So is my Beloved among the sons.
I sat down under His shadow with great delight,
And His fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting-house,
And His banner over me was love.”[386]
_The Life-Work_
“THIS ONE THING I DO”
[Sidenote: _A Definite Aim_]
Success in any line demands a definite aim. He who would achieve true
success in life must keep steadily in view the aim worthy of his
endeavor. Such an aim is set before the youth of to-day. The
heaven-appointed purpose of giving the gospel to the world in this
generation is the noblest that can appeal to any human being. It opens a
field of effort to every one whose heart Christ has touched.
[Sidenote: _God’s Purpose for the Youth_]
[Sidenote: _Individual Responsibility_]
God’s purpose for the children growing up beside our hearths is wider,
deeper, higher, than our restricted vision has comprehended. From the
humblest lot those whom He has seen faithful have in time past been
called to witness for Him in the world’s highest places. And many a lad
of to-day, growing up as did Daniel in his Judean home, studying God’s
word and His works, and learning the lessons of faithful service, will
yet stand in legislative assemblies, in halls of justice, or in royal
courts, as a witness for the King of kings. Multitudes will be called to
a wider ministry. The whole world is opening to the gospel. Ethiopia is
stretching out her hands unto God. From Japan and China and India, from
the still-darkened lands of our own continent, from every quarter of
this world of ours, comes the cry of sin-stricken hearts for a knowledge
of the God of love. Millions upon millions have never so much as heard
of God or of His love revealed in Christ. It is their right to receive
this knowledge. They have an equal claim with us in the Saviour’s mercy.
And it rests with us who have received the knowledge, with our children
to whom we may impart it, to answer their cry. To every household and
every school, to every parent, teacher, and child upon whom has shone
the light of the gospel, comes at this crisis the question put to Esther
the queen at that momentous crisis in Israel’s history, “Who knoweth
whether _thou_ art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”[387]
[Sidenote: _God a Sharer in Suffering_]
Those who think of the result of hastening or hindering the gospel think
of it in relation to themselves and to the world. Few think of its
relation to God. Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused
our Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ’s agony; but that suffering
did not begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a
revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception,
sin has brought to the heart of God. Every departure from the right,
every deed of cruelty, every failure of humanity to reach His ideal,
brings grief to Him. When there came upon Israel the calamities that
were the sure result of separation from God,—subjugation by their
enemies, cruelty, and death,—it is said that “His soul was grieved for
the misery of Israel.” “In all their affliction He was afflicted; ...
and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old.”[388]
[Sidenote: _When the End Will Come_]
His Spirit “maketh intercession for us with groanings which can not be
uttered.” As the “whole creation groaneth and travaileth together in
pain,”[389] the heart of the infinite Father is pained in sympathy. Our
world is a vast lazar-house, a scene of misery that we dare not allow
even our thoughts to dwell upon. Did we realize it as it is, the burden
would be too terrible. Yet God feels it all. In order to destroy sin and
its results He gave His best Beloved, and He has put it in our power,
through co-operation with Him, to bring this scene of misery to an end.
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”[390]
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature,”[391] is Christ’s command to His followers. Not that all are
called to be ministers or missionaries in the ordinary sense of the
term; but all may be workers with Him in giving the “glad tidings” to
their fellow-men. To all, great or small, learned or ignorant, old or
young, the command is given.
[Sidenote: _Mistakes in Education_]
In view of this command, can we educate our sons and daughters for a
life of respectable conventionality, a life professedly Christian, but
lacking His self-sacrifice, a life on which the verdict of Him who is
truth must be, “I know you not”?
[Sidenote: _Selfish Aim_]
Thousands are doing this. They think to secure for their children the
benefits of the gospel, while they deny its spirit. But this can not be.
Those who reject the privilege of fellowship with Christ in service,
reject the only training that imparts a fitness for participation with
Him in His glory. They reject the training that in this life gives
strength and nobility of character. Many a father and mother, denying
their children to the cross of Christ, have learned too late that they
were thus giving them over to the enemy of God and man. They sealed
their ruin, not alone for the future but for the present life.
Temptation overcame them. They grew up a curse to the world, a grief and
shame to those who gave them being.
[Sidenote: _Absorption in Study_]
[Sidenote: _Out of Touch with Life_]
Even in seeking a preparation for God’s service, many are turned aside
by wrong methods of education. Life is too generally regarded as made up
of distinct periods, the period of learning and the period of doing,—of
preparation and of achievement. In preparation for a life of service the
youth are sent to school, to acquire knowledge by the study of books.
Cut off from the responsibilities of every-day life, they become
absorbed in study, and often lose sight of its purpose. The ardor of
their early consecration dies out, and too many take up with some
personal, selfish ambition. Upon their graduation, thousands find
themselves out of touch with life. They have so long dealt with the
abstract and theoretical that when the whole being must be roused to
meet the sharp contests of real life, they are unprepared. Instead of
the noble work they had purposed, their energies are engrossed in a
struggle for mere subsistence. After repeated disappointments, in
despair even of earning an honest livelihood, many drift into
questionable or criminal practises. The world is robbed of the service
it might have received; and God is robbed of the souls He longed to
uplift, ennoble, and honor as representatives of Himself.
Many parents err in discriminating between their children in the matter
of education. They make almost any sacrifice to secure the best
advantages for one that is bright and apt. But these opportunities are
not thought a necessity for those who are less promising. Little
education is deemed essential for the performance of life’s ordinary
duties.
[Sidenote: _Whom Shall We Educate?_]
But who is capable of selecting from a family of children the ones upon
whom will rest the most important responsibilities? How often human
judgment has here proved to be at fault! Remember the experience of
Samuel when sent to anoint from the sons of Jesse one to be king over
Israel. Seven noble-looking youth passed before him. As he looked upon
the first, in features comely, in form well-developed, and in bearing
princely, the prophet exclaimed, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before
Him.” But God said, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of
his stature; because I have refused him; for the Lord seeth not as man
seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh
on the heart.” So of all the seven the testimony was, “The Lord hath not
chosen these.”[392] And not until David had been called from the flock
was the prophet permitted to fulfil his mission.
[Sidenote: “_Not as Man Seeth_”]
The elder brothers, from whom Samuel would have chosen, did not possess
the qualifications that God saw to be essential in a ruler of His
people. Proud, self-centered, self-confident, they were set aside for
the one whom they lightly regarded, one who had preserved the simplicity
and sincerity of his youth, and who, while little in his own sight,
could be trained by God for the responsibilities of the kingdom. So
to-day, in many a child whom the parents would pass by, God sees
capabilities far above those revealed by others who are thought to
possess great promise.
And as regards life’s possibilities, who is capable of deciding what is
great and what is small? How many a worker in the lowly places of life,
by setting on foot agencies for the blessing of the world, has achieved
results that kings might envy!
Let every child, then, receive an education for the highest service. “In
the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand;
for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that.”[393]
[Sidenote: _Choosing an Occupation_]
The specific place appointed us in life is determined by our
capabilities. Not all reach the same development or do with equal
efficiency the same work. God does not expect the hyssop to attain the
proportions of the cedar, or the olive the height of the stately palm.
But each should aim just as high as the union of human with divine power
makes it possible for him to reach.
[Sidenote: _Cause of Failure_]
Many do not become what they might, because they do not put forth the
power that is in them. They do not, as they might, lay hold on divine
strength. Many are diverted from the line in which they might reach the
truest success. Seeking greater honor or a more pleasing task, they
attempt something for which they are not fitted. Many a man whose
talents are adapted for some other calling, is ambitious to enter a
profession; and he who might have been successful as a farmer, an
artisan, or a nurse, fills inadequately the position of a minister, a
lawyer, or a physician. There are others, again, who might have filled a
responsible calling, but who, for want of energy, application, or
perseverance, content themselves with an easier place.
We need to follow more closely God’s plan of life. To do our best in the
work that lies nearest, to commit our ways to God, and to watch for the
indications of His providence,—these are rules that insure safe guidance
in the choice of an occupation.
He who came from heaven to be our example spent nearly thirty years of
His life in common, mechanical labor; but during this time He was
studying the word and the works of God, and helping, teaching, all whom
His influence could reach. When His public ministry began, He went about
healing the sick, comforting the sorrowful, and preaching the gospel to
the poor. This is the work of all His followers.
[Sidenote: _Example in Service_]
“He that is greatest among you,” He said, “let him be as the younger;
and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For ... I am among you as
he that serveth.”[394]
Love and loyalty to Christ are the spring of all true service. In the
heart touched by His love, there is begotten a desire to work for Him.
Let this desire be encouraged and rightly guided. Whether in the home,
the neighborhood, or the school, the presence of the poor, the
afflicted, the ignorant, or the unfortunate, should be regarded, not as
a misfortune, but as affording precious opportunity for service.
In this work, as in every other, skill is gained in the work itself. It
is by training in the common duties of life and in ministry to the needy
and suffering, that efficiency is assured. Without this the best-meant
efforts are often useless and even harmful. It is in the water, not on
the land, that men learn to swim.
[Sidenote: _Church Relationship_]
Another obligation, too often lightly regarded,—one that to the youth
awakened to the claims of Christ needs to be made plain,—is the
obligation of church relationship.
Very close and sacred is the relation between Christ and His church,—He
the bridegroom, and the church the bride; He the head, and the church
the body. Connection with Christ, then, involves connection with His
church.
The church is organized for service; and in a life of service to Christ,
connection with the church is one of the first steps. Loyalty to Christ
demands the faithful performance of church duties. This is an important
part of one’s training; and in a church imbued with the Master’s life,
it will lead directly to effort for the world without.
[Sidenote: _Young People’s Societies_]
There are many lines in which the youth can find opportunity for helpful
effort. Let them organize into bands for Christian service, and the
co-operation will prove an assistance and an encouragement. Parents and
teachers, by taking an interest in the work of the young people, will be
able to give them the benefit of their own larger experience, and can
help them to make their efforts effective for good.
[Sidenote: _Foreign Missions_]
It is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sympathy is the spring of
effective ministry. To awaken in the children and youth sympathy and the
spirit of sacrifice for the suffering millions in the “regions beyond,”
let them become acquainted with these lands and their peoples. In this
line much might be accomplished in our schools. Instead of dwelling on
the exploits of the Alexanders and Napoleons of history, let the pupils
study the lives of such men as the apostle Paul and Martin Luther, as
Moffat and Livingstone and Carey, and the present daily-unfolding
history of missionary effort. Instead of burdening their memories with
an array of names and theories that have no bearing upon their lives,
and to which, once outside the schoolroom, they rarely give a thought,
let them study all lands in the light of missionary effort, and become
acquainted with the peoples and their needs.
[Sidenote: _Workers from the Common People_]
In this closing work of the gospel there is a vast field to be occupied;
and, more than ever before, the work is to enlist helpers from the
common people. Both the youth and those older in years will be called
from the field, from the vineyard, and from the workshop, and sent forth
by the Master to give His message. Many of these have had little
opportunity for education; but Christ sees in them qualifications that
will enable them to fulfil His purpose. If they put their hearts into
the work, and continue to be learners, He will fit them to labor for
Him.
He who knows the depths of the world’s misery and despair, knows by what
means to bring relief. He sees on every hand souls in darkness, bowed
down with sin and sorrow and pain. But He sees also their possibilities;
He sees the height to which they may attain. Although human beings have
abused their mercies, wasted their talents, and lost the dignity of
godlike manhood, the Creator is to be glorified in their redemption.
[Sidenote: _The Saviour’s Choice_]
The burden of labor for these needy ones in the rough places of the
earth Christ lays upon those who can feel for the ignorant and for such
as are out of the way. He will be present to help those whose hearts are
susceptible to pity, though their hands may be rough and unskilled. He
will work through those who can see mercy in misery, and gain in loss.
When the Light of the world passes by, privilege will be discerned in
hardship, order in confusion, success in apparent failure. Calamities
will be seen as disguised blessings; woes, as mercies. Laborers from the
common people, sharing the sorrows of their fellow-men as their Master
shared the sorrows of the whole human race, will by faith see Him
working with them.
“The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth
greatly.”[395] And a world is to be warned.
With such preparation as they can gain, thousands upon thousands of the
youth and those older in years should be giving themselves to this work.
Already many hearts are responding to the call of the Master Worker, and
their numbers will increase. Let every Christian educator give such
workers sympathy and co-operation. Let him encourage and assist the
youth under his care in gaining a preparation to join the ranks.
[Sidenote: _Opportunity for Education_]
There is no line of work in which it is possible for the youth to
receive greater benefit. All who engage in ministry are God’s helping
hand. They are co-workers with the angels; rather, they are the human
agencies through whom the angels accomplish their mission. Angels speak
through their voices, and work by their hands. And the human workers,
co-operating with heavenly agencies, have the benefit of their education
and experience. As a means of education, what “university course” can
equal this?
[Sidenote: _Our Children’s Heritage_]
With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might
furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming
Saviour might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end
come,—the end of suffering and sorrow and sin! How soon, in place of a
possession here, with its blight of sin and pain, our children might
receive their inheritance where “the righteous shall inherit the land,
and dwell therein forever;” where “the inhabitant shall not say, I am
sick,” and “the voice of weeping shall be no more heard.”[396]
_THE UNDER-TEACHER_
“_As My Father hath sent Me, even so
send I you_”
_Preparation_
“STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF
APPROVED UNTO GOD”
[Sidenote: _The Mother’s Opportunity_]
The child’s first teacher is the mother. During the period of greatest
susceptibility and most rapid development his education is to a great
degree in her hands. To her first is given opportunity to mould the
character for good or for evil. She should understand the value of her
opportunity, and, above every other teacher, should be qualified to use
it to the best account. Yet there is no other to whose training so
little thought is given. The one whose influence in education is most
potent and far-reaching is the one for whose assistance there is the
least systematic effort.
[Sidenote: _Lack of Preparation_]
Those to whom the care of the little child is committed are too often
ignorant of its physical needs; they know little of the laws of health
or the principles of development. Nor are they better fitted to care for
its mental and spiritual growth. They may be qualified to conduct
business or to shine in society; they may have made creditable
attainments in literature and science; but of the training of a child
they have little knowledge. It is chiefly because of this lack,
especially because of the early neglect of physical development, that so
large a proportion of the human race die in infancy, and of those who
reach maturity there are so many to whom life is but a burden.
[Sidenote: _Education for Parents_]
Upon fathers as well as mothers rests a responsibility for the child’s
earlier as well as its later training, and for both parents the demand
for careful and thorough preparation is most urgent. Before taking upon
themselves the possibilities of fatherhood and motherhood, men and women
should become acquainted with the laws of physical development,—with
physiology and hygiene, with the bearing of prenatal influences, with
the laws of heredity, sanitation, dress, exercise, and the treatment of
disease; they should also understand the laws of mental development and
moral training.
This work of education the Infinite One has counted so important that
messengers from His throne have been sent to a mother that was to be, to
answer the question, “How shall we order the child, and how shall we do
unto him?”[397] and to instruct a father concerning the education of a
promised son.
Never will education accomplish all that it might and should accomplish
until the importance of the parents’ work is fully recognized, and they
receive a training for its sacred responsibilities.
[Sidenote: _The Teacher; Broad Training_]
The necessity of preparatory training for the teacher is universally
admitted; but few recognize the character of the preparation most
essential. He who appreciates the responsibility involved in the
training of the youth, will realize that instruction in scientific and
literary lines alone can not suffice. The teacher should have a more
comprehensive education than can be gained by the study of books. He
should possess not only strength but breadth of mind; should be not only
whole-souled but large-hearted.
[Sidenote: _Essential Qualifications_]
He only who created the mind and ordained its laws can perfectly
understand its needs or direct its development. The principles of
education that He has given are the only safe guide. A qualification
essential for every teacher is a knowledge of these principles, and such
an acceptance of them as will make them a controlling power in his own
life.
Experience in practical life is indispensable. Order, thoroughness,
punctuality, self-control, a sunny temper, evenness of disposition,
self-sacrifice, integrity, and courtesy are essential qualifications.
Because there is so much cheapness of character, so much of the
counterfeit all around the youth, there is the more need that the
teacher’s words, attitude, and deportment should represent the elevated
and the true. Children are quick to detect affectation or any other
weakness or defect. The teacher can gain the respect of his pupils in no
other way than by revealing in his own character the principles which he
seeks to teach them. Only as he does this in his daily association with
them can he have a permanent influence over them for good.
[Sidenote: _Physical Vigor_]
For almost every other qualification that contributes to his success,
the teacher is in great degree dependent upon physical vigor. The better
his health, the better will be his work.
So wearing are his responsibilities that special effort on his part is
required to preserve vigor and freshness. Often he becomes heart-weary
and brain-weary, with the almost irresistible tendency to depression,
coldness, or irritability. It is his duty not merely to resist such
moods but to avoid their cause. He needs to keep the heart pure and
sweet and trustful and sympathetic. In order to be always firm and calm
and cheerful, he must preserve the strength of brain and nerve.
Since in his work quality is so much more important than quantity, he
should guard against overlabor,—against attempting too much in his own
line of duty; against accepting other responsibilities that would unfit
him for his work; and against engaging in amusements and social
pleasures that are exhausting rather than recuperative.
[Sidenote: _Outdoor Labor_]
Outdoor exercise, especially in useful labor, is one of the best means
of recreation for body and mind; and the teacher’s example will inspire
his pupils with interest in and respect for manual labor.
In every line the teacher should scrupulously observe the principles of
health. He should do this not only because of its bearing upon his own
usefulness, but also because of its influence upon his pupils. He should
be temperate in all things; in diet, dress, labor, recreation, he is to
be an example.
[Sidenote: _Literary Attainments_]
With physical health and uprightness of character should be combined
high literary qualifications. The more of true knowledge the teacher
has, the better will be his work. The schoolroom is no place for
surface-work. No teacher who is satisfied with superficial knowledge
will attain a high degree of efficiency.
[Sidenote: _A High Standard_]
But the teacher’s usefulness depends not so much upon the actual amount
of his acquirements as upon the standard at which he aims. The true
teacher is not content with dull thoughts, an indolent mind, or a loose
memory. He constantly seeks higher attainments and better methods. His
life is one of continual growth. In the work of such a teacher there is
a freshness, a quickening power, that awakens and inspires his pupils.