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Fundamentals of Christian Education
God has allowed men to test their own wisdom in this matter, but
when a crisis has been brought about through human fallibility, God
has risen mightily to defend His people. When the church has been
brought low, when trial and oppression have come upon His people, He
more abundantly exalted them by signal deliverance. When unfaithful
teachers came among the people, weakness followed, and the faith of
God’s people seemed to wane; but God arose and purged His floor,
and the tried and true were lifted up.
There are times when apostasy comes into the ranks, when piety
is left out of the heart by those who should have kept step with their
divine Leader. The people of God separate from the source of their
strength, and pride, vanity, extravagance, and display follow. There
are idols within and idols without; but God sends the Comforter as a
reprover of sin, that His people may be warned of their apostasy and
rebuked for their backsliding. When the more precious manifestations
of His love shall be gratefully acknowledged and appreciated, the Lord
will pour in the balm of comfort and the oil of joy.
When men are led to realize that their human calculations come
far short, and are convinced that their wisdom is but foolishness, then
it is that they turn to the Lord to seek Him with all the heart, that they
may find Him.
It has been shown me that every church among us needs the deep
movings of the Spirit of God. O we would point men to the cross of
Calvary. We would bid them look upon Him whom their sins have
pierced. We would bid them to behold the Redeemer of the world
suffering the penalty of their transgression of the law of God. The
verdict is that “the soul that sinneth it shall die.” But on the cross
the sinner sees the only-begotten of the Father, dying in his stead,
and giving the transgressor life. All the intelligences in earth and
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heaven are called upon to behold what manner of love the Father hath
bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. Every
sinner may look and live. Do not survey that scene of Calvary with
careless, thoughtless mind. Can it be that angels shall look down
upon us, the recipients of God’s love, and see us cold, indifferent,
unimpressible, when heaven in amazement beholds the stupendous
work of redemption to save a fallen world, and desires to look into the
mystery of Calvary’s love and woe? Angels in wonder and amazement
look upon those for whom so great salvation has been provided, and