Schools of the Prophets
373
attribute with which the Creator has endowed us, is to be employed
for His glory and for the uplifting of our fellowmen.
Were this principle given the attention which its importance de-
mands, there would be a radical change in some current methods of
education. Instead of appealing to pride and selfish ambition, teachers
would endeavor to awaken love for goodness, truth, and beauty. The
student would seek not to excel others but to fulfill the purpose of the
Creator and to receive His likeness. Instead of being actuated by the
desire for self-exaltation, which dwarfs and belittles, the mind would
be directed to the Creator.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowl-
edge of the Holy is understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10
. To impart this
knowledge and to mold the character in harmony with it should be the
object of the teacher’s work. The psalmist says, “All Thy command-
ments are righteousness”; and “through Thy precepts I get understand-
ing.”
Psalm 119:172, 104
. Through the volume of inspiration and the
book of nature we are to obtain a knowledge of God.
[434]
The mind gradually adapts itself to the subjects upon which it
dwells. If occupied with commonplace matters only, it will become
dwarfed and enfeebled. If never required to grapple with difficult
problems, it will almost lose the power of growth. As an educating
power the Bible is without a rival. It came fresh from the fountain
of eternal truth, and a divine hand has preserved its purity through
all the ages. It lights up the far-distant past, where human research
seeks vainly to penetrate. Here only can we find a history of our race
unsullied by human prejudice or pride. Here are recorded the struggles,
defeats, and victories of the greatest men this world has ever known.
Here the curtain that separates the visible from the invisible world is
lifted, and we behold the conflict of the opposing forces of good and
evil, from the first entrance of sin to the final triumph of righteousness.
All is but a revelation of the character of God. The student is brought
into communion with the infinite mind. Such a study cannot fail to
expand and invigorate the mental powers.
The Bible unfolds principles that are the cornerstone of society
and which are the safeguard of the family. Studied and obeyed, the
Word of God would give to the world men of strength and solidity of
character, of keen perception and sound judgment—men who would
be a blessing to the world.