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Fundamentals of Christian Education
Let the words of the Lord, spoken to the world through the prophet
Isaiah, have weight with us. “For thus saith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy
place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive
the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”
“The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such
as be of a contrite spirit.” “To this man will I look,” saith the Lord,
“even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My
word.” The humble, who seek the Lord, have wisdom unto eternal life.
The greatest wisdom, and most essential, is the knowledge of God.
Self sinks into insignificance as it contemplates God and Jesus Christ
whom He hath sent. The Bible must be made the foundation for all
study. Individually we must learn from this lesson-book which God has
given us, the condition of the salvation of our souls; for it is the only
book that tells us what we must do in order to be saved. Not only this,
but from it strength may be received for the intellect. The many books
which education is thought to embrace, are misleading, a deception
and a delusion. “What is the chaff to the wheat?” Satan is now stirring
up the minds of men to furnish to the world literature which is of a
cheap, superficial order, but which fascinates the mind, and fastens it
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in a network of Satan’s contrivance. After reading these books, the
mind lives in an unreal world, and the life, so far as usefulness is
concerned, is as barren as a fruitless tree. The brain is intoxicated,
making it impossible for the eternal realities, which are essential for
the present and the future, to be pressed home. A mind educated to
feed upon trash is unable to see in the word of God the beauty that
is there. Love for Jesus and inclination to righteousness are lost; for
the mind is built up from that upon which it feeds. By feeding the
mind upon exciting stories of fiction, man is bringing to the foundation
“wood, hay, stubble.” He loses all taste for the divine Guidebook, and
cares not to study the character he must form in order to dwell with
the redeemed host, and inhabit the mansions which Christ has gone to
prepare.
God has most graciously granted us a probation in which to prepare
for the test which will be brought upon us. Every advantage is given
us through the mediation of Christ. If the human agent will study
the word, he will see that every facility has been freely provided for
those who are seeking to be overcomers. The Holy Spirit is present