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Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 2
and skill in all learning and wisdom.” Among all the youth examined
by Nebuchadnezzar, there “was found none like Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all
matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them,
he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers
[743]
that were in all his realm” (
Daniel 1:19, 20
).—RH, Nov 10, 1904.
All Truth Consistent With Itself—These persons [who disbe-
lieve the Genesis account] have lost the simplicity of faith. There
should be a settled belief in the divine authority of God’s Holy Word.
The Bible is not to be tested by men’s ideas of science. Human knowl-
edge is an unreliable guide. Skeptics who read the Bible for the sake
of caviling may, through an imperfect comprehension of either science
or revelation, claim to find contradictions between them; but rightly
understood, they are in perfect harmony. Moses wrote under the guid-
ance of the Spirit of God, and a correct theory of geology will never
claim discoveries that cannot be reconciled with his statements. All
truth, whether in nature or in revelation, is consistent with itself in all
its manifestations.—
Patriarchs and Prophets, 114
(1890).
Some Points to Guard—We need to guard continually against the
sophistry in regard to geology and other branches of science falsely
so called, which have not one semblance of truth. The theories of
great men need to be carefully sifted of the slightest trace of infidel
suggestions. One tiny seed sown by teachers in our schools, if received
by the students, will raise a harvest of unbelief. The Lord has given all
the brilliancy of intellect that man possesses, and it should be devoted
to His service.—
The Review and Herald, March 1.1898
. (
The S.D.A.
Bible Commentary 7:916
.)
Appreciation of Science Vitalized by God’s Spirit—Knowledge
is power, but it is a power for good only when united with true piety.
It must be vitalized by the Spirit of God in order to serve the noblest
purposes. The closer our connection with God, the more fully can
we comprehend the value of true science; for the attributes of God,
as seen in His created works, can be best appreciated by him who
was a knowledge of the Creator of all things, the Author of all truth.
Such can make the highest use of knowledge, for when brought under
[744]
the full control of the Spirit of God, their talents are rendered useful
to the fullest extent.—
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students,
38
(1913).