* WW /\ \l§K- ; *?X °*yjW f% ' ^. -tellS* ^ ^ »Wff* «? °k 'Ills* a* ** o 7 ^v \*^^\/* %/^f^v* \*^^v 3* <.°JL'*-*o. .♦' < EDUCATION " That our sous may be as plants grown up in their youth ; that our daughters may be as corner-stones , polished after the similitude of a palace " BY ELLEN G. WHITE • The knowledge of the Holy is under s tan ding* * Pacific Press Publishing Company i OAKLAND, CALIFORNI. I NEW YORK SAN FRANCISCO LONDON LBI037 THt library of CONGRESS. Two Copies Received MAR 11 1903 ! Copyright tntiy CUSS ft, XXc No. COPY B. Entered According /.< Acl of Congress in tin- year rpoj by MRS. E. G. WHITE In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, Washington, I). C. All Rights Reserved Entered at Statiotiet s' Hull, London, England TO PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS, all pupils in earth 's preparatory school, this book is dedicated. May it aid them in securing life's greatest benefits, development and joy in service here, and thus a fitness for that wider service, the "higher course" open to every human being in the school of the hereafter. Contents First Principles Page Source and Aim of True Education - - - ■ 13 The Eden School ------ 20 The Knowledge of Good and Evil - - 23 Relation of Education to Redemption - - - 2 s ] LL USTRA 7 IONS The Education of Israel 33 The Schools of the Prophets - - - - yj Lives of Great Men ------ j/ 77/ £ J/^l .5 7-£/? 7\£- .-1 C HE R The Teacher Sent from God - - - - - jj An Illustration of His Methods - 84. Satire Teaching God in Nature ------- gg Lessons of Life ------ Ju2 Other Object Lessons - - - - - -113 'The Bible as an EovcATok Mental and Spiritual Culture - .... I2 j Science and the Bible - j 2 8 Business Principles and Methods - - - ~ 135 Bible Biographies ------ 7 y<5 Poetry and Song - - - - ~ *59 Mysteries of the Bible ----- r £g History and Prophecy - - /-,•> Bible Teaching and Study - - - 185 (9) io Contents ^ Pa z e Physic a l Ci v. t r r e Study of Physiology ------ /pj Temperance and Dietetics - . - - - 202 Recreation ....... 2 oj Manual Training ...... 214 Character-Building Education and Character ----- 225 Methods of Teaching - 230 Deportment ....... 240 Relation of Dress to Education - - - - 246 The Sabbath ....... 2 $ a Faith and Prayer , - - - - - - 2jj The Life- Work ...... 2 ^ 2 The ( t n der- Tea cher Preparation - - - - - - - 275 Co-operation ...... 2 8j Discipline ....... 287 The Higher Course The School of the Hereafter ----- 301 Scriptural Index - 311 General Index ...... 3I $ First Principles ' //>, reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same u/uige from glo) y to glory" Sou re e and A i in of Tv u e Education 'THE KNOWLEDGE OF T H li HOLY is^under standing; " "ACQUAINT NOW THYSELF WITH HIM" /O UR ideas of education take too narrow and too ^^ low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to what is i -ii ill- i-ii ii i r Education do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious devel- opment of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world, and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come. The source of such an education is brought to view in these words of Holy Writ, pointing to the Infinite One: In Him "are hid all the treasures of wisdom." 1 "He hath counsel and understanding."" The world has had its great teachers, men of giant intellect and extensive research, men whose utterances have stimulated thought, and opened to view vast fields of knowledge; and these men have been honored as guides and benefactors of their race; but there is One who stands higher than they. We can trace the line of the world's teachers as far back as human records iCol. 2:3. "Job 12:13. (13) Its Source 14 First Principles, The True "Higher /education " Education in Eden extend; but the Light was before them. As the moon and the stars of our solar system shine by the reflected light of the sun, so, as far as their teaching is true, do the world's great thinkers reflect the rays of the Sun of Righteousness. Every gleam of thought, every Hash of the intellect, is from the Light of the world. In these days much is said concerning the nature and importance of "higher education." The true "higher education" is that imparted by Him with whom "is wisdom and strength;" 1 out of whose mouth "cometh knowledge and understanding. '"-' In a knowledge of God, all true knowledge and real development have their source. Wherever we turn, in the physical, the mental, or the spiritual realm; in whatever we behold, apart from the blight of sin, this knowledge is revealed. Whatever line of investigation we pursue, with a sincere purpose to arrive at truth, we are brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelli- gence that is working in and through all. The mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God, the finite with the Infinite. The effect of such com- munion on body and mind and soul is beyond estimate. In this communion is found the highest education. It is God's own method of development. "Acquaint now thyself with Him," 3 is His message to mankind. The method outlined in these words was the method followed in the education of the father of our race. When in the glory of sinless manhood Adam stood in holy Eden, it was thus that God instructed him. In order to understand what is comprehended in the work of education, we need to consider both the nature of man and the purpose of God in creating him. We need to consider also the change in man's condition IJob 12:13. "Prov. -' : 6. 3 J<>!> 22:21. Source and Aim of True Education 15 through the coming in of a knowledge of evil, and God's plan for still fulfilling His glorious purpose in the education of the human race. When Adam came from the Creator's hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness God's _, . . . , Purpose to his Maker. "God created man in His own image, f 0r Man and it was His purpose that the longer man lived, the more fully he should reveal this image, — the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator. All his faculties were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to increase. Vast was the scope offered for their exercise; glorious the field opened to their re- search. The mysteries of the visible universe — the "wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowl- edge" 2 — invited man's study. Face-to-face, heart-to- heart communion with his Maker was his high privilege. Had he remained loyal to God, all this would have been his forever. Throughout eternal ages he would have continued to gain new treasures of knowledge, to dis- cover fresh springs of happiness, and to obtain clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the wisdom, the power, and the love of God. More and more fully would he have fulfilled the object of his creation, more and more fully have reflected the Creator's glory. But by disobedience this was forfeited. Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh Marred obliterated. Man's physical powers were weakened, Restored his mental capacity was lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed. He had become subject to death. Yet the race was not left without hope. By infinite love and mercy the plan of salvation had been devised, and a life of probation was granted. To restore in man the image of his Maker, to bring him back to the perfection in 1 Gen. 1:27. 2 Job37:i6. f6 First Principles which lie was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul, that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized, — this was to be the work of redemption. This is the object of education, the great object of life. Love, the basis of creation and of redemption, is the Love basis of true education. This is made plain in the law the Basis of Education that God has given as the guide of life. The first and great commandment is, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." 1 To love Him, the infinite, the omniscient One, with the whole strength,. and mind, and heart, means the highest development of every power. It means that in the whole being — the body, the mind, as well as the soul — the image of God is to be restored. Like the first is the second commandment, — "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."" The law of love calls for the devotion of body, mind, and soul to the service of God and our fellow-men. And this service, while making us a blessing to others, brings the greatest blessing to ourselves. Unselfishness underlies all true development. Through unselfish service we receive the highest culture of every faculty. More and more fully do we become partakers of the divine nature. We arc fitted for heaven; for we receive heaven into our hearts. Since God is the source of all true knowledge, it is, Hwehition as we have seen, the first object of education to direct our minds to His own revelation of Himself. Adam and Eve received knowledge through direct communion with God; and they learned of Him through His works. All created things, in their original perfection, were an ' Luke id : 27. - Matt. 22 : 39. Source and Aim of Trice Education I? expression of the thought of God. To Adam and Eve nature was teeming with divine wisdom. But by trans- gression man was cut off from learning of God through direct communion, and, to a great degree, through His works. The earth, marred and denied by sin, reflects but dimly the Creator's glory. It is true that His object- lessons are not obliterated. Upon every page of the great volume of His created works may still be traced His handwriting. Nature still speaks of her Creator. Yet these revelations are partial and imperfect. And in our fallen state, with weakened powers and restricted vision, we are incapable of interpreting aright. We need the fuller revelation of Himself that God has given in His written word. The Holy Scriptures are the perfect standard of truth, and as such should be given the highest place in education. To obtain an education worthy of the name, we must receive a knowledge of God, the Creator, and of Christ, the Redeemer, as they are revealed in the sacred word. Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the Creator, — individuality, power to think and to do. The men in whom this power is developed are the men who bear responsibilities, who are leaders in enterprise, and who influence character. It is the work of true education to develop this power; to train the youth to be think- ers, and not mere reflectors of other men's thought. Instead of confining their study to that which men have said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them contemplate the great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and Nature's Teaching' Insufficient The Standard of Truth Individuality 1 8 First Principles strengthen. Instead of educated weaklings, institutions of learning may send forth men strong to think and to act, men who are masters and not slaves" of circum- stances, men who possess breadth of mind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions. Such an education provides more than mental dis- character cipline; it provides more than physical training. It strengthens the character, so that truth and uprightness are not sacrificed to selfish desire or worldly ambition. It fortifies the mind against evil. Instead of some master passion becoming a power to destroy, every motive and desire are brought into conformity to the great principles of right. As the perfection of His character is dwelt upon, the mind is renewed, and the soul is re-created in the image of God. What education can be higher than this? What can equal it in value? "It can not be gotten for gold, Neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It can not be valued with the gold of Ophir, With the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal can not equal it; And the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls; For the price of wisdom is above rubies." ' Higher than the highest human thought can reach Tbe is God's ideal for His children. Godliness — godlikeness ideal — is the goal to be reached. Before the student there is opened a path of continual progress. He has an object to achieve, a standard to attain, that includes everything good, and pure, and noble. He will advance as fast and as far as possible in every branch of true knowledge. But his efforts will be directed to objects as much higher x Job 28: 15-18. Source and Aim of True Education 19 than mere selfish and temporal interests as the heavens are higher than the earth. He who co-operates with the divine purpose in im- parting to the youth a knowledge of God, and moulding The the character into harmony with His, does a high and schoT* ° rX noble work. As he awakens a desire to reach God's ideal, he presents an education that is as high as heaven and as broad as the universe; an education that can not be completed in this life, but that will be continued in the life to come; an education that secures to the successful student his passport from the preparatory school of earth to the higher grade, the school above. T h e E de n S c h o o I HAPPY IS THE M A N THAT 1'IXDHTH W1SD O M ' ' A Model School The Students The School- room rHE system of education instituted at the beginning of the world, was to be a model for man through- out all after-time. As an illustration of its principles a model school was established in Eden, the home of our first parents. The garden of Eden was the schoolroom, nature was the lesson-book, the Creator Himself was the instructor, and the parents of the human family were the students. Created to be "the image and glory of God," Adam and Eve had received endowments not unworthy of their high destiny. Graceful and symmetrical in form, regular and beautiful in feature, their countenances glowing with the tint of health and the light of joy and hope, they bore in outward resemblance the likeness of their Maker. Nor was this likeness manifest in the physical nature only. Every faculty of mind and soul reflected the Creator's glory. Endowed with high mental and spiritual gifts, Adam and Eve were made but "little lower than the angels," 1 that they might not only discern the wonders of the visible universe, but comprehend moral responsibilities and obligations. "The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every (20) 1 Heb. 2 : 7. The Eden School 21 tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden." 1 Here, amidst the beautiful scenes of nature untouched by sin, our first parents were to receive their education. In His interest for His children, our heavenly Father personally directed their education. Often they were visited by His messengers, the holy angels, and from them received counsel and instruction. Often as they walked in the garden in the cool of the day they heard the voice of God, and face to face held communion with the Eternal. His thoughts toward them were "thoughts of peace, and not of evil." 2 His every purpose was their highest good. To Adam and Eve was committed the care of the garden, "to dress it and to keep it." 3 Though rich in all that the Owner of the universe could supply, they were not to be idle. Useful occupation was appointed them as a blessing, to strengthen the body, to expand the mind, and to develop the character. The book of nature, which spread its living lessons before them, afforded an exhaustless source of instruc- tion and delight. On every leaf of the forest and stone of the mountains, in every shining star, in earth and sea and sky, God's name was written. With both the animate and the inanimate creation, — with leaf and flower and tree, and with every living creature, from the leviathan of the waters to the mote in the sunbeam, — the dwellers in Eden held converse, gathering from each the secrets of its life. God's glory in the heavens, the innumerable worlds in their orderly revolutions, "the balancings of the clouds," 4 the mysteries of light and sound, of day and night, — all were objects of study by the pupils of earth's first school. The Teacher Course oi Study Original Research 1 Gen. 2 : 8, 9 2 Jcr. 29: 11. 3 Gen. 2 : 15. Y sin man was shut out from God. Except for -*—* the plan of redemption, eternal separation from God, the darkness of unending night, would have been his. Through the Saviour's sacrifice, communion with God is again made possible. We may not in person approach into His presence; in our sin we may not look upon His face; but we can behold Him and com- mune with Him in Jesus, the Saviour. "The light of the knowledge of the glory of God" is revealed "in the face of Jesus Christ." God is "in Christ, recon- ciling the world unto Himself." 1 "The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." 2 The life and the death of Christ, the price of our redemption, arc not only to us the promise and pledge of life, not only the means of opening again to us the treasures The Highest , . i i • i i r tt- Revelation ofwisdom: they are a broader, higher revelation of His character than even the holy ones of Eden knew. And while Christ opens heaven to man, the life which He imparts opens the heart of man to heaven. Sin not only shuts us away from God, but destroys (28) 1 2 Cor. 4:6; 5:19. 2 John 1 : 14, R. V.J I :4. Relation of Education to Redemption 29 in the human soul both the desire and the capacity for knowing Him. All this work of evil it is Christ's mission to undo. The faculties of the soul, paralyzed by sin, the darkened mind, the perverted will, He has power to invigorate and to restore. He opens to us the riches of the universe, and by Him the power to discern and to appropriate these treasures is imparted. Christ is the "Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." 1 As through Christ every human being has life, so also through Him every soul receives some ray of divine light. Not only intellec- tual but spiritual power, a perception' of right, a desire for goodness, exists in every heart. But against these principles there is struggling an antagonistic power. The result of the eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil is manifest in every man's experience. There is in his nature a bent to evil, a force which, unaided, he can not resist. To withstand this force, to attain that ideal which in his inmost soul he accepts as alone worthy, he can find help in but one power. That power is Christ. Co-operation with that power is man's greatest need. In all educational effort should not this co-operation be the highest aim ? The true teacher is not satisfied with second-rate work. He is not satisfied with directing his students to a standard lower than the highest which it is pos- sible for them to attain. He can not be content with imparting to them only technical knowledge, with making them merely clever accountants, skilful arti- sans, successful tradesmen. It is his ambition to inspire them with principles of truth, obedience, honor, integ- rity, and purity, — principles that will make them a positive force for the stability and uplifting of society. 1 John 1 : 9. Po wer through the Gospel Co-operation with Christ 3o First Principles The One Foundation The Teacher's Aim He desires them, above all else, to learn life's great lesson of unselfish service. These principles become a living power to shape the character, through the acquaintance of the soul with Christ; through an acceptance of His wisdom as the guide, His power as the strength, of heart and life. This union formed, the student has found the Source of wisdom. He has within his reach the power to realize in himself his noblest ideals. The oppor- tunities of the highest education for life in this world are his. And in the training here gained, he is enter- ing upon that course which embraces eternity. In the highest sense, the work of education and the work of redemption are one; for in education, as in redemption, "other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." "It was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell." 1 Under changed conditions, true education is still conformed to the Creator's plan, the plan of the Eden school. Adam and Eve received instruction through direct communion with God; we behold "the light of the knowledge of His glory" in the face of Christ. The great principles of education are unchanged. "They stand fast forever and ever;" 2 for they are the principles of the character of God. To aid the student in comprehending these principles, and in entering into that relation with Christ which will make them a con- trolling power in the life, should be the teacher's first effort and his constant aim. The teacher who accepts this aim is in truth a co-worker with Christ, a laborer together with God. 1 1 Cor. 3:11; Col. 1:19, R. V. 2Ps. 111:8. 1 ' L LUSTRA TIONS 1 What soever things were written aforetime :cere writte n fo r our learn i ng ' ' The Education of Israel "the lord alone did lead him; he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye" r t ^HE system of education established in Eden cen- ■*■ tered in the family. Adam was "the son of God," 1 and it was from their Father that the children of the Highest received instruction. Theirs, in the truest sense, was a family school. In the divine plan of education as adapted to man's condition after the fall, Christ stands as the representa- tive of the Father, the connecting link between God and man; He is the great teacher of mankind. And He ordained that men and women should be His repre- sentatives. The family was the school, and the parents were the teachers. The education centering in the family was that which prevailed in the days of the patriarchs. For the schools thus established, God provided the condi- tions most favorable for the development of character. The people who were under His direction still pursued the plan of life that He had appointed in the beginning. Those who departed from God built for themselves cities, and, congregating in them, gloried in the splen- dor, the luxury, and the vice that make the cities of to-day the world's pride and its curse. But the men who held fast God's principles of life dwelt among the fields and hills. They were tillers of the soil, and 3 i Luke 3 : 38. (33) The Family School Conditions 34 Illustrations, The Training in the Wilderness To Encourage Faith Surroundings at Sinai keepers of flocks and herds; and in this free, independent life, with its opportunities for labor and study and medi- tation, they learned of God, and taught their children- of His works and ways. This was the method of education that God de- sired to establish in Israel. But when brought out of Egypt there were among the Israelites few prepared to be workers together with Him in the training of their children. The parents themselves needed instruction and discipline. Victims of lifelong slavery, they were ignorant, untrained, degraded. They had little knowl- edge of God, and little faith in Him. They were con- fused by false teaching, and corrupted by their long contact with heathenism. God desired to lift them to a higher moral level; and to this end He sought to give them a knowledge of Himself. In His dealings with the wanderers in the desert, in all their marchings to and fro, in their exposure to hunger, thirst, and weariness, in their peril from heathen foes, and in the manifestation of His providence for their relief, God was seeking to strengthen their faith by revealing to them the power that was continu- ally working for their good. And having taught them to trust in His love and power, it was His purpose to set before them, in the precepts of His law, the standard of character to which, through His grace, He desired them to attain. Precious were the lessons taught to Israel during their sojourn at Sinai. This was a period of special training for the inheritance of Canaan. And their sur- roundings here were favorable for the accomplishing of God's purpose. On the summit of Sinai, overshadowing the plain where the people spread their tents, rested the The Education of Israel 35 pillar of cloud which had been the guide of their journey. A pillar of fire by night, it assured them of the divine protection; and while they were locked in slumber, the bread of heaven fell gently upon the encampment. On every hand, vast, rugged heights, in their solemn grandeur, spoke of eternal endurance and majesty. Man was made to feel his ignorance and weakness in the presence of Him who hath "weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance." 1 Here, by the manifestation of His glory, God sought to impress Israel with the holiness of His character and requirements, and the exceeding guilt of transgression. But the people were slow to learn the lesson. Accustomed as they had been in Egypt to material representations of the Deity, and these of the most de«radingS 2: -. 6o Illustrations The Supreme Gift Fruits of Practical Training- Were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of di- spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. "And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof! And he saw him no more; and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan ; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither; and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed them- selves to the ground before him." 1 Henceforth Elisha stood in Elijah's place. And he who had been faithful in that which was least, proved himself faithful also in much. Elijah, the man of power, had been God's instru- ment for the overthrow of gigantic evils. Idolatry, which, supported by Ahab and the heathen Jezebel, had seduced the nation, had been cast down. Baal's prophets had been slain. The whole people of Israel 1 2 Kings 2 : 6-15. Lives of Great Men 6 1 had been deeply stirred, and many were returning to the worship of God. As successor to Elijah Was needed one who by careful, patient instruction could guide Israel in safe paths. For this work Elisha's early training under God's direction had prepared him. The lesson is for all. None can know what may be a Lesson God's purpose in His discipline; but all may be certain that faithfulness in little things is the evidence of fitness for greater responsibilities. Every act of life is a revela- tion of character, and he only who in small duties proves himself "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed," 1 will be honored by God with weightier trusts. for All Younger than Joseph or Daniel was Moses when removed from the sheltering care of his childhood's home; yet already the same agencies that shaped their lives had moulded his. Only twelve years did he spend with his Hebrew kindred; but during these years was laid the foundation of his greatness; it was laid by the hand of one little known to fame. Jochebed was a woman and a slave. Her lot in life was humble, her burden heavy. But through no other woman, save Mary of Nazareth, has the world received greater blessing. Knowing that her child must soon pass beyond her care, to the guardianship of those who His \iother-s knew not God, she the more earnestly endeavored to link his soul with heaven. She sought to implant in his heart love and loyalty to God. And faithfully was the work accomplished. Those principles of truth that were the burden of his mother's teaching and the lesson of her life, no after-influence could induce Moses to renounce. 1 2 Tim. 2: 15. Teaching 62 Illustrations In the Schools of Egypt The Lesson of Defeat Training for Leadership From the humble home in Goshen, the son of Jochebed passed to the palace of the Pharaohs, to the Egyptian princess, by her to be welcomed as a loved and cherished son. In the schools of Egypt, Moses received the highest civil and military training. Of great personal attractions, noble in form and stature, of cultivated mind and princely bearing, and renowned as a military leader, he became the nation's pride. The king of Egypt was also a member of the priesthood ; and Moses, though refusing to participate in the heathen worship, was initiated into all the mysteries of the Egyptian religion. Egypt at this time being still the most powerful and most highly civilized of nations, Moses, as its prospective sovereign, was heir to the highest honors this world could bestow. But his was a nobler choice. For the honor of God and the deliver- ance of His downtrodden people, Moses sacrificed the honors of Egypt. Then, in a special sense, God under- took his training. Not yet was Moses prepared for his life-work. He had yet to learn the lesson of dependence upon divine power. He had mistaken God's purpose. It was his hope to deliver Israel by force of arms. For this he risked all, and failed. In defeat and disappointment he became a fugitive and exile in a strange land. In the wilds of Midian, Moses spent forty years as a keeper of sheep. Apparently cut off forever from his life's mission, he was receiving the discipline essential for its fulfilment. Wisdom to govern an ignorant and undisciplined multitude must be gained through self- mastery. In the care of the sheep and the tender lambs he must obtain the experience that would make him a faithful, long-suffering shepherd to Israel. That Lives of Great Men 63 he might become a representative of God, he must learn of Him. The influences that had surrounded him in Egypt, the affection of his foster-mother, his own position as the grandson of the king, the luxury and vice that allured in ten thousand forms, the refinement, the sub- tlety, and the mysticism of a false religion, had made an impression on his mind and character. In the stern simplicity of the wilderness, all this disappeared. Amidst the solemn majesty of the mountain soli- .\ionc tudes, Moses was alone with God. Everywhere the Creator's name was written. Moses seemed to stand in His presence, and to be overshadowed by His power. Here his self-sufficiency was swept away. In the pres- ence of the Infinite One he realized how weak, how inefficient, how short-sighted, is man. Here Moses gained that which went with him throughout the years of his toilsome and care-burdened life, — a sense of the personal presence of the Divine One. Not merely did he look down the ages for Christ to be made manifest in the flesh ; he saw Christ accom- panying the host of Israel in all their travels. When misunderstood and misrepresented, when called to bear reproach and insult, to face danger and death, he was able to endure "as seeing Him who is invisible." 1 Moses did not merely think of God, he saw Him. God was the constant vision before him. Never did he lose sight of His face. To Moses faith was no guesswork; it was a reality. Power He believed that God ruled his life in particular; and Fajtll in all its details he acknowledged Him. For strength to withstand every temptation, he trusted in Him. The great work assigned him he desired to make in 1 Heb. 11 : 27. 6 4 Illustrations Results oi His Training the highest degree successful, and he placed his whole dependence upon divine power. He felt his need of help, asked for it, by faith grasped it, and in the assur- ance of sustaining strength went forward. Such was the experience that Moses gained by his forty years of training in the desert. To impart such an experience, Infinite Wisdom counted not the period too long or the price too great. The results of that training, of the lessons there taught, are bound up, not only with the history of Israel, but with all which from that day to this has told fir the world's progress. The highest testimony to the greatness of Moses, the judgment passed upon his life by Inspiration, is, "There arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face." 1 I 'mi l An Hebrew of the Hebrews" With the faith and experience of the Galilean dis- ciples who had companied with Jesus were united, in the work of the gospel, the fiery vigor and intellectual power of a rabbi of Jerusalem. A Roman citizen, born in a Gentile city; a Jew, not only by descent but by lifelong training, patriotic devotion, and religious faith ; educated in Jerusalem by the most eminent of the rabbis, and instructed in all the laws and traditions of the fathers, Saul of Tarsus shared to the fullest extent the pride and the prejudices of his nation. While still a young man, he became an honored member of the Sanhedrin. He was looked upon as a man of promise, a zealous defender of the ancient faith. In the theological schools of Judea, the word of God had been set aside for human speculations; it was robbed of its power by the interpretations and Deut. 34 :io. Lives of Great Men 65 traditions of the rabbis. Self-aggrandizement, love of domination, jealous exclusiveness, bigotry and contemp- tuous pride, were the ruling principles and motives of these teachers. The rabbis gloried in their superiority, not only to the people of other nations, but to the masses of their own. With their fierce hatred of their Roman oppress- ors, they cherished the determination to recover by force of arms their national supremacy. The followers of Jesus, whose message of peace was so contrary to their schemes of ambition, they hated and put to death. In this persecution, Saul was one of the most bitter and relentless actors. In the military schools of Egypt, Moses was taught the law of force, and so strong a hold did this teaching have upon his character that it required forty years of quiet and communion with God and nature to fit him for the leadership of Israel by the law of love. The same lesson Paul had to learn. At the gate of Damascus the vision of the Crucified One changed the whole current of his life. The perse- cutor became a disciple, the teacher a learner. The days of darkness spent in solitude at Damascus were as years in his experience. The Old Testament Scrip- tures stored in his memory were his study, and Christ his teacher. To him also nature's solitudes became a school. To the desert of Arabia he went, there to study the Scriptures and to learn of God. He emptied his soul of the prejudices and traditions that had shaped his life, and received instruction from the Source of truth. His after-life was inspired by the one principle of self-sacrifice, the ministry of love. "I am debtor," he 5 A deader in Persecution The \ r ision of the Crucified 66 Illustrations Craftsman, Treacher, Missionary said, "both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise." "The love of Christ constraineth us." 1 The greatest of human teachers, Paul accepted the lowliest as well as the highest duties. He recognized the necessity of labor for the hand as well as for the mind, and he wrought at a handicraft for his own sup- port. His trade of tent-making he pursued while daily preaching the gospel in the great centers of civilization. "These hands," he said, at parting with the elders of Ephesus, "have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me." 2 While he possessed high intellectual endowments, the life of Paul revealed the power of a rarer wisdom. Principles of deepest import, principles concerning which the greatest minds of his time were ignorant, are un- folded in his teachings and exemplified in his life. Ik- had that greatest of all wisdom, which gives quickness of insight and sympathy of heart, which brings man in touch with men, and enables him to arouse their better nature and inspire them to a higher life. Listen to his words before the heathen Lystrians, as he points them to God revealed in nature, the Source of all good, who "gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness." 3 See him in the dungeon at Philippi, where, despite his pain-racked body, his song of praise breaks the silence of midnight. After the earthquake has opened the prison doors, his voice is again heard, in words of Mastership cheer to the heathen jailer, "Do thyself no harm; for we are all here," 4 — every man in his place, restrained by the presence of one fellow-prisoner. And the jailer, convicted of the reality of that faith which sustains Sympathy and Insight 1 Rom. I : 14; 2 Cor. 5:14. ■ Vets 1 1 : 17. 2 Acts 20 : ;|. ' VctS 16: 2S. Lives of Great Men 67 Paul, inquires the way of salvation, and with his whole household unites with the persecuted band of Christ's disciples. See Paul at Athens before the council of the Areop- agus, as he meets science with science, logic with logic, and philosophy with philosophy. Mark how, with the tact born of divine love, he points to Jehovah as the " Unknown God," whom his hearers have igno- rantly worshiped; and in words quoted from a poet of ln Advance , . , . T T . T , , . . of His Age their own he pictures Him as a rather whose children they are. Hear him, in that age of caste, when the rights of man as man were wholly unrecognized, as he sets forth the great truth of human brotherhood, declaring that God " hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth." Then he shows how, through all the dealings of God with man, runs like a thread of gold His purpose of grace and mercy. He "hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us." ' Hear him in the court of Fcstus, when King Agrippa, convicted of the truth of the gospel, exclaims, "Almost thou persuadest me "to be a Christian." With what gentle courtesy does Paul, pointing to his own chain, make answer, "I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." 2 Thus passed his life, as described in his own words, a strenuous "in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of L,fe robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by 1 Acts 17 : 23, 26, 27. - Acts 26 : 2,s, 29. 68 , J// list rations the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilder- ness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and naked- ness." 1 "Being reviled," he said, "we bless; being perse - r iic joy cuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we entreat;" "as of Service r , , , . sorrowful, yet ahvay rejoicing; as poor, yet making main' rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."' 2 In service he found his joy; and at the close of his life of toil, looking back on its struggles and triumphs, he could say, "I have fought a good fight." 3 These histories are of vital interest. To none are they of deeper importance than to the youth. Moses renounced a prospective kingdom, Paul the advantages of wealth and honor among his people, for a life of burden-bearing in God's service. To many the life of these men appears one of renunciation and sacrifice. Was it really so? Moses counted the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. He counted it so because it was so. Paul declared: "What things were gain to me, these have I counted loss for satisfied Christ. Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss with Their . . . r . . choice for the excellency ol the knowledge ot Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse that I may gain Christ." 4 He was satisfied with his choice. Moses was offered the palace of the Pharaohs and the monarch's throne; but the sinful pleasures that make men forget God were in those lordly courts, and 1 ( 'in- 1 1 : 26, 27. J 1 ( "i . 4 : 12, 13; 2 Cor. 6 : 10. ;: 2 Tim. 4:7. 4 Hnl. 3 : 7. s. R. v., margin. Lives of Great Men 69 he chose instead the "durable riches and righteous- ness." 1 Instead of linking himself with the greatness of Egypt, he chose to bind up his life with God's pur- pose. Instead of giving laws to Egypt, he by divine direction enacted laws for the world. He became God's instrument in giving to men those principles that are the safeguard alike of the home and of society, that arc the corner-stone of the prosperity of nations, — prin- ciples recognized to-day by the world's greatest men as the foundation of all that is best in human govern- ments. The greatness of Egypt is in the dust. Its power and civilization have passed away. But the work of Moses can never perish. The great principles of right- eousness which he lived to establish are eternal. Moses' life of toil and heart-burdening care was irra- diated with the presence of Him who is "the chiefest among ten thousand," and the One "altogether lovely." 2 With Christ in the wilderness wandering, with Christ on the mount of transfiguration, with Christ in the heavenly courts, — his was a life on earth blessing and blessed, and in heaven honored. Paul also in his manifold labors was upheld by the sustaining power of His presence. "I can do all things," he said, "through Christ which strengtheneth me." "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? . . . Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, a shall be able to The A biding Grentness With Christ IPiov. 8:8. - ( 'ant. 5 : 10, 16. ! Rotlierham's translation. 7Isa. 9:6. (73) 74 The Master Teacher become; what, through the indwelling of humanity by divinity, all who received Him would become, — for this, Christ came to the world. He came to show how men are to be trained as befits the sons of God; how on earth the}' are to practise the principles and to live the life of heaven, God's greatest gift was bestowed to meet man's Results of greatest need. The Light appeared when the world's Teaching darkness was deepest. Through false teaching, the minds of men had long been turned away from God. In the prevailing systems of education, human philos- ophy had taken the place of divine revelation. Instead of the heavenrgiven standard of truth, men had ac- cepted a standard of their own devising. From the Light of life they had turned aside to walk in the sparks of the fire which they had kindled. Having separated from God, their only dependence being the power of humanity, their strength was but pretense for weakness. Even the standard set up by themselves they were incapable of reaching. The want of true excellence was supplied by appearance and profession. Semblance took the place of reality. From time to time, teachers arose who pointed men to the Source of truth. Right principles were enunci- ated, and human lives witnessed to their power. But these efforts made no lasting impression. There was a brief check in the current of evil, but its downward course was not stayed. The reformers were as lights that shone in the darkness; but they could not dispel it. The world "loved darkness rather than light." 1 When Christ came to the earth, humanity seemed to be fast reaching its lowest point. The very founda- tions of society were undermined. Life had become 1 John 3: 19. Reality The Teacher Sent from God 75 false and artificial. The Jews, destitute of the power of God's word, gave to the world mind-benumbing, soul-deadening traditions and speculations. The wor- ship of God "in Spirit and in truth," had been sup- planted by the glorification of men in an endless round of man-made ceremonies. Throughout the world, all systems of religion were losing their hold on mind and soul. Disgusted with fable and falsehood, seeking to drown thought, men turned to infidelity and materi- alism. Leaving eternity out of their reckoning, they lived for the present. As they ceased to recognize the Divine, they ceased to regard the human. Truth, honor, integrity, con- fidence, compassion, were departing from the earth. Relentless greed and absorbing ambition gave birth to universal distrust. The idea of duty, of the obligation of strength to weakness, of human dignity and human rights, was cast aside as a dream or a fable. The com- mon people were regarded as beasts of burden or as the tools and the stepping-stones for ambition. Wealth and power, ease and self-indulgence, were sought as the highest good. Physical degeneracy, mental stupor, spiritual death, characterized the age. As the evil passions and purposes of men banished God from their thoughts, so forgetfulness of Him in- clined them more strongly to evil. The heart in love with sin clothed Him with its own attributes, and this conception strengthened the power of sin. Bent on self-pleasing, men came to regard God as such a one as themselves, — a Being whose aim was self-glory, whose requirements were suited to His own pleasure; a Being by whom men were lifted up or cast down according as they helped or hindered His selfish purpose. The Formalism . Materialism Human Rights Disregarded Misconceptio n of God 7 6 The Master Teacher Evil Unrestrained The Power of a New Life With the Love of Eternity lower classes regarded the Supreme Being as one scarcely differing from their oppressors, save by ex- ceeding them in power. By these ideas every form of religion was moulded. Each was a system of exaction. By gifts and ceremonies, the worshipers sought to pro- pitiate the Deity, in order to secure His favor for their own ends. Such religion, having no power upon the heart or the conscience, could be but a round of forms, of which men wearied, and from which, except for such gain as it might offer, they longed to be free. So evil, unrestrained, grew stronger, while the appreciation and desire for good diminished. Men lost the image of God, and received the impress of the demoniacal power by which they were controlled. The whole world was becoming a sink of corruption. There was but one hope for the human race, — that into this mass of discordant and corrupting elements might be cast a new leaven ; that there might be brought to mankind the power of a new life; that the knowledge of God might be restored to the world. Christ came to restore this knowledge. He came to set aside the false teaching by which those who claimed to know God had misrepresented Him. He came to manifest the nature of His law, to reveal in His own character the beauty of holiness. Christ came to the world with the accumulated love of eternity. Sweeping away the exactions which had encumbered the law of God, He showed that the law is a law of love, an expression of the Divine Goodness. He showed that in obedience to its principles is involved the happiness of mankind, and with it the stability, the very foundation and framework, of human society. So far from making arbitrary requirements, God's law The Teacher Sent from God 77 is given to men as a hedge, a shield. Whoever accepts its principles is preserved from evil. Fidelity to God involves fidelity to man. Thus the law guards the rights, the individuality, of every human being. It restrains the superior from oppression, and the subor- dinate from disobedience. It insures man's well-being, both for this world and foi the world to come. To the obedient it is the pledge of eternal life; for it expresses the principles that endure forever. Christ came to demonstrate the value of the divine principles by revealing their power for the regeneration of humanity. He came to teach how these principles are to be developed and applied. With the people of that age, the value of all things was determined by outward show. As religion had declined in power, it had increased in pomp. The edu- cators of the time sought to command respect by display and ostentation. To all this the life of Jesus presented a marked contrast. His life demonstrated the worth- lessness of those things that men regarded as life's great essentials. Born amidst surroundings the rudest, shar- ing a peasant's home, a peasant's fare, a craftsman's occupation, living a life of obscurity, identifying Himself with the world's unknown toilers, — amidst these condi- tions and surroundings, — Jesus followed the divine plan of education. The schools of His time, with their mag- nifying of things small and their belittling of things great, He did not . seek. His education was gained directly from the Heaven-appointed sources; from useful work, from the study of the Scriptures and of nature, and from the experiences of life, — God's lesson-books, full of instruction to all who bring to them the willing hand, the seeing eye, and the understanding heart. Dan ons I ru tio n of True Principles Simplicity 78 The Master Teacher "The Child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him." ' Thus prepared, He went forth to I lis mission, in every moment of His contact with men. exerting upon them an influence to bless, a power to transform, such as the world had never witnessed. He who seeks to transform humanity must himself Sympathy understand humanity. Only through sympathy, faith, and love can men be reached and uplifted. Here Christ stands revealed as the master teacher; of all that ever dwelt on the earth, He alone has perfect understanding of the human soul. "We have not a high priest" — master teacher, for the priests were teachers — " we have not a high priest that can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmi- ties ; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are." ' l "In that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted." : Christ alone had experience in all the sorrows and temptations that befall human beings. Never another of woman born was so fiercely beset by temptation; never another bore so heavy a burden of the world's sin and pain. Never was there another whose sympathies were so broad or so tender. A sharer in all the experiences of humanity, He could feel not only for, but with, every burdened and tempted and struggling one. What He taught, He lived. " I have given you an example," He said to His disciples ; "that ye should do as I have done." "I have kept My Father's command- ments." * Thus in His life, Christ's words had perfect illustration and support. And more than this; what He taught, He was. His words were the expression, not iLuke (o. "HetM : '5, R. V. ;; Heb. 'John \y. 15; i;, : 10. The Teacher Sent from God 79 only of His own life-experience, but of His own char- acter. Not only did He teach the truth, but He was the truth. It was this that gave His teaching power. Christ was a faithful reprover. Never lived there another who so hated evil ; never another whose denun- ciation of it was so fearless. To all things untrue and base His very presence was a rebuke. In the light of His purity, men saw themselves unclean, their life's aims mean and false. Yet He drew them. He who had created man, understood the value of humanity. Evil He denounced as the foe of those whom He was seeking to bless and to save. In every human being, however fallen, He beheld a son of God, one who might be restored to the privilege of his divine relationship. "God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." 1 Looking upon men in their suffering and degradation, Christ perceived ground for hope where appeared only despair and ruin. Wherever there existed a sense of need, there He saw opportunity for uplifting. Souls tempted, defeated, feeling themselves lost, ready to perish, He met, not with denunciation, but with blessing. The beatitudes were His greeting to the whole human family. Looking upon the vast throng gathered to listen to the sermon on the mount, He seemed for the moment to have forgotten that He was not in heaven, and He used the familiar salutation of the world of light. From His lips flowed blessings as the gushing forth of a long-sealed fountain. Turning from the ambitious, self-satisfied favorites of this world, He declared that those were blessed who, however great their need, would receive His light and love. To the poor in spirit, the sorrowing, the 'John 5 : 17. Power to Win Hearts Salutation Of Blessing So The Master Teacher Perception of Man's Possibilities tu the Secret Place of Power persecuted, He stretched out His arms, saying, "Come unto Me. ... I will give you rest."' In every human being He discerned infinite possibil- ities. He saw men as they might be, transfigured by His grace, — in "the beaut)- of the Lord our God." 2 Looking upon them with hope, He inspired hope. Meeting them with confidence, He inspired trust. Re- vealing in Himself man's true ideal, He awakened, for its attainment, both desire and faith. In His presence souls despised and fallen realized that they still were men, and they longed to prove themselves worthy of His regard. In many a heart that seemed dead to all things holy were awakened new impulses. To main- a despairing one there opened the possibility of a new life. Christ bound men to His heart by the ties of love and devotion ; and by the same ties He bound them to their fellow-men. With Him love was life, and life was service. "Freely ye have received," He said, "freely give." 3 It was not on the cross only that Christ sacrificed Himself for humanity. As " He went about doing good," * every day's experience was an outpouring of His life. In one way only could such a life be sustained. [esus lived in dependence upon God and communion with Him. To the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty, men now and then repair; they abide for a season, and the result is manifest in noble deeds; then their faith fails, the communion is interrupted, and the life-work marred. But the life of Jesus was a life of constant trust, sustained by con- tinual communion ; and His service for heaven and earth was without failure or faltering. As a man He supplicated the throne of God, till His 1 Matt. Ii:28. -IV yu : 17. "Matt. io:S. *ActS 10:38 The Teacher Sent from God Si humanity was charged with a heavenly current that con- nected humanity with divinity. Receiving life from God, He imparted life to men. "Never man spake like this Man." 1 This would have been true of Christ had He taught only in the realm of the physical and the intellectual, or in mat- ters of theory and speculation solely. He might have unlocked mysteries that have required centuries of toil and study to penetrate. He might have made sugges- tions in scientific lines that, till the close of time, would have afforded food for thought and stimulus for inven- tion. But He did not do this. He said nothing to gratify curiosity or to stimulate selfish ambition. He did not deal in abstract theories, but in that which is essential to the development of character; that which will enlarge man's capacity for knowing God, and increase his power to do good. He spoke of those truths that relate to the conduct of life, and that unite man with eternity. Instead of directing the people to study men's the- ories about God, His word, or His works, He taught them to behold Him, as manifested in His works, in His word, and by His providences. He brought their minds in contact with the mind of the Infinite. The people "were astonished at His teaching;'" for His word was with power. " a Never before spoke one who had such power to awaken thought, to kindle aspira- tion, to arouse every capability of body, mind, and soul. Christ's teaching, like His sympathies, embraced the world. Never can there be a circumstance of life, a crisis in human experience, which has not been antici- pated in His teaching, and for which its principles have not a lesson. The Prince of teachers, His words will 'John 7:46. 2 R. V. 3 Luke 4:32. The Scope of His Teaching For All Men and All Ages 82 The Master Traclio be found a guide to His co-workers till the end of time. To Him the present and the future, the near and the far, were one. He had in view the needs of all man- kind. Before His mind's eye was outspread every scene of human effort and achievement, of temptation and con- flict, of perplexity and peril. All hearts, all homes, all pleasures and joys and aspirations, were known to Him. He spoke not only for, but to, all mankind. To the little child, in the gladness of life's morning; to the eager, restless heart of youth ; to men in the strength of their years, bearing the burden of responsibility and care; to the aged in their weakness and weariness, — to all, His message was spoken, — to every child of humanity, in every land and in every age. In His teaching were embraced the things of time Life's True anc [ t ne things of eternity, — things seen, in their relation Valuation .... to things unseen, the passing incidents of common life and the solemn issues of the life to come. The things of this life He placed in their true rela- tion, as subordinate to those of eternal interest; but He did not ignore their importance. He taught that heaven and earth are linked together, and that a knowledge of divine truth prepares man better to perform the duties of daily life. To Him nothing was without purpose. The sports of the child, the toils of the man, life's pleasures and cares and pains, all were means to the one end, — the revelation of God for the uplifting of humanity. From His lips the word of God came home to "God men's hearts with new power and new meaning. His teaching caused the things of creation to stand out in new light. Upon the face of nature once more rested gleamings of that brightness which sin had banished. with Us" The Teacher Sent from God 83 In all the facts and experiences of life were revealed a divine lesson and the possibility of divine compan- ionship. Again God dwelt on earth; human hearts became conscious of His presence; the world was encompassed with His love. Heaven came down to men. In Christ their hearts acknowledged Him who had opened to them the science of eternity, — "Immanuel, God with us." In the Teacher sent from God, all true educational work finds its center. Of this work to-day as verily as of the work. He established eighteen hundred years ago, the Saviour speaks in the words, — "I am the first and the last, and the Living; One." " TLc pirsi b and "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the Last" the end." ' In the presence of such a Teacher, of such oppor- tunity for divine education, what worse than folly is it to seek an education apart from Him, — to seek to be wise apart from Wisdom; to be true while rejecting Truth; to seek illumination apart from the Light, and existence without the Life ; to turn from the Fountain of living waters, and hew out broken cisterns, that can hold no water. Behold, He is still inviting: "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said," out of him "shall flow rivers of living water." "The water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life."" 1 Rev. 1 : 17, R. V.; 21 : 6, R. V. - John 7 : 57. 38; 4 : 14, R. V. ZLn Illustration of His Methods "unto the men whom thou g a v e s t m e , i have m a n i - I ESTED THY NAM k" Training of the Twelve The Family School r l^ HE most complete illustration of Christ's methods -* as a teacher is found in His training of the twelve first disciples. Upon these men were to rest weighty responsibilities. He had chosen them as men whom He could imbue with His Spirit, and who could be fitted to carry forward His work on earth when He should leave it. To them, above all others, He gave the advantage of His own companionship. Through personal association He impressed Himself upon these chosen co-laborers. "The Life was manifested," says John the beloved, "and we have seen it, and bear witness." 1 Only by such communion, — the communion of mind with mind and heart with heart, of the human with the divine, — can be communicated that vitalizing energy which it is the work of true education to impart. It is only life that begets life. In the training of His disciples the Saviour followed the system of education established at the beginning. The twelve first chosen, with a few others who through ministry to their needs were from time to time connected with them, formed the family of Jesus. They were (84) 1 1 John 1 : 2. An Illustration of His Methods 85 with Him in the house, at the table, in the closet, in the field. The)' accompanied Him on His journeys, shared His trials and hardships, and, as much as in them was, entered into His work. Sometimes He taught them as they sat together on the mountainside, sometimes beside the sea, or from the fisherman's boat, sometimes as they walked by the way. Whenever He spoke to the multitude, the disciples formed the inner circle. They pressed close beside Him, that they might lose nothing of His instruction. They were attentive listeners, eager to understand the truths they were to teach in all lands and to all ages. The first pupils of Jesus were chosen from the ranks of the common people. They were humble, unlettered men, these fishers of Galilee; men unschooled in the learning and customs of the rabbis, but trained by the stern discipline of toil and hardship. They were men of native ability and of teachable spirit; men who could be instructed and moulded for the Saviour's work. In the common walks of life there is many a toiler patiently treading the round of his daily tasks, unconscious of latent powers that, roused to action, would place him among the world's great leaders. Such were the men who were called by the Saviour to be His co-laborers. And they had the advantage of three years' training by the greatest educator this world has ever known. In these first disciples was presented a marked diversity. They were to be the world's teachers, and they represented widely varied types of character. There were Levi Matthew the publican, called from a life of business activity, and subservience to Rome; the zealot Simon, the uncompromising foe of the imperial authority; the impulsive, self-sufficient, warm-hearted From the Common People Types of Character 86 The Master Teacher To Come into Unity Peter, with Andrew his brother; Judas the Judean, polished, capable, and mean-spirited ; Philip and Thomas, faithful and earnest, yet slow of heart to believe; James the less and Jude, of less prominence among" the breth- ren, but men of force, positive both in their faults and in their virtues; Nathanael, a child in sincerity and trust; and the ambitious, loving-hearted sons of Zebedee. In order successfully to carry forward the work to which they had been called, these disciples, differing so widely in natural characteristics, in training, and in habits of life, needed to come into unity of feeling, thought, and action. This unity it was Christ's object to secure. To this end He sought to bring then} into unity with Himself. The burden of His labor for them is expressed in His prayer to the Father, "that they all may.be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us; . . . that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me." 1 Of the twelve disciples, four were to act a leading part, each in a distinct line. In preparation for this, Christ taught them, foreseeing all. James, destined to swift-coming death by the sword; John, longest of the brethren to follow his Master in labor and persecution ; Peter, the pioneer in breaking through the barriers of ages, and teaching the heathen world ; and Judas, in service capable of pre-eminence above his brethren, yet brooding in his soul purposes of whose ripening he little dreamed, — these were the objects of Christ's great- est solicitude, and the recipients of His most frequent and careful instruction. 'John 17:21-23. An Illustration of His Methods 87 Peter, James, and John sought every opportunity of coming into close contact with their Master, and their John desire was granted. Of all the twelve their relation- ship to Him was closest. John could be satisfied only with a still nearer intimacy, and this he obtained. At that first conference beside the Jordan, when Andrew, having heard Jesus, hurried away to call his brother, John sat silent, rapt in the contemplation of won- drous themes. He followed the Saviour, ever an eager, absorbed listener. Yet John's was no faultless char- acter. He was no gentle, dreamy enthusiast. He and his brother were called "the sons of thunder." 1 John was proud, ambitious, combative; but beneath all this the divine Teacher discerned the ardent, sincere, loving heart. Jesus rebuked his self-seeking, disappointed his ambitions, tested his faith. But He revealed to him that for which his soul longed, — the beauty of holiness, His own transforming love. "Unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world," He said to the Father, "I have manifested Thy name." 2 John's was a nature that longed for love, for sym- pathy and companionship. He pressed close to Jesus, Fellowship; sat by His side, leaned upon His breast. As a flower the sun and dew, so did he drink in the divine light and life. In adoration and love he beheld the Saviour, until likeness to Christ and fellowship with Him became his one desire, and in his character was reflected the char- acter of his Master. "Behold," he said, "what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall 1 Mark 3 : 17. ^John 17:6. Transforma- tion 88 The Master Teacher be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." 1 The history of no one of the disciples better illus- Peter trates Christ's method of training than does the history of Peter. Bold, aggressive, and self-confident, quick to perceive and forward to act, prompt in retaliation yet generous in forgiving, Peter often erred, and often received reproof. Nor were his warm-hearted loyalty and devotion to Christ the less decidedly recognized and commended. Patiently, with discriminating love, the Saviour dealt with His impetuous disciple, seeking to check his self-confidence, and to teach him humility, obedience, and trust. But only in part was the lesson learned. Self- assurance was not uprooted. Often Jesus, the burden heavy upon His own heart, sought to open to the disciples the scenes of His trial and suffering. But their eyes were holden. The knowl- edge was unwelcome, and they did not see. Self-pity, that shrank from fellowship with Christ in suffering, prompted Peter's remonstrance, "Pity Thyself, Lord; this shall not be unto Thee." 1 His words expressed the thought and feeling of the twelve. So they went on, the crisis drawing nearer; they, boastful, contentious, in anticipation apportioning regal honors, and dreaming not of the cross. For them all, Peter's experience had a lesson. To self-trust, trial is defeat. The sure outworking of evil still unforsaken, Christ could not prevent. But as His hand had been outstretched to save when the waves Rebuke That Reclaims 1 i John 3: 1-3 '-' Matt. 16 : 22, margin. An Illustration of His Methods 89 were about to sweep over Peter, so did His love reach out for his rescue when the deep waters swept over his soul. Over and over again, on the very verge of ruin, Peter's words of boasting brought him nearer and still nearer to the brink. Over and over again was given the warning, "Thou shalt . . . deny that thou knowest Me." 1 It was the grieved, loving heart of the disciple that spoke out in the avowal, "Lord,T am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death;" 2 and He who reads the heart gave to Peter the message, "i Have little valued then, but that in the swift-falling darkness r £^T. would shed a ray of hope: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not; and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." 3 When in the judgment-hall the words of denial had been spoken; when Peter's love and loyalty, awakened under the Saviour's glance of pity and love and sorrow, had sent him forth to the garden where Christ had wept and prayed; when his tears of remorse dropped upon the sod that had been moistened with the blood-drops of His agony, — then the Saviour's words, "I have prayed "when Thou Art for thee ; . . . when thou art converted, strengthen converted" thy brethren," were a stay to his soul. Christ, though foreseeing his sin, had not abandoned him to despair. If the look that Jesus cast upon him had spoken condemnation instead of pity ; if in foretelling the sin He had failed of speaking hope, how dense would have been the darkness that encompassed Peter! how reckless the despair of that tortured soul! In that hour of anguish and self-abhorrence, what could have held him back from the path trodden by Judas ? 1 Luke 22 : 34. 2 I.uke 22 : 33. 3 Luke 22 : 31, 32. 90 The Master Teacher He who could not spare His disciple the anguish, left Not Alone jjj m not a i one to its bitterness. His is a love that fails not nor forsakes. Human beings, themselves given to evil, are prone to deal un tenderly with the tempted and the erring. They can not read the heart, they know not its struggle and pain. Of the rebuke that is love, of the blow that wounds to heal, of the warning that speaks hope, they have need to learn. It was not John, the one who watched with Him in the judgment-hall, who stood beside His cross, and who of the twelve was first at the tomb, — it was not John, but Peter, .that was mentioned by name in the first message sent to the disciples by Christ after His resur- 'Teii Peter" rection. "Tell His disciples and Peter," the angel said, "that He goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him." 1 At the last meeting of Christ with the disciples by the sea, Peter, tested by the thrice-given question, " Lovest thou Me?" was restored to his place among the twelve. His work was appointed him; he was to feed the Lord's flock. Then, as His last personal direction, Jesus bade him, "Follow thou Me." Now he could appreciate the words. The lesson Christ had given when He set a little child in the midst rue Lesson of the disciples and bade them become like him, Peter could now better understand. Knowing more fully both his own weakness and Christ's power, he was ready to trust and to obey. . In His strength he could follow his Master. And at the close of his experience of labor and sacrifice, the disciple once so unready to discern the cross, counted it a joy to yield up his life for the 'Mark 16:7. '^Jolm 21:17,62. An Illustration of His Methods 91 gospel, feeling only that, for him who had denied the Lord, to die in the same manner as his Master died was too great an honor. A miracle of divine tenderness was Peter's transfor- mation. It is a life-lesson to all who seek to follow in the steps of the Master Teacher. A Miracle of Miracles Jesus reproved His disciples, He warned and cau- tioned them ; but John and Peter and their brethren did not leave Him. Notwithstanding the reproofs, they chose to be with Jesus. And the Saviour did not, because of their errors, withdraw from them. He takes men as they are, with all their faults and weaknesses, and trains them for His service, if they will be disciplined and taught by Him. But there was one of the twelve to whom, until very near the close of His work, Christ spoke no word of direct reproof. With Judas an element of antagonism was introduced among the disciples. In connecting himself with Jesus he had responded to the attraction of His character and life. He had sincerely desired a change in himself, and had hoped to experience this through a union with Jesus. But this desire did not become predominant. That which ruled him was the hope of selfish benefit in the worldly kingdom which he expected Christ to establish. Though recognizing the divine power of the love of Christ, Judas did not yield to its supremacy. He continued to cherish his own judgment and opin- ions, his disposition to criticize and condemn. Christ's motives and movements, often so far above his compre- hension, excited doubt and disapproval, and his own Jnclas An Element of Antagonism 9 2 The Master Teacher Kot Conflict, but Healing Love Unfailing questionings, and ambitions were insinuated to the disciples. Many of their contentions for supremacy, much of their dissatisfaction with Christ's methods, originated with Judas. Jesus, seeing that to antagonize was but to harden, refrained from direct conflict. The narrowing selfishness of Judas' life, Christ sought to heal through contact with His own self-sacrificing love. In His teaching He unfolded principles that struck at the root of the disciple's self-centered ambitions. Lesson after lesson was thus given, and many a time Judas realized that his character had been portrayed, and his sin pointed out; but he would not yield. Mercy's pleading resisted, the impulse of evil bore final sway. Judas, angered at an implied rebuke, and made desperate by the disappointment of his ambitious dreams, surrendered his soul to the demon of greed, and determined upon the betrayal of his Master. From the Passover chamber, the joy of Christ's presence, and the light of immortal hope, he went forth to his evil work, — into the outer darkness, where hope was not. "Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him." ' Yet, knowing all, He had withheld no pleading of mercy or gift of love. Seeing the danger of Judas, He had brought him close to Himself, within the inner circle of His chosen and trusted disciples. Day after day, when the burden lay heaviest upon His own heart, He had borne the pain of continual contact with that stubborn, suspi- cious, brooding spirit; He had witnessed and labored to counteract among His disciples that continuous, secret, and subtle antagonism. And all this that no 'John 6:64. Aii Illustration of His Methods 93 possible saving influence might be lacking to that imperiled soul! " Many waters can not quench love, Neither can the floods drown it;" " For love is strong as death." 1 So far as Judas himself was concerned, Christ's work of love had been without avail. But not so as regards his fellow-disciples. To them it was a lesson of lifelong influence. Ever would its example of tenderness and long-suffering mould their intercourse with the tempted and the erring. And it had other lessons. At the ordination of the twelve, the disciples had greatly desired that Judas should become one of their number ; and they had counted his accession an event of much promise to the apostolic band. He had come more into contact with the world than they, he was a man of good address, of discernment and executive ability, and, having a high estimate of his own qualifications, he had led the disciples to hold him in the same regard. But the methods he desired to introduce into Christ's work- were based upon worldly principles and were controlled by worldly policy. They looked to the securing of worldly recognition and honor, — to the obtaining of the kingdom of this world. The working out of these desires in the life of Judas, helped the disciples to understand the antagonism between the principle of self-aggrandizement and Christ's principle of humility and self-sacrifice, — the principle of the spiritual king- dom. In the fate of Judas they saw the end to which self-serving tends. For these disciples the mission of Christ finally accomplished its purpose. Little by little His example 1 Cant. ,S : 7, 6. Warning u> the Eleven Goal of Worldly Wisdom 94 The Master Teacher Results of Christ 's Training Self-Distrust The Teacher of Truth and His lessons of self-abnegation moulded their char- acters. His death destroyed their hope of worldly greatness. The fall of Peter, the apostasy of Judas, their own failure in forsaking Christ in His anguish and peril, swept away their self-sufficiency. They saw their own weakness; they saw something of the great- ness of the work committed to them; they felt their need of their Master's guidance at every step. They knew that His personal presence was no longer to be with them, and they recognized, as they had never recognized before, the value of the oppor- tunities that had been theirs to walk and talk with the Sent of God. Many of His lessons, when spoken, they had not appreciated or understood; now they longed to recall these lessons, to hear again His words. With what joy now came back to them His assurance: — "It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him." "All things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you." And "the Comforter . . . whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." 1 "All things that the Father hath are Mine." "When 1 le, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth. . . . He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you." ' The disciples had seen Christ ascend from among them on the Mount of Olives. And as the heavens received Him, there had come back to them His parting promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."'' 1 John 16:7; 15:15; 14:26. 2 John 16: 15, 13, 14. ! Matt. 2S : 20, An Illustration of His Methods 95 They knew that His sympathies were with them still. They knew that they had a representative, an advocate, at the throne of God. In the name of Jesus they pre- sented their petitions, repeating His promise, "What- soever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He will give it you." 1 Higher and higher they extended the hand of faith, with the mighty argument, "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." 2 Faithful to His promise, the Divine One, exalted in the heavenly courts, imparted of His fulness to His followers on earth. His enthronement at God's right hand was signalized by the outpouring of the Spirit upon His disciples. By the work of Christ these disciples had been led to feel their need of the Spirit; under the Spirit's teach- ing they received their final preparation, and went forth to their life-work. No longer were they ignorant and uncultured. No longer were they a collection of independent units or of discordant and conflicting elements. No longer were their hopes set on worldly greatness. They were of "one accord," of "one mind and one soul." Christ filled their thoughts. The advancement of His king- dom was their aim. In mind and character they had become like their Master; and men "took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." 3 Then was there such a revelation of the glory of Christ as had never before been witnessed by mortal man. Multitudes who had reviled His name and despised His power confessed themselves disciples of the Crucified. Through the co-operation of the divine Faith's Assurance The Final Preparation A Work That Shook the World 'John 16 : 23. 2 Rom. 8:34. 3 Acts 4 : 13. 96 The Master Teacher Spirit the labors of the humble men whom Christ had chosen, stirred the world. To every nation under heaven was the gospel carried in a single generation. The same Spirit that in His stead was sent to be the "/ Am unit instructor of His first co-workers, Christ has commis- \ou Aiway" s ioned to be the instructor of His co-workers to-day. "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," 1 is His promise. The presence of the same Guide in educational work- to-day will produce the same results as of old. This is the end to which true education tends; this is the work that God designs it to accomplish. 1 Matt. jS : 20. Nature Teaching "Consider the wondrous icorks of Him who is perfect in knoivledge" God in Nature "his glory COVERS THE HEAVENS;" "and the earth is full ok ins riches" T TPON all created things is seen the impress of the ^-J Deity. Nature testifies of God. The susceptible mind, brought in contact with the miracle and mystery of the universe, can not but recognize the working of Thc Pervading infinite power. Not by its own inherent energy does ui e the earth produce its bounties, and year by year con- tinue its motion around the sun. An unseen hand guides the planets in their circuit of the heavens. A mysterious life pervades all nature, — a life that sustains the unnumbered worlds throughout immensity; that lives in the insect atom which floats in the summer breeze; that wings the flight of the swallow, and feeds the young ravens which cry; that brings the bud to blossom, and the flower to fruit. The same power that upholds nature, is working also in man. The same great laws that guide alike the star and the atom, control human life. The laws that govern the heart's action, regulating the flow of the current of life to the body, are the laws of the mighty universality ..... r it- of Law Intelligence that has the jurisdiction of the soul, from Him all life proceeds. Only in harmony with Him can be found its true sphere of action. For all the objects of His creation the condition is the same, — a life sus- tained by receiving the life of God, a life exercised (99 > LofC. IOO Nature Teaching Nature's Witness The Child's Teacher Opportunity for Nature Studv in harmony with the Creator's will. To transgress His law, physical, mental, or moral, is to place one's self out of harmony with the universe, to introduce discord, anarchy, ruin. To him who learns thus to interpret its teachings, all nature becomes illuminated; the world is a lesson- book, life a school. The unity of man with nature and with God, the universal dominion of law, the results of transgression, can not fail of impressing the mind and moulding the character. These are lessons that our children need to learn. To the little child, not yet capable of learning from the printed page or of being introduced to the routine of the schoolroom, nature presents an unfailing source of instruction and delight. The heart not yet hardened by contact with evil is quick to recognize the Presence that pervades all created things. The ear as yet undulled by the world's clamor is attentive to the Voice that speaks through nature's utterances. And for those of older years, needing continually its silent reminders of the spiritual and eternal, nature's teaching will be no less a source of pleasure and of instruction. As the dwellers in Eden learned from nature's pages, as Moses discerned God's handwriting on the Arabian plains and mountains, and the Child Jesus on the hillsides of Naz- areth, so the children of to-day may learn of Him. The unseen is illustrated by the seen. On everything upon the earth, from the loftiest tree of the forest to the lichen that clings to the rock, from the boundless ocean to the tiniest shell on the shore, they may behold the image and superscription of God. So far as possible, let the child from his earliest }'ears be placed where this wonderful lesson-book shall God in Nature 101 be open before him. Let him behold the glorious scenes painted by the great Master Artist upon the shifting canvas of the heavens, let him become acquainted with the wonders of earth and sea, let him watch the unfolding mysteries of the changing seasons, and, in all His works, learn of the Creator. In no other way can the foundation of a true educa- tion be so firmly and surely laid. Yet even the child, as he comes in contact with nature, will see cause for perplexity. He can not but recognize the working of antagonistic forces. It is here that nature needs an interpreter. Looking upon the evil manifest even in the natural world, all have the same sorrowful lesson to learn, — "An enemy hath done this." 1 Only in the light that shines from Calvary can nature's teaching be read aright. Through the story of Bethlehem and the cross let it be shown how good is to conquer evil, and how every blessing that comes to us is a gift of redemption. In brier and thorn, in thistle and tare, is represented the evil that blights and mars. In singing bird and opening blossom, in rain and sunshine, in summer breeze and gentle dew, in ten thousand objects in nature, from the oak of the forest to the violet that blossoms at its root, is seen the love that restores. And nature still speaks to us of God's goodness. "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil."* This is the message that, in the light from the cross, may be read upon all the face of nature. The heavens declare His glory, and the earth is full of His riches. •Matt. 13:2s. 2 Jer. 29:11. Antagonistic Forces The Interpreter of Nature Thoughts of Peace Lessons of Life i \ K in THE EARTH, A ND J 1 SHALL TEACH THEE" Christ's Object Teaching Ada/>tef1 to Every Hearer ^1 "HE great Teacher brought His hearers in contact -*• with nature, that they might listen to the voice which speaks in all created things ; and as their hearts became tender and their minds receptive, He helped them to interpret the spiritual teaching of the scenes upon which their eyes rested. The parables, by means of which He loved to teach lessons of truth, show how open His spirit was to the influences of nature, and how He delighted to gather the spiritual teaching from the surroundings of daily life. The birds of the air, the lilies of the field, the sower and the seed, the shepherd and the sheep, — with these Christ illustrated immortal truth. He drew illustrations also from the events of life, facts of experience familiar to the hearers, — the leaven, the hid treasure, the pearl, the fishing net, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the houses on the rock and the sand. In His lessons there was something to interest every mind, to appeal to ever)- heart. Thus the daily task, instead of being a mere round of toil, bereft of higher thoughts, was brightened and uplifted by constant reminders of the spiritual and the unseen. So we should teach. Let the children learn to see in nature an expression of the love and the wisdom of Lessons of Life IO' God ; let the thought of Him be linked with bird and flower and tree; let all things seen become to them the interpreters of the unseen, and all the events of life be a means of divine teaching. As they learn thus to study the lessons in all created things, and in all life's experiences, show that the same laws which govern the things of nature and the events of life are to control us ; that the)' are given for our good; and that only in obedience to them can we find true happiness and success. Unity of Law All things both in heaven and in earth declare that the great law of life is a law of service. The infinite Father ministers to the life of every living thing. Christ came to the earth "as he that serveth." ! The angels are "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." The same law of service is written upon all things in nature. The birds of the air, the beasts of the field, the trees of the forest, the leaves, the grass, and the flowers, the sun in the heavens and the stars of light, — all have their ministry. Lake and ocean, river and water-spring, — each takes to give. As each thing in nature ministers thus to the world's life, it also secures its own. "Give, and it shall be given unto you," 3 is the lesson written no less surely in nature than in the pages of Holy Writ. As the hillsides and the plains open a channel for the mountain stream to reach the sea, that which they give is repaid a hundredfold. The stream that goes singing on its way leaves behind its gift of beauty and fruitful- ness. Through the, fields, bare and brown under the 1 Luke 22:27. - Heb. 1: 14. 3 Luke 6:3s. The Law of Ministry- Gaining by Giving 104 Nature Teaching summer's heat, a line of verdure marks the river's course; every noble tree, every bud, every blossom, a witness to the recompense God's grace decrees to all' who become its channels to the world. Of the almost innumerable lessons taught in the T.aws nf varied processes of growth, some of the most precious Growth . , _ . . are conveyed in the Saviour s parable of the growing seed. It has lessons for old and young. "So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." l The seed has in itself a germinating principle, a prin- ciple that God Himself has implanted; yet if left to itself the seed would have no power to spring up. Man has his part to act in promoting the growth of the grain; but there is a point beyond which he can accomplish nothing. He must depend upon One who has connected the sowing and the reaping by wonderful links of His own omnipotent power. There is life in the seed, there is power in the soil; but unless infinite power is exercised day and night, the seed will yield no return. The showers of rain must refresh the thirsty fields; the sun must impart warmth; electricity must be conveyed to the buried seed. The life which the Creator has implanted, He alone can call forth. Every seed grows, every plant develops, by the power of God. "The seed is the word of God." "As the earth 1 Mark 4 : 26-28. Lessofis of Life 105 bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth." 1 As in the natural, so in the spiritual sowing; the power that alone can produce life is from God. The work of the sower is a work of faith. The mystery of the germination and growth of the seed he sowing in Faith can not understand ; but he has confidence in the agen- cies by which God causes vegetation to flourish. He casts away the seed, expecting to gather it many-fold in an abundant harvest. So parents and teachers are to labor, expecting a harvest from the seed they sow. For a time the good seed may lie unnoticed in the heart, giving no evidence that it has taken root; but afterward, as the Spirit of God breathes on the soul, the hidden seed springs up, and at last brings forth fruit. In our life-work we know not which shall prosper, this or that. This question it is not for us to settle. "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand."* God's great covenant declares that "while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest . . . God's 111 11 « t ,1 r 1 r 1 • -i Covenant for shall not cease. In the confidence of this promise the thc Harvest husbandman tills and sows. Not less confidently are we, in the spiritual sowing, to labor, trusting His assur- ance: "So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him."* The germination of the seed represents the begin- ning of spiritual life, and the development of the plant is a figure of the development of character. There can be 1 Luke 8: II ; Isa. 61 : u. 2 Eccl. n :6. 3 Gen. S : 22. * Isa. 55 : 11 ; Ps. 126 : 6. io6 Nature Teaching Conditions of Growth Fruit-Bearing no life without growth. The plant must either grow or die. As its growth is silent and imperceptible, but con- tinuous, so is the growth of character. At every stage of development our life may be perfect ; yet if God's purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be constant advance- ment. The plant grows by receiving that which God has provided to sustain its life. So spiritual growth is attained through co-operation with divine agencies. As the plant takes root in the soil, so we are to take root in Christ. As the plant receives the sunshine, the dew, and the rain, so are we to receive the Holy Spirit. If our hearts are stayed upon Christ, He will come unto us "as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth." As the Sun of Righteousness, He will arise upon us "with healing in His wings." We shall "grow as the lily." We shall "revive as the corn, and grow as the vine." 1 The wheat develops, "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear." 2 The object of the husbandman in the sowing of the seed and the culture of the plant, is the production of grain, — bread for the hungry, and seed for future harvests. So the divine Husbandman looks for a harvest. He is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts and lives of His fol- lowers, that through them He may be reproduced in other hearts and lives. A Lesson in Child- Training The gradual development of the plant from the seed is an object-lesson in child-training. There is "first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."' 2 He who gave this parable created the tiny seed, gave it its vital properties, and ordained the laws that govern »Hosea6:3; Mai. 4:2; Hosed 14:5, 7. -Mark .) : 28. Lessons of Life 107 its growth. And the truths taught by the parable were made a reality in His own life. He, the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, became a babe in Bethlehem, and for a time represented the helpless infant in its mother's care. In childhood He spoke and acted as Natural Development a child, honoring His parents, and carrying out their wishes in helpful ways. But from the first dawning of intelligence He was constantly growing in grace and in a knowledge of truth. • Parents and teachers should aim so to cultivate the tendencies of the youth that at each stage of life they may represent the beauty appropriate to that period, unfolding naturally, as do the plants in the garden. The little ones should be educated in childlike sim- plicity. They should be trained to be content with the small, helpful duties and the pleasures and experiences natural to their years. Childhood answers to the blade in the parable, and the blade has a beauty peculiarly its simplicity own. Children should not be forced into a precocious maturity, but as long as possible should retain the fresh- ness and grace of their early years. The more quiet and simple the life of the child, — the more free from artificial excitement and the more in harmony with nature, — the more favorable it is to ohysical and mental vigor and to spiritual strength. In the Saviour's miracle of feeding the five thousand is illustrated the working of God's power in the pro- The Miracle duction of the harvest. Jesus draws aside the veil from Harvest the world of nature, and reveals the creative energy that is constantly exercised for our good. In multiplying the seed cast into the guound, He who multiplied the io8 Nature Teaching loaves is working a miracle every day. It is by a miracle that He constantly feeds millions from earth's harvest-fields. Men are called upon to co-operate with Him in the care of the grain and the preparation of the loaf, and because of this they lose sight of the divine agency. The working of His power is ascribed to natural causes or to human instrumentality, and too often His gifts are perverted to selfish uses, and made a curse instead of a blessing. God is seeking to change all this. He desires that our dull senses shall be quick- ened to discern His merciful kindness, that His gifts may be to us the blessing that He intended. It is the word of God, the impartation of His life, partakers that gives life to the seed; and of that life, we, in eating Life of God the grain, become partakers. This God desires us to discern; He desires that even in receiving our daily bread we may recognize His agency, and may be brought into closer fellowship with Him. By the laws of God in nature, effect follows cause with unvarying certainty. The reaping testifies to the sowing. Here no pretense is tolerated. Men may deceive their fellow-men, and may receive praise and compensation for service which they have not rendered, we Reap j> u t m na ture there can be no deception. On the What . r We sow unfaithful husbandman the harvest passes sentence of condemnation. And in the highest sense this is true also in the spiritual realm. It is in appearance, not in reality, that evil succeeds. The child who plays truant from school, the youth who is slothful in his studies, the clerk or apprentice who fails of serving the interests of his employer, the man in any business or profession who Lessons of Life 109 is untrue to his highest responsibilities, may flatter him- self that, so long as the wrong is concealed, he is gain- ing an advantage. But not so; he is cheating himself. The harvest of life is character, and it is this that deter- mines destiny, both for this life and for the life to come. The harvest is a reproduction of the seed sown. Every seed yields fruit "after its kind." So it is with the traits of character we cherish. Selfishness, self-love, self-esteem, self-indulgence, reproduce themselves, and the end is wretchedness and ruin. "He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life ever- lasting." 1 Love, sympathy, and kindness yield fruitage of blessing, a harvest that is imperishable. In the harvest the seed is multiplied. A single- grain of wheat, increased by repeated sowings, would cover a whole land with golden sheaves. So wide- spread may be the influence of a single life, of even a single act. What deeds of love the memory of that alabaster box broken for Christ's anointing has through the long centuries prompted! What countless gifts that contri- bution, by a poor unnamed widow, of "two mites, which make a farthing,"" has brought to the Saviour's cause! Life's Harvest, Character Increase from Sowing Give The lesson of seed-sowing teaches liberality. "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he "Freeiy which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." 3 The Lord says, "Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters." 4 To sow beside all waters means to give wherever our help is needed. This will not tend to poverty. "He which soweth bountifully shall 1 Gal. 6: 8. - Mark 12 : 42. 3 2 Cor. 9 : 6. 4 Isa. 32: 20. iio Nature Teaching reap also bountifully." By casting it away the sower multiplies his seed. So by imparting we increase our blessings. God's promise assures a sufficiency, that we may continue to give. More than this: as we impart the blessings of this life, gratitude in the recipient prepares the heart to receive spiritual truth, and a harvest is produced unto life everlasting. By the casting of grain into the earth, the Saviour Life represents His sacrifice for us. "Except a corn ol through Death wheat fall into the ground and die," He says, "it abideth alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." 1 (Jul)- through the sacrifice of- Christ, the Seed, could fruit be brought forth for the kingdom of God. In accordance with the law of the vegetable kingdom, life is the result of His death. So with all who bring forth fruit as workers together with Christ: self-love, self-interest, must perish; the life must be cast into the furrow of the world's need. But the law of self-sacrifice is the law of self-preservation. The husbandman preserves his grain by casting it away. So the life that will be preserved is the life that is freely ijiven in service to God and man. The seed dies, to spring forth into new life. In .1 symbol this we are taught the lesson of the resurrection. Of Resurrection the human body laid away to moulder in the grave, God has said: "It is sown in corruption ; it is raised in incor- ruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power." 2 ■John 12: 24. 2 i Cor. 15 :.;2. .13. Lessons of Life in As parents and teachers try to teach these lessons, the work should be made practical. Let the children themselves prepare the soil and sow the seed. As they work, the parent or teacher can explain the garden of the heart, with the good or bad seed sown there, and that as the garden must be prepared for the natural Mature study & l l Made seed, so the heart must be prepared for the seed of Practical truth. As the seed is cast into the ground, they can teach the lesson of Christ's death; and as the blade springs up, the truth of the resurrection. As the plant grows, the correspondence between the natural and the spiritual sowing may be continued. The youth should be instructed in a similar way. From the tilling of the soil, lessons may constantly be learned. No one settles upon a raw piece of land with the expectation that it will at once yield a harvest. Diligent, persevering labor must be put forth in the preparation of the soil, the sowing of the seed, and the culture of the crop. So it must be in the spiritual sowing. The garden of the heart must be cultivated. The soil must be broken up by repentance. The evil growths that choke the good grain must be uprooted. As soil once overgrown with thorns can be reclaimed only by diligent labor, so the evil tendencies of the heart can be overcome only by earnest effort in the name and strength of Christ. In the cultivation of the soil the thoughtful worker obedience .to Law will find that treasures little dreamed of are opening up before him. No one can succeed in agriculture or gardening without attention to the laws involved. The special needs of every variety of plant must be studied. i i 2 Na t u re Tc a c h i ng Different varieties require different soil and cultivation, and compliance with the laws governing each is the condition of success. The attention required in trans- planting, that not even a root-fiber shall be crowded or misplaced, the care of the young plants, the pruning and watering, the shielding from frost at night and sun by day, keeping out weeds, disease, and insect-pests, the training and arranging, not only teach important Development lessons concerning the development of character, but the work itself is a means of development. In culti- vating carefulness, patience, attention to detail, obedi- ence to law, it imparts a most essential training. The constant contact with the mystery of life and the loveli- ness of nature, as well as the tenderness called forth in ministering to these beautiful objects of God's creation, tends to quicken the mind and refine and elevate the character; and the lessons taught prepare the worker to deal more successfully with other minds. Other Object Lessons "whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the lord" f^OD S healing power runs all through nature. If a ^* tree is cut, if a human being is wounded or breaks a bone, nature begins at once to repair the injury. Even before the need exists, the healing agencies are in readiness; and as soon as a part is wounded, every energy is bent to the work of restoration. So it is in the spiritual realm. Before sin created the need, God had provided the remedy. Every soul that yields to temptation is wounded, bruised, by the adversary; but wherever there is sin, there is the Saviour. It is Christ's work "to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, . . . to set at liberty them that are bruised." 1 In this work we are to co-operate. "If a man be overtaken in a fault, . . . restore such a one."" The word here translated "restore" means to put in joint, as a dislocated bone. How suggestive the figure! He who falls into error or sin is thrown out of relation to everything about him. He may realize his error, and be filled with remorse; but he can not recover himself. He is in confusion and perplexity, worsted and helpless. He is to be reclaimed, healed, re-established. "Ye which are spiritual, restore such a one." Only the 8 ILuke 4 : 18. '■'Gal. 6: I. (113) The Ministry of Healing A Suggestive Figure H4 Nature Teaching love that flows from the heart of Christ can heal. only Love Only he in whom that love flows, even as the sap in Can Restore . . the tree or the blood in the body, can restore the wounded soul. Love's agencies have wonderful power, for they are divine. The soft answer that "turneth away wrath," the love that "suffereth long, and is kind," the charity that "covereth a multitude of sins," 1 — would we learn the lesson, with what power for healing would our lives be gifted! How life would be transformed, and the earth become a very likeness and foretaste of heaven ! These precious lessons may be so simply taught as to be understood, even by little children. The heart of the child is tender and easily impressed; and when we who are older become "as little children;" 2 when we learn the simplicity and gentleness and tender love of the Saviour, we shall not find it difficult to touch the hearts of the little ones, and teach them love's ministry of healing. Perfection exists in the least as well as in the perfection greatest of the works of God. The hand that hung in Little . •1111 e 1 • 1 Things the worlds in space is the hand that fashions the flowers of the field. Examine under the ^microscope the smallest and commonest of wayside blossoms, and note in all its parts the exquisite beauty and complete- ness. So in the humblest lot true excellence may be found; the commonest tasks, wrought with loving faith- fulness, are beautiful in God's sight. Conscientious attention to the little things will make us workers together with Him, and win for us His commendation who seeth and knoweth all. 1 Prov. 15 : 1; 1 Cor. 13 : 4, R. V.; 1 Peter 4 : S, R. V. * Matt. 18 : 3. Other Object Lessons 115 The rainbow spanning the heavens with its arch of light is a token of "the everlasting covenant between The /-> i- • Rainbow God and every living creature.' And the rainbow encircling the throne on high is also a token to God's children of His covenant of peace. As the bow in the cloud results from the union of sunshine and shower, so the bow above God's throne represents the union of His mercy and His justice. To the sinful but repentant soul God says, Live thou; "I have found a ransom."' 2 "As I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." 3 The stars also have a message of good cheer for The stan every human being. In those hours that come to all, when the heart is faint, and temptation presses sore ; - when obstacles seem insurmountable, life's aims impos- sible of achievement, its fair promises like apples of Sodom, where, then, can such courage and steadfastness be found as in that lesson which God has bidden us learn from the stars in their untroubled course? "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number; He callcth them all by names by the greatness of His might, for that He is strong in power; not one "• Vo < " nc faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment 'Gen. 9:16. -Job 33:24. 8 Isa. 54 : 9, 10. n6 Nature Teaching "I Will Help Thee" is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength." "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." "I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will 'help thee." 1 The Palm-Tree The palm-tree, beaten by the scorching sun and the fierce sand-storm, stands green and flourishing and fruitful in the midst of the desert. Its roots are fed by living springs. Its crown of verdure is seen afar over the parched, desolate plain ; and the traveler, ready to die, urges his failing steps to the cool shade and the life-giving water. The tree of the desert is a symbol of what God means the life of His children in this world to be. They are to guide weary souls, full of unrest, and ready to perish in the desert of sin, to the living water. They are to point their fellow-men to Him who gives the invitation, "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." 2 River and Brook The wide, deep river, that offers a highway for the traffic and travel of nations, is valued as a world-wide benefit; but what of the little rills that help to form this noble stream? Were it not for them, the river would disappear. Upon them its very existence depends. So 1 lsa. 40 : 26-29 ; 41 : io, 13. * John 7 : 37. Other Object Lessons 117 men called to lead in some great work are honored as if its success were due to them alone ; but that success required the faithful co-operation of humbler workers almost without number, — workers of whom the world knows nothing. Tasks uncommended, labor without unrecognized recognition, is the lot of most of the world's toilers. And in such a lot many are filled with discontent. They feel that life is wasted. But the little rill that makes its noiseless way through grove and meadow, bearing health and fertility and beauty, is as useful in its way as the broad river. And in contributing to the river's life, it helps achieve that which alone it could never have accomplished. The lesson is one needed by many. Talent is too much idolized, and station too much coveted. There are too many who will do nothing unless they are recognized as leaders; too many who must receive praise, or they have no interest to labor. What we need to learn is faithfulness in making the utmost use of the powers and opportunities we have, and content- ment in the lot to which Heaven assigns us. "Ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee; . and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee." "Go to the ant; . . . consider her ways." "Behold the birds." "Consider the ravens." 1 We are not merely to tell the child about these creatures of God's. The animals themselves are to be his teachers. The ants teach lessons of patient industry, of perseverance in surmounting obstacles, of providence for the future. And the birds are teachers of the sweet JJob 12:7,8; Prov. 6:6; Matt. 6: 26, R. V-; Luke 12 : 24. The Little Creatures of the Earth A Lesson Of Trust 118 Nature Teaching lesson of trust. Our heavenly Father provides for them; but they must gather the food, they must build their nests, and rear their young. Every moment they are exposed to enemies that seek to destroy them. Yet how cheerily they go about their work ! how full of joy are their little songs ! How beautiful the psalmist's description of God's care for the creatures of the woods, — "The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; And the rocks for the conies." ' He sends the springs to run among the hills, where the birds have their habitation, and "sing among the branches." 1 All the creatures of the woods and hills are a part of His great household. He opens His hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing. 1 The eagle of the Alps is sometimes beaten down by The Eagle _ tne tempest into the narrow denies of the mountains. Storm-clouds shut in this mighty bird of the forest, their dark masses separating her from the sunny heights where she has made her home. Her efforts to escape seem fruitless. She dashes to and fro, beating the air with her strong wings, and waking the mountain echoes with her cries. At length, with a note of triumph, she darts upward, and, piercing the clouds, is once more in the clear sunlight, with the darkness and tempest far beneath. So we may be surrounded with difficulties, discouragement, and darkness. Falsehood, calamity, Above the injustice, shut us in. There are clouds that we can not Clouds dispel. We battle with circumstances in vain. There is one, and but one, way of escape. The mists and fogs cling to the earth; beyond the clouds God's light is 1 Ps. 104 : 18, 12 ; 145 : 16. Other Object Lessons 119 shining. Into the sunlight of His presence we may rise 'on the wings of faith. Many are the lessons that may thus be learned. Self-reliance, from the tree that, growing alone on plain or mountainside, strikes down its roots deep into the earth, and in its rugged strength defies the tempest. The power of early influence, from the gnarled, shape- less trunk, bent as a sapling, to which no earthly power can afterward restore its lost symmetry. The secret of a holy life, from the water-lily, that, on the bosom of some slimy pool, surrounded by weeds and rubbish, strikes down its channeled stem to the pure sands beneath, and, drawing thence its life, lifts up its fragrant blossoms to the light in spotless purity. Other Illustrations Thus while the children and youth gain a knowl- edge of facts from teachers and text-books, let them learn to draw lessons and discern truth for themselves. In their gardening, question them as to what they learn from the care of their plants. As they look on a beautiful landscape, ask them why God clothed the fields and woods with such lovely and varied hues. Why was not all colored a somber brown? When they gather the flowers, lead them to think why He spared us the beauty of these wanderers from Eden. Teach them to notice the evidences everywhere mani- fest in nature of God's thought for us, the wonderful adaptation of all things to our need and happiness. He alone who recognizes in nature his Father's handiwork, who in the richness and beauty of the earth Teach Children to Observe 120 Na t u re Tc a cli i)ig K:\ture a Key to the Bible Study Similitudes reads the Father's handwriting, — he alone learns from the things of nature their deepest lessons, and receives their highest ministry. Only he can fully appreciate the significance of hill and vale, river and sea, who looks upon them as an expression of the thought of God, a revelation of the Creator. Many illustrations from nature are used by the Bible writers, and as we observe the things of the natural world, we shall be enabled, under the guiding of the Holy Spirit, more fully to understand the lessons of God's word. It is thus that nature becomes a key to the treasure-house of the word. Children should be encouraged to search out in nature the objects that illustrate Bible teachings, and to trace in the Bible the similitudes drawn from nature. They should search out, both in nature and in Holy Writ, every object representing Christ, and those also that He employed in illustrating truth. Thus may they learn to see Him in tree and vine, in lily and rose, in sun and star. They may learn to hear His voice in the song of birds, in the sighing of the trees, in the rolling thunder, and in the music of the sea. And every object in nature will repeat to them His precious lessons. To those who thus acquaint themselves with Christ, the earth will nevermore be a lonely and desolate place. It will be their Father's house, filled with the presence of Him who once dwelt among; men. The Bible as an Educator When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and -when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. " Mental and Spiritual Culture "by knowledge shall the chambers he filled with all precious and pleasant riches' TpOR the mind and the soul, as well as for the body, -*- it is God's law that strength is acquired by effort. It is exercise that develops. In harmony with this law, God has provided in His word the means for mental and spiritual development. The Bible contains all the principles that men need to understand in order to be fitted either for this life or for the life to come. And these principles may be understood by all. No one with a spirit to appreciate its teaching can read a single passage from the Bible without gaining from it some helpful thought. But the most valuable teaching of the Bible is not to be gained by occasional or disconnected study. Its great system of truth is not so presented as to be discerned by the hasty or careless reader. Many of its treasures lie far beneath the surface, and can be obtained only by dili- gent research and continuous effort. The truths that go to make up the great whole must be searched out and gathered up, "here a little, and there a little." 1 When thus searched out and brought together, they will be found to be perfectly fitted to one another. Each Gospel is a supplement to the others, every prophecy an Effort in Bible Study A Perfect Whole 1 Isa. 28 1 10. (123) 124 The Bible as an Ediicator explanation of another, every truth a development of some other truth. The types of the Jewish economy are made plain by the gospel. Every principle in the word of God has its place, every fact its bearing. And the complete structure, in design and execution, bears testimony to its Author. Such a structure no mind but that of the Infinite could conceive or fashion. In searching out the various parts and studying their intcih-ctuni relationship, the highest faculties of the human mind are Discipline r ° called into intense activity. No one can engage in such study without developing mental power. And not alone in searching out truth and bringing it together does the mental value of Bible study con- sist. It consists also in the effort required to grasp the themes presented. The mind occupied with common- place matters only, becomes dwarfed and enfeebled. If never tasked to comprehend grand and far-reaching truths, it after a time loses the power of growth. As a safeguard against this degeneracy, and a stimulus to development, nothing else can equal the study of God's word. As a means of intellectual training, the Bible is more effective than any other book, or all other books combined. The greatness of its themes, the dignified simplicity of its utterances, the beauty of its imagery, quicken and uplift the thoughts as nothing else can. No other study can impart such mental power as does the effort to grasp the stupendous truths of revelation. The mind thus brought in contact with the thoughts of the Infinite can not but expand and strengthen. And even greater is the power of the Bible in the spiritual development of the spiritual nature. Man, created for Development t . m t fellowship with God, can only in such fellowship find his real life and development. Created to find in God his Mental and Spiritual Culture 125 highest joy, he can find in nothing else that which can quiet the cravings of the heart, can satisfy the hunger and thirst of the soul. He who with sincere and teachable spirit studies God's word, seeking to com- prehend its truths, will be brought in touch with its Author; and, except by his own choice, there is no limit to the possibilities of his development. In its wide range of style and subjects, the Bible has something to interest every mind and appeal to every heart. In its pages are found history the most ancient; biography the truest to life; principles of government for the control of the state, for the regulation of the house- hold, — principles that human wisdom has never equaled. It contains philosophy the most profound, poetry the sweetest and the most sublime, the most impassioned and the most pathetic. Immeasurably superior in value to the productions of any human author are the Bible writings, even when thus considered ; but of infinitely wider scope, of infinitely greater value, are they when viewed in their relation to the grand central thought. Viewed in the light of this thought, every topic has a new significance. In the most simply stated truths are involved principles that are as high as heaven and that compass eternity. The central theme of the Bible, the theme about which every other in the whole book clusters, is the redemption plan, the restoration in the human soul of the image of God. From the first intimation of hope in the sentence pronounced in Eden to that last glorious promise of the Revelation, "They shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads," 1 the burden of every book and every passage of the Bible is the unfolding of this wondrous theme, — man's uplifting, — 1 Rev. 22 : 4. Range of Style and Subjects The Central Theme 126 The Bible as an Educator .\n Infinite Field Truths Life-Besetting , Life~Sustainim the power of Gocl, "which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 He who grasps this thought has before him an infi- nite field for study. He has the key that will unlock to him the whole treasure-house of God's word. The science of redemption is the science of all sci- ences; the science that is the study of the angels and of all the intelligences of the unfallen worlds; the science that engages the attention of our Lord and Saviour; the science that enters into the purpose brooded in the mind of the Infinite, — " kept in silence through times eternal;"" the science that will be the study of God's redeemed throughout endless ages. This is the highest study in which it is possible for man to engage. As no other study can, it will quicken the mind and uplift the soul. "The excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom" giveth life to them that have it." "The Avords that I speak unto you," said Jesus, "they are spirit, and they are life." " This is life eternal, that they should know Thee the only true God, and Him whom Thou didst send." 3 The creative energy that called the worlds into existence is in the word of God. This word imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a promise; accepted by the will, received into the soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite One. It transforms the nature, and re-creates the soul in the image of God. The life thus imparted is in like manner sustained. "By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" 4 shall man live. The mind, the soul, is built up by that upon which it feeds; and it rests with us to determine upon what it 1 I Cor. is :$-. B Eccl. 7 : 12; John 6 : 6 j -Rom. 16:25, R- V. V. * Matt. 4:4. Mental and Spiritual Culture 127 shall be fed. It is within the power of every one to choose the topics that shall occupy the thoughts and shape the character. Of every human being privileged with access to the Scriptures, God says, "I have written to him the great things of My law." "Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." 1 With the word of God in his hands, eveiy human Possibilities of Compan- being, wherever his lot in life may be cast, may have ionship such companionship as he shall choose. In its pages he may hold converse with the noblest and best of the human race, and may listen to the voice of the Eternal as He speaks with men. As he studies and meditates upon the themes into which "the angels desire to look," 2 he may have their companionship. He may follow the steps of the heavenly Teacher, and listen to His words as when He taught on mountain and plain and sea. He may dwell in this world in the atmosphere of heaven, imparting to earth's sorrowing and tempted ones thoughts of hope and longings for holiness; himself coming closer and still closer into fellowship with the Unseen ; like him of old who walked with God, drawing- nearer and nearer the threshold of the eternal world, until the portals shall open, and he shall enter there. He will find himself no stranger. The voices that will greet him are the voices of the holy ones, who, unseen, were on earth his companions, — voices that here he learned to distinguish and to love. He who through the word of God has lived in fellowship with heaven, will find himself at home in heaven's companionship. Not a Stranger 1 Hosea 8 : 12; Jer. 33 : 3. 2 1 Peter 1 : 12. Science and t h e Bible 'WHO KNOWETH nut IN ALL THESE THAT T H fc. HAND OK THE LORD HATH WROUGHT?" Harmony <>t Nature and Revelation Evolution of the Earth ^INCE the book of nature and the book of revelation ^ bear the impress of the same master mind, they can not but speak in harmony. By different methods, and in different languages, they witness to the same great truths. Science is ever discovering new wonders ; but she brings from her research nothing that, rightly understood, conflicts with divine revelation. The book of nature and the written word shed light upon each other. They make us acquainted with God by teaching us something of the laws through which He works. Inferences erroneously drawn from facts observed in nature have, however, led to supposed conflict between science and revelation; and in the effort to restore harmony, interpretations of Scripture have been adopted that undermine and destroy the force of the word of God. Geology has been thought to contradict the literal interpretation of the Mosaic record of the crea- tion. Millions of years, it is claimed, were required for the evolution of the earth from chaos; and in order to accommodate the Bible to this supposed revelation of science, the days of creation are assumed to have been vast, indefinite periods, covering thousands or even millions of years. Science and the Bible 129 Such a conclusion is wholly uncalled for. The Bible record is in harmony with itself and with the teaching of nature. Of the first day employed in the work of creation is given the record, "The evening and the morningr were the first day." 1 And the same in Bible Record & J of the substance is said of each of the first six days of creation creation week. Each of these periods Inspiration declares to have been a day consisting of evening and morning, like every other day since that time. In regard to the work of creation itself the divine testimony is, "He spake, and it was; He commanded, and it stood fast.' ,;i With Him who could thus call into existence unnum- bered worlds, how long a time would be required for the evolution of the earth from chaos? In order to account for His works, must we do violence to His word? It is true that remains found in the earth testify to the existence of men, animals, and plants much larger than any now known. These are regarded as proving the existence of vegetable and animal life prior to the time of the Mosaic record. But concerning these things Bible history furnishes ample explanation. Before the flood, the development of vegetable and animal life was immeasurably superior to that which has since been known. At the flood the surface of the earth was broken up, marked changes took place, and in changes at . ° r the Flood the re-formation of the earth's crust were preserved many evidences of the life previously existing. The vast forests buried in the earth at the time of the flood, and since changed to coal, form the extensive coal fields, and yield the supplies of oil, that minister to our comfort and convenience to-day. These things, as they are brought to light, are so many witnesses mutely testifying to the truth of the word of God. 'Gen. 1 : 5. a Ps. 22 : 9. 130 The Bible as an Ediicator Evolution of Man The Divine Working in Nature Akin to the theory concerning the evolution of the earth, is that which attributes to an ascending line of germs, mollusks, and quadrupeds the evolution of man, the crowning glory of the creation. When consideration is given to man's opportunities for research; how brief his life; how limited his sphere of action; how restricted his vision; how frequent and how great the errors in his conclusions, especially as concerns the events thought to antedate Bible history; how often the supposed deductions of science are revised or cast aside; with what readiness the assumed period of the earth's development is from time to time increased or diminished by millions of years; and how the theories advanced by different scientists conflict with one another, — considering all this, shall we, for the privilege of trac- ing our descent from germs and mollusks and apes, consent to cast away that statement of Holy Writ, so grand in its simplicity, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him"? 1 Shall we reject that genealogical record, — prouder than any treasured in the courts of kings, — "which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God"? 2 Rightly understood, both the revelations of science and the experiences of life are in harmony with the testimony of Scripture to the constant working of God in nature. In the hymn recorded by Nehemiah, the Levites sung, "Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all." 3 As regards this earth, Scripture declares the work of creation to have been completed. "The works were 1 Gen 1:27. -Luke 3:3s. 8 Neh. 9:6. Science and the Bible 131 finished from the foundation of the world." 1 But the power of God is still exercised in upholding the objects of His creation. It is not because the mechanism once set m motion continues to act by its own inherent energy that the pulse beats, and breath follows breath. Every breath, every pulsation of the heart, is an evidence of the care of Him in whom we live and move and have our being. From the smallest insect to man, every living creature is daily dependent upon His providence. "These wait all upon Thee. . . . That Thou givest them they gather; Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good. ' Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled ; Thou takest away their breath, they die, And return to their dust. Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created ; And Thou renewest the face of the earth." 2 " He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, And hangeth the earth upon nothing. He bindeth up the waters in His thick clouds ; And the cloud is not rent under them. . . . He hath compassed the waters with bounds, Until the day and night come to an end." " The pillars of heaven tremble And are astonished at His rebuke. He stilleth the sea with His power. . . . By His Spirit the heavens are beauty ; His hand hath pierced the gliding serpent. Lo, these are but the outskirts of His ways ; And how small a whisper do we hear of Him ! But the thunder of His power who can understand ? " 3 " The Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds arc the dust of His feet." 4 The mighty power that works through all nature and sustains all things is not, as some men of science claim, merely an all-pervading principle, an actuating 1 Heb. 4:3. '-! Ps. 104 : 17-30. 3 Job 26 : 7-10; 26 : 11-14, R. V., margin. Ps. 139:2-6, R. V. 'A Father tititn You ' Mysteries in Nature 134 The Bible as an Educator The deepest students of science are constrained to recognize in nature the working of infinite power. But to man's unaided reason, nature's teaching can not but be contradictory and disappointing. Only in the light of revelation can it be read aright. "Through faith we understand." 1 "In the beginning God."* Here alone can the mind in its eager questioning, fleeing as the dove to the ark, find rest. Above, beneath, beyond, abides Infinite Love, working out all things to accomplish "the good pleasure of His goodness."" "The invisible things of Him since the creation of the world are . . .-. perceived through the things that are made, even His everlasting power and divinity." 4 But their testimony can be understood only through the aid of the divine Teacher. "What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but •the Spirit of God." 5 "When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth." 6 Only by the aid of that Spirit who in the beginning "was brooding upon the face of the waters;" of that Word by whom "all things were made;" of that "true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world," can the testimony of science be rightly interpreted. Only by their guidance can its deepest truths be discerned. Only under the direction of the Omniscient One shall we, in the study of His works, be enabled to think His thoughts after Him. 1 Heb. n : 3. 2 Gen. 1:1. :i 2 Thess. 1 : 11. 4 Rom. 1:20, R. V. "1 Cor. 2:11. °Jolin 16:13. Btismess Principles and Methods "he that walketh uprightly walketh surely" Business Man's r I ^HERE is no branch of legitimate business for ■*■ which the Bible does not afford an essential preparation. Its principles of diligence, honesty, thrift, temperance, and purity are the secret of true success. These principles, as set forth in the book of Proverbs, constitute a treasury of practical wisdom. Where can Manual the merchant, the artisan, the director of men in any department of business, find better maxims for himself or for his employees than are found in these words of the wise man : — "Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." 1 "In all labor there is profit; but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury." 1 'The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath noth- ing." "The drunkard and the glutton shall come to Every- Day poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags."" "A talebearer revealeth secrets; therefore meddle not with him that fiattereth with his lips." 3 "He that hath knowledge spareth his words;" but " every fool will be meddling." 4 1 Prov. 22:29; 14 : 23. -Prov. 13:4; 23:21. 3 Prov. 20:19. ■'Prov. 17:27; 20:3. (135, Maxims 136 The Bible as an Educator "Go not in the way of evil men;" "can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned?" 1 "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.'" "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly. ' ' a The whole circle of our obligation to one another is covered by that word of Christ's, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." 3 How many a man might have escaped financial failure and ruin by heeding the warnings, so often repeated and emphasized in the Scriptures: — " He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent." 4 "Wealth gotten in haste shall be diminished; but he that gathereth by labor shall have increase.'" "The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a . vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death." "The borrower is servant to the lender." 6 " He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; and he that hateth suretyship is sure." 6 "Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless; for their Redeemer is mighty; He shall plead their cause with thee." "He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want." "Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him." 7 These are principles with which are bound up the Basis of well-being of society, of both secular and religious Confidence . . associations. It is these principles that give security to property and life. For all that makes confidence 'Prov. 4:14: 6:28. 2 Prov. 13:20; 18 : 24. ^Matt. 7 : 12. 4 Prov.2S:20. fl 1'rov. 13:11, R. V., margin. *Prov. 21:6; 22:7; 11:15. 7 Prov. 23:10,11; 22:16; 26:27. Best Capital Business Principles and Method's 137 and co-operation possible, the world is indebted to the law of God, as given in His word, and as still traced, in lines often obscure and well-nigh obliterated, in the hearts of men. The psalmist's words, " The law of Thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver," 1 state that which is true from other than a religious point of view. They state an absolute truth, and one that is recognized in the business world. Even in this age of passion for money-getting, when competition is so sharp, and methods are so unscrupulous, it is still widely acknowledged that, for a young man starting in life, integrity, diligence, temperance, purity, and thrift constitute a better capital than any amount of mere money. Yet even of those who appreciate the value of these qualities and acknowledge the Bible as their source, there are but few who recognize the principle upon which they depend. That which lies at the foundation of business integ- rity and of true success is the recognition of God's ownership. The Creator of all things, He is the origi- stewardship nal proprietor. We are His stewards. All that we have is a trust from Him, to be used according to His direction. This is an obligation that rests upon every human being. It has to do with the whole sphere of human activity. Whether we recognize it or not, we are stewards, supplied from God with talents and facilities, and placed in the world to do a work appointed by Him. ! Ps. 119:72. 1 38 The Bible as cm J\du eator "Be Not Anxious To every man is given "his work," 1 — the work for which his capabilities adapt him, — the work which will result in greatest good to himself and to his fellow-men, and in greatest honor to God. Thus our business or calling is a part of God's great plan, and, so long as it is conducted in accordance with His will, He Himself is responsible for the results. " Laborers together with God,"" our part is faithful com- pliance with His directions. Thus there is no place for anxious care. Diligence, fidelity, care-taking, thrift, and discretion are called for. Every faculty is to be exer- cised to its highest capacity. But the dependence will be, not on the successful outcome of our efforts, but on the promise of God. The word that fed Israel in the desert, and sustained Elijah through the time of famine, has the same power to-day. "Be not anxious, 3 saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? . . Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteous- ness; and all these things shall be added unto you." 4 He who gives men power to get wealth has with the gift bound up an obligation. Of all that we acquire He claims a specified portion. The tithe is the Lord's. "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree," "the tithe of the herd or of the flock, . . . shall be holy unto the Lord."" The pledge made by Jacob at Bethel shows the extent of the obligation. "Of all that Thou shalt give me," he said, "I will surely give the tenth unto Thee." 1 ' "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse," 7 is God's command. No appeal is made to gratitude or to generosity. This is a matter of simple honesty. The 'Mark 13:34- 2 i Cor. 3:9. 8 R. V. 1 Lev. 27 : 30, 32. ' Gen. 28 : 22. * Matt. 6 131-33. Mai. 3 : 10. Business Principles and Methods 139 tithe is the Lord's; and He bids us return to Him that which is His own. "It is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." 1 If honesty is an essential principle of busi- ness life, must we not recognize our obligation to God, — the obligation that underlies every other? By the terms of our stewardship we are placed under obligation, not only to God, but to man. To the infinite love of the Redeemer every human being is indebted for the gifts of life. Food and raiment and shelter, body and mind and soul, — all are the purchase of His blood. And by the obligation of gratitude and service thus imposed, Christ has bound us to our fellow-men. He bids us, "By love serve one another." 11 "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me." 3 "I am debtor," Paul declares, "both to the Greeks and to the barbarians*; both to the wise and to the unwise."* So also are we. By all that has blessed our life above others, we are placed under obligation to every human being whom we might benefit. These truths are not for the closet more than for the counting-room. The goods that we handle are not our own, and never can this fact safely be lost sight of. We are but stewards, and on the discharge of our obli- gation to God and man depend both the welfare of our fellow-beings and our own destiny for this life and for the life to come. "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it 1 1 Cor. 4:2. 2 Gal. 5:13. 8 Matt. 25:40. * Rom. 1 : 14. '7 Am Debtor' 140 The Bible as an Educator Profit and Loss tendeth to poverty." "Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days." "The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." 1 "Labor not to be rich. . . . Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." 2 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good meas- ure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye meet withal it shall be measured to you again." 3 The Beat-Paying Investment "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine increase; so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." 4 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground ; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field. And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall be a delightsome land." 5 "If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My command- ments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage ;! Luke 6:38. 1 Prov. r 1 : 2 j, 25; Eccl. n : 1. 4 Prov. 3 : 9, 10. -'Prov. 23 : 4, 5. ■"' Mai. 3 : 10-12. Business Principles and Methods 141 shall reach unto the sowing-time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, . . . and none shall make you afraid." 1 "Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." "Blessed is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth; and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies." "He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him again." 2 He who makes this investment lays up double treas- ure. Besides that which, however wisely improved, he must leave at last, he is amassing wealth for eternity, — that treasure of character which is the most valuable possession of earth or heaven. Security for Deposit "The Lord knoweth the days of the upright; and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be Insurance ashamed in the evil time; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." 3 " He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteous- ness, and speaketh the truth in his heart; ... he that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not;" "he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, . . . and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high; bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall behold the land that is very far off."* •Lev. 26:3-6. z Isa. 1:17, Ps 41:1,2; Prov. 19:17. 3 Ps. 3? : 18, 19. < Ps. 15 : 2-4 ; Isa. 33 : 15-17. I-)2 The Bible as an Educator A Successful Career Its Cro \vn of Honor God has given in His word a picture of a prosperous man, — one whose life was in the truest sense a success, a man whom both heaven and earth delighted to honor. Of his experiences Job himself says : — "In the ripeness of my days, When the secret of God was upon my tent; When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were about me; . . . When I went forth to the gate unto the city. When I prepared my seat in the broad place, 1 The young men saw me and hid themselves, And the aged rose up and stood ; The princes refrained talking, And laid their hand on their mouth ; The voice of -the nobles was hushed. . . . "For when the ear heard me, then it blessed me ; And when the eye saw me, it gave witness unto me ; Because I delivered the poor that cried, The fatherless also, and him l that had none to help him. "The blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me; And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was as a robe and a diadem. I was eyes to the blind, And feet was I to the lame. I was a father to the needy; And the cause of him that I knew not I searched out." "The stranger did not lodge in the street; But I opened my doors to the traveler." "Unto me men gave ear, and waited. . . . And the light of my countenance they cast not down. I chose out their way, and sat chief, And dwelt as a king in the army, As one that comforteth tlic mourners." 3 "The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and He addeth no sorrow with it." 3 "Riches and honor are with Me," declares Wisdom; "yea, durable riches and righteousness." 4 1 Margin. 2 Job 29 : 4-16, R. V. ; 31 : 32; 29 : 21-25. 3 Prov. 10 : 22. 4 Prov. 8 : 18. .\ Fruitless Venture Business Principles and Methods 143 The Bible shows also the result of a departure from right principles in our dealing both with God and with one another. To those who are entrusted with His gifts but indifferent to His claims, God says: — "Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it." "When one came to a heap of twenty measures, there were but ten ; when one came to the press-fat for to draw out fifty vessels out of the press, there were but twenty." "Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of Mine house that is waste." "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have lobbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings." "Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit." 1 "Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, ... ye have built houses of hewn stone, but Gains That .... Impoverish ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them." "The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and re- buke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto." "Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another, . . . and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long; and there shall be no might in thine hand."* "He that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool." 3 1 Haggai 1 : 5-9 ; 2 : 16 ; 1 : 10 ; Mai. 3 : S. 2 Amos 5:11; Deut. 28 : 20, 32. 3 Jer. 17:11. i44 The Bible as an Educator The accounts of every business, the details of every transaction, pass the scrutiny of unseen auditors, agents of Him who never compromises with injustice, never overlooks evil, never palliates wrong. "If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and The Audit violent perverting of judgment and justice, marvel not at the matter; for He that is higher than the highest regardeth." "There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves." 1 "They set their mouth against the heavens, and say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?" "These things hast thou done," God says, "and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes."* "I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a flying roll. . . . This is the curse a witness t i ia t rroeth forth over the face of the whole earth; for Never silenced every one that stealeth shall be cut off as on this side according to it; and every one that sweareth shall be cut off as on that side according to it. I will bring it forth, saith the Lord of hosts, and it shall enter into the house of the thief, and into the house of him that sweareth falsely by My name; and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall consume it with the timber thereof and the stones thereof." 3 Against every evil-doer God's law utters condem- nation. He may disregard that voice, he may seek to drown its warning, but in vain. It follows him. It makes itself heard. It destroys his peace. If unheeded, 1 Eccl. 5 : 8 ; Job 34 : 22. 2 Ps. 73 : 9-11 ; 50: 21. a Zech. 5:1-4. Business Principles and Methods 145 it pursues him to the grave. It bears witness against him at the judgment. A quenchless fire, it consumes at last soul and body. "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" 1 This is a question that demands consideration by every parent, every teacher, every student, — by every The Question J l J J ' m J of Questions human being, young or old. No scheme of business or plan of life can be sound or complete that embraces only the brief years of this present life, and makes no provision for the unending future. Let the youth be taught to take eternity into their reckoning. Let them be taught to choose the principles and seek the posses- sions that are enduring, — to lay up for themselves that "treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth;" to make to themselves friends "by means of the mammon of unrighteousness," that when it shall fail, these may receive them "into the eternal tabernacles." 2 All who do this are making the best possible prepa- ration for life in this world. No man can lay up treasure in heaven without finding his life on earth thereby enriched and ennobled. "Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 3 1 Mark S : 36, 37. a Luke 12 : 33 ; 16: 9, R. V. 3 1 Tim. 4 : S. B i b le B iogr ap h i e s "who through faith si kingdoms, wrought righteousness, from weakness were maui AS an educator no part of the Bible is of greater ■**■ value than are its biographies. These biographies differ from all others in that they are absolutely true to life. It is impossible for any finite mind to interpret a Faithful rightly, in all things, the workings of another. None Delineation ... . but He who reads the heart, who discerns the secret springs of motive and action, can with absolute truth delineate character, or give a faithful picture of a human life. In God's word alone is found such delineation. No truth does the Bible more clearly teach than that what we do is the result of what we are. To a great degree the experiences of life are the fruition of our own thoughts and deeds. "The curse causeless shall not come." 1 "Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with Retribution him; . . . unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him ; for the reward of his hands shall be given him." "Hear, O earth; behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts." 3 Terrible is this truth, and deeply should it be im- pressed. Every deed reacts upon the doer. Never a human being but may recognize, in the evils that curse his life, fruitage of his own sowing. Yet even thus we are not without hope. (146) 'Prov. 26:2. 2 Isa. 3: in, 11. 8 Jer. 6:19. Bible Biographies 147 To gain the birthright that was his already by God's promise, Jacob resorted to fraud, and he reaped the harvest in his brother's hatred. Through twenty years of exile he was himself wronged and defrauded, and was Experience at last forced to find safety in flight; and he reaped a , second harvest, as the evils of his own character were seen to crop out in his sons ; — all but too true a picture of the retributions of human life. But God says: "I will not contend forever, neither will I be always wroth; for the spirit should fail before Me, and the souls which I have made. For the iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him ; I hid Me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. I have seen his ways, and will heal him; I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. . . . Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him." 1 Jacob in his distress was not overwhelmed. He had repented, he had endeavored to atone for the wrong to his brother. And when threatened with death through the wrath of Esau, he sought help from God. "Yea, he had power over the Angel, and prevailed; he wept, Gain 1 i 1- • i> aittii t 1 • 1 mo through and made supplication. "And He blessed him there. 2 Loss In the power of His might the forgiven one stood up, no longer the supplanter, but a prince with God. He had gained not merely deliverance from his outraged brother, but deliverance from himself. The power of evil in his own nature was broken; his character was transformed. At eventide there was light. Jacob, reviewing his life-history, recognized the sustaining power of God, — "the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil." 3 *Isa. 57:16-19. 2 Hoseai2:4; Gen. 32 : 29. 3 Gen 4S : 15, l6. 14S The Bible as an Educator The same experience is repeated in the history of Jacob's sons, — sin working retribution, and repentance ■ bearing fruit of righteousness unto life. God docs not annul His laws. He docs not work contrary to them. The work of sin He does not undo. But He transforms. Through His grace the curse works out blessing. Of the sons of Jacob, Levi was one of the most The Lerites cruel and vindictive, one of the two most guilty in the treacherous murder of the Shechemites. Levi's charac- teristics, reflected in his descendants, incurred for them the decree from God, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel." 1 But repentance wrought ref- ormation ; and by their faithfulness to God amidst the apostasy of the other tribes, the curse was transformed * into a token of highest honor. "The Lord separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name." "My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I a curse gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, Transformed . and was afraid before My name. . . . He walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity." 2 The appointed ministers of the sanctuary, the Levites received no landed inheritance; they dwelt together in cities set apart for their use, and received their support from the tithes and the gifts and offerings devoted to God's service. They were the teachers of the people, guests at all their festivities, and every- where honored as servants and representatives of God. 'Gen. 49:7. 2 D«Ut 10:8; Mai. 2:5, 6. Bible Biographies 149 To the whole nation was given the command: "Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth." "Levi hath no part nor inheritance with his brethren; the Lord is his inheritance." 1 The truth that as a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he,"" finds another illustration in Israel's experience. On the borders of Canaan the spies, returned from searching the country, made their report. The beauty and fruitfulness of the land were lost sight of, through fear of the difficulties in the way of its occupation. The cities walled up to heaven, the giant warriors, the iron chariots, daunted their faith. Leaving God out of the question, the multitude echoed the decision of the unbelieving spies, "We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we." 3 Their words proved true. They were not able to go up, and they wore out their lives in the desert. Two, however, of the twelve who had viewed the land, reasoned otherwise. "We are well able to over- come it," 3 they urged, counting God's promise superior to giants, walled cities, or chariots of iron. For them their word was true. Though they shared with their brethren the forty years' wandering, Caleb and Joshua entered the land of promise. As courageous of heart as when with the hosts of the Lord he set out from Egypt, Caleb asked for and received as his portion the stronghold of the giants. In God's strength he drove out the Canaanites. The vineyards and olive-groves where his feet had trodden became his possession. Though the cowards and rebels perished in the wilder- ness, the men of faith ate of the grapes of Eschol. 'Deut. 12:19; 10 :g. 2 Prov. 23:7. 8 Num. 13:31,30. Report of the Spies By Faith to Conquest One Evil Cherished 150 The Bible as an Educator No truth docs the Bible set forth in clearer light than the peril of even one departure from the right, — peril both to the wrong-doer and to all whom his influence shall reach. Example has wonderful power; and when cast on the side of the evil tendencies of our nature, it becomes well-nigh irresistible. The strongest bulwark of vice in our world is not the iniquitous life of the abandoned sinner or the de- graded outcast; it is that life which otherwise appears virtuous, honorable, and noble, but in which one sin is fostered, one vice indulged. To the soul that is strug- gling in secret against some giant temptation, trembling upon the very verge of the precipice, such an example is one of the most powerful enticements to sin. He who, endowed with high conceptions of life and truth and honor, does yet wilfully transgress one precept of God's holy law, has perverted his noble gifts into a lure to sin. Genius, talent, sympathy, even generous Decoys of anc i kindly deeds, may thus become decoys of Satan to the Tempter . J J J entice souls over the precipice of ruin. This is why God has given so many examples showing the results of even one wrong act. From the sad story of that one sin which "brought death into the world, and all our woe, with loss of Eden," to the record of him who for thirty pieces of silver sold the Lord of glory, Bible biography abounds in these examples, set up as beacons of warning at the byways leading from the path of life. There is warning also in noting the results that have followed upon even once yielding to human weakness and error, the fruit of the letting go of faith. Bible Biographies 151 By one failure of his faith, Elijah cut short his life work. Heavy was the burden that he had borne in behalf of Israel; faithful had been his warnings against the national idolatry; and deep was his solicitude as during three years and a half of famine he watched and waited for some token of repentance. Alone he stood for God upon Mount Carmel. Through the power of faith, idolatry was cast clown, and the blessed rain testified to the showers of blessing waiting to be poured upon Israel. Then in his weariness and weak- ness he fled before the threats of Jezebel, and alone, in the desert prayed that he might die. His faith had failed. The work he had begun, he was not to com- plete. God bade him anoint another to be prophet in his stead. But God had marked the heart-service of His serv- ant. Elijah was not to perish in discouragement and solitude in the wilderness. Not for him the descent to the tomb, but the ascent with God's angels to the presence of His glory. These life-records declare what every human being will one day understand, — that sin can bring only shame and loss; that unbelief means failure; but that God's mercy reaches to the deepest depths; that faith lifts up the repenting soul to share the adoption of the sons of God. One Failure <>f Faith Loss to Elijah All who in this world render true service to God Discipline or man receive a preparatory training in the school of sorrow. The weightier the trust and the higher the service, the closer is the test and the more severe the discipline. Study the experiences of Joseph and of Moses, of 152 The Bible as an Educator In Training for the Throne Solomon Daniel and of David. Compare the early history of David with the history of Solomon, and consider the results. David in his youth was intimately associated with Saul, and his stay at court and his connection with the king's household gave him an insight into the cares and sorrows and perplexities concealed by the glitter and pomp of royalty. He saw of how little worth is human glory to bring peace to the soul. And it was with relief and gladness that he returned from the king's court to the sheepfolds and the flocks. When by the jealousy of Saul driven a fugitive into the wilderness, David, cut off from human support, leaned more heavily upon God. The uncertainty and unrest of the wilderness life, its unceasing peril, its necessity for frequent flight, the character of the men who gathered to him there, — "every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one • that was discontented," 1 — all rendered the more essen- tial a stern self-discipline. These experiences aroused and developed power to deal with men, sympathy for the oppressed, and hatred of injustice. Through years of waiting and peril, David learned to find in God his comfort, his support, his life. He learned that only by God's power could he come to the throne; only in His wisdom could he rule wisely. It was through the training in the school of hardship and sorrow that David was able to make the record — though afterward marred with his great sin — that he "executed judgment and justice unto all his people." 2 The discipline of David's earl)- experience was lack- ing in that of Solomon. In circumstances, in character, and in life, he seemed favored above all others. Noble 1 i Sam. 22 : i. 2 2 Sam. 8 : 15. Bible Biographies 153 in youth, noble in manhood, the beloved of his God, Solomon entered on a reign that gave high promise of prosperity and honor. Nations marveled at the knowl- edge and insight of the man to whom God had given wisdom. But the pride of prosperity brought separa- tion from God. From the joy of divine communion Solomon turned to find satisfaction in the pleasures of sense. Of this experience he says: — "I made me great works; I builded me houses; I rhc Fr,de ° of Prosperity planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and orchards; I got me servants and maidens; ... I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treas- ure of kings and of the provinces. I gat me men-singers and women-singers; and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem. . . . And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done." "I hated life. . . . Yea, I hated all my labor unsatisSid which I had taken under the sun." 1 By his own bitter experience, Solomon learned the emptiness of a life that seeks in earthly things its highest good. He erected altars to heathen gods, only to learn how vain is their promise of rest to the soul. In his later years, turning wearied and thirsting from 'Eccl. 2:4-12, 17. 18. 154 The Bible as an Educator The Late Return earth's broken cisterns, Solomon returned to drink at the fountain of life. The history of his wasted years, with their lessons of warning, he by the Spirit of inspira- tion recorded for after-generations. And thus, although the seed of his sowing was reaped by his people in harvests of evil, the life-work of Solomon was not wholly lost. For him at last the discipline of suffering accomplished its work. But with such a dawning, how glorious might have been his life's day, had Solomon in his youth learned the lesson that suffering had tauo-ht in other lives! God's Witnesses Accusation iron i Satan For those who love God, those who are "the called according to his purpose,"' Bible biography has a yet higher lesson of the ministry of sorrow. "Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God,"* — witnesses that He is good, and that goodness is supreme. " We are made a theater unto the world, both 3 to angels and to men." 4 Unselfishness, the principle of God's kingdom, is the principle that Satan hates ; its very existence he denies. From the beginning of the great controversy he has endeavored to prove God's principles of action to be selfish, and he deals in the same way with all who serve God. To disprove Satan's claim is the work of Christ and of all who bear His name. It was to give in His own life an illustration of unselfishness that Jesus came in the form of humanity. And all who accept this principle are to be workers together with Him in demonstrating it in practical life. To choose the right because it is right; to stand for truth at the cost of suffering and sacrifice, — "this is the 1 Rom. 8:28. - Isa. 43: 12. S R. V., margin. 4 1 Cor. 4 : 9, margin. '//>/c Bi og iap/i ie s 155 heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteous- ness is of Me, saith the Lord."' Very early in the history of the world is given the life-record of one over whom this controversy of Satan's was waged. Of Job, the patriarch of Uz, the testimony of the Searcher of hearts was, " There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil." Against this man, Satan brought scornful charge: " Doth Job fear God for naught? Hast Thou not made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? . . . Put forth Thine hand now, and touch all that he hath;" "touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse Thee to Thy face." The Lord said unto Satan, "All that he hath is in thy power." "Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life." Thus permitted, Satan swept away all that Job pos- sessed, — flocks and herds, men-servants and maidens, sons and daughters; and he "smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown."" Still another element of bitterness was added to his cup. His friends, seeing in adversity but the retribution of sin, pressed on his bruised and burdened spirit their accusations of wrong-doing. Seemingly forsaken of heaven and earth, yet holding fast his faith in God and his consciousness of integrity, in anguish and perplexity he cried: — "My soul is weary of my life." "O that Thou wouldst hide me in the grave, That Thou wouldst keep me secret, until Thy wrath be past, That Thou wouldst appoint me a set time, and remember me ! " 3 The Testing of Job Miscoticep t in 1 of Ailversit y 1 Isa 54:17. 2 Job I :8-I2; 2:5-7. 3 Job 10: 1 ; 14 : 13. 156 The niblr as an Educator Hath God Forsaken ? Faith's Assurance ■So Was It unto Job " " Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard; I cry for help, but there is no judgment. . . . He hath stripped me of my glory, And taken the crown from my head. . . . My kinsfolk have failed, And my familiar friends have forgotten me. . . . They whom I loved are turned against me. . . . Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O ye my friends; For the hand of God hath touched me! " " O that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come even to His seat ! . . . Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; And backward, but I can not perceive Him; On the left hand, where He doth work, but I can not behold Him ; He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I can not see Him; But He knoweth the way that I take ; When He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." "I know that my Redeemer liveth, And that He shall stand up at the last upon the earth ; And after my skin hath been destroyed, this shall be, Even from my flesh shall I see God ; Whom I shall see for myself, And mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger." l According to his faith, so was it unto Job. "When He hath tried me," he said, "I shall come forth as gold." 2 So it came to pass. By his patient endurance he vindicated his own character, and thus the character of Him whose representative he was. And "the Lord turned the captivity of Job; . . . also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning." 3 On the record of those who through self-abnegation have entered into the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, 'Job 19:7-21, R. V.; 23:3-6, R. V.; 23:6-10; 13:15; 19 : 25-27, R. V., margin. -Job 23:10. B Job 42:10-12. .\ Faithful Friend Bible Biographies 157 stand — one in the Old Testament and one in the New — the names of Jonathan and of John the Baptist. Jonathan, by birth heir to the throne, yet knowing himself set aside by the divine decree; to his rival the most tender and faithful of friends, shielding David's life at the peril of his own; steadfast at his father's side through the dark days of his declining power, and at his side falling at the last, — the name of Jonathan is treasured in heaven, and it stands on earth a witness to the existence and the power of unselfish love. John the Baptist, at his appearance as the Messiah's rhe Unwavering herald, stirred the nation. From place to place his steps witness were followed by vast throngs of people of every rank and station. But when the One came to whom he had borne witness, all was changed. The crowds followed Jesus, and John's work seemed fast closing. Yet there- was no wavering of his faith. "He must increase," he said, "but I must decrease." 1 Time passed, and the kingdom which John had confidently expected was not established. In Herod's dungeon, cut off from the life-giving air and the desert freedom, he waited and watched. There was no display of arms, no rending of prison doors; but the healing of the sick, the preaching of the gospel, the uplifting of men's souls, testified to Christ's mission. Alone in the dungeon, seeing whither his path, like Fellowship in Sacrifice his Master's, tended, John accepted the trust, — fellow- ship with Christ in sacrifice. Heaven's messengers attended him to the grave. The intelligences of the universe, fallen and unfallen, witnessed his vindication of unselfish service. And in all the generations that have passed since 1 John o : 3°- 158 The Bible as an Educator then, suffering souls have been sustained by the testi- mony of John's life. In the dungeon, on the scaffold, •There Hath j n t i le f] ames men ant i women through centuries of Xot Risen ° a Greater-' darkness have been strengthened by the memory of him of whom Christ declared, "Among them that arc- born of women there hath not risen a greater." 1 "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah, . . . and Samuel, and of the prophets; who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought right- eousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, "Women received their dead raised to life again; -Through an( j others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection ; and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, more- over of bonds and imprisonment; the) - were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goat- skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the world was not worthy); they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. "And these all, having obtained a good report .through faith, received not the promise; God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."" 1 Matt. II : II. - Heb. 1 1 : 32-40 Poetry and Song 'THY STATUTES HAVE BEEN MY SONGS IN THE HOUSE OB MY PILGRIMAGE" r 7~ y HE earliest as well as the most sublime of poetic -*■ utterances known to man are found in the Scrip- tures. Before the oldest of the world's poets had sung, the shepherd of Midian recorded those words of God to Job, — in their majesty unequaled, unapproached, by the loftiest productions of human genius: — "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth ? Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it brake forth; . . . When I made the cloud the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it, And prescribed for it My decree, And set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; And here shall thy proud waves be stayed? " Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, And caused the dayspring to know its place? . . . " Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee ? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death ? Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth ? Declare, if thou knowest it all. "Where is the way to the dwelling of light, And as for darkness, where is the place thereof ? . . . (159) Poetry of the Bible The Earliest Poem 160 The Bible as an Educator " Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, Or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail? . . By what way is the light parted, Or the east wind scattered upon the earth ? Who hath cleft a channel for the water-flood, Or a way for the lightning of the thunder ; To cause it to rain on a land where no man is ; On the wilderness, wherein there is no man ; To satisfy the waste and desolate ground ; And to cause the tender grass to spring forth ?" " Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, Or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?" ' For beauty of expression read also the description From "Song of Songs ' ' of spring-time, from the "Song of Songs": — " Lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone ; The flowers appear on the earth ; The time of the singing of birds is come, And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land ; The fig-tree ripeneth her green figs, And the vines are in blossom, They give forth their fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away." - And not inferior in beauty is Balaam's unwilling prophecy of blessing to Israel : — "From Aram hath Balak brought me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East ; Come, curse me Jacob, An Ancient And come, defy Israel. Prophecy Hqw shaU j ausei whom God hath not CLirse d? And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied ? For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; Lo, it is a people that dwell alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations. . . . •Job 38:4-27, R. V. ; 38:31, 32. -|-;mt 2 : 11 13, R. V. Poetry and Song 161 1 Behold, I have received commandment to bless; And He hath blessed, and I can not reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, Neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel; The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them. . . . Surely there is no enchantment against 1 Jacob, Neither is there any divination against 1 Israel; Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought ! " 1 He saith, which heareth the words of God, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty: • . . How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel! As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the riverside, As lign-aloes which the Lord hath planted, As cedar-trees beside the waters." ' He hath said, which heard the words of God, And knew the knowledge of the Most High : . . . I shall see Him, but not now ; I shall behold Him, but not nigh ; There shall come a Star out of Jacob, And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. . . . Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion." : "The Vision of the Almighty " The melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven; and when heaven comes in touch with the earth, there is music and song, — "thanksgiving, and the voice of melody." 3 Above the new-created earth, as it lay, fair and unblemished, under the smile of God, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." 4 So human hearts, in sympathy with heaven, have responded to God's goodness in notes of praise. Many of the events of human history have been linked with song. 'Margin. 3 Isa. 51:3. 'Num. 23 : 7-2;, R. V.; 24 : 4-6. R. \\; 24 : 16-19. 4 Job 38:7. Sacred Song 162 The Bible as an Educator The earliest song recorded in the Bible from the lips of men was that glorious outburst of thanksgiving by the hosts of Israel at the Red Sea: — - " I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously ; The horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. At the The Lord is my strength and song, Red Sea ^nd j-[ e ; s Decome mv salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him ; My father's God, and I will exalt Him." "Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power, Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods ? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?" ' The Lord shall reign forever and ever. . . . Sing ye to Jehovah, for He hath triumphed gloriously." ' Song Great have been the blessings received by men in response to songs of praise. The few words recounting an experience of the wilderness journey of Israel have a lesson worthy of our thought: — "They went to Beer; that is the well whereof the unsealed by Lord spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water." 2 "Then sang Israel this song: — "Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it: The well which the princes digged, Which the nobles of the people delved, With the scepter, and with their staves." 3 How often in spiritual experience is this history repeated! how often by words of holy song are unsealed in the soul the springs of penitence and faith, of hope and love and joy! 1 Ex. 15: 1, 2, 6-11, 18-21, K. V. 2 Num. 21 : 16. 3 Num. 21 : 17, is, R. V. With Praise Poetry and Song 163 It was with songs of praise that the armies of Israel went forth to the great deliverance under Jehoshaphat. To Jehoshaphat had come the tidings of threatened war. "There cometh a great multitude against thee," was the message, "the children of Moab, and the children of Amnion, and with them other beside." "And Jehosha- phat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the ■ Lord." And Jehoshaphat, standing in the temple-court before his people, poured out his soul in prayer, plead- ing God's promise, with confession of Israel's helpless- ness. "We have no might against this great company that cometh against us," he said; "neither know we what to do; but our eyes are upon Thee." 1 Then upon Jahaziel a Levite "came the Spirit of the Lord; . . . and he said, Harken ye, all Judah, " TAe Battle Is and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehosha- Not Yours phat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's. ... Ye shall not need to fight in this battle; set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord. . . . Fear not, nor be dismayed ; to-morrow go out against them ; for the Lord will be with you." 2 "And they rose early in the morning, and went forth victory into the wilderness of Tekoa." 3 Before the army went singers, lifting their voices in praise to God, — praising Him for the victory promised. On the fourth day thereafter, the army returned to Jerusalem, laden with the spoil of their enemies, singing praise for the victory won. 1 2 Chron. 20 : 2, 1, 3, 4, 12. * 2 Chron. 20 : 14-17. :i 2 Chron. 20: 20. 164 The Bible as an Educator The Shepherd Psalm "In the Shadow of Thy Wings " Through song, David, amidst the vicissitudes of his changeful life, held communion with heaven. I low- sweetly are his experiences as a shepherd lad reflected in the words : — "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures ; He leadeth me beside the still waters. . . . Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me ; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me." 1 In his manhood a hunted fugitive, finding refuge in the rocks and caves of the wilderness, he wrote: — " O God, Thou art my God ; early will 1 seek Thee; My soul thirsteth for Thee; my flesh longeth for Thee, In a dry and weary land, where no water is. . • Thou hast been my help, And in the shadow of Thy wings will I rejoice." "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? And why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God ; For I shall yet praise Him, Who is the health of my countenance, And my God." "The Lord is my light and my salvation ; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life ; Of whom shall I be afraid ? " 2 The same trust is breathed in the words written when, a dethroned and crownless king, David fled from Jerusalem at the rebellion of Absalom. Spent with grief and the weariness of his flight, he with his com- pany had tarried beside the Jordan for a few hours' rest. He was awakened by the summons to immediate flight. In the darkness, the passage of the deep and 1 Ps. 23 : 1-4. ' l Ps. 63: 1-7, R. V.; 42:11; 27:1. Poetry and Song 165 swift-flowing stream must be made by that whole com- pany of men, women, and little children; for hard after them were the forces of the traitor-son. In that hour of darkest trial, David sang: — " T cried unto the Lord with my voice, And He heard me out of His holy hill. " I laid me down and slept ; I awaked ; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, That have set themselves against me round about." ' After his great sin, in the anguish of remorse and self-abhorrence he still turned to God as his best friend: "Have mercy upon me, according to Thy loving-kindness; According unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. . . . Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." 2 In his long life, David found on earth no resting- place. "We are strangers before Thee, and sojourners," he said, "as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding." 3 " God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." "There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved : God shall help her, at the dawn of morning. . . . The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge." " This God is our God forever and ever ; He will be our guide even unto death." * l Ps. 3:4-8. 2 Ps. 51:1-7. :: 1 ' " hron . 29 : 15, R. V. 4 Ps. 46 : 1, 2 ; 46 : 4-7, R. V , margin ; 4S : 14. Songs in the Night Yearnings lor Home The Saviour's 166 The Bible as an Educator With a song, Jesus in His earthly life met tempta- tion. Often when sharp, stinging words were spoken,, often when the atmosphere about Him was heavy with gloom, with dissatisfaction, distrust, or oppressive fear, was heard His song of faith and holy cheer. On that last sad night of the Passover supper, as song lie was about to go forth to betrayal and to death, His voice was lifted in the psalm: — " Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forevermore. From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same The Lord's name is to be praised." " I love the Lord, because He hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because He hath inclined His ear unto me, Therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live. " The sorrows of death compassed me, And the pains of hell gat hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord : Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul. Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yea, our God is merciful. "The Lord preserveth the simple; 1 was brought low, and He helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul ; For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." ' Amidst the deepening shadows of earth's last great crisis, God's light will shine brightest, and the song of hope and trust will be heard in clearest and loftiest strains. l Ps. 113 : 2, 3; 116: t-8. Poetry and So?ig 167 "In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah : We have a strong city ; Salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, That the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace Whose mind is stayed on Thee ; because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever; For in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." 1 "The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come " with Singing with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be zion" upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."'' "They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord; and their soul shall be as a watered garden ; and they shall not sorrow any more at all."" The history of the songs of the Bible is full of suggestion as to the uses and benefits of music and song. Music is often perverted to serve purposes of evil, and it thus becomes one of the most alluring agencies of temptation. But, rightly employed, it is a precious gift of God, designed to uplift the thoughts to high and noble themes, to inspire and elevate the soul. As the children of Israel, journeying through the Power g of Soii£ wilderness, cheered their way by the music of sacred song, so God bids His children to-day gladden their pilgrim life. There are few means more effective for fixing His words in the memory than repeating them in song. And such song has wonderful power. It has 1 Isa. 26: 1-4. 2 Isa. 35 : 10, R. V. 3 Jer. 31 : 12. 168 The Bible as an Educator power to subdue rude and uncultivated natures; power to quicken thought and to awaken sympathy, to pro- mote harmony of action, and to banish the gloom and foreboding that destroy courage and weaken effort. It is one of the most effective means of impressing the heart with spiritual truth. How often to the soul hard-pressed and ready to despair, memory recalls some a Menns of worc [ f God's, — the long-forgotten burden of a child- Education ° ° hood song, — and temptations lose their power, life takes on new meaning and new purpose, and courage and gladness are imparted to other souls! The value of song as a means of education should never be lost sight of. Let there be singing in the home, of songs that are sweet and pure, and there will be fewer words of censure, and more of cheerfulness and hope and joy. Let there be singing in the school, and the pupils will be drawn closer to God, to their teachers, and to one another. As a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer. Indeed, many a song is prayer. If the child is taught to realize this, he will think more of the meaning of the words he sings, and will be more susceptible to their power. As our Redeemer leads us to the threshold of the The Angeis' Infinite, flushed with the glory of God, we may catch the themes of praise and thanksgiving from the heavenly choir round about the throne; and as the echo of the angels' song is awakened in our earthly homes, hearts will be drawn closer to the heavenly singers. Heaven's communion begins on earth. We learn here the key^ note of its praise. Sniii Mysteries of the Bible "CANST THOU BY SEARCHING FIND OUT GOD?" A TO finite mind can fully comprehend the character ^ * or the works of the Infinite One. We can not by searching find out God. To minds the strongest and most highly cultured, as well as to the weakest and "Canst Thou . . . . F*°d Out most ignorant, that holy Being must remain clothed in con-?-- mystery. But though "clouds and darkness are round about Him, righteousness and judgment are the founda- tion of His throne." 1 We can so far comprehend His dealing with us as to discern boundless mercy united to infinite power. We can understand as much of His purposes as we are capable of comprehending; beyond this we may still trust the hand that is omnipotent, the heart that is full of love. The word of God, like the character of its Author, presents mysteries that can never be fully comprehended by finite beings. But God has given in the Scriptures sufficient evidence of their divine authority. His own existence, His character, the truthfulness of His word, are established by testimony that appeals to our reason; and this testimony is abundant. True, He has not removed the possibility of doubt; faith must rest upon evidence, not demonstration; those who wish to doubt have opportunity; but those who desire to know the truth find ample ground for faith. 1 I's. 97:2, R. V. (169) Ground for Trust 170 The Bible as an Educator We have no reason to doubt God's word because we can not understand the mysteries of His providence. In the natural world we are constantly surrounded with wonders beyond our comprehension. Should we then be surprised to find in the spiritual world also mysteries that we can not fathom? The difficult)' lies solely in the weakness and narrowness of the human mind. The mysteries of the Bible, so far from being an Mysteries argument against it, are among the strongest evidences Evidence of _ ...... . . Divinity of its divine inspiration. If it contained no account of God but that which we could comprehend; if His greatness and majesty could be grasped by finite minds, then the Bible would not, as now, bear the unmistak- able evidences of divinity. The greatness of its themes should inspire faith in it as the word of God. The Bible unfolds truth with a simplicity and an adaptation to the needs and longings of the human heart that has astonished and charmed the most highly cultivated minds, while to the humble and uncultured also it makes plain the way of life. "The wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." 1 No child need mistake the path. Not one trembling seeker need fail of walking in pure and holy light. Yet the most simplicity simply stated truths lay hold upon themes elevated, Adaptation far-reaching, infinitely beyond the power of human com- prehension, — mysteries that are the hiding of His glory, — mysteries that overpower the mind in its research, while they inspire the sincere seeker for truth with reverence and faith. The more we search the Bible, the deeper is our conviction that it is the word of the living God, and human reason bows before the majesty of divine revelation. God intends that to the earnest seeker the truths of 'Isa. 35:8. Mysteries of the Bible 171 His word shall be ever unfolding. While "the secret things belong unto the Lord our God," "those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our chil- dren." 1 The idea that certain portions of the Bible can not be understood has led to neglect of some of its most important truths. The fact needs to be empha- Limit to 1 Comprehen- sized, and often repeated, that the mysteries of the Bible sio„ are not such because God has sought to conceal truth, but because our own weakness or ignorance makes us incapable of comprehending or appropriating truth. The limitation is not in His purpose, but in our capacity. Of those very portions of Scripture often passed by as impossible to be understood, God desires us to under- stand as much as our minds are capable of receiving. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God," that we may be "thoroughly furnished unto all good works."" It is impossible for any human mind to exhaust even one truth or promise of the Bible. One catches the glory from one point of view, another from another point; yet we can discern only gleamings. The full radiance is beyond our vision. As we contemplate the great things of God's word, we look into a fountain that broadens and deepens beneath our gaze. Its breadth and depth pass our knowledge. As we gaze, the vision widens; stretched out before us we behold a boundless, shoreless sea. Such study has vivifying power. The mind and heart acquire new strength, new life. This experience is the highest evidence of the divine authorship of the Bible. We receive God's word as food for the soul, through the same evidence by which we receive bread as food, for the body. Bread supplies the need of our nature; we know by experience that it •Deut.sgizg. 2 2 Tim. 3 : iC, 17. Inexhaustible Riches 172 The Bible as an Educator produces blood and bone and brain. Apply the same test to the Bible: when its principles have actually, become the elements of character, what has been the result? what changes have been made in the life? — "Old Tested by tliincfs are passed away; behold, all things are become Experience . new." 1 In its power, men and women have broken the chains of sinful habit. They have renounced selfish- ness. The profane have become reverent, the drunken sober, the profligate pure. Souls that have borne the likeness of Satan, have been transformed into the image of God. This change is itself the miracle of miracles. A change wrought by the word, it is one of the deepest mysteries of the word. We can not understand it; we can only believe, as declared by the Scriptures, it is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." 2 A knowledge of this mystery furnishes a key to every other. It opens to the soul the treasures of the universe, the possibilities of infinite development. And this development is gained through the con- piedfre of s tant unfolding- to us of the character of God, — the Eternal ° Growth glory and the mystery of the written word. If it were possible for us to attain to a full understanding of God and His word, there would be for us no further discovery of truth, no greater knowledge, no further development. God would cease to be supreme, and man would cease to advance. Thank God, it is not so. Since God is infinite, and in Him are all the treasures of wisdom, we may to all eternity be ever searching, ever learning, yet never exhaust the riches of His wisdom, His goodness, or His power. 1 2 Cor. 5 : 1;. 2 Col. 1: 27. History and Prophecy 'who hath declared THIS FROM ANCIENT TIME? HAVE NOT I THE LORD? THERE IS NO GOD ELSE" ^I^HE Bjble is the most ancient and the most compre- ■*■ hensive history that men possess. It came fresh from the fountain of eternal truth, and throughout the ages a divine hand has preserved its purity. It lights up the far-distant past, where human research in vain seeks to penetrate. In God's word only do we behold the power that laid the foundations of the earth, and that stretched out the heavens. Here only do we find an authentic account of the origin of nations. Here only is given a history of our race unsullied by human pride or prejudice. In the annals of human history the growth of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as depend- ent on the will and prowess of man. The shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the word of God the curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, behind, above, and through all the play and counter-play of human interests and power and passions, the agencies of the all-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own will. The Bible reveals the true philosophy of history. In those words of matchless beauty and tenderness (173) The Earliest of Annuls Philosophy of History i?4 The Bible as an Educator Distribution of Races National Prosperity spoken by the apostle Paul to the sages of Athens is set forth God's purpose in the creation and distribution of races and nations: He "hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seel-, the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him." 1 God declares that whosoever will may come "into the bond of the covenant."" In the creation it was His purpose that the earth be inhabited by beings whose existence should be a blessing to themselves and to one another, and an honor to their Creator. All who will may identify themselves with this purpose. Of them it is spoken, "This people have I formed for Myself; they shall show forth My praise." 3 God has revealed in His law the principles that underlie all true prosperity both of nations and of individuals. "This is your wisdom and your under- standing," Moses declared to the Israelites of the law of God. "It is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life." 4 The blessings thus assured to Israel are, on the same conditions and in the same degree, assured to every nation and every individual under the broad heavens. The power exercised by every ruler on the earth is Heaven-imparted; and upon his use of the power thus bestowed, his success depends. To each the word of the divine Watcher is, "I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me." b And to each the words spoken to Nebuchadnezzar of old are the lesson of life: "Break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by showing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.'"' 'Acts 17:26,27. -Hze. 211:37. 3 Isa. 43:21. 4 Peut. 4:6; 32:47. Msa. 45:5. ° Dan. 4:27. History and Prophecy 175 To understand these things, — to understand that "righteousness exalteth a nation;" that "the throne is established by righteousness," and "upholden by rhe source ill -1 1 • r Gt Power mercy; to recognize the outworking of these prin- ciples in the manifestation of His power who "removeth kings, and setteth up kings,"' 2 — this is to understand the philosophy of history. In the word of God only is this clearly set forth. Here it is shown that the strength of nations, as of individuals, is not found in the opportunities or facilities that appear to make them invincible; it is not found in their boasted greatness. It is measured by the fidelity with which they fulfil God's purpose. An illustration of this truth is found in the history of ancient Babylon. To Nebuchadnezzar the king the true object of national government was represented under the figure of a great tree, whose height "reached object of i ... r . - Government unto heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth; the leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all;" under its shadow the beasts of the field dwelt, and among its branches the birds of the air had their habitation. 3 This repre- sentation shows the character of a government that fulfils God's purpose, — a government that protects and upbuilds the nation. God exalted Babylon that it might fulfil this pur- pose. Prosperity attended the nation, until it reached Babylon a height of wealth and power that has never since been equaled, — fitly represented in the Scriptures by the inspired symbol, a "head of gold." 4 But the king failed of recognizing the power that had exalted him. Nebuchadnezzar in the pride of his heart said: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built t Prov. 14 : 34 ; 16: 12; 20: 28. 2 Dan. 2:21. 3 Dan. 4 : n, 12. « Dan. 2 : 38. 176 The Bible as an Educator for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?" 1 Instead of being a protector of men, Babylon be- Its came a proud and cruel oppressor. The words of Oppressive ..... Power Inspiration picturing the cruelty and greed of rulers in Israel, reveal the secret of Babylon's fall, and of the fall of many another kingdom since the world began : "Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed; but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye • sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them."" To the ruler of Babylon came the sentence of the Retribution divine Watcher: O king, "to thee it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from thee." 3 "Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, Sit on the ground ; there is no throne. . . . Sit thou silent, And get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; For thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms. " * "O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, Thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness." '• Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldee's excellency, Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah." "I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water; and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts." a Every nation that has come upon the stage of action has been permitted to occupy its place on the earth, that 1 Dan. 4:30. 2 Eze. 34:3, 4. 3 Dan. 4 : 31. 4 Isa 47:1-5. sjer 51 : 13; Isa. 13 : 19; 14 : 23. History and Prophecy 177 it might be seen whether it would fulfil the purpose of "the Watcher and the Holy One." Prophecy has traced the rise and fall of the world's great empires, — Babylon, Medo- Persia, Greece, and Rome. With each Kise and of these, as with nations of less power, histoiy repeated Q f Nations itself. Each had its period of test, each failed, its glory faded, its power departed, and its place was occupied by another. While the nations rejected God's principles, and in this rejection wrought their own ruin, it was still mani- fest that the divine, overruling purpose was working through ali their movements. This lesson is taught in a wonderful symbolic repre- sentation given to the prophet Ezekiel during his exile in the land of the Chaldeans. The vision was given at a time when Ezekiel was weighed down with sorrowful memories and troubled forebodings. The land of his fathers was desolate. Jerusalem was depopulated. The prophet himself was a stranger in a land where ambition and cruelty reigned supreme. As on every hand he beheld tyranny and wrong, his soul was distressed, and he mourned day and night. But the symbols presented to him revealed a power above that of earthly rulers. Upon the banks»of the river Chcbar, Ezekiel beheld a whirlwind seeming to come from the north, "a great cloud, and a fire enfolding itself, and a brightness war about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber." A number of wheels, intersecting one another, were moved by four living beings. High above all these was the "likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it." "And there appeared in the cherubim the form of Vision of the Cherubim i ;8 The Bible as an Educator The Guiding Hand A Place in God's Purpose Fulfilment of Prophecy a man's hand under their wings." 1 The wheels were so complicated in arrangement that at first sight they ■ appeared to be in confusion; but they moved in per- fect harmony. Heavenly beings, sustained and guided by the hand beneath the wings of the cherubim, were impelling these wheels; above them, upon the sapphire throne, was the Eternal One; and round about the throne a rainbow, the emblem of divine mercy. As the wheel-like complications were under the guidance of the hand beneath the wings of the cheru- bim, so the complicated play of human events is under divine control. Amidst the strife and tumult of nations, He' that sitteth above the cherubim still guides the affairs of the earth. The history of nations that one after another have occupied their allotted time and place, unconsciously witnessing to the truth of which they themselves knew not the meaning, speaks to us. To every nation and to every individual of to-day God has assigned a place in His great plan. To-day men and nations are being measured by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes. The history which the great I AM has marked out in His word, uniting link after link in the prophetic chain, from eternity in the past to eternity in the future, tells us where we are to-day in the procession of the ages, and what may be expected in the time to come. All that prophecy has foretold as coming to pass, un- til the present time, has been traced on the pages of history, and we may be assured that all which is yet to come will be fulfilled in its order. 1 Eze. i : 4, 26 ; 10 : 8. History and Prophecy 179 The final overthrow of all earthly dominions is plainly foretold in the word of truth. In the prophecy uttered when sentence from God was pronounced upon the last king of Israel is given the message: — "Thus saith the Lord God: Remove the diadem, and take off the crown ; . exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it; and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him." 1 The crown removed from Israel passed successively to the kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. God says, "It shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him." That time is at hand. To-day the signs of the ,S ' A '" S "' the Times times declare that we are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Everything in our world is in agitation. Before our eyes is fulfilling the Saviour's prophecy of the events to precede His coming: "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. . . . Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earth- quakes, in divers places." 2 The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy posi- tions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events On the \ cv tr c of taking place about us. They are watching the strained, a ewsfc restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place, — that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis. Angels arc now restraining the winds of strife, that 1 Eze. 21 : 26, 27. 2 Matt. 2t : 6, 7. i8o The Bible as an Educator they may not blow until the world shall be warned of its coming doom ; but a storm is gathering, ready to burst upon the earth; and when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture. The Bible, and the Bible only, gives a correct view of these things. Here are revealed the great final The Final scenes in the history of our world, events that already Scenes . r are casting their shadows before, the sound of their approach causing the earth to tremble, and men's hearts to fail them for fear. "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scat- tereth abroad the inhabitants thereof; . . . because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate. . . . The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth." 1 "Alas for the da) - ! for the da)' of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. . . . The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate, the barns are broken down; for the corn is withered. How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because then- have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate." "The vine is dried up, and the fig-tree languisheth ; the pomegranate-tree, the palm-tree also, and the apple-tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered; because joy is withered away from the sons of men;'-' "I am pained at my very heart; ... I can not J Isa. 24: i-b. "Joel l : 15-i-S, 12. 'Destruction upon Destruction ' "Time of Jacob's History and Prophecy 181 hold my peace, because thou hast heard, my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruc- tion upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled." "I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down." 1 "Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be Trouble saved out of it." 2 "Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast."" " Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, Even the Most High, thy habitation ; There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." i "The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken, And called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence." " He shall call to the heavens above, And to the earth, that He may judge His people; . . . And the heavens shall declare His righteousness; For God is judge Himself." 3 "O daughter of Zion, . . . the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies. Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither 'Jer. 4 : iy, 20, 23-26. 2 Jer. 30:7. 3 Isa. 26:20. 4 Ps. 91:9,10. BPs. 50: 1-3: 50:4-6, R. V. 'Our (iocl Shall Come' Sa ve ' 1S2 The Bible as an .Educator understand they His counsel." "Because they call thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after," "I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord." "I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwelling-places."' "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; 'lie Will We have waited for Him, and He will save us: This is the Lord ; we have waited for Him, We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation " "He will swallow up death in victory; . . . and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it.'" "Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down. . . . For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king." 3 "With righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth." * Then will the purpose of God be fulfilled; the prin- ciples of His kingdom will be honored by all beneath the sun. "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, Wasting nor destruction within thy borders ; But thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, And thy gates Praise." '• In righteousness shalt thou be established: Thou shalt be far from oppression ; for thou shalt not fear : And from terror; for it shall not come near thee."" 1 The prophets to whom these great scenes were revealed longed to understand their import. They "inquired and searched diligently; . . . searching 1 Micali 4 : 10-12; Jer 30:17,18. B Isa. 25:9, 8. 3 Isa. 33 : 20-22. 4 N:i. 11:4. 6 Isa. 6 1 : IS; 54 : 1 4. History and Prophecy 183 what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify. . . . Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you; . . . which things the angels desire to look into." 1 To us who are standing on the very verge of their fulfilment, of what deep moment, what living interest, are these delineations of the things to come, — events for which, since our first parents turned their steps from Eden, God's children have watched and waited, longed and prayed! At this time, before the great final crisis, as before the world's first destruction, men are absorbed in the pleasures and the pursuits of sense. Engrossed with the seen and transitory, they have lost sight of the unseen and eternal. For the things that perish with the using, they are sacrificing imperishable riches. Their minds need to be uplifted, their views of life to be broadened. They need to be aroused from the lethargy of worldly dreaming. From the rise and fall of nations as made plain in the pages of Holy Writ, they need to learn how worth- less is mere outward and worldly glory. Babylon, with all its power and its magnificence, the like of which our world has never since beheld, — power and magnificence which to the people of that day seemed so stable and enduring, — how completely has it passed away! As "the flower of the grass," it has perished. So perishes all that has not God for its foundation. Only that which is bound up with His purpose, and expresses His character, can endure. His principles are the only steadfast thines our world knows. A Lesson for To-Dav 1 1 Peter 1 : 10-12. 1S4 The Bible as on Educator It is these great truths that old and young need to learn. We need to study the working out of God's purpose in the history of nations and in the revelation of things to come, that we may estimate at their true value things seen and things unseen; that we may learn what is the true aim of life; that, viewing the things of time in the light of eternity, we may put them to their truest and noblest use. Thus, learning here the principles of His kingdom and becoming its subjects and citizens, we may be prepared at His coming • to enter with Him into its possession. The day is at hand. For the lessons to be learned, The Emi the work to be done, the transformation of character to be effected, the time remaining is but too brief a span. "Behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophe- sieth of the times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God: There shall none of *My words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord God." 1 1 Eze. 12: 27, 28. Is itt Hand Bible Teaching and Study "incline thine far unto wisdom; search for hkr as for hid treasures" TN childhood, youth, and manhood, Jesus studied the -*■ Scriptures. As a little child, He was daily, at His mother's knee, taught from the scrolls of the prophets. In His youth the early morning and the evening twi- light often found Him alone on the mountainside or among the trees of the forest, spending a quiet hour in prayer and the study of God's word. During His ministry His intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures testifies to His diligence in their study. And since He gained knowledge as we may gain it, His wonderful power, both mental and spiritual, is a testimony to the value of the Bible as a means of education. Our heavenly Father, in giving His word, did not overlook the children. In all that men have written, where can be found anything that has such a hold upon the heart, anything so well adapted to awaken the interest of the little ones, as the stories of the Bible? In these simple stories may be made plain the great principles of the law of God. Thus by illustrations best suited to the child's comprehension, parents and teachers may begin very early to fulfil the Lord's injunction concerning His precepts: "Thou shalt teach US5> A Bible Sturient Stories for tlic Utile Ones 1 86 The Bible as an Educator them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." 1 The use of object-lessons, blackboards, maps, and pictures, will be an aid in explaining these lessons, Object ant j fixing them in the memory. Parents and teachers Lessons should constantly seek for improved methods. The teaching of the Bible should have our freshest thought, our best methods, and our most earnest effort. In arousing and strengthening a love for Bible stud} r , much depends on the use of the hour of wor- - ship. The hours of morning and evening worship should be the sweetest and most helpful of the day. Let it be understood that into these hours no troubled, unkind thoughts are to intrude; that parents and chil- dren assemble to meet with Jesus, and to invite into the home the presence of holy angels. Let the serv- ices be brief and full of life, adapted to the occasion, and varied from time to time. Let all join in the Bible Family reading, and learn and often repeat God's law. It will add to the interest of the children if they are some- times permitted to select the reading. Question them upon it, and let them ask questions. Mention anything that will serve to illustrate its meaning. When the service is not thus made too lengthy, let the little ones take part in prayer, and let them join in song, if it be but a single verse. To make such a service what it should be, thought should be given to preparation. And parents should take time daily for Bible study with their children. No doubt it will require effort and planning and some sacrifice . to accomplish this; but the effort will be richly repaid. 1 Deut. 6:7. B ib Ic Te a ch i ng a n i Educaidi Original Study Beauty of Thought and Expression God's word when it finds as faithful a reflection in the teacher's life. It is not enough to know what others have thought or learned about the Bible. Every *one must in the judgment give account of himself to God, and each should now learn for himself what is truth. But in order to effective study, the interest of the pupil must be enlisted. Especially by the one who has to deal with children and youth differing widely in disposition, training, and habits of thought, this is a matter not to be lost sight of. In teaching children the Bible, we may gain much by observing the bent of their minds, the things in which they are interested, and arousing their interest to see what the Bible says about these things. He who created us, with our various aptitudes, has in His word given something for every one. As the pupils see that the lessons of the Bible apply to their own lives, teach them to look to it as a counselor. Help them also to appreciate its wonderful beauty. Many books of no real value, books that are exciting and unhealthful, are recommended, or at least per- mitted to be used, because of their supposed literary value. Why should we direct our children to drink of these polluted streams, when they may have free access to the pure fountains of the word of God? The Bible has a fulness, a strength, a depth of meaning, that is in- exhaustible. Encourage the children and youth to seek out its treasures, both of thought and of expression. As the beauty of these precious things attracts their minds, a softening, subduing power will touch their hearts. They will be drawn to Him who has thus revealed Himself to them. And there are few who will not desire to know more of His works and ways. Bible Teaching and Study 189 The .student of the Bible should be taught to approach it in the spirit of a learner. We are to search Purpose in 1 r r Study its pages, not for proof to sustain our opinions, but in order to know what God says. A true knowledge of the Bible can be gained only through the aid of that Spirit by whom the word was given. And in order to gain this knowledge we must live by it. All that God's word commands, Ave are to obey. All that it promises, we may claim. The life which it enjoins is the life that, through its power, we are to live. Only as the Bible is thus held can it be studied effectively. The study of the Bible demands our most diligent effort and persevering thought. As the miner digs for the golden treasure in the earth, so earnestly, persist- ently, must we seek for the treasure of God's word. In daily study the verse-by-verse method is often most helpful. Let the student take one verse, and con- centrate the mind on ascertaining the thought that God Thoroughness has put into that verse for him, and then dwell upon concentration the thought until it becomes his own. One passage thus studied until its significance is clear, is of more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view, and no positive instruction gained. One of the chief causes of mental inefficiency and moral weakness is the lack of concentration for worthy ends. We pride ourselves on the wide distribution of literature; but the multiplication of books, even books that in themselves are not harmful, may be a positive evil. With the immense tide of printed matter con- stantly pouring from the press, old and young form the habit o( reading hastily and superficially, and the mind loses its power of connected and vigorous thought. 190 The Bible as an Educator Unwholesome Literature .1 Shield from Temptation Comprehensive Study Furthermore, a large share of the periodicals and books that, like the frogs of Egypt, arc overspreading the land, are not merely commonplace, idle, and enervating, but unclean and degrading. Their effect is not merely to intoxicate and ruin the mind, but to corrupt and destroy the soul. The mind, the heart, that is indolent, aimless, falls an easy prey to evil. It is on diseased, lifeless organisms that fungus roots. It is the idle mind th.it is Satan's workshop. Let the mind be directed to high and holy ideals, let the life have a noble aim, an absorbing purpose, and evil finds little foothold. Let the youth, then, be taught to give close study to the word of God. Received into the soul, it will prove a mighty barricade against temptation. "Th\- word," the psalmist declares, "have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." "By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer." 1 The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with scripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole, and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, of God's original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption. He should understand the nature of the two principles that are contending for supremacy, and should learn to trace their working through the records of history and prophecy, to the great consummation, lie should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life- he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the con- troversv he will be found. 1 IN. [19: II; 17:4. Bible Teaching and Study 191 Daniel and the Revelation Every part of the Bible is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable-. The Old Testament no less than the New should receive attention. As we study the Old Testament, we shall find living springs bubbling up where the careless reader discerns only a desert. The book of Revelation, in connection with the book of Daniel, especially demands study. Let every God-fearing teacher consider how most clearly to com- prehend and to present the gospel that our Saviour came in person to make known to His servant John, — "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass." 1 None should become dis- couraged in the study of the Revelation because of its apparently mystical symbols. " If any of you lack wis- dom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not."' 2 "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand." 3 When a real love for the Bible is awakened, and the student begins to realize how vast is the field and how precious its treasure, he will desire to seize upon every opportunity for acquainting himself with God's continuous it 1 -ii i -i • 1 • Study word. Its study will be restricted to no special time or place. And this continuous study is one of the best means of cultivating a love for the Scriptures. Let the student keep his Bible always with him. As you have opportunity, read a text and meditate upon it. While walking the streets, waiting at a railway station, wait- ing to meet an engagement, improve the opportunity to gain some precious thought from the treasure-house of truth. 1 Rev. 1:1. '•'James i : 5. ■> Rev. I : . 192 The Bible as an Educator The great motive powers of the soul are faith, hope, and love; and it is to these that Bible study, rightly pursued, appeals. The outward beauty of the Bible, the beauty of imagery and expression, is but the set- ting, as it were, for its real treasure, — the beauty of holiness. In its record of the men who walked with God, we may catch glimpses of His glory. In the One "altogether lovely" we behold Him, of whom all beauty of earth and heaven is but a dim reflection. "I, if I Result* of , ' study be lifted up," He said, "will draw all men unto Me."' As the student of the Bible beholds the Redeemer, there is awakened in the soul the mysterious power of faith, adoration, and love. Upon the vision of Christ the gaze is fixed, and the beholder grows into the likeness of that which he adores. The words of the apostle Paul become the language of the soul: "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; . . . that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellow- ship of His sufferings." 2 The springs of heavenly peace and joy unsealed in the soul by the words of Inspiration will become a mighty river of influence to bless all who come within its reach. Let the youth of to-day, the youth who are growing up with the Bible in their hands, become the recipients and the channels of its life-giving energy, and what streams of blessing would flow forth to the world! — influences of whose power to heal and comfort we can scarcely conceive, — rivers of living water fountains "springing up unto everlasting life." 1 John 12:52. * Phil. 3 : S-10. Streams of Blessing Physical Culture '■'Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" Study of P kysiology I AM Y ■ K A K V V L L V AND WONDERFULLY MADE" G^INCE the mind and the soul find expression through ^ the body, both mental and spiritual vigor are in great degree dependent upon physical strength and activity; whatever promotes physical health, promotes the development of a strong mind and a well-balanced character. Without health, no one can as distinctly understand or as completely fulfil his obligations to himself, to his fellow-beings, or to his Creator. There- fore the health should be as faithfully guarded as the character. A knowledge of physiology and hygiene should be the basis of all educational effort. Though the facts of physiology are now so gen- erally understood, there is an alarming indifference in regard to the principles of health. Even of those who have a knowledge of these principles, there are few who put them in practise. Inclination or impulse is followed as blindly as if life were controlled by mere chance rather than by definite and unvarying laws. The youth, in the freshness and vigor of life, little realize the value of their abounding energy. A treasure more precious than gold, more essential to advancement than learning or rank or riches, — how lightly it is held ! how rashly squandered ! How many a man, sacrificing health in the struggle for riches or power, has almost 095) Importance of Physical Culture Disregard of Principles 196 Physical Culture Teaching Phvsiologv reached the object of his desire, only to fall helpless, while another, possessing superior physical endurance, .4 cause grasped the longed-for prize! Through morbid condi- tions, the result of neglecting the laws of health, how many have been led into evil practises, to the sacrifice of every hope for this world and the next! In the study of physiology, pupils should be led to see the value of physical energy, and how it can be so preserved and developed as to contribute in the highest degree to success in life's great struggle. Children should be early taught, in simple, easy lessons, the rudiments of physiology and hygiene. The work should be begun by the mother in the home, and should be faithfully carried forward in the school. As the pupils advance in years, instruction in this line should be continued, until they are qualified to care for the house they live in. They should understand the importance of guarding against disease by preserving the vigor of ever)' organ, and should also be taught how to deal with common diseases and accidents. Every school should give instruction in both physi- ology and hygiene, and, so far as possible, should be provided with facilities for illustrating the structure, use, and care of the body. There are matters not usually included in the study of physiology that should be considered, — matters of far greater value to the student than are many of the technicalities commonly taught under this head. As the foundation principle of all education in these lines, the youth should be taught that the laws of nature are the laws of God, — as truly divine as are the precepts of the decalogue. The laws that govern our physical organism, God has written upon every nerve, muscle, Xature's Laws Divine Study of Physiology 197 and fiber of the body. Every careless or wilful viola- tion of these laws is a sin against our Creator. How necessary, then, that a thorough knowledge of these laws should be imparted! The principles of hygiene as applied to diet, exercise, the care of chil- dren, the treatment of the sick, and many like matters, should be given much more attention than they ordi- narily receive. The influence of the mind on the body, as well as influence 01 the Mind of the body on the mind, should be emphasized. The on the Body electric power of the brain, promoted by mental activity, vitalizes the whole system, and is thus an invaluable aid in resisting disease. This should be made plain. The power of the will and the importance of self-control, both in the preservation and in the recovery of health, the depressing and even ruinous effect of anger, discon- tent, selfishness, or impurity, and, on the other hand, the marvelous life-giving power to be found in cheerful- ness, unselfishness, gratitude, should also be shown. There is a physiological truth — truth that we need to consider — in the scripture, "A merry [rejoicing] heart doeth good like a medicine." "Let thine heart keep My commandments," God Cheerfulness; Gratitude says; "for length of days, and years of life, and peace, shall they add to thee." "They are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." " Pleas- ant words" the Scriptures declare to be not only "sweet to the soul," but "health to the bones." 1 The youth need to understand the deep truth under- lying the Bible statement that with God "is the fountain of life." 2 Not only is He the originator of all, but He is the life of everything that lives. It is His life that we receive in the sunshine, in the pure, sweet air, in 1 Prov 17:22; 3:1, 2, margin; 4:22; 16:24. - Ps. 36:9. T98 Physical Culture Right Physical J I. n hits Position the food which builds up our bodies and sustains our strength. It is by His life that we exist, hour by hour, moment by moment. Except as perverted by sin, all His gifts tend to life, to health and joy. "He hath made everything beautiful in its time;" and true beauty will be secured, not in marring God's work, but in coming into harmony with the laws of Him who created all things, and who finds pleasure in their beauty and perfection. As the mechanism of the body is studied, attention should be directed to its wonderful adaptation of means to ends, the harmonious action and dependence of the various organs. As the interest of the student is thus awakened, and he is led to see the importance of physical culture, much can be done by the teacher to secure proper development and right habits. Among the first things to be aimed at should be a correct position, both in sitting and in standing. God made man upright, and He desires him to possess not only the physical but the mental and moral benefit, the grace and dignity and self-possession, the courage and self-reliance, which an erect bearing so greatly tends to promote. Let the teacher give instruction on this point by example and by precept. Show what a correct position is, and insist that it shall be maintained. Next in importance to right position are respiration and vocal culture. The one who sits and stands erect is more likely than others to breathe properly. But the teacher should impress upon his pupils the impor- tance of deep breathing. Show how the healthy action of the respiratory organs, assisting the circulation of the blood, invigorates the whole system, excites the appe- tite, promotes digestion, and induces sound, sweet sleep, 1 Eccl. 3: ii, R V. Study of Physiology 199 thus not only refreshing the body, but soothing and tranquilizing the mind. And while the importance of deep breathing is shown, the practise should be insisted upon. Let exercises be given which will promote this, and see that the habit becomes established. The training of the voice has an important place in physical culture, since it tends to expand and strengthen the lungs, and thus to ward off disease. To insure correct delivery in reading and speaking, see that the abdominal muscles have full play in breathing, and that the respiratory organs are unrestricted. Let the strain come on the muscles of the abdomen, rather than on those of the throat. Great weariness and serious dis- ease of the throat and lungs may thus be prevented. Careful attention should be given to securing distinct articulation, smooth, well-modulated tones, and a not- too-rapid delivery. This will not only promote health, but will add greatly to the agreeableness and efficiency of the student's work. In teaching these things a golden opportunity is afforded for showing the folly and wickedness of tight- lacing, and every other practise that restricts vital action. An almost endless train of disease results from unhealth- ful modes of dress, and careful instruction on this point should be given. Impress upon the pupils the danger of allowing the clothing to weigh on the hips or to compress any organ of the body. The dress should be so arranged that a full respiration can be taken, and the arms be raised above the head without difficulty. The cramping of the lungs not only prevents their development, but hinders the processes of digestion and circulation, and thus weakens the whole body. All such practises lessen both physical and mental Training of the Voice Healthful Dress 200 Physical Culture power, thus hindering the student's advancement, and often preventing his success. In the study of hygiene the earnest teacher will improve every opportunity to show the necessity of perfect cleanliness both in personal habits and in all one's surroundings. The value of the daily bath in promoting health and in stimulating mental action, should be emphasized. Attention should be given also to sunlight and ventilation, the hygiene of the cleanliness, sleeping-room and the kitchen. Teach the pupils that Sunlight, r & . l l ventilation a healthful sleeping-room, a thoroughly clean kitchen, and a tastefully arranged, wholesomely supplied table, will go farther toward securing the happiness of the family and the regard of every sensible visitor than any amount of expensive furnishing in the drawing-room. That "the life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment," 1 is a lesson no less needed now than when given by the divine Teacher eighteen hundred years ago. The student of physiology should be taught that the object of his study is not merely to gain a knowl- edge of facts and principles. This alone will prove of little benefit. He may understand the importance of ventilation; his room may be supplied with pure air; Knowledge \^ ut un \ ess ] ie fills his lungs properly, he will suffer Put to Use . . the results of imperfect respiration. So the necessity of cleanliness may be understood, and needful facilities may be supplied; but all will be without avail unless put to use. The great requisite in teaching these prin- ciples is to impress the pupil with their importance, so that he will conscientiously put them in practise. By a most beautiful and impressive figure, God's word shows the regard He places upon our physical 1 Luke [2:2 ;. Study of Physiology 20: organism, and the responsibility resting on us to pre- serve it in the best condition: " Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own." The Body "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God Dweiung-pUc destroy; for the temple of God is hoi}', which temple ye are." 1 Let pupils be impressed with the thought that the body is a temple in which God desires to dwell; that it must be kept pure, the abiding-place of high and noble thoughts. As in the study of physiology they see that they are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made," 2 they will be inspired with reverence. Instead of marring God's handiwork, they will have an ambition to make all that is possible of themselves, in order to fulfil the Creator's glorious plan. Thus they will come to regard obedience to the laws of health, not as a matter of sacrifice or self-denial, but as it really is, an inestimable privilege and blessing. 1 1 Cor. 6 : 19, R. V., margin ; 3 : 17. - Ps. 139 : 14. Te mp erance and D te tetics "EVERY MAN I11A1 STRIVETH FOR THE MASTE-RY IS TEMPERATE IN A I. I. THINGS" Plain Living; High Thinking- Prevention of Intemperance Tp VERY student needs to understand the relation -*— ' between plain living and high thinking. It rests with us individually to decide whether our lives shall be controlled by the mind or by the body. The youth must, each for himself, make the choice that shapes his life; and no pains should be spared that he may under- stand the forces with which he has to deal, and the influences which mould character and destiny. Intemperance is a foe against which all need to be guarded. The rapid increase of this terrible evil should arouse every lover of his race to warfare against it. The practise of giving instruction on temperance topics in the schools is a move in the right direction. In- struction in this line should be given in every school and in every home. The youth and children should understand the effect of alcohol, tobacco, and other like poisons, in breaking down the body, beclouding the mind, and sensualizing the soul. It should be made plain that no one who uses these things can long pos- sess the full strength of his physical, mental, or moral faculties. But in order to reach the root of intemperance we must go deeper than the use of alcohol or tobacco. Idleness, lack of aim, or evil associations, may be the (202) Temperance o)id Dietetics 203 predisposing cause. Often it is found at the home table, in families that account themselves strictly temperate. Anything that disorders digestion, that creates undue mental excitement, or in any way enfeebles the system, disturbing the balance of the mental and the physical powers, weakens the control of the mind over the body, and thus tends toward intemperance. The downfall of many a promising youth might be traced to unnatural appetites created by an unwholesome diet. Tea and coffee, condiments, confectionery, and pas- tries- are all active causes of indigestion. Flesh-food also is harmful. Its naturally stimulating effect should be a sufficient argument against its use; and the almost universally diseased condition of animals makes it doubly objectionable. It tends to irritate the nerves and to excite the passions, thus giving the balance of power to the lower propensities. Those who accustom themselves to a rich, stimu- lating diet, find after a time that the stomach is not satisfied with simple food. It demands that which is more and more highly seasoned, pungent, and stimu- lating. As the nerves become disordered and the system weakened, the will seems powerless to resist the unnatural craving. The delicate coating of the stomach becomes irritated and inflamed until the most stimulat- ing food fails of giving relief. A thirst is created that nothing but strong drink will quench. It is the beginnings of evil that should be guarded against. In the instruction of the youth the effect of apparently small deviations from the right should be made very plain. Let the student be taught the value of a simple, healthful diet in preventing the desire for unnatural stimulants. Let the habit of self-control be Causes of Intemperance Stimulating- Diet Self- Control the Safeguard 204 Physical Culture early established. Let the youth be impressed with the thought that they are to be masters, and not slaves. Of the kingdom within them God has made them rulers, and they are to exercise their Heaven-appointed kingship. When such instruction is faithfully given, the results will extend far beyond the youth themselves. Influences will reach out that will save thousands of men and women who are on the very brink of ruin. Diet and Mental Development Nutrient Value of Foods The relation of diet to intellectual development should be given far more attention than it has received. Mental confusion and dulness are often the result of errors in diet. It is frequently urged that, in the selection of food, appetite is a safe guide. If the laws of health had always been obeyed, this would be true. But through wrong habits, continued from generation to generation, appetite has become so perverted that it is constantly craving some hurtful gratification. As a guide it can not now be trusted. In the study of hygiene, students should be taught the nutrient value of different foods. The effect of a concentrated and stimulating diet, also of foods defi- cient in the elements of nutrition, should be made plain. Tea and coffee, fine-flour bread, pickles, coarse vege- tables, candies, condiments, and pastries fail of supplying proper nutriment. Many a student has broken down as the result of using such foods. Many a puny child, incapable of vigorous effort of mind or body, is the victim of an impoverished diet. Grains, fruits, nuts, and vegetables, in proper combination, contain all the elements of nutrition; and when properly prepared, Temperance and Dietetics 205 they constitute the diet that best promotes both physical and mental strength. There is need to consider not only the properties of the food but its adaptation to the eater. Often food that can be eaten freely by persons engaged in physical labor must be avoided by those whose work is chiefly mental. Attention should be given also to the proper combination of foods. By brain-workers and others of sedentary pursuits, but few kinds should be taken at a meal. And overeating, even of the most wholesome food, is to be guarded against. Nature can use no more than is required for building up the various organs of the body, and excess clogs the system. Many a stu- dent is supposed to have broken down from overstudy, when the real cause was overeating. While proper attention is given to the laws of health, there is little danger from mental taxation; but in many cases of so-called mental failure, it is the overcrowding of the stomach that wearies the body and weakens the mind. In most cases, two meals a day are preferable to three. Supper, when taken at an early hour, interferes with the digestion of the previous meal. When taken later, it is not itself digested before bedtime. Thus the stomach fails of securing proper rest. The sleep is disturbed, the brain and nerves are wearied, the appetite for breakfast is impaired, the whole system is unrefreshed, and is unready for the day's duties. The importance of regularity in the time for eating and sleeping should not be overlooked. Since the work of building up the body takes place during the hours of rest, it is essential, especially in youth, that sleep should be regular and abundant. Selection ; Combination Regularity in Eating and Sleeping 206 Physical Culture A Social Season So far as possible, we should avoid hurried eating. The shorter the time for a meal, the less should be eaten. It is better to omit a meal than to eat without proper mastication. Meal-time should be a season for social intercourse and refreshment. Everything that can burden or irri- tate should be banished. Let trust and kindliness and gratitude to the Giver of all good be cherished, and the conversation will be cheerful, a pleasant flow of thought that will uplift without wearying. Benefits of Temperance The observance of temperance and regularity in all things has a wonderful power. It will do more than circumstances or natural endowments in promoting that sweetness and serenity of disposition which count so much in smoothing life's pathway. At the same time the power of self-control thus acquired will be found one of the most valuable of equipments for grappling successfully with the stern duties and realities that await every human being. Wisdom's "ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." 1 Let every youth in our land, with the possibilities before him of a destiny higher than that of crowned kings, ponder the lesson con- veyed in the words of the wise man, "Blessed art thou, O land, when . . . thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!"'' 1 Prov. 3:17. "Eccl. 10:17. Recreation "to everything there is A SEASON" 'TWERE is a distinction between recreation and -* amusement. Recreation, when true to its name, re-creation, tends to strengthen and build up. Calling us aside from our ordinary cares and occupations, it affords refreshment for mind and body, and thus enables us to return with new vigor to the earnest work of life. Amusement, on the other hand, is sought for the sake of pleasure, and is often carried to excess; it absorbs the energies that are required for useful work, and thus proves a hindrance to life's true success. The whole body is designed for action; and unless the physical powers are kept in health by active exer- cise, the mental powers can not long be used to their highest capacity. The physical inaction which seems almost inevitable in the schoolroom — together with other unhealthful conditions — makes it a trying place for children, especially for those of feeble constitution. Often the ventilation is insufficient. Ill-formed seats encourage unnatural positions, thus cramping the action of the lungs and the heart. Here little children have to spend from three to five hours a day, breathing air that is laden with impurity and perhaps infected with the germs of disease. No wonder that in the school- room the foundation of lifelong illness is so often laid. (207) Recreation; Amusement Physical Inaction ; the Child 208 Physical Culture Outdoor Life for Children Physical Inaction; the Student The brain, the most delicate of all the physical organs, and that from which the nervous energy of the whole system is derived, suffers the greatest injur}'. By being forced into premature or excessive activity, and this under unhealthful conditions, it is enfeebled, and often the evil results are permanent. Children should not be long confined within doors, nor should they be required to apply themselves closely to study until a good foundation has been laid for phys- ical development. For the first eight or ten years of a child's life the field or garden is the best schoolroom, the mother the best teacher, nature the best lesson-book. Even when the child is old enough to attend school, his health should be regarded as of greater importance than a knowledge of books. He should be surrounded with the conditions most favorable to both physical and mental growth. The child is not alone in the danger from want of air and exercise. In the higher as well as the lower schools these essentials to health are still too often neglected. Many a student sits day after day in a close room bending over his books, his chest so con- tracted that he can not take a full, deep breath, his blood moving sluggishly, his feet cold, his head hot. The body not being sufficiently nourished, the muscles are weakened, and the whole system is enervated and diseased. Often such students become lifelong invalids. They might have come from school with increased physical as well as mental strength, had they pursued their studies under proper conditions, with regular exer- cise in the sunlight and the open air. The student who with limited time and means is struggling to gain an education should realize that time Recreation 209 spent in physical exercise is not lost. He who continu- ally pores over his books will find, after a time, that the mind has lost its freshness. Those who give proper attention to physical development will make greater Mental Effect advancement in literary lines than they would if their entire time were devoted to study. By pursuing one line of thought exclusively, the mind often becomes unbalanced. But every faculty may be safely exercised if the mental and physical powers are equally taxed, and the subjects of thought are varied. Physical inaction lessens not only mental but moral power. The brain nerves that connect with the whole system are the medium through which heaven commu- • nicates with man, and affects the inmost life. Whatever Moral Effect hinders the circulation of the electric current in the nervous system, thus weakening the vital powers and lessening mental susceptibility, makes it more difficult to arouse the moral nature. Again, excessive study, by increasing the flow of blood to the brain, creates morbid excitability that tends to lessen the power of self-control, and too often gives sway to impulse or caprice. Thus the door is opened to impurity. The misuse or nonuse of the physical powers is largely responsible for the tide of corruption that is overspreading the world. "Pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness," are as deadly foes to human progress in this generation as when they led to the destruction of Sodom. Teachers should understand these things, and should instruct their pupils in these lines. Teach the students that right living depends on right thinking, and that physical activity is essential to purity of thought. 2IO Physical Culture Gymnastic Exercises Tendency of Sports Football and Boxing The question of suitable recreation for their pupils is one that teachers often find perplexing. Gymnastic exercises fill a useful place in many schools; but with- out careful supervision they are often carried to excess. In the gymnasium many youth, by their attempted feats of strength, have done themselves lifelong injury. Exercise in a gymnasium, however well conducted, can not supply the place of recreation in the open air, and for this our schools should afford better opportu- nity. Vigorous exercise the pupils must have. Few evils are more to be dreaded than indolence and aim- lessness. Yet the tendency of most athletic sports is a subject of anxious thought to those who have at heart the well-being of the youth. Teachers are troubled as they consider the influence of these sports both on the student's progress in school and on his success in after- life. The games that occupy so much of his time are diverting the mind from study. They are not helping to prepare the youth for practical, earnest work in life. Their influence does not tend toward refinement, generosity, or real manliness. Some of the most popular amusements, such as football and boxing, have become schools of brutality. They are developing the same characteristics as did the games of ancient Rome. The love of domination, the pride in mere brute force, the reckless disregard of life, are exerting upon the youth a power to demoralize that is appalling. Other athletic games, though not so brutalizing, are scarcely less objectionable, because of the excess to which they are carried. They stimulate the love of pleasure and excitement, thus fostering a distaste for useful labor, a disposition to shun practical duties and Recreation 21 1 responsibilities. They tend to destroy a relish for life's sober realities and its tranquil enjoyments. Thus the door is opened to dissipation and lawlessness, with their terrible results. As ordinarily conducted, parties of pleasure also are a hindrance to real growth, either of mind or of character. Frivolous associations, habits of extrava- gance, of pleasure-seeking, and too often of dissipation, are formed, that shape the whole life for evil. In place of such amusements, parents and teachers can do much to supply diversions wholesome and life-giving. In this, as in all things else that concern our well- being, Inspiration has pointed the way. In earl)' ages, with the people who were under God's direction, life was simple. They lived close to the heart of nature. Their children shared in the labor of the parents, and studied the beauties and mysteries of nature's treasure- house. And in the quiet of field and wood they pon- dered those mighty truths handed down as a sacred trust from generation to generation. Such training produced strong men. In this age, life has become artificial, and men have degenerated. While we may not return full)- to the simple habits of those early times, we may learn from them lessons that will make our seasons of recreation what the name implies, — seasons of true upbuilding for body and mind and soul. With the question of recreation the surroundings of the home and the school have much to do. In the choice of a home or the location of a school these things should be considered. Those with whom mental and physical well-being is of greater moment than money or the claims and customs of society, should seek for their Parties of I J Ieastire Simple II a hits in Earlier Ages 212 Ph vsical Culture Outdoor Occupations The Teacher's Co-operation children the benefit of nature's teaching, and recreation amidst her surroundings. It would be a great aid in educational work could every school be so situated as to afford the pupils land for cultivation, and access to the fields and woods. In lines of recreation for the student, the best results will be attained through the personal co-operation of the teacher. The true teacher can impart to his pupils few gifts so valuable as the gift of his own companionship. It is true of men and women, and how much more of youth and children, that only as we come in touch through sympathy can we understand them; and we need to understand in order most effectively to benefit. To strengthen the tie of sympathy between teacher and student there are few means that count so much as pleasant association together outside the schoolroom. In some schools the teacher is always with his pupils in their hours of recreation. He unites in their pur- suits, accompanies them in their excursions, and seems to make himself one with them. Well would it be for our schools were this practise more generally followed. The sacrifice demanded of the teacher would be great, but he would reap a rich reward. No recreation helpful only to themselves will prove so great a blessing to the children and youth as that which makes them helpful to others. Naturally enthu- siastic and impressible, the young are quick to respond to suggestion. In planning for the culture of plants, let the teacher seek to awaken an interest in beautifying the school-grounds and the schoolroom. A double benefit will result That which the pupils seek to beautify they will be unwilling to have marred or defaced. A refined taste, a love of order, and a habit Recreation 213 Encourage Helpfulness of care-taking will be encouraged; and the spirit of fellowship and co-operation developed will prove to the pupils a lifelong blessing. So also a new interest may be given to the work of the garden or the excursion in field or wood, as the pupils are encouraged to remember those shut in from these pleasant places, and to share with them the beautiful things of nature. The watchful teacher will find many opportunities for directing pupils to acts of helpfulness. By little children especially the teacher is regarded with almost unbounded confidence and respect. Whatever he may suggest as to ways of helping in the home, faith- fulness in the daily tasks, ministry to the sick or the poor, can hardly fail of bringing forth fruit. And thus again a double gain will be secured. The kindly suggestion will react upon its author. Gratitude and co-operation on the part of the parents will lighten the teacher's burden and brighten his path. Attention to recreation and physical culture will at times, no doubt, interrupt the regular routine of school A safeguard against Evil work; but the interruption will prove no real hindrance. In the invigoration of mind and body, the fostering of an unselfish spirit, and the binding together of pupil and teacher by the ties of common interest and friendly association, the expenditure of time and effort will be repaid a hundredfold. A blessed outlet will be afforded for that restless energy which is so often a source of danger to the young. As a safeguard against evil, the preoccupation of the mind with good is worth more than unnumbered barriers of law and discipline. Ma 1 1 u a I T rii in ing "study to work with your HUN II AN lis" A T the creation, labor was appointed as a blessing. -*-*• It meant development, power, happiness. The changed condition of the earth through the curse of sin has brought a change in the conditions of labor: Labor y e j- though now attended with anxiety, weariness, and a Blessing ...... pain, it is still a source of happiness and development. And it is a safeguard against temptation. Its disci- pline places a check on self-indulgence, and promotes industry, purity, and firmness. Thus it becomes a part of God's great plan for our recovery from the fall. The youth should be led to see the true dignity of labor. Show them that God is a constant worker. Dignity of j\\\ things in nature do their allotted work. Action Labor ° pervades the whole creation, and in order to fulfil our mission we too must be active. In our labor we are to be workers together with God. He gives us the earth and its treasures; but we must adapt them to our use and comfort. He causes the trees to grow ; but we prepare the timber and build the house. He has hidden in the earth the gold and silver, the iron and coal; but it is only through toil that we can obtain them. Show that, while God has created and constantly controls all things, He has endowed us with a power (214) Ma mi a I Tra i ft i ng 215 not wholly unlike His. To us has been given a degree of control over the forces of nature. As God called forth the earth in its beauty out of chaos, so we can bring order and beauty out of confusion. And though all things are now marred with evil, yet in our com- pleted work we feel a joy akin to His, when, looking on the fair earth, He pronounced it "very good." As a rule, the exercise most beneficial to the youth will be found in useful employment. The little child finds both diversion and development in play; and his sports should be such as to promote not only physical but mental and spiritual growth. As he gains strength and intelligence, the best recreation will be found in some line of effort that is useful. That which trains the hand to helpfulness, and teaches the young to bear their share of life's burdens, is most effective in pro- moting the growth of mind and character. The youth need to be taught that life means earnest work, responsibility, care-taking. They need a training that will make them practical, — men and women who can cope with emergencies. They should be taught that the discipline of systematic, well-regulated labor is essential, not only as a safeguard against the vicissitudes of life, but as an aid to all-round development. Notwithstanding all that has been said and written concerning the dignity of labor, the feeling prevails that it is degrading. Young men are anxious to become teachers, clerks, merchants, physicians, lawyers, or to occupy some other position that does not require phys- ical toil. Young women shun housework, and seek an education in other lines. These need to learn that no man or woman is degraded by honest toil. That which degrades is idleness and selfish dependence. Idleness Co- workers with God An Essential Discipline 2l6 Physical Culture Idleness Degrading Knowledge of Common Duties fosters self-indulgence, and the result is a life empty and barren, — a field inviting the growth of every evil.. "The earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God; but that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." 1 Many of the branches of study that consume the student's time are not essential to usefulness or hap- piness; but it is essential for eveiy youth to have a thorough acquaintance with every-day duties. If need be, a young woman can dispense with a knowledge of French and algebra, or even of the piano; but it is indispensable that she learn to make good bread, to fashion neatly-fitting garments, and to perform effi- ciently the many duties that pertain to home-making. To the health and happiness of the whole family nothing is more vital than skill and intelligence on the part of the cook. By ill-prepared, unwholesome food she may hinder and even ruin both the adult's usefulness and the child's development. Or by provid- ing food adapted to the needs of the body, and at the same time inviting and palatable, she can accomplish as much in the right as otherwise she accomplishes in the wrong direction. So, in many ways, life's happi- ness is bound up with faithfulness in common duties. Since both men and women have a part in home- making, boys as well as girls should gain a knowledge of household duties. To make a bed and put a room in order, to wash dishes, to prepare a meal, to wash and repair his own clothing, is a training that need not make any boy less manly; it will make him happier and more useful. And if girls, in turn, could learn iHeb. 6:7. 8. Manual Training 217 to harness and drive a horse, and to use the saw and the hammer, as well as the rake and the hoe, they would be better fitted to meet the emergencies of life. Let the children and youth learn from the Bible how God has honored the work of the every-day toiler. Let them read of the "sons of the prophets," 1 students at school, who were building a house for themselves, and for whom a miracle was wrought to save from loss the ax that was borrowed. Let them read of Jesus the carpenter, and Paul fhe tent-maker, who with the toil of the craftsman linked the highest ministry, human and divine. Let them read of the lad whose five loaves were used by the Saviour in that wonderful miracle for the feeding of the multitude; of Dorcas the seam- stress, called back from death, that she might continue to make garments for the poor; of the wise woman de- scribed in the Proverbs, who "seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands;" who "giveth meat to her household, and their task to her maidens;" who "planteth a vineyard, . . . and strengthened! her arms;" who "stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, . . . reacheth forth her hands to the needy;" who "looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." - Of such a one, God says: "She shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates." 3 For every child the first industrial school should be the home. And, so far as possible, facilities for manual training should be connected with every school. To a great degree such training would supply the place of the gymnasium, with the additional benefit of affording valuable discipline. *2 Kings 6 : 1-7. 2 Prov. 31 : 13. 15, R. V. : 31 : 16, 17, 20, 27. 3 Prov. 31 : 30, 31. Honor to the Toiler First Industrial School 2 IS Physical Culture Schools lor Manual Training Learning a Trade Financial Outlay Manual training is deserving of far more attention than it has received. Schools should be established that, in addition to the highest mental and moral cul- ture, shall provide the best possible facilities for phys- ical development and industrial training. Instruction should be given in agriculture, manufactures, — covering as many as possible of the most useful trades, — also in household economy, healthful cooker)', sewing, hygienic dressmaking, the treatment of the sick, and kindred lines. Gardens, workshops, and treatment-rooms should be provided, and the work in every line should be under the direction of skilled instructors. The work should have a definite aim, and should be thorough. While every person needs some knowl- edge of different handicrafts, it is indispensable that he become proficient in at least one. Every youth, on leaving school, should have acquired a knowledge of some trade or occupation by which, if need be, he may earn a livelihood. The objection most often urged against industrial training in the schools is the large outlay involved. But the object to be gained is worthy of its cost. No other work committed to us is so important as the train- ing of the youth, and every outlay demanded for its right accomplishment is means well spent. Even from the view-point of financial results, the outlay required for manual training would prove the truest economy. Multitudes of our boys would thus be kept from the street-corner and the groggery; the expenditure for gardens, workshops, and baths would be more than met by the saving on hospitals and reformatories. And the youth themselves, trained to habits of industry, and skilled in lines of useful and Manual Training 219 productive labor, — who can estimate their value to society and to the nation? As a relaxation from study, occupations pursued in the open air, and affording exercise for the whole body, are the most beneficial. No line of manual training is of more value than agriculture. A greater effort should be made to create and to encourage an interest in agri- cultural pursuits. Let the teacher call attention to what the Bible saws about agriculture: that it was God's plan for man to till the earth; that the first man, the ruler of the whole world, was given a garden to cultivate; and that many of the world's greatest men, its real nobility, have been tillers of the soil. Show the opportunities in such a life. The wise man says, "The king himself is served by the field." 1 Of him who cultivates the soil the Bible declares, " His God doth instruct him to dis- cretion, and doth teach him." And again, "Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof." 2 He who earns his livelihood by agriculture escapes many temptations and enjoys unnumbered privileges and blessings denied to those whose work lies in the great cities. And in these days of mammoth trusts and business competition, there are few who enjoy so real an independence and so great certainty of fair return for their labor as does the tiller of the soil. In the study of agriculture, let pupils be given not only theory, but practise. While they learn what sci- ence can teach in regard to the nature and preparation of the soil, the value of different crops, and the best methods of production, let them put their knowledge to use. Let teachers share the work with the students, and show what results can be achieved through skilful, intelligent effort. Thus may be awakened a genuine JEccl. 5:9. 2 Isa. 28:26; Prov. 2; : 18. Agriculture The Teaching to be Practical 2 20 Physical Culture For the Unemployed Training for Professional - Men Benefit to the Physician interest, an ambition to do the work in the best possible manner. Such an ambition, together with the invigora- ting effect of exercise, sunshine, and pure air, will create a love for agricultural labor that with many youth will determine their choice of an occupation. Thus might be set on foot influences that would go far in turning the tide of migration which now sets so strongly toward the great cities. Thus also our schools could aid effectively in the disposition of the unemployed masses. Thousands of helpless and starving beings, whose numbers are daily swelling the ranks of the criminal classes, might achieve self-support in a happy, healthy, independent life if they could be directed in skilful, diligent labor in the tilling of the soil. The benefit of manual training is needed also by professional men. A man may have a brilliant mind; he may be quick to catch ideas; his knowledge and skill may secure for him admission to his chosen calling; yet he may still be far from possessing a fitness for its duties. An education derived chiefly from books leads to superficial thinking. Practical work encourages close observation and independent thought. Rightly per- formed, it tends to develop that practical wisdom which we call common sense. It develops ability to plan and execute, strengthens courage and perseverance, and calls for the exercise of tact and skill. The physician who has laid a foundation for his pro- fessional knowledge by actual service in the sick-room will have a quickness of insight, an all-round knowl- edge, and an ability in emergencies to render needed service, — all essential qualifications, which only a prac- tical training can so fully impart. i Ma a u a I T> a i Ti i rig The minister, the missionary, the teacher, will find their influence with the people greatly increased when it is manifest that they possess the knowledge and skill required for the practical duties of every -day life. And often the success, perhaps the very life, of the mission- ary, depends on his knowledge of practical things. The ability to prepare food, to deal with accidents and emer- gencies, to treat disease, to build a house, or a church if need be, — often these make all the difference between success and failure in his life-work. In acquiring an education, man)' students would gain a most valuable training if they would become self-sustaining. Instead of incurring debts, or depend- ing on the self-denial of their parents, let young men and young women depend on. themselves. The)' will thus learn the value of money, the value of time, strength, and opportunities, and will be under far less temptation to indulge idle and spendthrift habits. The lessons of economy, industry, self-denial, practical busi- ness management, and steadfastness of purpose, thus mastered, would prove a most important part of their equipment for the battle of life. And the lesson of self-help learned by the student would go far toward preserving institutions of learning from the burden of debt under which so many schools have struggled, and which has done so much toward crippling their usefulness. Let the youth be impressed with the thought that education is not to teach them how to escape life's disagreeable tasks and heavy burdens; that its purpose is to lighten the work by teaching better methods and higher aims. Teach them that life's true aim is not to secure the greatest possible gain for themselves, but To Minister, Missionary, Teacher Students Self-Sustaining 222 Physical Culture Accuracy and Thoroughness Masters of L,ahor to honor their Maker in doing their part of the world's work, and lending a helpful hand to those weaker or- more ignorant. One great reason why physical toil is looked down on is the slipshod, unthinking way in which it is so often performed. It is clone from necessity, not from choice. The worker puts no heart into it, and he neither preserves self-respect nor wins the respect of others. Manual training should correct this error. It should develop habits of accuracy and thoroughness. Pupils should learn tact and system; the}' should learn to economize time, and to make every move count. They should not only be taught the best methods, but be inspired with ambition constantly to improve Let it be their aim to make their work as nearly perfect as human brains and hands can make it. Such training will make the youth masters and not slaves of labor. It will lighten the lot of the hard toiler, and will ennoble even the humblest occupation. He who regards work as mere drudgeiy, and settles down to it with self-complacent ignorance, making no effort to improve, will find it indeed a burden. But those who recognize science in the humblest work will see in it nobility and beaut}-, and will take pleasure in performing it with faithfulness and efficiency. A youth so trained, whatever his calling in life, so long as it is honest, will make his position one of usefulness and honor. Char a c ter-B uil d ing "See that f/ion make all things according to the pattern, showed to thee in the mount" Education and Character "the stability of thy times shall be wisdom and knowledge" r I^RUE education does not ignore the value of scien- -*- tific knowledge or literary acquirements; but above information it values power; above power, goodness; character \ L ' ° the Highest above intellectual acquirements, character. The world Aim does not so much need men of great intellect as of noble character. It needs men in whom ability is con- trolled by steadfast principle. "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom." "The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright." 1 True education imparts this wisdom. It teaches the best use not only of one but of all our powers and acquirements. Thus it covers the whole circle of obligation, — to ourselves, to the world, and to God. Character-building is the most important work ever entrusted to human beings; and never before was its diligent study so important as now. Never was any outlook for the Youth previous generation called to meet issues so momentous; never before were young men and young women con- fronted by perils so great as confront them to-day. At such a time as this, what is the trend of the education given? To what motive is appeal most often made? — To self-seeking. Much of the education given is a perversion of the name. In true education the 1 Prov. 4:7; 15:2. (225) •5 226 Character- Building Perils in the Schools Rivalry Pagan Authors selfish ambition, the greed for power, the disregard for the rights and needs of humanity, that are the curse of our world, find a counter-influence. God's plan of life has a place for every human being. Each is to improve his talents to the utmost; and faithfulness in doing this, be the gifts few or many, entitles one to honor. In God's plan there is no place for selfish rivalry. Those who "measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves among themselves, are not wise." What- ever we do is to be done "as of the ability which God giveth." It is to be done "heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men ; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the Lord Christ." 1 Precious the service done and the edu- cation gained in carrying out these principles. But how widely different is much of the education now given! From the child's earliest years it is an appeal to emula- tion and rivalry; it fosters selfishness, the root of all evil. Thus is created strife for supremacy; and there is encouraged the system of "cramming," which in so many cases destroys health and unfits for usefulness. In many others, emulation leads to dishonesty ; and by fostering ambition and discontent, it embitters the life, and helps to fill the world with those restless, turbu- lent spirits that are a continual menace to society. Nor does danger pertain to methods only. It is found also in the subject-matter of the studies. What are the works on which, throughout the most susceptible years of life, the minds of the youth are led to dwell? In the study of language and literature, from what fountains are the youth taught to drink? — From the wells of paganism; from springs fed by the cor- ruptions of ancient heathendom. They are bidden to 1 2 Cor. io : 12; i Peter 4:11; Col. 3:23, 24. Education and Character 227 study authors, of whom, without dispute, it is declared that they have no regard for the principles of morality. And of how many modern authors also might the same be said ! With how many are grace and beauty of language but a disguise for principles that in their real deformity would repel the reader! Besides these there is a multitude of fiction-writers, luring to pleasant dreams in palaces of ease. These writers may not be open to the charge of immorality, yet their work is no less really fraught with evil. It is robbing thousands upon thousands of the time and energy and self-discipline demanded by the stern prob- lems of life. In the study of science, as generally pursued, there are dangers equally great. Evolution and its kindred errors are taught in schools of every grade, from the kindergarten to the college. Thus the study of science, which should impart a knowledge of God, is so mingled with the speculations and theories of men that it tends to infidelity. Even Bible study, as too often conducted in the schools, is robbing the world of the priceless treasure of the word of God. The work of "higher criticism," in dissecting, conjecturing, reconstructing, is destroying faith in the Bible as a divine revelation; it is robbing God's word of power to control, uplift, and inspire human lives. As the youth go out into the world, to encounter its allurements to sin, — the passion for money-getting, for amusement and indulgence, for display, luxury, and extravagance, the overreaching, fraud, robbery, and ruin, — what are the teachings there to be met? Spiritualism asserts that men are unfallen demigods; False Science "Higher Criticism ' I'erils in the World Ft i unci at ion • i Character 228 Character- Building that "each mind will judge itself;" that "true knowl- edge places men above all law;" that "all sins com- mitted are innocent;" for "whatever is, is right," and "God doth not condemn." The basest of human be- ings it represents as in heaven, and highly exalted there. Thus it declares to all men, "It matters not what you do; live as you please, heaven is your home." Multi- tudes are thus led to believe that desire is the highest law, that license is liberty, and that man is accountable only to himself. With such teaching given at the very outset of life, when impulse is . strongest, and the demand for self- restraint and purity is most urgent, where are the safe- guards of virtue? what is to prevent the world from becoming a second Sodom? At the same time anarchy is seeking to sweep away all law, not only divine, but human. The centralizing of wealth and power; the vast combinations for the enriching of the few at the expense of the many; the combinations of the poorer classes for the defense of their interests and claims; the spirit of unrest, of riot and bloodshed; the world-wide dissemination of the same teachings that led to the French Revolution, — all are tending to involve the whole world in a struggle similar to that which convulsed France. Such are the influences to be met by the youth of to-day. To stand amidst such upheavals they are now to lay the foundations of character. In every generation and in every land the true foun- dation and pattern for character-building have been the same. The divine law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, . . . and thy neighbor as thyself," 1 the great principle made manifest in the 1 Luke 10 : 27. meats Education and Character 229 character and life of our Saviour, is the only secure foundation and the only sure guide. "The stability of thy times and the strength of thy happiness shall be wisdom and knowledge," 1 — that wisdom and knowledge which God's word alone can impart. It is as true now as when the words were spoken Gods ■ Command- tO Israel of obedience to His commandments: " This is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations." 2 Here is the only safeguard for individual integrity, for the purity of the home, the well-being of society, or the stability of the nation. Amidst all life's perplexities and dangers and conflicting claims, the one safe and sure rule is to do what God says. "The statutes of the Lord are right," and "he that doeth these things shall never be moved. " s Hsa. 33:6, Leeser's Translation. 2 Deut. 4:6. 3 Ps. 19:8; 15:5. Met h o ds of Teachi ng "TO G 1 V K PRUDENCE TO THE SIMPLE, TO THE VOUNG MAN KNOWLEDGE AND DISCRETION 1 XI em or r Training Inability to Discriminate Tp OR ages education has had to do chiefly with the -* memory. This faculty has been taxed to the utmost, while the ' other mental powers have not been correspondingly developed. Students have spent their time in laboriously crowding the mind with knowledge, very little of which could be utilized. The mind thus burdened with that which it can not digest and assimi- late is weakened; it becomes incapable of vigorous, self- reliant effort, and is content to depend on the judgment and perception of others. Seeing the evils of this method, some have gone to another extreme. In their view, man needs only to develop that which is within him. Such education leads the student to self-sufficiency, thus cutting him off from the source of true knowledge and power. The education that consists in the training of the memory, tending to discourage independent thought, has a moral bearing which is too little appreciated. As the student sacrifices the power to reason and judge for himself, he becomes incapable of discriminating between truth and error, and falls an easy prey to deception. He is easily led to follow tradition and custom. It is a fact widely ignored, though never without (330) Methods of Teaching 231 danger, that error rarely appears for what it really is. It is by mingling with or attaching itself to truth that it gains acceptance. The eating of the tree of knowl- edge of good and evil caused the ruin of our first parents, and the acceptance of a mingling of good and evil is the ruin of men and women to-day. The mind that depends upon the judgment of others is certain, sooner or later, to be misled. The power to discriminate between right and wrong we can possess only through individual dependence upon God. Each for himself is to learn from Him through His word. Our reasoning powers were given us for use, and God desires them to be exercised. "Come now, and let us reason together," 1 He invites us. In reliance upon Him we may have wisdom to "refuse the evil, and choose the good." 2 In all true teaching the personal element is essential. Christ in His teaching dealt with men individually. It was by personal contact and association that He trained the twelve. It was in private, often to but one listener, that He gave His most precious instruction. To the honored rabbi at the night conference on the Mount of Olives, to the despised woman at the well of Sychar, He opened His richest treasures; for in these hearers He discerned the impressible heart, the open mind, the receptive spirit. Even the crowd that so often thronged His steps was not to Christ an indiscriminate mass of human beings. He spoke directly to every mind and appealed to every heart. He- watched the faces of His hearers, marked the lighting up of the countenance, the quick, responsive glance, which told that truth had reached the soul; and there vibrated in His heart the answering chord of sympathetic joy. Reason and Faith Individual Development 1 Isa. : : 18. 2 James 1:5; Isa. 7: 15. A Present Need 232 Character- Building Christ discerned the possibilities in every human being. He was not turned aside by an unpromising exterior or by unfavorable surroundings. He called Matthew from the toll-booth, and Peter and his brethren from the fishing boat, to learn of Him. The same personal interest, the same attention to individual development, are needed in educational work to-day. Many apparently unpromising youth are richly endowed with talents that are put to no use. Their faculties lie hidden because of a lack of discernment on the part of their educators. In many a boy or girl outwardly as unattractive as a rough-hewn stone, may be found precious material that will stand the test of heat and storm and pressure. The true educator, keeping in view what his pupils may become, Avill rec- ognize the value of the material upon which he is working. He will take a personal interest in each pupil, and will seek to develop all his powers. How- ever imperfect, every effort to conform to right prin- ciples will be encouraged. ' Every youth should be taught the necessity and the Application power of application. Upon this, far more than upon genius or talent, does success depend. Without appli- cation the most brilliant talents avail little, while with rightly directed effort persons of very ordinary natural abilities have accomplished wonders. And genius, at whose achievements we marvel, is almost invariably united with untiring, concentrated effort. The youth should be taught to aim at the develop- ment of all their faculties, the weaker as well as the stronger. With many there is a disposition to restrict their study to certain lines, for which they have a natural liking. This error should be guarded against. Methods of Teaching 233 The natural aptitudes indicate the direction of the life- work, and, when legitimate, should be carefully culti- vated. At the same time it must be kept in mind that a well-balanced character and efficient work in any line depend, to a great degree, on that symmetrical development which is the result of thorough, all-round training. The teacher should constantly aim at simplicity and effectiveness. He should teach largely by illus- tration, and even in dealing with older pupils should be careful to make every explanation plain and clear. Many pupils well advanced in years are but children in understanding. An important element in educational work is enthu- siasm. On this point there is a useful suggestion in a remark once made by a celebrated actor. The Arch- bishop of Canterbury had put to him the question why actors in a play affect their audiences so powerfully by speaking of things imaginary, while ministers of the gospel often affect theirs so little by speaking of things real. "With due submission to your grace," replied the actqr, "permit me to say that the reason is plain: it lies in the power of enthusiasm. We on the stage speak of things imaginary as if they were real, and you in the pulpit speak of things real as if they were imaginary." The teacher in his work is dealing with things real, and he should speak of them with all the force and enthusiasm which a knowledge of their reality and importance can inspire. Every teacher should see to it that his work tends to definite results. Before attempting to teach a sub- ject, he should have a distinct plan in mind, and should Simplicity Enthusiasm 234 Ch a ra cier- B it ?'/di?ig know just what he desires to accomplish. He should not rest satisfied with the presentation of any subject until the student understands the principle involved, perceives its truth, and is able to state clearly what he has learned. So long as the great purpose of education is kept Mastery of j n v j ew the youth should be encouraged to advance Fundamentals ° just as far as their capabilities will permit. But before taking up the higher branches of study, let them master the lower. This is too often neglected. Even among students in the higher schools and the colleges, there is great deficiency in knowledge of the common branches of education. Many students devote their time to higher mathematics, when they are incapable of keep- ing simple accounts. Many study elocution with a view to acquiring the graces of oratory, when they are unable to read in an intelligible and impressive manner. Many who have finished the study of rhetoric fail in the composition and spelling of an ordinary letter. A thorough knowledge of the essentials of educa- tion should be not only the condition of admission to a higher course, but the constant test for continuance and advancement. And in every branch of education there are objects Language [ De gained more important than those secured by mere technical knowledge. Take language, for example. More important than the acquirement of foreign lan- guages, living or dead, is the ability to write and speak one's mother-tongue with ease and accuracy; but no training gained through a knowledge of grammatical rules can compare in importance with the study of lan- guage from a higher point of view. With this study, to a great degree, is bound up life's weal or woe. Methods of Teaching 235 The chief requisite of language is that it be pure and kind and true, — "the outward expression of an inward grace." God says: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." 1 And if such are the thoughts, such will be the expression. The best school for this language-study is the home; but since the work of the home is so often neglected, it devolves on the teacher to aid his pupils in forming right habits of speech. The teacher can do much to discourage that evil habit, the cur6e of the community, the neighborhood, and the home, — the habit of backbiting, gossip, ungen- erous criticism. In this no pains should be spared. Impress upon the students the fact that this habit reveals a lack of culture and refinement and of true goodness of heart; it unfits one both for the society of the truly cultured and refined in this world and for association with the holy ones of heaven. We think with horror of the cannibal who feasts on the still warm and trembling flesh of his victim; but are the results of even this practise more terrible than are the agony and ruin caused by misrepresenting motive, blackening reputation, dissecting character? Let the children, and the youth as well, learn what God says about these things : — "Death and life are in the power of the tongue."* In Scripture, backbiters are classed with "haters of God," with "inventors of evil things," with those who are "without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful," The Chief Requisite Habits of Speech Gossip; Cannibalism 1 Phil. 4 :8. 2 Prov. 18 : 21. 2^6 C/i a racier- Bu tiding Expletive, Exaggeration Innuendo Hasty Speeeli "full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity." It is "the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death." 1 He whom God accounts a citizen of Zion is he that "speaketh the truth in his heart;" "that backbiteth not with his tongue," "nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor."" God's word condemns also the use of those mean- ingless phrases and expletives that border on profanity. It condemns the deceptive compliments, the evasions of truth, the exaggerations, the misrepresentations in trade, that are current in society and in the business world. "Let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; and what- soever is more than these is of the evil one." 3 "As a madman who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbor, and saith, Am not I in sport?" 4 Closely allied to gossip is the covert insinuation, the sly innuendo, by which the unclean in heart seek- to insinuate the evil they dare not openly express. Kvery approach to these practises the youth should be. taught to shun as they would shun the leprosy. In the use of language there is perhaps no error that old and young are more ready to pass over lightly in themselves than hasty, impatient speech. They think it a sufficient excuse to plead, " I was off my guard, and did not really mean what I said." But God's word does not treat it lightly. The Scripture says : — - "Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him." 5 "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." 6 In one moment, by the hasty, passionate, careless 1 Rom. I : 30, 31, 29, 32. 4 Prov. 26: 18, 19. 2 Ps. 15 : 2, 3. 3 Matt. 5 : 37, R. V. 5 Prov, 29:20. 6 Prov. 25:28. Me thods of Tea c h in g 237 Cherish Self-' For set fa hies s tongue, may be wrought evil that a whole lifetime's repentance can not undo. Oh, the hearts that are broken, the friends estranged, the lives wrecked, by the harsh, hasty words of those who might have brought help and healing! "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword; but the tongue of the wise is health." 1 One of the characteristics that should be especially cherished, and cultivated in every child is that self- forgetfulness which imparts to the life such an uncon- scious grace. Of all excellences of character this is one of the most beautiful, and for every true life-work it is one of the qualifications most essential. Children need appreciation, sympathy, and encour- agement, but care should be taken not to foster in them a love of praise. It is not wise to give them special notice, or to repeat before them their clever sayings. The parent or teacher who keeps in view the true ideal of character and the possibilities of achieve- ment, can not cherish or encourage self-sufficiency. He will not encourage in the youth the desire or effort to display their ability or proficiency. He who looks higher than himself will be humble; yet he will Humility- possess a dignity that is not abashed or disconcerted by outward display or human greatness. It is not by arbitrary law or rule that the graces of character are developed. It is by dwelling in the atmosphere of the pure, the noble, the true. And wherever there is purity of heart and nobleness of character, it will be revealed in purity and nobleness of action and of speech. "He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the King shall be his friend." 2 Digaitv 1 Prov. 12:18. 2 Prov. 22 : II. 2 3 8 Character- Building From the Divine Point of View As with language, so with every other study; it may be so conducted that it will tend to the strength- ening and upbuilding of character. Of no study is this true to a greater degree than of history. Let it be considered from the divine point of view. As too often taught, history is little more than a record of the rise and fall of kings, the intrigues of courts, the victories and defeats of armies, — a story of ambition and greed, of deception, cruelty, and blood- shed. Thus taught, its results can not but be detri- mental. The heart-sickening reiteration of crimes and atrocities, the enormities, the cruelties portrayed, plant seeds that in many lives bring forth fruit in a harvest of evil. Far better is it to learn, in the light of God's word, the causes that govern the rise and fall of kingdoms. Let the youth study these records, and see how the true prosperity of nations has been bound up with an acceptance of the divine principles. Let him study the history of the great reformatory movements, and see how often these principles, though despised and hated, their advocates brought to the dungeon and the scaf- fold, have through these veiy sacrifices triumphed. Such study will give broad, comprehensive views of life. It will help the youth to understand something of its relations and dependencies, how wonderfully we are bound together in the great brotherhood of society and nations, and to how great an extent the oppression or degradation of one member means loss to all. In the study of figures the work should be made practical. Let eveiy youth and every child be taught, not merely to solve imaginary problems, but to keep Methods of Teaching 239 an accurate account of his own income and outgoes. Let him learn the right use of money by using it. Whether supplied by their parents or by their own Accounts earnings, let boys and girls learn to select and pur- chase their own clothing, their books, and other neces- sities; and by keeping an account of their expenses . they will learn, as they could learn in no other way, the value and the use of money. This training will help them to distinguish true economy from niggardli- ness on the one hand and prodigality on the other. Rightly directed it will encourage habits of benevo- lence. It will aid the youth in learning to give, not A useful .. Training' from the mere impulse of the moment, as their feeiings are stirred, but regularly and systematically. In this way every study may become an aid in the solution of that greatest of all problems, the training of men and women for the best discharge of life's responsibilities. Deportment Utiles of Etiquette "love doth not behave itself unseemly" 'T^HE value of courtesy is too little appreciated. -* Many who are kind at heart lack kindliness of manner. Many who command respect by their sin- cerity and uprightness are sadly deficient in geniality. This lack mars their own happiness, and detracts from their service to others. Many of life's sweetest and most helpful experiences are, often for mere want of thought, sacrificed by the uncourteous. Cheerfulness and courtesy should especially be cul- tivated by parents and teachers. All may possess a cheerful countenance, a gentle- voice, a courteous man- ner, and these are elements of power. Children are attracted by a cheerful, sunny demeanor. Show them kindness and courtesy, and they will manifest the same spirit toward you and toward one another. True courtesy is not learned by the mere practise of rules of etiquette. Propriety of deportment is at all times to be observed; wherever principle is not compro- mised, consideration of others will lead to compliance with accepted customs; but true courtesy requires no sacrifice of principle to conventionality. It ignores caste. It teaches self-respect, respect for the dignity of man as man, a regard for every member of the great human brotherhood. (240) Deportment 241 There is danger of placing too high a value upon mere manner and form, and devoting too much time to education in these lines. The life of strenuous effort demanded of every youth, the hard, often uncongenial work required even for life's ordinary duties, and much more for lightening the world's heavy burden of igno- rance and wretchedness, — these give little place for conventionalities. Many who lay great stress upon etiquette show little respect for anything, however excellent, that fails of meeting their artificial standard. This is false education. It fosters critical pride and narrow exclusiveness. The essence of true politeness is consideration for others. The essential, enduring education is that which broadens the sympathies and encourages universal kind- liness. That so-called culture which does not make a youth deferential toward his parents, appreciative of their excellences, forbearing toward their defects, and helpful to their necessities; which does not make him considerate and tender, generous and helpful toward the young, the old, and the unfortunate, and courteous toward all, is a failure. Real refinement of thought and manner is better learned in the school of the divine Teacher than by any observance of set rules. His love pervading the heart gives to the character those refining touches that fashion it in the semblance of His own. This education imparts a heaven-born dignity and sense of propriety. It gives a sweetness of disposition and a gentleness of manner that can never be equaled by the superficial polish of fashionable society. The Bible enjoins courtesy, and it presents many illustrations of the unselfish spirit, the gentle grace, 16 Overes tim a ting Convention- alities Consider a Hon for Others 242 Character- Building Best Treatise on Etiquette the winsome temper, that characterize true politeness. These are but reflections of the character of Christ. All the real tenderness and courtesy in the world, even among those who do not acknowledge His name, is from Him. And He desires these characteristics to be perfectly reflected in His children. It is His purpose that in us men shall behold His beauty. The most valuable treatise on etiquette ever penned is the precious instruction given by the Saviour, with the utterance of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul, — words that should be ineffaceably written in the memory of every human being, young or old: — "As I have loved you, that ye also love one another." 1 Reverence " Love suffereth long, and is kind ; Love envieth not ; Love vaunteth not itself, Is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, Seeketh not its own, Is not provoked, Taketh not account of evil ; Rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, But rejoiceth with the truth ; Beareth all things, Believeth all things, Hopeth all things, Endureth all things. Love never faileth." 2 Another precious grace that should be carefully cherished is reverence. True reverence for God is inspired by a sense of His infinite greatness and a realization of His presence. With this sense of the Unseen the heart of every child should be deeply impressed. The hour and place of prayer and the 1 John 13:34. "i Cor. 13:4-8, R- V. Deportment 243 services of public worship the child should be taught to regard as sacred because God is there. And as reverence is manifested in attitude and demeanor, the feeling that inspires it will be deepened. Well would it be for young and old to study and ponder and often repeat those words of Holy Writ that show how the place marked by God's special presence should be regarded. "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet," He com- manded Moses at the burning bush; "for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." 1 Jacob, after beholding the vision of the angels, exclaimed, "The Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. . . . This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." 2 "The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him." 3 Vor God's Presence "The Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods. . . . O come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." " It is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves ; We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise; Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." 4 Reverence should be shown also for the name of God. Never should that name be spoken lightly or thoughtlessly. Even in prayer its frequent or needless repetition should be avoided. "Holy and reverend is His name." 5 Angels, as they speak it, veil their faces. With what reverence should we, who are fallen and sinful, take it upon our lips! 1E> i : 5. 2 Gen. 28 : 16, 17. ' Ps. 95:3-6; 100:3, 4. 3 Hab. 2 : 20. Ps. in : 9. For His Name 244 Character- Building Reverence for God's Word Respect for Superiors We should reverence God's word. For the printed volume we should show respect, never putting it to common uses, or handling it carelessly. And never should Scripture be quoted in a jest, or paraphrased to point a witty saying. "Every word of God is pure;" "as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." 1 Above all, let children be taught that true reverence is shown by obedience. God has commanded nothing that is unessential, and there is no other way of mani- festing reverence so pleasing to Him as obedience to that which He has spoken. Reverence should be shown for God's representa- tives, — for ministers, teachers, and parents who are called to speak and act in His stead. In the respect shown to them He is honored. And God has especially enjoined tender respect toward the aged. He says, " The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteous- ness." 2 It tells of battles fought, and victories gained; of burdens borne, and temptations resisted. It tells of weary feet nearing their rest, of places soon to be vacant. Help the children to think of this, and they will smooth the path of the aged by their courtesy and respect, and will bring grace and beauty into their young lives as they heed the command to "rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man." 3 Fathers and mothers and teachers need to appreciate more fully the responsibility and honor that God has placed upon them, in making them, to the child, the representatives of Himself. The character revealed in 1 Prov. 30: 5; Ps. 12:6. 2 Prov. 16:31. 3 Lev. iy :32. Deportment 245 the contact of daily life will interpret to the child, for good or for evil, those words of God : — "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord interpreters r of God pitieth them that fear Him." 1 "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." 2 Happy the child in whom such words as these awaken love and gratitude and trust; the child to whom the tenderness and justice and long-suffering of father and mother and teacher interpret the love and justice and long-suffering of God; the child who by trust and submission and reverence toward his earthly protectors learns to trust and obey and rever- ence his God. He who imparts to child or pupil such a gift has endowed him with a treasure more precious than the wealth of all the ages, — a treasure as enduring as eternity. 1 Ps. 103: 13. 2 Isa. 66: 13. Relation of Dress to Education 'in modest apparel. I Ml k I M . ' S DAUGHTER IS ALL i. l.oR IOUS WITHIN" The Teacher's Rival A Burden in the Home A TO education can be complete that does not teach -l * right principles in regard to dress. Without such teaching, the work of education is too often retarded and perverted. Love of dress, and devotion to fashion, are among the teacher's most formidable rivals and most effective hindrances. Fashion is a mistress that rules with an iron hand. In very many homes the strength and time and atten- tion of parents and children are absorbed in meeting her demands. The rich are ambitious to outdo one another in conforming to her ever-varying styles; the middle and poorer classes strive to approach the standard set by those supposed to be above them. Where means or strength is limited, and the ambition for gentility is great, the burden becomes almost insupportable. With many it matters not how becoming, or even beautiful, a garment may be, let the fashions change, and it must be remade or cast aside. The members of the household are doomed to ceaseless toil. There is no time for training the children, no time for prayer or Bible study, no time for helping the little ones to become acquainted with God through His works. (246) Relation of Dress to Education 247 There is no time and no money for charity. And often the home table is stinted. The food is ill selected and hastily prepared, and the demands of nature are but partially supplied. The result is wrong habits of diet, which create disease or lead to intemperance. The love of display produces extravagance, and in many young people kills the aspiration for a nobler life. Instead of seeking an education, they early engage in some occupation to earn money for indulging the passion for dress. And through this passion many a young girl is beguiled to ruin. In many a home the family resources are overtaxed. The father, unable to supply the demands of the mother and the children, is tempted to dishonesty, and again dishonor and ruin are the result. Even the day and the services of worship are not exempt from fashion's domination. Rather they afford opportunity for the greater display of her power. The church is made a parade-ground, and the fashions are studied more than the sermon. The poor, unable to meet the demands of custom, stay away from church altogether. The day of rest is spent in idleness, and by the youth often in associations that are demoralizing. At school, the girls are by unsuitable and uncomfort- able clothing unfitted either for study or for recreation. Their minds are preoccupied, and the teacher has a difficult task to awaken their interest. For breaking the spell of fashion, the teacher can often find no means more effective than contact with nature. Let pupils taste the delights to be found by river or lake or sea; let them climb the hills, gaze on the sunset glory, explore the treasures of wood and field; let them learn the pleasure of cultivating plants Source of Temptation Fashion and Public Worship A Counter Influence 248 Character- Building Higher Aims Taste and Neatness in Dress and flowers; and the importance of an additional ribbon or ruffle will sink into insignificance. Lead the youth to see that in dress, as in diet, plain living is indispensable to high thinking. Lead them to see how much there is to learn and to do; how precious are the days of youth as a preparation for the life-work. Help them to see what treasures there are in the word of God, in the book of nature, and in the records of noble lives. Let their minds be directed to the suffering which they might relieve. Help them to see that by every dollar squandered in display, the spender is deprived of means for feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and comforting the sorrowful. They can not afford to miss life's glorious oppor- tunities, to dwarf their minds, to ruin their health, and to wreck their happiness, for the sake of obedience to mandates that have no foundation in reason, in comfort, or in comeliness. At the same time the young should be taught to recognize the lesson of nature, "He hath made every- thing beautiful in its time." 1 In dress, as in all things else, it is our privilege to honor our Creator. He desires our clothing to be not only neat and healthful, but appropriate and becoming. A person's character is judged by his style of dress. A refined taste, a cultivated mind, will be revealed in the choice of simple and appropriate attire. Chaste sim- plicity in dress, when united with modesty of demeanor, will go far toward surrounding a young woman with that atmosphere of sacred reserve which will be to her a shield from a thousand perils. Let girls be taught that the art of dressing well JEccl. 3:11, R. V. Relation of Dress to Education 249 includes the ability to make their own clothing. This is an ambition that every girl should cherish. It will be a means of usefulness and independence that she can not afford to miss. It is right to love beauty and to desire it; but God desires us to love and to seek first the highest beauty, — that which is imperishable. The choicest productions The Hi shesi Beauty of human skill possess no beauty that can bear com- parison with that beauty of character which in His sight is of "great price." Let the youth and the little children be taught to choose for themselves that royal robe woven in heaven's loom, — the "fine linen, clean and white," 1 which all the holy ones of earth will wear. This robe, Christ's own spotless character, is freely offered to every human being. But all who receive it will receive and wear it here. Let the children be taught that as they open their minds to pure, loving thoughts and do loving and helpful deeds, they are clothing themselves with His beautiful garment of character. This apparel will make them beautiful and beloved here, and will hereafter be their title of admission to the palace of the King. His promise is, — "They shall walk with Me in white; for they are worthy." 2 »Rev. 19:8. 2 Rev. 3:4. The Sabbath T 'it is a sign between he and you; that v e man' know that 1 am jehovah " 'HE value of the Sabbath as a means of education is beyond estimate. Whatever of ours God claims from us, He returns again, enriched, transfigured, with The sabbath hj s own glory. The tithe that He claimed from Israel a Sign ° J was devoted to preserving among men, in its glorious beauty, the pattern of His temple in the heavens, the token of His presence on the earth. So the portion • of our time which He claims is given again to us, bearing His name and seal. It is "a sign," He says, "between Me and you; . . . that ye may know that I am Jehovah;" because "in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day ; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." 1 The Sabbath is a sign of creative and redeeming power; it points to God as the source of life and knowledge; it recalls man's primeval glory, and thus witnesses to God's purpose to re-create us in His own image. The Sabbath and the family were alike instituted in The Family Eden, and in God's purpose they are indissolubly linked together. On this day more than on any other, it is possible for us to live the life of Eden. It was God's plan for the members of the family to be associated in (250) 'Ex. 31 : 13; 20:11. The Sabbath 251 work and study, in worship and recreation, the father as priest of his household, and both father and mother as teachers and companions of their children. But the results of sin, having changed the conditions of life, to a great degree prevent this association. Often the father hardly sees the faces of his children throughout the week. He is almost wholly deprived of opportu- nity for companionship or instruction. But God's love has set a limit to the demands of toil. Over the Sab- bath He places His merciful hand. In His own day He preserves for the family opportunity for communion with Him, with nature, and with one another. Since the Sabbath is the memorial of creative power, it is the day above all others when we should acquaint ourselves with God through His works. .In the minds of the children the very thought of the Sabbath should be bound up with the beauty of natural things. Happy is the family who can go to the place of worship on the Sabbath as Jesus and His disciples went to the syna- gogue, — across the fields, along the shores of the lake, or through the groves. Happy the father and mother who can teach their children God's written word with illustrations from the open pages of the book of nature; who can gather under the green trees, in the fresh, pure air, to study the word and to sing the praise of the Father above. By such associations parents may bind their children to their hearts, and thus to God, by ties that can never be broken. As a means of intellectual training, the opportunities of the Sabbath are invaluable. Let the Sabbath-school lesson be learned, not by a hasty glance at the lesson scripture on Sabbath morning, but by careful study for The Sabbath and Nature Bible Sturir 252 Character- Building the next week on Sabbath afternoon, with daily review or illustration during the week. Thus the lesson will become fixed in the memory, a treasure never to be wholly lost. In listening to the sermon, let parents and children note the text and the scriptures quoted, and as much as possible of the line of thought, to repeat to one another at home. This will go far toward relieving the weariness with which children so often listen to a sermon, and it will cultivate in all a habit of attention and of connected thought. Meditation on the themes thus suggested will open "Great t o j-ftg student treasures of which he has never dreamed. Reward" He will prove in his own life the reality of the experi- ence described in the scripture: — "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart."' "I will meditate in Thy statutes." "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold. Moreover by them is Thy servant warned; and in keeping of them there is great reward." 2 1 Jer. 15:16. 2 Ps. 119:48; 19:10,11. Faith and Prayer "faith is the assurance ok things hoped for," "believe that ye receive, and ve shall have" F AITH is trusting God, — believing that He loves us, and knows best what is for our good. Thus, instead of our own, it leads us to choose His way. In what is , r . . T t • • , • i Faith? place of our ignorance, it accepts His wisdom; in place of our weakness, His strength; in place of our sin- fulness, His righteousness. Our lives, ourselves, arc already His; faith acknowledges His ownership and accepts its blessing. Truth, uprightness, purity, have been pointed out as secrets of life's success. It is faith that puts us in possession of these principles. Every good impulse or aspiration is the gift of God ; faith receives from God the life that alone can produce true growth and efficiency. How to exercise faith should be made very plain. To every promise of God there are conditions. If we Hon ' to Exercise are willing to do His will, all His strength is ours. Faith Whatever gift He promises, is in the promise itself. "The seed is the word of God." 1 As surely as the oak is in the acorn, so surely is the gift of God in His promise. If we receive the promise, we have the gift. Faith that enables us to receive God's gifts is itself a gift, of which some measure is imparted to every human being. It grows as exercised in appropriating *Luke 8; II. U'53> -54 C 7/ a racier- B u tiding Power of God's Word Results of Faith the word of God. In order to strengthen faith, we must often bring it in contact with the word. In the study of the Bible the student should be led to see the power of God's word. In the creation, " He spake, and it was; He commanded, and it stood fast." He "calleth those things which be not as though they were;" 1 for when He calls them, they are. How often those who trusted the word of God, though in themselves utterly helpless, have withstood the power of the whole world, — Enoch, pure in heart, holy in life, holding fast his faith in the triumph of righteousness against a corrupt and scoffing genera- tion ; Noah and . his household against the men of his time, men of the greatest physical and mental strength and the most debased in morals; the children of Israel at the Red Sea, a helpless, terrified multitude of slaves, against the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe; David, a shepherd lad, having God's promise of the throne, against Saul, the established monarch, bent on holding fast his power; Shadrach and his companions in the fire, and Nebuchadnezzar on the throne; Daniel among the lions, his enemies in the high places of the kingdom; Jesus on the cross, and the Jewish priests and rulers forcing even the Roman governor to work their will; Paul in chains led to a criminal's death, Nero the despot of a world-empire. Such examples are not found in the Bible only. They abound in every record of human progress. The Vaudois and the Huguenots, Wycliffe and Huss, Jerome and Luther, Tyndale and Knox, Zinzendorf and Wesley, with multitudes of others, have witnessed to the power of God's word against human power and policy in support of evil. These are the world's true nobility. This is » Ps. 33:9; Rom. 4:17. Faith and Prayer 255 its royal line. In this line the youth of to-day are called to take their places. Faith is needed in the smaller no less than in the greater affairs of life. In all our daily interests and occupations the sustaining strength of God becomes real to us through an abiding trust. Viewed from its human side, life is to all an untried path. It is a path in which, as regards our deeper experiences, we each walk alone. Into our inner life no other human being can fully enter. As the little child sets forth on that journey in which, sooner or later, he must choose his own course, himself deciding life's issues for eternity, how earnest should be the effort to direct his trust to the sure Guide and Helper! As a shield from temptation and an inspiration to purity and truth, no other influence can equal the sense of God's presence. "All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." He is "of purer eyes than to behold evil, and can not look on iniquity." 1 This thought was Joseph's shield amidst the corruptions of Egypt. To the allurements of temp- tation his answer was steadfast: "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" 2 Such a shield, faith, if cherished, will bring to every soul. Only the sense of God's presence can banish the fear that, for the timid child, would make life a burden. Let him fix in his memory the promise, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." 3 Let him read that wonderful story of Elisha in the mountain city, and, between him and the hosts of armed foemen, a mighty encircling band of heavenly angels. Let him read how to Peter, in prison and condemned to death, God's angel appeared; •Heb. 4:13; Hab. i : 13. 2 Gen. 39:9. a Ps. 34 ■ 7. In Daily Life A Shield from Temptation 256 Character- Building God's Protecting Presence how, past the armed guards, the massive doors and great iron gateway with their bolts and bars, the angel led God's servant forth in safety. Let him read of that scene on the sea, when to the tempest-tossed soldiers and seamen, worn with labor and watching and long fasting, Paul the prisoner, on his way to trial and exe- cution, spoke those grand words of courage and hope: "Be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you. . . . For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying. Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar; and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." In the faith of this promise Paul assured his companions, "There shall not a hair fall from the head of any of you." So it came to pass. Because there was in that ship one man through whom God could work, the whole ship-load of heathen sol- diers and sailors was preserved. "They escaped all safe ' to land." l These things were not written merely that we might read and wonder, but that the same faith which wrought in God's servants of old might work in us. In no less marked a manner than He wrought then will He work- now wherever there are hearts of faith to be channels of His power. Let the self-distrustful, whose lack of self-reliance Help for leads them to shrink from care and responsibility, be Distrustful taught reliance upon God. Thus many a one who otherwise would be but a cipher in the world, perhaps only a helpless burden, will be able to say with the apostle Paul, "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me."' 2 For the child also who is quick to resent injuries, 1 Acts 27 : 22-24, 34. -44- a Phil. 4 : 13- Faith and Prayer 257 faith has precious lessons. The disposition to resist evil or to avenge wrong" is often prompted by a keen sense of justice and an active, energetic spirit. Let such a child be taught that God is the eternal guardian of right. He has a tender care for the beings whom He has so loved as to give His dearest Beloved to save. He will deal with every wrong-doer. "For he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye." 1 "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. . . . He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."" "The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee; for Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek Thee." :; The compassion that God manifests toward us, He bids us manifest toward others. Let the impulsive, the self-sufficient, the revengeful, behold the meek and lowly One, led as a lamb to the slaughter, unretali- ating as a sheep dumb before her shearers. Let them look upon Him whom our sins have pierced and our sorrows burdened, and the}' will learn to endure, to forbear, and to forgive. Through faith in Christ, every deficiency of character may be supplied, ever)- defilement cleansed, every fault corrected, every excellence developed. " Ye are complete in Him." ' Prayer and faith are closely allied, and they need to be studied together. In the prayer of faith there is a divine science; it is a science that every one who would make his life-work a success must understand. Christ iZech. 2:8. 2 Ps. 37:5,6. 8 Ps.g:g,io. 'CI. i The Criiardiau <>i Right Complete in Christ 258 Ch a racte r- B u i I ding "Believe That Ye Receive' Secret Prayer says, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.". 1 He makes it plain that our asking must be according to God's will; we must ask for the things that He has promised, and whatever we receive must be used in doing His will. The conditions met, the promise is unequivocal. For the pardon of sin, for the Holy Spirit, for a Christlike temper, for wisdom and strength to do His work, for any gift He has promised, we may ask; then we are to believe that we receive, and return thanks to God that we have received. We need look for no outward evidence of the bless- ing. The gift is in the promise, and we may go about our work assured that what God has promised He is able to perform, and that the gift, which we already possess, will be realized when we need it most. To live thus by the word of God means the sur- render to Him of the whole life. There will be felt a continual sense of need and dependence, a drawing out of the heart after God. Prayer is a necessity ; for it is the life of the soul. Family prayer, public prayer, have their place; but it is secret communion with God that sustains the soul-life. It was in the mount with God that Moses beheld the pattern of that wonderful building which was to be the abiding-place of His glory. It is in the mount with God, — in the secret place of communion, — that we are to contemplate His glorious ideal for humanity. Thus we shall be enabled so to fashion our character-building that to us may be fulfilled His promise, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people." 2 1 Mark 1 1 : 2|. - _> i 01. 6: 16. Faith and Prayer 259 It was in hours of solitary prayer that Jesus in His earth-life received wisdom and power. Let the youth follow His example in finding at dawn and twilight a The Saviour's ■ .7 . . Example quiet season for communion with their Father in heaven. And throughout the day let them lift up their hearts to God. At every step of our way He says, "I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand; . fear not; I will help thee." 1 Could our children learn these lessons in the morning of their years, what fresh- ness and power, what joy and sweetness, would be brought into their lives! These are lessons that only he who himself has learned can teach. It is because so many parents and teachers profess to believe the word of God while their lives deny its power, that the teaching of Scripture has no greater effect upon the youth. At times the youth are brought to feel the power of the word. They see A <--ause of Donht the preciousness of the love of Christ. They see the beauty of His character, the possibilities of a life given to His service. But in contrast they see the life of those who profess to revere God's precepts. Of how many are the words true that were spoken to the prophet Ezekiel: — Thy people "speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love; but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very Usa. ,|i : ij. 26o Character- Building lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument; for they hear thy words; but they do them not." 1 It is one thing to treat the Bible as a book of good The Bible moral instruction, to be heeded so far as is consistent to Shape the utc with the spirit of the times and our position in the world; it is another thing to regard it as it really is, — the word of the living God, — the word that is our life, the word that is to mould our actions, our words, and our thoughts. To hold God's word as anything less than this is to reject it. And this rejection by those who profess to believe it, is foremost among the causes of skepticism and infidelity in the youth. Time for Prayer An intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the world. In amusement, in money- making, in the contest for power, in the very struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses body and mind and soul. In the midst of this mad- dening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him. "Be still, and know that 1 am God. ' ' ' Many, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of receiving the blessing of real communion with God. They are in too great haste. With hurried steps they press through the circle of Christ's loving presence, pausing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for counsel. The)' have no time to remain with the divine Teacher. With their burdens they return to their work. These workers can never attain the highest success until they learn the secret of strength. They must 1 I :e; 33: j" 32. -Ts. :• Faith and Prayei give themselves time to think, to pray, to wait upon God for a renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power. They need the uplifting influence of His Spirit. Receiving this, they will be quickened by fresh life. The wearied frame and tired brain will be refreshed, the burdened heart will be lightened. Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companion- A Precious . . Experience ship with Him, — this is our need. Happy will it be for the children of our homes and the students of our schools when parents and teachers shall learn in their own lives the precious experience pictured in these words from the Song of Songs: — "As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, So is my Beloved among - the sons. I sat down under His shadow with great delight, And His fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting-house, And His banner over me was love." ' 1 Cant. 2:3, 4. The Life -Work "this onk THING I DO' A Definite Aim God's Purpose for the Youth ^C T CC£SS in any line demands a definite aim. He ^-* who would achieve true success in life must keep steadily in view the aim worthy of his endeavor. Such an aim is set before the youth of to-day. The heaven- appointed purpose of giving the gospel to the world in this generation is the noblest that can appeal to any human being. It opens a field of effort to every one whose heart Christ has touched. God's purpose for the children growing up beside our hearths is wider, deeper, higher, than our restricted vision has comprehended. From the humblest lot those whom He has seen faithful have in time past been called to witness for Him in the world's highest places. And many a lad of to-day, growing up as did Daniel in his Judean home, studying God's word and His works, and learning the lessons of faithful service, will yet stand in legislative assemblies, in halls of justice, or in royal courts, as a witness for the King of kings. Multitudes will be called to a wider ministry. The whole world is opening to the gospel. Ethiopia is stretching out her hands unto God. From Japan and China and India, from the still-darkened lands of our own continent, from every quarter of this world of ours, comes the cry of sin-stricken hearts for a knowledge of (202) The Life- Work 263 the God of love. Millions upon millions have never so much as heard of God or of His love revealed in Christ. It is their right to receive this knowledge. They have an equal claim with us in the Saviour's mere)-. And it rests with us who have received the knowledge, with our children to whom we may impart it, to answer their cry. To every household and every school, to every parent, teacher, and child upon whom has shone the light of the gospel, comes at this crisis the question put to Esther the queen at that momentous crisis in Israel's history, "Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" 1 Those who think of the result of hastening or hin- dering the gospel think of it in relation to themselves and to the world. Few think of its relation to God. Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused our Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ's agony; but that suffering did not begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very in- ception, sin has brought to the heart of God. Every departure from the right, every deed of cruelty, every failure of humanity to reach His ideal, brings grief to Him. When there came upon Israel the calamities that were the sure result of separation from God, — subjuga- tion by their enemies, cruelty, and death, — it is said that "His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel." "In all their affliction He was afflicted; . . . and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old."* His Spirit "maketh intercession for us with groan- ings which can not be uttered." As the "whole crea- tion groaneth and travaileth together in pain," 3 the heart of the infinite Father is pained in sympathy. Our world 1 Esther 4: 14. 2j U( jg es 10:16; Isa. 63:9. s Rom. 8 : 26, 22. Individual Responsibility God a Sharer in Suffering 264 Character-Building When the End Will Come Mistakes in Education Selfish Aim is a vast lazar-house, a scene of misery that \vc dare not allow even our thoughts to dwell upon. Did we realize it as it is, the burden would be too terrible. Vet God feels it all. In order to destroy sin and its results He gave His best Beloved, and He has put it in our power, through co-operation with Him, to bring this scene of misery to an end. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." 1 "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,'" 2 is Christ's command to His followers. Not that all are called to be ministers or missionaries in the ordinary sense of the term; but all may be workers with Him in giving the "glad tidings" to their fellow- men. To all, great or small, learned or ignorant, old or young, the command is given. In view of this command, can we educate our sons and daughters for a life of respectable conventionality, a life professedly Christian, but lacking His self-sacrifice, a life on which the verdict of Him who is truth must be, "I know you not"? Thousands are doing this. They think to secure for their children the benefits of the gospel, while they deny its spirit. But this can not be. Those who reject the privilege of fellowship with Christ in service, reject the only training that* imparts a fitness for participation with Him in His glory. They reject the training that in this life gives strength and nobility of character. Many a father and mother, denying their children to the cross of Christ, have learned too late that they were thus giving them over to the enemy of God and man. They sealed their ruin, not alone for the future but for the present life. Temptation overcame them. They Matt. 2.) : i.|. a Mark 16 : 15. The Life- Work 265 grew up a curse to the world, a grief and shame to those who gave them being. Even in seeking a preparation for God's service, many are turned aside by wrorig methods of edu- Absorption t t 11 11 '" Study cation. Lite is too generally regarded as made up of distinct periods, the period of learning and the period of doing, — of preparation and of achievement. In prepa- ration for a life of service the youth are sent to school, to acquire knowledge by the study of books. Cut off from the responsibilities of every-day life, they become absorbed in study, and often lose sight of its purpose. The ardor of their early consecration dies out, and too many take up with some personal, selfish ambition. Upon their graduation, thousands find themselves out of touch with life. They have so long dealt with the abstract and theoretical that when the whole being must be roused to meet the sharp contests of real life, they ° ut '"' Toiwl ' with Life are unprepared. Instead of the noble work they had purposed, their energies are engrossed in a struggle for mere subsistence. After repeated disappointments, in despair even of earning an honest livelihood, many drift into questionable or criminal practises. The world is robbed of the service it might have received; and God is robbed of the souls lie longed to uplift, ennoble, and honor as representatives of Himself. Many parents err in discriminating between their children in the matter of education. They make- almost any sacrifice to secure the best advantages for one that is bright and apt. But these opportunities are not thought a necessity for those who arc less promising. Little education is deemed essential for the performance of life's ordinary duties. But who is capable of selecting from a family of 266 C/i S. 37: 29; Isa. 33: 24; 65:19. The U nder-T eache R "As My Father hath sent Me, even so send I you " Preparation "study to show thyself approved unto god" r l ^HE child's first teacher is the mother. During •*■ the period of greatest susceptibility and most rapid development his education is to a great degree in her hands. To her first is given opportunity to mould the character for good or for evil. She should understand the value of her opportunity, and, above every other teacher, should be qualified to use it to the best account. Yet there is no other to whose training so little thought is given. The one whose influence in education is most potent and far-reaching is the one for whose assistance there is the least systematic effort. Those to whom the care of the little child is com- mitted are too often ignorant of its physical needs; they know little of the laws of health or the principles of development. Nor are they better fitted to care for its mental and spiritual growth. They may be qualified to conduct business or to shine in society ; they may have made creditable attainments in literature and sci- ence; but of the training of a child they have little knowledge. It is chiefly because of this lack, especially because of the early neglect of physical development, that so large a proportion of the human race die in infancy, and of those who reach maturity there are so many to whom life is but a burden. (275) The Mother's Opportunity Lack of Preparation 276 The Under- Teacher Education for Parents The Teacher; Broad Training Upon fathers as well as mothers rests a responsi- bility for the child's earlier as well as its later training, and for both parents the demand for careful and thor- ough preparation is most urgent. Before taking upon themselves the possibilities of fatherhood and mother- hood, men and women should become acquainted with the laws of physical development, — with physiology and hygiene, with the bearing of prenatal influences, with the laws of heredity, sanitation, dress, exercise, and the treat- ment of disease; they should also understand the laws of mental development and moral training. This work of education the Infinite One has counted so important that messengers from His throne have been sent to a mother that was to be, to answer the question, "How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?" 1 and to instruct a father concerning the education of a promised son. Never will education accomplish all that it might and should accomplish until the importance of the parents' work is fully recognized, and they receive a training for its sacred responsibilities. The necessity of preparatory training for the teacher is universally admitted; but few recognize the character of the preparation most essential. He who appreciates the responsibility involved in the training of the youth, will realize that instruction in scientific and literary lines alone can not suffice. The teacher should have a more comprehensive education than can be gained by the study of books. He should possess not only strength but breadth of mind; should be not only whole-souled but large-hearted. He only who created the mind and ordained its laws can perfectly understand its needs or direct its ljudges ij: 12. Preparation 277 development. The principles of education that He has given are the only safe guide. A qualification essential for every teacher is a knowledge of these principles, and such an acceptance of them as will make them a con- trolling power in his own life. Experience in practical life is indispensable. Order, thoroughness, punctuality, self-control, a sunny temper, evenness of disposition, self-sacrifice, integrity, and cour- tesy are essential qualifications. Because there is so much cheapness of character, so much of the counterfeit all around the youth, there is the more need that the teacher's words, attitude, and deportment should represent the elevated and the true. Children are quick to detect affectation or any other weakness or defect. The teacher can gain the respect of his pupils in no other way than by revealing in his own character the principles which he seeks to teach them. Only as he does this in his daily associa- tion with them can he have a permanent influence over them for good. For almost every other qualification that contributes to his success, the teacher is in great degree dependent upon physical vigor. The better his health, the better will be his work. So wearing are his responsibilities that special effort on his part is required to preserve vigor and freshness. Often he becomes heart-weary and brain-weary, with the almost irresistible tendency to depression, coldness, or irritability. It is his duty not merely to resist such moods but to avoid their cause. He needs to keep the heart pure and sw~et and trustful and sympathetic. In order to be always firm and calm and cheerful, he must preserve the strength of brain and nerve. Essential Qualifications Physical Vigor 278 The Under- Teacher Outdoor Labor Literary Attainments A High Standard Since in his work quality is so much more impor- tant than quantity, he should guard against overlabor,— against attempting too much in his own line of duty; against accepting other responsibilities that would unfit him for his work; and against engaging in amusements and social pleasures that are exhausting rather than recuperative. Outdoor exercise, especially in useful labor, is one of the best means of recreation for body and mind ; and the teacher's example will inspire his pupils with interest in and respect for manual labor. In every line the teacher should scrupulously observe the principles of health. He should do this not only because of its bearing upon his own usefulness, but also because of its influence upon his pupils. He should be temperate in all things; in diet, dress, labor, recreation, he is to be an example. With physical health and uprightness of character should be combined high literary qualifications. The more of true knowledge the teacher has, the better will be his work. The schoolroom is no place for surface- work. No teacher who is satisfied with superficial knowledge will attain a high degree of efficiency. But the teacher's usefulness depends not so much upon the actual amount of his acquirements as upon the standard at which he aims. The true teacher is not content with dull thoughts, an indolent mind, or a loose memory. He constantly seeks higher attainments and better methods. His life is one of continual growth. In the work of such a teacher there is a freshness, a quickening power, that awakens and inspires his pupils. The teacher must have aptness for his work. He must have the wisdom and tact required in dealing with Preparation 279 minds. However great his scientific knowledge, how- ever excellent his qualifications in other lines, if he does not gain the respect and confidence of his pupils, his efforts will be in vain. Teachers are needed who are quick to discern and improve every opportunity for doing good; those who with enthusiasm combine true dignity; who are able to control, and "apt to teach;" who can inspire thought, arouse energy, and impart courage and life. A teacher's advantages may have been limited, so that he may not possess as high literary qualifications as might be desirable; yet if he has true insight into human nature; if he has a genuine love for his work, an appreciation of its magnitude, and a determination to improve; if he is willing to labor earnestly and persever- ingly, he will comprehend the needs of his pupils, and, by his sympathetic, progressive spirit, will inspire them to follow as he seeks to lead them onward and upward. The children and youth under the teacher's care differ widely in disposition, habits, and training. Some have no definite purpose or fixed principles. They need to be awakened to their responsibilities and possibilities. Few children have been rightly trained at home. Some have been household pets. Their whole training has been superficial. Allowed to follow inclination and to shun responsibility and burden-bearing, they lack sta- bility, perseverance, and self-denial. These often regard all discipline as an unnecessary restraint. Others have been censured and discouraged. Arbitrary restraint and harshness have developed in them obstinacy and defiance. If these deformed characters are reshaped, the work must, in most cases, be done by the teacher. In order to accomplish it successfully, he must have Administrative Ability Difficulties 280 The Under- Teacher Sympathy and Insight Social Relation Partiality the sympathy and insight that will enable him to trace to their cause the faults and errors manifest in his pupils. He must have also the tact and skill, the patience and firmness, that will enable him to impart to each the needed help, — to the vacillating and ease-loving, such encouragement and assistance as will be a stimulus to exertion ; to the discouraged, sympathy and appreciation that will create confidence and thus inspire effort. Teachers often fail of coming sufficiently into social relation with their pupils. They manifest too little sympathy and tenderness, and too much of the dignity of the stern judge. While the teacher must be firm and decided, he should not be exacting or dictatorial. To be harsh and censorious, to stand aloof from his pupils or treat them indifferently, is to close the avenues through which he might influence them for good. Under no circumstances should the teacher manifest partiality. To favor the winning, attractive pupil, and be critical, impatient, or unsympathetic toward those who most need encouragement and help, is to reveal a total misconception of the teacher's work. It is in dealing with the faulty, trying ones that the character is tested, and it is proved whether the teacher is really qualified for his position. Great is the responsibility of those who take upon themselves the guidance of a human soul. The true father and mother count theirs a trust from which they can never be wholly released. The life of the child, from his earliest to his latest day, feels the power of that tie which binds him to the parent's heart; the acts, the words, the very look of the parent, continue Preparation 28 i to mould the child fox good or for evil. The teacher shares this responsibility, and he needs constantly to realize its sacredness, and to keep in view the purpose of his work. He is not merely to accomplish the daily tasks, to please his employers, to maintain the standing of the school; he must consider the highest good of his pupils as individuals, the duties that life will lay upon them, the service it requires, and the preparation demanded. The work he is doing day by day will exert upon his pupils, and through them upon others, an influence that will not cease to extend and strengthen until time shall end. The fruits of his work he must meet in that great day when every word and deed shall be brought in review before God. The teacher who realizes this will not feel that his work is completed when he has finished the daily rou- tine of recitations, and for a time his pupils pass from under his direct care. He will carry these children and youth upon his heart. How to secure for them the noblest standard of attainment will be his constant study and effort. He who discerns the opportunities and privileges of his work will allow nothing to stand in the way of earnest endeavor for self-improvement. He will spare no pains to reach the highest standard of excellence. All that he desires his pupils to become, he will himself strive to be. Responsibility Self- Itnpro vem en t The deeper the sense of responsibility, and the more earnest the effort for self-improvement, the more clearly will the teacher perceive and the more keenly regret the defects that hinder his usefulness. As he beholds the magnitude of his work, its difficulties and possibilities, 2X2 The Under- Teacher Our Source of Help The Highest Preparation often will his heart cry out, "Who is sufficient for these things?" Dear teacher, as you consider your need of strength and guidance, — need that no human source can sup- ply, — I bid you consider the promises of Him who is the wonderful Counselor. "Behold," He says, "I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it." 1 "Call upon Me, and I will answer thee." "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with Mine eye." 2 "Even unto the end of the world" "I am with you." 3 As the highest preparation for your work, I point you to the words, the life, the methods, of the Prince of teachers. I bid you consider Him. Here is your true ideal. Behold it, dwell upon it, until the Spirit of the divine Teacher shall take possession of your heart and life. "Reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord," you will be "transformed into the same image." 4 This is the secret of power over your pupils. Reflect Him. 1 Rev. 3 : i z Jer. 33: 3; Ps. 32:8. 'Matt. 28:20. 2 Cor. 3: iS, R. V. Co-ope rat i on "we are members one ok ANOTHER " /N the formation of character, no other influences count so much as the influence of the home. The teacher's work should supplement that of the parents, but is not to take its place. In all that concerns the well-being of the child, it should be the effort of parents and teachers to co-operate. The work of co-operation should begin with the father and mother themselves, in the home life. In the training of their children they have a joint responsi- bility, and it should be their constant endeavor to act together. Let them yield themselves to God, seeking help from Him to sustain each other. Let them teach their children to be true to God, true to principle, and thus true to themselves and to all with whom they are connected. With such training, children when sent to school will not be a cause of disturbance or anxiety. They will be a support to their teachers, and an example and encouragement to their fellow-pupils. Parents who give this training are not the ones likely to be found criticizing the teacher. They feel that both the interest of their children and justice to the school demand that, so far as possible, they sustain and honor the one who shares their responsibility. (283) Co-operation of Parents Sustaining the Teacher 284 The Under- Teacher Acquaintance with the Teacher Teacher's Aid to Parents Many parents fail here. By their hasty, unfounded criticism the influence of the faithful, self-sacrificing teacher is often well-nigh destroyed. Many parents whose children have been spoiled by indulgence, leave to the teacher the unpleasant task of repairing their neglect; and then by their own course they make his task almost hopeless. Their criticism and censure of the school management encourage insubordination in the children, and confirm them in wrong habits. If criticism or suggestion in regard to the teacher's work becomes necessary, it should be made to him in private. If this proves ineffective, let the matter be referred to those who are responsible for the manage- ment of the school. Nothing should be said or done to weaken the children's respect for the one upon whom their well-being in so great degree depends. The parents' intimate knowledge both of the char- acter of the children and of their physical peculiarities or infirmities, if imparted to the teacher, would be an assistance to him. It is to be regretted that so many fail of realizing this. By most parents little interest is shown either to inform themselves as to the teacher's qualifications, or to co-operate with him in his work. Since parents so rarely acquaint themselves with the teacher, it is the more important that the teacher seek the acquaintance of parents. He should visit the homes of his pupils, and gain a knowledge of the influ- ences and surroundings among which they live. By coming personally in touch with their homes and lives, he may strengthen the ties that bind him to his pupils, and may learn how to deal more successfully with their different dispositions and temperaments. As he interests himself in the home education, Co-operation 285 the teacher imparts a double benefit. Many parents, absorbed in work and care, lose sight of their oppor- tunities to influence for good the lives of their children. The teacher can do much to arouse these parents to their possibilities and privileges. He will find others to whom the sense of their responsibility is a heavy burden, so anxious are they that their children shall become good and useful men and women. Often the teacher can assist these parents in bearing their burden, and, by counseling together, both teacher and parents will be encouraged and strengthened. In the home training of the youth, the principle of co-operation is invaluable. From their earliest years children should be led to feel that they are a part of the home firm. Even the little ones should be trained to share in the daily work, and should be made to feel that their help is needed and is appreciated. The older ones should be their parents' assistants, entering into their plans, and sharing their responsibilities and burdens. Let fathers and mothers take time to teach their children, let them show that they value their help, desire their confidence, and enjoy their companionship, and the children will not be slow to respond. Not only will the parents' burden be lightened, and the children receive a practical training of inestimable worth, but there will be a strengthening of the home ties and a deepening of the very foundations of character. Co-operation should be the spirit of the school- room, the law of its life. The teacher who gains the co-operation of his pupils secures an invaluable aid in maintaining order. In service in the schoolroom many a boy whose restlessness leads to disorder and insubordination would find an outlet for his superfluous A Double Benefit Parents and Children 286 The Under- Tan her energy. Let the older assist the younger, the strong the weak; and, so far as possible, let each be called upon to do something in which he excels. This will encourage self-respect and a desire to be useful. It would be helpful for the youth, and for parents and teachers as well, to study the lesson of co-operation as taught in the Scriptures. Among its many illustra- tions notice the building of the tabernacle, — that object- lesson of character-building, — in which the whole people united, "every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing." 1 Read how the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt by the returned cap- tives, in the midst of poverty, difficulty, and danger, the great task successfully accomplished because "the Bible people had a mind to work."* Consider the part acted Examples by the disciples in the Saviour's miracle for the feeding of the multitude. The food multiplied in the hands of Christ, but the disciples received the loaves, and gave to the waiting throng. "We are members one of another." As every one therefore "hath received a 3 gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." 4 Well might the words written of the idol-builders of old be, with worthier aim, adopted as a motto by character-builders of to-day: — "They helped every one his neighbor; and every- one said to his brother, Be of good courage.'" lEx. 35:21. 2Neh.4:6. 3 R. V. 4 Eph. 4 : 25; 1 Peter 4 : 10. ''Isa. 41 :6. Discipline "train, admonish, encourage, be long-suffering" /~\NE of the first lessons a child needs to learn is the ^S lesson of obedience. Before he is old enough to reason, he may be taught to obey. By gentle, persist- ent effort, the habit should be established. Thus, to a great degree, may be prevented those later conflicts between will and authority that do so much to create alienation and bitterness toward parents and teachers, and too often resistance of all authority, human and divine. The object of discipline is the training of the child for self-government. He should be taught self-reliance and self-control. Therefore as soon as he is capable of understanding, his reason should be enlisted on the side of obedience. Let all dealing with him be such as to show obedience to be just and reasonable. Help him to see that all things are under law, and that diso- bedience leads, in the end, to disaster and suffering. When God says "Thou shalt not," He in love warns us of the consequences of disobedience, in order to save us from harm and loss. Help the child to see that parents and teachers are representatives of God, and that as they act in harmony with Him, their laws in the home and the school are also His. As the child is to render obedience to parents Teaching Obedience Self Government 1 287 ) 288 The Under- Teacher Breaking the war Lack of Moral Stamina and teachers, so they, in turn, are to render obedience to God. To direct the child's development without hindering it by undue control should be the study of both parent and teacher. Too much management is as bad as too little. The effort to "break the will" of a child is a ter- rible mistake. Minds are constituted differently; while force may secure outward submission, the result with many children is a more determined rebellion of the heart. Even should the parent or teacher succeed in gaining the control he seeks, the outcome may be no less harmful to the child. The discipline of a human being who has reached the years of intelligence should differ from the training of a dumb animal. The beast is taught only submission to its master. For the beast, the master is mind, judgment, and will. This method, sometimes employed in the training of children, makes them little more than automatons. Mind, will, con- science, are under the control of another. It is not God's purpose that any mind should be thus dominated. Those who weaken or destroy individuality assume a responsibility that can result only in evil. While under authority, the children may appear like well-drilled sol- diers; but when the control ceases, the character will be found to lack strength and steadfastness. Having never learned to govern himself, the youth recognizes no restraint except the requirement of parents or teacher. This removed, he knows not how to use his liberty, and often gives himself up to indulgence that proves his ruin. Since the surrender of the will is so much more diffi- cult for some pupils than for others, the teacher should make obedience to his requirements as easy as possible. Discipline 289 The will should be guided and moulded, but not ignored or crushed. Save the strength of the will; in the battle of life it will be needed. Every child should understand the true force of the will. He should be led to see how great is the responsi- Fa/ue of . , r Will Power bility involved in this gift. The will is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or choice. Every human being possessed of reason has power to choose the right. In every experience of life, God's word to us is, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." 1 Every one may place his will on the side of the will of God, may choose to obey Him, and by thus linking himself with divine agencies, he may stand where nothing can force him to do evil. In every youth, every child, lies the power, by the help of God, to form a character of integrity and to live a life of usefulness. The parent or teacher who by such instruction trains the child to self-control will be the most useful and permanently successful. To the superficial observer his work may not appear to the best advantage ; it may not be valued so highly as that of the one who holds the mind and will of the child under absolute authority; but after-years will show the result of the better method of training. The wise educator, in dealing with his pupils, will The Sense of Honor seek to encourage confidence and to strengthen the sense of honor. Children and youth are benefited by being trusted. Many, even of the little children, have a high sense of honor ; all desire to be treated with confidence and respect, and this is their right. They should not be led to feel that they can not go out or come in without being watched. Suspicion demoralizes, 19 • Joshua 2.) : 15. 290 The Under- Teacher Requests; Commands Enforcing Rules producing the very evils it seeks to prevent Instead of watching continually, as if suspecting evil, teachers who are in touch with their pupils will discern the workings of the restless mind, and will set to work influences that will counteract evil. Lead the youth to feel that they are trusted, and there are few who will not seek to prove themselves worthy of the trust. On the same principle it is better to request than to command; the one thus addressed has opportunity to prove himself loyal to right principles. His obedience is the result of choice rather than compulsion. The rules governing the schoolroom should, so far as possible, represent the voice of the school. Every principle involved in them should be so placed before the student that he may be convinced of its justice. Thus he will feel a responsibility to see that the rules which he himself has helped to frame are obeyed. Rules should be few and well considered; and when once made, they should be enforced. Whatever it is found impossible to change, the mind learns to recognize and adapt itself to; but the possibility of indulgence induces desire, hope, and uncertainty, and the results are restlessness, irritability, and insubordination. It should be made plain that the government of God knows no compromise with evil. Neither in the home nor in the school should disobedience be tolerated. No parent or teacher who has at heart the well-being of those under his care will compromise with the stubborn self-will that defies authority or resorts to subterfuge or evasion in order to escape obedience. It is not love but sentimentalism that palters with wrong-doing, seeks by coaxing or bribes to secure compliance, and finally accepts some substitute in place of the thing required. Discipline 291 "Fools make a mock at sin." * We should beware of treating sin as a light thing. Terrible is its power over the wrong-doer. "His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be hoi den with the cords of his sins." 2 The greatest wrong done to a child or youth is to allow him to become fastened in the bondage of evil habit. The youth have an inborn love of liberty; they desire freedom;. and they need to understand that these inestimable blessings are to be enjoyed only in obedi- ence to the law of God. This law is the preserver of true freedom and liberty. It points out and prohibits those things that degrade and enslave, and thus to the obedient it affords protection from the power of evil. The psalmist says: "I will walk at liberty; for I seek Thy precepts." "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors." 3 In our efforts to correct evil, we should guard against a tendency to faultfinding or censure. Con- tinual censure bewilders, but does not reform. With many minds, and often those of the finest suscepti- bility, an atmosphere of unsympathetic criticism is fatal to effort. Flowers do not unfold under the breath of a blighting wind. A child frequently censured for some special fault, comes to regard that fault as his peculiarity, something against which it is vain to strive. Thus are created discouragement and hopelessness, often concealed under an appearance of indifference or bravado. The true object of reproof is gained only when the wrong-doer himself is led to see his fault, and his will is enlisted for its correction. When this is accomplished, point him to the source of pardon and power. Seek to 1 Prov. 14:9. 2 Prov. 5:22. 8 Ps. 119:45, 24. Freedom in Obedience Criticism ; Censure Object of Reproof 292 The Under- Teacher Self-Control Sympathy; Forbearance preserve his self-respect, and to inspire him with courage and hope. This work is the nicest, the most difficult, ever com- mitted to human beings. It requires the most delicate tact, the finest susceptibility, a knowledge of human nature, and a heaven-born faith and patience, willing to work and watch and wait. It is a work than which nothing can be more important. Those who desire to control others must first control themselves. To deal passionately with a child or youth will only arouse his resentment. When a parent or teacher becomes impatient, and is in clanger of speaking unwisely, let him remain silent. There is wonderful power in silence. The teacher must expect to meet perverse disposi- tions and obdurate hearts. But in dealing with them he should never forget that he himself was once a child, in need of discipline. Even now, with all his advan- tages of age, education, and experience, he often errs, and is in need of mercy and forbearance. In training the youth he should consider that he is dealing with those who have inclinations to evil similar to his own. They have almost everything to learn, and it is much more difficult for some to learn than for others. With the dull pupil he should bear patiently, not censuring his ignorance, but improving every opportunity to give him encouragement. With sensitive, nervous pupils he should deal very tenderly. A sense of his own imperfections should lead him constantly to manifest sympathy and forbearance toward those who also are struggling with difficulties. The Saviour's rule, — -'As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise," 1 — should be 1 Luke t> : 31, Discipline 293 the rule of all who undertake the training of children and youth. They are the younger members of the Lord's family, heirs with us of the grace of life. Christ's rule should be sacredly observed toward the dullest, the youngest, the most blundering, and even toward the erring and rebellious. This rule will lead the teacher to avoid, so far as possible, making public the faults or errors of a pupil. He will seek to avoid giving reproof or punishment in the presence of others. He will not expel a student until every effort has been put forth for his reforma- tion. But when it becomes evident that the student is receiving no benefit himself, while his defiance or dis- regard of authority tends to overthrow the government of the school, and his influence is contaminating others, then his expulsion becomes a necessity. Yet with many the disgrace of public expulsion would lead to utter recklessness and ruin. In most cases when removal is unavoidable, the matter need not be made public. By counsel and co-operation with the parents, let the teacher privately arrange for the student's withdrawal. In this time of special danger for the young, tempta- tions surround them on every hand; and while it is easy to drift, the strongest effort is required in order to press against the current. Every school should be a "city of refuge" for the tempted youth, a place where their follies shall be dealt with patiently and wisely. Teachers who understand their responsibilities will separate from their own hearts and lives everything that would prevent them from dealing successfully with the wilful and disobedient. Love and tenderness, patience and self- control, will at all times be the law of their speech. Mercy and compassion will be blended with justice. The Saviour's Rule Public Discipline Justice; Compassion 294 The Under- Teacher Reclaimed by Kindness Our Example When it is necessary to give reproof, their language will not be exaggerated, but humble. In gentleness they will set before the wrong-doer his errors, and help him to recover himself. Every true teacher will feel that should he err at all, it is better to err on the side of mercy than on the side of severity. Many youth who are thought incorrigible are not at heart so hard as they appear. Many who are regarded as hopeless may be reclaimed by wise discipline. These are often the ones who most readily melt under kind- ness. Let the teacher gain the confidence of the tempted one, and by recognizing and developing the good in his character, he can, in many cases, correct the evil without calling attention to it. The divine Teacher bears with the erring through all their perversity. His love does not grow cold; His efforts to win them do not cease. With outstretched arms He waits to welcome again and again the erring, the rebellious, and even the apostate. His heart is touched with the helplessness of the little child subject to rough usage. The cry of human suffering never reaches His ear in vain. Though all are precious in His sight, the rough, sullen, stubborn dispositions draw most heavily upon His sympathy and love; for He traces from cause to effect. The one who is most easily tempted, and is most inclined to err, is the special object of His solicitude. Every parent and every teacher should cherish the attributes of Him who makes the cause of the afflicted, the suffering, and the tempted His own. He should be one who can have "compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity." 1 Jesus treats us far 'Heb. 5:2 Discipline 295 better than we deserve; and as He has treated us, so we are to treat others. The course of no parent or teacher is justifiable if it is unlike that which under similar circumstances the Saviour would pursue. Meeting Life's Discipline Beyond the discipline of the home and the school, all have to meet the stern discipline of life. How to meet this wisely is a lesson that should be made plain to every child and to every youth. It is true that God loves us, that He is working for our happiness, and that, if His law had always been obeyed, we should never have known suffering; and it is no less true that, in this world, as the result of sin, suffering, trouble, burdens, come to every life. We may do the children and the youth a lifelong good by teaching them to meet bravely these troubles and burdens. While we should give them sympathy, let it never be such as to foster self-pity. What they need is that which stimulates and strengthens rather than weakens. They should be taught that this world is not a parade-ground, but a battle-field. All are called to endure hardness, as good soldiers. They are to be " Be stroa s' strong, and quit themselves like men. Let them be taught that the true test of character is found in the willingness to bear burdens, to take the hard place, to do the work that needs to be done, though it bring no earthly recognition or reward. The true way of dealing with trial is not by seek- ing to escape it, but by transforming it. This applies to all discipline, the earlier as well as the later. The neglect of the child's earliest training, and the conse- quent strengthening of wrong tendencies, makes his 296 The Under- Teacher* after-education more difficult, and causes discipline to be too often a painful process. Painful it must be to the lower nature, crossing, as it does, the natural desires and inclinations; but the pain may be lost sight of in a higher joy. Let the child and the youth be taught that every stepping- mistake, every fault, every difficulty, conquered, becomes a stepping-stone to better and higher things. It is through such experiences that all who have ever made life worth the living have achieved success. "The heights by great men reached and kept Were not attained by sudden flight ; But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upward in the night." " We rise by the things that are under our feet; By what we have mastered of good or gain ; By the pride deposed, and the passion slain, And the vanquished ills that we hourly meet." " All common things, each day's events, That with the hour begin and end, Our pleasures and our discontents, Are rounds by which we may ascend." We are to "look not at the things which are seen, The Things but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 1 The exchange we make in the denial of selfish desires and inclinations is an exchange of the worthless and transitory for the precious and enduring. This is not sacrifice, but infinite gain. "Something better" is the watchword of educa- tion, the law of all true living. Whatever Christ asks us to renounce, He offers in its stead something better. Often the youth cherish objects, pursuits, and pleasures J 2 Cor. 4:18. Discipline 297 that may not appear to be evil, but that fall short of the highest good. They divert the life from its noblest aim. Arbitrary measures or direct denunciation may not avail in leading these youth to relinquish that which they hold dear. Let' them be directed to something better than display, ambition, or self-indulgence. Bring them in contact with truer beauty, with loftier principles, and with nobler lives. Lead them to behold the One "altogether lovely." When once the gaze is fixed upon Him, the life finds its center. The enthusiasm, the gen- erous devotion, the passionate ardor of the youth find here their true object. Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. To honor Christ, to become like Him, to work for Him, is the life's highest ambition and its greatest joy. "The love of Christ constraineth." 1 1 2 Cor. 5 : 14. Love That Constrains The Higher Course "Since the beginning oj the world men have not perceived by the ear , neither hath the eye seen, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Hivi" The 'School of the Hereafter "they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads" T TEA VEN is a school; its field of study, the uni- ■*■ -*■ verse; its teacher, the Infinite One. A branch ot this school was established in Eden ; and, the plan of Its Location redemption accomplished, education will again be taken up in the Eden school. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." 1 Only through His word can a knowledge of these things be gained; and even this affords but a partial revelation. The prophet of Patmos thus describes the location of the school of the hereafter : — "I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first " A Ne ™ i 11/- Earth " heaven and the first earth were passed away. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." 2 "The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof." 3 Between the school established in Eden at the begin- ning and the school of the hereafter there lies the whole 'iCor. 2:9. - Rev. 21 : 1, 2. 3 Rev. 21 : 23. (301) 302 The Higlier Coarse compass of this world's history, — the history of human transgression and suffering, of divine sacrifice, and of victory over death and sin. Not all the conditions of that first school of Eden will be found in the school conditions f t j ie future life. No tree of knowledge of good and evil will afford opportunity for temptation. No tempter is there, no possibility of wrong. Every character has withstood the testing of evil, and none are longer sus- ceptible to its power. "To him that overcometh," Christ says, "will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." 1 The giving of the tree of life in Eden was conditional, and it was finally withdrawn. But the gifts of the future life are absolute and eternal. The prophet beholds the "river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." "And on this side of the river and on that was the tree of life." "And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." 2 "All " Thy people also shall be all righteous : Righteous " They shall i n herit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified " ; Restored to His presence, man will again, as at the beginning, be taught of God: "My people shall know My name; . . . they shall know in that day that I am He that doth speak; behold, it is I." 4 " The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God." 5 'Rev. 2:7. 2 Rev. 22 : 1; 22:2, R. V.; 21 : 4. 3 Isa. 60:21. 4 Isa. 52 : 6. 6 Rev. 21 :3. 'Teachers The School of the Hereafter 303 "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. . . . They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters." 1 "Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face:" now we know in part; but then shall we know even as also we are known. 2 "They shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads." 3 There, when the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and our eyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses through the microscope; when we look on the glories of the heavens, now scanned afar through the telescope; when, the blight of sin removed, the whole earth shall appear "in the beauty of the Lord our God," what a field will be open to our study! There the student of science may read the records of creation, and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may listen to the music of nature's voices, and detect no note of wailing or undertone of sorrow. In all created things he may trace one hand- writing, — in the vast universe behold "God's name writ large," and not in earth or sea or sky one sign of ill remaining. There the Eden life will be lived, the life in garden and field. "They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall Unto Living Fountains " Field of Nature 1 Rev. 7 : 14-17. 2 1 Cor. 13 : 12. 3 Rev. 22 : 4. 3 229 15-17 Mi 20-22 182 24 271 35:8 17" 10, R. V. ..... . 167 4°: '2 35 26-29 116 41:6 286 10, 13 116 Scriptural Index 3i3 Isaiah 41 : 13 259 43; 12- 154, 3"« 21 j 74 45:5 174 47:i-5 176 51 : 3 161,307 52 : 6 302 53:n 3°9 54 =9. I0 115 14 182 17 155 55: " 105 57: 16-19 147 60: iS 182 21 302 61 : 11 105 63 : 9 263 65:19 271 31, 22, 25 . . • ... 304 66 : 13 245 Jeremiah 4 : 19, 20, 23-26 1S1 6 : 19 14G 15: '6 252 I7:n 143 29 : 11 21, 101 3<>:7 181 17. 18 1S2 31 : 12 167 33 : 3 127, 2S2 5i:i3 176 Erse kid 1 : 4, 26 17S 10:8 17S 12:27, 28 184 20:37 174 21 : 26. 27 179 33 : 3°-32 260 34:3' 4 176 Daniel 1 : 19, 20 55 2:21,38 175 - 47 56 4:11,12 175 27 '74 30, 31 1 7<> 6:4, 25-27 56 7 :i3 132 12 : 3 309 Hose a 6:3 106 8 : 12 127 12:4 147 14 -5, 7 106 Joel 1 : 12, 15-18 180 Amos 5:11 143 Micah 4 : 10-12 18a Nalium 1 : 3 131 Habakkuk 1 : 13 255 2 : 20 243 3:3 22 Zephauiah 1 : 14 270 Haggai 1 : 5-io 143 2 : 16 143 Zechariah 2:8 257 5:1-4 144 9 : 16 309 Malaehi 2:5. 6 148 3:8 143 10 138 10-12 . ■ ■ 140 4:2 106 Matthew 4:4 126 5 : 37, R- V 236 6 : 26, R. V 117 31-33 138 7:12 136 10 :S 8(, 11:11 158 28 80 13 :28 101 16 : 22 - 88 Matthew 18:3 114 20 : 28 308 22:39 16 24 :6. 7 179 i| 264 25:40 139 28: 20 94, 96, 282 Mark 3:17 87 4 : 26-28 104 2S k6 8 : 06, 37 145 11:24 258 12 :42 109 13:34 13S 16:7 90 15 264 Luke 2:40 7 8 3oS 33, 130 4 :i8 113 32 81 6: 3l 292 38 103, 140 8 :n 105, 253 10:27 16, 228 12 :23 zoo 24 117 33 145 16:9, R. V 145 22 : 26, 27 268 22:27 103 31-34 ' • • 89 ^fCo^s^. 138 John 1:3 134 4, 14, R. V 28 9 29, 134 3:17 79 * 19 71 30 157 4 : 14, R. V 83 6 : 63 1 26 64 92 7:37 n6 37.3S 83 46 81 3H Scriptural Index John 12:24 no 32 "'- 13:15 78 34 2 4 2 14 : 26 94 15 : 10 78 15 94 16:7 94 13 134 13-15 94 23 95 17:3, R. V 126 6 87 21-23 86 21 : 17, 22 90 Acts 4:13 95 10:38 80 3:22 48 14 : 17 66 16:28 66 17 : 23, 26, 27 67 26, 27 174 20:34 66 26 : 28, 29 67 •27:22-24,34, 44 256 Romans 1 : 14 66, 139 20, R. V 134 29-32 236 4:17 254 8 : 22, 26 263 28 154 34 95 35-39 70 16:25, R. V 126 / Corinthians 2 :g 301 II 134 3 : 9 138 11 3° 16, 17 36 17 . . 201 4--a 139 9 154 12, 13 68 6 : 19, R. V 201 10:11 50 / Corinthians 13:4. R- V 114 4-8, R. V. . . . . . 242 12 303 15:42.43 IID 57 126 2 Corinthians 3: 18, R. V 282 4 :6 22, 28 iS 296 5:14 66, 297 17 172 19 28 6:10 68 16 258 9:6 109 10: 12 226 1 1 : 26, 27 68 Galatidns 5 :i3 J 39 6:1 113 8 109 Ephesians 2:6,7 308 3:10, R. V 308 20 307 4:24 27 25 286 Philippians 3:7, 8, R. V 68 8-10 192 4:8 235 13 70, 256 Colossians 1 : 16, 17, R.V 132 19, R. V 30 27 172, 309 2:3 13 10 257 3 : 23, 24 226 / Thessalonians 2 : 19, 20 70 2 Thessalonians 1 : 11 134 i Timothy 4 = 8 145 2 Timothy 2: 15 '-.61 3:16,17 171 4:7 6S Hebrews 1:3 132 14 103 2:7 20 18 78 4:3 131 13 255 15, R- V 78 5:2 294 6:7,8 216 11:3 134 27 63 32-40 158 James 1:5 191. 231 17 5° 1 Peter 1 : 10-12 183 12 127 4 : 8, R. V 114 10 286 n 226 I John 1:2 84 3:i-3 88 2 309 Jude 24 309 Revelation 1 :i> 3 191 17, R- V 83 2:7 302 3:4 249 8 282 7 : 14-17 3°3 15 : 3, 4, R. V 309 19:8 249 21 : I, 2, 23 301 3- 4 302 6, R. V 83 22 : 1; 22:2, R. V. . . . 302 3 307 4 125, 303 General Index IBRAHAM as a teacher, 187. - ' Accounts, teaching, 238, 239. Accuracy, through manual train- ing, 222. Adam, education of, 14-17, 20-22, 25-27; temptation, 23-25. Aged, respect for, 244. Agrarian laws of Israel, 43, 44- Agriculture, 34, 43, 219, 220; les- sons from, in, 112; see Seed- sowing; development of charac- ter, 112; opportunity for the un- employed, 220. Aim, the true, 13, 18, 145, 222, 262, 267, 297; lack of, 190, 202. Amusement, dangers in, 207, 210. Anarchy, 228. Angels, in Eden, 21 ; songs, 168; agency in human affairs, 179, 304, 305; our companions, 127; pro- tectors, 255, 256, 304, 305; co- workers, teachers, 271. Apostles, training, 84-96; diversity, 85- Application, 232. Athletic sports, 210. DABVLON, rise and fall of, 175, 13 176,183. Beatitudes, 79. Beauty, 41; of the Bible, 188; all, a reflection of Christ, 192 ; through obedience to law, 198; the high- est, 249. Bible, as an educator', 17, 47, 52, 55, 65, 123-192; a perfect whole, 123; range of style and subjects, 125; stories, 185; as literature, 188, 189; the rule of life, 189, 260; its own expositor, 190; reverence for, 244. Bible illustrations from nature, 102, 104-110, i 13-120, 175. Bible teaching and study, example of Jesus, 76, 77, 81, 82, 85, 102, 185; Abraham, 187; mental cul- ture, 123, 124, 171, 188, 189; spirit- ual, 124-127, 171, 188, 192; pur- pose in, 189, 254; original study, 188; verse by verse, 189; com- prehensive, 190 ; opportunities for, 191; family, 185, 186; Sab- bath, 251 ; results, 192, 252- 256; "higher criticism," 227. Biography of the Bible, David, 48, 152; Solomon, 48, 49, 153; Jo- seph, 51-54, 57; Daniel, 54-57; Elisha, 58-61; Moses, 61-64, 68, 69; Paul, 64-70; John, 87 ; Peter, 88-91 ; Judas, 91, 92; Jacob, 147; Levi, 148; Caleb, 149; Elijah, 151; Job, 155, 156; Jonathan, J 57; John the Baptist, 157; Abra- ham, 187. Birds, teachers of trust, 118. Book knowledge, 230, 265. Books, harmful, 188, 190, 226, 227 ; wrong use of, 189. Business, principles, 135, 136; cap- ital, the best, 137; stewardship, 137-139; profit and loss, 140-145. /CALAMITIES, blessings, 270. *-' Caleb and Joshua, faith of, 149. Censure, 291. Character, highest aim, 17-19, 81, 225; is power, 41, 79, 81, 277, 282; influence on, of unselfishness, 16; Bible study, 17, 18, 126, 127, 172, 183, 184, 192; trial, 23, 52, 53, 295, 296; self-discipline, 57, 296; example and association, 87, 237; see Example; agricultural labor, 112; faith and prayer, 258; lesson of development from seed, 105, 106, 1 11; revealed in dress, 248; the highest beauty, 249; com- plete in Christ, 257. (315) 316 General Inde v Character-building, symbol of, 35, 36, 258; perils in, 225-228; foun- dation, pattern, 228, 229. Cheerfulness, 197, 240. Cherubim, vision of the, 177. Childhood, of Joseph, 52; Moses, 61 ; Jesus, 77, 107, 185. Child training, object-lesson from growth of seed, 106. Choice, power of, 23, 178, 289. Christ, light of world's teachers, J 3i 73'. of au mankind, 29; object of His mission, 27-29, 73, 74, 76; condition of world at His advent, 74-76 ; and the law, 76 ; sympathy of, 78-80, 294 ; as reprover, 79, 88-92, 294; recognized man's possibilities, 80, 270; power of His teach- ing, 81, 94, 95; we complete in, 192, 257. See Jesus, Prayer. Church, attendance, a hindrance to, 247 ; object of, 268; duties, 268. Commission, gospel, for all, 264. Communion with God, 14, 21, 28, 30, 84; through prayer, 80, 258; nature, 100, 108, 120; Bible study, . 127, 192. Companionship, divine, 127, 271. Compassion, 257, 294. Compensation, life's greatest, 68- 70, 305, 306, 309. Completeness in Christ, 257. Concentration, 189. Consecration, 57, 25S. Controversy, the great, 154, 190; revealed in nature, 26, 101 ; in man, 29; our study hereafter, 304- Cookery, a branch of education, 216, 218. Co-operation, with God, Bible ex- amples of, 37, 286; in our work, 214, 215, 271; of teachers and students, 212, 213,285; parents and children, 283, 285 ; parents and teachers, 283, 284, 293; with Christ and His angels, 270, 271. Courtesy, of Daniel, 56; of Paul, 67; distinguished from etiquette, 240-242; Christ the source, 241. Crisis, impending, 179. Criticism, of the teacher, 283, 284; of children and youth, 291. . piANIEL, life, 54-57, 254 ; book, LJ 191. David; education, 49, 152; sin, 48; songs, 164, 165; faith, 254. Days of creation, 129. Deluge, the, and geology, 129. Deportment, 240-245. Development, threefold, 13, 16, j 95; unselfishness underlies, 16; all-round, 232. Diet, of Israel in the wilderness, 38; of Daniel, 55; relation of, to intemperance, 202-204, 247 ; to mental development, 204-206, 216; stimulating, 203; nutrient value of foods, 204; selection, combination, 205 ; overeating, 205; number of meals, 205; reg- ularity, 205; hurried eating, 206. Discipline, and organization of Israel, 37, 38; life's, 85, 151-154. 295-297; of home and school, object of, 287, 291; training the will, 288, 289; sense of honor, 289 ; requests, commands, 290 ; rules, enforcing, 290; the Sa- viour's rule and example, 292, 294 ; public, 293. Discrimination between right and wrong, 231. Display. 247, 248. Distribution of races, object of , 174. Domestic training, 216. Doubt, source of, 24, 25; results, 26. Dress, healthful, 199; devotion to, 246-24S ; counteracting influ- ences, 247. 24S ; taste and neat- ness in, 248. Dressmaking, 216-218, 248, 249. T^AGLE, lesson from, 118. /-* Earth, original condition, 22; God's purpose for, 22, 174; the new, 301. Eden school, 14, 15, 20-22, 30; re- established, 301-303. Education, source, 13-17, 21, 22, 34, 44; scope, 13, 16, iS, 19, 21, 38, 41, 225, 232, 233; aim, 13, 17, is, 41, 8l, 84, 145, 221, 222, 262; Ccncral Index 317 higher, the true, 14, 18, 30, 66, 83, 87, 271, 282; relation of, to redemption, 15, 16, 18, 19, 28-30, 84, 126, 172; of Israel, 33-50; for parents, 34, 275, 276; for teach- ers, 46, 276-282; object-teaching, 41, 102, 120, 144, 185, 186; mis- takes in, 45, 49, 50. 74. 77. 189, 207, 208, 225-228, 230, 234, 259, 264-266; illustrations of true, 51- 70; Christ's method, 73~9 6 . io2 > 231, 241, 267-271, 294; manual training, 214-222; mastery of fun- damentals, 234-239. See Nature, Bible. Education of Jesus, 77, 107, 185, 267, 268. Elijah, one failure, 151. Elisha, training and work, 58-61, 255. End of the world, 179-1S4, 264. Enoch, faith of, 254. Enthusiasm, 233. Erring, Christ's work for, 78, 79, S7-94, 270, 294; ours, illustration from nature, 113; duty of parents and teachers, 271, 279, 291-294. Error, mingling of, with truth, 231. Etiquette, and courtesy, 240, 241; best treatise on, 242. Evangelizing the world, 95, 96, 262-271. Evolution, of the earth, 128; of man, 130. Exaggeration, 236. Example the power of teaching, 41, 49, 56, 57, 78, 79, 87 ; 150, 158, 259, 277, 2S2. Executive ability, 17, 220, 222, 279. Exercise, physical, 207-213. Expelling students, 293. Expletive, 236. TpAlTH, the key of knowledge, ■*■ 24; and reason, 24, 231; God seeks to encourage, 34; examples of, 54. 63, 149. 254, 256; secret of power, 54, 80 254; lesson of, from the eagle, 118, 119; of the sower, 105; reward of, 156, 254; Bible evidence for, 169; definition of, 253; how to exercise, 253, 257, 258; teaching of, for the child, 255-257. Family, the, and the Sabbath, 250. Family school, 20-22, 33, 40, 41, 45,- 77, 84, 85, 186, 250^ 251, 275, 283, 285; see Home. Fashion, effect of, on education, 246, 247; a counter-influence, 247- 249. Fear, to banish, 255. Feasts of Israel, 41-43. Fellowship with Christ, 63, 65, 69, 87, 120, 127, 192, 264, 270, 271, 297. Fiction, 227. Foreign missions, study of, 269. Freedom in obedience to law, 291. Fruition of life's sowing, 108, 109, 306. /GARDENING, 21, in, 112, 212, ^J 213, 219, 247, 248. Geography, with mission study, 269. Geology and the Mosaic record, 128, 129. God, false conception of, 75; source and upholder of all things, 99, 100, 104, 130, 131; a personal being, 131-133; His greatness incom- prehensible, 169; reverence for, 242-244; suffering of, through sin, 263; parents, teachers, to represent, 244, 245, 287. Gospel, in nature, 27, 101; our re- sponsibility for, 263; results of giving to world, 264; closing work of, 269, 270; work of, the highest education, 271. Gossip, cannibalism, 235. Government, its object, 174, 175; symbol of, 175. Growth, laws-of, 104-106; divine agency in, 104, 105. Gymnastic exercises, 210, 217. IT ABIT, 291. ■L ■*■ Harvest, lessons from, 105- 110; life's, 305, 306. Hasty speech, 236. Healing, natural, spiritual, 113. Health, physical, 195; effect of mental influence on, 197; the teacher to preserve. 277. 3i8 General Index Heathen, claim of, on Christians, 262, 263. Heaven, education for, 13, 16, 19, 127; a school, 301. Heavenly record, 306. " Higher criticism," 227. History, Bible, 47, 173-178, 183, 184, 238; philosophy of, 173, 174; a study, in the hereafter, 304. Holy Spirit, as a teacher, 95, 134; object-lesson of, 106; representa- tive of God, 132. Home, influence of, 52, 54, 55, 58, 61, 283; home teaching, 185-187, 196, 202, 216, 217, 235, 240, 242; see Family School. Honor, sense of, in the child, 289. Humility, 237. Hygiene as a study, 195-200. TDEAL of character, the highest, 1 18,73. Idleness, 190, 202, 210. Idolatry of Israel, 45; of Solomon, 49. 5o. Illustration, 233 ; see Object-les- sons. Individuality, education to develop, •17. 57, 231, 232. Industrial school, Israel's, in the wilderness, 37; see Manual Train- ing. Influence, power of early, 52, 55, 58, 61, 119. Innuendo, 236. Intemperance, its cause and cure, 202-204. Israelites, education of, 33-70. CfACOB, retribution, restoration J of, 147. [esse, sons of, Samuel's choice, 266. Jesus, early years of, 77, 107, 185; as a teacher, 73-96, 102, 231, 241, 294. Jews, education of, in Christ's day, 64, 65, 74-77- Job, a successful career, 142; test- ing of, 155, 156. Jochebed, mother of Moses, 61. John the Baptist, an illustration of self-sacrifice, 157, 158. John the disciple, training of, 87. Jonathan, the faithful friend, 157. Joseph, 51-54, 56, 57,255. Judas, Christ's dealing with, 91-93. L^EY, of knowledge, 24; to Bible, -* *■ 120, 126. Kingship, man's, lost and restored, 26, 304. Knowledge, of God, basis of edu- cation, 13-19, 21, 34, 81; faith the key, 24; through Christ, 27-30, 73, 76. Knowledge of good and evil, 23-27, 231. T ABOR dignity of, 214-217, 222. ■*-^ Land, ownership of, by Israel, 43; for use of schools, 212, 218. Language study, 234-237. Law of God, is love, 16, 65, 76, 77, 287; taught in Eden, 22; one- transgression, 25, 26, 150; taught to Israel, 34-36, 38-40, 42, 47; foundation of national prosper- ity, 69, 76, 174, 183, 228, 229; universality of, 99, 103, 287; in business life, 135-145; teaching children, 185, 186; foundation ot character, 22S, 229; liberty, 291. Law of service, 103. Laws, of growth, 104-110; nature's, divine. Learning by doing, in, 268, 271. Levi, curse of, transformed, 148. Levites, support and privileges of, 148. Liberality, lesson of seed-sowing. 109; cultivating, 139-144, 239, 248. Life, God the source, 99, 104, 10S, 197. Life-work, 262-271. Light of the world, 13, 14, 29, 57, 58, 73- Literature, secular, compared with Bible, 188, 189; and morality, 226, 227. Little things, faithfulness in, 53, 58, 61; God's work perfect, 114. Love, the law of God, 16, 65, 70, 77, 287; basis of education and of redemption, 16; has healing, General Index 3i9 114; the constraining power, 293, 294, 297. TkyfANUAL training, in Eden, •*■*■*■ 21; a part of education, 34, 37. 47, 52, 5 8 . 62, 85, 214-222. Manual labor, examples, 66, 77, 217, 267; for the teacher, 27S. Mastership, 52, 53, 56, 57, 66, 204, 222, 254, 255, 295, 296. Meditation, 12.7, 189, 191, 252. Memory training, 127, 189; excess- ive, 226, 230, 231. Methods of teaching, 41, 76-96, 119, 120, 185-192, 230-239. Military schools of Egypt, 65. Mind, influence of, on the body, 197. Ministry, 139; the highest, 262-271. Miracle of the loaves, 107, 108. Missionary work, training for, 221, 268-271. Missionary, every Christian, 264. Model school in Eden, 20, 22, 30, 33. Money, learning use of, 239. Moses, 61-64, 68, 69. Mother, of Moses, 61; as an edu- cator, 275; education for, 276. Music and song, of ancient Israel, 39, 42, 47; in education, 167, 168; in the hereafter, 307. Mysteries, in nature, 101, 134, 170; in character of God, 132, 169; in the Bible, 169-172. AJATIONAL prosperity, its ■L V basis, 47, 48, 174. Natural aptitudes, 138, 233, 267. Nature, revelation of God, 16, 17, 99; divine working in, 99, 100, 104, 108, 130, 131, 197, 198; adap- tation of means to ends, 119, 133, 19S; and revelation, 128; laws of, divine, 196. Nature teaching, in Eden, 15-17, 20-22; knowledge of good and evil, 26, 27; continued, 34, 35, 41, 42, 52, 62-66, 77, 99-120, 208; Christ's use of, 102; key to Bible, 120; versus fashion, 247; on the Sabbath, 251; in the here- after, 303. Nature teaching insufficient, T7, 101, 134. Noah, faith of, 254. Nursing, training for, 218. /~^BEDIENCE, expression of ^ reve .erence, 244; teaching, 287, 290. Object-lessons, 34-43, 47, 120, 144, I 75» J $5, 186; Christ's use of, 102; see Nature, Nature Teach- ing. Observation, taught in nature study, 119; in manual training, 220. Occupation, choosing, 220, 267. Old Testament Scriptures, study of, 191. Outcast classes, Christ's work for, 79, So, 270. Outdoor life, 42, 52, 58, 62, 63, 208, 211. Outdoor work for the teacher, 278. pAGAN authors, 226. -* Palm-tree, 116. Parable of growing seed, 104-107. Parents, as teachers, 33, 40, 41, 185-187, 196, 235, 240, 275, 280; education of, 34, 276; Abraham's example, 187; Christ's, 294; rep- resentatives of God, 244, 245, 287; co-operation of, in the fam- ily, 283, 285; with the teacher, 284. Parties of pleasure, 211. Paul, 64-70, 254, 256. Perplexities made plain, 305. Personal element in teaching, 78- 80, 84-96, 231. Peter, training of, 88-91, 255, 256. Physical culture, Israelites an ex- ample, 38; importance of, 195, 196, 277; position, 198; respira- tion, 198; voice-training, 199; dress, 199; cleanliness, sunlight, ventilation, 200. Physician, manual training for, 220. Physiology, 195-201. Plain living, high thinking, 202, 248. Pleasure-seeking, 183, 207, 211. Poetry, 47; of the Bible, 1 59-161. Political ambition, 49. General Index Poor, God's provision for, 43, 44, 139, 141, 220. Praise, to God, 66, 161-163, 168; love of, 237. Prayer, examples, 47, 64; Christ's, 80, 259; reverence in, 243; of faith, 257, 258; secret, 258; an- swers to, 25K. Preparatory school of earth, 19. Profit and loss, 140-145. Prophecy, in ancient schools, 47; gift of, to Daniel, 56; fulfilment of, 178; of the world's final scenes, 180-182; benefits of study, 183, 1S4. Public worship, a means of educa- tion, 168, 252; reverence in, 243; a cause of non-attendance, 247. J RAINBOW, 115. -* *- Reading, unwholesome, 188, 190, 226, 227 ; excessive, 189. Reason and faith, 24, 231. Recreation, purpose of, 207 ; teach- er's co-operation, 212; in useful work, 215; for the teacher, 278. Redemption, its purpose, 15, 16, 28, 29; relation of, to education, • 16, 17, 28-30, 126, 172 ; first prom- ise, 27; taught in nature, 27. 101, 113, 115; plan of, key to Bible, 126; Sabbath a sign of, 250. Religion in Christ's day, 74, 75. Reproof, Christ's example of, 79, 89-92 ; its object, 291 ; how to give, 294. Requests, commands, 290. Resentment, 237. Respiration, 198, 199. Resurrection, symbol of, no. Retribution, 108, 109, 146-151. Revelation, the, study of, 191. Reverence, 242-245. Rivalry, 22U. River and plain, reward of service, 103; river and brook, unrecog- nized helpers, 116, 117. Rules, to have support of school, 290; enforcing, 290. (TABBA TH, a means of educa- ^ tion, 250-252. Sanitation, among the Israelites, 38 ; in school and home, 200, 207. Satan, insinuator of distrust, 23-25; accuser, 154, 155. School, of Eden, 20-22 ; restored, 301-304; heaven, 301. Schools, location of, 20, 21, 33, 34, 211; of the patriarchs, 33; of Israel, 34-50; unhealthful condi- tions, 207, 208; grounds, beauti- fying, 212 ; for manual training, 218. Science, divine, 126, 257; human, not Christ's theme, 81 ; and the Bible, 128-134; results of false, 227. Scientists, conflicting theories of, 130. Scripture, quoting in jest, 244; see Bible. Seed-sowing, lessons from, 104- 112. Self-control, relation of, to health and temperance, 197, 203, 204, 206; object of discipline, 2S7-290; by parents and teachers, 292. Self-distrustful, faith the helper, 256. Self-forgetfulness, 237. Self-sacrifice, Paul an example, 65- 70; Christ, 80; other examples, 154-158; illustration from seed- sowing, no; condition of fellow- ship with Christ, 264. Self-seeking, Judas an illustration, 91-93 ; as a motive in education, 225, 226; results, 264. Self-support by students, 221, 265. Sermon, to fix in memory, 252. Service, aim of education, 13, 65- 70; law of life, 16, 80 ; taught in nature, 103; unrecognized, 116, 117, 306; ground of obligation, I 37> J 39 ! training for, 212-222, 268; motive in, 226, 268; the highest education, 264, 270, 271, 309; object of the church, 268; organization for, 269 ; reward of, 103,306,308,309. Signs of the times, 179. Similitudes, 120 ; see Object-les- sons, Nature Teaching. Simplicity, of life of Jesus, 77. Ge?ieral Index 321 107; in child-training, 107, 211; in teaching, 233. Sin, nature and results of, 15, 23-26, 28, 29, 143-150, 263; its power, 291. Skepticism, causes, 227, 228, 259. Sleep, 205. Social life, of Israel, 41-43; here- after, 306. Social relation of teacher and pu- pil, 212, 213, 280, 2N4. Solomon, life-experience of, 48, 49, I52-I54- Song, 39, 42, 47, 186, 251 ; earliest, 161, 162; a means of education, 162, 167, 168; songs of David, 164, 165; the Saviour's, 166; in the last crisis, 166, 167 ; to meet temptation, 166, 168; is worship, 1 68. Spies, the twelve, report of, 149. Spiritualism, teaching of, 227, 228. Stars, lesson from, 115. Statesmanship, 53, 56, 69. Stewardship, 57, 137. Success, 29, 52, 53, 56, 57, 60, 61, 68-70, 142, 145, 222, 262, 267, 271, 306-309. Suspicion, 2S9, 290. Sympathy, insight, 66, 78,212, 231, 269, 270, 280, 292; of God with human suffering, 263. rpABERNA CLE of Israel, illus- -*■ tration of character-building, 35, 36, 258. Teacher, privilege and responsi- bility of, 19, 29, 30, 244, 245, 281, 287 ; social relation with students, 212,213,280, 284; qualifications of, 240, 277 ; physical vigor, 277 ; literary attainments, 278; admin- istrative ability, 279 ; self-im- provement, 281 ; highest prepa- ration, 282 ; co-operation with parents, 284; with pupils, 2S5; see Discipline. Teachers, great, light from Christ, 13, 73; in schools of prophets, 46; in time of Paul and of Christ, 64, 65, 74-77 ', of the school of the hereafter, 302, 303. Teaching, methods, preparatory, 2 9> 3°. 41, 187, 188, 201, 247 ; Christ's, 76-96, 102, 231, 294; personal element in, 231, 232, 278, 281 ; simplicity, 233 ; enthu- siasm, 233; thoroughness, 234; of physiology, 195-201; language, 234-237 ; history, 238 ; accounts, 239; geography, 269; see Bible Teaching, Nature Teaching. Temperance, 38, 55; aids to, 202- 206; instruction in home and school, 202, 278. Temple, the living, 35, 36, 201, 258. Temptation, why permitted, 23; the first, 24; Christ subject to, 78; safeguards against, 166, 168, 190, 203, 204, 213, 214, 218, 219, 255. Theological schools in the time of Christ, 64, 65, 77, 85. Theology, Christ's teaching of, 81. Tithing, 44, 138, 250. Trades, teaching in the schools, 47, 218. Tree of knowledge, 23-25. Tree, a symbol of government, 175. Trees, lessons from, 113, 116, 119, 175, 267. T TNE III PLOYED, opportunity • {-J for, 220. Unity, 86, 95. Unselfishness, underlies develop- ment, 16 ; illustrations of, 154- 158. 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