Schools of the Prophets
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obey the teachings of His Spirit. Sanctified intellects brought forth
from the treasure house of God things new and old, and the Spirit of
God was manifested in prophecy and sacred song.
Music was made to serve a holy purpose, to lift the thoughts to that
which is pure, noble, and elevating, and to awaken in the soul devotion
and gratitude to God. What a contrast between the ancient custom
and the uses to which music is now too often devoted! How many
employ this gift to exalt self, instead of using it to Glorify God! A
love for music leads the unwary to unite with world lovers in pleasure
gatherings where God has forbidden His children to go. Thus that
which is a great blessing when rightly used, becomes one of the most
successful agencies by which Satan allures the mind from duty and
from the contemplation of eternal things.
Music forms a part of God’s worship in the courts above, and
we should endeavor, in our songs of praise, to approach as nearly as
possible to the harmony of the heavenly choirs. The proper training
of the voice is an important feature in education and should not be
neglected. Singing, as a part of religious service, is as much an act of
worship as is prayer. The heart must feel the spirit of the song to give
it right expression.
How wide the difference between those schools taught by the
prophets of God and our modern institutions of learning! How few
schools are to be found that are not governed by the maxims and
customs of the world! There is a deplorable lack of proper restraint
and judicious discipline. The existing ignorance of God’s word among
a people professedly Christian is alarming. Superficial talk, mere
sentimentalism, passes for instruction in morals and religion. The
justice and mercy of God, the beauty of holiness and the sure reward
of rightdoing, the heinous character of sin and the certainty of its
terrible results, are not impressed upon the minds of the young. Evil
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associates are instructing the youth in the ways of crime, dissipation,
and licentiousness.
Are there not some lessons which the educators of our day might
learn with profit from the ancient schools of the Hebrews? He who
created man has provided for his development in body and mind and
soul. Hence, real success in education depends upon the fidelity with
which men carry out the Creator’s plan.