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Page 36
We study our own spiritual experiences and discover that when we have
been in danger of being contented with moral failure we have been made
ashamed and disgusted by it; that when we have been on the verge of
yielding to temptation we have been strangely and almost preternaturally
protected; that when sorrows have come which would have crushed our
unaided strength we have experienced strange peace and have had
undreamed-of strength; and that never for a moment have we found rest or
peace except as they have come to us in hand with truth and right. A
wider study shows us that our experiences are in harmony with the common
human experience. All forces and all events, in all ages, have been
working for the welfare of individuals, society, the whole world. A
steady, unfailing, universal attraction has been drawing the human race
away from animalism, error, sorrow, war, separation and division, toward
righteousness, truth, love, brotherhood, the life of the Spirit, and the
unity and happiness of the children of God.
That attraction is interpreted by Jesus in a simple and beautiful way.
He has taught us that the same Being who created the universe, and who
has revealed and is revealing Himself in creation, in history, and in
the earthly ministry of the Christ, is now, always has been, and always
will be in the most intimate, personal, and loving relations with men.
He warns them against evil, protects them in danger, comforts them in
sorrow, lifts their thoughts and desires toward the true, the beautiful,
and the good; and what He is doing for individuals He is also doing for
humanity and the universe. This is the culmination of the Christian
Revelation. This is to be the consummation and splendor of the Kingdom
of God. All the disciples of Jesus are followers of the Spirit of Truth.
The Spirit of Truth is the inspiration of all that is vital and enduring
in literature, art, government, society; and each individual, and "the
whole cosmic process" are being led by Him toward the beatitude of the
Children of God.
NURTURE AND CULTURE
O happy house! whose little ones are given
Early to Thee, in faith and prayer,--
To Thee, their Friend, who from the heights of heaven
Guards them with more than mother's care.
O happy house! where little voices
Their glad hosannas love to raise,
And childhood's lisping tongue rejoices
To bring new songs of love and praise.
O happy house! and happy servitude!
Where all alike one Master own;
Where daily duty, in Thy strength pursued,
Is never hard nor toilsome known;
Where each one serves Thee, meek and lowly,
Whatever thine appointments be,
Till common tasks seem great and holy,
When they are done as unto Thee.
--_O Happy House._ Karl J.P. Spitta.
IX
_NURTURE AND CULTURE_
In the ascent of the soul two forces are ever at work: one is internal
and the other external. The internal is that which promotes growth; it
is resident within the soul, and, while it may be modified by
conditions, it is in no sense dependent on them. But environment is a
potent factor in all progress. Life necessitates growth, but environment
determines the end toward which it will move. Environment in large part
is composed of the circumstances into which we are born, of the
spiritual companionship from which none can escape, and of the training
which is provided by parents and friends. So much of the environment as
is furnished by others we will call nurture, and those influences and
instruments of advancement which the soul chooses for itself we will
call culture. This discrimination is not entirely accurate, but it is
sufficiently so for our present purpose. It at least indicates the lines
along which our thought will move. According to this definition nurture
has to do with that period of our existence when we are not able wisely
to make choices for ourselves. It is for those persons who are in
infancy and early youth, and also for those whose normal development has
been thwarted or hindered. The influences of the home, and of the church
so far as they are related to its younger members, are in the line of
nurture rather than of culture.
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