Basic HTML Version
First of Sciences
21
principles of the word of God—principles that are as high as heaven
and that compass eternity—are to be understood in their bearing
on the daily life. Every act, every word, every thought, is to be in
accord with these principles.
No other science is equal to that which develops in the life of the
student the character of God. Those who become followers of Christ
find that new motives of action are supplied, new thoughts arise,
and new actions must result. But they can make advancement only
through conflict; for there is an enemy who ever contends against
them, presenting temptations to cause the soul to doubt and sin.
There are hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil that must be
overcome. Appetite and passion must be brought under the control
of the Holy Spirit. There is no end to the warfare this side of eternity.
But while there are constant battles to fight, there are also precious
victories to gain; and the triumph over self and sin is of more value
than the mind can estimate.
[21]
True Success in Education
True success in education, as in everything else, is found in
keeping the future life in view. The human family have scarcely
begun to live when they begin to die, and the world’s incessant labor
ends in nothingness unless a true knowledge in regard to eternal life
is gained. He who appreciates probationary time as the preparatory
school of life will use it to secure to himself a title to the heavenly
mansions, a membership in the higher school. For this school the
youth are to be educated, disciplined, and trained by forming such
characters as God will approve.
If students are led to understand that the object of their creation
is to honor God and to bless their fellow men; if they recognize
the tender love which the Father in heaven has manifested toward
them, and the high destiny for which the discipline of this life is
to prepare them,—the dignity and honor of becoming the sons of
God,—thousands will turn from the low and selfish aims and the
frivolous pleasures which have hitherto engrossed them. They will
learn to hate sin and to shun it, not merely for hope of reward or
from fear of punishment, but from a sense of its inherent baseness—
because it is degrading to their God-given powers, a stain upon their