106
The Adventist Home
Wrong Habits Seen as Weeds—If possible, the home should be
out of the city, where the children can have ground to cultivate. Let
them each have a piece of ground of their own; and as you teach
them how to make a garden, how to prepare the soil for seed, and the
importance of keeping all the weeds pulled out, teach them also how
important it is to keep unsightly, injurious practices out of the life.
Teach them to keep down wrong habits as they keep down the weeds
in their gardens. It will take time to teach these lessons, but it will pay,
greatly pay
Home Surroundings to Exemplify Our Beliefs—Parents are un-
der obligation to God to make their surroundings such as will corre-
spond to the truth they profess. They can then give correct lessons to
their children, and the children will learn to associate the home below
with the home above. The family here must, as far as possible, be a
model of the one in heaven. Then temptations to indulge in what is
low and groveling will lose much of their force. Children should be
taught that they are only probationers here, and educated to become
inhabitants of the mansions which Christ is preparing for those who
love Him and keep His commandments. This is the highest duty which
parents have to perform
Parents: Get Homes in the Country—So long as God gives me
power to speak to our people, I shall continue to call upon parents to
leave the cities and get homes in the country, where they can cultivate
the soil and learn from the book of nature the lessons of purity and
[147]
simplicity. The things of nature are the Lord’s silent ministers, given
to us to teach us spiritual truths. They speak to us of the love of God
and declare the wisdom of the great Master Artist.
I love the beautiful flowers. They are memories of Eden, pointing
to the blessed country into which, if faithful, we shall soon enter. The
Lord is leading my mind to the health-giving properties of the flowers
and trees
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14
Counsels to Teachers, Parents, and Students, 124
.
15
Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 144
.
16
Letter 47, 1903
.