in the substitution of a humanistic philosophy for the Divine, yet the principal cause of moral fail ure among our youth harks back to the breakdown o f home life. Who will deny that the mother of Moses did more for the world than the king who built the Pyramids of Egypt or an Alexander who conquered nations? As we face this subject, let us give considera tion to what we choose to call PARENTAL DELIBERATIONS Parents need to engage themselves in a frank discussion of their task. Their duties need to be examined in the light o f divine revelation. The Bible has much to say about fathers and mothers and also about the rearing of children. Home life is not neglected upon the pages of the sacred Guide Book. God would not be so cruel as to call upon parents to rear children for His glory without teaching them how to do it and also providing the necessary wisdom for it. The father needs to take stock o f himself, to stop and think on his way. Fatherhood must be the greatest thing in the world since God reveals Himself in this highest and most sacred of all relationships. God has manifested Himself as su preme, as the Creator of all things, but the best of all is the revelation of Himself as Father, and as such He is the source and imparter of life. A hush of silence sweeps over us as we breathe the word “mother” . Christianity exalts motherhood as no human religion in the history of the world. In His incarnation our Lord entered our humanity through the portals of a woman’s life and thus in a special sense sanctified motherhood. To be a mother is to help mold a nation. A mother’s hand is mightier than a king’s scepter. This being true, every mother is called to utmost consideration of her high office. The most precious little bundle ever laid in the arms o f parents is that child o f yours and mine. Parents who do not feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility before God with the advent of that tiny spark of life are not worthy o f it. God’s Word calls upon us to redeem the time because the days are evil. We believe there is no better way to redeem it and to make it count for most than to spend some of it meditating upon the duties which belong to parenthood. To slight that office by neglect is to bring children into the world with the gravest of handicaps, when they are entitled to the best possible advantages. PARENTAL DILIGENCE God has not left parents in the dark as to that
which must diligently concern every one of us. Possibly the reason we have on our hands an un ruly, unsettled and ungodly generation is because we have been loath to do what God has command ed us to do. We read, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deut. 6:6-7). The pity is we give greater diligence to a hundred non-essentials and neglect the most important of all, namely, the Word of God. Through His servant Moses, God was laying down the method by which children were to be reared. Solomon wrote, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not de part from it” (Prov. 22:6). There is nothing said about training up a child in the wisdom o f this world, but rather in the wisdom of God which reveals “ the way he should go.” There are un doubtedly millions of homes in this nation which do not possess a Bible, and on the other hand there are millions of homes which possess the Bible but never read it or teach it to the oncoming gen eration. The New Testament is equally clear concern ing our diligence in relation to those whom God has put into our hands. Paul wrote, “ And, ye fa thers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6 :4 ). This is not the task o f a day. It is line upon line, precept upon precept, day by day and hour by hour. Every sensible parent realizes it takes time and patience to com ply with these divinely-given instructions but our diligence will be well rewarded in the end. Next, as parents we need to give serious thought to the matter of PARENTAL DISCIPLINE Some one asked a farmer how he was able to produce such beautiful sheep. His reply was a classic for parents: “ I take care of the lambs.” Taking care of lambs involves more than merely feeding them day by day. Every shepherd realizes that certain disciplinary processes need to be pur sued if his lambs are to become the kind of sheep he desires. The problem of discipline is a difficult one and calls for careful and prayerful consideration and especially so in the light of God’s Word. I know full well that the methods of child-training have
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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