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From Eternity Past
as the time of the apostles, Paul and Aquila earned a livelihood by
tentmaking.
The chief subjects of study in these schools were the law of God,
sacred history, sacred music, and poetry. Instruction was different
from that in the theological schools of the present day, from which
many students graduate with less knowledge of God and religious truth
than when they entered. It was the object of all study to learn the will
of God and man’s duty toward Him. In sacred history were traced the
footsteps of Jehovah. Great truths set forth by the types were brought
to view, and faith grasped the central object of all that system—the
Lamb of God that was to take away the sin of the world.
Students were taught how to pray, how to approach their Creator,
how to exercise faith in Him, and how to understand and obey the
teachings of His Spirit. The Spirit of God was manifested in prophecy
and sacred song.
Uplifting Music Taught
Music was made to lift the thoughts to that which is pure and
elevating, and to awaken in the soul devotion and gratitude to God.
How many employ this gift to exalt self instead of using it to glorify
God! A love for music becomes one of the most successful agencies
by which Satan allures the mind from duty and from contemplation of
eternal things.
[433]
Music forms a part of God’s worship in the courts above, and
we should endeavor in our songs of praise to approach as nearly as
possible to the harmony of the heavenly choirs. Singing is as much an
act of worship as is prayer. The heart must feel the spirit of the song
to give it right expression.
Are there not some lessons which the educators of our day might
learn with profit from the ancient schools of the Hebrews? Real success
in education depends upon the fidelity with which men carry out the
Creator’s plan.
The true object of education is to restore the image of God in the
soul. Sin has well-nigh obliterated the image of God in man. To bring
him back to the perfection in which he was first created is the great
object of life. It is the work of parents and teachers, in the education of
the youth, to cooperate with the divine purpose. Every faculty, every