Eve received knowledge through direct communion\nwith God; and they learned of Him through His works. All created things,\nin their original perfection, were an expression of the thought of God.\nTo Adam and Eve nature was teeming with divine wisdom. But by\ntransgression man was cut off from learning of God through direct\ncommunion, and, to a great degree, through His works. The earth, marred\nand defiled by sin, reflects but dimly the Creator\u2019s glory. It is true\nthat His object-lessons are not obliterated. Upon every page of the\ngreat volume of His created works may still be traced His handwriting.\nNature still speaks of her Creator. Yet these revelations are partial\nand imperfect. And in our fallen state, with weakened powers and\nrestricted vision, we are incapable of interpreting aright. We need the\nfuller revelation of Himself that God has given in His written word.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Standard of Truth_]\n\nThe Holy Scriptures are the perfect standard of truth, and as such\nshould be given the highest place in education. To obtain an education\nworthy of the name, we must receive a knowledge of God, the Creator, and\nof Christ, the Redeemer, as they are revealed in the sacred word.\n\n[Sidenote: _Individuality_]\n\nEvery human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power\nakin to that of the Creator,\u2014individuality, power to think and to do.\nThe men in whom this power is developed are the men who bear\nresponsibilities, who are leaders in enterprise, and who influence\ncharacter. It is the work of true education to develop this power; to\ntrain the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors of other men\u2019s\nthought. Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or\nwritten, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast\nfields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them\ncontemplate the great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will\nexpand and strengthen. Instead of educated weaklings, institutions of\nlearning may send forth men strong to think and to act, men who are\nmasters and not slaves of circumstances, men who possess breadth of\nmind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions.\n\n[Sidenote: _Character_]\n\nSuch an education provides more than mental discipline; it provides more\nthan physical training. It strengthens the character, so that truth and\nuprightness are not sacrificed to selfish desire or worldly ambition. It\nfortifies the mind against evil. Instead of some master passion becoming\na power to destroy, every motive and desire are brought into conformity\nto the great principles of right. As the perfection of His character is\ndwelt upon, the mind is renewed, and the soul is re-created in the image\nof God.\n\nWhat education can be higher than this? What can equal it in value?\n\n \u201cIt can not be gotten for gold,\n Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof.\n It can not be valued with the gold of Ophir,\n With the precious onyx, or the sapphire.\n The gold and the crystal can not equal it;\n And the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold.\n No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls;\n For the price of wisdom is above rubies.\u201d[10]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Highest Ideal_]\n\nHigher than the highest human thought can reach is God\u2019s ideal for His\nchildren. Godliness\u2014godlikeness\u2014is the goal to be reached. Before the\nstudent there is opened a path of continual progress. He has an object\nto achieve, a standard to attain, that includes everything good, and\npure, and noble. He will advance as fast and as far as possible in every\nbranch of true knowledge. But his efforts will be directed to objects as\nmuch higher than mere selfish and temporal interests as the heavens are\nhigher than the earth.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Preparatory School_]\n\nHe who co-operates with the divine purpose in imparting to the youth a\nknowledge of God, and moulding the character into harmony with His, does\na high and noble work. As he awakens a desire to reach God\u2019s ideal, he\npresents an education that is as high as heaven and as broad as the\nuniverse; an education that can not be completed in his life, but that\nwill be continued in the life to come; an education that secures to the\nsuccessful student his passport from the preparatory school of earth to\nthe higher grade, the school above.\n\n\n _The Eden School_\n\n \u201cHAPPY IS THE MAN THAT\n FINDETH WISDOM\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _A Model School_]\n\nThe system of education instituted at the beginning of the world, was to\nbe a model for man throughout all after-time. As an illustration of its\nprinciples a model school was established in Eden, the home of our first\nparents. The garden of Eden was the schoolroom, nature was the\nlesson-book, the Creator Himself was the instructor, and the parents of\nthe human family were the students.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Students_]\n\nCreated to be \u201cthe image and glory of God,\u201d Adam and Eve had received\nendowments not unworthy of their high destiny. Graceful and symmetrical\nin form, regular and beautiful in feature, their countenances glowing\nwith the tint of health and the light of joy and hope, they bore in\noutward resemblance the likeness of their Maker. Nor was this likeness\nmanifest in the physical nature only. Every faculty of mind and soul\nreflected the Creator\u2019s glory. Endowed with high mental and spiritual\ngifts, Adam and Eve were made but \u201clittle lower than the angels,\u201d[11]\nthat they might not only discern the wonders of the visible universe,\nbut comprehend moral responsibilities and obligations.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Schoolroom_]\n\n\u201cThe Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the\nman whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow\nevery tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of\nlife also in the midst of the garden.\u201d[12] Here, amidst the beautiful\nscenes of nature untouched by sin, our first parents were to receive\ntheir education.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Teacher_]\n\nIn His interest for His children, our heavenly Father personally\ndirected their education. Often they were visited by His messengers, the\nholy angels, and from them received counsel and instruction. Often as\nthey walked in the garden in the cool of the day they heard the voice of\nGod, and face to face held communion with the Eternal. His thoughts\ntoward them were \u201cthoughts of peace, and not of evil.\u201d[13] His every\npurpose was their highest good.\n\n[Sidenote: _Course of Study_]\n\nTo Adam and Eve was committed the care of the garden, \u201cto dress it and\nto keep it.\u201d[14] Though rich in all that the Owner of the universe could\nsupply, they were not to be idle. Useful occupation was appointed them\nas a blessing, to strengthen the body, to expand the mind, and to\ndevelop the character.\n\n[Sidenote: _Original Research_]\n\nThe book of nature, which spread its living lessons before them,\nafforded an exhaustless source of instruction and delight. On every leaf\nof the forest and stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in\nearth and sea and sky, God\u2019s name was written. With both the animate and\nthe inanimate creation,\u2014with leaf and flower and tree, and with every\nliving creature, from the leviathan of the waters to the mote in the\nsunbeam,\u2014the dwellers in Eden held converse, gathering from each the\nsecrets of its life. God\u2019s glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds\nin their orderly revolutions, \u201cthe balancings of the clouds,\u201d[15] the\nmysteries of light and sound, of day and night,\u2014all were objects of\nstudy by the pupils of earth\u2019s first school.\n\nThe laws and operations of nature, and the great principles of truth\nthat govern the spiritual universe, were opened to their minds by the\ninfinite Author of all. In \u201cthe light of the knowledge of the glory of\nGod,\u201d[16] their mental and spiritual powers developed, and they realized\nthe highest pleasures of their holy existence.\n\n[Sidenote: _Other Schools_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Purpose of Training_]\n\nAs it came from the Creator\u2019s hand, not only the garden of Eden but the\nwhole earth was exceedingly beautiful. No taint of sin, or shadow of\ndeath, marred the fair creation. God\u2019s glory \u201ccovered the heavens, and\nthe earth was full of His praise.\u201d \u201cThe morning stars sang together, and\nall the sons of God shouted for joy.\u201d[17] Thus was the earth a fit\nemblem of Him who is \u201cabundant in goodness and truth;\u201d[18] a fit study\nfor those who were made in His image. The garden of Eden was a\nrepresentation of what God desired the whole earth to become, and it was\nHis purpose that, as the human family increased in numbers, they should\nestablish other homes and schools like the one He had given. Thus in\ncourse of time the whole earth might be occupied with homes and schools\nwhere the words and the works of God should be studied, and where the\nstudents should thus be fitted more and more fully to reflect,\nthroughout endless ages, the light of the knowledge of His glory.\n\n\n _The Knowledge of Good and Evil_\n\n \u201cAS THEY REFUSED TO HAVE\n GOD IN THEIR KNOWLEDGE,\n THEIR SENSELESS HEART\n WAS DARKENED\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _A Test of Loyalty_]\n\nThough created innocent and holy, our first parents were not placed\nbeyond the possibility of wrong-doing. God might have created them\nwithout the power to transgress His requirements; but in that case there\ncould have been no development of character; their service would not\nhave been voluntary, but forced. Therefore He gave them the power of\nchoice\u2014the power to yield or to withhold obedience. And before they\ncould receive in fulness the blessings He desired to impart, their love\nand loyalty must be tested.\n\n[Sidenote: _Only Evil Withheld_]\n\nIn the garden of Eden was the \u201ctree of knowledge of good and evil....\nAnd the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden\nthou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and\nevil, thou shalt not eat.\u201d[19] It was the will of God that Adam and Eve\nshould not know evil. The knowledge of good had been freely given them;\nbut the knowledge of evil,\u2014of sin and its results, of wearing toil, of\nanxious care, of disappointment and grief, of pain and death,\u2014this was\nin love withheld.\n\n[Sidenote: _Insinuation of Distrust_]\n\nWhile God was seeking man\u2019s good, Satan was seeking his ruin. When Eve,\ndisregarding the Lord\u2019s admonition concerning the forbidden tree,\nventured to approach it, she came in contact with her foe. Her interest\nand curiosity having been awakened, Satan proceeded to deny God\u2019s word,\nand to insinuate distrust of His wisdom and goodness. To the woman\u2019s\nstatement concerning the tree of knowledge, \u201cGod hath said, Ye shall not\neat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die,\u201d the tempter made\nanswer, \u201cYe shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye\neat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,\nknowing good and evil.\u201d[20]\n\n[Sidenote: _Reason versus Faith_]\n\nSatan desired to make it appear that this knowledge of good mingled with\nevil would be a blessing, and that in forbidding them to take of the\nfruit of the tree, God was withholding great good. He urged that it was\nbecause of its wonderful properties for imparting wisdom and power that\nGod had forbidden them to taste it; that He was thus seeking to prevent\nthem from reaching a nobler development and finding greater happiness.\nHe declared that he himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit, and as a\nresult had acquired the power of speech; and that if they also would eat\nof it, they would attain to a more exalted sphere of existence, and\nenter a broader field of knowledge.\n\nWhile Satan claimed to have received great good by eating of the\nforbidden tree, he did not let it appear that by transgression he had\nbecome an outcast from heaven. Here was falsehood, so concealed under a\ncovering of apparent truth that Eve, infatuated, flattered, beguiled,\ndid not discern the deception. She coveted what God had forbidden; she\ndistrusted His wisdom. She cast away faith, the key of knowledge.\n\n[Sidenote: _Sight versus God\u2019s Word_]\n\nWhen Eve saw \u201cthat the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant\nto the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the\nfruit thereof, and did eat.\u201d It was grateful to the taste, and, as she\nate, she seemed to feel a vivifying power, and imagined herself entering\nupon a higher state of existence. Having herself transgressed, she\nbecame a tempter to her husband, \u201cand he did eat.\u201d[21]\n\n\u201cYour eyes shall be opened,\u201d the enemy had said; \u201cye shall be as gods,\nknowing good and evil.\u201d[22] Their eyes were indeed opened; but how sad\nthe opening! The knowledge of evil, the curse of sin, was all that the\ntransgressors gained. There was nothing poisonous in the fruit itself,\nand the sin was not merely in yielding to appetite. It was distrust of\nGod\u2019s goodness, disbelief of His word, and rejection of His authority,\nthat made our first parents transgressors, and that brought into the\nworld a knowledge of evil. It was this that opened the door to every\nspecies of falsehood and error.\n\nMan lost all because he chose to listen to the deceiver rather than to\nHim who is Truth, who alone has understanding. By the mingling of evil\nwith good, his mind had become confused, his mental and spiritual powers\nbenumbed. No longer could he appreciate the good that God had so freely\nbestowed.\n\n[Sidenote: _Results of Sin_]\n\nAdam and Eve had chosen the knowledge of evil; and if they ever regained\nthe position they had lost, they must regain it under the unfavorable\nconditions they had brought upon themselves. No longer were they to\ndwell in Eden; for in its perfection it could not teach them the lessons\nwhich it was now essential for them to learn. In unutterable sadness\nthey bade farewell to their beautiful surroundings, and went forth to\ndwell upon the earth, where rested the curse of sin.\n\nTo Adam God had said: \u201cBecause thou hast harkened unto the voice of thy\nwife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying,\nThou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow\nshalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles\nshall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.\nIn the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the\nground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust\nshalt thou return.\u201d[23]\n\n[Sidenote: _Results Manifest in Nature_]\n\nAlthough the earth was blighted with the curse, nature was still to be\nman\u2019s lesson-book. It could not now represent goodness only; for evil\nwas everywhere present, marring earth and sea and air with its defiling\ntouch. Where once was written only the character of God, the knowledge\nof good, was now written also the character of Satan, the knowledge of\nevil. From nature, which now revealed the knowledge of good and evil,\nman was continually to receive warning as to the results of sin.\n\nIn drooping flower and falling leaf Adam and his companion witnessed the\nfirst signs of decay. Vividly was brought to their minds the stern fact\nthat every living thing must die. Even the air, upon which their life\ndepended, bore the seeds of death.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Lost Kingship_]\n\nContinually they were reminded also of their lost dominion. Among the\nlower creatures Adam had stood as king, and so long as he remained loyal\nto God, all nature acknowledged his rule; but when he transgressed, this\ndominion was forfeited. The spirit of rebellion, to which he himself had\ngiven entrance, extended throughout the animal creation. Thus not only\nthe life of man, but the nature of the beasts, the trees of the forest,\nthe grass of the field, the very air he breathed, all told the sad\nlesson of the knowledge of evil.\n\n[Sidenote: _Restoration through Christ_]\n\nBut man was not abandoned to the results of the evil he had chosen. In\nthe sentence pronounced upon Satan was given an intimation of\nredemption. \u201cI will put enmity between thee and the woman,\u201d God said,\n\u201cand between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou\nshalt bruise his heel.\u201d[24] This sentence, spoken in the hearing of our\nfirst parents, was to them a promise. Before they heard of the thorn and\nthe thistle, of the toil and sorrow that must be their portion, or of\nthe dust to which they must return, they listened to words that could\nnot fail of giving them hope. All that had been lost by yielding to\nSatan could be regained through Christ.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Gospel in Nature_]\n\nThis intimation also nature repeats to us. Though marred by sin, it\nspeaks not only of creation but of redemption. Though the earth bears\ntestimony to the curse in the evident signs of decay, it is still rich\nand beautiful in the tokens of life-giving power. The trees cast off\ntheir leaves, only to be robed with fresher verdure; the flowers die, to\nspring forth in new beauty; and in every manifestation of creative power\nis held out the assurance that we may be created anew in \u201crighteousness\nand holiness of truth.\u201d[25] Thus the very objects and operations of\nnature that bring so vividly to mind our great loss become to us the\nmessengers of hope.\n\nAs far as evil extends, the voice of our Father is heard, bidding His\nchildren see in its results the nature of sin, warning them to forsake\nthe evil, and inviting them to receive the good.\n\n\n _Relation of Education to Redemption_\n\n \u201cTHE LIGHT OF THE KNOWLEDGE\n OF THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE\n FACE OF JESUS CHRIST\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Communion with God_]\n\nBy sin man was shut out from God. Except for the plan of redemption,\neternal separation from God, the darkness of unending night, would have\nbeen his. Through the Saviour\u2019s sacrifice, communion with God is again\nmade possible. We may not in person approach into His presence; in our\nsin we may not look upon His face; but we can behold Him and commune\nwith Him in Jesus, the Saviour. \u201cThe light of the knowledge of the glory\nof God\u201d is revealed \u201cin the face of Jesus Christ.\u201d God is \u201cin Christ,\nreconciling the world unto Himself.\u201d[26]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Highest Revelation_]\n\n\u201cThe Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, ... full of grace and\ntruth.\u201d \u201cIn Him was life; and the life was the light of men.\u201d[27] The\nlife and the death of Christ, the price of our redemption, are not only\nto us the promise and pledge of life, not only the means of opening\nagain to us the treasures of wisdom: they are a broader, higher\nrevelation of His character than even the holy ones of Eden knew.\n\n[Sidenote: _Power through the Gospel_]\n\nAnd while Christ opens heaven to man, the life which He imparts opens\nthe heart of man to heaven. Sin not only shuts us away from God, but\ndestroys in the human soul both the desire and the capacity for knowing\nHim. All this work of evil it is Christ\u2019s mission to undo. The faculties\nof the soul, paralyzed by sin, the darkened mind, the perverted will, He\nhas power to invigorate and to restore. He opens to us the riches of the\nuniverse, and by Him the power to discern and to appropriate these\ntreasures is imparted.\n\n[Sidenote: _Co-operation with Christ_]\n\nChrist is the \u201cLight, which lighteth every man that cometh into the\nworld.\u201d[28] As through Christ every human being has life, so also\nthrough Him every soul receives some ray of divine light. Not only\nintellectual but spiritual power, a perception of right, a desire for\ngoodness, exists in every heart. But against these principles there is\nstruggling an antagonistic power. The result of the eating of the tree\nof knowledge of good and evil is manifest in every man\u2019s experience.\nThere is in his nature a bent to evil, a force which, unaided, he can\nnot resist. To withstand this force, to attain that ideal which in his\ninmost soul he accepts as alone worthy, he can find help in but one\npower. That power is Christ. Co-operation with that power is man\u2019s\ngreatest need. In all educational effort should not this co-operation be\nthe highest aim?\n\nThe true teacher is not satisfied with second-rate work. He is not\nsatisfied with directing his students to a standard lower than the\nhighest which it is possible for them to attain. He can not be content\nwith imparting to them only technical knowledge, with making them merely\nclever accountants, skilful artisans, successful tradesmen. It is his\nambition to inspire them with principles of truth, obedience, honor,\nintegrity, and purity,\u2014principles that will make them a positive force\nfor the stability and uplifting of society. He desires them, above all\nelse, to learn life\u2019s great lesson of unselfish service.\n\nThese principles become a living power to shape the character, through\nthe acquaintance of the soul with Christ; through an acceptance of His\nwisdom as the guide, His power as the strength, of heart and life. This\nunion formed, the student has found the Source of wisdom. He has within\nhis reach the power to realize in himself his noblest ideals. The\nopportunities of the highest education for life in his world are his.\nAnd in the training here gained, he is entering upon that course which\nembraces eternity.\n\n[Sidenote: _The One Foundation_]\n\nIn the highest sense, the work of education and the work of redemption\nare one; for in education, as in redemption, \u201cother foundation can no\nman lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.\u201d \u201cIt was the good\npleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell.\u201d[29]\n\nUnder changed conditions, true education is still conformed to the\nCreator\u2019s plan, the plan of the Eden school. Adam and Eve received\ninstruction through direct communion with God; we behold \u201cthe light of\nthe knowledge of His glory\u201d in the face of Christ.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Teacher\u2019s Aim_]\n\nThe great principles of education are unchanged. \u201cThey stand fast\nforever and ever;\u201d[30] for they are the principles of the character of\nGod. To aid the student in comprehending these principles, and in\nentering into that relation with Christ which will make them a\ncontrolling power in the life, should be the teacher\u2019s first effort and\nhis constant aim. The teacher who accepts this aim is in truth a\nco-worker with Christ, a laborer together with God.\n\n\n\n\n _ILLUSTRATIONS_\n\n\n \u201c_Whatsoever things were written aforetime\n were written for our learning_\u201d\n\n\n _The Education of Israel_\n\n \u201cTHE LORD ALONE DID LEAD HIM;\n HE INSTRUCTED HIM, HE KEPT\n HIM AS THE APPLE OF HIS EYE\u201d\n\nThe system of education established in Eden centered in the family. Adam\nwas \u201cthe son of God,\u201d[31] and it was from their Father that the children\nof the Highest received instruction. Theirs, in the truest sense, was a\nfamily school.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Family School_]\n\nIn the divine plan of education as adapted to man\u2019s condition after the\nfall, Christ stands as the representative of the Father, the connecting\nlink between God and man; He is the great teacher of mankind. And He\nordained that men and women should be His representatives. The family\nwas the school, and the parents were the teachers.\n\n[Sidenote: _Conditions_]\n\nThe education centering in the family was that which prevailed in the\ndays of the patriarchs. For the schools thus established, God provided\nthe conditions most favorable for the development of character. The\npeople who were under His direction still pursued the plan of life that\nHe had appointed in the beginning. Those who departed from God built for\nthemselves cities, and, congregating in them, gloried in the splendor,\nthe luxury, and the vice that make the cities of to-day the world\u2019s\npride and its curse. But the men who held fast God\u2019s principles of life\ndwelt among the fields and hills. They were tillers of the soil, and\nkeepers of flocks and herds; and in this free, independent life, with\nits opportunities for labor and study and meditation, they learned of\nGod, and taught their children of His works and ways.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Training in the Wilderness_]\n\nThis was the method of education that God desired to establish in\nIsrael. But when brought out of Egypt there were among the Israelites\nfew prepared to be workers together with Him in the training of their\nchildren. The parents themselves needed instruction and discipline.\nVictims of lifelong slavery, they were ignorant, untrained, degraded.\nThey had little knowledge of God, and little faith in Him. They were\nconfused by false teaching, and corrupted by their long contact with\nheathenism. God desired to lift them to a higher moral level; and to\nthis end He sought to give them a knowledge of Himself.\n\n[Sidenote: _To Encourage Faith_]\n\nIn His dealings with the wanderers in the desert, in all their marchings\nto and fro, in their exposure to hunger, thirst, and weariness, in their\nperil from heathen foes, and in the manifestation of His providence for\ntheir relief, God was seeking to strengthen their faith by revealing to\nthem the power that was continually working for their good. And having\ntaught them to trust in His love and power, it was His purpose to set\nbefore them, in the precepts of His law, the standard of character to\nwhich, through His grace, He desired them to attain.\n\n[Sidenote: _Surroundings at Sinai_]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_The Strength of the Hills Is His_\u201d]\n\nPrecious were the lessons taught to Israel during their sojourn at\nSinai. This was a period of special training for the inheritance of\nCanaan. And their surroundings here were favorable for the accomplishing\nof God\u2019s purpose. On the summit of Sinai, overshadowing the plain where\nthe people spread their tents, rested the pillar of cloud which had been\nthe guide of their journey. A pillar of fire by night, it assured them\nof the divine protection; and while they were locked in slumber, the\nbread of heaven fell gently upon the encampment. On every hand, vast,\nrugged heights, in their solemn grandeur, spoke of eternal endurance and\nmajesty. Man was made to feel his ignorance and weakness in the presence\nof Him who hath \u201cweighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a\nbalance.\u201d[32] Here, by the manifestation of His glory, God sought to\nimpress Israel with the holiness of His character and requirements, and\nthe exceeding guilt of transgression.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Symbol of God\u2019s Presence_]\n\nBut the people were slow to learn the lesson. Accustomed as they had\nbeen in Egypt to material representations of the Deity, and these of the\nmost degrading nature, it was difficult for them to conceive of the\nexistence or the character of the Unseen One. In pity for their\nweakness, God gave them a symbol of His presence. \u201cLet them make Me a\nsanctuary,\u201d He said; \u201cthat I may dwell among them.\u201d[33]\n\nIn the building of the sanctuary as a dwelling-place for God, Moses was\ndirected to make all things according to the pattern of things in the\nheavens. God called him into the mount, and revealed to him the heavenly\nthings, and in their similitude the tabernacle, with all that pertained\nto it, was fashioned.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Pattern in the Mount_]\n\nSo to Israel, whom He desired to make His dwelling-place, He revealed\nHis glorious ideal of character. The pattern was shown them in the mount\nwhen the law was given from Sinai, and when God passed by before Moses\nand proclaimed, \u201cThe Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious,\nlong-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.\u201d[34]\n\nBut this ideal they were, in themselves, powerless to attain. The\nrevelation at Sinai could only impress them with their need and\nhelplessness. Another lesson the tabernacle, through its service of\nsacrifice, was to teach,\u2014the lesson of pardon of sin, and power through\nthe Saviour for obedience unto life.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Gospel in the Tabernacle_]\n\nThrough Christ was to be fulfilled the purpose of which the tabernacle\nwas a symbol,\u2014that glorious building, its walls of glistening gold\nreflecting in rainbow hues the curtains inwrought with cherubim, the\nfragrance of ever-burning incense pervading all, the priests robed in\nspotless white, and in the deep mystery of the inner place, above the\nmercy-seat, between the figures of the bowed, worshiping angels, the\nglory of the Holiest. In all, God desired His people to read His purpose\nfor the human soul. It was the same purpose long afterward set forth by\nthe apostle Paul, speaking by the Holy Spirit:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _The Human Temple_]\n\n\u201cKnow ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God\ndwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God\ndestroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.\u201d[35]\n\n[Sidenote: _Building the Sanctuary_]\n\nGreat was the privilege and honor granted Israel in the preparation of\nthe sanctuary; and great was also the responsibility. A structure of\nsurpassing splendor, demanding for its construction the most costly\nmaterial and the highest artistic skill, was to be erected in the\nwilderness, by a people just escaped from slavery. It seemed a\nstupendous task. But He who had given the plan of the building stood\npledged to co-operate with the builders.\n\n\u201cThe Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel,\nthe son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and I have filled\nhim with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in\nknowledge, and in all manner of workmanship.... And I, behold, I have\ngiven with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and\nin the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that they\nmay make all that I have commanded thee.\u201d[36]\n\n[Sidenote: _An Industrial School_]\n\nWhat an industrial school was that in the wilderness, having for its\ninstructors Christ and His angels!\n\nIn the preparation of the sanctuary and in its furnishing, all the\npeople were to co-operate. There was labor for brain and hand. A great\nvariety of material was required, and all were invited to contribute as\ntheir own hearts prompted.\n\nThus in labor and in giving they were taught to co-operate with God and\nwith one another. And they were to co-operate also in the preparation of\nthe spiritual building\u2014God\u2019s temple in the soul.\n\n[Sidenote: _Organization_]\n\nFrom the outset of the journey from Egypt, lessons had been given for\ntheir training and discipline. Even before they left Egypt a temporary\norganization had been effected, and the people were arranged in\ncompanies, under appointed leaders. At Sinai the arrangements for\norganization were completed. The order so strikingly displayed in all\nthe works of God was manifest in the Hebrew economy. God was the center\nof authority and government. Moses, as His representative, was to\nadminister the laws in His name. Then came the council of seventy, then\nthe priests and the princes, under these \u201ccaptains over thousands, and\ncaptains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over\ntens,\u201d[37] and, lastly, officers appointed for special duties. The camp\nwas arranged in exact order, the tabernacle, the abiding-place of God,\nin the midst, and around it the tents of the priests and the Levites.\nOutside of these, each tribe encamped beside its own standard.\n\n[Sidenote: _Sanitary Regulations_]\n\nThorough-going sanitary regulations were enforced. These were enjoined\non the people, not only as necessary to health, but as the condition of\nretaining among them the presence of the Holy One. By divine authority\nMoses declared to them, \u201cThe Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy\ncamp, to deliver thee; ... therefore shall thy camp be holy.\u201d[38]\n\n[Sidenote: _Diet_]\n\nThe education of the Israelites included all their habits of life.\nEverything that concerned their well-being was the subject of divine\nsolicitude, and came within the province of divine law. Even in\nproviding their food, God sought their highest good. The manna with\nwhich He fed them in the wilderness was of a nature to promote physical,\nmental, and moral strength. Though so many of them rebelled against the\nrestriction of their diet, and longed to return to the days when, they\nsaid, \u201cWe sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the\nfull,\u201d[39] yet the wisdom of God\u2019s choice for them was vindicated in a\nmanner they could not gainsay. Notwithstanding the hardships of their\nwilderness life, there was not a feeble one in all their tribes.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Divine Guiding_]\n\nIn all their journeyings the ark containing the law of God was to lead\nthe way. The place of their encampment was indicated by the descent of\nthe pillar of cloud. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle,\nthey remained in camp. When it lifted, they pursued their journey. Both\nthe halt and the departure were marked by a solemn invocation. \u201cIt came\nto pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and\nlet Thine enemies be scattered.... And when it rested, he said, Return,\nO Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.\u201d[40]\n\n[Sidenote: _Music and Song_]\n\nAs the people journeyed through the wilderness, many precious lessons\nwere fixed in their minds by means of song. At their deliverance from\nPharaoh\u2019s army the whole host of Israel had joined in the song of\ntriumph. Far over desert and sea rang the joyous refrain, and the\nmountains re-echoed the accents of praise, \u201cSing ye to Jehovah, for He\nhath triumphed gloriously.\u201d[41] Often on the journey was this song\nrepeated, cheering the hearts and kindling the faith of the pilgrim\ntravelers. The commandments as given from Sinai, with promises of God\u2019s\nfavor and records of His wonderful works for their deliverance, were by\ndivine direction expressed in song, and were chanted to the sound of\ninstrumental music, the people keeping step as their voices united in\npraise.\n\nThus their thoughts were uplifted from the trials and difficulties of\nthe way, the restless, turbulent spirit was soothed and calmed, the\nprinciples of truth were implanted in the memory, and faith was\nstrengthened. Concert of action taught order and unity, and the people\nwere brought into closer touch with God and with one another.\n\n[Sidenote: _Purpose of God\u2019s Discipline_]\n\nOf the dealing of God with Israel during the forty years of wilderness\nwandering, Moses declared: \u201cAs a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy\nGod chasteneth thee;\u201d \u201cto humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what\nwas in thine heart, whether thou wouldst keep His commandments, or\nno.\u201d[42]\n\n\u201cHe found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He\nled him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.\nAs an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth\nabroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings; so the Lord\nalone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.\u201d[43]\n\n\u201cHe remembered His holy promise, and Abraham His servant. And He brought\nforth His people with joy, and His chosen with gladness; and gave them\nthe lands of the heathen; and they inherited the labor of the people;\nthat they might observe His statutes, and keep His laws.\u201d[44]\n\n[Sidenote: _Facilities in Canaan_]\n\nGod surrounded Israel with every facility, gave them every privilege,\nthat would make them an honor to His name and a blessing to surrounding\nnations. If they would walk in the ways of obedience, He promised to\nmake them \u201chigh above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in\nname, and in honor.\u201d \u201cAll people of the earth,\u201d He said, \u201cshall hear\nthat thou art called by the name of Jehovah; and they shall be afraid of\nthee.\u201d The nations which shall hear all these statutes shall say,\n\u201cSurely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.\u201d[45]\n\n[Sidenote: _God\u2019s Law Taught_]\n\nIn the laws committed to Israel, explicit instruction was given\nconcerning education. To Moses at Sinai God had revealed Himself as\n\u201cmerciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and\ntruth.\u201d[46] These principles, embodied in His law, the fathers and\nmothers in Israel were to teach their children. Moses by divine\ndirection declared to them: \u201cThese words, which I command thee this day,\nshall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy\nchildren, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and\nwhen thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou\nrisest up.\u201d[47]\n\nNot as a dry theory were these things to be taught. Those who would\nimpart truth must themselves practise its principles. Only by reflecting\nthe character of God in the uprightness, nobility, and unselfishness of\ntheir own lives can they impress others.\n\n[Sidenote: _Object Lessons_]\n\nTrue education is not the forcing of instruction on an unready and\nunreceptive mind. The mental powers must be awakened, the interest\naroused. For this, God\u2019s method of teaching provided. He who created the\nmind and ordained its laws, provided for its development in accordance\nwith them. In the home and the sanctuary, through the things of nature\nand of art, in labor and in festivity, in sacred building and memorial\nstone, by methods and rites and symbols unnumbered, God gave to Israel\nlessons illustrating His principles, and preserving the memory of His\nwonderful works. Then, as inquiry was made, the instruction given\nimpressed mind and heart.\n\nIn the arrangements for the education of the chosen people it is made\nmanifest that a life centered in God is a life of completeness. Every\nwant He has implanted, He provides to satisfy; every faculty imparted,\nHe seeks to develop.\n\nThe Author of all beauty, Himself a lover of the beautiful, God provided\nto gratify in His children the love of beauty. He made provision also\nfor their social needs, for the kindly and helpful associations that do\nso much to cultivate sympathy and to brighten and sweeten life.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Annual Feasts_]\n\nAs a means of education, an important place was filled by the feasts of\nIsrael. In ordinary life the family was both a school and a church, the\nparents being the instructors in secular and in religious lines. But\nthree times a year seasons were appointed for social intercourse and\nworship. First at Shiloh, and afterward at Jerusalem, these gatherings\nwere held. Only the fathers and sons were required to be present; but\nnone desired to forego the opportunities of the feasts, and, so far as\npossible, all the household were in attendance; and with them, as\nsharers of their hospitality, were the stranger, the Levite, and the\npoor.\n\n[Sidenote: _Journey to Jerusalem_]\n\nThe journey to Jerusalem, in the simple, patriarchal style, amidst the\nbeauty of the spring-time, the richness of midsummer, or the ripened\nglory of autumn, was a delight. With offerings of gratitude they came,\nfrom the man of white hairs to the little child, to meet with God in His\nholy habitation. As they journeyed, the experiences of the past, the\nstories that both old and young still love so well, were recounted to\nthe Hebrew children. The songs that had cheered the wilderness wandering\nwere sung. God\u2019s commandments were chanted, and, bound up with the\nblessed influences of nature and of kindly human association, they were\nforever fixed in the memory of many a child and youth.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Paschal Service_]\n\nThe ceremonies witnessed at Jerusalem in connection with the paschal\nservice,\u2014the night assembly, the men with their girded loins, shoes on\nfeet, and staff in hand, the hasty meal, the lamb, the unleavened bread,\nand the bitter herbs, and in the solemn silence the rehearsal of the\nstory of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and the grand\nmarch from the land of bondage,\u2014all were of a nature to stir the\nimagination and impress the heart.\n\n[Sidenote: _Feast of Ingathering_]\n\nThe Feast of Tabernacles, or harvest-festival, with its offerings from\norchard and field, its week\u2019s encampment in the leafy booths, its social\nreunions, the sacred memorial service, and the generous hospitality to\nGod\u2019s workers, the Levites of the sanctuary, and to His children, the\nstrangers and the poor, uplifted all minds in gratitude to Him who had\n\u201ccrowned the year with His goodness,\u201d and whose \u201cpaths dropped fatness.\u201d\n\nBy the devout in Israel, fully a month of every year was occupied in\nthis way. It was a period free from care and labor, and almost wholly\ndevoted, in the truest sense, to purposes of education.\n\n[Sidenote: _Ownership of Land_]\n\nIn apportioning the inheritance of His people, it was God\u2019s purpose to\nteach them, and through them the people of after-generations, correct\nprinciples concerning the ownership of the land. The land of Canaan was\ndivided among the whole people, the Levites only, as ministers of the\nsanctuary, being excepted. Though one might for a season dispose of his\npossession, he could not barter away the inheritance of his children.\nWhen able to do so, he was at liberty at any time to redeem it; debts\nwere remitted every seventh year, and in the fiftieth, or year of\njubilee, all landed property reverted to the original owner. Thus every\nfamily was secured in its possession, and a safeguard was afforded\nagainst the extremes either of wealth or of poverty.\n\n[Sidenote: _Special Provision for Education_]\n\nBy the distribution of the land among the people, God provided for them,\nas for the dwellers in Eden, the occupation most favorable to\ndevelopment,\u2014the care of plants and animals. A further provision for\neducation was the suspension of agricultural labor every seventh year,\nthe land lying fallow, and its spontaneous products being left to the\npoor. Thus was given opportunity for more extended study, for social\nintercourse and worship, and for the exercise of benevolence, so often\ncrowded out by life\u2019s cares and labors.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Key to Present-Day Problems_]\n\nWere the principles of God\u2019s laws regarding the distribution of property\ncarried out in the world to-day, how different would be the condition of\nthe people! An observance of these principles would prevent the terrible\nevils that in all ages have resulted from the oppression of the poor by\nthe rich and the hatred of the rich by the poor. While it might hinder\nthe amassing of great wealth, it would tend to prevent the ignorance and\ndegradation of tens of thousands whose ill-paid servitude is required\nfor the building up of these colossal fortunes. It would aid in bringing\na peaceful solution of problems that now threaten to fill the world with\nanarchy and bloodshed.\n\n[Sidenote: _Recognition of God\u2019s Ownership_]\n\nThe consecration to God of a tithe of all increase, whether of the\norchard and harvest-field, the flocks and herds, or the labor of brain\nor hand; the devotion of a second tithe for the relief of the poor and\nother benevolent uses, tended to keep fresh before the people the truth\nof God\u2019s ownership of all, and of their opportunity to be channels of\nHis blessings. It was a training adapted to kill out all narrowing\nselfishness, and to cultivate breadth and nobility of character.\n\nA knowledge of God, fellowship with Him in study and in labor, likeness\nto Him in character, were to be the source, the means, and the aim of\nIsrael\u2019s education,\u2014the education imparted by God to the parents, and by\nthem to be given to their children.\n\n\n _The Schools of the Prophets_\n\n \u201cTHEY SAT DOWN AT THY FEET;\n EVERY ONE SHALL RECEIVE OF\n THY WORDS\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Perils from Heathenism_]\n\nWherever in Israel God\u2019s plan of education was carried into effect, its\nresults testified of its Author. But in very many households the\ntraining appointed by Heaven, and the characters thus developed, were\nalike rare. God\u2019s plan was but partially and imperfectly fulfilled. By\nunbelief and by disregard of the Lord\u2019s directions, the Israelites\nsurrounded themselves with temptations that few had power to resist. At\ntheir settlement in Canaan \u201cthey did not destroy the nations, concerning\nwhom the Lord commanded them; but were mingled among the heathen, and\nlearned their works. And they served their idols, which were a snare\nunto them.\u201d Their heart was not right with God, \u201cneither were they\nsteadfast in His covenant. But He, being full of compassion, forgave\ntheir iniquity, and destroyed them not; yea, many a time turned He His\nanger away.... For He remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that\npasseth away, and cometh not again.\u201d[48] [Sidenote: _Parental\nIndifference_] Fathers and mothers in Israel became indifferent to their\nobligation to God, indifferent to their obligation to their children.\nThrough unfaithfulness in the home, and idolatrous influences without,\nmany of the Hebrew youth received an education differing widely from\nthat which God had planned for them. They learned the ways of the\nheathen.\n\n[Sidenote: _Schools as a Safeguard_]\n\nTo meet this growing evil, God provided other agencies as an aid to\nparents in the work of education. From the earliest times, prophets had\nbeen recognized as teachers divinely appointed. In the highest sense the\nprophet was one who spoke by direct inspiration, communicating to the\npeople the messages he had received from God. But the name was given\nalso to those who, though not so directly inspired, were divinely called\nto instruct the people in the works and ways of God. For the training of\nsuch a class of teachers, Samuel, by the Lord\u2019s direction, established\nthe schools of the prophets.\n\n[Sidenote: _Teachers and Students_]\n\nThese schools were intended to serve as a barrier against the\nwide-spreading corruption, to provide for the mental and spiritual\nwelfare of the youth, and to promote the prosperity of the nation by\nfurnishing it with men qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders\nand counselors. To this end, Samuel gathered companies of young men who\nwere pious, intelligent, and studious. These were called the sons of the\nprophets. As they studied the word and the works of God, His life-giving\npower quickened the energies of mind and soul, and the students received\nwisdom from above. The instructors were not only versed in divine truth,\nbut had themselves enjoyed communion with God, and had received the\nspecial endowment of His Spirit. They had the respect and confidence of\nthe people, both for learning and for piety. In Samuel\u2019s day there were\ntwo of these schools,\u2014one at Ramah, the home of the prophet, and the\nother at Kirjath-jearim. In later times others were established.\n\n[Sidenote: _Industrial Training_]\n\nThe pupils of these schools sustained themselves by their own labor in\ntilling the soil, or in some mechanical employment. In Israel this was\nnot thought strange or degrading; indeed, it was regarded as a sin to\nallow children to grow up in ignorance of useful labor. Every youth,\nwhether his parents were rich or poor, was taught some trade. Even\nthough he was to be educated for holy office, a knowledge of practical\nlife was regarded as essential to the greatest usefulness. Many also of\nthe teachers supported themselves by manual labor.\n\n[Sidenote: _Course of Study_]\n\nIn both the school and the home much of the teaching was oral; but the\nyouth also learned to read the Hebrew writings, and the parchment rolls\nof the Old Testament Scriptures were open to their study. The chief\nsubjects of study in these schools were the law of God, with the\ninstruction given to Moses, sacred history, sacred music, and poetry. In\nthe records of sacred history were traced the footsteps of Jehovah. The\ngreat truths set forth by the types in the service of the sanctuary were\nbrought to view, and faith grasped the central object of all that\nsystem,\u2014the Lamb of God, that was to take away the sin of the world. A\nspirit of devotion was cherished. Not only were the students taught the\nduty of prayer, but they were taught how to pray, how to approach their\nCreator, how to exercise faith in Him, and how to understand and obey\nthe teachings of His Spirit. Sanctified intellect brought forth from the\ntreasure-house of God things new and old, and the Spirit of God was\nmanifested in prophecy and sacred song.\n\n[Sidenote: _Results_]\n\nThese schools proved to be one of the means most effective in promoting\nthat righteousness which \u201cexalteth a nation.\u201d[49] In not small degree\nthey aided in laying the foundation of that marvelous prosperity which\ndistinguished the reigns of David and Solomon.\n\n[Sidenote: _David and Solomon_]\n\nThe principles taught in the schools of the prophets were the same that\nmoulded David\u2019s character and shaped his life. The word of God was his\ninstructor. \u201cThrough Thy precepts,\u201d he said, \u201cI get understanding.... I\nhave inclined mine heart to perform Thy statutes.\u201d[50] It was this that\ncaused the Lord to pronounce David, when in his youth He called him to\nthe throne, \u201ca man after Mine own heart.\u201d[51]\n\nIn the early life of Solomon also are seen the results of God\u2019s method\nof education. Solomon in his youth made David\u2019s choice his own. Above\nevery earthly good he asked of God a wise and understanding heart. And\nthe Lord gave him not only that which he sought, but that also for which\nhe had not sought,\u2014both riches and honor. The power of his\nunderstanding, the extent of his knowledge, the glory of his reign,\nbecame the wonder of the world.\n\n[Sidenote: _Greatness of Israel_]\n\nIn the reigns of David and Solomon, Israel reached the height of her\ngreatness. The promise given to Abraham and repeated through Moses was\nfulfilled: \u201cIf ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I\ncommand you, to do them, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His\nways, and to cleave unto Him; then will the Lord drive out all these\nnations from before you, and ye shall possess greater nations and\nmightier than yourselves. Every place whereon the soles of your feet\nshall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the\nriver, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea shall your coast\nbe. There shall no man be able to stand before you.\u201d[52]\n\n[Sidenote: _Intermingling with Idolaters_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Apostasy_]\n\nBut in the midst of prosperity lurked danger. The sin of David\u2019s later\nyears, though sincerely repented of and sorely punished, emboldened the\npeople in transgression of God\u2019s commandments. And Solomon\u2019s life, after\na morning of so great promise, was darkened with apostasy. Desire for\npolitical power and self-aggrandizement led to alliance with heathen\nnations. The silver of Tarshish and the gold of Ophir were procured by\nthe sacrifice of integrity, the betrayal of sacred trusts. Association\nwith idolaters, marriage with heathen wives, corrupted his faith. The\nbarriers that God had erected for the safety of His people were thus\nbroken down, and Solomon gave himself up to the worship of false gods.\nOn the summit of the Mount of Olives, confronting the temple of Jehovah,\nwere erected gigantic images and altars for the service of heathen\ndeities. As he cast off his allegiance to God, Solomon lost the mastery\nof himself. His fine sensibilities became blunted. The conscientious,\nconsiderate spirit of his early reign was changed. Pride, ambition,\nprodigality, and indulgence bore fruit in cruelty and exaction. He who\nhad been a just, compassionate, and God-fearing ruler, became tyrannical\nand oppressive. He who at the dedication of the temple had prayed for\nhis people that their hearts might be undividedly given to the Lord,\nbecame their seducer. Solomon dishonored himself, dishonored Israel, and\ndishonored God.\n\n[Sidenote: _National Overthrow_]\n\nThe nation, of which he had been the pride, followed his leading. Though\nhe afterward repented, his repentance did not prevent the fruition of\nthe evil he had sown. The discipline and training that God appointed for\nIsrael would cause them, in all their ways of life, to differ from the\npeople of other nations. This peculiarity, which should have been\nregarded as a special privilege and blessing, was to them unwelcome. The\nsimplicity and self-restraint essential to the highest development they\nsought to exchange for the pomp and self-indulgence of heathen peoples.\nTo be \u201clike all the nations\u201d[53] was their ambition. God\u2019s plan of\neducation was set aside, His authority disowned.\n\nIn the rejection of the ways of God for the ways of men, the downfall of\nIsrael began. Thus also it continued, until the Jewish people became a\nprey to the very nations whose practises they had chosen to follow.\n\n[Sidenote: _God\u2019s Plan Unchanged_]\n\nAs a nation the children of Israel failed of receiving the benefits that\nGod desired to give them. They did not appreciate His purpose or\nco-operate in its execution. But though individuals and peoples may thus\nseparate themselves from Him, His purpose for those who trust Him is\nunchanged. \u201cWhatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever.\u201d[54]\n\nWhile there are different degrees of development and different\nmanifestations of His power to meet the wants of men in the different\nages, God\u2019s work in all time is the same. The Teacher is the same. God\u2019s\ncharacter and His plan are the same. With Him \u201cis not variableness,\nneither shadow of turning.\u201d[55]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_For Our Admonition_\u201d]\n\nThe experiences of Israel were recorded for our instruction. \u201cAll those\nthings happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our\nadmonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.\u201d[56] With us, as\nwith Israel of old, success in education depends on fidelity in carrying\nout the Creator\u2019s plan. Adherence to the principles of God\u2019s word will\nbring as great blessings to us as it would have brought to the Hebrew\npeople.\n\n\n _Lives of Great Men_\n\n \u201cTHE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS\n IS A TREE OF LIFE\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Results of True Education_]\n\nSacred history presents many illustrations of the results of true\neducation. It presents many noble examples of men whose characters were\nformed under divine direction; men whose lives were a blessing to their\nfellow-men, and who stood in the world as representatives of God. Among\nthese are Joseph and Daniel, Moses, Elisha, and Paul,\u2014the greatest\nstatesmen, the wisest legislator, one of the most faithful of reformers,\nand, except Him who spoke as never man spake, the most illustrious\nteacher that his world has known.\n\n[Sidenote: _Joseph_]\n\nIn early life, just as they were passing from youth to manhood, Joseph\nand Daniel were separated from their homes, and carried as captives to\nheathen lands. Especially was Joseph subject to the temptations that\nattend great changes of fortune. In his father\u2019s home a tenderly\ncherished child; in the house of Potiphar a slave, then a confidant and\ncompanion; a man of affairs, educated by study, observation, contact\nwith men; in Pharaoh\u2019s dungeon a prisoner of state, condemned unjustly,\nwithout hope of vindication or prospect of release; called at a great\ncrisis to the leadership of the nation,\u2014what enabled him to preserve his\nintegrity?\n\n[Sidenote: _Perils of Prosperity_]\n\nNo one can stand upon a lofty height without danger. As the tempest that\nleaves unharmed the flower of the valley uproots the tree upon the\nmountaintop, so do fierce temptations that leave untouched the lowly in\nlife assail those who stand in the world\u2019s high places of success and\nhonor. But Joseph bore alike the test of adversity and of prosperity.\nThe same fidelity was manifest in the palace of the Pharaohs as in the\nprisoner\u2019s cell.\n\n[Sidenote: _Joseph\u2019s Early Years_]\n\nIn his childhood, Joseph had been taught the love and fear of God. Often\nin his father\u2019s tent, under the Syrian stars, he had been told the story\nof the night vision at Bethel, of the ladder from heaven to earth, and\nthe descending and ascending angels, and of Him who from the throne\nabove revealed Himself to Jacob. He had been told the story of the\nconflict beside the Jabbok, when, renouncing cherished sins, Jacob stood\nconqueror, and received the title of a prince with God.\n\nA shepherd boy, tending his father\u2019s flocks, Joseph\u2019s pure and simple\nlife had favored the development of both physical and mental power. By\ncommunion with God through nature and the study of the great truths\nhanded down as a sacred trust from father to son, he had gained strength\nof mind, and firmness of principle.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Crisis_]\n\nIn the crisis of his life, when making that terrible journey from his\nchildhood\u2019s home in Canaan to the bondage which awaited him in Egypt,\nlooking for the last time on the hills that hid the tents of his\nkindred, Joseph remembered his father\u2019s God. He remembered the lessons\nof his childhood, and his soul thrilled with the resolve to prove\nhimself true,\u2014ever to act as became a subject of the King of heaven.\n\n[Sidenote: _Training for Service_]\n\nIn the bitter life of a stranger and a slave, amidst the sights and\nsounds of vice and the allurements of heathen worship, a worship\nsurrounded with all the attractions of wealth and culture and the pomp\nof royalty, Joseph was steadfast. He had learned the lesson of obedience\nto duty. Faithfulness in every station, from the most lowly to the most\nexalted, trained every power for highest service.\n\nAt the time when he was called to the court of Pharaoh, Egypt was the\ngreatest of nations. In civilization, art, learning, she was unequaled.\nThrough a period of utmost difficulty and danger, Joseph administered\nthe affairs of the kingdom; and this he did in a manner that won the\nconfidence of the king and the people. Pharaoh made him \u201clord of his\nhouse, and ruler of all his substance; to bind his princes at his\npleasure, and teach his senators wisdom.\u201d[57]\n\n[Sidenote: _Secret of Joseph\u2019s Greatness_]\n\nThe secret of Joseph\u2019s life Inspiration has set before us. In words of\ndivine power and beauty, Jacob, in the blessing pronounced upon his\nchildren, spoke thus of his best-loved son:\u2014\n\n \u201cJoseph is a fruitful bough,\n Even a fruitful bough by a well;\n Whose branches run over the wall;\n The archers have sorely grieved him,\n And shot at him, and hated him;\n But his bow abode in strength,\n And the arms of his hands were made strong\n By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; ...\n Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee;\n And by the Almighty, who shall bless thee\n With blessings of heaven above,\n Blessings of the deep that lieth under; ...\n The blessings of thy father have prevailed\n Above the blessings of my progenitors\n Unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills;\n They shall be on the head of Joseph,\n And on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his\n brethren.\u201d[58]\n\nLoyalty to God, faith in the Unseen, was Joseph\u2019s anchor. In this lay\nthe hiding of his power.\n\n \u201cThe arms of his hands were made strong\n By the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.\u201d\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Daniel_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Perils in Babylon_]\n\nDaniel and his companions in Babylon were, in their youth, apparently\nmore favored of fortune than was Joseph in the earlier years of his life\nin Egypt; yet they were subjected to tests of character scarcely less\nsevere. From the comparative simplicity of their Judean home these youth\nof royal line were transported to the most magnificent of cities, to the\ncourt of its greatest monarch, and were singled out to be trained for\nthe king\u2019s special service. Strong were the temptations surrounding them\nin that corrupt and luxurious court. The fact that they, the worshipers\nof Jehovah, were captives to Babylon; that the vessels of God\u2019s house\nhad been placed in the temple of the gods of Babylon; that the king of\nIsrael was himself a prisoner in the hands of the Babylonians, was\nboastfully cited by the victors as evidence that their religion and\ncustoms were superior to the religion and customs of the Hebrews. Under\nsuch circumstances, through the very humiliations that Israel\u2019s\ndeparture from His commandments had invited, God gave to Babylon\nevidence of His supremacy, of the holiness of His requirements, and of\nthe sure result of obedience. And this testimony He gave, as alone it\ncould be given, through those who still held fast their loyalty.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Test of Character_]\n\nTo Daniel and his companions, at the very outset of their career, there\ncame a decisive test. The direction that their food should be supplied\nfrom the royal table was an expression both of the king\u2019s favor and of\nhis solicitude for their welfare. But a portion having been offered to\nidols, the food from the king\u2019s table was consecrated to idolatry; and\nin partaking of the king\u2019s bounty these youth would be regarded as\nuniting in his homage to false gods. In such homage loyalty to Jehovah\nforbade them to participate. Nor dared they risk the enervating effect\nof luxury and dissipation on physical, mental, and spiritual\ndevelopment.\n\nDaniel and his companions had been faithfully instructed in the\nprinciples of the word of God. They had learned to sacrifice the earthly\nto the spiritual, to seek the highest good. And they reaped the reward.\nTheir habits of temperance and their sense of responsibility as\nrepresentatives of God called to noblest development the powers of body,\nmind, and soul. At the end of their training, in their examination with\nother candidates for the honors of the kingdom, there was \u201cfound none\nlike Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.\u201d[59]\n\n[Sidenote: _Foremost among Students_]\n\nAt the court of Babylon were gathered representatives from all lands,\nmen of the choicest talents, men the most richly endowed with natural\ngifts, and possessed of the highest culture this world could bestow; yet\namidst them all, the Hebrew captives were without a peer. In physical\nstrength and beauty, in mental vigor and literary attainment, they stood\nunrivaled. \u201cIn all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king\ninquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians\nand astrologers that were in all his realm.\u201d[60]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Unrivaled Statesman_]\n\nUnwavering in allegiance to God, unyielding in the mastery of himself,\nDaniel\u2019s noble dignity and courteous deference won for him in his youth\nthe \u201cfavor and tender love\u201d of the heathen officer in whose charge he\nwas. The same characteristics marked his life. Speedily he rose to the\nposition of prime minister of the kingdom. Throughout the reign of\nsuccessive monarchs, the downfall of the nation, and the establishment\nof a rival kingdom, such were his wisdom and statesmanship, so perfect\nhis tact, his courtesy, and his genuine goodness of heart, combined with\nfidelity to principle, that even his enemies were forced to the\nconfession that \u201cthey could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as\nhe was faithful.\u201d[61]\n\n[Sidenote: _Heaven\u2019s Ambassador_]\n\nWhile Daniel clung to God with unwavering trust, the spirit of prophetic\npower came upon him. While honored by men with the responsibilities of\nthe court and the secrets of the kingdom, he was honored by God as His\nambassador, and taught to read the mysteries of ages to come. Heathen\nmonarchs, through association with Heaven\u2019s representative, were\nconstrained to acknowledge the God of Daniel. \u201cOf a truth it is,\u201d\ndeclared Nebuchadnezzar, \u201cthat your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of\nkings, and a revealer of secrets.\u201d And Darius, in his proclamation \u201cunto\nall people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth,\u201d\nexalted the \u201cGod of Daniel\u201d as \u201cthe living God, and steadfast forever,\nand His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed;\u201d who \u201cdelivereth and\nrescueth, and ... worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth.\u201d[62]\n\n * * * * *\n\nBy their wisdom and justice, by the purity and benevolence of their\ndaily life, by their devotion to the interests of the people,\u2014and they,\nidolaters,\u2014Joseph and Daniel proved themselves true to the principles of\ntheir early training, true to Him whose representatives they were. These\nmen, both in Egypt and in Babylon, the whole nation honored; and in them\na heathen people, and all the nations with which they were connected,\nbeheld an illustration of the goodness and beneficence of God, an\nillustration of the love of Christ.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Noble Life-Work_]\n\nWhat a life-work was that of these noble Hebrews! As they bade farewell\nto their childhood\u2019s home, how little did they dream of their high\ndestiny! Faithful and steadfast, they yielded themselves to the divine\nguiding, so that through them God could fulfil His purpose.\n\nThe same mighty truths that were revealed through these men, God desires\nto reveal through the youth and the children of to-day. The history of\nJoseph and Daniel is an illustration of what He will do for those who\nyield themselves to Him, and with the whole heart seek to accomplish His\npurpose.\n\n[Sidenote: _The World\u2019s Greatest Need_]\n\nThe greatest want of the world is the want of men,\u2014men who will not be\nbought or sold; men who in their inmost souls are true and honest; men\nwho do not fear to call sin by its right name; men whose conscience is\nas true to duty as the needle to the pole; men who will stand for the\nright though the heavens fall.\n\n[Sidenote: _Self-Discipline_]\n\nBut such a character is not the result of accident; it is not due to\nspecial favors or endowments of Providence. A noble character is the\nresult of self-discipline, of the subjection of the lower to the higher\nnature,\u2014the surrender of self for the service of love to God and man.\n\nThe youth need to be impressed with the truth that their endowments are\nnot their own. Strength, time, intellect, are but lent treasures. They\nbelong to God, and it should be the resolve of every youth to put them\nto the highest use. He is a branch, from which God expects fruit; a\nsteward, whose capital must yield increase; a light, to illuminate the\nworld\u2019s darkness.\n\nEvery youth, every child, has a work to do for the honor of God and the\nuplifting of humanity.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Elisha_]\n\nThe early years of the prophet Elisha were passed in the quietude of\ncountry life, under the teaching of God and nature and the discipline of\nuseful work. In a time of almost universal apostasy, his father\u2019s\nhousehold were among the number who had not bowed the knee to Baal.\nTheirs was a home where God was honored, and where faithfulness to duty\nwas the rule of daily life.\n\nThe son of a wealthy farmer, Elisha had taken up the work that lay\nnearest. While possessing the capabilities of a leader among men, he\nreceived a training in life\u2019s common duties. In order to direct wisely,\nhe must learn to obey. By faithfulness in little things, he was prepared\nfor weightier trusts.\n\n[Sidenote: _Faithfulness in Little Things_]\n\nOf a meek and gentle spirit, Elisha possessed also energy and\nsteadfastness. He cherished the love and fear of God, and in the humble\nround of daily toil he gained strength of purpose and nobleness of\ncharacter, growing in divine grace and knowledge. While co-operating\nwith his father in the home duties, he was learning to co-operate with\nGod.\n\nThe prophetic call came to Elisha while with his father\u2019s servants he\nwas plowing in the field. As Elijah, divinely directed in seeking a\nsuccessor, cast his mantle upon the young man\u2019s shoulders, Elisha\nrecognized and obeyed the summons. He \u201cwent after Elijah, and ministered\nunto him.\u201d[63] It was no great work that was at first required of\nElisha; commonplace duties still constituted his discipline. He is\nspoken of as pouring water on the hands of Elijah, his master. As the\nprophet\u2019s personal attendant, he continued to prove faithful in little\nthings, while with daily strengthening purpose he devoted himself to the\nmission appointed him by God.\n\n[Sidenote: _Singleness of Purpose_]\n\nWhen he was first summoned, his resolution had been tested. As he turned\nto follow Elijah, he was bidden by the prophet to return home. He must\ncount the cost,\u2014decide for himself to accept or reject the call. But\nElisha understood the value of his opportunity. Not for any worldly\nadvantage would he forego the possibility of becoming God\u2019s messenger,\nor sacrifice the privilege of association with His servant.\n\n[Sidenote: _Test of Faith_]\n\nAs time passed, and Elijah was prepared for translation, so Elisha was\nprepared to become his successor. And again his faith and resolution\nwere tested. Accompanying Elijah in his round of service, knowing the\nchange soon to come, he was at each place invited by the prophet to turn\nback. \u201cTarry here, I pray thee,\u201d Elijah said; \u201cfor the Lord hath sent me\nto Bethel.\u201d But in his early labor of guiding the plow, Elisha had\nlearned not to fail or to become discouraged; and now that he had set\nhis hand to the plow in another line of duty, he would not be diverted\nfrom his purpose. As often as the invitation to turn back was given, his\nanswer was, \u201cAs the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not\nleave thee.\u201d[64]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Supreme Gift_]\n\n\u201cAnd they two went on.... And they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took\nhis mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were\ndivided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.\nAnd it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto\nElisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.\nAnd Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon\nme. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if thou see\nme when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it\nshall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked,\nthat, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and\nparted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.\n\n\u201cAnd Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of\nIsrael, and the horsemen thereof! And he saw him no more; and he took\nhold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also\nthe mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the\nbank of Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and\nsmote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he\nalso had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither; and Elisha\nwent over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at\nJericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.\nAnd they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before\nhim.\u201d[65]\n\nHenceforth Elisha stood in Elijah\u2019s place. And he who had been faithful\nin that which was least, proved himself faithful also in much.\n\n[Sidenote: _Fruits of Practical Training_]\n\nElijah, the man of power, had been God\u2019s instrument for the overthrow of\ngigantic evils. Idolatry, which, supported by Ahab and the heathen\nJezebel, had seduced the nation, had been cast down. Baal\u2019s prophets had\nbeen slain. The whole people of Israel had been deeply stirred, and many\nwere returning to the worship of God. As successor to Elijah was needed\none who by careful, patient instruction could guide Israel in safe\npaths. For this work Elisha\u2019s early training under God\u2019s direction had\nprepared him.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Lesson for All_]\n\nThe lesson is for all. None can know what may be God\u2019s purpose in His\ndiscipline; but all may be certain that faithfulness in little things is\nthe evidence of fitness for greater responsibilities. Every act of life\nis a revelation of character, and he only who in small duties proves\nhimself \u201ca workman that needeth not to be ashamed,\u201d[66] will be honored\nby God with weightier trusts.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Moses_]\n\nYounger than Joseph or Daniel was Moses when removed from the sheltering\ncare of his childhood\u2019s home; yet already the same agencies that shaped\ntheir lives had moulded his. Only twelve years did he spend with his\nHebrew kindred; but during these years was laid the foundation of his\ngreatness; it was laid by the hand of one little known to fame.\n\n[Sidenote: _His Mother\u2019s Teaching_]\n\nJochebed was a woman and a slave. Her lot in life was humble, her burden\nheavy. But through no other woman, save Mary of Nazareth, has the world\nreceived greater blessing. Knowing that her child must soon pass beyond\nher care, to the guardianship of those who knew not God, she the more\nearnestly endeavored to link his soul with heaven. She sought to implant\nin his heart love and loyalty to God. And faithfully was the work\naccomplished. Those principles of truth that were the burden of his\nmother\u2019s teaching and the lesson of her life, no after-influence could\ninduce Moses to renounce.\n\n[Sidenote: _In the Schools of Egypt_]\n\nFrom the humble home in Goshen, the son of Jochebed passed to the palace\nof the Pharaohs, to the Egyptian princess, by her to be welcomed as a\nloved and cherished son. In the schools of Egypt, Moses received the\nhighest civil and military training. Of great personal attractions,\nnoble in form and stature, of cultivated mind and princely bearing, and\nrenowned as a military leader, he became the nation\u2019s pride. The king of\nEgypt was also a member of the priesthood: and Moses, though refusing to\nparticipate in the heathen worship, was initiated into all the mysteries\nof the Egyptian religion. Egypt at this time being still the most\npowerful and most highly civilized of nations, Moses, as its prospective\nsovereign, was heir to the highest honors this world could bestow. But\nhis was a nobler choice. For the honor of God and the deliverance of His\ndowntrodden people, Moses sacrificed the honors of Egypt. Then, in a\nspecial sense, God undertook his training.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Lesson of Defeat_]\n\nNot yet was Moses prepared for his life-work. He had yet to learn the\nlesson of dependence upon divine power. He had mistaken God\u2019s purpose.\nIt was his hope to deliver Israel by force of arms. For this he risked\nall, and failed. In defeat and disappointment he became a fugitive and\nexile in a strange land.\n\n[Sidenote: _Training for Leadership_]\n\nIn the wilds of Midian, Moses spent forty years as a keeper of sheep.\nApparently cut off forever from his life\u2019s mission, he was receiving the\ndiscipline essential for its fulfilment. Wisdom to govern an ignorant\nand undisciplined multitude must be gained through self-mastery. In the\ncare of the sheep and the tender lambs he must obtain the experience\nthat would make him a faithful, long-suffering shepherd to Israel. That\nhe might become a representative of God, he must learn of Him.\n\nThe influences that had surrounded him in Egypt, the affection of his\nfoster-mother, his own position as the grandson of the king, the luxury\nand vice that allured in ten thousand forms, the refinement, the\nsubtlety, and the mysticism of a false religion, had made an impression\non his mind and character. In the stern simplicity of the wilderness,\nall this disappeared.\n\n[Sidenote: _Alone with God_]\n\nAmidst the solemn majesty of the mountain solitudes, Moses was alone\nwith God. Everywhere the Creator\u2019s name was written. Moses seemed to\nstand in His presence, and to be overshadowed by His power. Here his\nself-sufficiency was swept away. In the presence of the Infinite One he\nrealized how weak, how inefficient, how short-sighted, is man.\n\nHere Moses gained that which went with him throughout the years of his\ntoilsome and care-burdened life,\u2014a sense of the personal presence of the\nDivine One. Not merely did he look down the ages for Christ to be made\nmanifest in the flesh; he saw Christ accompanying the host of Israel in\nall their travels. When misunderstood and misrepresented, when called to\nbear reproach and insult, to face danger and death, he was able to\nendure \u201cas seeing Him who is invisible.\u201d[67]\n\nMoses did not merely think of God; he saw Him. God was the constant\nvision before him. Never did he lose sight of His face.\n\n[Sidenote: _Power through Faith_]\n\nTo Moses faith was no guesswork; it was a reality. He believed that God\nruled his life in particular; and in all its details he acknowledged\nHim. For strength to withstand every temptation, he trusted in Him.\n\nThe great work assigned him he desired to make in the highest degree\nsuccessful, and he placed his whole dependence upon divine power. He\nfelt his need of help, asked for it, by faith grasped it, and in the\nassurance of sustaining strength went forward.\n\n[Sidenote: _Results of His Training_]\n\nSuch was the experience that Moses gained by his forty years of training\nin the desert. To impart such an experience, Infinite Wisdom counted not\nthe period too long or the price too great.\n\nThe results of that training, of the lessons there taught, are bound up,\nnot only with the history of Israel, but with all which from that day to\nthis has told for the world\u2019s progress. The highest testimony to the\ngreatness of Moses, the judgment passed upon his life by Inspiration,\nis, \u201cThere arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom\nJehovah knew face to face.\u201d[68]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Paul_]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_An Hebrew of the Hebrews_\u201d]\n\nWith the faith and experience of the Galilean disciples who had\ncompanied with Jesus were united, in the work of the gospel, the fiery\nvigor and intellectual power of a rabbi of Jerusalem. A Roman citizen,\nborn in a Gentile city; a Jew, not only by descent but by lifelong\ntraining, patriotic devotion, and religious faith; educated in Jerusalem\nby the most eminent of the rabbis, and instructed in all the laws and\ntraditions of the fathers, Saul of Tarsus shared to the fullest extent\nthe pride and the prejudices of his nation. While still a young man, he\nbecame an honored member of the Sanhedrin. He was looked upon as a man\nof promise, a zealous defender of the ancient faith.\n\nIn the theological schools of Judea, the word of God had been set aside\nfor human speculations; it was robbed of its power by the\ninterpretations and traditions of the rabbis. Self-aggrandizement, love\nof domination, jealous exclusiveness, bigotry and contemptuous pride,\nwere the ruling principles and motives of these teachers.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Leader in Persecution_]\n\nThe rabbis gloried in their superiority, not only to the people of other\nnations, but to the masses of their own. With their fierce hatred of\ntheir Roman oppressors, they cherished the determination to recover by\nforce of arms their national supremacy. The followers of Jesus, whose\nmessage of peace was so contrary to their schemes of ambition, they\nhated and put to death. In this persecution, Saul was one of the most\nbitter and relentless actors.\n\nIn the military schools of Egypt, Moses was taught the law of force, and\nso strong a hold did this teaching have upon his character that it\nrequired forty years of quiet and communion with God and nature to fit\nhim for the leadership of Israel by the law of love. The same lesson\nPaul had to learn.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Vision of the Crucified_]\n\nAt the gate of Damascus the vision of the Crucified One changed the\nwhole current of his life. The persecutor became a disciple, the teacher\na learner. The days of darkness spent in solitude at Damascus were as\nyears in his experience. The Old Testament Scriptures stored in his\nmemory were his study, and Christ his teacher. To him also nature\u2019s\nsolitudes became a school. To the desert of Arabia he went, there to\nstudy the Scriptures and to learn of God. He emptied his soul of the\nprejudices and traditions that had shaped his life, and received\ninstruction from the Source of truth.\n\nHis after-life was inspired by the one principle of self-sacrifice, the\nministry of love. \u201cI am debtor,\u201d he said, \u201cboth to the Greeks, and to\nthe barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.\u201d \u201cThe love of\nChrist constraineth us.\u201d[69]\n\n[Sidenote: _Craftsman_, _Preacher_, _Missionary_]\n\nThe greatest of human teachers, Paul accepted the lowliest as well as\nthe highest duties. He recognized the necessity of labor for the hand as\nwell as for the mind, and he wrought at a handicraft for his own\nsupport. His trade of tent-making he pursued while daily preaching the\ngospel in the great centers of civilization. \u201cThese hands,\u201d he said, at\nparting with the elders of Ephesus, \u201chave ministered unto my\nnecessities, and to them that were with me.\u201d[70]\n\n[Sidenote: _Sympathy and Insight_]\n\nWhile he possessed high intellectual endowments, the life of Paul\nrevealed the power of a rarer wisdom. Principles of deepest import,\nprinciples concerning which the greatest minds of his time were\nignorant, are unfolded in his teachings and exemplified in his life. He\nhad that greatest of all wisdom, which gives quickness of insight and\nsympathy of heart, which brings man in touch with men, and enables him\nto arouse their better nature and inspire them to a higher life.\n\nListen to his words before the heathen Lystrians, as he points them to\nGod revealed in nature, the Source of all good, who \u201cgave us rain from\nheaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and\ngladness.\u201d[71]\n\n[Sidenote: _Mastership_]\n\nSee him in the dungeon at Philippi, where, despite his pain-racked body,\nhis song of praise breaks the silence of midnight. After the earthquake\nhas opened the prison doors, his voice is again heard, in words of cheer\nto the heathen jailer, \u201cDo thyself no harm; for we are all\nhere,\u201d[72]\u2014every man in his place, restrained by the presence of one\nfellow-prisoner. And the jailer, convicted of the reality of that faith\nwhich sustains Paul, inquires the way of salvation, and with his whole\nhousehold unites with the persecuted band of Christ\u2019s disciples.\n\n[Sidenote: _In Advance of His Age_]\n\nSee Paul at Athens before the council of the Areopagus, as he meets\nscience with science, logic with logic, and philosophy with philosophy.\nMark how, with the tact born of divine love, he points to Jehovah as the\n\u201cUnknown God,\u201d whom his hearers have ignorantly worshiped; and in words\nquoted from a poet of their own he pictures Him as a Father whose\nchildren they are. Hear him, in that age of caste, when the rights of\nman as man were wholly unrecognized, as he sets forth the great truth of\nhuman brotherhood, declaring that God \u201chath made of one blood all\nnations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth.\u201d Then he shows\nhow, through all the dealings of God with man, runs like a thread of\ngold His purpose of grace and mercy. He \u201chath determined the times\nbefore appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should\nseek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though\nHe be not far from every one of us.\u201d[73]\n\nHear him in the court of Festus, when King Agrippa, convicted of the\ntruth of the gospel, exclaims, \u201cAlmost thou persuadest me to be a\nChristian.\u201d With what gentle courtesy does Paul, pointing to his own\nchain, make answer, \u201cI would to God, that not only thou, but also all\nthat hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am,\nexcept these bonds.\u201d[74]\n\n[Sidenote: _A Strenuous Life_]\n\nThus passed his life, as described in his own words, \u201cin journeyings\noften, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own\ncountrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils\nin the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;\nin weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst,\nin fastings often, in cold and nakedness.\u201d[75]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Joy of Service_]\n\n\u201cBeing reviled,\u201d he said, \u201cwe bless; being persecuted, we suffer it;\nbeing defamed, we entreat;\u201d \u201cas sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor,\nyet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all\nthings.\u201d[76]\n\nIn service he found his joy; and at the close of his life of toil,\nlooking back on its struggles and triumphs, he could say, \u201cI have fought\na good fight.\u201d[77]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Satisfied with Their Choice_]\n\nThese histories are of vital interest. To none are they of deeper\nimportance than to the youth. Moses renounced a prospective kingdom,\nPaul the advantages of wealth and honor among his people, for a life of\nburden-bearing in God\u2019s service. To many the life of these men appears\none of renunciation and sacrifice. Was it really so? Moses counted the\nreproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. He\ncounted it so because it was so. Paul declared: \u201cWhat things were gain\nto me, these have I counted loss for Christ. Yea verily, and I count all\nthings to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my\nLord; for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but\nrefuse that I may gain Christ.\u201d[78] He was satisfied with his choice.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Abiding Greatness_]\n\nMoses was offered the palace of the Pharaohs and the monarch\u2019s throne;\nbut the sinful pleasures that make men forget God were in those lordly\ncourts, and he chose instead the \u201cdurable riches and righteousness.\u201d[79]\nInstead of linking himself with the greatness of Egypt, he chose to bind\nup his life with God\u2019s purpose. Instead of giving laws to Egypt, he by\ndivine direction enacted laws for the world. He became God\u2019s instrument\nin giving to men those principles that are the safeguard alike of the\nhome and of society, that are the corner-stone of the prosperity of\nnations,\u2014principles recognized to-day by the world\u2019s greatest men as the\nfoundation of all that is best in human governments.\n\nThe greatness of Egypt is in the dust. Its power and civilization have\npassed away. But the work of Moses can never perish. The great\nprinciples of righteousness which he lived to establish are eternal.\n\n[Sidenote: _With Christ_]\n\nMoses\u2019 life of toil and heart-burdening care was irradiated with the\npresence of Him who is \u201cthe chiefest among ten thousand,\u201d and the One\n\u201caltogether lovely.\u201d[80] With Christ in the wilderness wandering, with\nChrist on the mount of transfiguration, with Christ in the heavenly\ncourts,\u2014his was a life on earth blessing and blessed, and in heaven\nhonored.\n\nPaul also in his manifold labors was upheld by the sustaining power of\nHis presence. \u201cI can do all things,\u201d he said, \u201cthrough Christ which\nstrengtheneth me.\u201d \u201cWho shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall\ntribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or\nperil, or sword?... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors\nthrough Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor\nlife, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,\nnor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created\nthing,[81] shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is\nin Christ Jesus our Lord.\u201d[82]\n\n[Sidenote: _Life\u2019s Recompense_]\n\nYet there is a future joy to which Paul looked forward as the recompense\nof his labors,\u2014the same joy for the sake of which Christ endured the\ncross and despised the shame,\u2014the joy of seeing the fruition of his\nwork. \u201cWhat is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?\u201d he wrote to the\nThessalonian converts. \u201cAre not even ye in the presence of our Lord\nJesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy.\u201d[83]\n\nWho can measure the results to the world of Paul\u2019s life-work? Of all\nthose beneficent influences that alleviate suffering, that comfort\nsorrow, that restrain evil, that uplift life from the selfish and the\nsensual, and glorify it with the hope of immortality, how much is due to\nthe labors of Paul and his fellow-workers, as with the gospel of the Son\nof God they made their unnoticed journey from Asia to the shores of\nEurope?\n\nWhat is it worth to any life to have been God\u2019s instrument in setting in\nmotion such influences of blessing? What will it be worth in eternity to\nwitness the results of such a life-work?\n\n\n\n\n _THE MASTER TEACHER_\n\n\n \u201c_Never man spake like this Man._\u201d\n\n\n _The Teacher Sent from God_\n\n \u201cCONSIDER HIM\u201d\n\n\u201cHis name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the\neverlasting Father, the Prince of peace.\u201d[84]\n\n[Sidenote: _Heaven\u2019s Best and Greatest_]\n\nIn the Teacher sent from God, heaven gave to men its best and greatest.\nHe who had stood in the councils of the Most High, who had dwelt in the\ninnermost sanctuary of the Eternal, was the One chosen to reveal in\nperson to humanity the knowledge of God.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Perfect Ideal_]\n\nThrough Christ had been communicated every ray of divine light that had\never reached our fallen world. It was He who had spoken through every\none that throughout the ages had declared God\u2019s word to man. Of Him all\nthe excellences manifest in the earth\u2019s greatest and noblest souls were\nreflections. The purity and beneficence of Joseph, the faith and\nmeekness and long-suffering of Moses, the steadfastness of Elisha, the\nnoble integrity and firmness of Daniel, the ardor and self-sacrifice of\nPaul, the mental and spiritual power manifest in all these men, and in\nall others who had ever dwelt on the earth, were but gleams from the\nshining of His glory. In Him was found the perfect ideal.\n\nTo reveal this ideal as the only true standard for attainment; to show\nwhat every human being might become; what, through the indwelling of\nhumanity by divinity, all who received Him would become,\u2014for this,\nChrist came to the world. He came to show how men are to be trained as\nbefits the sons of God; how on earth they are to practise the principles\nand to live the life of heaven.\n\n[Sidenote: _Results of False Teaching_]\n\nGod\u2019s greatest gift was bestowed to meet man\u2019s greatest need. The Light\nappeared when the world\u2019s darkness was deepest. Through false teaching,\nthe minds of men had long been turned away from God. In the prevailing\nsystems of education, human philosophy had taken the place of divine\nrevelation. Instead of the heaven-given standard of truth, men had\naccepted a standard of their own devising. From the Light of life they\nhad turned aside to walk in the sparks of the fire which they had\nkindled.\n\n[Sidenote: _Pretense for Reality_]\n\nHaving separated from God, their only dependence being the power of\nhumanity, their strength was but weakness. Even the standard set up by\nthemselves they were incapable of reaching. The want of true excellence\nwas supplied by appearance and profession. Semblance took the place of\nreality.\n\nFrom time to time, teachers arose who pointed men to the Source of\ntruth. Right principles were enunciated, and human lives witnessed to\ntheir power. But these efforts made no lasting impression. There was a\nbrief check in the current of evil, but its downward course was not\nstayed. The reformers were as lights that shone in the darkness; but\nthey could not dispel it. The world \u201cloved darkness rather than\nlight.\u201d[85]\n\n[Sidenote: _Formalism; Materialism_]\n\nWhen Christ came to the earth, humanity seemed to be fast reaching its\nlowest point. The very foundations of society were undermined. Life had\nbecome false and artificial. The Jews, destitute of the power of God\u2019s\nword, gave to the world mind-benumbing, soul-deadening traditions and\nspeculations. The worship of God \u201cin Spirit and in truth,\u201d had been\nsupplanted by the glorification of men in an endless round of man-made\nceremonies. Throughout the world, all systems of religion were losing\ntheir hold on mind and soul. Disgusted with fable and falsehood, seeking\nto drown thought, men turned to infidelity and materialism. Leaving\neternity out of their reckoning, they lived for the present.\n\n[Sidenote: _Human Rights Disregarded_]\n\nAs they ceased to recognize the Divine, they ceased to regard the human.\nTruth, honor, integrity, confidence, compassion, were departing from the\nearth. Relentless greed and absorbing ambition gave birth to universal\ndistrust. The idea of duty, of the obligation of strength to weakness,\nof human dignity and human rights, was cast aside as a dream or a fable.\nThe common people were regarded as beasts of burden or as the tools and\nthe stepping-stones for ambition. Wealth and power, ease and\nself-indulgence, were sought as the highest good. Physical degeneracy,\nmental stupor, spiritual death, characterized the age.\n\n[Sidenote: _Misconception of God_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Evil Unrestrained_]\n\nAs the evil passions and purposes of men banished God from their\nthoughts, so forgetfulness of Him inclined them more strongly to evil.\nThe heart in love with sin clothed Him with its own attributes, and this\nconception strengthened the power of sin. Bent on self-pleasing, men\ncame to regard God as such a one as themselves,\u2014a Being whose aim was\nself-glory, whose requirements were suited to His own pleasure; a Being\nby whom men were lifted up or cast down according as they helped or\nhindered His selfish purpose. The lower classes regarded the Supreme\nBeing as one scarcely differing from their oppressors, save by exceeding\nthem in power. By these ideas every form of religion was moulded. Each\nwas a system of exaction. By gifts and ceremonies, the worshipers sought\nto propitiate the Deity, in order to secure His favor for their own\nends. Such religion, having no power upon the heart or the conscience,\ncould be but a round of forms, of which men wearied, and from which,\nexcept for such gain as it might offer, they longed to be free. So evil,\nunrestrained, grew stronger, while the appreciation and desire for good\ndiminished. Men lost the image of God, and received the impress of the\ndemoniacal power by which they were controlled. The whole world was\nbecoming a sink of corruption.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Power of a New Life_]\n\nThere was but one hope for the human race,\u2014that into this mass of\ndiscordant and corrupting elements might be cast a new leaven; that\nthere might be brought to mankind the power of a new life; that the\nknowledge of God might be restored to the world.\n\nChrist came to restore this knowledge. He came to set aside the false\nteaching by which those who claimed to know God had misrepresented Him.\nHe came to manifest the nature of His law, to reveal in His own\ncharacter the beauty of holiness.\n\n[Sidenote: _With the Love of Eternity_]\n\nChrist came to the world with the accumulated love of eternity. Sweeping\naway the exactions which had encumbered the law of God, He showed that\nthe law is a law of love, an expression of the Divine Goodness. He\nshowed that in obedience to its principles is involved the happiness of\nmankind, and with it the stability, the very foundation and framework,\nof human society.\n\nSo far from making arbitrary requirements, God\u2019s law is given to men as\na hedge, a shield. Whoever accepts its principles is preserved from\nevil. Fidelity to God involves fidelity to man. Thus the law guards the\nrights, the individuality, of every human being. It restrains the\nsuperior from oppression, and the subordinate from disobedience. It\ninsures man\u2019s well-being, both for this world and for the world to come.\nTo the obedient it is the pledge of eternal life; for it expresses the\nprinciples that endure forever.\n\n[Sidenote: _Demonstration of True Principles_]\n\nChrist came to demonstrate the value of the divine principles by\nrevealing their power for the regeneration of humanity. He came to teach\nhow these principles are to be developed and applied.\n\n[Sidenote: _Simplicity_]\n\nWith the people of that age, the value of all things was determined by\noutward show. As religion had declined in power, it had increased in\npomp. The educators of the time sought to command respect by display and\nostentation. To all this the life of Jesus presented a marked contrast.\nHis life demonstrated the worthlessness of those things that men\nregarded as life\u2019s great essentials. Born amidst surroundings the\nrudest, sharing a peasant\u2019s home, a peasant\u2019s fare, a craftsman\u2019s\noccupation, living a life of obscurity, identifying Himself with the\nworld\u2019s unknown toilers,\u2014amidst these conditions and surroundings,\u2014Jesus\nfollowed the divine plan of education. The schools of His time, with\ntheir magnifying of things small and their belittling of things great,\nHe did not seek. His education was gained directly from the\nHeaven-appointed sources; from useful work, from the study of the\nScriptures and of nature, and from the experiences of life,\u2014God\u2019s\nlesson-books, full of instruction to all who bring to them the willing\nhand, the seeing eye, and the understanding heart.\n\n\u201cThe Child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the\ngrace of God was upon Him.\u201d[86]\n\nThus prepared, He went forth to His mission, in every moment of His\ncontact with men exerting upon them an influence to bless, a power to\ntransform, such as the world had never witnessed.\n\n[Sidenote: _Sympathy_]\n\nHe who seeks to transform humanity must himself understand humanity.\nOnly through sympathy, faith, and love can men be reached and uplifted.\nHere Christ stands revealed as the master teacher; of all that ever\ndwelt on the earth, He alone has perfect understanding of the human\nsoul.\n\n\u201cWe have not a high priest\u201d\u2014master teacher, for the priests were\nteachers\u2014\u201cwe have not a high priest that can not be touched with the\nfeeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted\nlike as we are.\u201d[87]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_He Suffered Being Tempted_\u201d]\n\n\u201cIn that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor\nthem that are tempted.\u201d[88]\n\nChrist alone had experience in all the sorrows and temptations that\nbefall human beings. Never another of woman born was so fiercely beset\nby temptation; never another bore so heavy a burden of the world\u2019s sin\nand pain. Never was there another whose sympathies were so broad or so\ntender. A sharer in all the experiences of humanity, He could feel not\nonly for, but with, every burdened and tempted and struggling one.\n\n[Sidenote: _What He Taught, He Was_]\n\nWhat He taught, He lived. \u201cI have given you an example,\u201d He said to His\ndisciples; \u201cthat ye should do as I have done.\u201d \u201cI have kept My Father\u2019s\ncommandments.\u201d[89] Thus in His life, Christ\u2019s words had perfect\nillustration and support. And more than this; what He taught, He was.\nHis words were the expression, not only of His own life-experience, but\nof His own character. Not only did He teach the truth, but He was the\ntruth. It was this that gave His teaching power.\n\n[Sidenote: _Power to Win Hearts_]\n\nChrist was a faithful reprover. Never lived there another who so hated\nevil; never another whose denunciation of it was so fearless. To all\nthings untrue and base His very presence was a rebuke. In the light of\nHis purity, men saw themselves unclean, their life\u2019s aims mean and\nfalse. Yet He drew them. He who had created man, understood the value of\nhumanity. Evil He denounced as the foe of those whom He was seeking to\nbless and to save. In every human being, however fallen, He beheld a son\nof God, one who might be restored to the privilege of his divine\nrelationship.\n\n\u201cGod sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the\nworld through Him might be saved.\u201d[90] Looking upon men in their\nsuffering and degradation, Christ perceived ground for hope where\nappeared only despair and ruin. Wherever there existed a sense of need,\nthere He saw opportunity for uplifting. Souls tempted, defeated, feeling\nthemselves lost, ready to perish, He met, not with denunciation, but\nwith blessing.\n\n[Sidenote: _Salutation of Blessing_]\n\nThe beatitudes were His greeting to the whole human family. Looking upon\nthe vast throng gathered to listen to the sermon on the mount, He seemed\nfor the moment to have forgotten that He was not in heaven, and He used\nthe familiar salutation of the world of light. From His lips flowed\nblessings as the gushing forth of a long-sealed fountain.\n\nTurning from the ambitious, self-satisfied favorites of this world, He\ndeclared that those were blessed who, however great their need, would\nreceive His light and love. To the poor in spirit, the sorrowing, the\npersecuted, He stretched out His arms, saying, \u201cCome unto Me.... I will\ngive you rest.\u201d[91]\n\n[Sidenote: _Perception of Man\u2019s Possibilities_]\n\nIn every human being He discerned infinite possibilities. He saw men as\nthey might be, transfigured by His grace,\u2014in \u201cthe beauty of the Lord our\nGod.\u201d[92] Looking upon them with hope, He inspired hope. Meeting them\nwith confidence, He inspired trust. Revealing in Himself man\u2019s true\nideal, He awakened, for its attainment, both desire and faith. In His\npresence souls despised and fallen realized that they still were men,\nand they longed to prove themselves worthy of His regard. In many a\nheart that seemed dead to all things holy were awakened new impulses. To\nmany a despairing one there opened the possibility of a new life.\n\nChrist bound men to His heart by the ties of love and devotion; and by\nthe same ties He bound them to their fellow-men. With Him love was life,\nand life was service. \u201cFreely ye have received,\u201d He said, \u201cfreely\ngive.\u201d[93]\n\n[Sidenote: _In the Secret Place of Power_]\n\nIt was not on the cross only that Christ sacrificed Himself for\nhumanity. As \u201cHe went about doing good,\u201d[94] every-day\u2019s experience was\nan outpouring of His life. In one way only could such a life be\nsustained. Jesus lived in dependence upon God and communion with Him. To\nthe secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty, men\nnow and then repair; they abide for a season, and the result is manifest\nin noble deeds; then their faith fails, the communion is interrupted,\nand the life-work marred. But the life of Jesus was a life of constant\ntrust, sustained by continual communion; and His service for heaven and\nearth was without failure or faltering.\n\nAs a man He supplicated the throne of God, till His humanity was charged\nwith a heavenly current that connected humanity with divinity. Receiving\nlife from God, He imparted life to men.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Scope of His Teaching_]\n\n\u201cNever man spake like this Man.\u201d[95] This would have been true of Christ\nhad He taught only in the realm of the physical and the intellectual, or\nin matters of theory and speculation solely. He might have unlocked\nmysteries that have required centuries of toil and study to penetrate.\nHe might have made suggestions in scientific lines that, till the close\nof time, would have afforded food for thought and stimulus for\ninvention. But He did not do this. He said nothing to gratify curiosity\nor to stimulate selfish ambition. He did not deal in abstract theories,\nbut in that which is essential to the development of character; that\nwhich will enlarge man\u2019s capacity for knowing God, and increase his\npower to do good. He spoke of those truths that relate to the conduct of\nlife, and that unite man with eternity.\n\nInstead of directing the people to study men\u2019s theories about God, His\nword, or His works, He taught them to behold Him, as manifested in His\nworks, in His word, and by His providences. He brought their minds in\ncontact with the mind of the Infinite.\n\nThe people \u201cwere astonished at His teaching;[96] for His word was with\npower.\u201d[97] Never before spoke one who had such power to awaken thought,\nto kindle aspiration, to arouse every capability of body, mind, and\nsoul.\n\n[Sidenote: _For All Men and All Ages_]\n\nChrist\u2019s teaching, like His sympathies, embraced the world. Never can\nthere be a circumstance of life, a crisis in human experience, which has\nnot been anticipated in His teaching, and for which its principles have\nnot a lesson. The Prince of teachers, His words will be found a guide to\nHis co-workers till the end of time.\n\nTo Him the present and the future, the near and the far, were one. He\nhad in view the needs of all mankind. Before His mind\u2019s eye was\noutspread every scene of human effort and achievement, of temptation and\nconflict, of perplexity and peril. All hearts, all homes, all pleasures\nand joys and aspirations, were known to Him.\n\nHe spoke not only for, but to, all mankind. To the little child, in the\ngladness of life\u2019s morning; to the eager, restless heart of youth; to\nmen in the strength of their years, bearing the burden of responsibility\nand care; to the aged in their weakness and weariness,\u2014to all, His\nmessage was spoken,\u2014to every child of humanity, in every land and in\nevery age.\n\n[Sidenote: _Life\u2019s True Valuation_]\n\nIn His teaching were embraced the things of time and the things of\neternity,\u2014things seen, in their relation to things unseen, the passing\nincidents of common life and the solemn issues of the life to come.\n\nThe things of this life He placed in their true relation, as subordinate\nto those of eternal interest; but He did not ignore their importance. He\ntaught that heaven and earth are linked together, and that a knowledge\nof divine truth prepares man better to perform the duties of daily life.\n\nTo Him nothing was without purpose. The sports of the child, the toils\nof the man, life\u2019s pleasures and cares and pains, all were means to the\none end,\u2014the revelation of God for the uplifting of humanity.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_God with Us_\u201d]\n\nFrom His lips the word of God came home to men\u2019s hearts with new power\nand new meaning. His teaching caused the things of creation to stand out\nin new light. Upon the face of nature once more rested gleamings of that\nbrightness which sin had banished. In all the facts and experiences of\nlife were revealed a divine lesson and the possibility of divine\ncompanionship. Again God dwelt on earth; human hearts became conscious\nof His presence; the world was encompassed with His love. Heaven came\ndown to men. In Christ their hearts acknowledged Him who had opened to\nthem the science of eternity,\u2014\n\n\u201cImmanuel, God with us.\u201d\n\n * * * * *\n\nIn the Teacher sent from God, all true educational work finds its\ncenter. Of this work to-day as verily as of the work He established\neighteen hundred years ago, the Saviour speaks in the words,\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_The First and the Last_\u201d]\n\n\u201cI am the first and the last, and the Living One.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.\u201d[98]\n\nIn the presence of such a Teacher, of such opportunity for divine\neducation, what worse than folly is it to seek an education apart from\nHim,\u2014to seek to be wise apart from Wisdom; to be true while rejecting\nTruth; to seek illumination apart from the Light, and existence without\nthe Life; to turn from the Fountain of living waters, and hew out broken\ncisterns, that can hold no water.\n\nBehold, He is still inviting: \u201cIf any man thirst, let him come unto Me,\nand drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said,\u201d out of\nhim \u201cshall flow rivers of living water.\u201d \u201cThe water that I shall give\nhim shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal\nlife.\u201d[99]\n\n\n _An Illustration of His Methods_\n\n \u201cUNTO THE MEN WHOM THOU\n GAVEST ME, I HAVE MANIFESTED\n THY NAME\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Training of the Twelve_]\n\nThe most complete illustration of Christ\u2019s methods as a teacher is found\nin His training of the twelve first disciples. Upon these men were to\nrest weighty responsibilities. He had chosen them as men whom He could\nimbue with His Spirit, and who could be fitted to carry forward His work\non earth when He should leave it. To them, above all others, He gave the\nadvantage of His own companionship. Through personal association He\nimpressed Himself upon these chosen co-laborers. \u201cThe Life was\nmanifested,\u201d says John the beloved, \u201cand we have seen it, and bear\nwitness.\u201d[100]\n\nOnly by such communion,\u2014the communion of mind with mind and heart with\nheart, of the human with the divine,\u2014can be communicated that vitalizing\nenergy which it is the work of true education to impart. It is only life\nthat begets life.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Family School_]\n\nIn the training of His disciples the Saviour followed the system of\neducation established at the beginning. The twelve first chosen, with a\nfew others who through ministry to their needs were from time to time\nconnected with them, formed the family of Jesus. They were with Him in\nthe house, at the table, in the closet, in the field. They accompanied\nHim on His journeys, shared His trials and hardships, and, as much as in\nthem was, entered into His work.\n\nSometimes He taught them as they sat together on the mountainside,\nsometimes beside the sea, or from the fisherman\u2019s boat, sometimes as\nthey walked by the way. Whenever He spoke to the multitude, the\ndisciples formed the inner circle. They pressed close beside Him, that\nthey might lose nothing of His instruction. They were attentive\nlisteners, eager to understand the truths they were to teach in all\nlands and to all ages.\n\n[Sidenote: _From the Common People_]\n\nThe first pupils of Jesus were chosen from the ranks of the common\npeople. They were humble, unlettered men, these fishers of Galilee; men\nunschooled in the learning and customs of the rabbis, but trained by the\nstern discipline of toil and hardship. They were men of native ability\nand of teachable spirit; men who could be instructed and moulded for the\nSaviour\u2019s work. In the common walks of life there is many a toiler\npatiently treading the round of his daily tasks, unconscious of latent\npowers that, roused to action, would place him among the world\u2019s great\nleaders. Such were the men who were called by the Saviour to be His\nco-laborers. And they had the advantage of three years\u2019 training by the\ngreatest educator this world has ever known.\n\n[Sidenote: _Types of Character_]\n\nIn these first disciples was presented a marked diversity. They were to\nbe the world\u2019s teachers, and they represented widely varied types of\ncharacter. There were Levi Matthew the publican, called from a life of\nbusiness activity, and subservience to Rome; the zealot Simon, the\nuncompromising foe of the imperial authority; the impulsive,\nself-sufficient, warm-hearted Peter, with Andrew his brother; Judas the\nJudean, polished, capable, and mean-spirited; Philip and Thomas,\nfaithful and earnest, yet slow of heart to believe; James the less and\nJude, of less prominence among the brethren, but men of force, positive\nboth in their faults and in their virtues; Nathanael, a child in\nsincerity and trust; and the ambitious, loving-hearted sons of Zebedee.\n\n[Sidenote: _To Come into Unity_]\n\nIn order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been\ncalled, these disciples, differing so widely in natural characteristics,\nin training, and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of\nfeeling, thought, and action. This unity it was Christ\u2019s object to\nsecure. To this end He sought to bring them into unity with Himself. The\nburden of His labor for them is expressed in His prayer to the Father,\n\u201cthat they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee,\nthat they also may be one in Us; ... that the world may know that Thou\nhast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.\u201d[101]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _His Closest Companions_]\n\nOf the twelve disciples, four were to act a leading part, each in a\ndistinct line. In preparation for this, Christ taught them, foreseeing\nall. James, destined to swift-coming death by the sword; John, longest\nof the brethren to follow his Master in labor and persecution; Peter,\nthe pioneer in breaking through the barriers of ages, and teaching the\nheathen world; and Judas, in service capable of pre-eminence above his\nbrethren, yet brooding in his soul purposes of whose ripening he little\ndreamed,\u2014these were the objects of Christ\u2019s greatest solicitude, and the\nrecipients of His most frequent and careful instruction.\n\n[Sidenote: _John_]\n\nPeter, James, and John sought every opportunity of coming into close\ncontact with their Master, and their desire was granted. Of all the\ntwelve their relationship to Him was closest. John could be satisfied\nonly with a still nearer intimacy, and this he obtained. At that first\nconference beside the Jordan, when Andrew, having heard Jesus, hurried\naway to call his brother, John sat silent, rapt in the contemplation of\nwondrous themes. He followed the Saviour, ever an eager, absorbed\nlistener. Yet John\u2019s was no faultless character. He was no gentle,\ndreamy enthusiast. He and his brother were called \u201cthe sons of\nthunder.\u201d[102] John was proud, ambitious, combative; but beneath all\nthis the divine Teacher discerned the ardent, sincere, loving heart.\nJesus rebuked his self-seeking, disappointed his ambitions, tested his\nfaith. But He revealed to him that for which his soul longed,\u2014the beauty\nof holiness, His own transforming love. \u201cUnto the men which Thou gavest\nMe out of the world,\u201d He said to the Father, \u201cI have manifested Thy\nname.\u201d[103]\n\n[Sidenote: _Fellowship_; _Transformation_]\n\nJohn\u2019s was a nature that longed for love, for sympathy and\ncompanionship. He pressed close to Jesus, sat by His side, leaned upon\nHis breast. As a flower the sun and dew, so did he drink in the divine\nlight and life. In adoration and love he beheld the Saviour, until\nlikeness to Christ and fellowship with Him became his one desire, and in\nhis character was reflected the character of his Master.\n\n\u201cBehold,\u201d he said, \u201cwhat manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon\nus, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world\nknoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of\nGod, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when\nHe shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.\nAnd every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He\nis pure.\u201d[104]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Peter_]\n\nThe history of no one of the disciples better illustrates Christ\u2019s\nmethod of training than does the history of Peter. Bold, aggressive, and\nself-confident, quick to perceive and forward to act, prompt in\nretaliation yet generous in forgiving, Peter often erred, and often\nreceived reproof. Nor were his warm-hearted loyalty and devotion to\nChrist the less decidedly recognized and commended. Patiently, with\ndiscriminating love, the Saviour dealt with His impetuous disciple,\nseeking to check his self-confidence, and to teach him humility,\nobedience, and trust.\n\nBut only in part was the lesson learned. Self-assurance was not\nuprooted.\n\nOften Jesus, the burden heavy upon His own heart, sought to open to the\ndisciples the scenes of His trial and suffering. But their eyes were\nholden. The knowledge was unwelcome, and they did not see. Self-pity,\nthat shrank from fellowship with Christ in suffering, prompted Peter\u2019s\nremonstrance, \u201cPity Thyself, Lord; this shall not be unto Thee.\u201d[105]\nHis words expressed the thought and feeling of the twelve.\n\nSo they went on, the crisis drawing nearer; they, boastful, contentious,\nin anticipation apportioning regal honors, and dreaming not of the\ncross.\n\n[Sidenote: _Rebuke That Reclaims_]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_I Have Prayed for Thee_\u201d]\n\nFor them all, Peter\u2019s experience had a lesson. To self-trust, trial is\ndefeat. The sure outworking of evil still unforsaken, Christ could not\nprevent. But as His hand had been outstretched to save when the waves\nwere about to sweep over Peter, so did His love reach out for his rescue\nwhen the deep waters swept over his soul. Over and over again, on the\nvery verge of ruin, Peter\u2019s words of boasting brought him nearer and\nstill nearer to the brink. Over and over again was given the warning,\n\u201cThou shalt ... deny that thou knowest Me.\u201d[106] It was the grieved,\nloving heart of the disciple that spoke out in the avowal, \u201cLord, I am\nready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death;\u201d[107] and He who\nreads the heart gave to Peter the message, little valued then, but that\nin the swift-falling darkness would shed a ray of hope: \u201cSimon, Simon,\nbehold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.\nBut I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art\nconverted, strengthen thy brethren.\u201d[108]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_When Thou Art Converted_\u201d]\n\nWhen in the judgment-hall the words of denial had been spoken; when\nPeter\u2019s love and loyalty, awakened under the Saviour\u2019s glance of pity\nand love and sorrow, had sent him forth to the garden where Christ had\nwept and prayed; when his tears of remorse dropped upon the sod that had\nbeen moistened with the blood-drops of His agony,\u2014then the Saviour\u2019s\nwords, \u201cI have prayed for thee; ... when thou art converted, strengthen\nthy brethren,\u201d were a stay to his soul. Christ, though foreseeing his\nsin, had not abandoned him to despair.\n\nIf the look that Jesus cast upon him had spoken condemnation instead of\npity; if in foretelling the sin He had failed of speaking hope, how\ndense would have been the darkness that encompassed Peter! how reckless\nthe despair of that tortured soul! In that hour of anguish and\nself-abhorrence, what could have held him back from the path trodden by\nJudas?\n\n[Sidenote: _Not Alone_]\n\nHe who could not spare His disciple the anguish, left him not alone to\nits bitterness. His is a love that fails not nor forsakes.\n\nHuman beings, themselves given to evil, are prone to deal untenderly\nwith the tempted and the erring. They can not read the heart, they know\nnot its struggle and pain. Of the rebuke that is love, of the blow that\nwounds to heal, of the warning that speaks hope, they have need to\nlearn.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Tell Peter_\u201d]\n\nIt was not John, the one who watched with Him in the judgment-hall, who\nstood beside His cross, and who of the twelve was first at the tomb,\u2014it\nwas not John, but Peter, that was mentioned by name in the first message\nsent to the disciples by Christ after His resurrection. \u201cTell His\ndisciples and Peter,\u201d the angel said, \u201cthat He goeth before you into\nGalilee; there shall ye see Him.\u201d[109]\n\nAt the last meeting of Christ with the disciples by the sea, Peter,\ntested by the thrice-given question, \u201cLovest thou Me?\u201d was restored to\nhis place among the twelve. His work was appointed him; he was to feed\nthe Lord\u2019s flock. Then, as His last personal direction, Jesus bade him,\n\u201cFollow thou Me.\u201d[110]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Lesson Learned_]\n\nNow he could appreciate the words. The lesson Christ had given when He\nset a little child in the midst of the disciples and bade them become\nlike him, Peter could now better understand. Knowing more fully both his\nown weakness and Christ\u2019s power, he was ready to trust and to obey. In\nHis strength he could follow his Master.\n\nAnd at the close of his experience of labor and sacrifice, the disciple\nonce so unready to discern the cross, counted it a joy to yield up his\nlife for the gospel, feeling only that, for him who had denied the Lord,\nto die in the same manner as his Master died was too great an honor.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Miracle of Miracles_]\n\nA miracle of divine tenderness was Peter\u2019s transformation. It is a\nlife-lesson to all who seek to follow in the steps of the Master\nTeacher.\n\n * * * * *\n\nJesus reproved His disciples, He warned and cautioned them; but John and\nPeter and their brethren did not leave Him. Notwithstanding the\nreproofs, they chose to be with Jesus. And the Saviour did not, because\nof their errors, withdraw from them. He takes men as they are, with all\ntheir faults and weaknesses, and trains them for His service, if they\nwill be disciplined and taught by Him.\n\n[Sidenote: _Judas_]\n\nBut there was one of the twelve to whom, until very near the close of\nHis work, Christ spoke no word of direct reproof.\n\n[Sidenote: _An Element of Antagonism_]\n\nWith Judas an element of antagonism was introduced among the disciples.\nIn connecting himself with Jesus he had responded to the attraction of\nHis character and life. He had sincerely desired a change in himself,\nand had hoped to experience this through a union with Jesus. But this\ndesire did not become predominant. That which ruled him was the hope of\nselfish benefit in the worldly kingdom which he expected Christ to\nestablish. Though recognizing the divine power of the love of Christ,\nJudas did not yield to its supremacy. He continued to cherish his own\njudgment and opinions, his disposition to criticize and condemn.\nChrist\u2019s motives and movements, often so far above his comprehension,\nexcited doubt and disapproval, and his own questionings and ambitions\nwere insinuated to the disciples. Many of their contentions for\nsupremacy, much of their dissatisfaction with Christ\u2019s methods,\noriginated with Judas.\n\n[Sidenote: _Not Conflict, but Healing_]\n\nJesus, seeing that to antagonize was but to harden, refrained from\ndirect conflict. The narrowing selfishness of Judas\u2019 life, Christ sought\nto heal through contact with His own self-sacrificing love. In His\nteaching He unfolded principles that struck at the root of the\ndisciple\u2019s self-centered ambitions. Lesson after lesson was thus given,\nand many a time Judas realized that his character had been portrayed,\nand his sin pointed out; but he would not yield.\n\nMercy\u2019s pleading resisted, the impulse of evil bore final sway. Judas,\nangered at an implied rebuke, and made desperate by the disappointment\nof his ambitious dreams, surrendered his soul to the demon of greed, and\ndetermined upon the betrayal of his Master. From the Passover chamber,\nthe joy of Christ\u2019s presence, and the light of immortal hope, he went\nforth to his evil work,\u2014into the outer darkness, where hope was not.\n\n[Sidenote: _Love Unfailing_]\n\n\u201cJesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who\nshould betray Him.\u201d[111] Yet, knowing all, He had withheld no pleading\nof mercy or gift of love.\n\nSeeing the danger of Judas, He had brought him close to Himself, within\nthe inner circle of His chosen and trusted disciples. Day after day,\nwhen the burden lay heaviest upon His own heart, He had borne the pain\nof continual contact with that stubborn, suspicious, brooding spirit; He\nhad witnessed and labored to counteract among His disciples that\ncontinuous, secret, and subtle antagonism. And all this that no possible\nsaving influence might be lacking to that imperiled soul!\n\n \u201cMany waters can not quench love,\n Neither can the floods drown it;\u201d\n \u201cFor love is strong as death.\u201d[112]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Warning to the Eleven_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Goal of Worldly Wisdom_]\n\nSo far as Judas himself was concerned, Christ\u2019s work of love had been\nwithout avail. But not so as regards his fellow-disciples. To them it\nwas a lesson of lifelong influence. Ever would its example of tenderness\nand long-suffering mould their intercourse with the tempted and the\nerring. And it had other lessons. At the ordination of the twelve, the\ndisciples had greatly desired that Judas should become one of their\nnumber; and they had counted his accession an event of much promise to\nthe apostolic band. He had come more into contact with the world than\nthey, he was a man of good address, of discernment and executive\nability, and, having a high estimate of his own qualifications, he had\nled the disciples to hold him in the same regard. But the methods he\ndesired to introduce into Christ\u2019s work were based upon worldly\nprinciples and were controlled by worldly policy. They looked to the\nsecuring of worldly recognition and honor,\u2014to the obtaining of the\nkingdom of this world. The working out of these desires in the life of\nJudas, helped the disciples to understand the antagonism between the\nprinciple of self-aggrandizement and Christ\u2019s principle of humility and\nself-sacrifice,\u2014the principle of the spiritual kingdom. In the fate of\nJudas they saw the end to which self-serving tends.\n\n[Sidenote: _Results of Christ\u2019s Training_]\n\nFor these disciples the mission of Christ finally accomplished its\npurpose. Little by little His example and His lessons of self-abnegation\nmoulded their characters. His death destroyed their hope of worldly\ngreatness. The fall of Peter, the apostasy of Judas, their own failure\nin forsaking Christ in His anguish and peril, swept away their\nself-sufficiency. They saw their own weakness; they saw something of the\ngreatness of the work committed to them; they felt their need of their\nMaster\u2019s guidance at every step.\n\n[Sidenote: _Self-Distrust_]\n\nThey knew that His personal presence was no longer to be with them, and\nthey recognized, as they had never recognized before, the value of the\nopportunities that had been theirs to walk and talk with the Sent of\nGod. Many of His lessons, when spoken, they had not appreciated or\nunderstood; now they longed to recall these lessons, to hear again His\nwords. With what joy now came back to them His assurance:\u2014\n\n\u201cIt is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the\nComforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him.\u201d\n\u201cAll things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.\u201d\nAnd \u201cthe Comforter ... whom the Father will send in My name, He shall\nteach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,\nwhatsoever I have said unto you.\u201d[113]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Teacher of Truth_]\n\n\u201cAll things that the Father hath are Mine.\u201d \u201cWhen He, the Spirit of\ntruth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.... He shall receive of\nMine, and shall show it unto you.\u201d[114]\n\nThe disciples had seen Christ ascend from among them on the Mount of\nOlives. And as the heavens received Him, there had come back to them His\nparting promise, \u201cLo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the\nworld.\u201d[115]\n\n[Sidenote: _Faith\u2019s Assurance_]\n\nThey knew that His sympathies were with them still. They knew that they\nhad a representative, an advocate, at the throne of God. In the name of\nJesus they presented their petitions, repeating His promise, \u201cWhatsoever\nye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you.\u201d[116]\n\nHigher and higher they extended the hand of faith, with the mighty\nargument, \u201cIt is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who\nis even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for\nus.\u201d[117]\n\nFaithful to His promise, the Divine One, exalted in the heavenly courts,\nimparted of His fulness to His followers on earth. His enthronement at\nGod\u2019s right hand was signalized by the outpouring of the Spirit upon His\ndisciples.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Final Preparation_]\n\nBy the work of Christ these disciples had been led to feel their need of\nthe Spirit; under the Spirit\u2019s teaching they received their final\npreparation, and went forth to their life-work.\n\nNo longer were they ignorant and uncultured. No longer were they a\ncollection of independent units or of discordant and conflicting\nelements. No longer were their hopes set on worldly greatness. They were\nof \u201cone accord,\u201d of \u201cone mind and one soul.\u201d Christ filled their\nthoughts. The advancement of His kingdom was their aim. In mind and\ncharacter they had become like their Master; and men \u201ctook knowledge of\nthem, that they had been with Jesus.\u201d[118]\n\n[Sidenote: _A Work That Shook the World_]\n\nThen was there such a revelation of the glory of Christ as had never\nbefore been witnessed by mortal man. Multitudes who had reviled His name\nand despised His power confessed themselves disciples of the Crucified.\nThrough the co-operation of the divine Spirit the labors of the humble\nmen whom Christ had chosen, stirred the world. To every nation under\nheaven was the gospel carried in a single generation.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_I Am with You Alway_\u201d]\n\nThe same Spirit that in His stead was sent to be the instructor of His\nfirst co-workers, Christ has commissioned to be the instructor of His\nco-workers to-day. \u201cLo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the\nworld,\u201d[119] is His promise.\n\nThe presence of the same Guide in educational work to-day will produce\nthe same results as of old. This is the end to which true education\ntends; this is the work that God designs it to accomplish.\n\n\n\n\n NATURE TEACHING\n\n\n \u201c_Consider the wondrous works of Him\n who is perfect in knowledge_\u201d\n\n\n _God in Nature_\n\n \u201cHIS GLORY COVERS THE HEAVENS;\u201d\n \u201cAND THE EARTH IS FULL OF\n HIS RICHES\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _The Pervading Life_]\n\nUpon all created things is seen the impress of the Deity. Nature\ntestifies of God. The susceptible mind, brought in contact with the\nmiracle and mystery of the universe, can not but recognize the working\nof infinite power. Not by its own inherent energy does the earth produce\nits bounties, and year by year continue its motion around the sun. An\nunseen hand guides the planets in their circuit of the heavens. A\nmysterious life pervades all nature,\u2014a life that sustains the unnumbered\nworlds throughout immensity; that lives in the insect atom which floats\nin the summer breeze; that wings the flight of the swallow, and feeds\nthe young ravens which cry; that brings the bud to blossom, and the\nflower to fruit.\n\n[Sidenote: _Universality of Law_]\n\nThe same power that upholds nature, is working also in man. The same\ngreat laws that guide alike the star and the atom, control human life.\nThe laws that govern the heart\u2019s action, regulating the flow of the\ncurrent of life to the body, are the laws of the mighty Intelligence\nthat has the jurisdiction of the soul. From Him all life proceeds. Only\nin harmony with Him can be found its true sphere of action. For all the\nobjects of His creation the condition is the same,\u2014a life sustained by\nreceiving the life of God, a life exercised in harmony with the\nCreator\u2019s will. To transgress His law, physical, mental, or moral, is to\nplace one\u2019s self out of harmony with the universe, to introduce discord,\nanarchy, ruin.\n\n[Sidenote: _Nature\u2019s Witness_]\n\nTo him who learns thus to interpret its teachings, all nature becomes\nilluminated; the world is a lesson-book, life a school. The unity of man\nwith nature and with God, the universal dominion of law, the results of\ntransgression, can not fail of impressing the mind and moulding the\ncharacter.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Child\u2019s Teacher_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Opportunity for Nature Study_]\n\nThese are lessons that our children need to learn. To the little child,\nnot yet capable of learning from the printed page or of being introduced\nto the routine of the schoolroom, nature presents an unfailing source of\ninstruction and delight. The heart not yet hardened by contact with evil\nis quick to recognize the Presence that pervades all created things. The\near as yet undulled by the world\u2019s clamor is attentive to the Voice that\nspeaks through nature\u2019s utterances. And for those of older years,\nneeding continually its silent reminders of the spiritual and eternal,\nnature\u2019s teaching will be no less a source of pleasure and of\ninstruction. As the dwellers in Eden learned from nature\u2019s pages, as\nMoses discerned God\u2019s handwriting on the Arabian plains and mountains,\nand the Child Jesus on the hillsides of Nazareth, so the children of\nto-day may learn of Him. The unseen is illustrated by the seen. On\neverything upon the earth, from the loftiest tree of the forest to the\nlichen that clings to the rock, from the boundless ocean to the tiniest\nshell on the shore, they may behold the image and superscription of God.\n\nSo far as possible, let the child from his earliest years be placed\nwhere this wonderful lesson-book shall be open before him. Let him\nbehold the glorious scenes painted by the great Master Artist upon the\nshifting canvas of the heavens, let him become acquainted with the\nwonders of earth and sea, let him watch the unfolding mysteries of the\nchanging seasons, and, in all His works, learn of the Creator.\n\n[Sidenote: _Antagonistic Forces_]\n\nIn no other way can the foundation of a true education be so firmly and\nsurely laid. Yet even the child, as he comes in contact with nature,\nwill see cause for perplexity. He can not but recognize the working of\nantagonistic forces. It is here that nature needs an interpreter.\nLooking upon the evil manifest even in the natural world, all have the\nsame sorrowful lesson to learn,\u2014\u201cAn enemy hath done this.\u201d[120]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Interpreter of Nature_]\n\nOnly in the light that shines from Calvary can nature\u2019s teaching be read\naright. Through the story of Bethlehem and the cross let it be shown how\ngood is to conquer evil, and how every blessing that comes to us is a\ngift of redemption.\n\nIn brier and thorn, in thistle and tare, is represented the evil that\nblights and mars. In singing bird and opening blossom, in rain and\nsunshine, in summer breeze and gentle dew, in ten thousand objects in\nnature, from the oak of the forest to the violet that blossoms at its\nroot, is seen the love that restores. And nature still speaks to us of\nGod\u2019s goodness.\n\n[Sidenote: _Thoughts of Peace_]\n\n\u201cI know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts\nof peace, and not of evil.\u201d[121] This is the message that, in the light\nfrom the cross, may be read upon all the face of nature. The heavens\ndeclare His glory, and the earth is full of His riches.\n\n\n _Lessons of Life_\n\n \u201cSPEAK TO THE EARTH, AND\n IT SHALL TEACH THEE\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Christ\u2019s Object Teaching_]\n\nThe great Teacher brought His hearers in contact with nature, that they\nmight listen to the voice which speaks in all created things; and as\ntheir hearts became tender and their minds receptive, He helped them to\ninterpret the spiritual teaching of the scenes upon which their eyes\nrested. The parables, by means of which He loved to teach lessons of\ntruth, show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature, and how\nHe delighted to gather the spiritual teaching from the surroundings of\ndaily life.\n\n[Sidenote: _Adapted to Every Hearer_]\n\nThe birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the sower and the seed,\nthe shepherd and the sheep,\u2014with these Christ illustrated immortal\ntruth. He drew illustrations also from the events of life, facts of\nexperience familiar to the hearers,\u2014the leaven, the hid treasure, the\npearl, the fishing net, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the houses on\nthe rock and the sand. In His lessons there was something to interest\nevery mind, to appeal to every heart. Thus the daily task, instead of\nbeing a mere round of toil, bereft of higher thoughts, was brightened\nand uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen.\n\nSo we should teach. Let the children learn to see in nature an\nexpression of the love and the wisdom of God; let the thought of Him be\nlinked with bird and flower and tree; let all things seen become to them\nthe interpreters of the unseen, and all the events of life be a means of\ndivine teaching.\n\n[Sidenote: _Unity of Law_]\n\nAs they learn thus to study the lessons in all created things, and in\nall life\u2019s experiences, show that the same laws which govern the things\nof nature and the events of life are to control us; that they are given\nfor our good; and that only in obedience to them can we find true\nhappiness and success.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Law of Ministry_]\n\nAll things both in heaven and in earth declare that the great law of\nlife is a law of service. The infinite Father ministers to the life of\nevery living thing. Christ came to the earth \u201cas he that serveth.\u201d[122]\nThe angels are \u201cministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who\nshall be heirs of salvation.\u201d[123] The same law of service is written\nupon all things in nature. The birds of the air, the beasts of the\nfield, the trees of the forest, the leaves, the grass, and the flowers,\nthe sun in the heavens and the stars of light,\u2014all have their ministry.\nLake and ocean, river and water-spring,\u2014each takes to give.\n\n[Sidenote: _Gaining by Giving_]\n\nAs each thing in nature ministers thus to the world\u2019s life, it also\nsecures its own. \u201cGive, and it shall be given unto you,\u201d[124] is the\nlesson written no less surely in nature than in the pages of Holy Writ.\n\nAs the hillsides and the plains open a channel for the mountain stream\nto reach the sea, that which they give is repaid a hundredfold. The\nstream that goes singing on its way leaves behind its gift of beauty and\nfruitfulness. Through the fields, bare and brown under the summer\u2019s\nheat, a line of verdure marks the river\u2019s course; every noble tree,\nevery bud, every blossom, a witness to the recompense God\u2019s grace\ndecrees to all who become its channels to the world.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Laws of Growth_]\n\nOf the almost innumerable lessons taught in the varied processes of\ngrowth, some of the most precious are conveyed in the Saviour\u2019s parable\nof the growing seed. It has lessons for old and young.\n\n\u201cSo is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;\nand should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and\ngrow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of\nherself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the\near.\u201d[125]\n\n[Sidenote: _Divine Agency in Growth_]\n\nThe seed has in itself a germinating principle, a principle that God\nHimself has implanted; yet if left to itself the seed would have no\npower to spring up. Man has his part to act in promoting the growth of\nthe grain; but there is a point beyond which he can accomplish nothing.\nHe must depend upon One who has connected the sowing and the reaping by\nwonderful links of His own omnipotent power.\n\nThere is life in the seed, there is power in the soil; but unless\ninfinite power is exercised day and night, the seed will yield no\nreturn. The showers of rain must refresh the thirsty fields; the sun\nmust impart warmth; electricity must be conveyed to the buried seed. The\nlife which the Creator has implanted, He alone can call forth. Every\nseed grows, every plant develops, by the power of God.\n\n\u201cThe seed is the word of God.\u201d \u201cAs the earth bringeth forth her bud, and\nas the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so\nthe Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth.\u201d[126]\nAs in the natural, so in the spiritual sowing; the power that alone can\nproduce life is from God.\n\n[Sidenote: _Sowing in Faith_]\n\nThe work of the sower is a work of faith. The mystery of the germination\nand growth of the seed he can not understand; but he has confidence in\nthe agencies by which God causes vegetation to flourish. He casts away\nthe seed, expecting to gather it many-fold in an abundant harvest. So\nparents and teachers are to labor, expecting a harvest from the seed\nthey sow.\n\n[Sidenote: _God\u2019s Covenant for the Harvest_]\n\nFor a time the good seed may lie unnoticed in the heart, giving no\nevidence that it has taken root; but afterward, as the Spirit of God\nbreathes on the soul, the hidden seed springs up, and at last brings\nforth fruit. In our life-work we know not which shall prosper, this or\nthat. This question it is not for us to settle. \u201cIn the morning sow thy\nseed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand.\u201d[127] God\u2019s great\ncovenant declares that \u201cwhile the earth remaineth, seed-time and\nharvest ... shall not cease.\u201d[128] In the confidence of this promise the\nhusbandman tills and sows. Not less confidently are we, in the spiritual\nsowing, to labor, trusting His assurance: \u201cSo shall My word be that\ngoeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it\nshall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing\nwhereto I sent it.\u201d \u201cHe that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious\nseed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves\nwith him.\u201d[129]\n\nThe germination of the seed represents the beginning of spiritual life,\nand the development of the plant is a figure of the development of\ncharacter. There can be no life without growth. The plant must either\ngrow or die. As its growth is silent and imperceptible, but continuous,\nso is the growth of character. At every stage of development our life\nmay be perfect; yet if God\u2019s purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be\nconstant advancement.\n\n[Sidenote: _Conditions of Growth_]\n\nThe plant grows by receiving that which God has provided to sustain its\nlife. So spiritual growth is attained through co-operation with divine\nagencies. As the plant takes root in the soil, so we are to take root in\nChrist. As the plant receives the sunshine, the dew, and the rain, so\nare we to receive the Holy Spirit. If our hearts are stayed upon Christ,\nHe will come unto us \u201cas the rain, as the latter and former rain unto\nthe earth.\u201d As the Sun of Righteousness, He will arise upon us \u201cwith\nhealing in His wings.\u201d We shall \u201cgrow as the lily.\u201d We shall \u201crevive as\nthe corn, and grow as the vine.\u201d[130]\n\n[Sidenote: _Fruit-Bearing_]\n\nThe wheat develops, \u201cfirst the blade, then the ear, after that the full\ncorn in the ear.\u201d[131] The object of the husbandman in the sowing of the\nseed and the culture of the plant, is the production of grain,\u2014bread for\nthe hungry, and seed for future harvests. So the divine Husbandman looks\nfor a harvest. He is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts and\nlives of His followers, that through them He may be reproduced in other\nhearts and lives.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _A Lesson in Child-Training_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Natural Development_]\n\nThe gradual development of the plant from the seed is an object-lesson\nin child-training. There is \u201cfirst the blade, then the ear, after that\nthe full corn in the ear.\u201d[131] He who gave this parable created the\ntiny seed, gave it its vital properties, and ordained the laws that\ngovern its growth. And the truths taught by the parable were made a\nreality in His own life. He, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory,\nbecame a babe in Bethlehem, and for a time represented the helpless\ninfant in its mother\u2019s care. In childhood He spoke and acted as a child,\nhonoring His parents, and carrying out their wishes in helpful ways. But\nfrom the first dawning of intelligence He was constantly growing in\ngrace and in a knowledge of truth.\n\nParents and teachers should aim so to cultivate the tendencies of the\nyouth that at each stage of life they may represent the beauty\nappropriate to that period, unfolding naturally, as do the plants in the\ngarden.\n\n[Sidenote: _Simplicity_]\n\nThe little ones should be educated in childlike simplicity. They should\nbe trained to be content with the small, helpful duties and the\npleasures and experiences natural to their years. Childhood answers to\nthe blade in the parable, and the blade has a beauty peculiarly its own.\nChildren should not be forced into a precocious maturity, but as long as\npossible should retain the freshness and grace of their early years. The\nmore quiet and simple the life of the child,\u2014the more free from\nartificial excitement and the more in harmony with nature,\u2014the more\nfavorable it is to physical and mental vigor and to spiritual strength.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Miracle of the Harvest_]\n\nIn the Saviour\u2019s miracle of feeding the five thousand is illustrated the\nworking of God\u2019s power in the production of the harvest. Jesus draws\naside the veil from the world of nature, and reveals the creative energy\nthat is constantly exercised for our good. In multiplying the seed cast\ninto the ground, He who multiplied the loaves is working a miracle every\nday. It is by a miracle that He constantly feeds millions from earth\u2019s\nharvest-fields. Men are called upon to co-operate with Him in the care\nof the grain and the preparation of the loaf, and because of this they\nlose sight of the divine agency. The working of His power is ascribed to\nnatural causes or to human instrumentality, and too often His gifts are\nperverted to selfish uses, and made a curse instead of a blessing. God\nis seeking to change all this. He desires that our dull senses shall be\nquickened to discern His merciful kindness, that His gifts may be to us\nthe blessing that He intended.\n\n[Sidenote: _Partakers of the Life of God_]\n\nIt is the word of God, the impartation of His life, that gives life to\nthe seed; and of that life, we, in eating the grain, become partakers.\nThis God desires us to discern; He desires that even in receiving our\ndaily bread we may recognize His agency, and may be brought into closer\nfellowship with Him.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _We Reap What We Sow_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Life\u2019s Harvest, Character_]\n\nBy the laws of God in nature, effect follows cause with unvarying\ncertainty. The reaping testifies to the sowing. Here no pretense is\ntolerated. Men may deceive their fellow-men, and may receive praise and\ncompensation for service which they have not rendered. But in nature\nthere can be no deception. On the unfaithful husbandman the harvest\npasses sentence of condemnation. And in the highest sense this is true\nalso in the spiritual realm. It is in appearance, not in reality, that\nevil succeeds. The child who plays truant from school, the youth who is\nslothful in his studies, the clerk or apprentice who fails of serving\nthe interests of his employer, the man in any business or profession who\nis untrue to his highest responsibilities, may flatter himself that, so\nlong as the wrong is concealed, he is gaining an advantage. But not so;\nhe is cheating himself. The harvest of life is character, and it is this\nthat determines destiny, both for this life and for the life to come.\n\nThe harvest is a reproduction of the seed sown. Every seed yields fruit\n\u201cafter its kind.\u201d So it is with the traits of character we cherish.\nSelfishness, self-love, self-esteem, self-indulgence, reproduce\nthemselves, and the end is wretchedness and ruin. \u201cHe that soweth to his\nflesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the\nSpirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.\u201d[132] Love, sympathy,\nand kindness yield fruitage of blessing, a harvest that is imperishable.\n\n[Sidenote: _Increase from Sowing_]\n\nIn the harvest the seed is multiplied. A single grain of wheat,\nincreased by repeated sowings, would cover a whole land with golden\nsheaves. So widespread may be the influence of a single life, of even a\nsingle act.\n\nWhat deeds of love the memory of that alabaster box broken for Christ\u2019s\nanointing has through the long centuries prompted! What countless gifts\nthat contribution, by a poor unnamed widow, of \u201ctwo mites, which make a\nfarthing,\u201d[133] has brought to the Saviour\u2019s cause!\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Freely Give_\u201d]\n\nThe lesson of seed-sowing teaches liberality. \u201cHe which soweth sparingly\nshall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap\nalso bountifully.\u201d[134]\n\nThe Lord says, \u201cBlessed are ye that sow beside all waters.\u201d[135] To sow\nbeside all waters means to give wherever our help is needed. This will\nnot tend to poverty. \u201cHe which soweth bountifully shall reap also\nbountifully.\u201d By casting it away the sower multiplies his seed. So by\nimparting we increase our blessings. God\u2019s promise assures a\nsufficiency, that we may continue to give.\n\nMore than this: as we impart the blessings of this life, gratitude in\nthe recipient prepares the heart to receive spiritual truth, and a\nharvest is produced unto life everlasting.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Life through Death_]\n\nBy the casting of grain into the earth, the Saviour represents His\nsacrifice for us. \u201cExcept a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die,\u201d\nHe says, \u201cit abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much\nfruit.\u201d[136] Only through the sacrifice of Christ, the Seed, could fruit\nbe brought forth for the kingdom of God. In accordance with the law of\nthe vegetable kingdom, life is the result of His death.\n\nSo with all who bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ:\nself-love, self-interest, must perish; the life must be cast into the\nfurrow of the world\u2019s need. But the law of self-sacrifice is the law of\nself-preservation. The husbandman preserves his grain by casting it\naway. So the life that will be preserved is the life that is freely\ngiven in service to God and man.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _A Symbol of the Resurrection_]\n\nThe seed dies, to spring forth into new life. In this we are taught the\nlesson of the resurrection. Of the human body laid away to moulder in\nthe grave, God has said: \u201cIt is sown in corruption; it is raised in\nincorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown\nin weakness; it is raised in power.\u201d[137]\n\n[Sidenote: _Nature Study Made Practical_]\n\nAs parents and teachers try to teach these lessons, the work should be\nmade practical. Let the children themselves prepare the soil and sow the\nseed. As they work, the parent or teacher can explain the garden of the\nheart, with the good or bad seed sown there, and that as the garden must\nbe prepared for the natural seed, so the heart must be prepared for the\nseed of truth. As the seed is cast into the ground, they can teach the\nlesson of Christ\u2019s death; and as the blade springs up, the truth of the\nresurrection. As the plant grows, the correspondence between the natural\nand the spiritual sowing may be continued.\n\nThe youth should be instructed in a similar way. From the tilling of the\nsoil, lessons may constantly be learned. No one settles upon a raw piece\nof land with the expectation that it will at once yield a harvest.\nDiligent, persevering labor must be put forth in the preparation of the\nsoil, the sowing of the seed, and the culture of the crop. So it must be\nin the spiritual sowing. The garden of the heart must be cultivated. The\nsoil must be broken up by repentance. The evil growths that choke the\ngood grain must be uprooted. As soil once overgrown with thorns can be\nreclaimed only by diligent labor, so the evil tendencies of the heart\ncan be overcome only by earnest effort in the name and strength of\nChrist.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Obedience to Law_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Development of Character_]\n\nIn the cultivation of the soil the thoughtful worker will find that\ntreasures little dreamed of are opening up before him. No one can\nsucceed in agriculture or gardening without attention to the laws\ninvolved. The special needs of every variety of plant must be studied.\nDifferent varieties require different soil and cultivation, and\ncompliance with the laws governing each is the condition of success. The\nattention required in transplanting, that not even a root-fiber shall be\ncrowded or misplaced, the care of the young plants, the pruning and\nwatering, the shielding from frost at night and sun by day, keeping out\nweeds, disease, and insect-pests, the training and arranging, not only\nteach important lessons concerning the development of character, but the\nwork itself is a means of development. In cultivating carefulness,\npatience, attention to detail, obedience to law, it imparts a most\nessential training. The constant contact with the mystery of life and\nthe loveliness of nature, as well as the tenderness called forth in\nministering to these beautiful objects of God\u2019s creation, tends to\nquicken the mind and refine and elevate the character; and the lessons\ntaught prepare the worker to deal more successfully with other minds.\n\n\n _Other Object Lessons_\n\n \u201cWHOSO IS WISE, AND WILL OBSERVE\n THESE THINGS, EVEN THEY SHALL\n UNDERSTAND THE LOVING-KINDNESS\n OF THE LORD\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _The Ministry of Healing_]\n\nGod\u2019s healing power runs all through nature. If a tree is cut, if a\nhuman being is wounded or breaks a bone, nature begins at once to repair\nthe injury. Even before the need exists, the healing agencies are in\nreadiness; and as soon as a part is wounded, every energy is bent to the\nwork of restoration. So it is in the spiritual realm. Before sin created\nthe need, God had provided the remedy. Every soul that yields to\ntemptation is wounded, bruised, by the adversary; but wherever there is\nsin, there is the Saviour. It is Christ\u2019s work \u201cto heal the\nbroken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, ... to set at\nliberty them that are bruised.\u201d[138]\n\n[Sidenote: _A Suggestive Figure_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Only Love Can Restore_]\n\nIn this work we are to co-operate. \u201cIf a man be overtaken in a\nfault, ... restore such a one.\u201d[139] The word here translated \u201crestore\u201d\nmeans to put in joint, as a dislocated bone. How suggestive the figure!\nHe who falls into error or sin is thrown out of relation to everything\nabout him. He may realize his error, and be filled with remorse; but he\ncan not recover himself. He is in confusion and perplexity, worsted and\nhelpless. He is to be reclaimed, healed, re-established. \u201cYe which are\nspiritual, restore such a one.\u201d Only the love that flows from the heart\nof Christ can heal. Only he in whom that love flows, even as the sap in\nthe tree or the blood in the body, can restore the wounded soul.\n\nLove\u2019s agencies have wonderful power, for they are divine. The soft\nanswer that \u201cturneth away wrath,\u201d the love that \u201csuffereth long, and is\nkind,\u201d the charity that \u201ccovereth a multitude of sins,\u201d[140]\u2014would we\nlearn the lesson, with what power for healing would our lives be gifted!\nHow life would be transformed, and the earth become a very likeness and\nforetaste of heaven!\n\nThese precious lessons may be so simply taught as to be understood, even\nby little children. The heart of the child is tender and easily\nimpressed; and when we who are older become \u201cas little children;\u201d[141]\nwhen we learn the simplicity and gentleness and tender love of the\nSaviour, we shall not find it difficult to touch the hearts of the\nlittle ones, and teach them love\u2019s ministry of healing.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Perfection in Little Things_]\n\nPerfection exists in the least as well as in the greatest of the works\nof God. The hand that hung the worlds in space is the hand that fashions\nthe flowers of the field. Examine under the microscope the smallest and\ncommonest of wayside blossoms, and note in all its parts the exquisite\nbeauty and completeness. So in the humblest lot true excellence may be\nfound; the commonest tasks, wrought with loving faithfulness, are\nbeautiful in God\u2019s sight. Conscientious attention to the little things\nwill make us workers together with Him, and win for us His commendation\nwho seeth and knoweth all.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Rainbow_]\n\nThe rainbow spanning the heavens with its arch of light is a token of\n\u201cthe everlasting covenant between God and every living creature.\u201d[142]\nAnd the rainbow encircling the throne on high is also a token to God\u2019s\nchildren of His covenant of peace.\n\nAs the bow in the cloud results from the union of sunshine and shower,\nso the bow above God\u2019s throne represents the union of His mercy and His\njustice. To the sinful but repentant soul God says, Live thou; \u201cI have\nfound a ransom.\u201d[143]\n\n\u201cAs I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the\nearth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke\nthee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My\nkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My\npeace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.\u201d[144]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Stars_]\n\nThe stars also have a message of good cheer for every human being. In\nthose hours that come to all, when the heart is faint, and temptation\npresses sore; when obstacles seem insurmountable, life\u2019s aims impossible\nof achievement, its fair promises like apples of Sodom, where, then, can\nsuch courage and steadfastness be found as in that lesson which God has\nbidden us learn from the stars in their untroubled course?\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Not One Faileth_\u201d]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_I Will Help Thee_\u201d]\n\n\u201cLift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things,\nthat bringeth out their host by number; He calleth them all by names by\nthe greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one\nfaileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid\nfrom the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not\nknown? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the\nCreator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there\nis no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and\nto them that have no might He increaseth strength.\u201d \u201cFear thou not; for\nI am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen\nthee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand\nof My righteousness.\u201d \u201cI the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand,\nsaying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.\u201d[145]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Palm-Tree_]\n\nThe palm-tree, beaten by the scorching sun and the fierce sand-storm,\nstands green and flourishing and fruitful in the midst of the desert.\nIts roots are fed by living springs. Its crown of verdure is seen afar\nover the parched, desolate plain; and the traveler, ready to die, urges\nhis failing steps to the cool shade and the life-giving water.\n\nThe tree of the desert is a symbol of what God means the life of His\nchildren in this world to be. They are to guide weary souls, full of\nunrest, and ready to perish in the desert of sin, to the living water.\nThey are to point their fellow-men to Him who gives the invitation, \u201cIf\nany man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.\u201d[146]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _River and Brook_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Unrecognized Toilers_]\n\nThe wide, deep river, that offers a highway for the traffic and travel\nof nations, is valued as a world-wide benefit; but what of the little\nrills that help to form this noble stream? Were it not for them, the\nriver would disappear. Upon them its very existence depends. So men\ncalled to lead in some great work are honored as if its success were due\nto them alone; but that success required the faithful co-operation of\nhumbler workers almost without number,\u2014workers of whom the world knows\nnothing. Tasks uncommended, labor without recognition, is the lot of\nmost of the world\u2019s toilers. And in such a lot many are filled with\ndiscontent. They feel that life is wasted. But the little rill that\nmakes its noiseless way through grove and meadow, bearing health and\nfertility and beauty, is as useful in its way as the broad river. And in\ncontributing to the river\u2019s life, it helps achieve that which alone it\ncould never have accomplished.\n\nThe lesson is one needed by many. Talent is too much idolized, and\nstation too much coveted. There are too many who will do nothing unless\nthey are recognized as leaders; too many who must receive praise, or\nthey have no interest to labor. What we need to learn is faithfulness in\nmaking the utmost use of the powers and opportunities we have, and\ncontentment in the lot to which Heaven assigns us.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Little Creatures of the Earth_]\n\n\u201cAsk now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the\nair, and they shall tell thee; ... and the fishes of the sea shall\ndeclare unto thee.\u201d \u201cGo to the ant; ... consider her ways.\u201d \u201cBehold the\nbirds.\u201d \u201cConsider the ravens.\u201d[147]\n\n[Sidenote: _A Lesson of Trust_]\n\nWe are not merely to tell the child about these creatures of God\u2019s. The\nanimals themselves are to be his teachers. The ants teach lessons of\npatient industry, of perseverance in surmounting obstacles, of\nprovidence for the future. And the birds are teachers of the sweet\nlesson of trust. Our heavenly Father provides for them; but they must\ngather the food, they must build their nests, and rear their young.\nEvery moment they are exposed to enemies that seek to destroy them. Yet\nhow cheerily they go about their work! how full of joy are their little\nsongs!\n\nHow beautiful the psalmist\u2019s description of God\u2019s care for the creatures\nof the woods,\u2014\n\n \u201cThe high hills are a refuge for the wild goats;\n And the rocks for the conies.\u201d[148]\n\nHe sends the springs to run among the hills, where the birds have their\nhabitation, and \u201csing among the branches.\u201d[148] All the creatures of the\nwoods and hills are a part of His great household. He opens His hand,\nand satisfies the desire of every living thing.[148]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Eagle_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Above the Clouds_]\n\nThe eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by the tempest into the\nnarrow defiles of the mountains. Storm-clouds shut in this mighty bird\nof the forest, their dark masses separating her from the sunny heights\nwhere she has made her home. Her efforts to escape seem fruitless. She\ndashes to and fro, beating the air with her strong wings, and waking the\nmountain echoes with her cries. At length, with a note of triumph, she\ndarts upward, and, piercing the clouds, is once more in the clear\nsunlight, with the darkness and tempest far beneath. So we may be\nsurrounded with difficulties, discouragement, and darkness. Falsehood,\ncalamity, injustice, shut us in. There are clouds that we can not\ndispel. We battle with circumstances in vain. There is one, and but one,\nway of escape. The mists and fogs cling to the earth; beyond the clouds\nGod\u2019s light is shining. Into the sunlight of His presence we may rise on\nthe wings of faith.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Other Illustrations_]\n\nMany are the lessons that may thus be learned. Self-reliance, from the\ntree that, growing alone on plain or mountainside, strikes down its\nroots deep into the earth, and in its rugged strength defies the\ntempest. The power of early influence, from the gnarled, shapeless\ntrunk, bent as a sapling, to which no earthly power can afterward\nrestore its lost symmetry. The secret of a holy life, from the\nwater-lily, that, on the bosom of some slimy pool, surrounded by weeds\nand rubbish, strikes down its channeled stem to the pure sands beneath,\nand, drawing thence its life, lifts up its fragrant blossoms to the\nlight in spotless purity.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Teach Children to Observe_]\n\nThus while the children and youth gain a knowledge of facts from\nteachers and text-books, let them learn to draw lessons and discern\ntruth for themselves. In their gardening, question them as to what they\nlearn from the care of their plants. As they look on a beautiful\nlandscape, ask them why God clothed the fields and woods with such\nlovely and varied hues. Why was not all colored a somber brown? When\nthey gather the flowers, lead them to think why He spared us the beauty\nof these wanderers from Eden. Teach them to notice the evidences\neverywhere manifest in nature of God\u2019s thought for us, the wonderful\nadaptation of all things to our need and happiness.\n\nHe alone who recognizes in nature his Father\u2019s handiwork, who in the\nrichness and beauty of the earth reads the Father\u2019s handwriting,\u2014he\nalone learns from the things of nature their deepest lessons, and\nreceives their highest ministry. Only he can fully appreciate the\nsignificance of hill and vale, river and sea, who looks upon them as an\nexpression of the thought of God, a revelation of the Creator.\n\n[Sidenote: _Nature a Key to the Bible_]\n\nMany illustrations from nature are used by the Bible writers, and as we\nobserve the things of the natural world, we shall be enabled, under the\nguiding of the Holy Spirit, more fully to understand the lessons of\nGod\u2019s word. It is thus that nature becomes a key to the treasure-house\nof the word.\n\n[Sidenote: _Study Similitudes_]\n\nChildren should be encouraged to search out in nature the objects that\nillustrate Bible teachings, and to trace in the Bible the similitudes\ndrawn from nature. They should search out, both in nature and in Holy\nWrit, every object representing Christ, and those also that He employed\nin illustrating truth. Thus may they learn to see Him in tree and vine,\nin lily and rose, in sun and star. They may learn to hear His voice in\nthe song of birds, in the sighing of the trees, in the rolling thunder,\nand in the music of the sea. And every object in nature will repeat to\nthem His precious lessons.\n\nTo those who thus acquaint themselves with Christ, the earth will\nnevermore be a lonely and desolate place. It will be their Father\u2019s\nhouse, filled with the presence of Him who once dwelt among men.\n\n\n\n\n _THE BIBLE AS AN EDUCATOR_\n\n\n \u201c_When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when\n thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when\n thou awakest, it shall talk with thee._\u201d\n\n\n _Mental and Spiritual Culture_\n\n \u201cBY KNOWLEDGE SHALL THE\n CHAMBERS BE FILLED WITH ALL\n PRECIOUS AND PLEASANT RICHES\u201d\n\nFor the mind and the soul, as well as for the body, it is God\u2019s law that\nstrength is acquired by effort. It is exercise that develops. In harmony\nwith this law, God has provided in His word the means for mental and\nspiritual development.\n\n[Sidenote: _Effort in Bible Study_]\n\nThe Bible contains all the principles that men need to understand in\norder to be fitted either for this life or for the life to come. And\nthese principles may be understood by all. No one with a spirit to\nappreciate its teaching can read a single passage from the Bible without\ngaining from it some helpful thought. But the most valuable teaching of\nthe Bible is not to be gained by occasional or disconnected study. Its\ngreat system of truth is not so presented as to be discerned by the\nhasty or careless reader. Many of its treasures lie far beneath the\nsurface, and can be obtained only by diligent research and continuous\neffort. The truths that go to make up the great whole must be searched\nout and gathered up, \u201chere a little, and there a little.\u201d[149]\n\n[Sidenote: _A Perfect Whole_]\n\nWhen thus searched out and brought together, they will be found to be\nperfectly fitted to one another. Each Gospel is a supplement to the\nothers, every prophecy an explanation of another, every truth a\ndevelopment of some other truth. The types of the Jewish economy are\nmade plain by the gospel. Every principle in the word of God has its\nplace, every fact its bearing. And the complete structure, in design and\nexecution, bears testimony to its Author. Such a structure no mind but\nthat of the Infinite could conceive or fashion.\n\n[Sidenote: _Intellectual Discipline_]\n\nIn searching out the various parts and studying their relationship, the\nhighest faculties of the human mind are called into intense activity. No\none can engage in such study without developing mental power.\n\nAnd not alone in searching out truth and bringing it together does the\nmental value of Bible study consist. It consists also in the effort\nrequired to grasp the themes presented. The mind occupied with\ncommonplace matters only, becomes dwarfed and enfeebled. If never tasked\nto comprehend grand and far-reaching truths, it after a time loses the\npower of growth. As a safeguard against this degeneracy, and a stimulus\nto development, nothing else can equal the study of God\u2019s word. As a\nmeans of intellectual training, the Bible is more effective than any\nother book, or all other books combined. The greatness of its themes,\nthe dignified simplicity of its utterances, the beauty of its imagery,\nquicken and uplift the thoughts as nothing else can. No other study can\nimpart such mental power as does the effort to grasp the stupendous\ntruths of revelation. The mind thus brought in contact with the thoughts\nof the Infinite can not but expand and strengthen.\n\n[Sidenote: _Spiritual Development_]\n\nAnd even greater is the power of the Bible in the development of the\nspiritual nature. Man, created for fellowship with God, can only in such\nfellowship find his real life and development. Created to find in God\nhis highest joy, he can find in nothing else that which can quiet the\ncravings of the heart, can satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul. He\nwho with sincere and teachable spirit studies God\u2019s word, seeking to\ncomprehend its truths, will be brought in touch with its Author; and,\nexcept by his own choice, there is no limit to the possibilities of his\ndevelopment.\n\n[Sidenote: _Range of Style and Subjects_]\n\nIn its wide range of style and subjects, the Bible has something to\ninterest every mind and appeal to every heart. In its pages are found\nhistory the most ancient; biography the truest to life; principles of\ngovernment for the control of the state, for the regulation of the\nhousehold,\u2014principles that human wisdom has never equaled. It contains\nphilosophy the most profound, poetry the sweetest and the most sublime,\nthe most impassioned and the most pathetic. Immeasurably superior in\nvalue to the productions of any human author are the Bible writings,\neven when thus considered; but of infinitely wider scope, of infinitely\ngreater value, are they when viewed in their relation to the grand\ncentral thought. Viewed in the light of this thought, every topic has a\nnew significance. In the most simply stated truths are involved\nprinciples that are as high as heaven and that compass eternity.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Central Theme_]\n\nThe central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the\nwhole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the\nhuman soul of the image of God. From the first intimation of hope in the\nsentence pronounced in Eden to that last glorious promise of the\nRevelation, \u201cThey shall see His face; and His name shall be in their\nforeheads,\u201d[150] the burden of every book and every passage of the Bible\nis the unfolding of this wondrous theme,\u2014man\u2019s uplifting,\u2014the power of\nGod, \u201cwhich giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d[151]\n\n[Sidenote: _An Infinite Field_]\n\nHe who grasps this thought has before him an infinite field for study.\nHe has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure-house of God\u2019s\nword.\n\nThe science of redemption is the science of all sciences; the science\nthat is the study of the angels and of all the intelligences of the\nunfallen worlds; the science that engages the attention of our Lord and\nSaviour; the science that enters into the purpose brooded in the mind of\nthe Infinite,\u2014\u201ckept in silence through times eternal;\u201d[152] the science\nthat will be the study of God\u2019s redeemed throughout endless ages. This\nis the highest study in which it is possible for man to engage. As no\nother study can, it will quicken the mind and uplift the soul.\n\n[Sidenote: _Truths Life-Begetting_.]\n\n\u201cThe excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that\nhave it.\u201d \u201cThe words that I speak unto you,\u201d said Jesus, \u201cthey are\nspirit, and they are life.\u201d \u201cThis is life eternal, that they should know\nThee the only true God, and Him whom Thou didst send.\u201d[153]\n\nThe creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in the word\nof God. This word imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a\npromise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it\nthe life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature, and re-creates\nthe soul in the image of God.\n\n[Sidenote: _Life-Sustaining_]\n\nThe life thus imparted is in like manner sustained. \u201cBy every word that\nproceedeth out of the mouth of God\u201d[154] shall man live.\n\nThe mind, the soul, is built up by that upon which it feeds; and it\nrests with us to determine upon what it shall be fed. It is within the\npower of every one to choose the topics that shall occupy the thoughts\nand shape the character. Of every human being privileged with access to\nthe Scriptures, God says, \u201cI have written to him the great things of My\nlaw.\u201d \u201cCall unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and\nmighty things, which thou knowest not.\u201d[155]\n\n[Sidenote: _Possibilities of Companionship_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Not a Stranger_]\n\nWith the word of God in his hands, every human being, wherever his lot\nin life may be cast, may have such companionship as he shall choose. In\nits pages he may hold converse with the noblest and best of the human\nrace, and may listen to the voice of the Eternal as He speaks with men.\nAs he studies and meditates upon the themes into which \u201cthe angels\ndesire to look,\u201d[156] he may have their companionship. He may follow the\nsteps of the heavenly Teacher, and listen to His words as when He taught\non mountain and plain and sea. He may dwell in this world in the\natmosphere of heaven, imparting to earth\u2019s sorrowing and tempted ones\nthoughts of hope and longings for holiness; himself coming closer and\nstill closer into fellowship with the Unseen; like him of old who walked\nwith God, drawing nearer and nearer the threshold of the eternal world,\nuntil the portals shall open, and he shall enter there. He will find\nhimself no stranger. The voices that will greet him are the voices of\nthe holy ones, who, unseen, were on earth his companions,\u2014voices that\nhere he learned to distinguish and to love. He who through the word of\nGod has lived in fellowship with heaven, will find himself at home in\nheaven\u2019s companionship.\n\n\n _Science and the Bible_\n\n \u201cWHO KNOWETH NOT IN ALL\n THESE THAT THE HAND OF THE\n LORD HATH WROUGHT?\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Harmony of Nature and Revelation_]\n\nSince the book of nature and the book of revelation bear the impress of\nthe same master mind, they can not but speak in harmony. By different\nmethods, and in different languages, they witness to the same great\ntruths. Science is ever discovering new wonders; but she brings from her\nresearch nothing that, rightly understood, conflicts with divine\nrevelation. The book of nature and the written word shed light upon each\nother. They make us acquainted with God by teaching us something of the\nlaws through which He works.\n\n[Sidenote: _Evolution of the Earth_]\n\nInferences erroneously drawn from facts observed in nature have,\nhowever, led to supposed conflict between science and revelation; and in\nthe effort to restore harmony, interpretations of Scripture have been\nadopted that undermine and destroy the force of the word of God. Geology\nhas been thought to contradict the literal interpretation of the Mosaic\nrecord of the creation. Millions of years, it is claimed, were required\nfor the evolution of the earth from chaos; and in order to accommodate\nthe Bible to this supposed revelation of science, the days of creation\nare assumed to have been vast, indefinite periods, covering thousands or\neven millions of years.\n\n[Sidenote: _Bible Record of the Creation_]\n\nSuch a conclusion is wholly uncalled for. The Bible record is in harmony\nwith itself and with the teaching of nature. Of the first day employed\nin the work of creation is given the record, \u201cThe evening and the\nmorning were the first day.\u201d[157] And the same in substance is said of\neach of the first six days of creation week. Each of these periods\nInspiration declares to have been a day consisting of evening and\nmorning, like every other day since that time. In regard to the work of\ncreation itself the divine testimony is, \u201cHe spake, and it was; He\ncommanded, and it stood fast.\u201d[158] With Him who could thus call into\nexistence unnumbered worlds, how long a time would be required for the\nevolution of the earth from chaos? In order to account for His works,\nmust we do violence to His word?\n\n[Sidenote: _Changes at the Flood_]\n\nIt is true that remains found in the earth testify to the existence of\nmen, animals, and plants much larger than any now known. These are\nregarded as proving the existence of vegetable and animal life prior to\nthe time of the Mosaic record. But concerning these things Bible history\nfurnishes ample explanation. Before the flood, the development of\nvegetable and animal life was immeasurably superior to that which has\nsince been known. At the flood the surface of the earth was broken up,\nmarked changes took place, and in the re-formation of the earth\u2019s crust\nwere preserved many evidences of the life previously existing. The vast\nforests buried in the earth at the time of the flood, and since changed\nto coal, form the extensive coal fields, and yield the supplies of oil,\nthat minister to our comfort and convenience to-day. These things, as\nthey are brought to light, are so many witnesses mutely testifying to\nthe truth of the word of God.\n\n[Sidenote: _Evolution of Man_]\n\nAkin to the theory concerning the evolution of the earth, is that which\nattributes to an ascending line of germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds the\nevolution of man, the crowning glory of the creation.\n\nWhen consideration is given to man\u2019s opportunities for research; how\nbrief his life; how limited his sphere of action; how restricted his\nvision; how frequent and how great the errors in his conclusions,\nespecially as concerns the events thought to antedate Bible history; how\noften the supposed deductions of science are revised or cast aside; with\nwhat readiness the assumed period of the earth\u2019s development is from\ntime to time increased or diminished by millions of years; and how the\ntheories advanced by different scientists conflict with one\nanother,\u2014considering all this, shall we, for the privilege of tracing\nour descent from germs and mollusks and apes, consent to cast away that\nstatement of Holy Writ, so grand in its simplicity, \u201cGod created man in\nHis own image, in the image of God created He him\u201d?[159] Shall we reject\nthat genealogical record,\u2014prouder than any treasured in the courts of\nkings,\u2014\u201cwhich was the son of Adam, which was the son of God\u201d?[160]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Divine Working in Nature_]\n\nRightly understood, both the revelations of science and the experiences\nof life are in harmony with the testimony of Scripture to the constant\nworking of God in nature.\n\nIn the hymn recorded by Nehemiah, the Levites sung, \u201cThou, even Thou,\nart Lord alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all\ntheir host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and\nall that is therein, and Thou preservest them all.\u201d[161]\n\n[Sidenote: _The All-Embracing Providence_]\n\nAs regards this earth, Scripture declares the work of creation to have\nbeen completed. \u201cThe works were finished from the foundation of the\nworld.\u201d[162] But the power of God is still exercised in upholding the\nobjects of His creation. It is not because the mechanism once set in\nmotion continues to act by its own inherent energy that the pulse beats,\nand breath follows breath. Every breath, every pulsation of the heart,\nis an evidence of the care of Him in whom we live and move and have our\nbeing. From the smallest insect to man, every living creature is daily\ndependent upon His providence.\n\n \u201cThese wait all upon Thee....\n That Thou givest them they gather;\n Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good.\n Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled;\n Thou takest away their breath, they die,\n And return to their dust.\n Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created;\n And Thou renewest the face of the earth.\u201d[163]\n\n \u201cHe stretcheth out the north over the empty place,\n And hangeth the earth upon nothing.\n He bindeth up the waters in His thick clouds;\n And the cloud is not rent under them....\n He hath compassed the waters with bounds,\n Until the day and night come to an end.\u201d\n\n \u201cThe pillars of heaven tremble\n And are astonished at His rebuke.\n He stilleth the sea with His power....\n By His Spirit the heavens are beauty;\n His hand hath pierced the gliding serpent.\n Lo, these are but the outskirts of His ways;\n And how small a whisper do we hear of Him! [Sidenote: \u201c_Who Can\n Understand?_\u201d]\n But the thunder of His power who can understand?\u201d[164]\n\n \u201cThe Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm,\n And the clouds are the dust of His feet.\u201d[165]\n\n[Sidenote: _A Personal God_]\n\nThe mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things\nis not, as some men of science claim, merely an all-pervading principle,\nan actuating energy. God is a spirit; yet He is a personal being, for\nman was made in His image. As a personal being, God has revealed Himself\nin His Son. Jesus, the outshining of the Father\u2019s glory, \u201cand the\nexpress image of His person,\u201d[166] was on earth found in fashion as a\nman. As a personal Saviour, He came to the world. As a personal Saviour,\nHe ascended on high. As a personal Saviour, He intercedes in the\nheavenly courts. Before the throne of God in our behalf ministers \u201cOne\nlike the Son of man.\u201d[167]\n\nThe apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declares of Christ that\n\u201call things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is\nbefore all things, and in Him all things hold together.\u201d[168] The hand\nthat sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their orderly\narrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the universe of\nGod, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.\n\n[Sidenote: _Omnipresence; Omniscience_]\n\nThe greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. \u201cThe Lord\u2019s throne is in\nheaven;\u201d[169] yet by His Spirit He is everywhere present. He has an\nintimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His\nhand.\n\n \u201cWho is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,\n Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the\n earth!\u201d\n\n \u201cWhither shall I go from Thy Spirit?\n Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence?\n If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there;\n If I make my bed in the grave,[170] behold, Thou art there.\n\n \u201cIf I take the wings of the morning,\n And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;\n Even there shall Thy hand lead me,\n And Thy right hand shall hold me.\u201d[171]\n\n\n \u201cThou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising,\n Thou understandest my thought afar off.\n Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,\n And art acquainted with all my ways....\n Thou hast beset me behind and before,\n And laid Thine hand upon me.\n Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;\n It is high, I can not attain unto it.\u201d[172]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_A Father unto You_\u201d]\n\nIt was the Maker of all things who ordained the wonderful adaptation of\nmeans to end, of supply to need. It was He who in the material world\nprovided that every desire implanted should be met. It was He who\ncreated the human soul, with its capacity for knowing and for loving.\nAnd He is not in Himself such as to leave the demands of the soul\nunsatisfied. No intangible principle, no impersonal essence or mere\nabstraction, can satisfy the needs and longings of human beings in this\nlife of struggle with sin and sorrow and pain. It is not enough to\nbelieve in law and force, in things that have no pity, and never hear\nthe cry for help. We need to know of an almighty arm that will hold us\nup, of an infinite Friend that pities us. We need to clasp a hand that\nis warm, to trust in a heart full of tenderness. And even so God has in\nHis word revealed Himself.\n\n[Sidenote: _Mysteries in Nature_]\n\nHe who studies most deeply into the mysteries of nature will realize\nmost fully his own ignorance and weakness. He will realize that there\nare depths and heights which he can not reach, secrets which he can not\npenetrate, vast fields of truth lying before him unentered. He will be\nready to say, with Newton, \u201cI seem to myself to have been like a child\non the seashore finding pebbles and shells, while the great ocean of\ntruth lay undiscovered before me.\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Through Faith We Understand_\u201d]\n\nThe deepest students of science are constrained to recognize in nature\nthe working of infinite power. But to man\u2019s unaided reason, nature\u2019s\nteaching can not but be contradictory and disappointing. Only in the\nlight of revelation can it be read aright. \u201cThrough faith we\nunderstand.\u201d[173]\n\n\u201cIn the beginning God.\u201d[174] Here alone can the mind in its eager\nquestioning, fleeing as the dove to the ark, find rest. Above, beneath,\nbeyond, abides Infinite Love, working out all things to accomplish \u201cthe\ngood pleasure of His goodness.\u201d[175]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Divine Teacher_]\n\n\u201cThe invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are ...\nperceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power\nand divinity.\u201d[176] But their testimony can be understood only through\nthe aid of the divine Teacher. \u201cWhat man knoweth the things of a man,\nsave the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God\nknoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.\u201d[177]\n\n\u201cWhen He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all\ntruth.\u201d[178] Only by the aid of that Spirit who in the beginning \u201cwas\nbrooding upon the face of the waters;\u201d of that Word by whom \u201call things\nwere made;\u201d of that \u201ctrue Light, which lighteth every man that cometh\ninto the world,\u201d can the testimony of science be rightly interpreted.\nOnly by their guidance can its deepest truths be discerned.\n\nOnly under the direction of the Omniscient One shall we, in the study of\nHis works, be enabled to think His thoughts after Him.\n\n\n _Business Principles and Methods_\n\n \u201cHE THAT WALKETH UPRIGHTLY\n WALKETH SURELY\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Business Man\u2019s Manual_]\n\nThere is no branch of legitimate business for which the Bible does not\nafford an essential preparation. Its principles of diligence, honesty,\nthrift, temperance, and purity are the secret of true success. These\nprinciples, as set forth in the book of Proverbs, constitute a treasury\nof practical wisdom. Where can the merchant, the artisan, the director\nof men in any department of business, find better maxims for himself or\nfor his employees than are found in these words of the wise man:\u2014\n\n\u201cSeest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings;\nhe shall not stand before mean men.\u201d[179]\n\n\u201cIn all labor there is profit; but the talk of the lips tendeth only to\npenury.\u201d[179]\n\n[Sidenote: _Every-Day Maxims_]\n\n\u201cThe soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing.\u201d \u201cThe drunkard and\nthe glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man\nwith rags.\u201d[180]\n\n\u201cA talebearer revealeth secrets; therefore meddle not with him that\nflattereth with his lips.\u201d[181]\n\n\u201cHe that hath knowledge spareth his words;\u201d but \u201cevery fool will be\nmeddling.\u201d[182]\n\n\u201cGo not in the way of evil men;\u201d \u201ccan one go upon hot coals, and his\nfeet not be burned?\u201d[183]\n\n\u201cHe that walketh with wise men shall be wise.\u201d[184]\n\n\u201cA man that hath friends must show himself friendly.\u201d[184]\n\nThe whole circle of our obligation to one another is covered by that\nword of Christ\u2019s, \u201cWhatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye\neven so to them.\u201d[185]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _A Financial Safeguard_]\n\nHow many a man might have escaped financial failure and ruin by heeding\nthe warnings, so often repeated and emphasized in the Scriptures:\u2014\n\n\u201cHe that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.\u201d[186]\n\n\u201cWealth gotten in haste shall be diminished; but he that gathereth by\nlabor shall have increase.\u201d[187]\n\n\u201cThe getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and\nfro of them that seek death.\u201d[188]\n\n\u201cThe borrower is servant to the lender.\u201d[188]\n\n\u201cHe that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; and he that hateth\nsuretyship is sure.\u201d[188]\n\n\u201cRemove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the\nfatherless; for their Redeemer is mighty; He shall plead their cause\nwith thee.\u201d \u201cHe that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he\nthat giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.\u201d \u201cWhoso diggeth a\npit shall fall therein; and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon\nhim.\u201d[189]\n\n[Sidenote: _Basis of Confidence_]\n\nThese are principles with which are bound up the well-being of society,\nof both secular and religious associations. It is these principles that\ngive security to property and life. For all that makes confidence and\nco-operation possible, the world is indebted to the law of God, as given\nin His word, and as still traced, in lines often obscure and well-nigh\nobliterated, in the hearts of men.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Best Capital_]\n\nThe psalmist\u2019s words, \u201cThe law of Thy mouth is better unto me than\nthousands of gold and silver,\u201d[190] state that which is true from other\nthan a religious point of view. They state an absolute truth, and one\nthat is recognized in the business world. Even in this age of passion\nfor money-getting, when competition is so sharp, and methods are so\nunscrupulous, it is still widely acknowledged that, for a young man\nstarting in life, integrity, diligence, temperance, purity, and thrift\nconstitute a better capital than any amount of mere money.\n\n * * * * *\n\nYet even of those who appreciate the value of these qualities and\nacknowledge the Bible as their source, there are but few who recognize\nthe principle upon which they depend.\n\n[Sidenote: _Stewardship_]\n\nThat which lies at the foundation of business integrity and of true\nsuccess is the recognition of God\u2019s ownership. The Creator of all\nthings, He is the original proprietor. We are His stewards. All that we\nhave is a trust from Him, to be used according to His direction.\n\nThis is an obligation that rests upon every human being. It has to do\nwith the whole sphere of human activity. Whether we recognize it or not,\nwe are stewards, supplied from God with talents and facilities, and\nplaced in the world to do a work appointed by Him.\n\nTo every man is given \u201chis work,\u201d[191]\u2014the work for which his\ncapabilities adapt him,\u2014the work which will result in greatest good to\nhimself and to his fellow-men, and in greatest honor to God.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Be Not Anxious_\u201d]\n\nThus our business or calling is a part of God\u2019s great plan, and, so long\nas it is conducted in accordance with His will, He Himself is\nresponsible for the results. \u201cLaborers together with God,\u201d[192] our part\nis faithful compliance with His directions. Thus there is no place for\nanxious care. Diligence, fidelity, care-taking, thrift, and discretion\nare called for. Every faculty is to be exercised to its highest\ncapacity. But the dependence will be, not on the successful outcome of\nour efforts, but on the promise of God. The word that fed Israel in the\ndesert, and sustained Elijah through the time of famine, has the same\npower to-day. \u201cBe not anxious,[193] saying, What shall we eat? or, What\nshall we drink?... Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His\nrighteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.\u201d[194]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Tithing_]\n\nHe who gives men power to get wealth has with the gift bound up an\nobligation. Of all that we acquire He claims a specified portion. The\ntithe is the Lord\u2019s. \u201cAll the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of\nthe land or of the fruit of the tree,\u201d \u201cthe tithe of the herd or of the\nflock, ... shall be holy unto the Lord.\u201d[195] The pledge made by Jacob\nat Bethel shows the extent of the obligation. \u201cOf all that Thou shalt\ngive me,\u201d he said, \u201cI will surely give the tenth unto Thee.\u201d[196]\n\n\u201cBring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,\u201d[197] is God\u2019s command. No\nappeal is made to gratitude or to generosity. This is a matter of simple\nhonesty. The tithe is the Lord\u2019s; and He bids us return to Him that\nwhich is His own.\n\n\u201cIt is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.\u201d[198] If\nhonesty is an essential principle of business life, must we not\nrecognize our obligation to God,\u2014the obligation that underlies every\nother?\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Ministry_]\n\nBy the terms of our stewardship we are placed under obligation, not only\nto God, but to man. To the infinite love of the Redeemer every human\nbeing is indebted for the gifts of life. Food and raiment and shelter,\nbody and mind and soul,\u2014all are the purchase of His blood. And by the\nobligation of gratitude and service thus imposed, Christ has bound us to\nour fellow-men. He bids us, \u201cBy love serve one another.\u201d[199] \u201cInasmuch\nas ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have\ndone it unto Me.\u201d[200]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_I Am Debtor_\u201d]\n\n\u201cI am debtor,\u201d Paul declares, \u201cboth to the Greeks and to the barbarians;\nboth to the wise and to the unwise.\u201d[201] So also are we. By all that\nhas blessed our life above others, we are placed under obligation to\nevery human being whom we might benefit.\n\nThese truths are not for the closet more than for the counting-room. The\ngoods that we handle are not our own, and never can this fact safely be\nlost sight of. We are but stewards, and on the discharge of our\nobligation to God and man depend both the welfare of our fellow-beings\nand our own destiny for this life and for the life to come.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Profit and Loss_]\n\n\u201cThere is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that\nwithholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.\u201d \u201cCast thy\nbread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.\u201d \u201cThe\nliberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered\nalso himself.\u201d[202]\n\n\u201cLabor not to be rich.... Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is\nnot? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an\neagle toward heaven.\u201d[203]\n\n\u201cGive, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and\nshaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For\nwith the same measure that ye meet withal it shall be measured to you\nagain.\u201d[204]\n\n * * * * *\n\n\u201cHonor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all\nthine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy\npresses shall burst out with new wine.\u201d[205]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Best-Paying Investment_]\n\n\u201cBring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in\nMine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I\nwill not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing,\nthat there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the\ndevourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your\nground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the\nfield.... And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall be a\ndelightsome land.\u201d[206]\n\n\u201cIf ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them; then\nI will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her\nincrease, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your\nthreshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto\nthe sowing-time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in\nyour land safely. And I will give peace in the land, ... and none shall\nmake you afraid.\u201d[207]\n\n[Sidenote: _Security for Deposit_]\n\n\u201cSeek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for\nthe widow.\u201d \u201cBlessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will\ndeliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him\nalive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and Thou wilt not deliver\nhim unto the will of his enemies.\u201d \u201cHe that hath pity upon the poor\nlendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him\nagain.\u201d[208]\n\nHe who makes this investment lays up double treasure. Besides that\nwhich, however wisely improved, he must leave at last, he is amassing\nwealth for eternity,\u2014that treasure of character which is the most\nvaluable possession of earth or heaven.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Insurance_]\n\n\u201cThe Lord knoweth the days of the upright; and their inheritance shall\nbe forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time; and in the days\nof famine they shall be satisfied.\u201d[209]\n\n\u201cHe that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the\ntruth in his heart; ... he that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth\nnot;\u201d \u201che that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands\nfrom holding of bribes, ... and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he\nshall dwell on high; ... bread shall be given him; his waters shall be\nsure. Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall behold the\nland that is very far off.\u201d[210]\n\nGod has given in His word a picture of a prosperous man,\u2014one whose life\nwas in the truest sense a success, a man whom both heaven and earth\ndelighted to honor. Of his experiences Job himself says:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _A Successful Career_]\n\n \u201cIn the ripeness of my days,\n When the secret of God was upon my tent;\n When the Almighty was yet with me,\n And my children were about me; ...\n When I went forth to the gate unto the city,\n When I prepared my seat in the broad place,[211]\n The young men saw me and hid themselves,\n And the aged rose up and stood;\n The princes refrained talking,\n And laid their hand on their mouth;\n The voice of the nobles was hushed....\n\n \u201cFor when the ear heard me, then it blessed me;\n And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me;\n Because I delivered the poor that cried,\n The fatherless also, and him[211] that had none to help him.\n\n \u201cThe blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me;\n And I caused the widow\u2019s heart to sing for joy.\n I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;\n My justice was as a robe and a diadem.\n I was eyes to the blind,\n And feet was I to the lame.\n I was a father to the needy;\n And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out.\u201d\n \u201cThe stranger did not lodge in the street;\n But I opened my doors to the traveler.\u201d\n\n \u201cUnto me men gave ear, and waited.... [Sidenote: _Its Crown of Honor_]\n And the light of my countenance they cast not down.\n I chose out their way, and sat chief,\n And dwelt as a king in the army,\n As one that _comforteth the mourners_.\u201d[212]\n\n\u201cThe blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with\nit.\u201d[213]\n\n\u201cRiches and honor are with Me,\u201d declares Wisdom; \u201cyea, durable riches\nand righteousness.\u201d[214]\n\n[Sidenote: _A Fruitless Venture_]\n\nThe Bible shows also the result of a departure from right principles in\nour dealing both with God and with one another. To those who are\nentrusted with His gifts but indifferent to His claims, God says:\u2014\n\n\u201cConsider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but\nye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye\nclothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth\nwages to put it into a bag with holes.... Ye looked for much, and, lo,\nit came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it.\u201d\n\u201cWhen one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten; when\none came to the press-fat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the\npress, there were but twenty.\u201d \u201cWhy? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of\nMine house that is waste.\u201d \u201cWill a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me.\nBut ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings.\u201d\n\u201cTherefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is\nstayed from her fruit.\u201d[215]\n\n[Sidenote: _Gains That Impoverish_]\n\n\u201cForasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, ... ye have\nbuilt houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have\nplanted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.\u201d \u201cThe\nLord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that\nthou settest thine hand unto.\u201d \u201cThy sons and thy daughters shall be\ngiven unto another, ... and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing\nfor them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine\nhand.\u201d[216]\n\n\u201cHe that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst\nof his days, and at his end shall be a fool.\u201d[217]\n\nThe accounts of every business, the details of every transaction, pass\nthe scrutiny of unseen auditors, agents of Him who never compromises\nwith injustice, never overlooks evil, never palliates wrong.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Audit_]\n\n\u201cIf thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of\njudgment and justice, ... marvel not at the matter; for He that is\nhigher than the highest regardeth.\u201d \u201cThere is no darkness, nor shadow of\ndeath, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.\u201d[218]\n\n\u201cThey set their mouth against the heavens, and ... say, How doth God\nknow? and is there knowledge in the Most High?\u201d \u201cThese things hast thou\ndone,\u201d God says, \u201cand I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was\naltogether such a one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set them\nin order before thine eyes.\u201d[219]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _A Witness Never Silenced_]\n\n\u201cI turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying\nroll.... This is the curse that goeth forth over the face of the whole\nearth; for every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side\naccording to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that\nside according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts,\nand it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of\nhim that sweareth falsely by My name; and it shall remain in the midst\nof his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the\nstones thereof.\u201d[220]\n\nAgainst every evil-doer God\u2019s law utters condemnation. He may disregard\nthat voice, he may seek to drown its warning, but in vain. It follows\nhim. It makes itself heard. It destroys his peace. If unheeded, it\npursues him to the grave. It bears witness against him at the judgment.\nA quenchless fire, it consumes at last soul and body.\n\n * * * * *\n\n\u201cWhat shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose\nhis own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?\u201d[221]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Question of Questions_]\n\nThis is a question that demands consideration by every parent, every\nteacher, every student,\u2014by every human being, young or old. No scheme of\nbusiness or plan of life can be sound or complete that embraces only the\nbrief years of this present life, and makes no provision for the\nunending future. Let the youth be taught to take eternity into their\nreckoning. Let them be taught to choose the principles and seek the\npossessions that are enduring,\u2014to lay up for themselves that \u201ctreasure\nin the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither\nmoth corrupteth;\u201d to make to themselves friends \u201cby means of the mammon\nof unrighteousness,\u201d that when it shall fail, these may receive them\n\u201cinto the eternal tabernacles.\u201d[222]\n\nAll who do this are making the best possible preparation for life in\nthis world. No man can lay up treasure in heaven without finding his\nlife on earth thereby enriched and ennobled.\n\n\u201cGodliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life\nthat now is, and of that which is to come.\u201d[223]\n\n\n _Bible Biographies_\n\n \u201cWHO THROUGH FAITH SUBDUED\n KINGDOMS, WROUGHT RIGHTEOUSNESS,\n FROM WEAKNESS WERE MADE STRONG\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _A Faithful Delineation_]\n\nAs an educator no part of the Bible is of greater value than are its\nbiographies. These biographies differ from all others in that they are\nabsolutely true to life. It is impossible for any finite mind to\ninterpret rightly, in all things, the workings of another. None but He\nwho reads the heart, who discerns the secret springs of motive and\naction, can with absolute truth delineate character, or give a faithful\npicture of a human life. In God\u2019s word alone is found such delineation.\n\nNo truth does the Bible more clearly teach than that what we do is the\nresult of what we are. To a great degree the experiences of life are the\nfruition of our own thoughts and deeds.\n\n\u201cThe curse causeless shall not come.\u201d[224]\n\n[Sidenote: _Retribution_]\n\n\u201cSay ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him; ... unto the\nwicked, it shall be ill with him; for the reward of his hands shall be\ngiven him.\u201d[225]\n\n\u201cHear, O earth; behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the\nfruit of their thoughts.\u201d[226]\n\nTerrible is this truth, and deeply should it be impressed. Every deed\nreacts upon the doer. Never a human being but may recognize, in the\nevils that curse his life, fruitage of his own sowing. Yet even thus we\nare not without hope.\n\n[Sidenote: _Experience of Jacob_]\n\nTo gain the birthright that was his already by God\u2019s promise, Jacob\nresorted to fraud, and he reaped the harvest in his brother\u2019s hatred.\nThrough twenty years of exile he was himself wronged and defrauded, and\nwas at last forced to find safety in flight; and he reaped a second\nharvest, as the evils of his own character were seen to crop out in his\nsons;\u2014all but too true a picture of the retributions of human life.\n\nBut God says: \u201cI will not contend forever, neither will I be always\nwroth; for the spirit should fail before Me, and the souls which I have\nmade. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him; I\nhid Me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart.\nI have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and\nrestore comforts unto him and to his mourners.... Peace, peace to him\nthat is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will\nheal him.\u201d[227]\n\n[Sidenote: _Gain through Loss_]\n\nJacob in his distress was not overwhelmed. He had repented, he had\nendeavored to atone for the wrong to his brother. And when threatened\nwith death through the wrath of Esau, he sought help from God. \u201cYea, he\nhad power over the Angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made\nsupplication.\u201d \u201cAnd He blessed him there.\u201d[228] In the power of His\nmight the forgiven one stood up, no longer the supplanter, but a prince\nwith God. He had gained not merely deliverance from his outraged\nbrother, but deliverance from himself. The power of evil in his own\nnature was broken; his character was transformed.\n\nAt eventide there was light. Jacob, reviewing his life-history,\nrecognized the sustaining power of God,\u2014\u201cthe God which fed me all my\nlife long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all\nevil.\u201d[229]\n\nThe same experience is repeated in the history of Jacob\u2019s sons,\u2014sin\nworking retribution, and repentance bearing fruit of righteousness unto\nlife.\n\nGod does not annul His laws. He does not work contrary to them. The work\nof sin He does not undo. But He transforms. Through His grace the curse\nworks out blessing.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Levites_]\n\nOf the sons of Jacob, Levi was one of the most cruel and vindictive, one\nof the two most guilty in the treacherous murder of the Shechemites.\nLevi\u2019s characteristics, reflected in his descendants, incurred for them\nthe decree from God, \u201cI will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in\nIsrael.\u201d[230] But repentance wrought re-formation; and by their\nfaithfulness to God amidst the apostasy of the other tribes, the curse\nwas transformed into a token of highest honor.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Curse Transformed_]\n\n\u201cThe Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant\nof the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto Him, and to bless\nin His name.\u201d \u201cMy covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave\nthem to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, and was afraid before\nMy name.... He walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many\naway from iniquity.\u201d[231]\n\nThe appointed ministers of the sanctuary, the Levites received no landed\ninheritance; they dwelt together in cities set apart for their use, and\nreceived their support from the tithes and the gifts and offerings\ndevoted to God\u2019s service. They were the teachers of the people, guests\nat all their festivities, and everywhere honored as servants and\nrepresentatives of God. To the whole nation was given the command: \u201cTake\nheed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest\nupon the earth.\u201d \u201cLevi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren;\nthe Lord is his inheritance.\u201d[232]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Report of the Spies_]\n\nThe truth that as a man \u201cthinketh in his heart, so is he,\u201d[233] finds\nanother illustration in Israel\u2019s experience. On the borders of Canaan\nthe spies, returned from searching the country, made their report. The\nbeauty and fruitfulness of the land were lost sight of, through fear of\nthe difficulties in the way of its occupation. The cities walled up to\nheaven, the giant warriors, the iron chariots, daunted their faith.\nLeaving God out of the question, the multitude echoed the decision of\nthe unbelieving spies, \u201cWe be not able to go up against the people; for\nthey are stronger than we.\u201d[234] Their words proved true. They were not\nable to go up, and they wore out their lives in the desert.\n\n[Sidenote: _By Faith to Conquest_]\n\nTwo, however, of the twelve who had viewed the land, reasoned otherwise.\n\u201cWe are well able to overcome it,\u201d[234] they urged, counting God\u2019s\npromise superior to giants, walled cities, or chariots of iron. For them\ntheir word was true. Though they shared with their brethren the forty\nyears\u2019 wandering, Caleb and Joshua entered the land of promise. As\ncourageous of heart as when with the hosts of the Lord he set out from\nEgypt, Caleb asked for and received as his portion the stronghold of the\ngiants. In God\u2019s strength he drove out the Canaanites. The vineyards and\nolive-groves where his feet had trodden became his possession. Though\nthe cowards and rebels perished in the wilderness, the men of faith ate\nof the grapes of Eschol.\n\n[Sidenote: _One Evil Cherished_]\n\nNo truth does the Bible set forth in clearer light than the peril of\neven one departure from the right,\u2014peril both to the wrong-doer and to\nall whom his influence shall reach. Example has wonderful power; and\nwhen cast on the side of the evil tendencies of our nature, it becomes\nwell-nigh irresistible.\n\n[Sidenote: _Decoys of the Tempter_]\n\nThe strongest bulwark of vice in our world is not the iniquitous life of\nthe abandoned sinner or the degraded outcast; it is that life which\notherwise appears virtuous, honorable, and noble, but in which one sin\nis fostered, one vice indulged. To the soul that is struggling in secret\nagainst some giant temptation, trembling upon the very verge of the\nprecipice, such an example is one of the most powerful enticements to\nsin. He who, endowed with high conceptions of life and truth and honor,\ndoes yet wilfully transgress one precept of God\u2019s holy law, has\nperverted his noble gifts into a lure to sin. Genius, talent, sympathy,\neven generous and kindly deeds, may thus become decoys of Satan to\nentice souls over the precipice of ruin.\n\nThis is why God has given so many examples showing the results of even\none wrong act. From the sad story of that one sin which \u201cbrought death\ninto the world, and all our woe, with loss of Eden,\u201d to the record of\nhim who for thirty pieces of silver sold the Lord of glory, Bible\nbiography abounds in these examples, set up as beacons of warning at the\nbyways leading from the path of life.\n\n * * * * *\n\nThere is warning also in noting the results that have followed upon even\nonce yielding to human weakness and error, the fruit of the letting go\nof faith.\n\n[Sidenote: _One Failure of Faith_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Loss to Elijah_]\n\nBy one failure of his faith, Elijah cut short his life-work. Heavy was\nthe burden that he had borne in behalf of Israel; faithful had been his\nwarnings against the national idolatry; and deep was his solicitude as\nduring three years and a half of famine he watched and waited for some\ntoken of repentance. Alone he stood for God upon Mount Carmel. Through\nthe power of faith, idolatry was cast down, and the blessed rain\ntestified to the showers of blessing waiting to be poured upon Israel.\nThen in his weariness and weakness he fled before the threats of\nJezebel, and alone in the desert prayed that he might die. His faith had\nfailed. The work he had begun, he was not to complete. God bade him\nanoint another to be prophet in his stead.\n\nBut God had marked the heart-service of His servant. Elijah was not to\nperish in discouragement and solitude in the wilderness. Not for him the\ndescent to the tomb, but the ascent with God\u2019s angels to the presence of\nHis glory.\n\nThese life-records declare what every human being will one day\nunderstand,\u2014that sin can bring only shame and loss; that unbelief means\nfailure; but that God\u2019s mercy reaches to the deepest depths; that faith\nlifts up the repenting soul to share the adoption of the sons of God.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Discipline_]\n\nAll who in this world render true service to God or man receive a\npreparatory training in the school of sorrow. The weightier the trust\nand the higher the service, the closer is the test and the more severe\nthe discipline.\n\nStudy the experiences of Joseph and of Moses, of Daniel and of David.\nCompare the early history of David with the history of Solomon, and\nconsider the results.\n\n[Sidenote: _David_]\n\nDavid in his youth was intimately associated with Saul, and his stay at\ncourt and his connection with the king\u2019s household gave him an insight\ninto the cares and sorrows and perplexities concealed by the glitter and\npomp of royalty. He saw of how little worth is human glory to bring\npeace to the soul. And it was with relief and gladness that he returned\nfrom the king\u2019s court to the sheepfolds and the flocks.\n\n[Sidenote: _In Training for the Throne_]\n\nWhen by the jealousy of Saul driven a fugitive into the wilderness,\nDavid, cut off from human support, leaned more heavily upon God. The\nuncertainty and unrest of the wilderness life, its unceasing peril, its\nnecessity for frequent flight, the character of the men who gathered to\nhim there,\u2014\u201cevery one that was in distress, and every one that was in\ndebt, and every one that was discontented,\u201d[235]\u2014all rendered the more\nessential a stern self-discipline. These experiences aroused and\ndeveloped power to deal with men, sympathy for the oppressed, and hatred\nof injustice. Through years of waiting and peril, David learned to find\nin God his comfort, his support, his life. He learned that only by God\u2019s\npower could he come to the throne; only in His wisdom could he rule\nwisely. It was through the training in the school of hardship and sorrow\nthat David was able to make the record\u2014though afterward marred with his\ngreat sin\u2014that he \u201cexecuted judgment and justice unto all his\npeople.\u201d[236]\n\n[Sidenote: _Solomon_]\n\nThe discipline of David\u2019s early experience was lacking in that of\nSolomon. In circumstances, in character, and in life, he seemed favored\nabove all others. Noble in youth, noble in manhood, the beloved of his\nGod, Solomon entered on a reign that gave high promise of prosperity and\nhonor. Nations marveled at the knowledge and insight of the man to whom\nGod had given wisdom. But the pride of prosperity brought separation\nfrom God. From the joy of divine communion Solomon turned to find\nsatisfaction in the pleasures of sense. Of this experience he says:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _The Pride of Prosperity_]\n\n\u201cI made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I\nmade me gardens and orchards; ... I got me servants and maidens; ... I\ngathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and\nof the provinces. I gat me men-singers and women-singers, and the\ndelights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all\nsorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me\nin Jerusalem.... And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them,\nI withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my\nlabor.... Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and\non the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and\nvexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned\nmyself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what can the man do\nthat cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Unsatisfied_]\n\n\u201cI hated life.... Yea, I hated all my labor which I had taken under the\nsun.\u201d[237]\n\nBy his own bitter experience, Solomon learned the emptiness of a life\nthat seeks in earthly things its highest good. He erected altars to\nheathen gods, only to learn how vain is their promise of rest to the\nsoul.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Late Return_]\n\nIn his later years, turning wearied and thirsting from earth\u2019s broken\ncisterns, Solomon returned to drink at the fountain of life. The history\nof his wasted years, with their lessons of warning, he by the Spirit of\ninspiration recorded for after-generations. And thus, although the seed\nof his sowing was reaped by his people in harvests of evil, the\nlife-work of Solomon was not wholly lost. For him at last the discipline\nof suffering accomplished its work.\n\nBut with such a dawning, how glorious might have been his life\u2019s day,\nhad Solomon in his youth learned the lesson that suffering had taught in\nother lives!\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _God\u2019s Witnesses_]\n\nFor those who love God, those who are \u201cthe called according to his\npurpose,\u201d[238] Bible biography has a yet higher lesson of the ministry\nof sorrow. \u201cYe are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am\nGod,\u201d[239]\u2014witnesses that He is good, and that goodness is supreme. \u201cWe\nare made a theater unto the world, both[240] to angels and to men.\u201d[241]\n\n[Sidenote: _Accusation from Satan_]\n\nUnselfishness, the principle of God\u2019s kingdom, is the principle that\nSatan hates; its very existence he denies. From the beginning of the\ngreat controversy he has endeavored to prove God\u2019s principles of action\nto be selfish, and he deals in the same way with all who serve God. To\ndisprove Satan\u2019s claim is the work of Christ and of all who bear His\nname.\n\nIt was to give in His own life an illustration of unselfishness that\nJesus came in the form of humanity. And all who accept this principle\nare to be workers together with Him in demonstrating it in practical\nlife. To choose the right because it is right; to stand for truth at the\ncost of suffering and sacrifice,\u2014\u201cthis is the heritage of the servants\nof the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord.\u201d[242]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Testing of Job_]\n\nVery early in the history of the world is given the life-record of one\nover whom this controversy of Satan\u2019s was waged.\n\nOf Job, the patriarch of Uz, the testimony of the Searcher of hearts\nwas, \u201cThere is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,\none that feareth God, and escheweth evil.\u201d\n\nAgainst this man, Satan brought scornful charge: \u201cDoth Job fear God for\nnaught? Hast Thou not made a hedge about him, and about his house, and\nabout all that he hath on every side?... Put forth Thine hand now, and\ntouch all that he hath;\u201d \u201ctouch his bone and his flesh, and he will\ncurse Thee to Thy face.\u201d\n\nThe Lord said unto Satan, \u201cAll that he hath is in thy power.\u201d \u201cBehold,\nhe is in thine hand; but save his life.\u201d\n\nThus permitted, Satan swept away all that Job possessed,\u2014flocks and\nherds, men-servants and maidens, sons and daughters; and he \u201csmote Job\nwith sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.\u201d[243]\n\n[Sidenote: _Misconception of Adversity_]\n\nStill another element of bitterness was added to his cup. His friends,\nseeing in adversity but the retribution of sin, pressed on his bruised\nand burdened spirit their accusations of wrong-doing.\n\nSeemingly forsaken of heaven and earth, yet holding fast his faith in\nGod and his consciousness of integrity, in anguish and perplexity he\ncried:\u2014\n\n \u201cMy soul is weary of my life.\u201d\n \u201cO that Thou wouldst hide me in the grave,\n That Thou wouldst keep me secret, until Thy wrath be past,\n That Thou wouldst appoint me a set time, and remember me!\u201d[244]\n\n \u201cBehold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard;\n I cry for help, but there is no judgment....\n He hath stripped me of my glory, [Sidenote: _Hath God Forsaken?_]\n And taken the crown from my head....\n My kinsfolk have failed,\n And my familiar friends have forgotten me....\n They whom I loved are turned against me....\n Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends;\n For the hand of God hath touched me!\u201d\n\n \u201cO that I knew where I might find Him,\n That I might come even to His seat!...\n Behold, I go forward, but He is not there;\n And backward, but I can not perceive Him;\n On the left hand, where He doth work, but I can not behold Him;\n He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I can not see Him; [Sidenote:\n _Faith\u2019s Assurance_]\n But He knoweth the way that I take;\n When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.\u201d\n \u201cThough He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.\u201d\n\n \u201cI know that my Redeemer liveth,\n And that He shall stand up at the last upon the earth;\n And after my skin hath been destroyed, this shall be,\n Even from my flesh shall I see God;\n Whom I shall see for myself,\n And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger.\u201d[245]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_So Was It unto Job_\u201d]\n\nAccording to his faith, so was it unto Job. \u201cWhen He hath tried me,\u201d he\nsaid, \u201cI shall come forth as gold.\u201d[246] So it came to pass. By his\npatient endurance he vindicated his own character, and thus the\ncharacter of Him whose representative he was. And \u201cthe Lord turned the\ncaptivity of Job; ... also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had\nbefore.... So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his\nbeginning.\u201d[247]\n\n * * * * *\n\nOn the record of those who through self-abnegation have entered into the\nfellowship of Christ\u2019s sufferings, stand\u2014one in the Old Testament and\none in the New\u2014the names of Jonathan and of John the Baptist.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Faithful Friend_]\n\nJonathan, by birth heir to the throne, yet knowing himself set aside by\nthe divine decree; to his rival the most tender and faithful of friends,\nshielding David\u2019s life at the peril of his own; steadfast at his\nfather\u2019s side through the dark days of his declining power, and at his\nside falling at the last,\u2014the name of Jonathan is treasured in heaven,\nand it stands on earth a witness to the existence and the power of\nunselfish love.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Unwavering Witness_]\n\nJohn the Baptist, at his appearance as the Messiah\u2019s herald, stirred the\nnation. From place to place his steps were followed by vast throngs of\npeople of every rank and station. But when the One came to whom he had\nborne witness, all was changed. The crowds followed Jesus, and John\u2019s\nwork seemed fast closing. Yet there was no wavering of his faith. \u201cHe\nmust increase,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I must decrease.\u201d[248]\n\nTime passed, and the kingdom which John had confidently expected was not\nestablished. In Herod\u2019s dungeon, cut off from the life-giving air and\nthe desert freedom, he waited and watched.\n\nThere was no display of arms, no rending of prison doors; but the\nhealing of the sick, the preaching of the gospel, the uplifting of men\u2019s\nsouls, testified to Christ\u2019s mission.\n\n[Sidenote: _Fellowship in Sacrifice_]\n\nAlone in the dungeon, seeing whither his path, like his Master\u2019s,\ntended, John accepted the trust,\u2014fellowship with Christ in sacrifice.\nHeaven\u2019s messengers attended him to the grave. The intelligences of the\nuniverse, fallen and unfallen, witnessed his vindication of unselfish\nservice.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_There Hath Not Risen a Greater_\u201d]\n\nAnd in all the generations that have passed since then, suffering souls\nhave been sustained by the testimony of John\u2019s life. In the dungeon, on\nthe scaffold, in the flames, men and women through centuries of darkness\nhave been strengthened by the memory of him of whom Christ declared,\n\u201cAmong them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater.\u201d[249]\n\n * * * * *\n\n\u201cAnd what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of\nGideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, ... and Samuel,\nand of the prophets; who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought\nrighteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched\nthe violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness\nwere made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of\nthe aliens.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Through Faith_\u201d]\n\n\u201cWomen received their dead raised to life again; and others were\ntortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better\nresurrection; and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings,\nyea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment; they were stoned, they were\nsawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered\nabout in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented\n(of whom the world was not worthy); they wandered in deserts, and in\nmountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.\n\n\u201cAnd these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received\nnot the promise; God having provided some better thing for us, that they\nwithout us should not be made perfect.\u201d[250]\n\n\n _Poetry and Song_\n\n \u201cTHY STATUTES HAVE BEEN\n MY SONGS IN THE HOUSE OF MY\n PILGRIMAGE\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Poetry of the Bible_]\n\nThe earliest as well as the most sublime of poetic utterances known to\nman are found in the Scriptures. Before the oldest of the world\u2019s poets\nhad sung, the shepherd of Midian recorded those words of God to Job,\u2014in\ntheir majesty unequaled, unapproached, by the loftiest productions of\nhuman genius:\u2014\n\n \u201cWhere wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?\n Or who shut up the sea with doors,\n When it brake forth; ...\n When I made the cloud the garment thereof,\n And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,\n And prescribed for it My decree,\n And set bars and doors,\n And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further;\n And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?\n\n \u201cHast thou commanded the morning since thy days began,\n And caused the dayspring to know its place?...\n\n \u201cHast thou entered into the springs of the sea?\n Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? [Sidenote: _The\n Earliest Poem_]\n Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee?\n Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?\n Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth?\n Declare, if thou knowest it all.\n\n \u201cWhere is the way to the dwelling of light,\n And as for darkness, where is the place thereof?...\n\n\n \u201cHast thou entered the treasuries of the snow,\n Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail?...\n By what way is the light parted,\n Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?\n Who hath cleft a channel for the water-flood,\n Or a way for the lightning of the thunder;\n To cause it to rain on a land where no man is;\n On the wilderness, wherein there is no man;\n To satisfy the waste and desolate ground;\n And to cause the tender grass to spring forth?\u201d\n\n \u201cCanst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades,\n Or loose the bands of Orion?\n Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?\n Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?\u201d[251]\n\n[Sidenote: _From \u201cSong of Songs\u201d_]\n\nFor beauty of expression read also the description of spring-time, from\nthe \u201cSong of Songs\u201d:\u2014\n\n \u201cLo, the winter is past,\n The rain is over and gone;\n The flowers appear on the earth;\n The time of the singing of birds is come,\n And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;\n The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs,\n And the vines are in blossom,\n They give forth their fragrance.\n Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.\u201d[252]\n\nAnd not inferior in beauty is Balaam\u2019s unwilling prophecy of blessing to\nIsrael:\u2014\n\n \u201cFrom Aram hath Balak brought me,\n The king of Moab from the mountains of the East;\n Come, curse me Jacob,\n And come, defy Israel. [Sidenote: _An Ancient Prophecy_]\n How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?\n And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?\n For from the top of the rocks I see him,\n And from the hills I behold him;\n Lo, it is a people that dwell alone,\n And shall not be reckoned among the nations....\n\n\n \u201cBehold, I have received commandment to bless;\n And He hath blessed, and I can not reverse it.\n He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,\n Neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel;\n The Lord his God is with him,\n And the shout of a King is among them....\n Surely there is no enchantment against[253] Jacob,\n Neither is there any divination against[253] Israel;\n Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel,\n What hath God wrought!\u201d\n\n \u201cHe saith, which heareth the words of God, [Sidenote: \u201c_The Vision of\n the Almighty_\u201d]\n Which seeth the vision of the Almighty: ...\n How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,\n Thy tabernacles, O Israel!\n As valleys are they spread forth,\n As gardens by the riverside,\n As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted,\n As cedar-trees beside the waters.\u201d\n\n \u201cHe hath said, which heard the words of God,\n And knew the knowledge of the Most High: ...\n I shall see Him, but not now;\n I shall behold Him, but not nigh;\n There shall come a Star out of Jacob,\n And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel....\n Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion.\u201d[254]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Sacred Song_]\n\nThe melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven; and when heaven comes\nin touch with the earth, there is music and song,\u2014\u201cthanksgiving, and the\nvoice of melody.\u201d[255]\n\nAbove the new-created earth, as it lay, fair and unblemished, under the\nsmile of God, \u201cthe morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God\nshouted for joy.\u201d[256] So human hearts, in sympathy with heaven, have\nresponded to God\u2019s goodness in notes of praise. Many of the events of\nhuman history have been linked with song.\n\nThe earliest song recorded in the Bible from the lips of men was that\nglorious outburst of thanksgiving by the hosts of Israel at the Red\nSea:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _At the Red Sea_]\n\n \u201cI will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously;\n The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.\n The Lord is my strength and song,\n And He is become my salvation;\n This is my God, and I will praise Him;\n My father\u2019s God, and I will exalt Him.\u201d\n\n \u201cThy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power,\n Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy.\n Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?\n Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness,\n Fearful in praises, doing wonders?\u201d\n\n \u201cThe Lord shall reign forever and ever....\n Sing ye to Jehovah, for He hath triumphed gloriously.\u201d[257]\n\n * * * * *\n\nGreat have been the blessings received by men in response to songs of\npraise. The few words recounting an experience of the wilderness journey\nof Israel have a lesson worthy of our thought:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _Unsealed by Song_]\n\n\u201cThey went to Beer; that is the well whereof the Lord spake unto Moses,\nGather the people together, and I will give them water.\u201d[258] \u201cThen sang\nIsrael this song:\u2014\n\n \u201cSpring up, O well; sing ye unto it:\n The well which the princes digged,\n Which the nobles of the people delved,\n With the scepter, and with their staves.\u201d[259]\n\nHow often in spiritual experience is this history repeated! how often by\nwords of holy song are unsealed in the soul the springs of penitence and\nfaith, of hope and love and joy!\n\n[Sidenote: _With Praise_]\n\nIt was with songs of praise that the armies of Israel went forth to the\ngreat deliverance under Jehoshaphat. To Jehoshaphat had come the tidings\nof threatened war. \u201cThere cometh a great multitude against thee,\u201d was\nthe message, \u201cthe children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with\nthem other beside.\u201d \u201cAnd Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the\nLord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered\nthemselves together, to ask help of the Lord; even out of all the cities\nof Judah they came to seek the Lord.\u201d And Jehoshaphat, standing in the\ntemple-court before his people, poured out his soul in prayer, pleading\nGod\u2019s promise, with confession of Israel\u2019s helplessness. \u201cWe have no\nmight against this great company that cometh against us,\u201d he said;\n\u201cneither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee.\u201d[260]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_The Battle Is Not Yours_\u201d]\n\nThen upon Jahaziel a Levite \u201ccame the Spirit of the Lord; ... and he\nsaid, Harken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou\nking Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor\ndismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours,\nbut God\u2019s.... Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves,\nstand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord.... Fear not, nor be\ndismayed; to-morrow go out against them; for the Lord will be with\nyou.\u201d[261]\n\n[Sidenote: _Victory_]\n\n\u201cAnd they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness\nof Tekoa.\u201d[262] Before the army went singers, lifting their voices in\npraise to God,\u2014praising Him for the victory promised.\n\nOn the fourth day thereafter, the army returned to Jerusalem, laden with\nthe spoil of their enemies, singing praise for the victory won.\n\nThrough song, David, amidst the vicissitudes of his changeful life, held\ncommunion with heaven. How sweetly are his experiences as a shepherd lad\nreflected in the words:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _The Shepherd Psalm_]\n\n \u201cThe Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.\n He maketh me to lie down in green pastures;\n He leadeth me beside the still waters....\n Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,\n I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me;\n Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.\u201d[263]\n\nIn his manhood a hunted fugitive, finding refuge in the rocks and caves\nof the wilderness, he wrote:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_In the Shadow of Thy Wings_\u201d]\n\n \u201cO God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee;\n My soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh longeth for Thee,\n In a dry and weary land, where no water is....\n Thou hast been my help,\n And in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice.\u201d\n\n \u201cWhy art thou cast down, O my soul?\n And why art thou disquieted within me?\n Hope thou in God;\n For I shall yet praise Him,\n Who is the health of my countenance,\n And my God.\u201d\n\n \u201cThe Lord is my light and my salvation;\n Whom shall I fear?\n The Lord is the strength of my life;\n Of whom shall I be afraid?\u201d[264]\n\nThe same trust is breathed in the words written when, a dethroned and\ncrownless king, David fled from Jerusalem at the rebellion of Absalom.\nSpent with grief and the weariness of his flight, he with his company\nhad tarried beside the Jordan for a few hours\u2019 rest. He was awakened by\nthe summons to immediate flight. In the darkness, the passage of the\ndeep and swift-flowing stream must be made by that whole company of men,\nwomen, and little children; for hard after them were the forces of the\ntraitor-son.\n\nIn that hour of darkest trial, David sang:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _Songs in the Night_]\n\n \u201cI cried unto the Lord with my voice,\n And He heard me out of His holy hill.\n\n \u201cI laid me down and slept;\n I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.\n I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people,\n That have set themselves against me round about.\u201d[265]\n\nAfter his great sin, in the anguish of remorse and self-abhorrence he\nstill turned to God as his best friend:\n\n \u201cHave mercy upon me, according to Thy loving-kindness;\n According unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my\n transgressions....\n Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;\n Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.\u201d[266]\n\n[Sidenote: _Yearnings for Home_]\n\nIn his long life, David found on earth no resting-place. \u201cWe are\nstrangers before Thee, and sojourners,\u201d he said, \u201cas all our fathers\nwere; our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no\nabiding.\u201d[267]\n\n \u201cGod is our refuge and strength,\n A very present help in trouble.\n Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed,\n And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.\u201d\n\n \u201cThere is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God,\n The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.\n God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved:\n God shall help her, at the dawn of morning....\n The Lord of hosts is with us;\n The God of Jacob is our refuge.\u201d\n\n \u201cThis God is our God forever and ever;\n He will be our guide even unto death.\u201d[268]\n\nWith a song, Jesus in His earthly life met temptation. Often when sharp,\nstinging words were spoken, often when the atmosphere about Him was\nheavy with gloom, with dissatisfaction, distrust, or oppressive fear,\nwas heard His song of faith and holy cheer.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Saviour\u2019s Song_]\n\nOn that last sad night of the Passover supper, as He was about to go\nforth to betrayal and to death, His voice was lifted in the psalm:\u2014\n\n \u201cBlessed be the name of the Lord\n From this time forth and forevermore.\n From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same\n The Lord\u2019s name is to be praised.\u201d\n\n \u201cI love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications.\n Because He hath inclined His ear unto me,\n Therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live.\n\n \u201cThe sorrows of death compassed me,\n And the pains of hell gat hold upon me;\n I found trouble and sorrow.\n Then called I upon the name of the Lord:\n O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul.\n Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;\n Yea, our God is merciful.\n\n \u201cThe Lord preserveth the simple;\n I was brought low, and He helped me.\n Return unto thy rest, O my soul;\n For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.\n For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my\n feet from falling.\u201d[269]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _In the Last Crisis_]\n\nAmidst the deepening shadows of earth\u2019s last great crisis, God\u2019s light\nwill shine brightest, and the song of hope and trust will be heard in\nclearest and loftiest strains.\n\n \u201cIn that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah:\n We have a strong city;\n Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.\n Open ye the gates,\n That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.\n Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace\n Whose mind is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee.\n Trust ye in the Lord forever;\n For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.\u201d[270]\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_With Singing unto Zion_\u201d]\n\n\u201cThe ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion;\nand everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain\ngladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.\u201d[271]\n\n\u201cThey shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together\nto the goodness of the Lord; ... and their soul shall be as a watered\ngarden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.\u201d[272]\n\n * * * * *\n\nThe history of the songs of the Bible is full of suggestion as to the\nuses and benefits of music and song. Music is often perverted to serve\npurposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring agencies\nof temptation. But, rightly employed, it is a precious gift of God,\ndesigned to uplift the thoughts to high and noble themes, to inspire and\nelevate the soul.\n\n[Sidenote: _Power of Song_]\n\nAs the children of Israel, journeying through the wilderness, cheered\ntheir way by the music of sacred song, so God bids His children to-day\ngladden their pilgrim life. There are few means more effective for\nfixing His words in the memory than repeating them in song. And such\nsong has wonderful power. It has power to subdue rude and uncultivated\nnatures; power to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy, to promote\nharmony of action, and to banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy\ncourage and weaken effort.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Means of Education_]\n\nIt is one of the most effective means of impressing the heart with\nspiritual truth. How often to the soul hard-pressed and ready to\ndespair, memory recalls some word of God\u2019s,\u2014the long-forgotten burden of\na childhood song,\u2014and temptations lose their power, life takes on new\nmeaning and new purpose, and courage and gladness are imparted to other\nsouls!\n\nThe value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of.\nLet there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and\nthere will be fewer words of censure, and more of cheerfulness and hope\nand joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be\ndrawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another.\n\nAs a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as\nis prayer. Indeed, many a song is prayer. If the child is taught to\nrealize this, he will think more of the meaning of the words he sings,\nand will be more susceptible to their power.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Angels\u2019 Song_]\n\nAs our Redeemer leads us to the threshold of the Infinite, flushed with\nthe glory of God, we may catch the themes of praise and thanksgiving\nfrom the heavenly choir round about the throne; and as the echo of the\nangels\u2019 song is awakened in our earthly homes, hearts will be drawn\ncloser to the heavenly singers. Heaven\u2019s communion begins on earth. We\nlearn here the keynote of its praise.\n\n\n _Mysteries of the Bible_\n\n \u201cCANST THOU BY SEARCHING\n FIND OUT GOD?\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Canst Thou Find Out God?_\u201d]\n\nNo finite mind can fully comprehend the character or the works of the\nInfinite One. We can not by searching find out God. To minds the\nstrongest and most highly cultured, as well as to the weakest and most\nignorant, that holy Being must remain clothed in mystery. But though\n\u201cclouds and darkness are round about Him, righteousness and judgment are\nthe foundation of His throne.\u201d[273] We can so far comprehend His dealing\nwith us as to discern boundless mercy united to infinite power. We can\nunderstand as much of His purposes as we are capable of comprehending;\nbeyond this we may still trust the hand that is omnipotent, the heart\nthat is full of love.\n\n[Sidenote: _Ground for Trust_]\n\nThe word of God, like the character of its Author, presents mysteries\nthat can never be fully comprehended by finite beings. But God has given\nin the Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine authority. His own\nexistence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are established\nby testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant.\nTrue, He has not removed the possibility of doubt; faith must rest upon\nevidence, not demonstration; those who wish to doubt have opportunity;\nbut those who desire to know the truth find ample ground for faith.\n\nWe have no reason to doubt God\u2019s word because we can not understand the\nmysteries of His providence. In the natural world we are constantly\nsurrounded with wonders beyond our comprehension. Should we then be\nsurprised to find in the spiritual world also mysteries that we can not\nfathom? The difficulty lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the\nhuman mind.\n\n[Sidenote: _Mysteries Evidence of Divinity_]\n\nThe mysteries of the Bible, so far from being an argument against it,\nare among the strongest evidences of its divine inspiration. If it\ncontained no account of God but that which we could comprehend; if His\ngreatness and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, then the Bible\nwould not, as now, bear the unmistakable evidences of divinity. The\ngreatness of its themes should inspire faith in it as the word of God.\n\n[Sidenote: _Simplicity and Adaptation_]\n\nThe Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and an adaptation to the needs\nand longings of the human heart that has astonished and charmed the most\nhighly cultivated minds, while to the humble and uncultured also it\nmakes plain the way of life. \u201cThe wayfaring men, though fools, shall not\nerr therein.\u201d[274] No child need mistake the path. Not one trembling\nseeker need fail of walking in pure and holy light. Yet the most simply\nstated truths lay hold upon themes elevated, far-reaching, infinitely\nbeyond the power of human comprehension,\u2014mysteries that are the hiding\nof His glory,\u2014mysteries that overpower the mind in its research, while\nthey inspire the sincere seeker for truth with reverence and faith. The\nmore we search the Bible, the deeper is our conviction that it is the\nword of the living God, and human reason bows before the majesty of\ndivine revelation.\n\n[Sidenote: _Limit to Comprehension_]\n\nGod intends that to the earnest seeker the truths of His word shall be\never unfolding. While \u201cthe secret things belong unto the Lord our God,\u201d\n\u201cthose things which are revealed belong unto us and to our\nchildren.\u201d[275] The idea that certain portions of the Bible can not be\nunderstood has led to neglect of some of its most important truths. The\nfact needs to be emphasized, and often repeated, that the mysteries of\nthe Bible are not such because God has sought to conceal truth, but\nbecause our own weakness or ignorance makes us incapable of\ncomprehending or appropriating truth. The limitation is not in His\npurpose, but in our capacity. Of those very portions of Scripture often\npassed by as impossible to be understood, God desires us to understand\nas much as our minds are capable of receiving. \u201cAll Scripture is given\nby inspiration of God,\u201d that we may be \u201cthoroughly furnished unto all\ngood works.\u201d[276]\n\n[Sidenote: _Inexhaustible Riches_]\n\nIt is impossible for any human mind to exhaust even one truth or promise\nof the Bible. One catches the glory from one point of view, another from\nanother point; yet we can discern only gleamings. The full radiance is\nbeyond our vision.\n\nAs we contemplate the great things of God\u2019s word, we look into a\nfountain that broadens and deepens beneath our gaze. Its breadth and\ndepth pass our knowledge. As we gaze, the vision widens; stretched out\nbefore us we behold a boundless, shoreless sea.\n\nSuch study has vivifying power. The mind and heart acquire new strength,\nnew life.\n\n[Sidenote: _Tested by Experience_]\n\nThis experience is the highest evidence of the divine authorship of the\nBible. We receive God\u2019s word as food for the soul, through the same\nevidence by which we receive bread as food for the body. Bread supplies\nthe need of our nature; we know by experience that it produces blood and\nbone and brain. Apply the same test to the Bible: when its principles\nhave actually become the elements of character, what has been the\nresult? what changes have been made in the life?\u2014\u201cOld things are passed\naway; behold, all things are become new.\u201d[277] In its power, men and\nwomen have broken the chains of sinful habit. They have renounced\nselfishness. The profane have become reverent, the drunken sober, the\nprofligate pure. Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan, have been\ntransformed into the image of God. This change is itself the miracle of\nmiracles. A change wrought by the word, it is one of the deepest\nmysteries of the word. We can not understand it; we can only believe, as\ndeclared by the Scriptures, it is \u201cChrist in you, the hope of\nglory.\u201d[278]\n\nA knowledge of this mystery furnishes a key to every other. It opens to\nthe soul the treasures of the universe, the possibilities of infinite\ndevelopment.\n\n[Sidenote: _Pledge of Eternal Growth_]\n\nAnd this development is gained through the constant unfolding to us of\nthe character of God,\u2014the glory and the mystery of the written word. If\nit were possible for us to attain to a full understanding of God and His\nword, there would be for us no further discovery of truth, no greater\nknowledge, no further development. God would cease to be supreme, and\nman would cease to advance. Thank God, it is not so. Since God is\ninfinite, and in Him are all the treasures of wisdom, we may to all\neternity be ever searching, ever learning, yet never exhaust the riches\nof His wisdom, His goodness, or His power.\n\n\n _History and Prophecy_\n\n \u201cWHO HATH DECLARED THIS FROM\n ANCIENT TIME? HAVE NOT I THE\n LORD? THERE IS NO GOD ELSE\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _The Earliest of Annals_]\n\nThe Bible is the most ancient and the most comprehensive history that\nmen possess. It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and\nthroughout the ages a divine hand has preserved its purity. It lights up\nthe far-distant past, where human research in vain seeks to penetrate.\nIn God\u2019s word only do we behold the power that laid the foundations of\nthe earth, and that stretched out the heavens. Here only do we find an\nauthentic account of the origin of nations. Here only is given a history\nof our race unsullied by human pride or prejudice.\n\n[Sidenote: _Philosophy of History_]\n\nIn the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall\nof empires, appear as dependent on the will and prowess of man. The\nshaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his\npower, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn\naside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and\ncounter-play of human interests and power and passions, the agencies of\nthe all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of\nHis own will.\n\n[Sidenote: _Distribution of Races_]\n\nThe Bible reveals the true philosophy of history. In those words of\nmatchless beauty and tenderness spoken by the apostle Paul to the sages\nof Athens is set forth God\u2019s purpose in the creation and distribution of\nraces and nations: He \u201chath made of one blood all nations of men for to\ndwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before\nappointed and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the\nLord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him.\u201d[279] God\ndeclares that whosoever will may come \u201cinto the bond of the\ncovenant.\u201d[280] In the creation it was His purpose that the earth be\ninhabited by beings whose existence should be a blessing to themselves\nand to one another, and an honor to their Creator. All who will may\nidentify themselves with this purpose. Of them it is spoken, \u201cThis\npeople have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise.\u201d[281]\n\nGod has revealed in His law the principles that underlie all true\nprosperity both of nations and of individuals. \u201cThis is your wisdom and\nyour understanding,\u201d Moses declared to the Israelites of the law of God.\n\u201cIt is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life.\u201d[282] The\nblessings thus assured to Israel are, on the same conditions and in the\nsame degree, assured to every nation and every individual under the\nbroad heavens.\n\n[Sidenote: _National Prosperity_]\n\nThe power exercised by every ruler on the earth is Heaven-imparted; and\nupon his use of the power thus bestowed, his success depends. To each\nthe word of the divine Watcher is, \u201cI girded thee, though thou hast not\nknown Me.\u201d[283] And to each the words spoken to Nebuchadnezzar of old\nare the lesson of life: \u201cBreak off thy sins by righteousness, and thine\niniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of\nthy tranquillity.\u201d[284]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Source of Power_]\n\nTo understand these things,\u2014to understand that \u201crighteousness exalteth a\nnation;\u201d that \u201cthe throne is established by righteousness,\u201d and\n\u201cupholden by mercy;\u201d[285] to recognize the outworking of these\nprinciples in the manifestation of His power who \u201cremoveth kings, and\nsetteth up kings,\u201d[286] \u2014this is to understand the philosophy of\nhistory.\n\nIn the word of God only is this clearly set forth. Here it is shown that\nthe strength of nations, as of individuals, is not found in the\nopportunities or facilities that appear to make them invincible; it is\nnot found in their boasted greatness. It is measured by the fidelity\nwith which they fulfil God\u2019s purpose.\n\n[Sidenote: _Object of Government_]\n\nAn illustration of this truth is found in the history of ancient\nBabylon. To Nebuchadnezzar the king the true object of national\ngovernment was represented under the figure of a great tree, whose\nheight \u201creached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the\nearth; the leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in\nit was meat for all;\u201d under its shadow the beasts of the field dwelt,\nand among its branches the birds of the air had their habitation.[287]\nThis representation shows the character of a government that fulfils\nGod\u2019s purpose,\u2014a government that protects and upbuilds the nation.\n\n[Sidenote: _Babylon the Great_]\n\nGod exalted Babylon that it might fulfil this purpose. Prosperity\nattended the nation, until it reached a height of wealth and power that\nhas never since been equaled,\u2014fitly represented in the Scriptures by the\ninspired symbol, a \u201chead of gold.\u201d[288]\n\nBut the king failed of recognizing the power that had exalted him.\nNebuchadnezzar in the pride of his heart said: \u201cIs not this great\nBabylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of\nmy power, and for the honor of my majesty?\u201d[289]\n\n[Sidenote: _Its Oppressive Power_]\n\nInstead of being a protector of men, Babylon became a proud and cruel\noppressor. The words of Inspiration picturing the cruelty and greed of\nrulers in Israel, reveal the secret of Babylon\u2019s fall, and of the fall\nof many another kingdom since the world began: \u201cYe eat the fat, and ye\nclothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed; but ye feed not the\nflock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed\nthat which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken,\nneither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have\nye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye\nruled them.\u201d[290]\n\n[Sidenote: _Retribution_]\n\nTo the ruler of Babylon came the sentence of the divine Watcher: O king,\n\u201cto thee it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from thee.\u201d[291]\n\n \u201cCome down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon,\n Sit on the ground; there is no throne....\n Sit thou silent,\n And get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans;\n For thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms.\u201d[292]\n\n \u201cO thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures,\n Thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.\u201d\n\n \u201cBabylon, the glory of kingdoms,\n The beauty of the Chaldee\u2019s excellency,\n Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water;\nand I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of\nhosts.\u201d[293]\n\n[Sidenote: _Rise and Fall of Nations_]\n\nEvery nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted\nto occupy its place on the earth, that it might be seen whether it would\nfulfil the purpose of \u201cthe Watcher and the Holy One.\u201d Prophecy has\ntraced the rise and fall of the world\u2019s great empires,\u2014Babylon,\nMedo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each of these, as with nations of\nless power, history repeated itself. Each had its period of test, each\nfailed, its glory faded, its power departed, and its place was occupied\nby another.\n\nWhile the nations rejected God\u2019s principles, and in this rejection\nwrought their own ruin, it was still manifest that the divine,\noverruling purpose was working through all their movements.\n\n[Sidenote: _Vision of the Cherubim_]\n\nThis lesson is taught in a wonderful symbolic representation given to\nthe prophet Ezekiel during his exile in the land of the Chaldeans. The\nvision was given at a time when Ezekiel was weighed down with sorrowful\nmemories and troubled forebodings. The land of his fathers was desolate.\nJerusalem was depopulated. The prophet himself was a stranger in a land\nwhere ambition and cruelty reigned supreme. As on every hand he beheld\ntyranny and wrong, his soul was distressed, and he mourned day and\nnight. But the symbols presented to him revealed a power above that of\nearthly rulers.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Guiding Hand_]\n\nUpon the banks of the river Chebar, Ezekiel beheld a whirlwind seeming\nto come from the north, \u201ca great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, and\na brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of\namber.\u201d A number of wheels, intersecting one another, were moved by four\nliving beings. High above all these was the \u201clikeness of a throne, as\nthe appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne\nwas the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.\u201d \u201cAnd there\nappeared in the cherubim the form of a man\u2019s hand under their\nwings.\u201d[294] The wheels were so complicated in arrangement that at first\nsight they appeared to be in confusion; but they moved in perfect\nharmony. Heavenly beings, sustained and guided by the hand beneath the\nwings of the cherubim, were impelling these wheels; above them, upon the\nsapphire throne, was the Eternal One; and round about the throne a\nrainbow, the emblem of divine mercy.\n\nAs the wheel-like complications were under the guidance of the hand\nbeneath the wings of the cherubim, so the complicated play of human\nevents is under divine control. Amidst the strife and tumult of nations,\nHe that sitteth above the cherubim still guides the affairs of the\nearth.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Place in God\u2019s Purpose_]\n\nThe history of nations that one after another have occupied their\nallotted time and place, unconsciously witnessing to the truth of which\nthey themselves knew not the meaning, speaks to us. To every nation and\nto every individual of to-day God has assigned a place in His great\nplan. To-day men and nations are being measured by the plummet in the\nhand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding\ntheir destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His\npurposes.\n\n[Sidenote: _Fulfilment of Prophecy_]\n\nThe history which the great I AM has marked out in His word, uniting\nlink after link in the prophetic chain, from eternity in the past to\neternity in the future, tells us where we are to-day in the procession\nof the ages, and what may be expected in the time to come. All that\nprophecy has foretold as coming to pass, until the present time, has\nbeen traced on the pages of history, and we may be assured that all\nwhich is yet to come will be fulfilled in its order.\n\nThe final overthrow of all earthly dominions is plainly foretold in the\nword of truth. In the prophecy uttered when sentence from God was\npronounced upon the last king of Israel is given the message:\u2014\n\n\u201cThus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, and take off the crown; ...\nexalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn,\noverturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until He come whose\nright it is; and I will give it Him.\u201d[295]\n\nThe crown removed from Israel passed successively to the kingdoms of\nBabylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. God says, \u201cIt shall be no more,\nuntil He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him.\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Signs of the Times_]\n\nThat time is at hand. To-day the signs of the times declare that we are\nstanding on the threshold of great and solemn events. Everything in our\nworld is in agitation. Before our eyes is fulfilling the Saviour\u2019s\nprophecy of the events to precede His coming: \u201cYe shall hear of wars and\nrumors of wars.... Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against\nkingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,\nin divers places.\u201d[296]\n\n[Sidenote: _On the Verge of a Crisis_]\n\nThe present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and\nstatesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men\nand women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events\ntaking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless\nrelations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that\nis taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognize that\nsomething great and decisive is about to take place,\u2014that the world is\non the verge of a stupendous crisis.\n\nAngels are now restraining the winds of strife, that they may not blow\nuntil the world shall be warned of its coming doom; but a storm is\ngathering, ready to burst upon the earth; and when God shall bid His\nangels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen\ncan picture.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Final Scenes_]\n\nThe Bible, and the Bible only, gives a correct view of these things.\nHere are revealed the great final scenes in the history of our world,\nevents that already are casting their shadows before, the sound of their\napproach causing the earth to tremble, and men\u2019s hearts to fail them for\nfear.\n\n\u201cBehold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and\nturneth it upside down, and scattered abroad the inhabitants\nthereof; ... because they have transgressed the laws, changed the\nordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse\ndevoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate.... The\nmirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy\nof the harp ceaseth.\u201d[297]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Destruction upon Destruction_\u201d]\n\n\u201cAlas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a\ndestruction from the Almighty shall it come.... The seed is rotten under\ntheir clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down;\nfor the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle\nare perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep\nare made desolate.\u201d \u201cThe vine is dried up, and the fig-tree languisheth;\nthe pomegranate-tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, even all\nthe trees of the field, are withered; because joy is withered away from\nthe sons of men.\u201d[298]\n\n\u201cI am pained at my very heart; ... I can not hold my peace, because thou\nhast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.\nDestruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled.\u201d\n\n\u201cI beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the\nheavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they\ntrembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was\nno man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo,\nthe fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were\nbroken down.\u201d[299]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Time of Jacob\u2019s Trouble_\u201d]\n\n\u201cAlas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the\ntime of Jacob\u2019s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.\u201d[300]\n\n\u201cCome, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about\nthee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation\nbe overpast.\u201d[301]\n\n \u201cBecause thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge,\n Even the Most High, thy habitation;\n There shall no evil befall thee,\n Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.\u201d[302]\n\n \u201cThe mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken,\n And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down\n thereof.\n Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.\n Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence.\u201d [Sidenote: \u201c_Our God\n Shall Come_\u201d]\n \u201cHe shall call to the heavens above,\n And to the earth, that He may judge His people; ...\n And the heavens shall declare His righteousness;\n For God is judge Himself.\u201d[303]\n\n\u201cO daughter of Zion, ... the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of\nthine enemies. Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that\nsay, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know\nnot the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they His counsel.\u201d\n\u201cBecause they call thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man\nseeketh after,\u201d \u201cI will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee\nof thy wounds, saith the Lord.\u201d \u201cI will bring again the captivity of\nJacob\u2019s tents, and have mercy on his dwelling-places.\u201d[304]\n\n[Sidenote: _\u201cHe Will Save\u201d_]\n\n \u201cAnd it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God;\n We have waited for Him, and He will save us:\n This is the Lord; we have waited for Him,\n We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe will swallow up death in victory; ... and the rebuke of His people\nshall He take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken\nit.\u201d[305]\n\n\u201cLook upon Zion, the city of our solemnities; thine eyes shall see\nJerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken\ndown.... For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord\nis our king.\u201d[306]\n\n\u201cWith righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for\nthe meek of the earth.\u201d[307]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Reign of Peace_]\n\nThen will the purpose of God be fulfilled; the principles of His kingdom\nwill be honored by all beneath the sun.\n\n \u201cViolence shall no more be heard in thy land,\n Wasting nor destruction within thy borders;\n But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation,\n And thy gates Praise.\u201d\n\n \u201cIn righteousness shalt thou be established:\n Thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear:\n And from terror; for it shall not come near thee.\u201d[308]\n\n[Sidenote: _Study of Prophecy_]\n\nThe prophets to whom these great scenes were revealed longed to\nunderstand their import. They \u201cinquired and searched diligently; ...\nsearching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in\nthem did signify.... Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto\nthemselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now\nreported unto you; ... which things the angels desire to look\ninto.\u201d[309]\n\nTo us who are standing on the very verge of their fulfilment, of what\ndeep moment, what living interest, are these delineations of the things\nto come,\u2014events for which, since our first parents turned their steps\nfrom Eden, God\u2019s children have watched and waited, longed and prayed!\n\nAt this time, before the great final crisis, as before the world\u2019s first\ndestruction, men are absorbed in the pleasures and the pursuits of\nsense. Engrossed with the seen and transitory, they have lost sight of\nthe unseen and eternal. For the things that perish with the using, they\nare sacrificing imperishable riches. Their minds need to be uplifted,\ntheir views of life to be broadened. They need to be aroused from the\nlethargy of worldly dreaming.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Lesson for To-Day_]\n\nFrom the rise and fall of nations as made plain in the pages of Holy\nWrit, they need to learn how worthless is mere outward and worldly\nglory. Babylon, with all its power and its magnificence, the like of\nwhich our world has never since beheld,\u2014power and magnificence which to\nthe people of that day seemed so stable and enduring,\u2014how completely has\nit passed away! As \u201cthe flower of the grass,\u201d it has perished. So\nperishes all that has not God for its foundation. Only that which is\nbound up with His purpose, and expresses His character, can endure. His\nprinciples are the only steadfast things our world knows.\n\nIt is these great truths that old and young need to learn. We need to\nstudy the working out of God\u2019s purpose in the history of nations and in\nthe revelation of things to come, that we may estimate at their true\nvalue things seen and things unseen; that we may learn what is the true\naim of life; that, viewing the things of time in the light of eternity,\nwe may put them to their truest and noblest use. Thus, learning here the\nprinciples of His kingdom and becoming its subjects and citizens, we may\nbe prepared at His coming to enter with Him into its possession.\n\n[Sidenote: _The End Is at Hand_]\n\nThe day is at hand. For the lessons to be learned, the work to be done,\nthe transformation of character to be effected, the time remaining is\nbut too brief a span.\n\n\u201cBehold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is\nfor many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.\nTherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: There shall none of My\nwords be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be\ndone, saith the Lord God.\u201d[310]\n\n\n _Bible Teaching and Study_\n\n \u201cINCLINE THINE EAR UNTO\n WISDOM; SEARCH FOR HER\n AS FOR HID TREASURES\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _A Bible Student_]\n\nIn childhood, youth, and manhood, Jesus studied the Scriptures. As a\nlittle child, He was daily, at His mother\u2019s knee, taught from the\nscrolls of the prophets. In His youth the early morning and the evening\ntwilight often found Him alone on the mountainside or among the trees of\nthe forest, spending a quiet hour in prayer and the study of God\u2019s word.\nDuring His ministry His intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures\ntestifies to His diligence in their study. And since He gained knowledge\nas we may gain it, His wonderful power, both mental and spiritual, is a\ntestimony to the value of the Bible as a means of education.\n\n[Sidenote: _Stories for the Little Ones_]\n\nOur heavenly Father, in giving His word, did not overlook the children.\nIn all that men have written, where can be found anything that has such\na hold upon the heart, anything so well adapted to awaken the interest\nof the little ones, as the stories of the Bible?\n\nIn these simple stories may be made plain the great principles of the\nlaw of God. Thus by illustrations best suited to the child\u2019s\ncomprehension, parents and teachers may begin very early to fulfil the\nLord\u2019s injunction concerning His precepts: \u201cThou shalt teach them\ndiligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest\nin thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest\ndown, and when thou risest up.\u201d[311]\n\n[Sidenote: _Object Lessons_]\n\nThe use of object-lessons, blackboards, maps, and pictures, will be an\naid in explaining these lessons, and fixing them in the memory. Parents\nand teachers should constantly seek for improved methods. The teaching\nof the Bible should have our freshest thought, our best methods, and our\nmost earnest effort.\n\n[Sidenote: _Family Study_]\n\nIn arousing and strengthening a love for Bible study, much depends on\nthe use of the hour of worship. The hours of morning and evening worship\nshould be the sweetest and most helpful of the day. Let it be understood\nthat into these hours no troubled, unkind thoughts are to intrude; that\nparents and children assemble to meet with Jesus, and to invite into the\nhome the presence of holy angels. Let the services be brief and full of\nlife, adapted to the occasion, and varied from time to time. Let all\njoin in the Bible reading, and learn and often repeat God\u2019s law. It will\nadd to the interest of the children if they are sometimes permitted to\nselect the reading. Question them upon it, and let them ask questions.\nMention anything that will serve to illustrate its meaning. When the\nservice is not thus made too lengthy, let the little ones take part in\nprayer, and let them join in song, if it be but a single verse.\n\nTo make such a service what it should be, thought should be given to\npreparation. And parents should take time daily for Bible study with\ntheir children. No doubt it will require effort and planning and some\nsacrifice to accomplish this; but the effort will be richly repaid.\n\n[Sidenote: _Personal Influence and Example_]\n\nAs a preparation for teaching His precepts, God commands that they be\nhidden in the hearts of the parents. \u201cThese words, which I command thee\nthis day, shall be in thine heart,\u201d He says; \u201cand thou shalt teach them\ndiligently.\u201d[312] In order to interest our children in the Bible, we\nourselves must be interested in it. To awaken in them a love for its\nstudy, we must love it. Our instruction to them will have only the\nweight of influence given it by our own example and spirit.\n\n[Sidenote: _Abraham an Illustration_]\n\nGod called Abraham to be a teacher of His word, He chose him to be the\nfather of a great nation, because He saw that Abraham would instruct his\nchildren and his household in the principles of God\u2019s law. And that\nwhich gave power to Abraham\u2019s teaching was the influence of his own\nlife. His great household consisted of more than a thousand souls, many\nof them heads of families, and not a few but newly converted from\nheathenism. Such a household required a firm hand at the helm. No weak,\nvacillating methods would suffice. Of Abraham God said, \u201cI know him,\nthat he will command his children and his household after him.\u201d[313] Yet\nhis authority was exercised with such wisdom and tenderness that hearts\nwere won. The testimony of the divine Watcher is, \u201cThey shall keep the\nway of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.\u201d[313] And Abraham\u2019s\ninfluence extended beyond his own household. Wherever he pitched his\ntent, he set up beside it the altar for sacrifice and worship. When the\ntent was removed, the altar remained; and many a roving Canaanite, whose\nknowledge of God had been gained from the life of Abraham His servant,\ntarried at that altar to offer sacrifice to Jehovah.\n\nNo less effective to-day will be the teaching of God\u2019s word when it\nfinds as faithful a reflection in the teacher\u2019s life.\n\n[Sidenote: _Original Study_]\n\nIt is not enough to know what others have thought or learned about the\nBible. Every one must in the judgment give account of himself to God,\nand each should now learn for himself what is truth. But in order to\neffective study, the interest of the pupil must be enlisted. Especially\nby the one who has to deal with children and youth differing widely in\ndisposition, training, and habits of thought, this is a matter not to be\nlost sight of. In teaching children the Bible, we may gain much by\nobserving the bent of their minds, the things in which they are\ninterested, and arousing their interest to see what the Bible says about\nthese things. He who created us, with our various aptitudes, has in His\nword given something for every one. As the pupils see that the lessons\nof the Bible apply to their own lives, teach them to look to it as a\ncounselor.\n\n[Sidenote: _Beauty of Thought and Expression_]\n\nHelp them also to appreciate its wonderful beauty. Many books of no real\nvalue, books that are exciting and unhealthful, are recommended, or at\nleast permitted to be used, because of their supposed literary value.\nWhy should we direct our children to drink of these polluted streams,\nwhen they may have free access to the pure fountains of the word of God?\nThe Bible has a fulness, a strength, a depth of meaning, that is\ninexhaustible. Encourage the children and youth to seek out its\ntreasures, both of thought and of expression.\n\nAs the beauty of these precious things attracts their minds, a\nsoftening, subduing power will touch their hearts. They will be drawn to\nHim who has thus revealed Himself to them. And there are few who will\nnot desire to know more of His works and ways.\n\n[Sidenote: _Purpose in Study_]\n\nThe student of the Bible should be taught to approach it in the spirit\nof a learner. We are to search its pages, not for proof to sustain our\nopinions, but in order to know what God says.\n\nA true knowledge of the Bible can be gained only through the aid of that\nSpirit by whom the word was given. And in order to gain this knowledge\nwe must live by it. All that God\u2019s word commands, we are to obey. All\nthat it promises, we may claim. The life which it enjoins is the life\nthat, through its power, we are to live. Only as the Bible is thus held\ncan it be studied effectively.\n\nThe study of the Bible demands our most diligent effort and persevering\nthought. As the miner digs for the golden treasure in the earth, so\nearnestly, persistently, must we seek for the treasure of God\u2019s word.\n\n[Sidenote: _Thoroughness and Concentration_]\n\nIn daily study the verse-by-verse method is often most helpful. Let the\nstudent take one verse, and concentrate the mind on ascertaining the\nthought that God has put into that verse for him, and then dwell upon\nthe thought until it becomes his own. One passage thus studied until its\nsignificance is clear, is of more value than the perusal of many\nchapters with no definite purpose in view, and no positive instruction\ngained.\n\n[Sidenote: _Unwholesome Literature_]\n\nOne of the chief causes of mental inefficiency and moral weakness is the\nlack of concentration for worthy ends. We pride ourselves on the wide\ndistribution of literature; but the multiplication of books, even books\nthat in themselves are not harmful, may be a positive evil. With the\nimmense tide of printed matter constantly pouring from the press, old\nand young form the habit of reading hastily and superficially, and the\nmind loses its power of connected and vigorous thought. Furthermore, a\nlarge share of the periodicals and books that, like the frogs of Egypt,\nare overspreading the land, are not merely commonplace, idle, and\nenervating, but unclean and degrading. Their effect is not merely to\nintoxicate and ruin the mind, but to corrupt and destroy the soul. The\nmind, the heart, that is indolent, aimless, falls an easy prey to evil.\nIt is on diseased, lifeless organisms that fungus roots. It is the idle\nmind that is Satan\u2019s workshop. Let the mind be directed to high and holy\nideals, let the life have a noble aim, an absorbing purpose, and evil\nfinds little foothold.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Shield from Temptation_]\n\nLet the youth, then, be taught to give close study to the word of God.\nReceived into the soul, it will prove a mighty barricade against\ntemptation. \u201cThy word,\u201d the psalmist declares, \u201chave I hid in mine\nheart, that I might not sin against Thee.\u201d \u201cBy the word of Thy lips I\nhave kept me from the paths of the destroyer.\u201d[314]\n\n[Sidenote: _Comprehensive Study_]\n\nThe Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with\nscripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole, and to\nsee the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand\ncentral theme, of God\u2019s original purpose for the world, of the rise of\nthe great controversy, and of the work of redemption. He should\nunderstand the nature of the two principles that are contending for\nsupremacy, and should learn to trace their working through the records\nof history and prophecy, to the great consummation. He should see how\nthis controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in\nevery act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two\nantagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now\ndeciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found.\n\nEvery part of the Bible is given by inspiration of God, and is\nprofitable. The Old Testament no less than the New should receive\nattention. As we study the Old Testament, we shall find living springs\nbubbling up where the careless reader discerns only a desert.\n\n[Sidenote: _Daniel and the Revelation_]\n\nThe book of Revelation, in connection with the book of Daniel,\nespecially demands study. Let every God-fearing teacher consider how\nmost clearly to comprehend and to present the gospel that our Saviour\ncame in person to make known to His servant John,\u2014\u201cThe Revelation of\nJesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things\nwhich must shortly come to pass.\u201d[315] None should become discouraged in\nthe study of the Revelation because of its apparently mystical symbols.\n\u201cIf any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all\nliberally, and upbraideth not.\u201d[316]\n\n\u201cBlessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this\nprophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time\nis at hand.\u201d[317]\n\n[Sidenote: _Continuous Study_]\n\nWhen a real love for the Bible is awakened, and the student begins to\nrealize how vast is the field and how precious its treasure, he will\ndesire to seize upon every opportunity for acquainting himself with\nGod\u2019s word. Its study will be restricted to no special time or place.\nAnd this continuous study is one of the best means of cultivating a love\nfor the Scriptures. Let the student keep his Bible always with him. As\nyou have opportunity, read a text and meditate upon it. While walking\nthe streets, waiting at a railway station, waiting to meet an\nengagement, improve the opportunity to gain some precious thought from\nthe treasure-house of truth.\n\n[Sidenote: _Results of Study_]\n\nThe great motive powers of the soul are faith, hope, and love; and it is\nto these that Bible study, rightly pursued, appeals. The outward beauty\nof the Bible, the beauty of imagery and expression, is but the setting,\nas it were, for its real treasure,\u2014the beauty of holiness. In its record\nof the men who walked with God, we may catch glimpses of His glory. In\nthe One \u201caltogether lovely\u201d we behold Him, of whom all beauty of earth\nand heaven is but a dim reflection. \u201cI, if I be lifted up,\u201d He said,\n\u201cwill draw all men unto Me.\u201d[318] As the student of the Bible beholds\nthe Redeemer, there is awakened in the soul the mysterious power of\nfaith, adoration, and love. Upon the vision of Christ the gaze is fixed,\nand the beholder grows into the likeness of that which he adores. The\nwords of the apostle Paul become the language of the soul: \u201cI count all\nthings but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my\nLord; ... that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and\nthe fellowship of His sufferings.\u201d[319]\n\n[Sidenote: _Streams of Blessing_]\n\nThe springs of heavenly peace and joy unsealed in the soul by the words\nof Inspiration will become a mighty river of influence to bless all who\ncome within its reach. Let the youth of to-day, the youth who are\ngrowing up with the Bible in their hands, become the recipients and the\nchannels of its life-giving energy, and what streams of blessing would\nflow forth to the world!\u2014influences of whose power to heal and comfort\nwe can scarcely conceive,\u2014rivers of living water fountains \u201cspringing up\nunto everlasting life.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n _PHYSICAL CULTURE_\n\n\n \u201c_Beloved, I wish above all things that thou\n mayest prosper and be in health, even as\n thy soul prospereth_\u201d\n\n\n _Study of Physiology_\n\n \u201cI AM FEARFULLY AND\n WONDERFULLY MADE\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Importance of Physical Culture_]\n\nSince the mind and the soul find expression through the body, both\nmental and spiritual vigor are in great degree dependent upon physical\nstrength and activity; whatever promotes physical health, promotes the\ndevelopment of a strong mind and a well-balanced character. Without\nhealth, no one can as distinctly understand or as completely fulfil his\nobligations to himself, to his fellow-beings, or to his Creator.\nTherefore the health should be as faithfully guarded as the character. A\nknowledge of physiology and hygiene should be the basis of all\neducational effort.\n\n[Sidenote: _Disregard of Principles_]\n\nThough the facts of physiology are now so generally understood, there is\nan alarming indifference in regard to the principles of health. Even of\nthose who have a knowledge of these principles, there are few who put\nthem in practise. Inclination or impulse is followed as blindly as if\nlife were controlled by mere chance rather than by definite and\nunvarying laws.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Cause of Failure_]\n\nThe youth, in the freshness and vigor of life, little realize the value\nof their abounding energy. A treasure more precious than gold, more\nessential to advancement than learning or rank or riches,\u2014how lightly it\nis held! how rashly squandered! How many a man, sacrificing health in\nthe struggle for riches or power, has almost reached the object of his\ndesire, only to fall helpless, while another, possessing superior\nphysical endurance, grasped the longed for prize! Through morbid\nconditions, the result of neglecting the laws of health, how many have\nbeen led into evil practises, to the sacrifice of every hope for this\nworld and the next!\n\nIn the study of physiology, pupils should be led to see the value of\nphysical energy, and how it can be so preserved and developed as to\ncontribute in the highest degree to success in life\u2019s great struggle.\n\n[Sidenote: _Teaching Physiology_]\n\nChildren should be early taught, in simple, easy lessons, the rudiments\nof physiology and hygiene. The work should be begun by the mother in the\nhome, and should be faithfully carried forward in the school. As the\npupils advance in years, instruction in this line should be continued,\nuntil they are qualified to care for the house they live in. They should\nunderstand the importance of guarding against disease by preserving the\nvigor of every organ, and should also be taught how to deal with common\ndiseases and accidents. Every school should give instruction in both\nphysiology and hygiene, and, so far as possible, should be provided with\nfacilities for illustrating the structure, use, and care of the body.\n\n[Sidenote: _Nature\u2019s Laws Divine_]\n\nThere are matters not usually included in the study of physiology that\nshould be considered,\u2014matters of far greater value to the student than\nare many of the technicalities commonly taught under this head. As the\nfoundation principle of all education in these lines, the youth should\nbe taught that the laws of nature are the laws of God,\u2014as truly divine\nas are the precepts of the decalogue. The laws that govern our physical\norganism, God has written upon every nerve, muscle, and fiber of the\nbody. Every careless or wilful violation of these laws is a sin against\nour Creator.\n\nHow necessary, then, that a thorough knowledge of these laws should be\nimparted! The principles of hygiene as applied to diet, exercise, the\ncare of children, the treatment of the sick, and many like matters,\nshould be given much more attention than they ordinarily receive.\n\n[Sidenote: _Influence of the Mind on the Body_]\n\nThe influence of the mind on the body, as well as of the body on the\nmind, should be emphasized. The electric power of the brain, promoted by\nmental activity, vitalizes the whole system, and is thus an invaluable\naid in resisting disease. This should be made plain. The power of the\nwill and the importance of self-control, both in the preservation and in\nthe recovery of health, the depressing and even ruinous effect of anger,\ndiscontent, selfishness, or impurity, and, on the other hand, the\nmarvelous life-giving power to be found in cheerfulness, unselfishness,\ngratitude, should also be shown.\n\nThere is a physiological truth\u2014truth that we need to consider\u2014in the\nscripture, \u201cA merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine.\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Cheerfulness; Gratitude_]\n\n\u201cLet thine heart keep My commandments,\u201d God says; \u201cfor length of days,\nand years of life, and peace, shall they add to thee.\u201d \u201cThey are life\nunto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.\u201d \u201cPleasant\nwords\u201d the Scriptures declare to be not only \u201csweet to the soul,\u201d but\n\u201chealth to the bones.\u201d[320]\n\nThe youth need to understand the deep truth underlying the Bible\nstatement that with God \u201cis the fountain of life.\u201d[321] Not only is He\nthe originator of all, but He is the life of everything that lives. It\nis His life that we receive in the sunshine, in the pure, sweet air, in\nthe food which builds up our bodies and sustains our strength. It is by\nHis life that we exist, hour by hour, moment by moment. Except as\nperverted by sin, all His gifts tend to life, to health and joy.\n\n\u201cHe hath made everything beautiful in its time;\u201d[322] and true beauty\nwill be secured, not in marring God\u2019s work, but in coming into harmony\nwith the laws of Him who created all things, and who finds pleasure in\ntheir beauty and perfection.\n\n[Sidenote: _Right Physical Habits_]\n\nAs the mechanism of the body is studied, attention should be directed to\nits wonderful adaptation of means to ends, the harmonious action and\ndependence of the various organs. As the interest of the student is thus\nawakened, and he is led to see the importance of physical culture, much\ncan be done by the teacher to secure proper development and right\nhabits.\n\n[Sidenote: _Position_]\n\nAmong the first things to be aimed at should be a correct position, both\nin sitting and in standing. God made man upright, and He desires him to\npossess not only the physical but the mental and moral benefit, the\ngrace and dignity and self-possession, the courage and self-reliance,\nwhich an erect bearing so greatly tends to promote. Let the teacher give\ninstruction on this point by example and by precept. Show what a correct\nposition is, and insist that it shall be maintained.\n\n[Sidenote: _Respiration_]\n\nNext in importance to right position are respiration and vocal culture.\nThe one who sits and stands erect is more likely than others to breathe\nproperly. But the teacher should impress upon his pupils the importance\nof deep breathing. Show how the healthy action of the respiratory\norgans, assisting the circulation of the blood, invigorates the whole\nsystem, excites the appetite, promotes digestion, and induces sound,\nsweet sleep, thus not only refreshing the body, but soothing and\ntranquilizing the mind. And while the importance of deep breathing is\nshown, the practise should be insisted upon. Let exercises be given\nwhich will promote this, and see that the habit becomes established.\n\n[Sidenote: _Training of the Voice_]\n\nThe training of the voice has an important place in physical culture,\nsince it tends to expand and strengthen the lungs, and thus to ward off\ndisease. To insure correct delivery in reading and speaking, see that\nthe abdominal muscles have full play in breathing, and that the\nrespiratory organs are unrestricted. Let the strain come on the muscles\nof the abdomen, rather than on those of the throat. Great weariness and\nserious disease of the throat and lungs may thus be prevented. Careful\nattention should be given to securing distinct articulation, smooth,\nwell-modulated tones, and a not-too-rapid delivery. This will not only\npromote health, but will add greatly to the agreeableness and efficiency\nof the student\u2019s work.\n\n[Sidenote: _Healthful Dress_]\n\nIn teaching these things a golden opportunity is afforded for showing\nthe folly and wickedness of tight-lacing, and every other practise that\nrestricts vital action. An almost endless train of disease results from\nunhealthful modes of dress, and careful instruction on this point should\nbe given. Impress upon the pupils the danger of allowing the clothing to\nweigh on the hips or to compress any organ of the body. The dress should\nbe so arranged that a full respiration can be taken, and the arms be\nraised above the head without difficulty. The cramping of the lungs not\nonly prevents their development, but hinders the processes of digestion\nand circulation, and thus weakens the whole body. All such practises\nlessen both physical and mental power, thus hindering the student\u2019s\nadvancement, and often preventing his success.\n\n[Sidenote: _Cleanliness, Sunlight, Ventilation_]\n\nIn the study of hygiene the earnest teacher will improve every\nopportunity to show the necessity of perfect cleanliness both in\npersonal habits and in all one\u2019s surroundings. The value of the daily\nbath in promoting health and in stimulating mental action, should be\nemphasized. Attention should be given also to sunlight and ventilation,\nthe hygiene of the sleeping-room and the kitchen. Teach the pupils that\na healthful sleeping-room, a thoroughly clean kitchen, and a tastefully\narranged, wholesomely supplied table, will go farther toward securing\nthe happiness of the family and the regard of every sensible visitor\nthan any amount of expensive furnishing in the drawing-room. That \u201cthe\nlife is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment,\u201d[323] is a\nlesson no less needed now than when given by the divine Teacher eighteen\nhundred years ago.\n\n[Sidenote: _Knowledge Put to Use_]\n\nThe student of physiology should be taught that the object of his study\nis not merely to gain a knowledge of facts and principles. This alone\nwill prove of little benefit. He may understand the importance of\nventilation; his room may be supplied with pure air; but unless he fills\nhis lungs properly, he will suffer the results of imperfect respiration.\nSo the necessity of cleanliness may be understood, and needful\nfacilities may be supplied; but all will be without avail unless put to\nuse. The great requisite in teaching these principles is to impress the\npupil with their importance, so that he will conscientiously put them in\npractise.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Body God\u2019s Dwelling-place_]\n\nBy a most beautiful and impressive figure, God\u2019s word shows the regard\nHe places upon our physical organism, and the responsibility resting on\nus to preserve it in the best condition: \u201cKnow ye not that your body is\na temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and\nye are not your own.\u201d \u201cIf any man defile the temple of God, him shall\nGod destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.\u201d[324]\n\nLet pupils be impressed with the thought that the body is a temple in\nwhich God desires to dwell; that it must be kept pure, the abiding-place\nof high and noble thoughts. As in the study of physiology they see that\nthey are indeed \u201cfearfully and wonderfully made,\u201d[325] they will be\ninspired with reverence. Instead of marring God\u2019s handiwork, they will\nhave an ambition to make all that is possible of themselves, in order to\nfulfil the Creator\u2019s glorious plan. Thus they will come to regard\nobedience to the laws of health, not as a matter of sacrifice or\nself-denial, but as it really is, an inestimable privilege and blessing.\n\n\n _Temperance and Dietetics_\n\n \u201cEVERY MAN THAT STRIVETH\n FOR THE MASTERY IS TEMPERATE\n IN ALL THINGS\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Plain Living; High Thinking_]\n\nEvery student needs to understand the relation between plain living and\nhigh thinking. It rests with us individually to decide whether our lives\nshall be controlled by the mind or by the body. The youth must, each for\nhimself, make the choice that shapes his life; and no pains should be\nspared that he may understand the forces with which he has to deal, and\nthe influences which mould character and destiny.\n\n[Sidenote: _Prevention of Intemperance_]\n\nIntemperance is a foe against which all need to be guarded. The rapid\nincrease of this terrible evil should arouse every lover of his race to\nwarfare against it. The practise of giving instruction on temperance\ntopics in the schools is a move in the right direction. Instruction in\nthis line should be given in every school and in every home. The youth\nand children should understand the effect of alcohol, tobacco, and other\nlike poisons, in breaking down the body, beclouding the mind, and\nsensualizing the soul. It should be made plain that no one who uses\nthese things can long possess the full strength of his physical, mental,\nor moral faculties.\n\n[Sidenote: _Causes of Intemperance_]\n\nBut in order to reach the root of intemperance we must go deeper than\nthe use of alcohol or tobacco. Idleness, lack of aim, or evil\nassociations, may be the predisposing cause. Often it is found at the\nhome table, in families that account themselves strictly temperate.\nAnything that disorders digestion, that creates undue mental excitement,\nor in any way enfeebles the system, disturbing the balance of the mental\nand the physical powers, weakens the control of the mind over the body,\nand thus tends toward intemperance. The downfall of many a promising\nyouth might be traced to unnatural appetites created by an unwholesome\ndiet.\n\n[Sidenote: _Stimulating Diet_]\n\nTea and coffee, condiments, confectionery, and pastries are all active\ncauses of indigestion. Flesh-food also is harmful. Its naturally\nstimulating effect should be a sufficient argument against its use; and\nthe almost universally diseased condition of animals makes it doubly\nobjectionable. It tends to irritate the nerves and to excite the\npassions, thus giving the balance of power to the lower propensities.\n\nThose who accustom themselves to a rich, stimulating diet, find after a\ntime that the stomach is not satisfied with simple food. It demands that\nwhich is more and more highly seasoned, pungent, and stimulating. As the\nnerves become disordered and the system weakened, the will seems\npowerless to resist the unnatural craving. The delicate coating of the\nstomach becomes irritated and inflamed until the most stimulating food\nfails of giving relief. A thirst is created that nothing but strong\ndrink will quench.\n\n[Sidenote: _Self-Control the Safeguard_]\n\nIt is the beginnings of evil that should be guarded against. In the\ninstruction of the youth the effect of apparently small deviations from\nthe right should be made very plain. Let the student be taught the value\nof a simple, healthful diet in preventing the desire for unnatural\nstimulants. Let the habit of self-control be early established. Let the\nyouth be impressed with the thought that they are to be masters, and not\nslaves. Of the kingdom within them God has made them rulers, and they\nare to exercise their Heaven-appointed kingship. When such instruction\nis faithfully given, the results will extend far beyond the youth\nthemselves. Influences will reach out that will save thousands of men\nand women who are on the very brink of ruin.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Diet and Mental Development_]\n\nThe relation of diet to intellectual development should be given far\nmore attention than it has received. Mental confusion and dulness are\noften the result of errors in diet.\n\nIt is frequently urged that, in the selection of food, appetite is a\nsafe guide. If the laws of health had always been obeyed, this would be\ntrue. But through wrong habits, continued from generation to generation,\nappetite has become so perverted that it is constantly craving some\nhurtful gratification. As a guide it can not now be trusted.\n\n[Sidenote: _Nutrient Value of Foods_]\n\nIn the study of hygiene, students should be taught the nutrient value of\ndifferent foods. The effect of a concentrated and stimulating diet, also\nof foods deficient in the elements of nutrition, should be made plain.\nTea and coffee, fine-flour bread, pickles, coarse vegetables, candies,\ncondiments, and pastries fail of supplying proper nutriment. Many a\nstudent has broken down as the result of using such foods. Many a puny\nchild, incapable of vigorous effort of mind or body, is the victim of an\nimpoverished diet. Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables, in proper\ncombination, contain all the elements of nutrition; and when properly\nprepared, they constitute the diet that best promotes both physical and\nmental strength.\n\n[Sidenote: _Selection; Combination_]\n\nThere is need to consider not only the properties of the food but its\nadaptation to the eater. Often food that can be eaten freely by persons\nengaged in physical labor must be avoided by those whose work is chiefly\nmental. Attention should be given also to the proper combination of\nfoods. By brain-workers and others of sedentary pursuits, but few kinds\nshould be taken at a meal.\n\nAnd overeating, even of the most wholesome food, is to be guarded\nagainst. Nature can use no more than is required for building up the\nvarious organs of the body, and excess clogs the system. Many a student\nis supposed to have broken down from overstudy, when the real cause was\novereating. While proper attention is given to the laws of health, there\nis little danger from mental taxation; but in many cases of so-called\nmental failure, it is the overcrowding of the stomach that wearies the\nbody and weakens the mind.\n\n[Sidenote: _Regularity in Eating and Sleeping_]\n\nIn most cases, two meals a day are preferable to three. Supper, when\ntaken at an early hour, interferes with the digestion of the previous\nmeal. When taken later, it is not itself digested before bedtime. Thus\nthe stomach fails of securing proper rest. The sleep is disturbed, the\nbrain and nerves are wearied, the appetite for breakfast is impaired,\nthe whole system is unrefreshed, and is unready for the day\u2019s duties.\n\nThe importance of regularity in the time for eating and sleeping should\nnot be overlooked. Since the work of building up the body takes place\nduring the hours of rest, it is essential, especially in youth, that\nsleep should be regular and abundant.\n\nSo far as possible, we should avoid hurried eating. The shorter the time\nfor a meal, the less should be eaten. It is better to omit a meal than\nto eat without proper mastication.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Social Season_]\n\nMeal-time should be a season for social intercourse and refreshment.\nEverything that can burden or irritate should be banished. Let trust and\nkindliness and gratitude to the Giver of all good be cherished, and the\nconversation will be cheerful, a pleasant flow of thought that will\nuplift without wearying.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Benefits of Temperance_]\n\nThe observance of temperance and regularity in all things has a\nwonderful power. It will do more than circumstances or natural\nendowments in promoting that sweetness and serenity of disposition which\ncount so much in smoothing life\u2019s pathway. At the same time the power of\nself-control thus acquired will be found one of the most valuable of\nequipments for grappling successfully with the stern duties and\nrealities that await every human being.\n\nWisdom\u2019s \u201cways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are\npeace.\u201d[326] Let every youth in our land, with the possibilities before\nhim of a destiny higher than that of crowned kings, ponder the lesson\nconveyed in the words of the wise man, \u201cBlessed art thou, O land,\nwhen ... thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for\ndrunkenness!\u201d[327]\n\n\n _Recreation_\n\n \u201cTO EVERYTHING THERE IS\n A SEASON\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Recreation; Amusement_]\n\nThere is a distinction between recreation and amusement. Recreation,\nwhen true to its name, re-creation, tends to strengthen and build up.\nCalling us aside from our ordinary cares and occupations, it affords\nrefreshment for mind and body, and thus enables us to return with new\nvigor to the earnest work of life. Amusement, on the other hand, is\nsought for the sake of pleasure, and is often carried to excess; it\nabsorbs the energies that are required for useful work, and thus proves\na hindrance to life\u2019s true success.\n\n[Sidenote: _Physical Inaction; the Child_]\n\nThe whole body is designed for action; and unless the physical powers\nare kept in health by active exercise, the mental powers can not long be\nused to their highest capacity. The physical inaction which seems almost\ninevitable in the schoolroom\u2014together with other unhealthful\nconditions\u2014makes it a trying place for children, especially for those of\nfeeble constitution. Often the ventilation is insufficient. Ill-formed\nseats encourage unnatural positions, thus cramping the action of the\nlungs and the heart. Here little children have to spend from three to\nfive hours a day, breathing air that is laden with impurity and perhaps\ninfected with the germs of disease. No wonder that in the schoolroom the\nfoundation of lifelong illness is so often laid. The brain, the most\ndelicate of all the physical organs, and that from which the nervous\nenergy of the whole system is derived, suffers the greatest injury. By\nbeing forced into premature or excessive activity, and this under\nunhealthful conditions, it is enfeebled, and often the evil results are\npermanent.\n\n[Sidenote: _Outdoor Life for Children_]\n\nChildren should not be long confined within doors, nor should they be\nrequired to apply themselves closely to study until a good foundation\nhas been laid for physical development. For the first eight or ten years\nof a child\u2019s life the field or garden is the best schoolroom, the mother\nthe best teacher, nature the best lesson-book. Even when the child is\nold enough to attend school, his health should be regarded as of greater\nimportance than a knowledge of books. He should be surrounded with the\nconditions most favorable to both physical and mental growth.\n\n[Sidenote: _Physical Inaction; the Student_]\n\nThe child is not alone in the danger from want of air and exercise. In\nthe higher as well as the lower schools these essentials to health are\nstill too often neglected. Many a student sits day after day in a close\nroom bending over his books, his chest so contracted that he can not\ntake a full, deep breath, his blood moving sluggishly, his feet cold,\nhis head hot. The body not being sufficiently nourished, the muscles are\nweakened, and the whole system is enervated and diseased. Often such\nstudents become lifelong invalids. They might have come from school with\nincreased physical as well as mental strength, had they pursued their\nstudies under proper conditions, with regular exercise in the sunlight\nand the open air.\n\n[Sidenote: _Mental Effect_]\n\nThe student who with limited time and means is struggling to gain an\neducation should realize that time spent in physical exercise is not\nlost. He who continually pores over his books will find, after a time,\nthat the mind has lost its freshness. Those who give proper attention to\nphysical development will make greater advancement in literary lines\nthan they would if their entire time were devoted to study.\n\nBy pursuing one line of thought exclusively, the mind often becomes\nunbalanced. But every faculty may be safely exercised if the mental and\nphysical powers are equally taxed, and the subjects of thought are\nvaried.\n\n[Sidenote: _Moral Effect_]\n\nPhysical inaction lessens not only mental but moral power. The brain\nnerves that connect with the whole system are the medium through which\nheaven communicates with man, and affects the inmost life. Whatever\nhinders the circulation of the electric current in the nervous system,\nthus weakening the vital powers and lessening mental susceptibility,\nmakes it more difficult to arouse the moral nature.\n\nAgain, excessive study, by increasing the flow of blood to the brain,\ncreates morbid excitability that tends to lessen the power of\nself-control, and too often gives sway to impulse or caprice. Thus the\ndoor is opened to impurity. The misuse or nonuse of the physical powers\nis largely responsible for the tide of corruption that is overspreading\nthe world. \u201cPride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness,\u201d are as\ndeadly foes to human progress in this generation as when they led to the\ndestruction of Sodom.\n\nTeachers should understand these things, and should instruct their\npupils in these lines. Teach the students that right living depends on\nright thinking, and that physical activity is essential to purity of\nthought.\n\n[Sidenote: _Gymnastic Exercises_]\n\nThe question of suitable recreation for their pupils is one that\nteachers often find perplexing. Gymnastic exercises fill a useful place\nin many schools; but without careful supervision they are often carried\nto excess. In the gymnasium many youth, by their attempted feats of\nstrength, have done themselves lifelong injury.\n\n[Sidenote: _Tendency of Sports_]\n\nExercise in a gymnasium, however well conducted, can not supply the\nplace of recreation in the open air, and for this our schools should\nafford better opportunity. Vigorous exercise the pupils must have. Few\nevils are more to be dreaded than indolence and aimlessness. Yet the\ntendency of most athletic sports is a subject of anxious thought to\nthose who have at heart the well-being of the youth. Teachers are\ntroubled as they consider the influence of these sports both on the\nstudent\u2019s progress in school and on his success in after-life. The games\nthat occupy so much of his time are diverting the mind from study. They\nare not helping to prepare the youth for practical, earnest work in\nlife. Their influence does not tend toward refinement, generosity, or\nreal manliness.\n\n[Sidenote: _Football and Boxing_]\n\nSome of the most popular amusements, such as football and boxing, have\nbecome schools of brutality. They are developing the same\ncharacteristics as did the games of ancient Rome. The love of\ndomination, the pride in mere brute force, the reckless disregard of\nlife, are exerting upon the youth a power to demoralize that is\nappalling.\n\nOther athletic games, though not so brutalizing, are scarcely less\nobjectionable, because of the excess to which they are carried. They\nstimulate the love of pleasure and excitement, thus fostering a distaste\nfor useful labor, a disposition to shun practical duties and\nresponsibilities. They tend to destroy a relish for life\u2019s sober\nrealities and its tranquil enjoyments. Thus the door is opened to\ndissipation and lawlessness, with their terrible results.\n\n[Sidenote: _Parties of Pleasure_]\n\nAs ordinarily conducted, parties of pleasure also are a hindrance to\nreal growth, either of mind or of character. Frivolous associations,\nhabits of extravagance, of pleasure-seeking, and too often of\ndissipation, are formed, that shape the whole life for evil. In place of\nsuch amusements, parents and teachers can do much to supply diversions\nwholesome and life-giving.\n\n[Sidenote: _Simple Habits in Earlier Ages_]\n\nIn this, as in all things else that concern our well-being, Inspiration\nhas pointed the way. In early ages, with the people who were under God\u2019s\ndirection, life was simple. They lived close to the heart of nature.\nTheir children shared in the labor of the parents, and studied the\nbeauties and mysteries of nature\u2019s treasure-house. And in the quiet of\nfield and wood they pondered those mighty truths handed down as a sacred\ntrust from generation to generation. Such training produced strong men.\n\nIn this age, life has become artificial, and men have degenerated. While\nwe may not return fully to the simple habits of those early times, we\nmay learn from them lessons that will make our seasons of recreation\nwhat the name implies,\u2014seasons of true upbuilding for body and mind and\nsoul.\n\n[Sidenote: _Outdoor Occupations_]\n\nWith the question of recreation the surroundings of the home and the\nschool have much to do. In the choice of a home or the location of a\nschool these things should be considered. Those with whom mental and\nphysical well-being is of greater moment than money or the claims and\ncustoms of society, should seek for their children the benefit of\nnature\u2019s teaching, and recreation amidst her surroundings. It would be a\ngreat aid in educational work could every school be so situated as to\nafford the pupils land for cultivation, and access to the fields and\nwoods.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Teacher\u2019s Co-operation_]\n\nIn lines of recreation for the student, the best results will be\nattained through the personal co-operation of the teacher. The true\nteacher can impart to his pupils few gifts so valuable as the gift of\nhis own companionship. It is true of men and women, and how much more of\nyouth and children, that only as we come in touch through sympathy can\nwe understand them; and we need to understand in order most effectively\nto benefit. To strengthen the tie of sympathy between teacher and\nstudent there are few means that count so much as pleasant association\ntogether outside the schoolroom. In some schools the teacher is always\nwith his pupils in their hours of recreation. He unites in their\npursuits, accompanies them in their excursions, and seems to make\nhimself one with them. Well would it be for our schools were this\npractise more generally followed. The sacrifice demanded of the teacher\nwould be great, but he would reap a rich reward.\n\nNo recreation helpful only to themselves will prove so great a blessing\nto the children and youth as that which makes them helpful to others.\nNaturally enthusiastic and impressible, the young are quick to respond\nto suggestion. In planning for the culture of plants, let the teacher\nseek to awaken an interest in beautifying the school-grounds and the\nschoolroom. A double benefit will result. That which the pupils seek to\nbeautify they will be unwilling to have marred or defaced. A refined\ntaste, a love of order, and a habit of care-taking will be encouraged;\nand the spirit of fellowship and co-operation developed will prove to\nthe pupils a lifelong blessing.\n\n[Sidenote: _Encourage Helpfulness_]\n\nSo also a new interest may be given to the work of the garden or the\nexcursion in field or wood, as the pupils are encouraged to remember\nthose shut in from these pleasant places, and to share with them the\nbeautiful things of nature.\n\nThe watchful teacher will find many opportunities for directing pupils\nto acts of helpfulness. By little children especially the teacher is\nregarded with almost unbounded confidence and respect. Whatever he may\nsuggest as to ways of helping in the home, faithfulness in the daily\ntasks, ministry to the sick or the poor, can hardly fail of bringing\nforth fruit. And thus again a double gain will be secured. The kindly\nsuggestion will react upon its author. Gratitude and co-operation on the\npart of the parents will lighten the teacher\u2019s burden and brighten his\npath.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Safeguard against Evil_]\n\nAttention to recreation and physical culture will at times, no doubt,\ninterrupt the regular routine of school work; but the interruption will\nprove no real hindrance. In the invigoration of mind and body, the\nfostering of an unselfish spirit, and the binding together of pupil and\nteacher by the ties of common interest and friendly association, the\nexpenditure of time and effort will be repaid a hundredfold. A blessed\noutlet will be afforded for that restless energy which is so often a\nsource of danger to the young. As a safeguard against evil, the\npreoccupation of the mind with good is worth more than unnumbered\nbarriers of law and discipline.\n\n\n _Manual Training_\n\n \u201cSTUDY TO WORK WITH YOUR\n OWN HANDS\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Labor a Blessing_]\n\nAt the creation, labor was appointed as a blessing. It meant\ndevelopment, power, happiness. The changed condition of the earth\nthrough the curse of sin has brought a change in the conditions of\nlabor; yet though now attended with anxiety, weariness, and pain, it is\nstill a source of happiness and development. And it is a safeguard\nagainst temptation. Its discipline places a check on self-indulgence,\nand promotes industry, purity, and firmness. Thus it becomes a part of\nGod\u2019s great plan for our recovery from the fall.\n\n[Sidenote: _Dignity of Labor_]\n\nThe youth should be led to see the true dignity of labor. Show them that\nGod is a constant worker. All things in nature do their allotted work.\nAction pervades the whole creation, and in order to fulfil our mission\nwe too must be active.\n\nIn our labor we are to be workers together with God. He gives us the\nearth and its treasures; but we must adapt them to our use and comfort.\nHe causes the trees to grow; but we prepare the timber and build the\nhouse. He has hidden in the earth the gold and silver, the iron and\ncoal; but it is only through toil that we can obtain them.\n\n[Sidenote: _Co-workers with God_]\n\nShow that, while God has created and constantly controls all things, He\nhas endowed us with a power not wholly unlike His. To us has been given\na degree of control over the forces of nature. As God called forth the\nearth in its beauty out of chaos, so we can bring order and beauty out\nof confusion. And though all things are now marred with evil, yet in our\ncompleted work we feel a joy akin to His, when, looking on the fair\nearth, He pronounced it \u201cvery good.\u201d\n\nAs a rule, the exercise most beneficial to the youth will be found in\nuseful employment. The little child finds both diversion and development\nin play; and his sports should be such as to promote not only physical\nbut mental and spiritual growth. As he gains strength and intelligence,\nthe best recreation will be found in some line of effort that is useful.\nThat which trains the hand to helpfulness, and teaches the young to bear\ntheir share of life\u2019s burdens, is most effective in promoting the growth\nof mind and character.\n\n[Sidenote: _An Essential Discipline_]\n\nThe youth need to be taught that life means earnest work,\nresponsibility, care-taking. They need a training that will make them\npractical,\u2014men and women who can cope with emergencies. They should be\ntaught that the discipline of systematic, well-regulated labor is\nessential, not only as a safeguard against the vicissitudes of life, but\nas an aid to all-round development.\n\n[Sidenote: _Idleness Degrading_]\n\nNotwithstanding all that has been said and written concerning the\ndignity of labor, the feeling prevails that it is degrading. Young men\nare anxious to become teachers, clerks, merchants, physicians, lawyers,\nor to occupy some other position that does not require physical toil.\nYoung women shun housework, and seek an education in other lines. These\nneed to learn that no man or woman is degraded by honest toil. That\nwhich degrades is idleness and selfish dependence. Idleness fosters\nself-indulgence, and the result is a life empty and barren,\u2014a field\ninviting the growth of every evil. \u201cThe earth which drinketh in the rain\nthat cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom\nit is dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but that which beareth\nthorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to\nbe burned.\u201d[328]\n\nMany of the branches of study that consume the students\u2019 time are not\nessential to usefulness or happiness; but it is essential for every\nyouth to have a thorough acquaintance with every-day duties. If need be,\na young woman can dispense with a knowledge of French and algebra, or\neven of the piano; but it is indispensable that she learn to make good\nbread, to fashion neatly-fitting garments, and to perform efficiently\nthe many duties that pertain to home-making.\n\n[Sidenote: _Knowledge of Common Duties_]\n\nTo the health and happiness of the whole family nothing is more vital\nthan skill and intelligence on the part of the cook. By ill-prepared,\nunwholesome food she may hinder and even ruin both the adult\u2019s\nusefulness and the child\u2019s development. Or by providing food adapted to\nthe needs of the body, and at the same time inviting and palatable, she\ncan accomplish as much in the right as otherwise she accomplishes in the\nwrong direction. So, in many ways, life\u2019s happiness is bound up with\nfaithfulness in common duties.\n\nSince both men and women have a part in home-making, boys as well as\ngirls should gain a knowledge of household duties. To make a bed and put\na room in order, to wash dishes, to prepare a meal, to wash and repair\nhis own clothing, is a training that need not make any boy less manly;\nit will make him happier and more useful. And if girls, in turn, could\nlearn to harness and drive a horse, and to use the saw and the hammer,\nas well as the rake and the hoe, they would be better fitted to meet the\nemergencies of life.\n\n[Sidenote: _Honor to the Toiler_]\n\nLet the children and youth learn from the Bible how God has honored the\nwork of the every-day toiler. Let them read of the \u201csons of the\nprophets,\u201d[329] students at school, who were building a house for\nthemselves, and for whom a miracle was wrought to save from loss the ax\nthat was borrowed. Let them read of Jesus the carpenter, and Paul the\ntent-maker, who with the toil of the craftsman linked the highest\nministry, human and divine. Let them read of the lad whose five loaves\nwere used by the Saviour in that wonderful miracle for the feeding of\nthe multitude; of Dorcas the seamstress, called back from death, that\nshe might continue to make garments for the poor; of the wise woman\ndescribed in the Proverbs, who \u201cseeketh wool and flax, and worketh\nwillingly with her hands;\u201d who \u201cgiveth meat to her household, and their\ntask to her maidens;\u201d who \u201cplanteth a vineyard, ... and strengtheneth\nher arms;\u201d who \u201cstretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, ... reacheth\nforth her hands to the needy;\u201d who \u201clooketh well to the ways of her\nhousehold, and eateth not the bread of idleness.\u201d[330]\n\nOf such a one, God says: \u201cShe shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of\nher hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.\u201d[331]\n\n[Sidenote: _First Industrial School_]\n\nFor every child the first industrial school should be the home. And, so\nfar as possible, facilities for manual training should be connected with\nevery school. To a great degree such training would supply the place of\nthe gymnasium, with the additional benefit of affording valuable\ndiscipline.\n\n[Sidenote: _Schools for Manual Training_]\n\nManual training is deserving of far more attention than it has received.\nSchools should be established that, in addition to the highest mental\nand moral culture, shall provide the best possible facilities for\nphysical development and industrial training. Instruction should be\ngiven in agriculture, manufactures,\u2014covering as many as possible of the\nmost useful trades,\u2014also in household economy, healthful cookery,\nsewing, hygienic dressmaking, the treatment of the sick, and kindred\nlines. Gardens, workshops, and treatment-rooms should be provided, and\nthe work in every line should be under the direction of skilled\ninstructors.\n\n[Sidenote: _Learning a Trade_]\n\nThe work should have a definite aim, and should be thorough. While every\nperson needs some knowledge of different handicrafts, it is\nindispensable that he become proficient in at least one. Every youth, on\nleaving school, should have acquired a knowledge of some trade or\noccupation by which, if need be, he may earn a livelihood.\n\n[Sidenote: _Financial Outlay_]\n\nThe objection most often urged against industrial training in the\nschools is the large outlay involved. But the object to be gained is\nworthy of its cost. No other work committed to us is so important as the\ntraining of the youth, and every outlay demanded for its right\naccomplishment is means well spent.\n\nEven from the view-point of financial results, the outlay required for\nmanual training would prove the truest economy. Multitudes of our boys\nwould thus be kept from the street-corner and the groggery; the\nexpenditure for gardens, workshops, and baths would be more than met by\nthe saving on hospitals and reformatories. And the youth themselves,\ntrained to habits of industry, and skilled in lines of useful and\nproductive labor,\u2014who can estimate their value to society and to the\nnation?\n\n[Sidenote: _Agriculture_]\n\nAs a relaxation from study, occupations pursued in the open air, and\naffording exercise for the whole body, are the most beneficial. No line\nof manual training is of more value than agriculture. A greater effort\nshould be made to create and to encourage an interest in agricultural\npursuits. Let the teacher call attention to what the Bible says about\nagriculture: that it was God\u2019s plan for man to till the earth; that the\nfirst man, the ruler of the whole world, was given a garden to\ncultivate; and that many of the world\u2019s greatest men, its real nobility,\nhave been tillers of the soil. Show the opportunities in such a life.\nThe wise man says, \u201cThe king himself is served by the field.\u201d[332] Of\nhim who cultivates the soil the Bible declares, \u201cHis God doth instruct\nhim to discretion, and doth teach him.\u201d And again, \u201cWhoso keepeth the\nfig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof.\u201d[333] He who earns his livelihood\nby agriculture escapes many temptations and enjoys unnumbered privileges\nand blessings denied to those whose work lies in the great cities. And\nin these days of mammoth trusts and business competition, there are few\nwho enjoy so real an independence and so great certainty of fair return\nfor their labor as does the tiller of the soil.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Teaching to be Practical_]\n\nIn the study of agriculture, let pupils be given not only theory, but\npractise. While they learn what science can teach in regard to the\nnature and preparation of the soil, the value of different crops, and\nthe best methods of production, let them put their knowledge to use. Let\nteachers share the work with the students, and show what results can be\nachieved through skilful, intelligent effort. Thus may be awakened a\ngenuine interest, an ambition to do the work in the best possible\nmanner. Such an ambition, together with the invigorating effect of\nexercise, sunshine, and pure air, will create a love for agricultural\nlabor that with many youth will determine their choice of an occupation.\nThus might be set on foot influences that would go far in turning the\ntide of migration which now sets so strongly toward the great cities.\n\n[Sidenote: _For the Unemployed_]\n\nThus also our schools could aid effectively in the disposition of the\nunemployed masses. Thousands of helpless and starving beings, whose\nnumbers are daily swelling the ranks of the criminal classes, might\nachieve self-support in a happy, healthy, independent life if they could\nbe directed in skilful, diligent labor in the tilling of the soil.\n\n[Sidenote: _Training for Professional Men_]\n\nThe benefit of manual training is needed also by professional men. A man\nmay have a brilliant mind; he may be quick to catch ideas; his knowledge\nand skill may secure for him admission to his chosen calling; yet he may\nstill be far from possessing a fitness for its duties. An education\nderived chiefly from books leads to superficial thinking. Practical work\nencourages close observation and independent thought. Rightly performed,\nit tends to develop that practical wisdom which we call common sense. It\ndevelops ability to plan and execute, strengthens courage and\nperseverance, and calls for the exercise of tact and skill.\n\n[Sidenote: _Benefit to the Physician_]\n\nThe physician who has laid a foundation for his professional knowledge\nby actual service in the sick-room will have a quickness of insight, an\nall-round knowledge, and an ability in emergencies to render needed\nservice,\u2014all essential qualifications, which only a practical training\ncan so fully impart.\n\n[Sidenote: _To Minister, Missionary, Teacher_]\n\nThe minister, the missionary, the teacher, will find their influence\nwith the people greatly increased when it is manifest that they possess\nthe knowledge and skill required for the practical duties of every-day\nlife. And often the success, perhaps the very life, of the missionary,\ndepends on his knowledge of practical things. The ability to prepare\nfood, to deal with accidents and emergencies, to treat disease, to build\na house, or a church if need be,\u2014often these make all the difference\nbetween success and failure in his life-work.\n\n[Sidenote: _Students Self-Sustaining_]\n\nIn acquiring an education, many students would gain a most valuable\ntraining if they would become self-sustaining. Instead of incurring\ndebts, or depending on the self-denial of their parents, let young men\nand young women depend on themselves. They will thus learn the value of\nmoney, the value of time, strength, and opportunities, and will be under\nfar less temptation to indulge idle and spendthrift habits. The lessons\nof economy, industry, self-denial, practical business management, and\nsteadfastness of purpose, thus mastered, would prove a most important\npart of their equipment for the battle of life. And the lesson of\nself-help learned by the student would go far toward preserving\ninstitutions of learning from the burden of debt under which so many\nschools have struggled, and which has done so much toward crippling\ntheir usefulness.\n\nLet the youth be impressed with the thought that education is not to\nteach them how to escape life\u2019s disagreeable tasks and heavy burdens;\nthat its purpose is to lighten the work by teaching better methods and\nhigher aims. Teach them that life\u2019s true aim is not to secure the\ngreatest possible gain for themselves, but to honor their Maker in doing\ntheir part of the world\u2019s work, and lending a helpful hand to those\nweaker or more ignorant.\n\n[Sidenote: _Accuracy and Thoroughness_]\n\nOne great reason why physical toil is looked down on is the slipshod,\nunthinking way in which it is so often performed. It is done from\nnecessity, not from choice. The worker puts no heart into it, and he\nneither preserves self-respect nor wins the respect of others. Manual\ntraining should correct this error. It should develop habits of accuracy\nand thoroughness. Pupils should learn tact and system; they should learn\nto economize time, and to make every move count. They should not only be\ntaught the best methods, but be inspired with ambition constantly to\nimprove. Let it be their aim to make their work as nearly perfect as\nhuman brains and hands can make it.\n\n[Sidenote: _Masters of Labor_]\n\nSuch training will make the youth masters and not slaves of labor. It\nwill lighten the lot of the hard toiler, and will ennoble even the\nhumblest occupation. He who regards work as mere drudgery, and settles\ndown to it with self-complacent ignorance, making no effort to improve,\nwill find it indeed a burden. But those who recognize science in the\nhumblest work will see in it nobility and beauty, and will take pleasure\nin performing it with faithfulness and efficiency.\n\nA youth so trained, whatever his calling in life, so long as it is\nhonest, will make his position one of usefulness and honor.\n\n\n\n\n _CHARACTER-BUILDING_\n\n\n \u201c_See that thou make all things according to\n the pattern showed to thee in the mount_\u201d\n\n\n _Education and Character_\n\n \u201cTHE STABILITY OF THY\n TIMES SHALL BE WISDOM AND\n KNOWLEDGE\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Character the Highest Aim_]\n\nTrue education does not ignore the value of scientific knowledge or\nliterary acquirements; but above information it values power; above\npower, goodness; above intellectual acquirements, character. The world\ndoes not so much need men of great intellect as of noble character. It\nneeds men in whom ability is controlled by steadfast principle.\n\n\u201cWisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.\u201d \u201cThe tongue of\nthe wise useth knowledge aright.\u201d[334] True education imparts this\nwisdom. It teaches the best use not only of one but of all our powers\nand acquirements. Thus it covers the whole circle of obligation,\u2014to\nourselves, to the world, and to God.\n\n[Sidenote: _Outlook for the Youth_]\n\nCharacter-building is the most important work ever entrusted to human\nbeings; and never before was its diligent study so important as now.\nNever was any previous generation called to meet issues so momentous;\nnever before were young men and young women confronted by perils so\ngreat as confront them to-day.\n\n[Sidenote: _Perils in the Schools_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Rivalry_]\n\nAt such a time as this, what is the trend of the education given? To\nwhat motive is appeal most often made?\u2014To self-seeking. Much of the\neducation given is a perversion of the name. In true education the\nselfish ambition, the greed for power, the disregard for the rights and\nneeds of humanity, that are the curse of our world, find a\ncounter-influence. God\u2019s plan of life has a place for every human being.\nEach is to improve his talents to the utmost; and faithfulness in doing\nthis, be the gifts few or many, entitles one to honor. In God\u2019s plan\nthere is no place for selfish rivalry. Those who \u201cmeasure themselves by\nthemselves, and compare themselves among themselves, are not wise.\u201d\nWhatever we do is to be done \u201cas of the ability which God giveth.\u201d It is\nto be done \u201cheartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of\nthe Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve\nthe Lord Christ.\u201d[335] Precious the service done and the education\ngained in carrying out these principles. But how widely different is\nmuch of the education now given! From the child\u2019s earliest years it is\nan appeal to emulation and rivalry; it fosters selfishness, the root of\nall evil.\n\nThus is created strife for supremacy; and there is encouraged the system\nof \u201ccramming,\u201d which in so many cases destroys health and unfits for\nusefulness. In many others, emulation leads to dishonesty; and by\nfostering ambition and discontent, it embitters the life, and helps to\nfill the world with those restless, turbulent spirits that are a\ncontinual menace to society.\n\nNor does danger pertain to methods only. It is found also in the\nsubject-matter of the studies.\n\n[Sidenote: _Pagan Authors_]\n\nWhat are the works on which, throughout the most susceptible years of\nlife, the minds of the youth are led to dwell? In the study of language\nand literature, from what fountains are the youth taught to drink?\u2014From\nthe wells of paganism; from springs fed by the corruptions of ancient\nheathendom. They are bidden to study authors, of whom, without dispute,\nit is declared that they have no regard for the principles of morality.\n\nAnd of how many modern authors also might the same be said! With how\nmany are grace and beauty of language but a disguise for principles that\nin their real deformity would repel the reader!\n\n[Sidenote: _Fiction_]\n\nBesides these there is a multitude of fiction-writers, luring to\npleasant dreams in palaces of ease. These writers may not be open to the\ncharge of immorality, yet their work is no less really fraught with\nevil. It is robbing thousands upon thousands of the time and energy and\nself-discipline demanded by the stern problems of life.\n\n[Sidenote: _False Science_]\n\nIn the study of science, as generally pursued, there are dangers equally\ngreat. Evolution and its kindred errors are taught in schools of every\ngrade, from the kindergarten to the college. Thus the study of science,\nwhich should impart a knowledge of God, is so mingled with the\nspeculations and theories of men that it tends to infidelity.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Higher Criticism_\u201d]\n\nEven Bible study, as too often conducted in the schools, is robbing the\nworld of the priceless treasure of the word of God. The work of \u201chigher\ncriticism,\u201d in dissecting, conjecturing, reconstructing, is destroying\nfaith in the Bible as a divine revelation; it is robbing God\u2019s word of\npower to control, uplift, and inspire human lives.\n\nAs the youth go out into the world, to encounter its allurements to\nsin,\u2014the passion for money-getting, for amusement and indulgence, for\ndisplay, luxury, and extravagance, the overreaching, fraud, robbery, and\nruin,\u2014what are the teachings there to be met?\n\n[Sidenote: _Perils in the World_]\n\nSpiritualism asserts that men are unfallen demigods; that \u201ceach mind\nwill judge itself;\u201d that \u201ctrue knowledge places men above all law;\u201d that\n\u201call sins committed are innocent;\u201d for \u201cwhatever is, is right,\u201d and \u201cGod\ndoth not condemn.\u201d The basest of human beings it represents as in\nheaven, and highly exalted there. Thus it declares to all men, \u201cIt\nmatters not what you do; live as you please, heaven is your home.\u201d\nMultitudes are thus led to believe that desire is the highest law, that\nlicense is liberty, and that man is accountable only to himself.\n\nWith such teaching given at the very outset of life, when impulse is\nstrongest, and the demand for self-restraint and purity is most urgent,\nwhere are the safeguards of virtue? what is to prevent the world from\nbecoming a second Sodom?\n\n[Sidenote: _Anarchy_]\n\nAt the same time anarchy is seeking to sweep away all law, not only\ndivine, but human. The centralizing of wealth and power; the vast\ncombinations for the enriching of the few at the expense of the many;\nthe combinations of the poorer classes for the defense of their\ninterests and claims; the spirit of unrest, of riot and bloodshed; the\nworld-wide dissemination of the same teachings that led to the French\nRevolution,\u2014all are tending to involve the whole world in a struggle\nsimilar to that which convulsed France.\n\nSuch are the influences to be met by the youth of to-day. To stand\namidst such upheavals they are now to lay the foundations of character.\n\n[Sidenote: _Foundation of Character_]\n\nIn every generation and in every land the true foundation and pattern\nfor character-building have been the same. The divine law, \u201cThou shalt\nlove the Lord thy God with all thy heart, ... and thy neighbor as\nthyself,\u201d[336] the great principle made manifest in the character and\nlife of our Saviour, is the only secure foundation and the only sure\nguide.\n\n\u201cThe stability of thy times and the strength of thy happiness shall be\nwisdom and knowledge,\u201d[337]\u2014that wisdom and knowledge which God\u2019s word\nalone can impart.\n\n[Sidenote: _God\u2019s Commandments_]\n\nIt is as true now as when the words were spoken to Israel of obedience\nto His commandments: \u201cThis is your wisdom and your understanding in the\nsight of the nations.\u201d[338]\n\nHere is the only safeguard for individual integrity, for the purity of\nthe home, the well-being of society, or the stability of the nation.\nAmidst all life\u2019s perplexities and dangers and conflicting claims, the\none safe and sure rule is to do what God says. \u201cThe statutes of the Lord\nare right,\u201d and \u201che that doeth these things shall never be moved.\u201d[339]\n\n\n _Methods of Teaching_\n\n \u201cTO GIVE PRUDENCE TO THE\n SIMPLE, TO THE YOUNG MAN\n KNOWLEDGE AND DISCRETION\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Memory Training_]\n\nFor ages education has had to do chiefly with the memory. This faculty\nhas been taxed to the utmost, while the other mental powers have not\nbeen correspondingly developed. Students have spent their time in\nlaboriously crowding the mind with knowledge, very little of which could\nbe utilized. The mind thus burdened with that which it can not digest\nand assimilate is weakened; it becomes incapable of vigorous,\nself-reliant effort, and is content to depend on the judgment and\nperception of others.\n\nSeeing the evils of this method, some have gone to another extreme. In\ntheir view, man needs only to develop that which is within him. Such\neducation leads the student to self-sufficiency, thus cutting him off\nfrom the source of true knowledge and power.\n\n[Sidenote: _Inability to Discriminate_]\n\nThe education that consists in the training of the memory, tending to\ndiscourage independent thought, has a moral bearing which is too little\nappreciated. As the student sacrifices the power to reason and judge for\nhimself, he becomes incapable of discriminating between truth and error,\nand falls an easy prey to deception. He is easily led to follow\ntradition and custom.\n\nIt is a fact widely ignored, though never without danger, that error\nrarely appears for what it really is. It is by mingling with or\nattaching itself to truth that it gains acceptance. The eating of the\ntree of knowledge of good and evil caused the ruin of our first parents,\nand the acceptance of a mingling of good and evil is the ruin of men and\nwomen to-day. The mind that depends upon the judgment of others is\ncertain, sooner or later, to be misled.\n\n[Sidenote: _Reason and Faith_]\n\nThe power to discriminate between right and wrong we can possess only\nthrough individual dependence upon God. Each for himself is to learn\nfrom Him through His word. Our reasoning powers were given us for use,\nand God desires them to be exercised. \u201cCome now, and let us reason\ntogether,\u201d[340] He invites us. In reliance upon Him we may have wisdom\nto \u201crefuse the evil, and choose the good.\u201d[341]\n\n[Sidenote: _Individual Development_]\n\nIn all true teaching the personal element is essential. Christ in His\nteaching dealt with men individually. It was by personal contact and\nassociation that He trained the twelve. It was in private, often to but\none listener, that He gave His most precious instruction. To the honored\nrabbi at the night conference on the Mount of Olives, to the despised\nwoman at the well of Sychar, He opened His richest treasures; for in\nthese hearers He discerned the impressible heart, the open mind, the\nreceptive spirit. Even the crowd that so often thronged His steps was\nnot to Christ an indiscriminate mass of human beings. He spoke directly\nto every mind and appealed to every heart. He watched the faces of His\nhearers, marked the lighting up of the countenance, the quick,\nresponsive glance, which told that truth had reached the soul; and there\nvibrated in His heart the answering chord of sympathetic joy.\n\nChrist discerned the possibilities in every human being. He was not\nturned aside by an unpromising exterior or by unfavorable surroundings.\nHe called Matthew from the toll-booth, and Peter and his brethren from\nthe fishing boat, to learn of Him.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Present Need_]\n\nThe same personal interest, the same attention to individual\ndevelopment, are needed in educational work to-day. Many apparently\nunpromising youth are richly endowed with talents that are put to no\nuse. Their faculties lie hidden because of a lack of discernment on the\npart of their educators. In many a boy or girl outwardly as unattractive\nas a rough-hewn stone, may be found precious material that will stand\nthe test of heat and storm and pressure. The true educator, keeping in\nview what his pupils may become, will recognize the value of the\nmaterial upon which he is working. He will take a personal interest in\neach pupil, and will seek to develop all his powers. However imperfect,\nevery effort to conform to right principles will be encouraged.\n\n[Sidenote: _Application_]\n\nEvery youth should be taught the necessity and the power of application.\nUpon this, far more than upon genius or talent, does success depend.\nWithout application the most brilliant talents avail little, while with\nrightly directed effort persons of very ordinary natural abilities have\naccomplished wonders. And genius, at whose achievements we marvel, is\nalmost invariably united with untiring, concentrated effort.\n\nThe youth should be taught to aim at the development of all their\nfaculties, the weaker as well as the stronger. With many there is a\ndisposition to restrict their study to certain lines, for which they\nhave a natural liking. This error should be guarded against. The natural\naptitudes indicate the direction of the life-work, and, when legitimate,\nshould be carefully cultivated. At the same time it must be kept in mind\nthat a well-balanced character and efficient work in any line depend, to\na great degree, on that symmetrical development which is the result of\nthorough, all-round training.\n\n[Sidenote: _Simplicity_]\n\nThe teacher should constantly aim at simplicity and effectiveness. He\nshould teach largely by illustration, and even in dealing with older\npupils should be careful to make every explanation plain and clear. Many\npupils well advanced in years are but children in understanding.\n\n[Sidenote: _Enthusiasm_]\n\nAn important element in educational work is enthusiasm. On this point\nthere is a useful suggestion in a remark once made by a celebrated\nactor. The Archbishop of Canterbury had put to him the question why\nactors in a play affect their audiences so powerfully by speaking of\nthings imaginary, while ministers of the gospel often affect theirs so\nlittle by speaking of things real. \u201cWith due submission to your grace,\u201d\nreplied the actor, \u201cpermit me to say that the reason is plain: it lies\nin the power of enthusiasm. We on the stage speak of things imaginary as\nif they were real, and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they\nwere imaginary.\u201d\n\nThe teacher in his work is dealing with things real, and he should speak\nof them with all the force and enthusiasm which a knowledge of their\nreality and importance can inspire.\n\nEvery teacher should see to it that his work tends to definite results.\nBefore attempting to teach a subject, he should have a distinct plan in\nmind, and should know just what he desires to accomplish. He should not\nrest satisfied with the presentation of any subject until the student\nunderstands the principle involved, perceives its truth, and is able to\nstate clearly what he has learned.\n\n[Sidenote: _Mastery of Fundamentals_]\n\nSo long as the great purpose of education is kept in view, the youth\nshould be encouraged to advance just as far as their capabilities will\npermit. But before taking up the higher branches of study, let them\nmaster the lower. This is too often neglected. Even among students in\nthe higher schools and the colleges, there is great deficiency in\nknowledge of the common branches of education. Many students devote\ntheir time to higher mathematics, when they are incapable of keeping\nsimple accounts. Many study elocution with a view to acquiring the\ngraces of oratory, when they are unable to read in an intelligible and\nimpressive manner. Many who have finished the study of rhetoric fail in\nthe composition and spelling of an ordinary letter.\n\nA thorough knowledge of the essentials of education should be not only\nthe condition of admission to a higher course, but the constant test for\ncontinuance and advancement.\n\n[Sidenote: _Language_]\n\nAnd in every branch of education there are objects to be gained more\nimportant than those secured by mere technical knowledge. Take language,\nfor example. More important than the acquirement of foreign languages,\nliving or dead, is the ability to write and speak one\u2019s mother-tongue\nwith ease and accuracy; but no training gained through a knowledge of\ngrammatical rules can compare in importance with the study of language\nfrom a higher point of view. With this study, to a great degree, is\nbound up life\u2019s weal or woe.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Chief Requisite_]\n\nThe chief requisite of language is that it be pure and kind and\ntrue,\u2014\u201cthe outward expression of an inward grace.\u201d God says: \u201cWhatsoever\nthings are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are\njust, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,\nwhatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if\nthere be any praise, think on these things.\u201d[342] And if such are the\nthoughts, such will be the expression.\n\n[Sidenote: _Habits of Speech_]\n\nThe best school for this language-study is the home; but since the work\nof the home is so often neglected, it devolves on the teacher to aid his\npupils in forming right habits of speech.\n\nThe teacher can do much to discourage that evil habit, the curse of the\ncommunity, the neighborhood, and the home,\u2014the habit of backbiting,\ngossip, ungenerous criticism. In this no pains should be spared. Impress\nupon the students the fact that this habit reveals a lack of culture and\nrefinement and of true goodness of heart; it unfits one both for the\nsociety of the truly cultured and refined in this world and for\nassociation with the holy ones of heaven.\n\n[Sidenote: _Gossip; Cannibalism_]\n\nWe think with horror of the cannibal who feasts on the still warm and\ntrembling flesh of his victim; but are the results of even this practise\nmore terrible than are the agony and ruin caused by misrepresenting\nmotive, blackening reputation, dissecting character? Let the children,\nand the youth as well, learn what God says about these things:\u2014\n\n\u201cDeath and life are in the power of the tongue.\u201d[343]\n\nIn Scripture, backbiters are classed with \u201chaters of God,\u201d with\n\u201cinventors of evil things,\u201d with those who are \u201cwithout natural\naffection, implacable, unmerciful,\u201d \u201cfull of envy, murder, debate,\ndeceit, malignity.\u201d It is \u201cthe judgment of God, that they which commit\nsuch things are worthy of death.\u201d[344] He whom God accounts a citizen of\nZion is he that \u201cspeaketh the truth in his heart;\u201d \u201cthat backbiteth not\nwith his tongue,\u201d \u201cnor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.\u201d[345]\n\n[Sidenote: _Expletive, Exaggeration_]\n\nGod\u2019s word condemns also the use of those meaningless phrases and\nexpletives that border on profanity. It condemns the deceptive\ncompliments, the evasions of truth, the exaggerations, the\nmisrepresentations in trade, that are current in society and in the\nbusiness world. \u201cLet your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; and whatsoever\nis more than these is of the evil one.\u201d[346]\n\n\u201cAs a madman who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man\nthat deceiveth his neighbor, and saith, Am not I in sport?\u201d[347]\n\n[Sidenote: _Innuendo_]\n\nClosely allied to gossip is the covert insinuation, the sly innuendo, by\nwhich the unclean in heart seek to insinuate the evil they dare not\nopenly express. Every approach to these practises the youth should be\ntaught to shun as they would shun the leprosy.\n\nIn the use of language there is perhaps no error that old and young are\nmore ready to pass over lightly in themselves than hasty, impatient\nspeech. They think it a sufficient excuse to plead, \u201cI was off my guard,\nand did not really mean what I said.\u201d But God\u2019s word does not treat it\nlightly. The Scripture says:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _Hasty Speech_]\n\n\u201cSeest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a\nfool than of him.\u201d[348]\n\n\u201cHe that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken\ndown, and without walls.\u201d[349]\n\nIn one moment, by the hasty, passionate, careless tongue, may be wrought\nevil that a whole lifetime\u2019s repentance can not undo. Oh, the hearts\nthat are broken, the friends estranged, the lives wrecked, by the harsh,\nhasty words of those who might have brought help and healing!\n\n\u201cThere is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword; but the tongue of\nthe wise is health.\u201d[350]\n\n[Sidenote: _Cherish Self-Forgetfulness_]\n\nOne of the characteristics that should be especially cherished and\ncultivated in every child is that self-forgetfulness which imparts to\nthe life such an unconscious grace. Of all excellences of character this\nis one of the most beautiful, and for every true life-work it is one of\nthe qualifications most essential.\n\n[Sidenote: _Humility; Dignity_]\n\nChildren need appreciation, sympathy, and encouragement, but care should\nbe taken not to foster in them a love of praise. It is not wise to give\nthem special notice, or to repeat before them their clever sayings. The\nparent or teacher who keeps in view the true ideal of character and the\npossibilities of achievement, can not cherish or encourage\nself-sufficiency. He will not encourage in the youth the desire or\neffort to display their ability or proficiency. He who looks higher than\nhimself will be humble; yet he will possess a dignity that is not\nabashed or disconcerted by outward display or human greatness.\n\nIt is not by arbitrary law or rule that the graces of character are\ndeveloped. It is by dwelling in the atmosphere of the pure, the noble,\nthe true. And wherever there is purity of heart and nobleness of\ncharacter, it will be revealed in purity and nobleness of action and of\nspeech.\n\n\u201cHe that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the King\nshall be his friend.\u201d[351]\n\nAs with language, so with every other study; it may be so conducted that\nit will tend to the strengthening and upbuilding of character.\n\n[Sidenote: _History_]\n\nOf no study is this true to a greater degree than of history. Let it be\nconsidered from the divine point of view.\n\nAs too often taught, history is little more than a record of the rise\nand fall of kings, the intrigues of courts, the victories and defeats of\narmies,\u2014a story of ambition and greed, of deception, cruelty, and\nbloodshed. Thus taught, its results can not but be detrimental. The\nheart-sickening reiteration of crimes and atrocities, the enormities,\nthe cruelties portrayed, plant seeds that in many lives bring forth\nfruit in a harvest of evil.\n\n[Sidenote: _From the Divine Point of View_]\n\nFar better is it to learn, in the light of God\u2019s word, the causes that\ngovern the rise and fall of kingdoms. Let the youth study these records,\nand see how the true prosperity of nations has been bound up with an\nacceptance of the divine principles. Let him study the history of the\ngreat reformatory movements, and see how often these principles, though\ndespised and hated, their advocates brought to the dungeon and the\nscaffold, have through these very sacrifices triumphed.\n\nSuch study will give broad, comprehensive views of life. It will help\nthe youth to understand something of its relations and dependencies, how\nwonderfully we are bound together in the great brotherhood of society\nand nations, and to how great an extent the oppression or degradation of\none member means loss to all.\n\n[Sidenote: _Accounts_]\n\n[Sidenote: _A Useful Training_]\n\nIn the study of figures the work should be made practical. Let every\nyouth and every child be taught, not merely to solve imaginary problems,\nbut to keep an accurate account of his own income and outgoes. Let him\nlearn the right use of money by using it. Whether supplied by their\nparents or by their own earnings, let boys and girls learn to select and\npurchase their own clothing, their books, and other necessities; and by\nkeeping an account of their expenses they will learn, as they could\nlearn in no other way, the value and the use of money. This training\nwill help them to distinguish true economy from niggardliness on the one\nhand and prodigality on the other. Rightly directed it will encourage\nhabits of benevolence. It will aid the youth in learning to give, not\nfrom the mere impulse of the moment, as their feelings are stirred, but\nregularly and systematically.\n\nIn this way every study may become an aid in the solution of that\ngreatest of all problems, the training of men and women for the best\ndischarge of life\u2019s responsibilities.\n\n\n _Deportment_\n\n \u201cLOVE DOTH NOT BEHAVE\n ITSELF UNSEEMLY\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Courtesy_]\n\nThe value of courtesy is too little appreciated. Many who are kind at\nheart lack kindliness of manner. Many who command respect by their\nsincerity and uprightness are sadly deficient in geniality. This lack\nmars their own happiness, and detracts from their service to others.\nMany of life\u2019s sweetest and most helpful experiences are, often for mere\nwant of thought, sacrificed by the uncourteous.\n\nCheerfulness and courtesy should especially be cultivated by parents and\nteachers. All may possess a cheerful countenance, a gentle voice, a\ncourteous manner, and these are elements of power. Children are\nattracted by a cheerful, sunny demeanor. Show them kindness and\ncourtesy, and they will manifest the same spirit toward you and toward\none another.\n\n[Sidenote: _Rules of Etiquette_]\n\nTrue courtesy is not learned by the mere practise of rules of etiquette.\nPropriety of deportment is at all times to be observed; wherever\nprinciple is not compromised, consideration of others will lead to\ncompliance with accepted customs; but true courtesy requires no\nsacrifice of principle to conventionality. It ignores caste. It teaches\nself-respect, respect for the dignity of man as man, a regard for every\nmember of the great human brotherhood.\n\n[Sidenote: _Overestimating Conventionalities_]\n\nThere is danger of placing too high a value upon mere manner and form,\nand devoting too much time to education in these lines. The life of\nstrenuous effort demanded of every youth, the hard, often uncongenial\nwork required even for life\u2019s ordinary duties, and much more for\nlightening the world\u2019s heavy burden of ignorance and wretchedness,\u2014these\ngive little place for conventionalities.\n\nMany who lay great stress upon etiquette show little respect for\nanything, however excellent, that fails of meeting their artificial\nstandard. This is false education. It fosters critical pride and narrow\nexclusiveness.\n\n[Sidenote: _Consideration for Others_]\n\nThe essence of true politeness is consideration for others. The\nessential, enduring education is that which broadens the sympathies and\nencourages universal kindliness. That so-called culture which does not\nmake a youth deferential toward his parents, appreciative of their\nexcellences, forbearing toward their defects, and helpful to their\nnecessities; which does not make him considerate and tender, generous\nand helpful toward the young, the old, and the unfortunate, and\ncourteous toward all, is a failure.\n\nReal refinement of thought and manner is better learned in the school of\nthe divine Teacher than by any observance of set rules. His love\npervading the heart gives to the character those refining touches that\nfashion it in the semblance of His own. This education imparts a\nheaven-born dignity and sense of propriety. It gives a sweetness of\ndisposition and a gentleness of manner that can never be equaled by the\nsuperficial polish of fashionable society.\n\nThe Bible enjoins courtesy, and it presents many illustrations of the\nunselfish spirit, the gentle grace, the winsome temper, that\ncharacterize true politeness. These are but reflections of the character\nof Christ. All the real tenderness and courtesy in the world, even among\nthose who do not acknowledge His name, is from Him. And He desires these\ncharacteristics to be perfectly reflected in His children. It is His\npurpose that in us men shall behold His beauty.\n\n[Sidenote: _Best Treatise on Etiquette_]\n\nThe most valuable treatise on etiquette ever penned is the precious\ninstruction given by the Saviour, with the utterance of the Holy Spirit\nthrough the apostle Paul,\u2014words that should be ineffaceably written in\nthe memory of every human being, young or old:\u2014\n\n\u201cAs I have loved you, that ye also love one another.\u201d[352]\n\n \u201cLove suffereth long, and is kind;\n Love envieth not;\n Love vaunteth not itself,\n Is not puffed up,\n Doth not behave itself unseemly,\n Seeketh not its own,\n Is not provoked,\n Taketh not account of evil;\n Rejoiceth not in unrighteousness,\n But rejoiceth with the truth;\n Beareth all things,\n Believeth all things,\n Hopeth all things,\n Endureth all things.\n Love never faileth.\u201d[353]\n\n[Sidenote: _Reverence_]\n\n[Sidenote: _For God\u2019s Presence_]\n\nAnother precious grace that should be carefully cherished is reverence.\nTrue reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness\nand a realization of His presence. With this sense of the Unseen the\nheart of every child should be deeply impressed. The hour and place of\nprayer and the services of public worship the child should be taught to\nregard as sacred because God is there. And as reverence is manifested in\nattitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it will be deepened.\n\nWell would it be for young and old to study and ponder and often repeat\nthose words of Holy Writ that show how the place marked by God\u2019s special\npresence should be regarded.\n\n\u201cPut off thy shoes from off thy feet,\u201d He commanded Moses at the burning\nbush; \u201cfor the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.\u201d[354]\n\nJacob, after beholding the vision of the angels, exclaimed, \u201cThe Lord is\nin this place; and I knew it not.... This is none other but the house of\nGod, and this is the gate of heaven.\u201d[355]\n\n\u201cThe Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before\nHim.\u201d[356]\n\n \u201cThe Lord is a great God,\n And a great King above all gods....\n O come, let us worship and bow down;\n Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.\u201d\n \u201cIt is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves;\n We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.\n Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,\n And into His courts with praise;\n Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.\u201d[357]\n\n[Sidenote: _For His Name_]\n\nReverence should be shown also for the name of God. Never should that\nname be spoken lightly or thoughtlessly. Even in prayer its frequent or\nneedless repetition should be avoided. \u201cHoly and reverend is His\nname.\u201d[358] Angels, as they speak it, veil their faces. With what\nreverence should we, who are fallen and sinful, take it upon our lips!\n\n[Sidenote: _Reverence for God\u2019s Word_]\n\nWe should reverence God\u2019s word. For the printed volume we should show\nrespect, never putting it to common uses, or handling it carelessly. And\nnever should Scripture be quoted in a jest, or paraphrased to point a\nwitty saying. \u201cEvery word of God is pure;\u201d \u201cas silver tried in a furnace\nof earth, purified seven times.\u201d[359]\n\nAbove all, let children be taught that true reverence is shown by\nobedience. God has commanded nothing that is unessential, and there is\nno other way of manifesting reverence so pleasing to Him as obedience to\nthat which He has spoken.\n\n[Sidenote: _Respect for Superiors_]\n\nReverence should be shown for God\u2019s representatives,\u2014for ministers,\nteachers, and parents who are called to speak and act in His stead. In\nthe respect shown to them He is honored.\n\nAnd God has especially enjoined tender respect toward the aged. He says,\n\u201cThe hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of\nrighteousness.\u201d[360] It tells of battles fought, and victories gained;\nof burdens borne, and temptations resisted. It tells of weary feet\nnearing their rest, of places soon to be vacant. Help the children to\nthink of this, and they will smooth the path of the aged by their\ncourtesy and respect, and will bring grace and beauty into their young\nlives as they heed the command to \u201crise up before the hoary head, and\nhonor the face of the old man.\u201d[361]\n\n * * * * *\n\nFathers and mothers and teachers need to appreciate more fully the\nresponsibility and honor that God has placed upon them, in making them,\nto the child, the representatives of Himself. The character revealed in\nthe contact of daily life will interpret to the child, for good or for\nevil, those words of God:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: _Interpreters of God_]\n\n\u201cLike as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that\nfear Him.\u201d[362] \u201cAs one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort\nyou.\u201d[363]\n\nHappy the child in whom such words as these awaken love and gratitude\nand trust; the child to whom the tenderness and justice and\nlong-suffering of father and mother and teacher interpret the love and\njustice and long-suffering of God; the child who by trust and submission\nand reverence toward his earthly protectors learns to trust and obey and\nreverence his God. He who imparts to child or pupil such a gift has\nendowed him with a treasure more precious than the wealth of all the\nages,\u2014a treasure as enduring as eternity.\n\n\n _Relation of Dress to Education_\n\n \u201cIN MODEST APPAREL.\u201d \u201cTHE\n KING\u2019S DAUGHTER IS ALL\n GLORIOUS WITHIN\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _The Teacher\u2019s Rival_]\n\nNo education can be complete that does not teach right principles in\nregard to dress. Without such teaching, the work of education is too\noften retarded and perverted. Love of dress, and devotion to fashion,\nare among the teacher\u2019s most formidable rivals and most effective\nhindrances.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Burden in the Home_]\n\nFashion is a mistress that rules with an iron hand. In very many homes\nthe strength and time and attention of parents and children are absorbed\nin meeting her demands. The rich are ambitious to outdo one another in\nconforming to her ever-varying styles; the middle and poorer classes\nstrive to approach the standard set by those supposed to be above them.\nWhere means or strength is limited, and the ambition for gentility is\ngreat, the burden becomes almost insupportable.\n\nWith many it matters not how becoming, or even beautiful, a garment may\nbe, let the fashions change, and it must be remade or cast aside. The\nmembers of the household are doomed to ceaseless toil. There is no time\nfor training the children, no time for prayer or Bible study, no time\nfor helping the little ones to become acquainted with God through His\nworks.\n\nThere is no time and no money for charity. And often the home table is\nstinted. The food is ill selected and hastily prepared, and the demands\nof nature are but partially supplied. The result is wrong habits of\ndiet, which create disease or lead to intemperance.\n\n[Sidenote: _Source of Temptation_]\n\nThe love of display produces extravagance, and in many young people\nkills the aspiration for a nobler life. Instead of seeking an education,\nthey early engage in some occupation to earn money for indulging the\npassion for dress. And through this passion many a young girl is\nbeguiled to ruin.\n\nIn many a home the family resources are overtaxed. The father, unable to\nsupply the demands of the mother and the children, is tempted to\ndishonesty, and again dishonor and ruin are the result.\n\n[Sidenote: _Fashion and Public Worship_]\n\nEven the day and the services of worship are not exempt from fashion\u2019s\ndomination. Rather they afford opportunity for the greater display of\nher power. The church is made a parade-ground, and the fashions are\nstudied more than the sermon. The poor, unable to meet the demands of\ncustom, stay away from church altogether. The day of rest is spent in\nidleness, and by the youth often in associations that are demoralizing.\n\nAt school, the girls are by unsuitable and uncomfortable clothing\nunfitted either for study or for recreation. Their minds are\npreoccupied, and the teacher has a difficult task to awaken their\ninterest.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Counter-Influence_]\n\nFor breaking the spell of fashion, the teacher can often find no means\nmore effective than contact with nature. Let pupils taste the delights\nto be found by river or lake or sea; let them climb the hills, gaze on\nthe sunset glory, explore the treasures of wood and field; let them\nlearn the pleasure of cultivating plants and flowers; and the importance\nof an additional ribbon or ruffle will sink into insignificance.\n\n[Sidenote: _Higher Aims_]\n\nLead the youth to see that in dress, as in diet, plain living is\nindispensable to high thinking. Lead them to see how much there is to\nlearn and to do; how precious are the days of youth as a preparation for\nthe life-work. Help them to see what treasures there are in the word of\nGod, in the book of nature, and in the records of noble lives.\n\nLet their minds be directed to the suffering which they might relieve.\nHelp them to see that by every dollar squandered in display, the spender\nis deprived of means for feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and\ncomforting the sorrowful.\n\nThey can not afford to miss life\u2019s glorious opportunities, to dwarf\ntheir minds, to ruin their health, and to wreck their happiness, for the\nsake of obedience to mandates that have no foundation in reason, in\ncomfort, or in comeliness.\n\n[Sidenote: _Taste and Neatness in Dress_]\n\nAt the same time the young should be taught to recognize the lesson of\nnature, \u201cHe hath made everything beautiful in its time.\u201d[364] In dress,\nas in all things else, it is our privilege to honor our Creator. He\ndesires our clothing to be not only neat and healthful, but appropriate\nand becoming.\n\nA person\u2019s character is judged by his style of dress. A refined taste, a\ncultivated mind, will be revealed in the choice of simple and\nappropriate attire. Chaste simplicity in dress, when united with modesty\nof demeanor, will go far toward surrounding a young woman with that\natmosphere of sacred reserve which will be to her a shield from a\nthousand perils.\n\nLet girls be taught that the art of dressing well includes the ability\nto make their own clothing. This is an ambition that every girl should\ncherish. It will be a means of usefulness and independence that she can\nnot afford to miss.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _The Highest Beauty_]\n\nIt is right to love beauty and to desire it; but God desires us to love\nand to seek first the highest beauty,\u2014that which is imperishable. The\nchoicest productions of human skill possess no beauty that can bear\ncomparison with that beauty of character which in His sight is of \u201cgreat\nprice.\u201d\n\nLet the youth and the little children be taught to choose for themselves\nthat royal robe woven in heaven\u2019s loom,\u2014the \u201cfine linen, clean and\nwhite,\u201d[365] which all the holy ones of earth will wear. This robe,\nChrist\u2019s own spotless character, is freely offered to every human being.\nBut all who receive it will receive and wear it here.\n\nLet the children be taught that as they open their minds to pure, loving\nthoughts and do loving and helpful deeds, they are clothing themselves\nwith His beautiful garment of character. This apparel will make them\nbeautiful and beloved here, and will hereafter be their title of\nadmission to the palace of the King. His promise is,\u2014\n\n\u201cThey shall walk with Me in white; for they are worthy.\u201d[366]\n\n\n _The Sabbath_\n\n \u201cIT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND\n YOU; THAT YE MAY KNOW THAT\n I AM JEHOVAH\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _The Sabbath a Sign_]\n\nThe value of the Sabbath as a means of education is beyond estimate.\nWhatever of ours God claims from us, He returns again, enriched,\ntransfigured, with His own glory. The tithe that He claimed from Israel\nwas devoted to preserving among men, in its glorious beauty, the pattern\nof His temple in the heavens, the token of His presence on the earth. So\nthe portion of our time which He claims is given again to us, bearing\nHis name and seal. It is \u201ca sign,\u201d He says, \u201cbetween Me and you; ...\nthat ye may know that I am Jehovah;\u201d because \u201cin six days the Lord made\nheaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the\nseventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed\nit.\u201d[367] The Sabbath is a sign of creative and redeeming power; it\npoints to God as the source of life and knowledge; it recalls man\u2019s\nprimeval glory, and thus witnesses to God\u2019s purpose to re-create us in\nHis own image.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Family Day_]\n\nThe Sabbath and the family were alike instituted in Eden, and in God\u2019s\npurpose they are indissolubly linked together. On this day more than on\nany other, it is possible for us to live the life of Eden. It was God\u2019s\nplan for the members of the family to be associated in work and study,\nin worship and recreation, the father as priest of his household, and\nboth father and mother as teachers and companions of their children. But\nthe results of sin, having changed the conditions of life, to a great\ndegree prevent this association. Often the father hardly sees the faces\nof his children throughout the week. He is almost wholly deprived of\nopportunity for companionship or instruction. But God\u2019s love has set a\nlimit to the demands of toil. Over the Sabbath He places His merciful\nhand. In His own day He preserves for the family opportunity for\ncommunion with Him, with nature, and with one another.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Sabbath and Nature_]\n\nSince the Sabbath is the memorial of creative power, it is the day above\nall others when we should acquaint ourselves with God through His works.\nIn the minds of the children the very thought of the Sabbath should be\nbound up with the beauty of natural things. Happy is the family who can\ngo to the place of worship on the Sabbath as Jesus and His disciples\nwent to the synagogue,\u2014across the fields, along the shores of the lake,\nor through the groves. Happy the father and mother who can teach their\nchildren God\u2019s written word with illustrations from the open pages of\nthe book of nature; who can gather under the green trees, in the fresh,\npure air, to study the word and to sing the praise of the Father above.\n\nBy such associations parents may bind their children to their hearts,\nand thus to God, by ties that can never be broken.\n\n[Sidenote: _Bible Study_]\n\nAs a means of intellectual training, the opportunities of the Sabbath\nare invaluable. Let the Sabbath-school lesson be learned, not by a hasty\nglance at the lesson scripture on Sabbath morning, but by careful study\nfor the next week on Sabbath afternoon, with daily review or\nillustration during the week. Thus the lesson will become fixed in the\nmemory, a treasure never to be wholly lost.\n\nIn listening to the sermon, let parents and children note the text and\nthe scriptures quoted, and as much as possible of the line of thought,\nto repeat to one another at home. This will go far toward relieving the\nweariness with which children so often listen to a sermon, and it will\ncultivate in all a habit of attention and of connected thought.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Great Reward_\u201d]\n\nMeditation on the themes thus suggested will open to the student\ntreasures of which he has never dreamed. He will prove in his own life\nthe reality of the experience described in the scripture:\u2014\n\n\u201cThy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the\njoy and rejoicing of mine heart.\u201d[368]\n\n\u201cI will meditate in Thy statutes.\u201d \u201cMore to be desired are they than\ngold, yea, than much fine gold.... Moreover by them is Thy servant\nwarned; and in keeping of them there is great reward.\u201d[369]\n\n\n _Faith and Prayer_\n\n \u201cFAITH IS THE ASSURANCE OF THINGS\n HOPED FOR.\u201d \u201cBELIEVE THAT YE\n RECEIVE, AND YE SHALL HAVE\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _What Is Faith?_]\n\nFaith is trusting God,\u2014believing that He loves us, and knows best what\nis for our good. Thus, instead of our own, it leads us to choose His\nway. In place of our ignorance, it accepts His wisdom; in place of our\nweakness, His strength; in place of our sinfulness, His righteousness.\nOur lives, ourselves, are already His; faith acknowledges His ownership\nand accepts its blessing. Truth, uprightness, purity, have been pointed\nout as secrets of life\u2019s success. It is faith that puts us in possession\nof these principles.\n\nEvery good impulse or aspiration is the gift of God; faith receives from\nGod the life that alone can produce true growth and efficiency.\n\n[Sidenote: _How to Exercise Faith_]\n\nHow to exercise faith should be made very plain. To every promise of God\nthere are conditions. If we are willing to do His will, all His strength\nis ours. Whatever gift He promises, is in the promise itself. \u201cThe seed\nis the word of God.\u201d[370] As surely as the oak is in the acorn, so\nsurely is the gift of God in His promise. If we receive the promise, we\nhave the gift.\n\nFaith that enables us to receive God\u2019s gifts is itself a gift, of which\nsome measure is imparted to every human being. It grows as exercised in\nappropriating the word of God. In order to strengthen faith, we must\noften bring it in contact with the word.\n\n[Sidenote: _Power of God\u2019s Word_]\n\nIn the study of the Bible the student should be led to see the power of\nGod\u2019s word. In the creation, \u201cHe spake, and it was; He commanded, and it\nstood fast.\u201d He \u201ccalleth those things which be not as though they\nwere;\u201d[371] for when He calls them, they are.\n\n[Sidenote: _Results of Faith_]\n\nHow often those who trusted the word of God, though in themselves\nutterly helpless, have withstood the power of the whole world,\u2014Enoch,\npure in heart, holy in life, holding fast his faith in the triumph of\nrighteousness against a corrupt and scoffing generation; Noah and his\nhousehold against the men of his time, men of the greatest physical and\nmental strength and the most debased in morals; the children of Israel\nat the Red Sea, a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves, against the\nmightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe; David, a shepherd\nlad, having God\u2019s promise of the throne, against Saul, the established\nmonarch, bent on holding fast his power; Shadrach and his companions in\nthe fire, and Nebuchadnezzar on the throne; Daniel among the lions, his\nenemies in the high places of the kingdom; Jesus on the cross, and the\nJewish priests and rulers forcing even the Roman governor to work their\nwill; Paul in chains led to a criminal\u2019s death, Nero the despot of a\nworld-empire.\n\nSuch examples are not found in the Bible only. They abound in every\nrecord of human progress. The Vaudois and the Huguenots, Wycliffe and\nHuss, Jerome and Luther, Tyndale and Knox, Zinzendorf and Wesley, with\nmultitudes of others, have witnessed to the power of God\u2019s word against\nhuman power and policy in support of evil. These are the world\u2019s true\nnobility. This is its royal line. In this line the youth of to-day are\ncalled to take their places.\n\n[Sidenote: _In Daily Life_]\n\nFaith is needed in the smaller no less than in the greater affairs of\nlife. In all our daily interests and occupations the sustaining strength\nof God becomes real to us through an abiding trust.\n\nViewed from its human side, life is to all an untried path. It is a path\nin which, as regards our deeper experiences, we each walk alone. Into\nour inner life no other human being can fully enter. As the little child\nsets forth on that journey in which, sooner or later, he must choose his\nown course, himself deciding life\u2019s issues for eternity, how earnest\nshould be the effort to direct his trust to the sure Guide and Helper!\n\n[Sidenote: _A Shield from Temptation_]\n\nAs a shield from temptation and an inspiration to purity and truth, no\nother influence can equal the sense of God\u2019s presence. \u201cAll things are\nnaked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.\u201d He is\n\u201cof purer eyes than to behold evil, and can not look on iniquity.\u201d[372]\nThis thought was Joseph\u2019s shield amidst the corruptions of Egypt. To the\nallurements of temptation his answer was steadfast: \u201cHow can I do this\ngreat wickedness, and sin against God?\u201d[373] Such a shield, faith, if\ncherished, will bring to every soul.\n\n[Sidenote: _God\u2019s Protecting Presence_]\n\nOnly the sense of God\u2019s presence can banish the fear that, for the timid\nchild, would make life a burden. Let him fix in his memory the promise,\n\u201cThe angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and\ndelivereth them.\u201d[374] Let him read that wonderful story of Elisha in\nthe mountain city, and, between him and the hosts of armed foemen, a\nmighty encircling band of heavenly angels. Let him read how to Peter, in\nprison and condemned to death, God\u2019s angel appeared; how, past the armed\nguards, the massive doors and great iron gateway with their bolts and\nbars, the angel led God\u2019s servant forth in safety. Let him read of that\nscene on the sea, when to the tempest-tossed soldiers and seamen, worn\nwith labor and watching and long fasting, Paul the prisoner, on his way\nto trial and execution, spoke those grand words of courage and hope: \u201cBe\nof good cheer; for there shall be no loss of any man\u2019s life among\nyou.... For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am,\nand whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before\nC\u00e6sar; and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.\u201d In\nthe faith of this promise Paul assured his companions, \u201cThere shall not\na hair fall from the head of any of you.\u201d So it came to pass. Because\nthere was in that ship one man through whom God could work, the whole\nship-load of heathen soldiers and sailors was preserved. \u201cThey escaped\nall safe to land.\u201d[375]\n\nThese things were not written merely that we might read and wonder, but\nthat the same faith which wrought in God\u2019s servants of old might work in\nus. In no less marked a manner than He wrought then will He work now\nwherever there are hearts of faith to be channels of His power.\n\n[Sidenote: _Help for the Self-Distrustful_]\n\nLet the self-distrustful, whose lack of self-reliance leads them to\nshrink from care and responsibility, be taught reliance upon God. Thus\nmany a one who otherwise would be but a cipher in the world, perhaps\nonly a helpless burden, will be able to say with the apostle Paul, \u201cI\ncan do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.\u201d[376]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Guardian of Right_]\n\nFor the child also who is quick to resent injuries, faith has precious\nlessons. The disposition to resist evil or to avenge wrong is often\nprompted by a keen sense of justice and an active, energetic spirit. Let\nsuch a child be taught that God is the eternal guardian of right. He has\na tender care for the beings whom He has so loved as to give His dearest\nBeloved to save. He will deal with every wrong-doer.\n\n\u201cFor he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye.\u201d[377]\n\n\u201cCommit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it\nto pass.... He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy\njudgment as the noonday.\u201d[378]\n\n\u201cThe Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of\ntrouble. And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for\nThou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.\u201d[379]\n\n[Sidenote: _Complete in Christ_]\n\nThe compassion that God manifests toward us, He bids us manifest toward\nothers. Let the impulsive, the self-sufficient, the revengeful, behold\nthe meek and lowly One, led as a lamb to the slaughter, unretaliating as\na sheep dumb before her shearers. Let them look upon Him whom our sins\nhave pierced and our sorrows burdened, and they will learn to endure, to\nforbear, and to forgive.\n\nThrough faith in Christ, every deficiency of character may be supplied,\nevery defilement cleansed, every fault corrected, every excellence\ndeveloped.\n\n\u201cYe are complete in Him.\u201d[380]\n\n[Sidenote: _Prayer_]\n\n[Sidenote: _\u201cBelieve That Ye Receive\u201d_]\n\nPrayer and faith are closely allied, and they need to be studied\ntogether. In the prayer of faith there is a divine science; it is a\nscience that every one who would make his life-work a success must\nunderstand. Christ says, \u201cWhat things soever ye desire, when ye pray,\nbelieve that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.\u201d[381] He makes it\nplain that our asking must be according to God\u2019s will; we must ask for\nthe things that He has promised, and whatever we receive must be used in\ndoing His will. The conditions met, the promise is unequivocal.\n\nFor the pardon of sin, for the Holy Spirit, for a Christlike temper, for\nwisdom and strength to do His work, for any gift He has promised, we may\nask; then we are to believe that we receive, and return thanks to God\nthat we have received.\n\nWe need look for no outward evidence of the blessing. The gift is in the\npromise, and we may go about our work assured that what God has promised\nHe is able to perform, and that the gift, which we already possess, will\nbe realized when we need it most.\n\n[Sidenote: _Secret Prayer_]\n\nTo live thus by the word of God means the surrender to Him of the whole\nlife. There will be felt a continual sense of need and dependence, a\ndrawing out of the heart after God. Prayer is a necessity; for it is the\nlife of the soul. Family prayer, public prayer, have their place; but it\nis secret communion with God that sustains the soul-life.\n\nIt was in the mount with God that Moses beheld the pattern of that\nwonderful building which was to be the abiding-place of His glory. It is\nin the mount with God,\u2014in the secret place of communion,\u2014that we are to\ncontemplate His glorious ideal for humanity. Thus we shall be enabled so\nto fashion our character-building that to us may be fulfilled His\npromise, \u201cI will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their\nGod, and they shall be My people.\u201d[382]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Saviour\u2019s Example_]\n\nIt was in hours of solitary prayer that Jesus in His earth-life received\nwisdom and power. Let the youth follow His example in finding at dawn\nand twilight a quiet season for communion with their Father in heaven.\nAnd throughout the day let them lift up their hearts to God. At every\nstep of our way He says, \u201cI the Lord thy God will hold thy right\nhand; ... fear not; I will help thee.\u201d[383] Could our children learn\nthese lessons in the morning of their years, what freshness and power,\nwhat joy and sweetness, would be brought into their lives!\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _A Cause of Doubt_]\n\nThese are lessons that only he who himself has learned can teach. It is\nbecause so many parents and teachers profess to believe the word of God\nwhile their lives deny its power, that the teaching of Scripture has no\ngreater effect upon the youth. At times the youth are brought to feel\nthe power of the word. They see the preciousness of the love of Christ.\nThey see the beauty of His character, the possibilities of a life given\nto His service. But in contrast they see the life of those who profess\nto revere God\u2019s precepts. Of how many are the words true that were\nspoken to the prophet Ezekiel:\u2014\n\nThy people \u201cspeak one to another, every one to his brother, saying,\nCome, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the\nLord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before\nthee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them;\nfor with their mouth they show much love; but their heart goeth after\ntheir covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of\none that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for\nthey hear thy words; but they do them not.\u201d[384]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Bible to Shape the Life_]\n\nIt is one thing to treat the Bible as a book of good moral instruction,\nto be heeded so far as is consistent with the spirit of the times and\nour position in the world; it is another thing to regard it as it really\nis,\u2014the word of the living God,\u2014the word that is our life, the word that\nis to mould our actions, our words, and our thoughts. To hold God\u2019s word\nas anything less than this is to reject it. And this rejection by those\nwho profess to believe it, is foremost among the causes of skepticism\nand infidelity in the youth.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Time for Prayer_]\n\nAn intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the\nworld. In amusement, in moneymaking, in the contest for power, in the\nvery struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses\nbody and mind and soul. In the midst of this maddening rush, God is\nspeaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him. \u201cBe still, and\nknow that I am God.\u201d[385]\n\nMany, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of receiving the blessing\nof real communion with God. They are in too great haste. With hurried\nsteps they press through the circle of Christ\u2019s loving presence, pausing\nperhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for\ncounsel. They have no time to remain with the divine Teacher. With their\nburdens they return to their work.\n\nThese workers can never attain the highest success until they learn the\nsecret of strength. They must give themselves time to think, to pray, to\nwait upon God for a renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power.\nThey need the uplifting influence of His Spirit. Receiving this, they\nwill be quickened by fresh life. The wearied frame and tired brain will\nbe refreshed, the burdened heart will be lightened.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Precious Experience_]\n\nNot a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with\nChrist, to sit down in companionship with Him,\u2014this is our need. Happy\nwill it be for the children of our homes and the students of our schools\nwhen parents and teachers shall learn in their own lives the precious\nexperience pictured in these words from the Song of Songs:\u2014\n\n \u201cAs the apple-tree among the trees of the wood,\n So is my Beloved among the sons.\n I sat down under His shadow with great delight,\n And His fruit was sweet to my taste.\n He brought me to the banqueting-house,\n And His banner over me was love.\u201d[386]\n\n\n _The Life-Work_\n\n \u201cTHIS ONE THING I DO\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _A Definite Aim_]\n\nSuccess in any line demands a definite aim. He who would achieve true\nsuccess in life must keep steadily in view the aim worthy of his\nendeavor. Such an aim is set before the youth of to-day. The\nheaven-appointed purpose of giving the gospel to the world in this\ngeneration is the noblest that can appeal to any human being. It opens a\nfield of effort to every one whose heart Christ has touched.\n\n[Sidenote: _God\u2019s Purpose for the Youth_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Individual Responsibility_]\n\nGod\u2019s purpose for the children growing up beside our hearths is wider,\ndeeper, higher, than our restricted vision has comprehended. From the\nhumblest lot those whom He has seen faithful have in time past been\ncalled to witness for Him in the world\u2019s highest places. And many a lad\nof to-day, growing up as did Daniel in his Judean home, studying God\u2019s\nword and His works, and learning the lessons of faithful service, will\nyet stand in legislative assemblies, in halls of justice, or in royal\ncourts, as a witness for the King of kings. Multitudes will be called to\na wider ministry. The whole world is opening to the gospel. Ethiopia is\nstretching out her hands unto God. From Japan and China and India, from\nthe still-darkened lands of our own continent, from every quarter of\nthis world of ours, comes the cry of sin-stricken hearts for a knowledge\nof the God of love. Millions upon millions have never so much as heard\nof God or of His love revealed in Christ. It is their right to receive\nthis knowledge. They have an equal claim with us in the Saviour\u2019s mercy.\nAnd it rests with us who have received the knowledge, with our children\nto whom we may impart it, to answer their cry. To every household and\nevery school, to every parent, teacher, and child upon whom has shone\nthe light of the gospel, comes at this crisis the question put to Esther\nthe queen at that momentous crisis in Israel\u2019s history, \u201cWho knoweth\nwhether _thou_ art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?\u201d[387]\n\n[Sidenote: _God a Sharer in Suffering_]\n\nThose who think of the result of hastening or hindering the gospel think\nof it in relation to themselves and to the world. Few think of its\nrelation to God. Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused\nour Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ\u2019s agony; but that suffering\ndid not begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a\nrevelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception,\nsin has brought to the heart of God. Every departure from the right,\nevery deed of cruelty, every failure of humanity to reach His ideal,\nbrings grief to Him. When there came upon Israel the calamities that\nwere the sure result of separation from God,\u2014subjugation by their\nenemies, cruelty, and death,\u2014it is said that \u201cHis soul was grieved for\nthe misery of Israel.\u201d \u201cIn all their affliction He was afflicted; ...\nand He bare them, and carried them all the days of old.\u201d[388]\n\n[Sidenote: _When the End Will Come_]\n\nHis Spirit \u201cmaketh intercession for us with groanings which can not be\nuttered.\u201d As the \u201cwhole creation groaneth and travaileth together in\npain,\u201d[389] the heart of the infinite Father is pained in sympathy. Our\nworld is a vast lazar-house, a scene of misery that we dare not allow\neven our thoughts to dwell upon. Did we realize it as it is, the burden\nwould be too terrible. Yet God feels it all. In order to destroy sin and\nits results He gave His best Beloved, and He has put it in our power,\nthrough co-operation with Him, to bring this scene of misery to an end.\n\u201cThis gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a\nwitness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.\u201d[390]\n\n\u201cGo ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every\ncreature,\u201d[391] is Christ\u2019s command to His followers. Not that all are\ncalled to be ministers or missionaries in the ordinary sense of the\nterm; but all may be workers with Him in giving the \u201cglad tidings\u201d to\ntheir fellow-men. To all, great or small, learned or ignorant, old or\nyoung, the command is given.\n\n[Sidenote: _Mistakes in Education_]\n\nIn view of this command, can we educate our sons and daughters for a\nlife of respectable conventionality, a life professedly Christian, but\nlacking His self-sacrifice, a life on which the verdict of Him who is\ntruth must be, \u201cI know you not\u201d?\n\n[Sidenote: _Selfish Aim_]\n\nThousands are doing this. They think to secure for their children the\nbenefits of the gospel, while they deny its spirit. But this can not be.\nThose who reject the privilege of fellowship with Christ in service,\nreject the only training that imparts a fitness for participation with\nHim in His glory. They reject the training that in this life gives\nstrength and nobility of character. Many a father and mother, denying\ntheir children to the cross of Christ, have learned too late that they\nwere thus giving them over to the enemy of God and man. They sealed\ntheir ruin, not alone for the future but for the present life.\nTemptation overcame them. They grew up a curse to the world, a grief and\nshame to those who gave them being.\n\n[Sidenote: _Absorption in Study_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Out of Touch with Life_]\n\nEven in seeking a preparation for God\u2019s service, many are turned aside\nby wrong methods of education. Life is too generally regarded as made up\nof distinct periods, the period of learning and the period of doing,\u2014of\npreparation and of achievement. In preparation for a life of service the\nyouth are sent to school, to acquire knowledge by the study of books.\nCut off from the responsibilities of every-day life, they become\nabsorbed in study, and often lose sight of its purpose. The ardor of\ntheir early consecration dies out, and too many take up with some\npersonal, selfish ambition. Upon their graduation, thousands find\nthemselves out of touch with life. They have so long dealt with the\nabstract and theoretical that when the whole being must be roused to\nmeet the sharp contests of real life, they are unprepared. Instead of\nthe noble work they had purposed, their energies are engrossed in a\nstruggle for mere subsistence. After repeated disappointments, in\ndespair even of earning an honest livelihood, many drift into\nquestionable or criminal practises. The world is robbed of the service\nit might have received; and God is robbed of the souls He longed to\nuplift, ennoble, and honor as representatives of Himself.\n\nMany parents err in discriminating between their children in the matter\nof education. They make almost any sacrifice to secure the best\nadvantages for one that is bright and apt. But these opportunities are\nnot thought a necessity for those who are less promising. Little\neducation is deemed essential for the performance of life\u2019s ordinary\nduties.\n\n[Sidenote: _Whom Shall We Educate?_]\n\nBut who is capable of selecting from a family of children the ones upon\nwhom will rest the most important responsibilities? How often human\njudgment has here proved to be at fault! Remember the experience of\nSamuel when sent to anoint from the sons of Jesse one to be king over\nIsrael. Seven noble-looking youth passed before him. As he looked upon\nthe first, in features comely, in form well-developed, and in bearing\nprincely, the prophet exclaimed, \u201cSurely the Lord\u2019s anointed is before\nHim.\u201d But God said, \u201cLook not on his countenance, or on the height of\nhis stature; because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man\nseeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh\non the heart.\u201d So of all the seven the testimony was, \u201cThe Lord hath not\nchosen these.\u201d[392] And not until David had been called from the flock\nwas the prophet permitted to fulfil his mission.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Not as Man Seeth_\u201d]\n\nThe elder brothers, from whom Samuel would have chosen, did not possess\nthe qualifications that God saw to be essential in a ruler of His\npeople. Proud, self-centered, self-confident, they were set aside for\nthe one whom they lightly regarded, one who had preserved the simplicity\nand sincerity of his youth, and who, while little in his own sight,\ncould be trained by God for the responsibilities of the kingdom. So\nto-day, in many a child whom the parents would pass by, God sees\ncapabilities far above those revealed by others who are thought to\npossess great promise.\n\nAnd as regards life\u2019s possibilities, who is capable of deciding what is\ngreat and what is small? How many a worker in the lowly places of life,\nby setting on foot agencies for the blessing of the world, has achieved\nresults that kings might envy!\n\nLet every child, then, receive an education for the highest service. \u201cIn\nthe morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand;\nfor thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that.\u201d[393]\n\n[Sidenote: _Choosing an Occupation_]\n\nThe specific place appointed us in life is determined by our\ncapabilities. Not all reach the same development or do with equal\nefficiency the same work. God does not expect the hyssop to attain the\nproportions of the cedar, or the olive the height of the stately palm.\nBut each should aim just as high as the union of human with divine power\nmakes it possible for him to reach.\n\n[Sidenote: _Cause of Failure_]\n\nMany do not become what they might, because they do not put forth the\npower that is in them. They do not, as they might, lay hold on divine\nstrength. Many are diverted from the line in which they might reach the\ntruest success. Seeking greater honor or a more pleasing task, they\nattempt something for which they are not fitted. Many a man whose\ntalents are adapted for some other calling, is ambitious to enter a\nprofession; and he who might have been successful as a farmer, an\nartisan, or a nurse, fills inadequately the position of a minister, a\nlawyer, or a physician. There are others, again, who might have filled a\nresponsible calling, but who, for want of energy, application, or\nperseverance, content themselves with an easier place.\n\nWe need to follow more closely God\u2019s plan of life. To do our best in the\nwork that lies nearest, to commit our ways to God, and to watch for the\nindications of His providence,\u2014these are rules that insure safe guidance\nin the choice of an occupation.\n\nHe who came from heaven to be our example spent nearly thirty years of\nHis life in common, mechanical labor; but during this time He was\nstudying the word and the works of God, and helping, teaching, all whom\nHis influence could reach. When His public ministry began, He went about\nhealing the sick, comforting the sorrowful, and preaching the gospel to\nthe poor. This is the work of all His followers.\n\n[Sidenote: _Example in Service_]\n\n\u201cHe that is greatest among you,\u201d He said, \u201clet him be as the younger;\nand he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For ... I am among you as\nhe that serveth.\u201d[394]\n\nLove and loyalty to Christ are the spring of all true service. In the\nheart touched by His love, there is begotten a desire to work for Him.\nLet this desire be encouraged and rightly guided. Whether in the home,\nthe neighborhood, or the school, the presence of the poor, the\nafflicted, the ignorant, or the unfortunate, should be regarded, not as\na misfortune, but as affording precious opportunity for service.\n\nIn this work, as in every other, skill is gained in the work itself. It\nis by training in the common duties of life and in ministry to the needy\nand suffering, that efficiency is assured. Without this the best-meant\nefforts are often useless and even harmful. It is in the water, not on\nthe land, that men learn to swim.\n\n[Sidenote: _Church Relationship_]\n\nAnother obligation, too often lightly regarded,\u2014one that to the youth\nawakened to the claims of Christ needs to be made plain,\u2014is the\nobligation of church relationship.\n\nVery close and sacred is the relation between Christ and His church,\u2014He\nthe bridegroom, and the church the bride; He the head, and the church\nthe body. Connection with Christ, then, involves connection with His\nchurch.\n\nThe church is organized for service; and in a life of service to Christ,\nconnection with the church is one of the first steps. Loyalty to Christ\ndemands the faithful performance of church duties. This is an important\npart of one\u2019s training; and in a church imbued with the Master\u2019s life,\nit will lead directly to effort for the world without.\n\n[Sidenote: _Young People\u2019s Societies_]\n\nThere are many lines in which the youth can find opportunity for helpful\neffort. Let them organize into bands for Christian service, and the\nco-operation will prove an assistance and an encouragement. Parents and\nteachers, by taking an interest in the work of the young people, will be\nable to give them the benefit of their own larger experience, and can\nhelp them to make their efforts effective for good.\n\n[Sidenote: _Foreign Missions_]\n\nIt is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sympathy is the spring of\neffective ministry. To awaken in the children and youth sympathy and the\nspirit of sacrifice for the suffering millions in the \u201cregions beyond,\u201d\nlet them become acquainted with these lands and their peoples. In this\nline much might be accomplished in our schools. Instead of dwelling on\nthe exploits of the Alexanders and Napoleons of history, let the pupils\nstudy the lives of such men as the apostle Paul and Martin Luther, as\nMoffat and Livingstone and Carey, and the present daily-unfolding\nhistory of missionary effort. Instead of burdening their memories with\nan array of names and theories that have no bearing upon their lives,\nand to which, once outside the schoolroom, they rarely give a thought,\nlet them study all lands in the light of missionary effort, and become\nacquainted with the peoples and their needs.\n\n[Sidenote: _Workers from the Common People_]\n\nIn this closing work of the gospel there is a vast field to be occupied;\nand, more than ever before, the work is to enlist helpers from the\ncommon people. Both the youth and those older in years will be called\nfrom the field, from the vineyard, and from the workshop, and sent forth\nby the Master to give His message. Many of these have had little\nopportunity for education; but Christ sees in them qualifications that\nwill enable them to fulfil His purpose. If they put their hearts into\nthe work, and continue to be learners, He will fit them to labor for\nHim.\n\nHe who knows the depths of the world\u2019s misery and despair, knows by what\nmeans to bring relief. He sees on every hand souls in darkness, bowed\ndown with sin and sorrow and pain. But He sees also their possibilities;\nHe sees the height to which they may attain. Although human beings have\nabused their mercies, wasted their talents, and lost the dignity of\ngodlike manhood, the Creator is to be glorified in their redemption.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Saviour\u2019s Choice_]\n\nThe burden of labor for these needy ones in the rough places of the\nearth Christ lays upon those who can feel for the ignorant and for such\nas are out of the way. He will be present to help those whose hearts are\nsusceptible to pity, though their hands may be rough and unskilled. He\nwill work through those who can see mercy in misery, and gain in loss.\nWhen the Light of the world passes by, privilege will be discerned in\nhardship, order in confusion, success in apparent failure. Calamities\nwill be seen as disguised blessings; woes, as mercies. Laborers from the\ncommon people, sharing the sorrows of their fellow-men as their Master\nshared the sorrows of the whole human race, will by faith see Him\nworking with them.\n\n\u201cThe great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth\ngreatly.\u201d[395] And a world is to be warned.\n\nWith such preparation as they can gain, thousands upon thousands of the\nyouth and those older in years should be giving themselves to this work.\nAlready many hearts are responding to the call of the Master Worker, and\ntheir numbers will increase. Let every Christian educator give such\nworkers sympathy and co-operation. Let him encourage and assist the\nyouth under his care in gaining a preparation to join the ranks.\n\n[Sidenote: _Opportunity for Education_]\n\nThere is no line of work in which it is possible for the youth to\nreceive greater benefit. All who engage in ministry are God\u2019s helping\nhand. They are co-workers with the angels; rather, they are the human\nagencies through whom the angels accomplish their mission. Angels speak\nthrough their voices, and work by their hands. And the human workers,\nco-operating with heavenly agencies, have the benefit of their education\nand experience. As a means of education, what \u201cuniversity course\u201d can\nequal this?\n\n[Sidenote: _Our Children\u2019s Heritage_]\n\nWith such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might\nfurnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming\nSaviour might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end\ncome,\u2014the end of suffering and sorrow and sin! How soon, in place of a\npossession here, with its blight of sin and pain, our children might\nreceive their inheritance where \u201cthe righteous shall inherit the land,\nand dwell therein forever;\u201d where \u201cthe inhabitant shall not say, I am\nsick,\u201d and \u201cthe voice of weeping shall be no more heard.\u201d[396]\n\n\n\n\n _THE UNDER-TEACHER_\n\n\n \u201c_As My Father hath sent Me, even so\n send I you_\u201d\n\n\n _Preparation_\n\n \u201cSTUDY TO SHOW THYSELF\n APPROVED UNTO GOD\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _The Mother\u2019s Opportunity_]\n\nThe child\u2019s first teacher is the mother. During the period of greatest\nsusceptibility and most rapid development his education is to a great\ndegree in her hands. To her first is given opportunity to mould the\ncharacter for good or for evil. She should understand the value of her\nopportunity, and, above every other teacher, should be qualified to use\nit to the best account. Yet there is no other to whose training so\nlittle thought is given. The one whose influence in education is most\npotent and far-reaching is the one for whose assistance there is the\nleast systematic effort.\n\n[Sidenote: _Lack of Preparation_]\n\nThose to whom the care of the little child is committed are too often\nignorant of its physical needs; they know little of the laws of health\nor the principles of development. Nor are they better fitted to care for\nits mental and spiritual growth. They may be qualified to conduct\nbusiness or to shine in society; they may have made creditable\nattainments in literature and science; but of the training of a child\nthey have little knowledge. It is chiefly because of this lack,\nespecially because of the early neglect of physical development, that so\nlarge a proportion of the human race die in infancy, and of those who\nreach maturity there are so many to whom life is but a burden.\n\n[Sidenote: _Education for Parents_]\n\nUpon fathers as well as mothers rests a responsibility for the child\u2019s\nearlier as well as its later training, and for both parents the demand\nfor careful and thorough preparation is most urgent. Before taking upon\nthemselves the possibilities of fatherhood and motherhood, men and women\nshould become acquainted with the laws of physical development,\u2014with\nphysiology and hygiene, with the bearing of prenatal influences, with\nthe laws of heredity, sanitation, dress, exercise, and the treatment of\ndisease; they should also understand the laws of mental development and\nmoral training.\n\nThis work of education the Infinite One has counted so important that\nmessengers from His throne have been sent to a mother that was to be, to\nanswer the question, \u201cHow shall we order the child, and how shall we do\nunto him?\u201d[397] and to instruct a father concerning the education of a\npromised son.\n\nNever will education accomplish all that it might and should accomplish\nuntil the importance of the parents\u2019 work is fully recognized, and they\nreceive a training for its sacred responsibilities.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Teacher; Broad Training_]\n\nThe necessity of preparatory training for the teacher is universally\nadmitted; but few recognize the character of the preparation most\nessential. He who appreciates the responsibility involved in the\ntraining of the youth, will realize that instruction in scientific and\nliterary lines alone can not suffice. The teacher should have a more\ncomprehensive education than can be gained by the study of books. He\nshould possess not only strength but breadth of mind; should be not only\nwhole-souled but large-hearted.\n\n[Sidenote: _Essential Qualifications_]\n\nHe only who created the mind and ordained its laws can perfectly\nunderstand its needs or direct its development. The principles of\neducation that He has given are the only safe guide. A qualification\nessential for every teacher is a knowledge of these principles, and such\nan acceptance of them as will make them a controlling power in his own\nlife.\n\nExperience in practical life is indispensable. Order, thoroughness,\npunctuality, self-control, a sunny temper, evenness of disposition,\nself-sacrifice, integrity, and courtesy are essential qualifications.\n\nBecause there is so much cheapness of character, so much of the\ncounterfeit all around the youth, there is the more need that the\nteacher\u2019s words, attitude, and deportment should represent the elevated\nand the true. Children are quick to detect affectation or any other\nweakness or defect. The teacher can gain the respect of his pupils in no\nother way than by revealing in his own character the principles which he\nseeks to teach them. Only as he does this in his daily association with\nthem can he have a permanent influence over them for good.\n\n[Sidenote: _Physical Vigor_]\n\nFor almost every other qualification that contributes to his success,\nthe teacher is in great degree dependent upon physical vigor. The better\nhis health, the better will be his work.\n\nSo wearing are his responsibilities that special effort on his part is\nrequired to preserve vigor and freshness. Often he becomes heart-weary\nand brain-weary, with the almost irresistible tendency to depression,\ncoldness, or irritability. It is his duty not merely to resist such\nmoods but to avoid their cause. He needs to keep the heart pure and\nsweet and trustful and sympathetic. In order to be always firm and calm\nand cheerful, he must preserve the strength of brain and nerve.\n\nSince in his work quality is so much more important than quantity, he\nshould guard against overlabor,\u2014against attempting too much in his own\nline of duty; against accepting other responsibilities that would unfit\nhim for his work; and against engaging in amusements and social\npleasures that are exhausting rather than recuperative.\n\n[Sidenote: _Outdoor Labor_]\n\nOutdoor exercise, especially in useful labor, is one of the best means\nof recreation for body and mind; and the teacher\u2019s example will inspire\nhis pupils with interest in and respect for manual labor.\n\nIn every line the teacher should scrupulously observe the principles of\nhealth. He should do this not only because of its bearing upon his own\nusefulness, but also because of its influence upon his pupils. He should\nbe temperate in all things; in diet, dress, labor, recreation, he is to\nbe an example.\n\n[Sidenote: _Literary Attainments_]\n\nWith physical health and uprightness of character should be combined\nhigh literary qualifications. The more of true knowledge the teacher\nhas, the better will be his work. The schoolroom is no place for\nsurface-work. No teacher who is satisfied with superficial knowledge\nwill attain a high degree of efficiency.\n\n[Sidenote: _A High Standard_]\n\nBut the teacher\u2019s usefulness depends not so much upon the actual amount\nof his acquirements as upon the standard at which he aims. The true\nteacher is not content with dull thoughts, an indolent mind, or a loose\nmemory. He constantly seeks higher attainments and better methods. His\nlife is one of continual growth. In the work of such a teacher there is\na freshness, a quickening power, that awakens and inspires his pupils.\n\nThe teacher must have aptness for his work. He must have the wisdom and\ntact required in dealing with minds. However great his scientific\nknowledge, however excellent his qualifications in other lines, if he\ndoes not gain the respect and confidence of his pupils, his efforts will\nbe in vain.\n\n[Sidenote: _Administrative Ability_]\n\nTeachers are needed who are quick to discern and improve every\nopportunity for doing good; those who with enthusiasm combine true\ndignity; who are able to control, and \u201capt to teach;\u201d who can inspire\nthought, arouse energy, and impart courage and life.\n\nA teacher\u2019s advantages may have been limited, so that he may not possess\nas high literary qualifications as might be desirable; yet if he has\ntrue insight into human nature; if he has a genuine love for his work,\nan appreciation of its magnitude, and a determination to improve; if he\nis willing to labor earnestly and perseveringly, he will comprehend the\nneeds of his pupils, and, by his sympathetic, progressive spirit, will\ninspire them to follow as he seeks to lead them onward and upward.\n\n[Sidenote: _Difficulties_]\n\n[Sidenote: _Sympathy and Insight_]\n\nThe children and youth under the teacher\u2019s care differ widely in\ndisposition, habits, and training. Some have no definite purpose or\nfixed principles. They need to be awakened to their responsibilities and\npossibilities. Few children have been rightly trained at home. Some have\nbeen household pets. Their whole training has been superficial. Allowed\nto follow inclination and to shun responsibility and burden-bearing,\nthey lack stability, perseverance, and self-denial. These often regard\nall discipline as an unnecessary restraint. Others have been censured\nand discouraged. Arbitrary restraint and harshness have developed in\nthem obstinacy and defiance. If these deformed characters are reshaped,\nthe work must, in most cases, be done by the teacher. In order to\naccomplish it successfully, he must have the sympathy and insight that\nwill enable him to trace to their cause the faults and errors manifest\nin his pupils. He must have also the tact and skill, the patience and\nfirmness, that will enable him to impart to each the needed help,\u2014to the\nvacillating and ease-loving, such encouragement and assistance as will\nbe a stimulus to exertion; to the discouraged, sympathy and appreciation\nthat will create confidence and thus inspire effort.\n\n[Sidenote: _Social Relation_]\n\nTeachers often fail of coming sufficiently into social relation with\ntheir pupils. They manifest too little sympathy and tenderness, and too\nmuch of the dignity of the stern judge. While the teacher must be firm\nand decided, he should not be exacting or dictatorial. To be harsh and\ncensorious, to stand aloof from his pupils or treat them indifferently,\nis to close the avenues through which he might influence them for good.\n\n[Sidenote: _Partiality_]\n\nUnder no circumstances should the teacher manifest partiality. To favor\nthe winning, attractive pupil, and be critical, impatient, or\nunsympathetic toward those who most need encouragement and help, is to\nreveal a total misconception of the teacher\u2019s work. It is in dealing\nwith the faulty, trying ones that the character is tested, and it is\nproved whether the teacher is really qualified for his position.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Responsibility_]\n\nGreat is the responsibility of those who take upon themselves the\nguidance of a human soul. The true father and mother count theirs a\ntrust from which they can never be wholly released. The life of the\nchild, from his earliest to his latest day, feels the power of that tie\nwhich binds him to the parent\u2019s heart; the acts, the words, the very\nlook of the parent, continue to mould the child for good or for evil.\nThe teacher shares this responsibility, and he needs constantly to\nrealize its sacredness, and to keep in view the purpose of his work. He\nis not merely to accomplish the daily tasks, to please his employers, to\nmaintain the standing of the school; he must consider the highest good\nof his pupils as individuals, the duties that life will lay upon them,\nthe service it requires, and the preparation demanded. The work he is\ndoing day by day will exert upon his pupils, and through them upon\nothers, an influence that will not cease to extend and strengthen until\ntime shall end. The fruits of his work he must meet in that great day\nwhen every word and deed shall be brought in review before God.\n\nThe teacher who realizes this will not feel that his work is completed\nwhen he has finished the daily routine of recitations, and for a time\nhis pupils pass from under his direct care. He will carry these children\nand youth upon his heart. How to secure for them the noblest standard of\nattainment will be his constant study and effort.\n\n[Sidenote: _Self-Improvement_]\n\nHe who discerns the opportunities and privileges of his work will allow\nnothing to stand in the way of earnest endeavor for self-improvement. He\nwill spare no pains to reach the highest standard of excellence. All\nthat he desires his pupils to become, he will himself strive to be.\n\n * * * * *\n\nThe deeper the sense of responsibility, and the more earnest the effort\nfor self-improvement, the more clearly will the teacher perceive and the\nmore keenly regret the defects that hinder his usefulness. As he beholds\nthe magnitude of his work, its difficulties and possibilities, often\nwill his heart cry out, \u201cWho is sufficient for these things?\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Our Source of Help_]\n\nDear teacher, as you consider your need of strength and guidance,\u2014need\nthat no human source can supply,\u2014I bid you consider the promises of Him\nwho is the wonderful Counselor.\n\n\u201cBehold,\u201d He says, \u201cI have set before thee an open door, and no man can\nshut it.\u201d[398]\n\n\u201cCall upon Me, and I will answer thee.\u201d \u201cI will instruct thee and teach\nthee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with Mine\neye.\u201d[399]\n\n\u201cEven unto the end of the world\u201d \u201cI am with you.\u201d[400]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Highest Preparation_]\n\nAs the highest preparation for your work, I point you to the words, the\nlife, the methods, of the Prince of teachers. I bid you consider Him.\nHere is your true ideal. Behold it, dwell upon it, until the Spirit of\nthe divine Teacher shall take possession of your heart and life.\n\n\u201cReflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord,\u201d you will be \u201ctransformed\ninto the same image.\u201d[401]\n\nThis is the secret of power over your pupils. Reflect Him.\n\n\n _Co-operation_\n\n \u201cWE ARE MEMBERS ONE OF\n ANOTHER\u201d\n\nIn the formation of character, no other influences count so much as the\ninfluence of the home. The teacher\u2019s work should supplement that of the\nparents, but is not to take its place. In all that concerns the\nwell-being of the child, it should be the effort of parents and teachers\nto co-operate.\n\n[Sidenote: _Co-operation of Parents_]\n\nThe work of co-operation should begin with the father and mother\nthemselves, in the home life. In the training of their children they\nhave a joint responsibility, and it should be their constant endeavor to\nact together. Let them yield themselves to God, seeking help from Him to\nsustain each other. Let them teach their children to be true to God,\ntrue to principle, and thus true to themselves and to all with whom they\nare connected. With such training, children when sent to school will not\nbe a cause of disturbance or anxiety. They will be a support to their\nteachers, and an example and encouragement to their fellow-pupils.\n\n[Sidenote: _Sustaining the Teacher_]\n\nParents who give this training are not the ones likely to be found\ncriticizing the teacher. They feel that both the interest of their\nchildren and justice to the school demand that, so far as possible, they\nsustain and honor the one who shares their responsibility.\n\n[Sidenote: _Criticism_]\n\nMany parents fail here. By their hasty, unfounded criticism the\ninfluence of the faithful, self-sacrificing teacher is often well-nigh\ndestroyed. Many parents whose children have been spoiled by indulgence,\nleave to the teacher the unpleasant task of repairing their neglect; and\nthen by their own course they make his task almost hopeless. Their\ncriticism and censure of the school management encourage insubordination\nin the children, and confirm them in wrong habits.\n\nIf criticism or suggestion in regard to the teacher\u2019s work becomes\nnecessary, it should be made to him in private. If this proves\nineffective, let the matter be referred to those who are responsible for\nthe management of the school. Nothing should be said or done to weaken\nthe children\u2019s respect for the one upon whom their well-being in so\ngreat degree depends.\n\n[Sidenote: _Acquaintance with the Teacher_]\n\nThe parents\u2019 intimate knowledge both of the character of the children\nand of their physical peculiarities or infirmities, if imparted to the\nteacher, would be an assistance to him. It is to be regretted that so\nmany fail of realizing this. By most parents little interest is shown\neither to inform themselves as to the teacher\u2019s qualifications, or to\nco-operate with him in his work.\n\n[Sidenote: _Teacher\u2019s Aid to Parents_]\n\nSince parents so rarely acquaint themselves with the teacher, it is the\nmore important that the teacher seek the acquaintance of parents. He\nshould visit the homes of his pupils, and gain a knowledge of the\ninfluences and surroundings among which they live. By coming personally\nin touch with their homes and lives, he may strengthen the ties that\nbind him to his pupils, and may learn how to deal more successfully with\ntheir different dispositions and temperaments.\n\n[Sidenote: _A Double Benefit_]\n\nAs he interests himself in the home education, the teacher imparts a\ndouble benefit. Many parents, absorbed in work and care, lose sight of\ntheir opportunities to influence for good the lives of their children.\nThe teacher can do much to arouse these parents to their possibilities\nand privileges. He will find others to whom the sense of their\nresponsibility is a heavy burden, so anxious are they that their\nchildren shall become good and useful men and women. Often the teacher\ncan assist these parents in bearing their burden, and, by counseling\ntogether, both teacher and parents will be encouraged and strengthened.\n\n[Sidenote: _Parents and Children_]\n\nIn the home training of the youth, the principle of co-operation is\ninvaluable. From their earliest years children should be led to feel\nthat they are a part of the home firm. Even the little ones should be\ntrained to share in the daily work, and should be made to feel that\ntheir help is needed and is appreciated. The older ones should be their\nparents\u2019 assistants, entering into their plans, and sharing their\nresponsibilities and burdens. Let fathers and mothers take time to teach\ntheir children, let them show that they value their help, desire their\nconfidence, and enjoy their companionship, and the children will not be\nslow to respond. Not only will the parents\u2019 burden be lightened, and the\nchildren receive a practical training of inestimable worth, but there\nwill be a strengthening of the home ties and a deepening of the very\nfoundations of character.\n\n[Sidenote: _Teachers and Students_]\n\nCo-operation should be the spirit of the schoolroom, the law of its\nlife. The teacher who gains the co-operation of his pupils secures an\ninvaluable aid in maintaining order. In service in the schoolroom many a\nboy whose restlessness leads to disorder and insubordination would find\nan outlet for his superfluous energy. Let the older assist the younger,\nthe strong the weak; and, so far as possible, let each be called upon to\ndo something in which he excels. This will encourage self-respect and a\ndesire to be useful.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Bible Examples_]\n\nIt would be helpful for the youth, and for parents and teachers as well,\nto study the lesson of co-operation as taught in the Scriptures. Among\nits many illustrations notice the building of the tabernacle,\u2014that\nobject-lesson of character-building,\u2014in which the whole people united,\n\u201cevery one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit\nmade willing.\u201d[402] Read how the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt by the\nreturned captives, in the midst of poverty, difficulty, and danger, the\ngreat task successfully accomplished because \u201cthe people had a mind to\nwork.\u201d[403] Consider the part acted by the disciples in the Saviour\u2019s\nmiracle for the feeding of the multitude. The food multiplied in the\nhands of Christ, but the disciples received the loaves, and gave to the\nwaiting throng.\n\n\u201cWe are members one of another.\u201d As every one therefore \u201chath received\na[404] gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards\nof the manifold grace of God.\u201d[405]\n\nWell might the words written of the idol-builders of old be, with\nworthier aim, adopted as a motto by character-builders of to-day:\u2014\n\n\u201cThey helped every one his neighbor; and every one said to his brother,\nBe of good courage.\u201d[406]\n\n\n _Discipline_\n\n \u201cTRAIN, ADMONISH, ENCOURAGE,\n BE LONG-SUFFERING\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Teaching Obedience_]\n\nOne of the first lessons a child needs to learn is the lesson of\nobedience. Before he is old enough to reason, he may be taught to obey.\nBy gentle, persistent effort, the habit should be established. Thus, to\na great degree, may be prevented those later conflicts between will and\nauthority that do so much to create alienation and bitterness toward\nparents and teachers, and too often resistance of all authority, human\nand divine.\n\n[Sidenote: _Self-Government_]\n\nThe object of discipline is the training of the child for\nself-government. He should be taught self-reliance and self-control.\nTherefore as soon as he is capable of understanding, his reason should\nbe enlisted on the side of obedience. Let all dealing with him be such\nas to show obedience to be just and reasonable. Help him to see that all\nthings are under law, and that disobedience leads, in the end, to\ndisaster and suffering. When God says \u201cThou shalt not,\u201d He in love warns\nus of the consequences of disobedience, in order to save us from harm\nand loss.\n\nHelp the child to see that parents and teachers are representatives of\nGod, and that as they act in harmony with Him, their laws in the home\nand the school are also His. As the child is to render obedience to\nparents and teachers, so they, in turn, are to render obedience to God.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Breaking the Will_\u201d]\n\n[Sidenote: _Lack of Moral Stamina_]\n\nTo direct the child\u2019s development without hindering it by undue control\nshould be the study of both parent and teacher. Too much management is\nas bad as too little. The effort to \u201cbreak the will\u201d of a child is a\nterrible mistake. Minds are constituted differently; while force may\nsecure outward submission, the result with many children is a more\ndetermined rebellion of the heart. Even should the parent or teacher\nsucceed in gaining the control he seeks, the outcome may be no less\nharmful to the child. The discipline of a human being who has reached\nthe years of intelligence should differ from the training of a dumb\nanimal. The beast is taught only submission to its master. For the\nbeast, the master is mind, judgment, and will. This method, sometimes\nemployed in the training of children, makes them little more than\nautomatons. Mind, will, conscience, are under the control of another. It\nis not God\u2019s purpose that any mind should be thus dominated. Those who\nweaken or destroy individuality assume a responsibility that can result\nonly in evil. While under authority, the children may appear like\nwell-drilled soldiers; but when the control ceases, the character will\nbe found to lack strength and steadfastness. Having never learned to\ngovern himself, the youth recognizes no restraint except the requirement\nof parents or teacher. This removed, he knows not how to use his\nliberty, and often gives himself up to indulgence that proves his ruin.\n\nSince the surrender of the will is so much more difficult for some\npupils than for others, the teacher should make obedience to his\nrequirements as easy as possible. The will should be guided and moulded,\nbut not ignored or crushed. Save the strength of the will; in the battle\nof life it will be needed.\n\n[Sidenote: _Value of Will Power_]\n\nEvery child should understand the true force of the will. He should be\nled to see how great is the responsibility involved in this gift. The\nwill is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision,\nor choice. Every human being possessed of reason has power to choose the\nright. In every experience of life, God\u2019s word to us is, \u201cChoose you\nthis day whom ye will serve.\u201d[407] Every one may place his will on the\nside of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking\nhimself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him\nto do evil. In every youth, every child, lies the power, by the help of\nGod, to form a character of integrity and to live a life of usefulness.\n\nThe parent or teacher who by such instruction trains the child to\nself-control will be the most useful and permanently successful. To the\nsuperficial observer his work may not appear to the best advantage; it\nmay not be valued so highly as that of the one who holds the mind and\nwill of the child under absolute authority; but after-years will show\nthe result of the better method of training.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Sense of Honor_]\n\nThe wise educator, in dealing with his pupils, will seek to encourage\nconfidence and to strengthen the sense of honor. Children and youth are\nbenefited by being trusted. Many, even of the little children, have a\nhigh sense of honor; all desire to be treated with confidence and\nrespect, and this is their right. They should not be led to feel that\nthey can not go out or come in without being watched. Suspicion\ndemoralizes, producing the very evils it seeks to prevent. Instead of\nwatching continually, as if suspecting evil, teachers who are in touch\nwith their pupils will discern the workings of the restless mind, and\nwill set to work influences that will counteract evil. Lead the youth to\nfeel that they are trusted, and there are few who will not seek to prove\nthemselves worthy of the trust.\n\n[Sidenote: _Requests; Commands_]\n\nOn the same principle it is better to request than to command; the one\nthus addressed has opportunity to prove himself loyal to right\nprinciples. His obedience is the result of choice rather than\ncompulsion.\n\nThe rules governing the schoolroom should, so far as possible, represent\nthe voice of the school. Every principle involved in them should be so\nplaced before the student that he may be convinced of its justice. Thus\nhe will feel a responsibility to see that the rules which he himself has\nhelped to frame are obeyed.\n\n[Sidenote: _Enforcing Rules_]\n\nRules should be few and well considered; and when once made, they should\nbe enforced. Whatever it is found impossible to change, the mind learns\nto recognize and adapt itself to; but the possibility of indulgence\ninduces desire, hope, and uncertainty, and the results are restlessness,\nirritability, and insubordination.\n\nIt should be made plain that the government of God knows no compromise\nwith evil. Neither in the home nor in the school should disobedience be\ntolerated. No parent or teacher who has at heart the well-being of those\nunder his care will compromise with the stubborn self-will that defies\nauthority or resorts to subterfuge or evasion in order to escape\nobedience. It is not love but sentimentalism that palters with\nwrong-doing, seeks by coaxing or bribes to secure compliance, and\nfinally accepts some substitute in place of the thing required.\n\n\u201cFools make a mock at sin.\u201d[408] We should beware of treating sin as a\nlight thing. Terrible is its power over the wrong-doer. \u201cHis own\niniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with\nthe cords of his sins.\u201d[409] The greatest wrong done to a child or youth\nis to allow him to become fastened in the bondage of evil habit.\n\n[Sidenote: _Freedom in Obedience_]\n\nThe youth have an inborn love of liberty; they desire freedom; and they\nneed to understand that these inestimable blessings are to be enjoyed\nonly in obedience to the law of God. This law is the preserver of true\nfreedom and liberty. It points out and prohibits those things that\ndegrade and enslave, and thus to the obedient it affords protection from\nthe power of evil.\n\nThe psalmist says: \u201cI will walk at liberty; for I seek Thy precepts.\u201d\n\u201cThy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.\u201d[410]\n\n[Sidenote: _Criticism; Censure_]\n\nIn our efforts to correct evil, we should guard against a tendency to\nfaultfinding or censure. Continual censure bewilders, but does not\nreform. With many minds, and often those of the finest susceptibility,\nan atmosphere of unsympathetic criticism is fatal to effort. Flowers do\nnot unfold under the breath of a blighting wind.\n\nA child frequently censured for some special fault, comes to regard that\nfault as his peculiarity, something against which it is vain to strive.\nThus are created discouragement and hopelessness, often concealed under\nan appearance of indifference or bravado.\n\n[Sidenote: _Object of Reproof_]\n\nThe true object of reproof is gained only when the wrong-doer himself is\nled to see his fault, and his will is enlisted for its correction. When\nthis is accomplished, point him to the source of pardon and power. Seek\nto preserve his self-respect, and to inspire him with courage and hope.\n\nThis work is the nicest, the most difficult, ever committed to human\nbeings. It requires the most delicate tact, the finest susceptibility, a\nknowledge of human nature, and a heaven-born faith and patience, willing\nto work and watch and wait. It is a work than which nothing can be more\nimportant.\n\n[Sidenote: _Self-Control_]\n\nThose who desire to control others must first control themselves. To\ndeal passionately with a child or youth will only arouse his resentment.\nWhen a parent or teacher becomes impatient, and is in danger of speaking\nunwisely, let him remain silent. There is wonderful power in silence.\n\n[Sidenote: _Sympathy; Forbearance_]\n\nThe teacher must expect to meet perverse dispositions and obdurate\nhearts. But in dealing with them he should never forget that he himself\nwas once a child, in need of discipline. Even now, with all his\nadvantages of age, education, and experience, he often errs, and is in\nneed of mercy and forbearance. In training the youth he should consider\nthat he is dealing with those who have inclinations to evil similar to\nhis own. They have almost everything to learn, and it is much more\ndifficult for some to learn than for others. With the dull pupil he\nshould bear patiently, not censuring his ignorance, but improving every\nopportunity to give him encouragement. With sensitive, nervous pupils he\nshould deal very tenderly. A sense of his own imperfections should lead\nhim constantly to manifest sympathy and forbearance toward those who\nalso are struggling with difficulties.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Saviour\u2019s Rule_]\n\nThe Saviour\u2019s rule,\u2014\u201cAs ye would that men should do to you, do ye also\nto them likewise,\u201d[411]\u2014should be the rule of all who undertake the\ntraining of children and youth. They are the younger members of the\nLord\u2019s family, heirs with us of the grace of life. Christ\u2019s rule should\nbe sacredly observed toward the dullest, the youngest, the most\nblundering, and even toward the erring and rebellious.\n\n[Sidenote: _Public Discipline_]\n\nThis rule will lead the teacher to avoid, so far as possible, making\npublic the faults or errors of a pupil. He will seek to avoid giving\nreproof or punishment in the presence of others. He will not expel a\nstudent until every effort has been put forth for his re-formation. But\nwhen it becomes evident that the student is receiving no benefit\nhimself, while his defiance or disregard of authority tends to overthrow\nthe government of the school, and his influence is contaminating others,\nthen his expulsion becomes a necessity. Yet with many the disgrace of\npublic expulsion would lead to utter recklessness and ruin. In most\ncases when removal is unavoidable, the matter need not be made public.\nBy counsel and co-operation with the parents, let the teacher privately\narrange for the student\u2019s withdrawal.\n\n[Sidenote: _Justice; Compassion_]\n\nIn this time of special danger for the young, temptations surround them\non every hand; and while it is easy to drift, the strongest effort is\nrequired in order to press against the current. Every school should be a\n\u201ccity of refuge\u201d for the tempted youth, a place where their follies\nshall be dealt with patiently and wisely. Teachers who understand their\nresponsibilities will separate from their own hearts and lives\neverything that would prevent them from dealing successfully with the\nwilful and disobedient. Love and tenderness, patience and self-control,\nwill at all times be the law of their speech. Mercy and compassion will\nbe blended with justice. When it is necessary to give reproof, their\nlanguage will not be exaggerated, but humble. In gentleness they will\nset before the wrong-doer his errors, and help him to recover himself.\nEvery true teacher will feel that should he err at all, it is better to\nerr on the side of mercy than on the side of severity.\n\n[Sidenote: _Reclaimed by Kindness_]\n\nMany youth who are thought incorrigible are not at heart so hard as they\nappear. Many who are regarded as hopeless may be reclaimed by wise\ndiscipline. These are often the ones who most readily melt under\nkindness. Let the teacher gain the confidence of the tempted one, and by\nrecognizing and developing the good in his character, he can, in many\ncases, correct the evil without calling attention to it.\n\n[Sidenote: _Our Example_]\n\nThe divine Teacher bears with the erring through all their perversity.\nHis love does not grow cold; His efforts to win them do not cease. With\noutstretched arms He waits to welcome again and again the erring, the\nrebellious, and even the apostate. His heart is touched with the\nhelplessness of the little child subject to rough usage. The cry of\nhuman suffering never reaches His ear in vain. Though all are precious\nin His sight, the rough, sullen, stubborn dispositions draw most heavily\nupon His sympathy and love; for He traces from cause to effect. The one\nwho is most easily tempted, and is most inclined to err, is the special\nobject of His solicitude.\n\nEvery parent and every teacher should cherish the attributes of Him who\nmakes the cause of the afflicted, the suffering, and the tempted His\nown. He should be one who can have \u201ccompassion on the ignorant, and on\nthem that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with\ninfirmity.\u201d[412] Jesus treats us far better than we deserve; and as He\nhas treated us, so we are to treat others. The course of no parent or\nteacher is justifiable if it is unlike that which under similar\ncircumstances the Saviour would pursue.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[Sidenote: _Meeting Life\u2019s Discipline_]\n\nBeyond the discipline of the home and the school, all have to meet the\nstern discipline of life. How to meet this wisely is a lesson that\nshould be made plain to every child and to every youth. It is true that\nGod loves us, that He is working for our happiness, and that, if His law\nhad always been obeyed, we should never have known suffering; and it is\nno less true that, in this world, as the result of sin, suffering,\ntrouble, burdens, come to every life. We may do the children and the\nyouth a lifelong good by teaching them to meet bravely these troubles\nand burdens. While we should give them sympathy, let it never be such as\nto foster self-pity. What they need is that which stimulates and\nstrengthens rather than weakens.\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Be Strong_\u201d]\n\nThey should be taught that this world is not a parade-ground, but a\nbattle-field. All are called to endure hardness, as good soldiers. They\nare to be strong, and quit themselves like men. Let them be taught that\nthe true test of character is found in the willingness to bear burdens,\nto take the hard place, to do the work that needs to be done, though it\nbring no earthly recognition or reward.\n\nThe true way of dealing with trial is not by seeking to escape it, but\nby transforming it. This applies to all discipline, the earlier as well\nas the later. The neglect of the child\u2019s earliest training, and the\nconsequent strengthening of wrong tendencies, makes his after-education\nmore difficult, and causes discipline to be too often a painful process.\nPainful it must be to the lower nature, crossing, as it does, the\nnatural desires and inclinations; but the pain may be lost sight of in a\nhigher joy.\n\n[Sidenote: _Stepping-Stones_]\n\nLet the child and the youth be taught that every mistake, every fault,\nevery difficulty, conquered, becomes a stepping-stone to better and\nhigher things. It is through such experiences that all who have ever\nmade life worth the living have achieved success.\n\n \u201cThe heights by great men reached and kept\n Were not attained by sudden flight;\n But they, while their companions slept,\n Were toiling upward in the night.\u201d\n\n \u201cWe rise by the things that are under our feet;\n By what we have mastered of good or gain;\n By the pride deposed, and the passion slain,\n And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet.\u201d\n\n \u201cAll common things, each day\u2019s events,\n That with the hour begin and end,\n Our pleasures and our discontents,\n Are rounds by which we may ascend.\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_The Things Not Seen_\u201d]\n\nWe are to \u201clook not at the things which are seen, but at the things\nwhich are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the\nthings which are not seen are eternal.\u201d[413] The exchange we make in the\ndenial of selfish desires and inclinations is an exchange of the\nworthless and transitory for the precious and enduring. This is not\nsacrifice, but infinite gain.\n\n[Sidenote: _Love That Constrains_]\n\n\u201cSomething better\u201d is the watchword of education, the law of all true\nliving. Whatever Christ asks us to renounce, He offers in its stead\nsomething better. Often the youth cherish objects, pursuits, and\npleasures that may not appear to be evil, but that fall short of the\nhighest good. They divert the life from its noblest aim. Arbitrary\nmeasures or direct denunciation may not avail in leading these youth to\nrelinquish that which they hold dear. Let them be directed to something\nbetter than display, ambition, or self-indulgence. Bring them in contact\nwith truer beauty, with loftier principles, and with nobler lives. Lead\nthem to behold the One \u201caltogether lovely.\u201d When once the gaze is fixed\nupon Him, the life finds its center. The enthusiasm, the generous\ndevotion, the passionate ardor of the youth find here their true object.\nDuty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. To honor Christ, to\nbecome like Him, to work for Him, is the life\u2019s highest ambition and its\ngreatest joy.\n\n\u201cThe love of Christ constraineth.\u201d[414]\n\n\n\n\n _THE HIGHER COURSE_\n\n\n _\u201cSince the beginning of the world men have\n not perceived by the ear, neither hath the\n eye seen, what He hath prepared for him\n that waiteth for Him\u201d_\n\n\n _The School of the Hereafter_\n\n \u201cTHEY SHALL SEE HIS FACE;\n AND HIS NAME SHALL BE IN THEIR\n FOREHEADS\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: _Its Location_]\n\nHeaven is a school; its field of study, the universe; its teacher, the\nInfinite One. A branch of this school was established in Eden; and, the\nplan of redemption accomplished, education will again be taken up in the\nEden school.\n\n\u201cEye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart\nof man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.\u201d[415]\nOnly through His word can a knowledge of these things be gained; and\neven this affords but a partial revelation.\n\nThe prophet of Patmos thus describes the location of the school of the\nhereafter:\u2014\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_A New Earth_\u201d]\n\n\u201cI saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first\nearth were passed away.... And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem,\ncoming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her\nhusband.\u201d[416]\n\n\u201cThe city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it;\nfor the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light\nthereof.\u201d[417]\n\n[Sidenote: _Conditions_]\n\nBetween the school established in Eden at the beginning and the school\nof the hereafter there lies the whole compass of this world\u2019s\nhistory,\u2014the history of human transgression and suffering, of divine\nsacrifice, and of victory over death and sin. Not all the conditions of\nthat first school of Eden will be found in the school of the future\nlife. No tree of knowledge of good and evil will afford opportunity for\ntemptation. No tempter is there, no possibility of wrong. Every\ncharacter has withstood the testing of evil, and none are longer\nsusceptible to its power.\n\n\u201cTo him that overcometh,\u201d Christ says, \u201cwill I give to eat of the tree\nof life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.\u201d[418] The giving\nof the tree of life in Eden was conditional, and it was finally\nwithdrawn. But the gifts of the future life are absolute and eternal.\n\nThe prophet beholds the \u201criver of water of life, clear as crystal,\nproceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.\u201d \u201cAnd on this side\nof the river and on that was the tree of life.\u201d \u201cAnd there shall be no\nmore death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more\npain; for the former things are passed away.\u201d[419]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_All Righteous_\u201d]\n\n \u201cThy people also shall be all righteous:\n They shall inherit the land forever,\n The branch of My planting,\n The work of My hands,\n That I may be glorified.\u201d[420]\n\n[Sidenote: _Teachers_]\n\nRestored to His presence, man will again, as at the beginning, be taught\nof God: \u201cMy people shall know My name;... they shall know in that day\nthat I am He that doth speak; behold, it is I.\u201d[421]\n\n\u201cThe tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and\nthey shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be\ntheir God.\u201d[422]\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_Unto Living Fountains_\u201d]\n\n\u201cThese are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed\ntheir robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are\nthey before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His\ntemple.... They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither\nshall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the\nmidst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living\nfountains of waters.\u201d[423]\n\n\u201cNow we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:\u201d now we know\nin part; but then shall we know even as also we are known.[424]\n\n\u201cThey shall see His face; and His name shall be in their\nforeheads.\u201d[425]\n\n[Sidenote: _Field of Nature_]\n\nThere, when the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and our\neyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses\nthrough the microscope; when we look on the glories of the heavens, now\nscanned afar through the telescope; when, the blight of sin removed, the\nwhole earth shall appear \u201cin the beauty of the Lord our God,\u201d what a\nfield will be open to our study! There the student of science may read\nthe records of creation, and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He\nmay listen to the music of nature\u2019s voices, and detect no note of\nwailing or undertone of sorrow. In all created things he may trace one\nhandwriting,\u2014in the vast universe behold \u201cGod\u2019s name writ large,\u201d and\nnot in earth or sea or sky one sign of ill remaining.\n\nThere the Eden life will be lived, the life in garden and field. \u201cThey\nshall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards,\nand eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit;\nthey shall not plant, and another eat; for as the days of a tree are the\ndays of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their\nhands.\u201d[426]\n\n[Sidenote: _The Kingship Restored_]\n\nThere shall be nothing to \u201churt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,\nsaith the Lord.\u201d[427] There man will be restored to his lost kingship,\nand the lower order of beings will again recognize his sway; the fierce\nwill become gentle, and the timid trustful.\n\n[Sidenote: _Field of History_]\n\nThere will be open to the student history of infinite scope and of\nwealth inexpressible. Here, from the vantage-ground of God\u2019s word, the\nstudent is afforded a view of the vast field of history, and may gain\nsome knowledge of the principles that govern the course of human events.\nBut his vision is still clouded, and his knowledge incomplete. Not until\nhe stands in the light of eternity will he see all things clearly.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Great Controversy_]\n\nThen will be opened before him the course of the great conflict that had\nits birth before time began, and that ends only when time shall cease.\nThe history of the inception of sin; of fatal falsehood in its crooked\nworking; of truth that, swerving not from its own straight lines, has\nmet and conquered error,\u2014all will be made manifest. The veil that\ninterposes between the visible and the invisible world will be drawn\naside, and wonderful things will be revealed.\n\nNot until the providences of God are seen in the light of eternity shall\nwe understand what we owe to the care and interposition of His angels.\nCelestial beings have taken an active part in the affairs of men. They\nhave appeared in garments that shone as the lightning; they have come as\nmen, in the garb of wayfarers. They have accepted the hospitalities of\nhuman homes; they have acted as guides to benighted travelers. They have\nthwarted the spoiler\u2019s purpose, and turned aside the stroke of the\ndestroyer.\n\n[Sidenote: _Angel Ministry_]\n\nThough the rulers of this world know it not, yet often in their councils\nangels have been spokesmen. Human eyes have looked upon them. Human ears\nhave listened to their appeals. In the council-hall and the court of\njustice, heavenly messengers have pleaded the cause of the persecuted\nand oppressed. They have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would\nhave brought wrong and suffering to God\u2019s children. To the students in\nthe heavenly school, all this will be unfolded.\n\nEvery redeemed one will understand the ministry of angels in his own\nlife. The angel who was his guardian from his earliest moment; the angel\nwho watched his steps, and covered his head in the day of peril; the\nangel who was with him in the valley of the shadow of death, who marked\nhis resting-place, who was the first to greet him in the\nresurrection-morning,\u2014what will it be to hold converse with him, and to\nlearn the history of divine interposition in the individual life, of\nheavenly co-operation in every work for humanity!\n\n[Sidenote: _Perplexities Made Plain_]\n\nAll the perplexities of life\u2019s experience will then be made plain. Where\nto us have appeared only confusion and disappointment, broken purposes\nand thwarted plans, will be seen a grand, overruling, victorious\npurpose, a divine harmony.\n\n[Sidenote: _Fruition of Life\u2019s Sowing_]\n\nThere all who have wrought with unselfish spirit will behold the fruit\nof their labors. The outworking of every right principle and noble deed\nwill be seen. Something of this we see here. But how little of the\nresult of the world\u2019s noblest work is in this life manifest to the doer!\nHow many toil unselfishly and unweariedly for those who pass beyond\ntheir reach and knowledge! Parents and teachers lie down in their last\nsleep, their life-work seeming to have been wrought in vain; they know\nnot that their faithfulness has unsealed springs of blessing that can\nnever cease to flow; only by faith they see the children they have\ntrained become a benediction and an inspiration to their fellow-men, and\nthe influence repeat itself a thousandfold. Many a worker sends out into\nthe world messages of strength and hope and courage, words that carry\nblessing to hearts in every land; but of the results he, toiling in\nloneliness and obscurity, knows little. So gifts are bestowed, burdens\nare borne, labor is done. Men sow the seed from which, above their\ngraves, others reap blessed harvests. They plant trees, that others may\neat the fruit. They are content here to know that they have set in\nmotion agencies for good. In the hereafter the action and reaction of\nall these will be seen.\n\n[Sidenote: _The Heavenly Record_]\n\nOf every gift that God has bestowed, leading men to unselfish effort, a\nrecord is kept in heaven. To trace this in its wide-spreading lines, to\nlook upon those who by our efforts have been uplifted and ennobled, to\nbehold in their history the outworking of true principles,\u2014this will be\none of the studies and rewards of the heavenly school.\n\n[Sidenote: _Social Life_]\n\nThere we shall know even as also we are known. There the loves and\nsympathies that God has planted in the soul will find truest and\nsweetest exercise. The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious\nsocial life with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all\nages, the sacred fellowship that binds together \u201cthe whole family in\nheaven and earth,\u201d\u2014all are among the experiences of the hereafter.\n\nThere will be music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the\nvisions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived.\n\n[Sidenote: _Music and Song_]\n\n\u201cAs well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there.\u201d[428]\n\u201cThey shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of\nJehovah.\u201d[429]\n\n\u201cFor the Lord shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places;\nand He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the\ngarden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein,\nthanksgiving, and the voice of melody.\u201d[430]\n\nThere every power will be developed, every capability increased. The\ngrandest enterprises will be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations\nwill be reached, the highest ambitions realized. And still there will\narise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to\ncomprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of body and mind and\nsoul.\n\n[Sidenote: _Treasures of the Universe_]\n\nAll the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God\u2019s\nchildren. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the joy and the\nwisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the treasures gained through\nages upon ages spent in contemplation of God\u2019s handiwork. And the years\nof eternity, as they roll, will continue to bring more glorious\nrevelations. \u201cExceeding abundant above all that we ask or think\u201d[431]\nwill be, forever and forever, the impartation of the gifts of God.\n\n[Sidenote: _Service_]\n\n\u201cHis servants shall serve Him.\u201d[432] The life on earth is the beginning\nof the life in heaven; education on earth is an initiation into the\nprinciples of heaven; the life-work here is a training for the life-work\nthere. What we now are, in character and holy service, is the sure\nforeshadowing of what we shall be.\n\n\u201cThe Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.\u201d[433]\nChrist\u2019s work below is His work above, and our reward for working with\nHim in this world will be the greater power and wider privilege of\nworking with Him in the world to come.\n\n\u201cYe are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.\u201d[434] This also we\nshall be in eternity.\n\n[Sidenote: _Witnessing_]\n\nFor what was the great controversy permitted to continue throughout the\nages? Why was it that Satan\u2019s existence was not cut short at the outset\nof his rebellion?\u2014It was that the universe might be convinced of God\u2019s\njustice in His dealing with evil; that sin might receive eternal\ncondemnation. In the plan of redemption there are heights and depths\nthat eternity itself can never exhaust, marvels into which the angels\ndesire to look. The redeemed only, of all created beings, have in their\nown experience known the actual conflict with sin; they have wrought\nwith Christ, and, as even the angels could not do, have entered into the\nfellowship of His sufferings; will they have no testimony as to the\nscience of redemption,\u2014nothing that will be of worth to unfallen beings?\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_The Glory of This Mystery_\u201d]\n\nEven now, \u201cunto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly\nplaces\u201d is \u201cmade known through the church the manifold wisdom of God.\u201d\nAnd He \u201chath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly\nplaces; ... that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches\nof His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.\u201d[435]\n\n\u201cIn His temple doth every one speak of His glory,\u201d[436] and the song\nwhich the ransomed ones will sing,\u2014the song of their experience,\u2014will\ndeclare the glory of God: \u201cGreat and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord\nGod, the Almighty; righteous and true are Thy ways, Thou King of the\nages. Who shall not fear, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only\nart holy.\u201d\n\nIn our life here, earthly, sin-restricted, though it is, the greatest\njoy and the highest education are in service. And in the future state,\nuntrammeled by the limitations of sinful humanity, it is in service that\nour greatest joy and our highest education will be found;\u2014witnessing,\nand ever as we witness learning anew \u201cthe riches of the glory of this\nmystery;\u201d \u201cwhich is Christ in you, the hope of glory.\u201d\n\n * * * * *\n\n\u201cIt doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He\nshall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.\u201d\n\n[Sidenote: \u201c_He Shall Be Satisfied_\u201d]\n\nThen, in the results of His work, Christ will behold its recompense. In\nthat great multitude which no man could number, presented \u201cfaultless\nbefore the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,\u201d He whose blood has\nredeemed and whose life has taught us, \u201cshall see of the travail of His\nsoul, and shall be satisfied.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n SCRIPTURAL INDEX\n\n\n _Genesis_\n\n 1:1, 134\n 2, R. V., 134\n 5, 129\n 27, 15, 130\n 2:8, 9, 15, 21\n 9\u201317, 23\n 3:3\u20135, 24\n 5, 6, 25\n 15, 27\n 17\u201319, 26\n 8:22, 105\n 9:16, 115\n 18:19, 187\n 28:16, 17, 243\n 22, 138\n 32:29, 147\n 39:9, 255\n 48:15, 16, 147\n 49:7, 148\n 22\u201326, 53\n\n\n _Exodus_\n\n 3:5, 243\n 15:1, 2, 6\u201311, R. V., 162\n 18\u201321, R. V., 162\n 21, 39\n 16:3, 38\n 20:11, 250\n 25:8, 35\n 31:1\u20136, 37\n 13, 250\n 34:6, 22, 35, 40\n 35:21, 286\n\n\n _Leviticus_\n\n 19:32, 244\n 26:3\u20136, 141\n 27:30, 32, 138\n\n\n _Numbers_\n\n 10:35, 36, 39\n 11:16, 17, 37\n 13:30, 31 149\n 21:16; 21:17, 18, R. V. 162\n 23:7\u201323, R. V. 161\n 24:4\u20136, R. V. 161\n 16\u201319 161\n\n\n _Deuteronomy_\n\n 1:15 37\n 4:6 40, 174, 229\n 6:6, 7 40, 187\n 7 186\n 8:2, 5 39\n 10:8 148\n 9 149\n 11:22\u201325 48\n 12:19 149\n 23:14 38\n 26:19 40\n 28:10 40\n 20, 32 143\n 29:29 171\n 32:10\u201312 40\n 47 174\n 34:10 64\n\n\n _Joshua_\n\n 24:15 289\n\n\n _Judges_\n\n 10:16 263\n 13:12 276\n\n\n _1 Samuel_\n\n 8:5 50\n 16:6, 7, 10 266\n 22:2 152\n\n\n _2 Samuel_\n\n 8:15 152\n\n\n _1 Kings_\n\n 19:21 58\n\n _2 Kings_\n\n 2:2 59\n 6\u201315 60\n 6:1\u20137 217\n\n\n _1 Chronicles_\n\n 29:15, R. V. 165\n\n\n _2 Chronicles_\n\n 20:1\u20134, 12 163\n 14\u201317, 20 163\n\n\n _Nehemiah_\n\n 4:6 286\n 9:6 130\n\n\n _Esther_\n\n 4:14 263\n\n\n _Job_\n\n 1:8\u201312 155\n 2:5\u20137 155\n 10:1 155\n 12:7, 8 117\n 13 13, 14\n 13:15 156\n 14:13 155\n 19:7\u201321, 25\u201327, R. V. 156\n 22:21 14\n 23:3\u20136, R. V. 156\n 6\u201310 156\n 26:7\u201310 131\n 11\u201314, R. V. 131\n 28:15\u201318 18\n 29:4\u201316, R. V. 142\n 21\u201325 142\n 31:32 142\n 33:24 115\n 34:22 144\n 37:16 15, 21\n 38:4\u201327, R. V. 160\n 7 22, 161\n 31, 32 160\n 42:10\u201312 156\n\n\n _Psalms_\n\n 3:4\u20138 165\n 9:9, 10 257\n 11:4 132\n 12:6 244\n 15:2, 3 236\n 2\u20134 141\n 5 229\n 17:4 190\n 19:8 229\n 10, 11 252\n 23:1\u20134 164\n 27:1 164\n 29:9 308\n 32:8 282\n 33:9 129, 254\n 34:7 255\n 36:9 197\n 37:5, 6 257\n 18, 19 141\n 29 271\n 41:1, 2 141\n 42:11 164\n 46:1, 2; 46:4\u20137, R. V. 165\n 10 260\n 48:14 165\n 50:1\u20133; 50:4\u20136, R. V. 181\n 21 144\n 51:1\u20137 165\n 63:1\u20137, R. V. 164\n 73:9\u201311 144\n 78:37\u201339 45\n 87:7 307\n 90:17 80\n 91:9, 10 181\n 95:3\u20136 243\n 97:2, R. V. 169\n 100:3, 4 243\n 103:13 245\n 104:12, 18 118\n 27\u201330 131\n 105:21, 22 53\n 42\u201345 40\n 106:34\u201336 45\n 111:8 30\n 9 243\n 113:2, 3 166\n 5, 6 132\n 116:1\u20138 166\n 119:11 190\n 24, 45 291\n 48 252\n 72 137\n 104\u2013112 48\n 126:6 105\n 139:2\u20136, R. V. 133\n 7\u201310 133\n 14 201\n 145:16 118\n\n\n _Proverbs_\n\n 2:6 14\n 3:1, 2 197\n 9, 10 140\n 17 206\n 4:7 225\n 14 136\n 22 197\n 5:22 291\n 6:6 117\n 28 136\n 8:8 69\n 18 142\n 10:22 142\n 11:15 136\n 24, 25 140\n 12:18 237\n 13:4 135\n 11, R. V. 136\n 20 136\n 14:9 291\n 23 135\n 34 47, 175\n 15:1 114\n 2 225\n 16:12 175\n 24 197\n 31 244\n 17:22 197\n 27 135\n 18:21 235\n 18:24 136\n 19:17 141\n 20:3, 19 135\n 28 175\n 21:6 136\n 22:7, 16 136\n 11 237\n 29 135\n 23:4, 5 140\n 7 149\n 10, 11 136\n 21 135\n 25:28 236\n 26:2 146\n 18, 19 236\n 27 136\n 27:18 219\n 28:20 136\n 29:20 236\n 30:5 244\n 31:13, 15, R. V. 217\n 16, 17, 20, 27 217\n 30, 31 217\n\n\n _Ecclesiastes_\n\n 2:4\u201312, 17, 18 153\n 3:11, R. V. 198, 248\n 14 50\n 5:8 144\n 9 219\n 7:12 126\n 10:17 206\n 11:1 140\n 6, R. V. 105, 267\n\n\n _Canticles_\n\n 2:3, 4 261\n 11\u201313, R. V. 160\n 5:10, 16 69\n 8:7, 6 93\n\n\n _Isaiah_\n\n 1:17 141\n 18 231\n 3:10, 11 146\n 7:15 231\n 9:6 73\n 11:4 182\n 13:19 176\n 14:23 176\n 24:1\u20138 180\n 14 307\n 25:8, 9 182\n 26:1\u20134 167\n 20 181\n 28:10 123\n 26 219\n 32:20 109\n 33:6 229\n 15\u201317 141\n 20\u201322 182\n 24 271\n 35:8 170\n 10, R. V. 167\n 40:12 35\n 26\u201329 116\n 41:6 286\n 10, 13 116\n 41:13 259\n 43:12 154, 308\n 21 174\n 45:5 174\n 47:1\u20135 176\n 51:3 161, 307\n 52:6 302\n 53:11 309\n 54:9, 10 115\n 14 182\n 17 155\n 55:11 105\n 57:16\u201319 147\n 60:18 182\n 21 302\n 61:11 105\n 63:9 263\n 65:19 271\n 21, 22, 25 304\n 66:13 245\n\n\n _Jeremiah_\n\n 4:19, 20, 23\u201326 181\n 6:19 146\n 15:16 252\n 17:11 143\n 29:11 21, 101\n 30:7 181\n 17, 18 182\n 31:12 167\n 33:3 127, 282\n 51:13 176\n\n\n _Ezekiel_\n\n 1:4, 26 178\n 10:8 178\n 12:27, 28 184\n 20:37 174\n 21:26, 27 179\n 33:30\u201332 260\n 34:3, 4 176\n\n\n _Daniel_\n\n 1:19, 20 55\n 2:21, 38 175\n 47 56\n 4:11, 12 175\n 27 174\n 30, 31 176\n 6:4, 25\u201327 56\n 7:13 132\n 12:3 309\n\n\n _Hosea_\n\n 6:3 106\n 8:12 127\n 12:4 147\n 14: 5, 7 106\n\n\n _Joel_\n\n 1:12, 15\u201318 180\n\n\n _Amos_\n\n 5:11 143\n\n\n _Micah_\n\n 4:10\u201312 182\n\n\n _Nahum_\n\n 1:3 131\n\n\n _Habakkuk_\n\n 1:13 255\n 2:20 243\n 3:3 22\n\n\n _Zephaniah_\n\n 1:14 270\n\n\n _Haggai_\n\n 1:5\u201310 143\n 2:16 143\n\n\n _Zechariah_\n\n 2:8 257\n 5:1\u20134 144\n 9:16 309\n\n\n _Malachi_\n\n 2:5, 6 148\n 3:8 143\n 10 138\n 10\u201312 140\n 4:2 106\n\n\n _Matthew_\n\n 4:4 126\n 5:37, R. V. 236\n 6:26, R. V. 117\n 31\u201333 138\n 7:12 136\n 10:8 80\n 11:11 158\n 28 80\n 13:28 101\n 16:22 88\n 18:3 114\n 20:28 308\n 22:39 16\n 24:6, 7 179\n 14 264\n 25:40 139\n 28:20 94, 96, 282\n\n\n _Mark_\n\n 3:17 87\n 4:26\u201328 104\n 28 106\n 8:36, 37 145\n 11:24 258\n 12:42 109\n 13:34 138\n 16:7 90\n 15 264\n\n\n _Luke_\n\n 2:40 78\n 3:38 33, 130\n 4:18 113\n 32 81\n 6:31 292\n 38 103, 140\n 8:11 105, 253\n 10:27 16, 228\n 12:23 200\n 24 117\n 33 145\n 16:9, R. V. 145\n 22:26, 27 268\n 22:27 103\n 31\u201334 89\n 27:30, 32 138\n\n\n _John_\n\n 1:3 134\n 4, 14, R. V. 28\n 9 29, 134\n 3:17 79\n 19 74\n 30 157\n 4:14, R. V. 83\n 6:63 126\n 64 92\n 7:37 116\n 37, 38 83\n 46 81\n 12:24 110\n 32 192\n 13:15 78\n 34 242\n 14:26 94\n 15:10 78\n 15 94\n 16:7 94\n 13 134\n 13\u201315 94\n 23 95\n 17:3, R. V. 126\n 6 87\n 21\u201323 86\n 21:17, 22 90\n\n\n _Acts_\n\n 4:13 95\n 10:38 80\n 3:22 48\n 14:17 66\n 16:28 66\n 17:23, 26, 27 67\n 26, 27 174\n 20:34 66\n 26:28, 29 67\n 27:22\u201324, 34, 44 256\n\n\n _Romans_\n\n 1:14 66, 139\n 20, R. V. 134\n 29\u201332 236\n 4:17 254\n 8:22, 26 263\n 28 154\n 34 95\n 35\u201339 70\n 16:25, R. V 126\n\n\n _1 Corinthians_\n\n 2:9 301\n 11 134\n 3:9 138\n 11 30\n 16, 17 36\n 17 201\n 4:2 139\n 9 154\n 12, 13 68\n 6:19, R. V. 201\n 10:11 50\n 13:4, R. V. 114\n 4\u20138, R. V. 242\n 12 303\n 15:42, 43 110\n 57 126\n\n\n _2 Corinthians_\n\n 3:18, R. V. 282\n 4:6 22, 28\n 18 296\n 5:14 66, 297\n 17 172\n 19 28\n 6:10 68\n 16 258\n 9:6 109\n 10:12 226\n 11:26, 27 68\n\n\n _Galatians_\n\n 5:13 139\n 6:1 113\n 8 109\n\n\n _Ephesians_\n\n 2:6, 7 308\n 3:10, R. V. 308\n 20 307\n 4:24 27\n 25 286\n\n\n _Philippians_\n\n 3:7, 8, R. V. 68\n 8\u201310 192\n 4:8 235\n 13 70, 256\n\n\n _Colossians_\n\n 1:16, 17, R. V. 132\n 19, R. V. 30\n 27 172, 309\n 2:3 13\n 10 257\n 3:23, 24 226\n\n\n _1 Thessalonians_\n\n 2:19, 20 70\n\n\n _2 Thessalonians_\n\n 1:11 134\n\n\n _1 Timothy_\n\n 4:8 145\n\n\n _2 Timothy_\n\n 2:15 61\n 3:16, 17 171\n 4:7 68\n\n\n _Hebrews_\n\n 1:3 132\n 14 103\n 2:7 20\n 18 78\n 4:3 131\n 13 255\n 15, R. V. 78\n 5:2 294\n 6:7, 8 216\n 11:3 134\n 27 63\n 32\u201340 158\n\n\n _James_\n\n 1:5 191, 231\n 17 50\n\n\n _1 Peter_\n\n 1:10\u201312 183\n 12 127\n 4:8, R. V. 114\n 10 286\n 11 226\n\n\n _1 John_\n\n 1:2 84\n 3:1\u20133 88\n 2 309\n\n\n _Jude_\n\n 24 309\n\n\n _Revelation_\n\n 1:1, 3 191\n 17, R. V. 83\n 2:7 302\n 3:4 249\n 8 282\n 7:14\u201317 303\n 15:3, 4, R. V. 309\n 19:8 249\n 21:1, 2, 23 301\n 3, 4 302\n 6, R. V. 83\n 22:1; 22:2, R. V. 302\n 3 307\n 4 125, 303\n\n\n\n\n _General Index_\n\n\n Abraham as a teacher, 187.\n\n Accounts, teaching, 238, 239.\n\n Accuracy, through manual training, 222.\n\n Adam, education of, 14\u201317, 20\u201322, 25\u201327;\n temptation, 23\u201325.\n\n Aged, respect for, 244.\n\n Agrarian laws of Israel, 43, 44.\n\n Agriculture, 34, 43, 219, 220;\n lessons from, 111, 112;\n see Seed-sowing;\n development of character, 112;\n opportunity for the unemployed, 220.\n\n Aim, the true, 13, 18, 145, 222, 262, 267, 297;\n lack of, 190, 202.\n\n Amusement, dangers in, 207, 210.\n\n Anarchy, 228.\n\n Angels, in Eden, 21;\n songs, 168;\n agency in human affairs, 179, 304, 305;\n our companions, 127;\n protectors, 255, 256, 304, 305;\n co-workers, teachers, 271.\n\n Apostles, training, 84\u201396;\n diversity, 85.\n\n Application, 232.\n\n Athletic sports, 210.\n\n\n Babylon, rise and fall of, 175, 176, 183.\n\n Beatitudes, 79.\n\n Beauty, 41;\n of the Bible, 188;\n all, a reflection of Christ, 192;\n through obedience to law, 198;\n the highest, 249.\n\n Bible, as an educator, 17, 47, 52, 55, 65, 123\u2013192;\n a perfect whole, 123;\n range of style and subjects, 125;\n stories, 185;\n as literature, 188, 189;\n the rule of life, 189, 260;\n its own expositor, 190;\n reverence for, 244.\n\n Bible illustrations from nature, 102, 104\u2013110, 113\u2013120, 175.\n\n Bible teaching and study, example of Jesus, 76, 77, 81, 82, 85, 102,\n 185;\n Abraham, 187; mental culture, 123, 124, 171, 188, 189;\n spiritual, 124\u2013127, 171, 188, 192;\n purpose in, 189, 254;\n original study, 188;\n verse-by-verse, 189;\n comprehensive, 190;\n opportunities for, 191;\n family, 185, 186;\n Sabbath, 251;\n results, 192, 252\u2013256;\n \u201chigher criticism,\u201d 227.\n\n Biography of the Bible, David, 48, 152;\n Solomon, 48, 49, 153;\n Joseph, 51\u201354, 57;\n Daniel, 54\u201357;\n Elisha, 58\u201361;\n Moses, 61\u201364, 68, 69;\n Paul, 64\u201370;\n John, 87;\n Peter, 88\u201391;\n Judas, 91, 92;\n Jacob, 147;\n Levi, 148;\n Caleb, 149;\n Elijah, 151;\n Job, 155, 156;\n Jonathan, 157;\n John the Baptist, 157;\n Abraham, 187.\n\n Birds, teachers of trust, 118.\n\n Book knowledge, 230, 265.\n\n Books, harmful, 188, 190, 226, 227;\n wrong use of, 189.\n\n Business, principles, 135, 136;\n capital, the best, 137;\n stewardship, 137\u2013139;\n profit and loss, 140\u2013145.\n\n\n Calamities, blessings, 270.\n\n Caleb and Joshua, faith of, 149.\n\n Censure, 291.\n\n Character, highest aim, 17\u201319, 81, 225;\n is power, 41, 79, 81, 277, 282;\n influence on, of unselfishness, 16;\n Bible study, 17, 18, 126, 127, 172, 183, 184, 192;\n trial, 23, 52, 53, 295, 296;\n self-discipline, 57, 296;\n example and association, 87, 237;\n see Example;\n agricultural labor, 112;\n faith and prayer, 258;\n lesson of development from seed, 105, 106, 111;\n revealed in dress, 248;\n the highest beauty, 249;\n complete in Christ, 257.\n\n Character-building, symbol of, 35, 36, 258;\n perils in, 225\u2013228;\n foundation, pattern, 228, 229.\n\n Cheerfulness, 197, 240.\n\n Cherubim, vision of the, 177.\n\n Childhood, of Joseph, 52;\n Moses, 61;\n Jesus, 77, 107, 185.\n\n Child-training, object-lesson from growth of seed, 106.\n\n Choice, power of, 23, 178, 289.\n\n Christ, light of world\u2019s teachers, 13, 73;\n of all mankind, 29;\n object of His mission, 27\u201329, 73, 74, 76;\n condition of world at His advent, 74\u201376;\n and the law, 76;\n sympathy of, 78\u201380, 294;\n as reprover, 79, 88\u201392, 294;\n recognized man\u2019s possibilities, 80, 270;\n power of His teaching, 81, 94, 95;\n we complete in, 192, 257.\n See Jesus, Prayer.\n\n Church, attendance, a hindrance to, 247;\n object of, 268;\n duties, 268.\n\n Commission, gospel, for all, 264.\n\n Communion with God, 14, 21, 28, 30, 84;\n through prayer, 80, 258;\n nature, 100, 108, 120;\n Bible study, 127, 192.\n\n Companionship, divine, 127, 271.\n\n Compassion, 257, 294.\n\n Compensation, life\u2019s greatest, 68\u201370, 305, 306, 309.\n\n Completeness in Christ, 257.\n\n Concentration, 189.\n\n Consecration, 57, 258.\n\n Controversy, the great, 154, 190;\n revealed in nature, 26, 101;\n in man, 29;\n our study hereafter, 304.\n\n Cookery, a branch of education, 216, 218.\n\n Co-operation, with God, Bible examples of, 37, 286;\n in our work, 214, 215, 271;\n of teachers and students, 212, 213, 285;\n parents and children, 283, 285;\n parents and teachers, 283, 284, 293;\n with Christ and His angels, 270, 271.\n\n Courtesy, of Daniel, 56;\n of Paul, 67;\n distinguished from etiquette, 240\u2013242;\n Christ the source, 241.\n\n Crisis, impending, 179.\n\n Criticism, of the teacher, 283, 284;\n of children and youth, 291.\n\n\n Daniel, life, 54\u201357, 254;\n book, 191.\n\n David, education, 49, 152;\n sin, 48;\n songs, 164, 165;\n faith, 254.\n\n Days of creation, 129.\n\n Deluge, the, and geology, 129.\n\n Deportment, 240\u2013245.\n\n Development, threefold, 13, 16, 195;\n unselfishness underlies, 16;\n all-round, 232.\n\n Diet, of Israel in the wilderness, 38;\n of Daniel, 55;\n relation of, to intemperance, 202\u2013204, 247;\n to mental development, 204\u2013206, 216;\n stimulating, 203;\n nutrient value of foods, 204;\n selection, combination, 205;\n overeating, 205;\n number of meals, 205;\n regularity, 205;\n hurried eating, 206.\n\n Discipline, and organization of Israel, 37, 38;\n life\u2019s, 85, 151\u2013154, 295\u2013297;\n of home and school, object of, 287, 291;\n training the will, 288, 289;\n sense of honor, 289;\n requests, commands, 290;\n rules, enforcing, 290;\n the Saviour\u2019s rule and example, 292, 294;\n public, 293.\n\n Discrimination between right and wrong, 231.\n\n Display, 247, 248.\n\n Distribution of races, object of, 174.\n\n Domestic training, 216.\n\n Doubt, source of, 24, 25;\n results, 26.\n\n Dress, healthful, 199;\n devotion to, 246\u2013248;\n counteracting influences, 247, 248;\n taste and neatness in, 248.\n\n Dressmaking, 216\u2013218, 248, 249.\n\n\n Eagle, lesson from, 118.\n\n Earth, original condition, 22;\n God\u2019s purpose for, 22, 174;\n the new, 301.\n\n Eden school, 14, 15, 20\u201322, 30;\n re-established, 301\u2013303.\n\n Education, source, 13\u201317, 21, 22, 34, 44;\n scope, 13, 16, 18, 19, 21, 38, 41, 225, 232, 233;\n aim, 13, 17, 18, 44, 81, 84, 145, 221, 222, 262;\n higher, the true, 14, 18, 30, 66, 83, 87, 271, 282;\n relation of, to redemption, 15, 16, 18, 19, 28\u201330, 84, 126, 172;\n of Israel, 33\u201350;\n for parents, 34, 275, 276;\n for teachers, 46, 276\u2013282;\n object teaching, 41, 102, 120, 144, 185, 186;\n mistakes in, 45, 49, 50, 74, 77, 189, 207, 208, 225\u2013228, 230, 234,\n 259, 264\u2013266;\n illustrations of true, 51\u201370;\n Christ\u2019s method, 73\u201396, 102, 231, 241, 267\u2013271, 294;\n manual training, 214\u2013222;\n mastery of fundamentals, 234\u2013239.\n See Nature, Bible.\n\n Education of Jesus, 77, 107, 185, 267, 268.\n\n Elijah, one failure, 151.\n\n Elisha, training and work, 58\u201361, 255.\n\n End of the world, 179\u2013184, 264.\n\n Enoch, faith of, 254.\n\n Enthusiasm, 233.\n\n Erring, Christ\u2019s work for, 78, 79, 87\u201394, 270, 294;\n ours, illustration from nature, 113;\n duty of parents and teachers, 271, 279, 291\u2013294.\n\n Error, mingling of, with truth, 231.\n\n Etiquette, and courtesy, 240, 241;\n best treatise on, 242.\n\n Evangelizing the world, 95, 96, 262\u2013271.\n\n Evolution, of the earth, 128;\n of man, 130.\n\n Exaggeration, 236.\n\n Example the power of teaching, 41, 49, 56, 57, 78, 79, 87, 150, 158,\n 259, 277, 282.\n\n Executive ability, 17, 220, 222, 279.\n\n Exercise, physical, 207\u2013213.\n\n Expelling students, 293.\n\n Expletive, 236.\n\n\n Faith, the key of knowledge, 24;\n and reason, 24, 231;\n God seeks to encourage, 34;\n examples of, 54, 63, 149, 254, 256;\n secret of power, 54, 80, 254;\n lesson of, from the eagle, 118, 119;\n of the sower, 105;\n reward of, 156, 254;\n Bible evidence for, 169;\n definition of, 253;\n how to exercise, 253, 257, 258;\n teaching of, for the child, 255\u2013257.\n\n Family, the, and the Sabbath, 250.\n\n Family school, 20\u201322, 33, 40, 41, 45, 77, 84, 85, 186, 250, 251, 275,\n 283, 285;\n see Home.\n\n Fashion, effect of, on education, 246, 247;\n a counter-influence, 247\u2013249.\n\n Fear, to banish, 255.\n\n Feasts of Israel, 41\u201343.\n\n Fellowship with Christ, 63, 65, 69, 87, 120, 127, 192, 264, 270, 271,\n 297.\n\n Fiction, 227.\n\n Foreign missions, study of, 269.\n\n Freedom in obedience to law, 291.\n\n Fruition of life\u2019s sowing, 108, 109, 306.\n\n\n Gardening, 21, 111, 112, 212, 213, 219, 247, 248.\n\n Geography, with mission study, 269.\n\n Geology and the Mosaic record, 128, 129.\n\n God, false conception of, 75;\n source and upholder of all things, 99, 100, 104, 130, 131;\n a personal being, 131\u2013133;\n His greatness incomprehensible, 169;\n reverence for, 242\u2013244;\n suffering of, through sin, 263;\n parents, teachers, to represent, 244, 245, 287.\n\n Gospel, in nature, 27, 101;\n our responsibility for, 263;\n results of giving to world, 264;\n closing work of, 269, 270;\n work of, the highest education, 271.\n\n Gossip, cannibalism, 235.\n\n Government, its object, 174, 175;\n symbol of, 175.\n\n Growth, laws of, 104\u2013106;\n divine agency in, 104, 105.\n\n Gymnastic exercises, 210, 217.\n\n\n Habit, 291.\n\n Harvest, lessons from, 105\u2013110;\n life\u2019s, 305, 306.\n\n Hasty speech, 236.\n\n Healing, natural, spiritual, 113.\n\n Health, physical, 195;\n effect of mental influence on, 197;\n the teacher to preserve, 277.\n\n Heathen, claim of, on Christians, 262, 263.\n\n Heaven, education for, 13, 16, 19, 127;\n a school, 301.\n\n Heavenly record, 306.\n\n \u201cHigher criticism,\u201d 227.\n\n History, Bible, 47, 173\u2013178, 183, 184, 238;\n philosophy of, 173, 174;\n a study, in the hereafter, 304.\n\n Holy Spirit, as a teacher, 95, 134;\n object-lesson of, 106;\n representative of God, 132.\n\n Home, influence of, 52, 54, 55, 58, 61, 283;\n home teaching, 185\u2013187, 196, 202, 216, 217, 235, 240, 242;\n see Family School.\n\n Honor, sense of, in the child, 289.\n\n Humility, 237.\n\n Hygiene as a study, 195\u2013200.\n\n\n Ideal of character, the highest, 18, 73.\n\n Idleness, 190, 202, 210.\n\n Idolatry of Israel, 45;\n of Solomon, 49, 50.\n\n Illustration, 233;\n see Object-lessons.\n\n Individuality, education to develop, 17, 57, 231, 232.\n\n Industrial school, Israel\u2019s, in the wilderness, 37;\n see Manual Training.\n\n Influence, power of early, 52, 55, 58, 61, 119.\n\n Innuendo, 236.\n\n Intemperance, its cause and cure, 202\u2013204.\n\n Israelites, education of, 33\u201370.\n\n\n Jacob, retribution, restoration of, 147.\n\n Jesse, sons of, Samuel\u2019s choice, 266.\n\n Jesus, early years of, 77, 107, 185;\n as a teacher, 73\u201396, 102, 231, 241, 294.\n\n Jews, education of, in Christ\u2019s day, 64, 65, 74\u201377.\n\n Job, a successful career, 142;\n testing of, 155, 156.\n\n Jochebed, mother of Moses, 61.\n\n John the Baptist, an illustration of self-sacrifice, 157, 158.\n\n John the disciple, training of, 87.\n\n Jonathan, the faithful friend, 157.\n\n Joseph, 51\u201354, 56, 57, 255.\n\n Judas, Christ\u2019s dealing with, 91\u201393.\n\n\n Key, of knowledge, 24;\n to Bible, 120, 126.\n\n Kingship, man\u2019s, lost and restored, 26, 304.\n\n Knowledge, of God, basis of education, 13\u201319, 21, 34, 81;\n faith the key, 24;\n through Christ, 27\u201330, 73, 76.\n\n Knowledge of good and evil, 23\u201327, 231.\n\n\n Labor, dignity of, 214\u2013217, 222.\n\n Land, ownership of, by Israel, 43;\n for use of schools, 212, 218.\n\n Language-study, 234\u2013237.\n\n Law of God, is love, 16, 65, 76, 77, 287;\n taught in Eden, 22;\n one transgression, 25, 26, 150;\n taught to Israel, 34\u201336, 38\u201340, 42, 47;\n foundation of national prosperity, 69, 76, 174, 183, 228, 229;\n universality of, 99, 103, 287;\n in business life, 135\u2013145;\n teaching children, 185, 186;\n foundation of character, 228, 229;\n liberty, 291.\n\n Law of service, 103.\n\n Laws, of growth, 104\u2013110;\n nature\u2019s, divine.\n\n Learning by doing, 111, 268, 271.\n\n Levi, curse of, transformed, 148.\n\n Levites, support and privileges of, 148.\n\n Liberality, lesson of seed-sowing, 109;\n cultivating, 139\u2013144, 239, 248.\n\n Life, God the source, 99, 104, 108, 197.\n\n Life-work, 262\u2013271.\n\n Light of the world, 13, 14, 29, 57, 58, 73.\n\n Literature, secular, compared with Bible, 188, 189;\n and morality, 226, 227.\n\n Little things, faithfulness in, 53, 58, 61;\n God\u2019s work perfect, 114.\n\n Love, the law of God, 16, 65, 76, 77, 287;\n basis of education and of redemption, 16;\n has healing, 114;\n the constraining power, 293, 294, 297.\n\n\n Manual training, in Eden, 21;\n a part of education, 34, 37, 47, 52, 58, 62, 85, 214\u2013222.\n\n Manual labor, examples, 66, 77, 217, 267;\n for the teacher, 278.\n\n Mastership, 52, 53, 56, 57, 66, 204, 222, 254, 255, 295, 296.\n\n Meditation, 127, 189, 191, 252.\n\n Memory training, 127, 189;\n excessive, 226, 230, 231.\n\n Methods of teaching, 41, 76\u201396, 119, 120, 185\u2013192, 230\u2013239.\n\n Military schools of Egypt, 65.\n\n Mind, influence of, on the body, 197.\n\n Ministry, 139;\n the highest, 262\u2013271.\n\n Miracle of the loaves, 107, 108.\n\n Missionary work, training for, 221, 268\u2013271.\n\n Missionary, every Christian, 264.\n\n Model school in Eden, 20, 22, 30, 33.\n\n Money, learning use of, 239.\n\n Moses, 61\u201364, 68, 69.\n\n Mother, of Moses, 61;\n as an educator, 275;\n education for, 276.\n\n Music and song, of ancient Israel, 39, 42, 47;\n in education, 167, 168;\n in the hereafter, 307.\n\n Mysteries, in nature, 101, 134, 170;\n in character of God, 132, 169;\n in the Bible, 169\u2013172.\n\n\n National prosperity, its basis, 47, 48, 174.\n\n Natural aptitudes, 138, 233, 267.\n\n Nature, revelation of God, 16, 17, 99;\n divine working in, 99, 100, 104, 108, 130, 131, 197, 198;\n adaptation of means to ends, 119, 133, 198;\n and revelation, 128;\n laws of, divine, 196.\n\n Nature teaching, in Eden, 15\u201317, 20\u201322;\n knowledge of good and evil, 26, 27;\n continued, 34, 35, 41, 42, 52, 62\u201366, 77, 99\u2013120, 208;\n Christ\u2019s use of, 102;\n key to Bible, 120;\n versus fashion, 247;\n on the Sabbath, 251;\n in the hereafter, 303.\n\n Nature teaching insufficient, 17, 101, 134.\n\n Noah, faith of, 254.\n\n Nursing, training for, 218.\n\n\n Obedience, expression of reverence, 244;\n teaching, 287, 290.\n\n Object-lessons, 34\u201343, 47, 120, 144, 175, 185, 186;\n Christ\u2019s use of, 102;\n see Nature, Nature Teaching.\n\n Observation, taught in nature study, 119;\n in manual training, 220.\n\n Occupation, choosing, 220, 267.\n\n Old Testament Scriptures, study of, 191.\n\n Outcast classes, Christ\u2019s work for, 79, 80, 270.\n\n Outdoor life, 42, 52, 58, 62, 63, 208, 211.\n\n Outdoor work for the teacher, 278.\n\n\n Pagan authors, 226.\n\n Palm-tree, 116.\n\n Parable of growing seed, 104\u2013107.\n\n Parents, as teachers, 33, 40, 41, 185\u2013187, 196, 235, 240, 275, 280;\n education of, 34, 276;\n Abraham\u2019s example, 187;\n Christ\u2019s, 294;\n representatives of God, 244, 245, 287;\n co-operation of, in the family, 283, 285;\n with the teacher, 284.\n\n Parties of pleasure, 211.\n\n Paul, 64\u201370, 254, 256.\n\n Perplexities made plain, 305.\n\n Personal element in teaching, 78\u201380, 84\u201396, 231.\n\n Peter, training of, 88\u201391, 255, 256.\n\n Physical culture, Israelites an example, 38;\n importance of, 195, 196, 277;\n position, 198;\n respiration, 198;\n voice-training, 199;\n dress, 199;\n cleanliness, sunlight, ventilation, 200.\n\n Physician, manual training for, 220.\n\n Physiology, 195\u2013201.\n\n Plain living, high thinking, 202, 248.\n\n Pleasure-seeking, 183, 207, 211.\n\n Poetry, 47;\n of the Bible, 159\u2013161.\n\n Political ambition, 49.\n\n Poor, God\u2019s provision for, 43, 44, 139, 141, 220.\n\n Praise, to God, 66, 161\u2013163, 168;\n love of, 237.\n\n Prayer, examples, 47, 64;\n Christ\u2019s, 80, 259;\n reverence in, 243;\n of faith, 257, 258;\n secret, 258;\n answers to, 258.\n\n Preparatory school of earth, 19.\n\n Profit and loss, 140\u2013145.\n\n Prophecy, in ancient schools, 47;\n gift of, to Daniel, 56;\n fulfilment of, 178;\n of the world\u2019s final scenes, 180\u2013182;\n benefits of study, 183, 184.\n\n Public worship, a means of education, 168, 252;\n reverence in, 243;\n a cause of non-attendance, 247.\n\n\n Rainbow, 115.\n\n Reading, unwholesome, 188, 190, 226, 227;\n excessive, 189.\n\n Reason and faith, 24, 231.\n\n Recreation, purpose of, 207;\n teacher\u2019s co-operation, 212;\n in useful work, 215;\n for the teacher, 278.\n\n Redemption, its purpose, 15, 16, 28, 29;\n relation of, to education, 16, 17, 28\u201330, 126, 172;\n first promise, 27;\n taught in nature, 27, 101, 113, 115;\n plan of, key to Bible, 126;\n Sabbath a sign of, 250.\n\n Religion in Christ\u2019s day, 74, 75.\n\n Reproof, Christ\u2019s example of, 79, 89\u201392;\n its object, 291;\n how to give, 294.\n\n Requests, commands, 290.\n\n Resentment, 257.\n\n Respiration, 198, 199.\n\n Resurrection, symbol of, 110.\n\n Retribution, 108, 109, 146\u2013151.\n\n Revelation, the, study of, 191.\n\n Reverence, 242\u2013245.\n\n Rivalry, 226.\n\n River and plain, reward of service, 103;\n river and brook, unrecognized helpers, 116, 117.\n\n Rules, to have support of school, 290;\n enforcing, 290.\n\n\n Sabbath, a means of education, 250\u2013252.\n\n Sanitation, among the Israelites, 38;\n in school and home, 200, 207.\n\n Satan, insinuator of distrust, 23\u201325;\n accuser, 154, 155.\n\n School, of Eden, 20\u201322;\n restored, 301\u2013304;\n heaven, 301.\n\n Schools, location of, 20, 21, 33, 34, 211;\n of the patriarchs, 33;\n of Israel, 34\u201350;\n unhealthful conditions, 207, 208;\n grounds, beautifying, 212;\n for manual training, 218.\n\n Science, divine, 126, 257;\n human, not Christ\u2019s theme, 81;\n and the Bible, 128\u2013134;\n results of false, 227.\n\n Scientists, conflicting theories of, 130.\n\n Scripture, quoting in jest, 244;\n see Bible.\n\n Seed-sowing, lessons from, 104\u2013112.\n\n Self-control, relation of, to health and temperance, 197, 203, 204,\n 206;\n object of discipline, 287\u2013290;\n by parents and teachers, 292.\n\n Self-distrustful, faith the helper, 256.\n\n Self-forgetfulness, 237.\n\n Self-sacrifice, Paul an example, 65\u201370;\n Christ, 80;\n other examples, 154\u2013158;\n illustration from seed-sowing, 110;\n condition of fellowship with Christ, 264.\n\n Self-seeking, Judas an illustration, 91\u201393;\n as a motive in education, 225, 226;\n results, 264.\n\n Self-support by students, 221, 265.\n\n Sermon, to fix in memory, 252.\n\n Service, aim of education, 13, 65\u201370;\n law of life, 16, 80;\n taught in nature, 103;\n unrecognized, 116, 117, 306;\n ground of obligation, 137, 139;\n training for, 212\u2013222, 268;\n motive in, 226, 268;\n the highest education, 264, 270, 271, 309;\n object of the church, 268;\n organization for, 269;\n reward of, 103, 306, 308, 309.\n\n Signs of the times, 179.\n\n Similitudes, 120;\n see Object-lessons, Nature Teaching.\n\n Simplicity, of life of Jesus, 77, 107;\n in child-training, 107, 211;\n in teaching, 233.\n\n Sin, nature and results of, 15, 23\u201326, 28, 29, 143\u2013150, 263;\n its power, 291.\n\n Skepticism, causes, 227, 228, 259.\n\n Sleep, 205.\n\n Social life, of Israel, 41\u201343;\n hereafter, 306.\n\n Social relation of teacher and pupil, 212, 213, 280, 284.\n\n Solomon, life-experience of, 48, 49, 152\u2013154.\n\n Song, 39, 42, 47, 186, 251;\n earliest, 161, 162;\n a means of education, 162, 167, 168;\n songs of David, 164, 165;\n the Saviour\u2019s, 166;\n in the last crisis, 166, 167;\n to meet temptation, 166, 168;\n is worship, 168.\n\n Spies, the twelve, report of, 149.\n\n Spiritualism, teaching of, 227, 228.\n\n Stars, lesson from, 115.\n\n Statesmanship, 53, 56, 69.\n\n Stewardship, 57, 137.\n\n Success, 29, 52, 53, 56, 57, 60, 61, 68\u201370, 142, 145, 222, 262, 267,\n 271, 306\u2013309.\n\n Suspicion, 289, 290.\n\n Sympathy, insight, 66, 78, 212, 231, 269, 270, 280, 292;\n of God with human suffering, 263.\n\n\n Tabernacle of Israel, illustration of character-building, 35, 36, 258.\n\n Teacher, privilege and responsibility of, 19, 29, 30, 244, 245, 281,\n 287;\n social relation with students, 212, 213, 280, 284;\n qualifications of, 240, 277;\n physical vigor, 277;\n literary attainments, 278;\n administrative ability, 279;\n self-improvement, 281;\n highest preparation, 282;\n co-operation with parents, 284;\n with pupils, 285;\n see Discipline.\n\n Teachers, great, light from Christ, 13, 73;\n in schools of prophets, 46;\n in time of Paul and of Christ, 64, 65, 74\u201377;\n of the school of the hereafter, 302, 303.\n\n Teaching, methods, preparatory, 29, 30, 41, 187, 188, 201, 247;\n Christ\u2019s, 76\u201396, 102, 231, 294;\n personal element in, 231, 232, 278, 281;\n simplicity, 233;\n enthusiasm, 233;\n thoroughness, 234;\n of physiology, 195\u2013201;\n language, 234\u2013237;\n history, 238;\n accounts, 239;\n geography, 269;\n see Bible Teaching, Nature Teaching.\n\n Temperance, 38, 55;\n aids to, 202\u2013206;\n instruction in home and school, 202, 278.\n\n Temple, the living, 35, 36, 201, 258.\n\n Temptation, why permitted, 23;\n the first, 24;\n Christ subject to, 78;\n safeguards against, 166, 168, 190, 203, 204, 213, 214, 218, 219, 255.\n\n Theological schools in the time of Christ, 64, 65, 77, 85.\n\n Theology, Christ\u2019s teaching of, 81.\n\n Tithing, 44, 138, 250.\n\n Trades, teaching in the schools, 47, 218.\n\n Tree of knowledge, 23\u201325.\n\n Tree, a symbol of government, 175.\n\n Trees, lessons from, 113, 116, 119, 175, 267.\n\n\n Unemployed, opportunity for, 220.\n\n Unity, 86, 95.\n\n Unselfishness, underlies development, 16;\n illustrations of, 154\u2013158.\n\n\n Voice, training of, 199.\n\n Victory, through defeat, 62\u201364, 68, 69, 147\u2013149, 151;\n inviting, 162, 163, 165, 168, 256, 258.\n\n\n Water-lily, 119.\n\n Will, freedom of, 23, 289;\n training, 288, 289.\n\n Witnesses for God, 154\u2013158, 262;\n in the hereafter, 308, 309.\n\n Workers for Christ, from the common people, 85, 270;\n training of, 262\u2013271.\n\n\n Young people\u2019s societies for Christian work, 269.\n\n-----\n\nFootnote 1:\n\n Col. 2:3.\n\nFootnote 2:\n\n Job 12:13.\n\nFootnote 3:\n\n Job 12:13.\n\nFootnote 4:\n\n Prov. 2:6.\n\nFootnote 5:\n\n Job 23:21.\n\nFootnote 6:\n\n Gen. 1:27.\n\nFootnote 7:\n\n Job 37:16.\n\nFootnote 8:\n\n Luke 10:27.\n\nFootnote 9:\n\n Matt. 22:39.\n\nFootnote 10:\n\n Job 28:15\u201318.\n\nFootnote 11:\n\n Heb. 2:7.\n\nFootnote 12:\n\n Gen. 2:8, 9.\n\nFootnote 13:\n\n Jer. 29:11.\n\nFootnote 14:\n\n Gen. 2:15.\n\nFootnote 15:\n\n Job 37:16.\n\nFootnote 16:\n\n 2 Cor. 4:6.\n\nFootnote 17:\n\n Hab. 3:3; Job 38:7.\n\nFootnote 18:\n\n Ex. 34:6.\n\nFootnote 19:\n\n Gen. 2:9\u201317.\n\nFootnote 20:\n\n Gen. 3:3\u20135.\n\nFootnote 21:\n\n Gen. 3:6.\n\nFootnote 22:\n\n Gen. 3:5.\n\nFootnote 23:\n\n Gen. 3:17\u201319.\n\nFootnote 24:\n\n Gen. 3:15\n\nFootnote 25:\n\n Eph. 4:24, margin.\n\nFootnote 26:\n\n 2 Cor. 4:6; 5:19.\n\nFootnote 27:\n\n John 1:14, R. V.; 1:4.\n\nFootnote 28:\n\n John 1:9.\n\nFootnote 29:\n\n 1 Cor. 3:11; Col. 1:19, R. V.\n\nFootnote 30:\n\n Ps. 111:8.\n\nFootnote 31:\n\n Luke 3:38.\n\nFootnote 32:\n\n Isa. 40:12.\n\nFootnote 33:\n\n Ex. 25:8.\n\nFootnote 34:\n\n Ex. 34:6.\n\nFootnote 35:\n\n 1 Cor. 3:16, 17.\n\nFootnote 36:\n\n Ex. 31:1\u20136.\n\nFootnote 37:\n\n Num. 11:16, 17; Deut. 1:15.\n\nFootnote 38:\n\n Deut. 23:14.\n\nFootnote 39:\n\n Ex. 16:3.\n\nFootnote 40:\n\n Num. 10:35, 36.\n\nFootnote 41:\n\n Ex. 15:21.\n\nFootnote 42:\n\n Deut. 8:5, 2.\n\nFootnote 43:\n\n Deut. 32:10\u201312.\n\nFootnote 44:\n\n Ps. 105:42\u201345.\n\nFootnote 45:\n\n Deut. 26:19; 28:10; 4:6.\n\nFootnote 46:\n\n Ex. 34:6.\n\nFootnote 47:\n\n Deut. 6:6, 7.\n\nFootnote 48:\n\n Ps. 106:34\u201336; 78:37\u201339.\n\nFootnote 49:\n\n Prov. 14:34.\n\nFootnote 50:\n\n Ps. 119:104\u2013112.\n\nFootnote 51:\n\n Acts 13:22.\n\nFootnote 52:\n\n Deut. 11:22\u201325.\n\nFootnote 53:\n\n 1 Sam. 8:5.\n\nFootnote 54:\n\n Eccl. 3:14.\n\nFootnote 55:\n\n James 1:17.\n\nFootnote 56:\n\n 1 Cor. 10:11.\n\nFootnote 57:\n\n Ps. 105:21, 22.\n\nFootnote 58:\n\n Gen. 49:22\u201326.\n\nFootnote 59:\n\n Dan. 1:19.\n\nFootnote 60:\n\n Dan. 1:20.\n\nFootnote 61:\n\n Dan. 6:4.\n\nFootnote 62:\n\n Dan. 2:47; 6:25\u201327.\n\nFootnote 63:\n\n 1 Kings 19:21.\n\nFootnote 64:\n\n 2 Kings 2:2.\n\nFootnote 65:\n\n 2 Kings 2:6\u201315.\n\nFootnote 66:\n\n 2 Tim. 2:15.\n\nFootnote 67:\n\n Heb. 11:27.\n\nFootnote 68:\n\n Deut. 34:10.\n\nFootnote 69:\n\n Rom. 1:14; 2 Cor. 5:14.\n\nFootnote 70:\n\n Acts 20:34.\n\nFootnote 71:\n\n Acts 14:17.\n\nFootnote 72:\n\n Acts 16:28.\n\nFootnote 73:\n\n Acts 17:23, 26, 27.\n\nFootnote 74:\n\n Acts 26:28, 29.\n\nFootnote 75:\n\n 2 Cor 11:26, 27.\n\nFootnote 76:\n\n 1 Cor. 4:12, 13; 2 Cor. 6:10.\n\nFootnote 77:\n\n Tim. 4:7.\n\nFootnote 78:\n\n Phil. 3:7, 8, R. V., margin.\n\nFootnote 79:\n\n Prov. 8:8.\n\nFootnote 80:\n\n Cant. 5:10, 16.\n\nFootnote 81:\n\n Rotherham\u2019s translation.\n\nFootnote 82:\n\n Phil. 4:13; Rom. 8:35\u201339.\n\nFootnote 83:\n\n Thess. 2:19, 20.\n\nFootnote 84:\n\n Isa. 9:6.\n\nFootnote 85:\n\n John 3:19.\n\nFootnote 86:\n\n Luke 2:40.\n\nFootnote 87:\n\n Heb. 4:15, R. V.\n\nFootnote 88:\n\n Heb. 2:18.\n\nFootnote 89:\n\n John 13:15; 15:10.\n\nFootnote 90:\n\n John 3:17.\n\nFootnote 91:\n\n Matt. 11:28.\n\nFootnote 92:\n\n Ps. 90:17.\n\nFootnote 93:\n\n Matt. 10:8.\n\nFootnote 94:\n\n Acts 10:38.\n\nFootnote 95:\n\n John 7:46.\n\nFootnote 96:\n\n R. V.\n\nFootnote 97:\n\n Luke 4:32.\n\nFootnote 98:\n\n Rev. 1:17, R. V.; 21:6, R. V.\n\nFootnote 99:\n\n John 7:37, 38; 4:14, R. V.\n\nFootnote 100:\n\n 1 John 1:2.\n\nFootnote 101:\n\n John 17:21\u201323.\n\nFootnote 102:\n\n Mark 3:17.\n\nFootnote 103:\n\n John 17:6.\n\nFootnote 104:\n\n 1 John 3:1\u20133.\n\nFootnote 105:\n\n Matt. 16:22, margin.\n\nFootnote 106:\n\n Luke 22:34.\n\nFootnote 107:\n\n Luke 22:33.\n\nFootnote 108:\n\n Luke 22:31, 32.\n\nFootnote 109:\n\n Mark 16:7.\n\nFootnote 110:\n\n John 21:17, 22.\n\nFootnote 111:\n\n John 6:64.\n\nFootnote 112:\n\n Cant. 8:7, 6.\n\nFootnote 113:\n\n John 16:7; 15:15; 14:26.\n\nFootnote 114:\n\n John 16:15, 13, 14.\n\nFootnote 115:\n\n Matt. 28:20.\n\nFootnote 116:\n\n John 16:23.\n\nFootnote 117:\n\n Rom. 8:34.\n\nFootnote 118:\n\n Acts 4:13.\n\nFootnote 119:\n\n Matt. 28:20.\n\nFootnote 120:\n\n Matt. 13:28.\n\nFootnote 121:\n\n Jer. 29:11.\n\nFootnote 122:\n\n Luke 22:27.\n\nFootnote 123:\n\n Heb. 1:14.\n\nFootnote 124:\n\n Luke 6:38.\n\nFootnote 125:\n\n Mark 4:26\u201328.\n\nFootnote 126:\n\n Luke 8:11; Isa. 61:11.\n\nFootnote 127:\n\n Eccl. 11:6.\n\nFootnote 128:\n\n Gen. 8:22.\n\nFootnote 129:\n\n Isa. 55:11; Ps. 126:6.\n\nFootnote 130:\n\n Hosea 6:3; Mal. 4:2; Hosea 14:5, 7.\n\nFootnote 131:\n\n Mark 4:28.\n\nFootnote 132:\n\n Gal. 6:8.\n\nFootnote 133:\n\n Mark 12:42.\n\nFootnote 134:\n\n 2 Cor. 9:6.\n\nFootnote 135:\n\n Isa. 32:20.\n\nFootnote 136:\n\n John 12:24.\n\nFootnote 137:\n\n 1 Cor. 15:42, 43.\n\nFootnote 138:\n\n Luke 4:18.\n\nFootnote 139:\n\n Gal. 6:1.\n\nFootnote 140:\n\n Prov. 15:1; 1 Cor. 13:4, R. V.; 1 Peter 4:8, R. V.\n\nFootnote 141:\n\n Matt. 18:3.\n\nFootnote 142:\n\n Gen. 9:16.\n\nFootnote 143:\n\n Job 33:24.\n\nFootnote 144:\n\n Isa. 54:9, 10.\n\nFootnote 145:\n\n Isa. 40:26\u201329; 41:10, 13.\n\nFootnote 146:\n\n John 7:37.\n\nFootnote 147:\n\n Job 12:7, 8; Prov. 6:6; Matt. 6:26, R. V.; Luke 12:24.\n\nFootnote 148:\n\n Ps. 104:18, 12; 145:16.\n\nFootnote 149:\n\n Isa. 28:10.\n\nFootnote 150:\n\n Rev. 22:4.\n\nFootnote 151:\n\n 1 Cor. 15:57.\n\nFootnote 152:\n\n Rom. 16:25, R. V.\n\nFootnote 153:\n\n Eccl. 7:12; John 6:63; 17:3, R. V.\n\nFootnote 154:\n\n Matt. 4:4.\n\nFootnote 155:\n\n Hosea 8:12; Jer. 33:3.\n\nFootnote 156:\n\n 1 Peter 1:12.\n\nFootnote 157:\n\n Gen. 1:5.\n\nFootnote 158:\n\n Ps. 33:9.\n\nFootnote 159:\n\n Gen. 1:27.\n\nFootnote 160:\n\n Luke 3:38.\n\nFootnote 161:\n\n Neh. 9:6.\n\nFootnote 162:\n\n Heb. 4:3.\n\nFootnote 163:\n\n Ps. 104:27\u201330.\n\nFootnote 164:\n\n Job 26:7\u201310; 26:11\u201314, R. V., margin.\n\nFootnote 165:\n\n Nahum 1:3.\n\nFootnote 166:\n\n Heb. 1:3.\n\nFootnote 167:\n\n Dan. 7:13.\n\nFootnote 168:\n\n Col. 1:16, 17, R. V., margin.\n\nFootnote 169:\n\n Ps. 11:4.\n\nFootnote 170:\n\n See Ps. 139:8, R. V.; Job 26:6, R. V., margin.\n\nFootnote 171:\n\n Ps. 113:5, 6; 139:7\u201310.\n\nFootnote 172:\n\n Ps. 139:2\u20136, R. V.\n\nFootnote 173:\n\n Heb. 11:3.\n\nFootnote 174:\n\n Gen. 1:1.\n\nFootnote 175:\n\n 2 Thess. 1:11.\n\nFootnote 176:\n\n Rom. 1:20, R. V.\n\nFootnote 177:\n\n 1 Cor. 2:11.\n\nFootnote 178:\n\n John 16:13.\n\nFootnote 179:\n\n Prov. 22:29; 14:23.\n\nFootnote 180:\n\n Prov. 13:4; 23:21.\n\nFootnote 181:\n\n Prov. 20:19.\n\nFootnote 182:\n\n Prov. 17:27; 20:3.\n\nFootnote 183:\n\n Prov. 4:14; 6:28.\n\nFootnote 184:\n\n Prov. 13:20; 18:24.\n\nFootnote 185:\n\n Matt. 7:12.\n\nFootnote 186:\n\n Prov. 28:20.\n\nFootnote 187:\n\n Prov. 13:11, R. V., margin.\n\nFootnote 188:\n\n Prov. 21:6; 22:7; 11:15.\n\nFootnote 189:\n\n Prov. 23:10, 11; 22:16; 26:27.\n\nFootnote 190:\n\n Ps. 119:72.\n\nFootnote 191:\n\n Mark 13:34.\n\nFootnote 192:\n\n 1 Cor. 3:9.\n\nFootnote 193:\n\n R. V.\n\nFootnote 194:\n\n Matt. 6:31\u201333.\n\nFootnote 195:\n\n Lev. 27:30, 32.\n\nFootnote 196:\n\n Gen. 28:22.\n\nFootnote 197:\n\n Mal. 3:10.\n\nFootnote 198:\n\n 1 Cor. 4:2.\n\nFootnote 199:\n\n Gal. 5:13.\n\nFootnote 200:\n\n Matt. 25:40.\n\nFootnote 201:\n\n Rom. 1:14.\n\nFootnote 202:\n\n Prov. 11:24, 25; Eccl. 11:1.\n\nFootnote 203:\n\n Prov. 23:4, 5.\n\nFootnote 204:\n\n Luke 6:38.\n\nFootnote 205:\n\n Prov. 3:9, 10.\n\nFootnote 206:\n\n Mal. 3:10\u201312.\n\nFootnote 207:\n\n Lev. 26:3\u20136.\n\nFootnote 208:\n\n Isa. 1:17, Ps. 41:1, 2; Prov. 19:17.\n\nFootnote 209:\n\n Ps. 37:18, 19.\n\nFootnote 210:\n\n Ps. 15:2\u20134; Isa. 33:15\u201317.\n\nFootnote 211:\n\n Margin.\n\nFootnote 212:\n\n Job 29:4\u201316, R. V.; 31:32; 29:21\u201325.\n\nFootnote 213:\n\n Prov. 10:22.\n\nFootnote 214:\n\n Prov. 8:18.\n\nFootnote 215:\n\n Haggai 1:5\u20139; 2:16; 1:10; Mal. 3:8.\n\nFootnote 216:\n\n Amos 5:11; Deut. 28:20, 32.\n\nFootnote 217:\n\n Jer. 17:11.\n\nFootnote 218:\n\n Eccl. 5:8; Job 34:22.\n\nFootnote 219:\n\n Ps. 73:9\u201311; 50:21.\n\nFootnote 220:\n\n Zech. 5:1\u20134.\n\nFootnote 221:\n\n Mark 8:36, 37.\n\nFootnote 222:\n\n Luke 12:33; 16:9, R. V.\n\nFootnote 223:\n\n 1 Tim. 4:8.\n\nFootnote 224:\n\n Prov. 26:2.\n\nFootnote 225:\n\n Isa. 3:10, 11.\n\nFootnote 226:\n\n Jer. 6:19.\n\nFootnote 227:\n\n Isa. 57:16\u201319.\n\nFootnote 228:\n\n Hosea 12:4; Gen. 32:29.\n\nFootnote 229:\n\n Gen 48:15, 16.\n\nFootnote 230:\n\n Gen. 49:7.\n\nFootnote 231:\n\n Deut. 10:8; Mal. 2:5, 6.\n\nFootnote 232:\n\n Deut. 12:19; 10:9.\n\nFootnote 233:\n\n Prov. 23:7.\n\nFootnote 234:\n\n Num. 13:31, 30.\n\nFootnote 235:\n\n 1 Sam. 22:2.\n\nFootnote 236:\n\n 2 Sam. 8:15.\n\nFootnote 237:\n\n Eccl. 2:4\u201312, 17, 18.\n\nFootnote 238:\n\n Rom. 8:28.\n\nFootnote 239:\n\n Isa. 43:12.\n\nFootnote 240:\n\n R. V., margin.\n\nFootnote 241:\n\n 1 Cor. 4:9, margin.\n\nFootnote 242:\n\n Isa. 54:17.\n\nFootnote 243:\n\n Job 1:8\u201312; 2:5\u20137.\n\nFootnote 244:\n\n Job 10:1; 14:13.\n\nFootnote 245:\n\n Job 19:7\u201321, R. V.; 23:3\u20136, R. V.; 23:6\u201310; 13:15; 19:25\u201327, R. V.,\n margin.\n\nFootnote 246:\n\n Job 23:10.\n\nFootnote 247:\n\n Job 42:10\u201312.\n\nFootnote 248:\n\n John 3:30.\n\nFootnote 249:\n\n Matt. 11:11.\n\nFootnote 250:\n\n Heb. 11:32\u201340.\n\nFootnote 251:\n\n Job 38:4\u201327, R. V.; 38:31, 32.\n\nFootnote 252:\n\n Cant. 2:11\u201313, R. V.\n\nFootnote 253:\n\n Margin.\n\nFootnote 254:\n\n Num. 23:7\u201323, R. V.; 24:4\u20136, R. V.; 24:16\u201319.\n\nFootnote 255:\n\n Isa. 51:3.\n\nFootnote 256:\n\n Job 38:7.\n\nFootnote 257:\n\n Ex. 15:1, 2, 6\u201311, 18\u201321, R. V.\n\nFootnote 258:\n\n Num. 21:16.\n\nFootnote 259:\n\n Num. 21:17, 18, R. V.\n\nFootnote 260:\n\n 2 Chron. 20:2, 1, 3, 4, 12.\n\nFootnote 261:\n\n 2 Chron. 20:14\u201317.\n\nFootnote 262:\n\n 2 Chron. 20:20.\n\nFootnote 263:\n\n Ps. 23:1\u20134.\n\nFootnote 264:\n\n Ps. 63:1\u20137, R. V.; 42:11; 27:1.\n\nFootnote 265:\n\n Ps. 3:4\u20138.\n\nFootnote 266:\n\n Ps. 51:1\u20137.\n\nFootnote 267:\n\n 1 Chron. 29:15, R. V.\n\nFootnote 268:\n\n Ps. 46:1, 2; 46:4\u20137, R. V., margin; 48:14.\n\nFootnote 269:\n\n Ps. 113:2, 3; 116:1\u20138.\n\nFootnote 270:\n\n Isa. 26:1\u20134.\n\nFootnote 271:\n\n Isa. 35:10, R. V.\n\nFootnote 272:\n\n Jer. 31:12.\n\nFootnote 273:\n\n Ps. 97:2, R. V.\n\nFootnote 274:\n\n Isa. 35:8.\n\nFootnote 275:\n\n Deut. 29:29.\n\nFootnote 276:\n\n 2 Tim. 3:16, 17.\n\nFootnote 277:\n\n 2 Cor. 5:17.\n\nFootnote 278:\n\n Col. 1:27.\n\nFootnote 279:\n\n Acts 17:26, 27.\n\nFootnote 280:\n\n Eze. 20:37.\n\nFootnote 281:\n\n Isa. 43:21.\n\nFootnote 282:\n\n Deut. 4:6; 32:47.\n\nFootnote 283:\n\n Isa. 45:5.\n\nFootnote 284:\n\n Dan. 4:27.\n\nFootnote 285:\n\n Prov. 14:34; 16:12; 20:28.\n\nFootnote 286:\n\n Dan. 2:21.\n\nFootnote 287:\n\n Dan. 4:11, 12.\n\nFootnote 288:\n\n Dan. 2:38.\n\nFootnote 289:\n\n Dan. 4:30.\n\nFootnote 290:\n\n Eze. 34:3, 4.\n\nFootnote 291:\n\n Dan. 4:31.\n\nFootnote 292:\n\n Isa. 47:1\u20135.\n\nFootnote 293:\n\n Jer. 51:13; Isa. 13:19; 14:23.\n\nFootnote 294:\n\n Eze. 1:4, 26; 10:8.\n\nFootnote 295:\n\n Eze. 21:26, 27.\n\nFootnote 296:\n\n Matt. 24:6, 7.\n\nFootnote 297:\n\n Isa. 24:1\u20138.\n\nFootnote 298:\n\n Joel 1:15\u201318, 12.\n\nFootnote 299:\n\n Jer. 4:19, 20, 23\u201326.\n\nFootnote 300:\n\n Jer. 30:7.\n\nFootnote 301:\n\n Isa. 26:20.\n\nFootnote 302:\n\n Ps. 91:9, 10.\n\nFootnote 303:\n\n Ps. 50:1\u20133; 50:4\u20136, R. V.\n\nFootnote 304:\n\n Micah 4:10\u201312; Jer. 30:17, 18.\n\nFootnote 305:\n\n Isa. 25:9, 8.\n\nFootnote 306:\n\n Isa. 33:20\u201322.\n\nFootnote 307:\n\n Isa. 11:4.\n\nFootnote 308:\n\n Isa. 60:18; 54:14.\n\nFootnote 309:\n\n 1 Peter 1:10\u201312.\n\nFootnote 310:\n\n Eze. 12:27, 28.\n\nFootnote 311:\n\n Deut. 6:7.\n\nFootnote 312:\n\n Deut. 6:6, 7.\n\nFootnote 313:\n\n Gen. 18:19.\n\nFootnote 314:\n\n Ps. 119:11; 17:4.\n\nFootnote 315:\n\n Rev. 1:1.\n\nFootnote 316:\n\n James 1:5.\n\nFootnote 317:\n\n Rev. 1:3.\n\nFootnote 318:\n\n John 12:32.\n\nFootnote 319:\n\n Phil. 3:8\u201310.\n\nFootnote 320:\n\n Prov. 17:22; 3:1, 2, margin; 4:22; 16:24.\n\nFootnote 321:\n\n Ps. 36:9.\n\nFootnote 322:\n\n Eccl. 3:11, R. V.\n\nFootnote 323:\n\n Luke 12:23.\n\nFootnote 324:\n\n 1 Cor. 6:19, R. V., margin; 3:17.\n\nFootnote 325:\n\n Ps. 139:14.\n\nFootnote 326:\n\n Prov. 3:17.\n\nFootnote 327:\n\n Eccl. 10:17.\n\nFootnote 328:\n\n Heb. 6:7, 8.\n\nFootnote 329:\n\n 2 Kings 6:1\u20137.\n\nFootnote 330:\n\n Prov. 31:13, 15, R. V.; 31:16, 17, 20, 27.\n\nFootnote 331:\n\n Prov. 31:30, 31.\n\nFootnote 332:\n\n Eccl. 5:9.\n\nFootnote 333:\n\n Isa. 28:26; Prov. 27:18.\n\nFootnote 334:\n\n Prov. 4:7; 15:2.\n\nFootnote 335:\n\n 2 Cor. 10:12; 1 Peter 4:11; Col. 3:23, 24.\n\nFootnote 336:\n\n Luke 10:27.\n\nFootnote 337:\n\n Isa. 33:6, Leeser\u2019s Translation.\n\nFootnote 338:\n\n Deut. 4:6.\n\nFootnote 339:\n\n Ps. 19:8; 15:5.\n\nFootnote 340:\n\n Isa. 1:18.\n\nFootnote 341:\n\n James 1:5; Isa. 7:15.\n\nFootnote 342:\n\n Phil. 4:8.\n\nFootnote 343:\n\n Prov. 18:21.\n\nFootnote 344:\n\n Rom. 1:30, 31, 29, 32.\n\nFootnote 345:\n\n Ps. 15:2, 3.\n\nFootnote 346:\n\n Matt. 5:37, R. V.\n\nFootnote 347:\n\n Prov. 26:18, 19.\n\nFootnote 348:\n\n Prov. 29:20.\n\nFootnote 349:\n\n Prov. 25:28.\n\nFootnote 350:\n\n Prov. 12:18.\n\nFootnote 351:\n\n Prov. 22:11.\n\nFootnote 352:\n\n John 13:34.\n\nFootnote 353:\n\n 1 Cor. 13:4\u20138, R. V.\n\nFootnote 354:\n\n Ex. 3:5.\n\nFootnote 355:\n\n Gen. 28:16, 17.\n\nFootnote 356:\n\n Hab. 2:20.\n\nFootnote 357:\n\n Ps. 95:3\u20136; 100:3, 4.\n\nFootnote 358:\n\n Ps. 111:9.\n\nFootnote 359:\n\n Prov. 30:5; Ps. 12:6.\n\nFootnote 360:\n\n Prov. 16:31.\n\nFootnote 361:\n\n Lev. 19:32.\n\nFootnote 362:\n\n Ps. 103:13.\n\nFootnote 363:\n\n Isa. 66:13.\n\nFootnote 364:\n\n Eccl. 3:11, R. V.\n\nFootnote 365:\n\n Rev. 19:8.\n\nFootnote 366:\n\n Rev. 3:4.\n\nFootnote 367:\n\n Ex. 31:13; 20:11.\n\nFootnote 368:\n\n Jer. 15:16.\n\nFootnote 369:\n\n Ps. 119:48; 19:10, 11.\n\nFootnote 370:\n\n Luke 8:11.\n\nFootnote 371:\n\n Ps. 33:9; Rom. 4:17.\n\nFootnote 372:\n\n Heb. 4:13; Hab. 1:13.\n\nFootnote 373:\n\n Gen. 39:9.\n\nFootnote 374:\n\n Ps. 34:7.\n\nFootnote 375:\n\n Acts 27:22\u201324, 34, 44.\n\nFootnote 376:\n\n Phil. 4:13.\n\nFootnote 377:\n\n Zech. 2:8.\n\nFootnote 378:\n\n Ps. 37:5, 6.\n\nFootnote 379:\n\n Ps. 9:9, 10.\n\nFootnote 380:\n\n Col. 2:10.\n\nFootnote 381:\n\n Mark 11:24.\n\nFootnote 382:\n\n 2 Cor. 6:16.\n\nFootnote 383:\n\n Isa. 41:13.\n\nFootnote 384:\n\n Eze. 33:30\u201332.\n\nFootnote 385:\n\n Ps. 46:10.\n\nFootnote 386:\n\n Cant. 2:3, 4.\n\nFootnote 387:\n\n Esther 4:14.\n\nFootnote 388:\n\n Judges 10:16; Isa. 63:9.\n\nFootnote 389:\n\n Rom. 8:26, 22.\n\nFootnote 390:\n\n Matt. 24:14.\n\nFootnote 391:\n\n Mark 16:15.\n\nFootnote 392:\n\n 1 Sam. 16:6, 7, 10.\n\nFootnote 393:\n\n Eccl. 11:6, R. V.\n\nFootnote 394:\n\n Luke 22:26, 27.\n\nFootnote 395:\n\n Zeph. 1:14.\n\nFootnote 396:\n\n Ps. 37:29; Isa. 33:24; 65:19.\n\nFootnote 397:\n\n Judges 13:12.\n\nFootnote 398:\n\n Rev. 3:8.\n\nFootnote 399:\n\n Jer. 33:3; Ps. 32:8.\n\nFootnote 400:\n\n Matt. 28:20.\n\nFootnote 401:\n\n 2 Cor. 3:18, R. V.\n\nFootnote 402:\n\n Ex. 35:21.\n\nFootnote 403:\n\n Neh. 4:6.\n\nFootnote 404:\n\n R. V.\n\nFootnote 405:\n\n Eph. 4:25; 1 Peter 4:10.\n\nFootnote 406:\n\n Isa. 41:6.\n\nFootnote 407:\n\n Joshua 24:15.\n\nFootnote 408:\n\n Prov. 14:9.\n\nFootnote 409:\n\n Prov. 5:22.\n\nFootnote 410:\n\n Ps. 119:45, 24.\n\nFootnote 411:\n\n Luke 6:31.\n\nFootnote 412:\n\n Heb. 5:2.\n\nFootnote 413:\n\n 2 Cor. 4:18.\n\nFootnote 414:\n\n 2 Cor. 5:14.\n\nFootnote 415:\n\n Cor. 2:9.\n\nFootnote 416:\n\n Rev. 21:1, 2.\n\nFootnote 417:\n\n Rev. 21:23.\n\nFootnote 418:\n\n Rev. 2:7.\n\nFootnote 419:\n\n Rev. 22:1; 22:2, R. V.; 21:4.\n\nFootnote 420:\n\n Isa. 60:21.\n\nFootnote 421:\n\n Isa. 52:6.\n\nFootnote 422:\n\n Rev. 21:3.\n\nFootnote 423:\n\n Rev. 7:14\u201317.\n\nFootnote 424:\n\n 1 Cor. 13:12.\n\nFootnote 425:\n\n Rev. 22:4.\n\nFootnote 426:\n\n Isa. 65:21, 22.\n\nFootnote 427:\n\n Isa. 65:25.\n\nFootnote 428:\n\n Ps. 87:7.\n\nFootnote 429:\n\n Isa. 24:14.\n\nFootnote 430:\n\n Isa. 51:3.\n\nFootnote 431:\n\n Eph. 3:20.\n\nFootnote 432:\n\n Rev. 22:3.\n\nFootnote 433:\n\n Matt. 20:28.\n\nFootnote 434:\n\n Isa. 43:12.\n\nFootnote 435:\n\n Eph. 3:10, R. V.; 2:6, 7.\n\nFootnote 436:\n\n Ps. 29:9.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n _By the Same Author_\n\n\n\n\n Christ\u2019s Object Lessons\n\n\nA beautiful, simple, yet powerful work of intense interest to all\nclasses of readers. Christ\u2019s parables are beautifully presented and new\nlessons of great beauty are revealed. It is a banner-raiser, a\nstandard-bearer, and a soul-saver.\n\nIndexed comprehensively, clearly printed, and handsomely illustrated.\n450 pages. Bound in antique cloth with artistic cover design.\n\nSome of the many testimonials received from leading ministers:\u2014\n\n \u201cAbounds in fruitful suggestions, both spiritual and practical.\u201d\u2014H.\n J. Vosburgh, D. D., First Baptist Church, Oakland, Cal.\n\n \u201cThoroughly scriptural, wholesome, and evangelical.\u201d\u2014Elbert R.\n Dille, D. D., First M. E. Church, Oakland, Cal.\n\n \u201cAn unsectarian, devotional book of unusual purity and\n sweetness.\u201d\u2014H. C. Meredith, M. E. Church S., San Jose, Cal.\n\n \u201cAn excellent exposition of the parables of Christ.\u201d\u2014W. H. Warner,\n A. C. Church, Napa, Cal.\n\n \u201cGives much light upon some of the most important questions of human\n life.\u201d\u2014J. K. McLean, D. D., Pres. Pacific Theo. Seminary, Berkeley,\n Cal.\n\n _PRICE $1.25_\n\n\n Patriarchs and Prophets\n\n OR THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL, AS ILLUSTRATED IN THE\n LIVES OF THE HOLY MEN OF OLD\n\nPrecious lessons from the lives of the patriarchs, and the experiences\nof Israel down to the time of David\u2019s reign. Written in narrative style.\nFull of new and beautiful thoughts. 766 pages. Prices, cloth $2.25;\ncloth, gilt edges $2.75; library $3.00; half morocco $3.50; full Turkey\nmorocco, gilt edges $4.50.\n\n\n The Great Controversy\n\nThe author says: \u201cThe coming struggle will be marked with a terrible\nintensity such as the world has never seen.\u201d Such themes as The\nImpending Conflict, The Time of Trouble, and God\u2019s People Delivered are\nvividly and powerfully presented. 704 pages. Prices same as above.\n\n\n Desire of Ages\n\nThe most beautiful life of Christ ever published. It abounds with\npractical lessons drawn from the living examples of the Man of Galilee.\n866 pages. Prices from $3.50 to $7.00, according to bindings.\nNarrow-margin edition $2.50. Trade edition, cloth $1.50, leather $2.00.\n\n\n Mount of Blessings\n\nOne of the most interesting and instructive books ever written on the\nBeatitudes. 218 pages. Cloth 75 cents.\n\n\n Steps to Christ\n\nPresents in a simple and attractive manner how the sinner can be made\ncomplete in Christ. 163 pages. Cloth 50 cents. Presentation edition 85\ncents.\n\n _Circulars regarding above works cheerfully supplied by_\n\n * * * * *\n\n PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY\n _11 W. 20th St., New _OAKLAND, CAL._ _18 W. 5th St., Kansas\n York_ City, Mo._\n\n\n\n\n _EDUCATIONAL WORKS_\n\n\n\n\n Living Fountains or Broken Cisterns\n\n\n AN EDUCATIONAL PROBLEM FOR CHRISTIANS\n\n By E. A. SUTHERLAND\n\n Is a history of education showing the responsibility placed upon parents\n and\n upon the church in all ages to provide for the spiritual training of the\n children. It advocates a threefold education, the only means of\n developing a perfect character. By repeated reference to leading\n educators, it shows that each generation has produced advocates\n of educational reform. The present duty of\n Christian parents and teachers is clearly indicated.\n\n\u201cI have read \u2018Living Fountains\u2019 with care. It is an excellent work, and\nthe best presentation of educational reform in the truest sense, which I\nhave seen. I wish it might be in every family. It should be carefully\nstudied as a text-book by parents and by all who have to do with\nchildren.\u201d\u2014J. H. Kellogg, M. D., Battle Creek Sanitarium.\n\n\u201cI have carefully read \u2018Living Fountains.\u2019 The book sets forth the\nprinciples and the history of true education, together with the growth\nof Protestantism. I wish it could be placed in the hands of every\nfamily. It shows the absolute necessity of making the Bible the\nfoundation of Christian education. I recommend it to all.\u201d\u2014S. N.\nHaskell, New York City.\n\n\u201cAfter carefully reading \u2018Living Fountains,\u2019 I wish to bear testimony to\nthe fact that it has opened my eyes to the dangers in the present\neducational system, of which I have been but dimly conscious, and to\nwhich, like many others, I have given indifferent heed. In my judgment,\n\u2018Living Fountains\u2019 is a strong book, presenting a masterly array of\nfacts to sustain the positions taken, and suggesting a remedy that can\nnot fail to commend itself to every candid thinker. I believe it will do\ngreat good.\u201d\u2014Rev. F. A. Harter, Webster City, Iowa.\n\n\u201c\u2018Living Fountains\u2019 has been a great blessing to me, and has brought me\nnearer to God. Every teacher who wishes to become a representative of\nChristian education, should study this book. Parents should read it that\nthey may know their duty toward their children.\u201d\u2014John Lipke, Principal\nof the Industrial Academy, Brusque, Bra.\n\n\u201cI am using \u2018Living Fountains\u2019 in my class work, and I am very much\npleased with it. It is a book that should be read by all.\u201d\u2014Frederick\nGriggs, South Lancaster Academy, South Lancaster, Mass.\n\n _Cloth, 425 pages_ _Price, $1.25_\n\n * * * * *\n\n _ADVOCATE PUBLISHING COMPANY\n Publishers of Educational Literature\n BERRIEN SPRINGS, MICH._\n\n _REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING COMPANY, Battle Creek, Mich._\n\n _PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY, Oakland, Cal._\n\n\n\n\n The Advocate of Christian Education\n\n\n A THIRTY-TWO-PAGE MONTHLY\n\n _Advocating the Uniform Development of the\n Mental, Physical, and Spiritual\n Natures of the Child_\n\nIt sets forth the _Principles of Christian Education_ as the inherent\nright of every child, the imparting of which rests as a solemn duty upon\nevery parent, every teacher, and upon the church.\n\nIt deals with _The Methods of Christian Education_, thus rendering\nvaluable assistance to parents in the home, to Sabbath-school workers,\nand to all other teachers of children and youth.\n\nIt records the _Progress of Educational Movements_ in the world.\nMinisters, as leaders of the people, should understand educational\nreform movements.\n\nParents, as the first teachers of their children, should study both the\nprinciples and the methods of Christian education.\n\nSabbath-school officers and teachers, and teachers in the day schools,\nare largely responsible for the character of the children and youth in\ntheir charge. To all these workers the _Advocate_ offers practical\nassistance.\n\n _Price, 50 cents per year_\n\n * * * * *\n\n _Address, THE ADVOCATE PUBLISHING COMPANY\n Publishers of Educational Literature\n BERRIEN SPRINGS, MICH._\n\n\n\n\n _STANDARD JUVENILE WORKS_\n\n\n The House We Live In\n\n THE MAKING OF THE BODY\n\nA most instructive and entertaining story told by a mother to her three\nchildren, wherein the building of a house is likened to body building.\nOne of the finest child studies on physiology ever published. Good,\nlarge print; freely illustrated; colored cover design; 218 pages. Price\n75 cents.\n\n\n Best Stories from the Best Book\n\nWritten in primer style, commencing with the simplest primary studies\nand graduated to ordinary reading lessons. A splendid text-book for the\nhome. Colored illustrations; 194 pages. Prices 25 cents, 50 cents, and\n75 cents, according to bindings.\n\n\n The Gospel Reader\n\nA new book for the young. Most interesting reading for Christian\nchildren. Full of practical lessons drawn from favorite Bible incidents.\nGood, clear print and attractive illustrations. 192 pages. Prices, cloth\n75 cents, board 50 cents.\n\n\n The Gospel Primer\n\nAn old standard. By the simplest methods and by carefully graduated\nsteps, the child is taught to read, and at the same time the mind is\neducated in Bible story and Christian principles.\n\n _Send for Circulars_\n\n\n\n\n _THE GOSPEL OF HEALTH_\n\n\n Natural Food of Man\n\nHow to prepare it. Prepared especially for those who wish to discard not\nonly meat but all other animal products, such as butter, milk, eggs,\netc. 96 pages. Price 25 cents.\n\n\n A Friend in the Kitchen\n\nFour hundred object lessons in healthful cooking. Carefully tested\nrecipes for the preparation of good, wholesome dishes from which meat is\nentirely excluded. Price 60 cents.\n\n\n Health: How to Find it when it\u2019s Lost\n How to Keep it when it\u2019s Found\n\nA practical and interesting treatise on health topics. Much valuable\ninformation. Many instructive hints and seasonable recipes. 222 pages.\nPrice $1.00.\n\n _Send for Circulars_\n\n\n Standard Health Works\n\n By DR. J. H. KELLOGG\n\n Home Hand-Book of Domestic Hygiene, 1675 pages\n Man the Masterpiece, 604 pages\n The Art of Massage, 288 pages\n Ladies\u2019 Guide, 670 pages\n The Stomach, 368 pages\n\n\n By MRS. KELLOGG\n\n Science in the Kitchen, 295 pages\n Every-Day Dishes, 184 pages\n\n _Send for Circulars for Descriptions and Prices_\n\n * * * * *\n\n _PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY_\n _11 W. 20th St., New _OAKLAND, CAL._ _18 W. 5th St., Kansas\n York_ City, Mo._\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n TRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES\n\n\n 1. Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.\n 2. Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.\n 3. Footnotes have been re-indexed using numbers and collected together\n at the end of the last chapter.\n 4. Enclosed italics font in _underscores_.","title":"Education","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":86816}