The Opportune Moment by W. J. Stone

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Nov 20, 1913

The Opportune Moment

By W. J. Stone

The best time to mold the heart and mind for eternity is not in middle life or old age, neither is it in youth, but in childhood. I have been brought to realize this of late as never before.

The Scripture, in Prov. 22: 6, tells the story, and the sooner we believe this, and put it in practise, the better it will be for our children, and the more of them will be saved in the kingdom. It is no theory. Read it. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” God has spoken. Will we heed him?

Webster says that childhood covers the time from infancy to puberty, or from one to twelve or fourteen years. This is the time to make lasting impressions upon the mind; for then it is the most impressionable. The child has perfect faith and trust; skepticism has not been developed. The child believes what he is told. He assimilates it, and it becomes a part of his very life.

The margin gives it, “Catechize a child in the way he should go.” This implies a questioning, and firmly instilling into the child’s mind, so that he will remember the things he should know. The great Catholic Church has done this for centuries. Everywhere it has its parochial schools, and its traditions are so thoroughly instilled into the minds of the children that but very few ever turn away. It actually fulfils this scripture, and catechizes, and indelibly fixes in the minds of its children its doctrines which it wishes them to carry through life.

Shall Seventh-day Adventists be less anxious about their children’s salvation (when God has committed to us such a glorious truth) than are people governed by tradition? Why are many of us so indifferent, and willing that the world shall educate our little ones, at this most critical moment of their lives? Is it because there is a public fund for this purpose, and it costs us nothing to send them to the public school? But in too many instances it has been an expensive schooling, costing the lives of our loved ones and many a bitter sorrow. They, perhaps, are now grown, and we content ourselves that we are not responsible; but we are: we turned them over to the world to educate, and they went to the world. Better a thousand times make any sacrifice and live in the most humble way and give the lambs of Christ protection from the wolves, than to thrust them out to the mercy of those who know not nor care for God’s precious truth for this time. May the Lord awaken us to a sense of our responsibility.

What made Timothy a man of such strong faith and trust in God? Was it not because he had not had seeds of doubt sown in his heart through a worldly training? The Scriptures had been the basis of his education, as we read in 2 Tim. 3:15: “And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” Even from his infancy, his grandmother Lois instilled into his mind faith in God and his Holy Word. So strong was Timothy’s faith that he lived to glorify God, and we are told in 2 Tim. 1:5 that his faith was unfeigned. He was all he professed to be. What an example of Christian education, or home and church-school work!

These things were written for our learning; and, if this kind of instruction accomplished so much for Timothy, is it not possible for it to accomplish the same for our children today? Is it not worth the trial and the sacrifice? and should we not give it a test?

There should be many more church-schools in this denomination than there are at the present time, and when we see these things as God sees them, we will not be content to give our children over to Babylon to be educated. If we do, to Babylon they will be very likely to go finally.

Could we have only one class of schools from the kindergarten to the college, we would better discard all but the church-school, for here the foundation is laid for the future education. Give every child a good church-school education, and if he can go no farther, he has a good foundation for this life and the life that is to come. Train up a child in the right way, and he is likely to follow that way; even if for a time he may be drawn away, he will return to the faith of his childhood.

But in saying this I do not say that we should have only church-schools, for we ought to have the intermediate schools, the academies, and the colleges; but the church-school lays the foundation upon which to build a Christian education, and when the child’s mind has been awakened, and a desire created for true education, it is easy to lead him on to our higher schools, and thus make our church-schools feeders for our academies and colleges.

May the Lord stir us to action and to a realization of the importance of giving the children an opportunity of laying a good foundation for a Christian education by placing them in a good church-school.

W. J. STONE.