The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-10-02
THE ADvENTISTS
Discuss Sabbath School Work and Education
--The Law and the Gospel,

Special to the indianapolis Journaa.
WABASH, Oct LIN spite of the weather the
campers keep in good health and spirits The
tents are furnished with small stoves, and are as
coy as need be. People are still coming in, and
by Saturday large representation of the Ad
ventists of Indiana will be here. This morning
was devoted to the discussion of Sabbath school
work. Elder D. Nj. Canright is an enthusiastic
worker in this branch. and laid bare some OF the
mistakes common to Sabbath schools lie IN
sisted that no Sabbath school could be success
with tardy members, with poor singing and
kind of lukewarm interest in officers and teach
ers. It should be made a living thing Every
faculty should be exercised to invent new meth
DDS to promote an intense interest in the chill
dren It takes the best and brightest of minds
to deal successfully with the little ones,
and the most loving of hearts to influence them
You may begule some old man or woman into
the opinion that you have said something If you
talk good deal; but you can't palm off your
stale ideas on children. A successful superin-
tendent and teacher must be reading. think
ing, loving person, all alive with his work and
leaving no stone unturned. Helps must be en-
ployed-maps, books, blaekboards and object
teaching. tits one thing to be called a teacher
and another to be one. No one is worthy the
name who merely reads over the lesson few
moments before school and and thsa goes as
teacher. A boy could do that Thu TX of the
Sabbath-school is too important :, be thus
treated Eternal interests are at stake. The
officers and teachers should feel this. They
should pray, and visit and study, and teach in
the fear Of God. Manya soul is lost and turned
into infdeity because the teacher failed to look
ND an answer to simple question. This is
criminal A terrible but precious responsibility
is laid upon Sabbath-school workers.
It was voted bysthe convention that four Sab
bath school conventions should be held during
the year. A number spoke in favor of advanc
ing the work and of following out the plans sug
gested. At 230 the tent was filled to listen to a
discourse on education by Elder D. M. Can
right Of Michigan. He took for his text the
words of III Timothy ii, Isl Study to show
myself approved of God workman that need
eth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth" He said
Those who have studied know the value of it.
Pau! was a scholar. His brain was active; his
powers we'll disciplined. He was mastery
reasoner His logic faultless; his wit and
tact unequaled by any man this side the Savior.
See, where he brought into kings courts;
before the learned of the earth; before multi
tudes. His polished eloquenee held them spell
bound. His subtitle tact saved MS head many
time. His mind was we'll trained that he
could turn it in an instant from one train OF
thought to another a well-developed athlete
can turn his body. Was 1t only chance brought
him to the 'front.' Only chance made him the
chief and leader of the gospel work. By no
means. God could use him in these places
because be had fitted himself for them.
The leaders of Gods work 10 both dispensations
have been men of education and devotion. Moses
WAS learnedi in ali the wisdom of the Egyptians. He
had been brought up in the court OF Pharaoh as
prospective King of Egypt, and the wisdom of
the Egyptians was no small wisdom. The eminent
philosophers of the past visited Egypt to add
to their store from its'books OF lore. Moses
knew its best advantages. His manners were
refined, his mind cultivated. and God chose
Moses TO deliver His people, to commune with
Him face to face and to receive His law. God Is
the source OF wisdom. Everything around us
tells as of His vast intelligence. Can it be that
God loves ignoranceE Paul was man OF such
studious habits that 1t was said to him, Much
learning doth make thee mad" Luke was q
physician. Matthew, Mark and john were not
illiterate men. Their gospels are models of lit
erature. Look at the men God has used
since apostolic times: Luther, Wycliffe,
Huss, jerome, Tyndal, Knox, White
field and Wesley, all men OF culture.
Ignorant men used sometimes. but
it Is not on account of their Ignorance but in
spite of it. There is virtue in ignorance. In
had been in the ministry thirteen years, and
exhorts him ''to study" Some ministers. think
they need no.such advice. There is great deal
of intellectual laZiness in our world, and l be-
lieve 1t is more hateful to God than physical
lazineSs We find men and women everywhere
who read nothing. They say they have no
time to study the Bible, no time to read the
hest books. Mark those men and women. They
have time to visit and gossip. They can spend
few minutes here and there in trivial mat
ters Thew can waste an hour at the grocery
store or tbs depot-ie abed in the morning,
make crazy quilts and argue by the hour 1t is
the little habits of life that make the difference
In men. One man goes to seed like an unculti-
waited patch OF weeds: another digs, and plants
and cultivates till he is a fruitful garden He
has book at the depot; his Bible is in his
pocket; he reads while others are laughing; he
prays; he studies; when he speaks men
listen and become conyicted and con-
verted. Study means work. 1t means
concentration. 1t is digging through OBJ
security into light The most precious things
have to be toiled for. Gold and silver under
ground. The treasures of Gods word are hid
den. We must investigate This Is for our
good-to develop US. Character is Gods OBJ
feet in US. We must unfold our abilities. The
power is in US, we must exercise ii. God was
pleased when Solomon prayed for wisdom. His
wisdom was proverbial, yet in his latest years
moreover, because the preacher was wise, he
still taught the people knowledge, yea. he gave
good heed, and sought out, and set in order many
proverbs. The preacher sought to find accept
able words" Are we beyond Solomon? 1t takes
work to seek out and set in order Acceptable
words" does not mean ungrammatical sentences
and ignoble illustrations. Paul says: Study
to show myself approved unto God" A work
man that needle tn not to be ashamed rightly di-
viding the word of truth" Eve are workers to-
gether with Godl" A Christian has no business
to remain ignorant If we are workers with
Goblet US learn of Him. God notes how we employ
our time, talents and influence We are re-
sponsible for the improvement of all He has
given. Paul writes to Timothy again: Neglect
not the gifs that is in thee Mediate
upon these things. Give thyself Who'll
iy to them, that thy profitiug
may appear unto ALL" "God alone can measure
the possibilities of the human mind" How do
we know what we might be il we improved
what we haveY God says, $40 him that hath
shall be pivenn Mediate upon these things: