Our ideas of education take
too narrow and too low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim.
True education means more than the pursual of a certain course of study. It
means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the
whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the
harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers.
It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world and for the higher
joy of wider service in the world to come.
The source of such
an education is brought to view in these words of Holy Writ, pointing to the
Infinite One: In Him "are hid all the treasures of wisdom." Colossians 2:3. "He
hath counsel and understanding." Job 12:13.
The world has had
its great teachers, men of giant intellect and extensive research, men whose
utterances have stimulated thought and opened to view vast fields of knowledge;
and these men have been honored as guides and benefactors of their race; but
there is One who stands higher than they. We can trace the line of the world's
teachers as far back as human records extend; but the
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Light was before
them. As the moon and the stars of our solar system shine by the reflected
light of the sun, so, as far as their teaching is true, do the world's great
thinkers reflect the rays of the Sun of Righteousness. Every gleam of thought,
every flash of the intellect, is from the Light of the world.
In these days much
is said concerning the nature and importance of "higher education." The true
"higher education" is that imparted by Him with whom "is wisdom and strength"
(Job 12:13), out of whose mouth "cometh knowledge and understanding." Proverbs
2:6.
In a knowledge of
God all true knowledge and real development have their source. Wherever we
turn, in the physical, the mental, or the spiritual realm; in whatever we
behold, apart from the blight of sin, this knowledge is revealed. Whatever line
of investigation we pursue, with a sincere purpose to arrive at truth, we are
brought in touch with the unseen, mighty Intelligence that is working in and
through all. The mind of man is brought into communion with the mind of God,
the finite with the Infinite. The effect of such communion on body and mind and
soul is beyond estimate.
In this communion
is found the highest education. It is God's own method of development.
"Acquaint now thyself with Him" (Job 22:21), is His message to mankind. The
method outlined in these words was the method followed in the education of the
father of our race. When in the glory of sinless manhood Adam stood in holy
Eden, it was thus that God instructed him.
In order to
understand what is comprehended in the work of education, we need to consider
both the nature of man and the purpose of God in creating him. We need to
consider also the change in man's condition through
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the coming in of a
knowledge of evil, and God's plan for still fulfilling His glorious purpose in
the education of the human race.
When Adam came from
the Creator's hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a
likeness to his Maker. "God created man in His own image" (Genesis 1:27), and
it was His purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal
this image--the more fully reflect the glory of the Creator. All his faculties
were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to
increase. Vast was the scope offered for their exercise, glorious the field
opened to their research. The mysteries of the visible universe--the "wondrous
works of Him which is perfect in knowledge" (Job 37:16)--invited man's study.
Face-to-face, heart-to-heart communion with his Maker was his high privilege.
Had he remained loyal to God, all this would have been his forever. Throughout
eternal ages he would have continued to gain new treasures of knowledge, to
discover fresh springs of happiness, and to obtain clearer and yet clearer
conceptions of the wisdom, the power, and the love of God. More and more fully
would he have fulfilled the object of his creation, more and more fully have
reflected the Creator's glory.
But by disobedience
this was forfeited. Through sin the divine likeness was marred, and well-nigh
obliterated. Man's physical powers were weakened, his mental capacity was
lessened, his spiritual vision dimmed. He had become subject to death. Yet the
race was not left without hope. By infinite love and mercy the plan of
salvation had been devised, and a life of probation was granted. To restore in
man the image of his Maker, to bring him back
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to the perfection
in which he was created, to promote the development of body, mind, and soul,
that the divine purpose in his creation might be realized--this was to be the
work of redemption. This is the object of education, the great object of life.
Love, the basis of
creation and of redemption, is the basis of true education. This is made plain
in the law that God has given as the guide of life. The first and great
commandment is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind." Luke 10:27. To
love Him, the infinite, the omniscient One, with the whole strength, and mind,
and heart, means the highest development of every power. It means that in the
whole being-- the body, the mind, as well as the soul--the image of God is to
be restored.
Like the first is
the second commandment--"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Matthew
22:39. The law of love calls for the devotion of body, mind, and soul to the
service of God and our fellow men. And this service, while making us a blessing
to others, brings the greatest blessing to ourselves. Unselfishness underlies
all true development. Through unselfish service we receive the highest culture
of every faculty. More and more fully do we become partakers of the divine
nature. We are fitted for heaven, for we receive heaven into our hearts.
Since God is the
source of all true knowledge, it is, as we have seen, the first object of
education to direct our minds to His own revelation of Himself. Adam and Eve
received knowledge through direct communion with God; and they learned of Him
through His works. All created things, in their original perfection, were an
expression
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of the thought of
God. To Adam and Eve nature was teeming with divine wisdom. But by
transgression man was cut off from learning of God through direct communion
and, to a great degree, through His works. The earth, marred and defiled by
sin, reflects but dimly the Creator's glory. It is true that His object lessons
are not obliterated. Upon every page of the great volume of His created works
may still be traced His handwriting. Nature still speaks of her Creator. Yet
these revelations are partial and imperfect. And in our fallen state, with
weakened powers and restricted vision, we are incapable of interpreting aright.
We need the fuller revelation of Himself that God has given in His written
word.
The Holy Scriptures
are the perfect standard of truth, and as such should be given the highest
place in education. To obtain an education worthy of the name, we must receive
a knowledge of God, the Creator, and of Christ, the Redeemer, as they are
revealed in the sacred word.
Every human being,
created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to that of the
Creator-- individuality, power to think and to do. The men in whom this power
is developed are the men who bear responsibilities, who are leaders in
enterprise, and who influence character. It is the work of true education to
develop this power, to train the youth to be thinkers, and not mere reflectors
of other men's thought. Instead of confining their study to that which men have
said or written, let students be directed to the sources of truth, to the vast
fields opened for research in nature and revelation. Let them contemplate the
great facts of duty and destiny, and the mind will expand and strengthen.
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Instead of educated
weaklings, institutions of learning may send forth men strong to think and to
act, men who are masters and not slaves of circumstances, men who possess
breadth of mind, clearness of thought, and the courage of their convictions.
Such an education
provides more than mental discipline; it provides more than physical training.
It strengthens the character, so that truth and uprightness are not sacrificed
to selfish desire or worldly ambition. It fortifies the mind against evil.
Instead of some master passion becoming a power to destroy, every motive and
desire are brought into conformity to the great principles of right. As the
perfection of His character is dwelt upon, the mind is renewed, and the soul is
re-created in the image of God.
What education can
be higher than this? What can equal it in value?