is necessary and, if w i s e l y admin istered, it will h a v e no ill effect. Rather, the c h i l d will benefit im measurably from it. It seems that there is no other way to teach the child, because in his heart there are the dangerous seeds of rebellion na tural to the child of Adam. God has ordained such physical correction as the one way to maintain discipline and obedience in the home. Parents should not wait too long; ofttimes gentle reproof at the age of one or two years will obviate the need for sterner measures later. The book of Proverbs is an excellent textbook on child rearing, with which all parents should be familiar. ★ ★ Read It T^HE OTHER day, a letter was received from a listener to the programs of the Bible Institute in which advice was asked as to the best procedure of interesting and winning a friend who professed utter disbelief in the Bible as the Word of God. Our reply to this inquirer was somewhat along this line: There are books written by godly men which encourage both interest and faith in the Bible. Through the influence of these books, certainly many have been turned from indiffer ence to genuine interest. Many of these volumes we can heartily rec ommend. But there is one sure way of implanting in the heart and mind an implicit trust in the Scriptures, and that is by repeated reading of the Bible itself. Nothing is more sure than that the Bible is its own best defense. Nothing can be better demonstrated than the fact that, if one will take time to read the Book, his doubts and problems will vanish. No weapon against atheism is more effective than the Sword of the Spirit. But, of course, the problem is to get the unbeliever to read the Word of God—not in a cursory, disinterested manner, but in a thoughtful spirit, weighing the meaning of each word. Here is where the Spirit of God en ters; it is His work to convict the world of sin, and His method is to convict through the Word. Our part, then, is to suggest the careful reading of the Scriptures, to furnish a good copy of them to the unsaved, and then to pray earnestly for the Holy Spirit to accomplish the miracle of conversion and regeneration. 3
evil will grow together until the time of the harvest. Never shall there be a converted world or a converted Amer ica. A phenomenon of present-day civilization is that evil grows apace simultaneously with genuine Chris tianity. If one were to operate on the basis a d v a n c e d by this religious leader, no missionaries would leave our shores to carry the Gospel story to those beyond the sea. Then, too, we must remember the last words of the Lord Jesus before His ascension, as found in Acts 1:8, where He outlines correct missionary procedure. His children are to be “wit nesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The key to the understanding of this commission is found in the word “both.” Not only should Chris tian work be carried on here at home, but it must be advanced to neighbor ing areas and then to the ends of the earth. We should not give up soul winning if people in this great land of America fail to receive Christ as Saviour and acknowledge Him as Lord, nor should we wait until our particular city is Christianized before pressing on to other fields. It would seem that God’s plan is that everyone the world around should have the op portunity to hear the blessed Gospel and to receive the Saviour. Therefore, let us not be persuaded from our God-given task of sending our youth and our funds to the regions beyond, held so long in the deadly grip of superstition and unbelief. ★ ★ “He Shall Not Die” A BIT of subtle humor is found in a verse in the wise and ancient book of Proverbs. This book contains many practical suggestions. One s u b j e c t rather adequately dealt with is that of rearing children. P a r e n t s are ad monished not to withhold the rod. Lest they should be frightened by the loud screams which the rod some times produces, the Lord adds: “he shall not die” (Prov. 23:13). This does not condone cruel treatment of chil dren by unnatural parents. But there are many fathers and mothers who spare the rod because they feel that their children will be physically or mentally marred by punishment. Out of their so-called love, they are too lenient with their offspring. The Lord admonishes these parents that the rod
Two Stars AMONG the interesting details sur- rounding the birth of Christ is the exquisite story of the star of Bethle hem, which gently led the Wise Men to the feet of the Infant King. The spiritual significance of this star is un mistakable. It indicates the fact that Heaven’s light was cast upon a dark world, through the emergence into the stream of the wo r l d ' s history of Heaven’s Prince. Poets have told the story repeatedly, yet it never seems to grow old; the star shining brightly over the humble dwelling will ever be to our hearts a symbol of the great est joy that ever came to earth. But there is another star to which the Scriptures refer, and this is the Bright and Morning Star. We know full well that never again will Christ be bom as a babe to live on earth, and to die upon a cross of shame. That much of His story is past his tory. But there is a time most surely coming when the new Star will ap pear, when Christ shall return to rule and reign over that which is right fully His. The Bible speaks figurative ly of this event as the appearance of the Morning Star. The morning star appears in the sky after the darkness of the night Is gone. So we move toward the future, wishing, hoping, expecting the returp of God’s own dear Son. As we come once more to the tender and heartfelt observance of His birth, Bethlehem’s star again points to the star of the future, which is the return of earth’s rightful King. May God hasten the day when earth’s darkness shall be turned into light at the coming of the King of kings! ★ ★ Make America Christian First? A RECENT article in the daily press quoted a well-known denomina tional church leader as advocating a certain procedure for the Christian Church. What is necessary, according to this leader, is that America should first be Christianized, after which she may then evangelize the world. His opinion is that our country is a poor exhibition oj what a Christian nation ought to bq, and that this condition will not be remedied until the prin ciples of Christianity are operative from border to border. We are reminded that the NewTesta ment definitely teaches that good and DECEMBER, 1946
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