The Yale expositor., 1912-02-08

This lesson is the one solitary in
stance recorded in the strangely seal
ed thirty years of the Masters life.
Here is an illustration of what is
meant by the inspiration of election
only those things that were of vital
and redemptive importance in the life
OF Jesus are recorded. John says,
MANY other signs truly did Jesus
which are not written in this book
But these are written, that We might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
son OF God; and that believing ye
might have life through his name"
For this reason. we should value every
word that is written.
The lesson furnishes a model in
character building for the youth.
Jesus is the example, and the model
boy. Jesus was a real boy. He ate,
drank, played, grew, asked questions,
just as other boys do.
His character, like all other char
acter building, was growth: "He in
creased in wisdom and stature" No
character is instantaneous; it is the
work of growth and of years, indeed,
of q lifetime. An icicle is formed drop
by drop. Character is formed by sin
gle words and acts. A mushroom may
grow in night, but surely not the
character of man. Just as words
and sentences are formed by means
of the single letters Of the alphabet.
so words, thoughts. deeds, actions,
looks, motlves-these are the alphabet
from which we spell character Sow
n thought, and reap a word; SOW
word, and reap an act; SOW an act,
and reap a habit; SOW a habit, and
reap character; SOW character, and
reap a destiny.
Christ's character was developed in
the home. He had Christian home
the greatest gift of God this side of
heaven. What chance has many
child today to build character in
home where the parents know not God,
never read the Bible, never pray, new
son, parents should become Christians
for their children's sake. If our chill
dren are lost, We parents are to blame,
unless We have set before them the
example of q Christian life.
AS boy, Christ was obedient to his
parents. This was manly thing.
Parents are In the place Of God to the
child: God cannot be everywhere, so
he made parents. The first command
ment on the second table is obedience
10 parents, and it is the first COM
mandment with promise. The apron
strings of the mother may become the
reins of government of the nation. We
must obey before we can command.
The character Of Jesus was develop
ed in the church also. His parents
were churchgoers, and they had cul-
tivated that habit in the child. In
speaking of Jesus as a churchgoer,
Luke says that 'as his custom was,
he went into the synagogue" What
great thoughts must have come to the
mind Of Christ as he visited the tenn
aroused as he sat and listened to the
exposition Of Gods word! Humanity
speaking, Christ owed great deal in
the development of his character to
his attendance at the temple. Can a
symmetrical character be produced
outside of the church and religion?
We think not; certainly the best char
acter cannot be produced in one who
ignores these. In spite Of all her fail
ures, the church is the best institution
IN the world today for the building of
character. We do our children a great
wrong when We deprive them Of the
privileges of the church.
But Jesus was also a member Of tho
Bible school-the teaching part OF the
church. This is evident from the fact
that tho instruction received was in
answering and asking questions. No
doubt many OF the Scripture passages
quoted by him were learned in the
Jewish Bible school.
The boy Jesus was an interested
as we'll as an interesting scholar in
the school He was no mere visitor.
He came with a we'll prepared lesson,
and that indicated that he had studied
the lesson at home under the instruc-
ton OF his parents. What lesson for
parents today!
Have you ever considered how many
great and noble men the Sunday
school of our land have been instru-
mental in producing? Did you ever
think how many of the most influen-
tial men OF the world today give their
time to Sunday school work, thereby
recognizing the power that their own
early training in the Sunday school
had been in their lives?
Consider the great characters that
have played upon the stage of Ameri-
can history-or the history of the
world over for that matter--and you
will find that a great part, IL not the
greatest part of the credit for the
splendid characters possessed by these
noble men and women is to be given
to religion and the church.
"For what are men better than sheep or
goats