Importance of Education
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The more the mind dwells upon these themes, the more it will be
seen that the same principles run through natural and spiritual things.
There is harmony between nature and Christianity; for both have the
same Author. The book of nature and the book of revelation indicate
the working of the same divine mind. There are lessons to be learned in
nature; and there are lessons, deep, earnest, and all-important lessons,
to be learned from the book of God.
Young friends, the fear of the Lord lies at the very foundation of
all progress; it is the beginning of wisdom. Your Heavenly Father has
claims upon you; for without solicitation or merit on your part He gives
you the bounties of His providence; and more than this, He has given
you all heaven in one gift, that of His beloved Son. In return for this
infinite gift, He claims of you willing obedience. As you are bought
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with a price, even the precious blood of the Son of God, He requires
that you make a right use of the privileges you enjoy. Your intellectual
and moral faculties are God’s gifts, talents intrusted to you for wise
improvement, and you are not at liberty to let them lie dormant for
want of proper cultivation, or be crippled and dwarfed by inaction. It
is for you to determine whether or not the weighty responsibilities that
rest upon you shall be faithfully met, whether or not your efforts shall
be well directed and your best.
We are living in the perils of the last days. All heaven is interested
in the characters you are forming. Every provision has been made for
you, that you should be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped
the corruption that is in the world through lust. Man is not left alone to
conquer the powers of evil by his own feeble efforts. Help is at hand,
and will be given every soul who really desires it. Angels of God, that
ascend and descend the ladder that Jacob saw in vision, will help every
soul who wills to climb even to the highest heaven. They are guarding
the people of God, and watching how every step is taken. Those who
climb the shining way will be rewarded; they will enter into the joy of
their Lord.
Importance of Education
With Daniel, the fear of the Lord was the beginning of wisdom. He
was placed in a position where temptation was strong. In king’s courts,
dissipation was on every side; selfish indulgence, gratification of