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wisdom far less, and would feel a deep soul-hunger for that wisdom
which cometh from God.
All the treasures of heaven were committed to Jesus Christ, that he
might give these precious gifts to the diligent, persevering seeker. He is
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of God made unto us “wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption.” But even the prayers of many are so formal that
they carry with them no influence for good; they are not a savor of
life unto themselves or anybody else. If teachers would humble their
hearts before God and realize the responsibilities they have accepted
in taking charge of the youth with the object of educating them for
the future immortal life, a marked change would soon be seen in their
attitude. Their prayers would not be dry and lifeless, but they would
pray with the earnestness of souls who feel their own peril. Daily
learning of Jesus, taking the word of God as their own individual
lesson-book, having a living sense that it is the voice of God, the
atmosphere surrounding their souls would change materially. The
temptation to be first would be quenched in the lessons daily learned
in the school of Christ. They would not lean so confidently to their
own understanding.
The youth who are instructed by those teachers who are not learn-
ing in the school of Christ, will seldom rise higher than their teachers.
If they should try to rise, they would be repressed and taught to keep
their place as subordinates to the will and word of their teachers. Such
teachers are accountable to God for the good that they might have done
in impressing the minds of their students, but which they did not do
because they wished to show themselves wise in clinging to old habits
and customs. It is stated in the Old Testament of one, He “hath not
been emptied from vessel to vessel;” “therefore his taste remained in
him, and his scent is not changed.” Christ saw that the only hope for
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the Jews was for them to be decidedly changed, but they would not
receive the light, and let the Holy Spirit of God mold and fashion them
into a vessel unto honor, and the character they possessed wrought
their own ruin.
The teachers in our schools are today in danger of following in
the same track as did the Jews in Christ’s day. Whatever may be their
position, however they may pride themselves upon their ability to
teach, unless these teachers open the chambers of their soul-temple to
receive the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness, they are written