To the Students at Battle Creek College
235
In our institutions of learning there was to be exerted an influ-
ence that would counteract the influence of the world, and give no
encouragement to indulgence in appetite, in selfish gratification of the
senses, in pride, ambition, love of dress and display, love of praise and
flattery, and strife for high rewards and honors as a recompense for
good scholarship. All this was to be discouraged in our schools. It
would be impossible to avoid these things, and yet send them to the
public schools, where they would daily be brought in contact with that
which would contaminate their morals. All through the world there
was so great a neglect of proper home training that the children found
at the public schools, for the most part, were profligate, and steeped in
vice.
The work that we as a people were to do in this matter, was to
establish a school, and do the work that Jesus Christ, from the pillar of
cloud, had directed as the work of His people,—to train and educate
our children and youth to regard the commandments of God. The
manifest disregard of the world for the law of God was contaminating
the morals of those who professed to be keeping the law of God. But
we are called upon to follow the example of Abraham. Of him the
Lord has said, “I know him, that he will command his children and his
household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do
justice and judgment.”
Abraham had to leave his country and his father’s house, and
sojourn in a strange land, in order to introduce successfully the new
order of things in his household. The providence of God was ever to
open up new methods, and progress was to be made from generation
to generation, in order to preserve in the world a knowledge of the true
God, of His laws and commandments. This could be done only by
cultivating home religion. But it was not possible for Abraham to do
this while he was surrounded by his idolatrous kinsfolk and friends.
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He must at God’s command go out alone, and listen to the voice of
Christ, the leader of the children of Israel. Jesus was on the earth
to instruct and educate the chosen people of God. Abraham decided
to obey the law of God, and the Lord knew that there would be no
betrayal of sacred trust on his part, no yielding to any other guide
than Him whom he felt under responsibility to obey. He recognized
that he was accountable for the instruction of his household and his
children, and commanded them after him to do justice and judgment.