76
Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 1
ance, the noble themes which it presents to the mind, develop faculties
in man which cannot otherwise be developed. In the Bible a boundless
field is opened for the imagination. The student will come from a con-
[93]
templation of its grand themes, from association with its lofty imagery,
more pure and elevated in thought and feeling than if he had spent
the time in reading any work of mere human origin, to say nothing of
those of a trifling character.
Youthful minds fail to reach their noblest development when they
neglect the highest source of wisdom—the Word of God. The reason
why we have so few men of good mind, of stability and solid worth, is
that God is not feared, God is not loved, the principles of religion are
not carried out in the life as they should be.—
Christian Temperance
and Bible Hygiene, 126, 1890
. (
Fundamentals of Christian Education,
165
.)
Search for Its Hidden Treasure—The Bible, just as it reads, is
to be our guide. Nothing is so calculated to enlarge the mind and
strengthen the intellect as the study of the Bible. No other study will
so elevate the soul and give vigor to the faculties as the study of the
living oracles. The minds of thousands of ministers of the gospel
are dwarfed because they are permitted to dwell upon commonplace
things, and are not exercised in searching for the hidden treasure of
the Word of God. As the mind is brought to the study of God’s Word,
the understanding will enlarge and the higher powers will develop for
the comprehension of high and ennobling truth.
It is according to the character of the matter with which the mind
becomes familiar that it is dwarfed or enlarged. If the mind is not raised
up to make vigorous and persistent effort in seeking to comprehend
truth by comparing scripture with scripture, it will surely become
contracted and lose its tone. We should set our minds to the task of
searching for truths that do not lie directly upon the surface.—
The
Review and Herald, September 28, 1897
.
Bible Directs the Life Aright—The whole Bible is a revelation
of the glory of God in Christ. Received, believed, obeyed, it is the
great instrumentality in the transformation of character. It is the grand
stimulus, the constraining force, that quickens the physical, mental,
and spiritual powers and directs the life into right channels.
[94]
The reason why the youth, and even those of mature years, are so
easily led into temptation and sin is that they do not study the Word of