and is developed by exercise. Active use of the power entrusted to us
is one of the chief means which God employs for producing the
Christian graces. Hence the religion of a student demands that he be
true to his work, and that he let his Christianity be shown to his
fellow students and to his professors by the integrity and the
conscientiousness of his academic life. A man who is not faithful in
that which is least will not be faithful in that which is great. I
have known men who struggled unsuccessfully for years to pass their
examinations who, when they became Christians, found a new motive for
work and thus were able to succeed where previously they had failed. A
man's Christianity comes out as much in his work as in his worship.
Our work is not only to be done thoroughly, but it is to be done
honestly. A man is not only to be honorable in his academic relations,
but he must be honest with himself and in his attitude toward the
truth. Students are not entitled to dodge difficulties, they must go
down to the foundation principles. Perhaps the truths which are dear
to us go down deeper even than we think, and we will get more out of
them if we dig down for the nuggets than we will if we only pick up
those that are on the surface. Other theories may perhaps be found to
have false bases; if so, we ought to know it. It is well to take our
soundings in every direction to see if there is deep water; if there
are shoals we ought to find out where they are. Therefore, when we
come to difficulties, let us not jump lightly over them, but let us be
honest as seekers after truth.
It may not be necessary for people in general to sift the doctrines of
Christianity for themselves, but a student is a man whose business it
is to think, to exercise the intellect which God has given him in
finding out the truth. Faith is never opposed to reason, though it is
sometimes supposed by Bible teachers that it is; but you will find it
is not. Faith is opposed to sight, but not to reason, though it is not
limited to reason. In employing his intellect in the search for truth
a student is drawing nearer to the Christ who said, "I am the way, the
truth and the life." We talk a great deal about Christ as the way and
Christ as the life, but there is a side of Christ especially for the
student: "I am the truth," and every student ought to be a truth-lover
and a truth-seeker for Christ's sake.