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Christian Education
would run itself. Teachers are often secured who cannot lead souls
to Christ because they know not what it is to find him precious to
their own souls; but all those who do not value the soul so that they
will work as Christ would have them, will scatter away from Christ.
“He that [mark these words] gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad.”
[
Matthew 12:30
.] If teachers have no burden to lead souls to Jesus,
they will grow indifferent to the truth; they will become careless, and
the atmosphere with which they surround their souls will work to
scatter away from Christ. And with such elements in the Sabbath-
school, there will be a perpetual conflict with difficulties; for when the
teachers engage in the work and have no interest in it, the pupils will
partake of the same spirit.
But although these difficulties exist, will it abolish them to put
an end to organization? I am sure that the Lord has wrought in the
organization that has been perfected, and the fact that there are discour-
aging features in the work should not be thought a sufficient reason for
disorganization. Much light was given to us in reference to the organi-
zation of churches, and yet we had a hard battle to fight in perfecting
organization; but the victory was gained at last, and now shall the
church be disorganized because of indifference, formality, and pride?
Shall we go back to disorder because unconsecrated members of the
church have placed upon the work the mould of man, and sought to
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fashion the church to meet a popular standard?
It is true that the simplicity of true godliness has to a large degree
been lost from the church, and many of those who profess to be
followers of Christ have become so blinded that they think that gain
is godliness, and they devote their powers to the things of time. They
do not realize that all their intellectual ability has been purchased by
Christ, and that they should devote to him the best results of their
thought, that his cause may be advanced. But instead of giving their
sharp, clear ideas to advance the cause, to strengthen and bless the
church, they devote all their powers to the advancement of their own
interests. They do not gather with Christ, but lead away from him by
their words and acts. They surround their souls with an atmosphere
that is deleterious to spirituality. They profess to be followers of
Christ, but they do not know him by an experimental knowledge. They
do not practice religion. They do not seek to be Christians in the
same way in which they would learn a trade. They profess to believe