WARMTH, POSITIVENESS, PERSEVERANCE
By Lilian Otis McPherron
ONE writer has said: "In the sunlight of His Father's countenance, Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." The thought is suggestively full of significance to the mother. "In the sunlight." Plants in the natural world mature only in the sunlight, is it any less true of these delicate flowers the Father has intrusted to our care? Thus only can they be developed and matured for Him? They must have an atmosphere of warmth and sunshine if they are to profit by the instruction we give them. The Word will not take root in souls unwarmed by Jesus' love. The heart of each parent must overflow with the sunshine of that love, would he teach aright. His lips must be filled with praise and his heart with song. Then by voice and action will he diligently teach all the words of the Christ life, that Word being made flesh in Him. He will daily show unto His children "Him whom God hath exalted with His right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." In order to do this effectually he must have an extended knowledge of God's written Word and of the book of nature—that "great library of God's created works which His own hand has written in earth and sea and sky." He must grow daily in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, that there may be a constant source of supply for the eager minds lent him for development. He must daily lead these minds to "behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," in all things which they contemplate. The Christ must be the center of interest—not only must the child be led to see Him, the one altogether lovely, in every portion of Scripture studied, but in all that pertains to his every-day life. He must be led to see Jesus as a child at work—to see that "He was perfect as a workman, as He was perfect in character. He was not willing to be defective, even in the handling of tools." He must see that throughout His earthly life Jesus was an earnest and constant worker, not seeking to evade care or responsibility; and that the positiveness and energy, the strength of character, manifested in Christ are to be developed in us, through the same discipline that He endured. This positiveness of character must be developed by positive teaching, for we must not forget that teaching is both positive and negative. In positive teaching, we give direct, explicit instruction in the truths of God's Word, making the direct application to the child. Negative teaching is directly opposed to this—is simply an endeavor to uproot error already implanted, without constantly supplying the good to take its place; or, too often, is an introduction to error by the power of suggestion. Many don't fail to accomplish the good of one do when that do is reasonably set before the child's mind as Father's desire for his good. He must be led to think, and clearly to understand truth for himself. "It is not enough for the parent to explain, or for the child to believe; inquiry must be awakened. He must be drawn out to state the truth in his own language, thus making it evident that he sees its force and makes the application. By painstaking effort vital truth should be impressed upon the mind." Point him to Peter's ladder of eight rounds, and seek to place his feet not on the highest round, but on the lowest, and with earnest solicitation urge him to climb to the very top. Christ, who connects earth with heaven, is the ladder. We (parent and child) are saved by climbing round after round of the ladder, looking to Christ, clinging to Christ, mounting step by step to the height of Christ, so that He "is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." Faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly-kindness, and charity are the rounds of this ladder. All these graces are to be manifested in the Christian character; and "if ye do these things, ye shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1: 10, 11. Thus as parents we shall not only save ourselves but our children.