This subject is by no means one of theoretical interest merely; nor does it concern us simply as showing the general tendency of the world about us. It is a matter in which every child of God has a direct interest, while it presses particularly upon those Christian households where there are young to be educated. Too long have Christians held their peace, and allowed their children to be taught whatever seemed proper to those in authority, with the inevitable results. Just as in Pharaoh's day, Satan would keep our children back in the world and worldly systems. Let us awake to the dangers of this.

Of the immense importance of education we need hardly speak. It is provided for in the Word of God. Children were to be taught the works and the ways of God. The Word of God itself is a summary of knowledge of various kinds-history, the works of nature, law, ethnology,-but all linked with that which makes true knowledge, with God Himself. This is the proper effect of all true knowledge, to put us into communion with Himself. Thus are the faculties brightened, the mind elevated, and the man occupied with that which lifts him above the level of the brute. Scripture encourages the pursuit of knowledge, particularly that of nature. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein."

The Christian Church has been the conservator of education even during the darkest periods of its history. For centuries all of learning was confined to monasteries, where the Word of God was carefully copied and at least partially studied. Outside all was gross darkness and dense ignorance. The great universities of continental Europe and England owe their origin to the Christian Church-even if degraded by superstition and ignorance.

Nor is this merely true of mediaeval times and Roman Catholic countries. Most of the great literary institutions of this country were at the beginning formed by godly men, that their sons might be taught of God and His works. Many were established that young men might get that education which would the better qualify them as preachers of the gospel; and however unduly the thought of human fitness may have predominated, we must thankfully confess that these institutions were founded by men of prayer and faith, and for the glory of God and the blessing of His people.

Very simple were those early institutions. Money was not then so plentiful and there was no show. A simple "Log College" might be the only shelter for a few godly young men with one or two devoted teachers. The whole atmosphere was one of sobriety and much prayer marked the work.

How often have these simple schools and colleges been the scene of wondrous awakenings, where scores of young men were brought to Christ and devoted themselves to His service. How were these institutions centers from which light radiated far into the surrounding darkness.

Let us look at it now. Knowledge surely has increased wondrously. Institutions of elementary and higher education have multiplied until the land is filled with them. Discoveries in the realm of nature
have opened up almost a new world. Appliances of the most ingenious kind have made investigation amazingly accurate and profound. Where tens enjoyed the advantages of a so-called liberal education in the last century, thousands now are obtaining what is tenfold wider and more profound. All this is, at the first glance, very encouraging. But let us look a little deeper. Money is plentiful, and is poured out by millions where it used to be given by hundreds. Are those millions the result of heart dedication to Christ ? Are prayers as constant and as earnest ? Are colleges training schools for piety and scenes of wondrous revivals ?

Look too at the teachers. Formerly they were, as a rule, devoted servants of Christ; now, would not many of the professors claim for themselves the privilege of being "advanced," "liberals," "agnostics"? Is it unkind to say, judging by the character of the teaching, that the mass of college professors are unconverted men ? God forbid that we should judge harshly, and He alone knows the hearts of men, but while morality, uprightness, and professional zeal characterize this class, God seems to be unknown and unloved.

And this is, in a word, the character of modern teaching :God is put far off-out of His world. Development has taken His place. Instead of the providence of God we have the philosophy of history -the development of nations:creation has been displaced by the theory of evolution of man from the lower creatures. The same atheistic theory has been applied to well nigh every branch of science, until it has laid its unholy hands upon the Word of God, and under the plea of "Higher Criticism," has rent it apart into unrecognizable fragments, and left us, if we are to believe these teachers (which, thank God, we are not) a mass of inaccuracy, fraud and superstition, without a divine mind, a living Spirit. These teachers of evolution would thus have us believe that the precious Word of God, instead of having been given by inspiration of God, has developed in connection with the national development of the Israelitish nation. They would leave us nothing supernatural. As we said, God is left out.

Reason is exalted, deified. The mind of man is the final court before which every thing must be
summoned and be examined. God Himself and His Word are thus judged. It is the old lie of Satan, "Ye shall be as gods," as attractive now as ever to the natural mind.

It need hardly be said that this system has no place for such unwelcome truths as the lost and guilty condition of all men, the eternal doom awaiting the impenitent, the person and work of our blessed Lord. All these are but phases in the gradual development and progress of the human race, to be left behind as the emancipated soul builds for itself "more stately mansions." How different it was in the development of the Apostle ? He too left what was behind, for it was linked with self, but what did he have before him as the goal, the end of all ? Christ only.

There is scarcely a branch of human knowledge into which this atheistic spirit has not penetrated. Particularly is this the case in the physical sciences, and the criticism of Scripture. Colleges become thus veritable hot-beds of infidelity, fountains from whence issue streams which poison the masses. Alas, that we should have to say it ! many of the theological schools, where the ministers of the gospel are educated, are thus defiled. What can we expect when the teachers of Christianity are really infidel at heart ?

A sad feature is that colleges for the education of women are not exempt. An infidel man is sad enough; but we have become painfully accustomed to that. Are we now to have infidel women ? Is their higher education, which should be a blessing, to be turned into a curse ? Think of the mothers of the future, instead of teaching the little ones of the blessed Lord Jesus, being themselves really unbelievers; a cold intellectual atheism taking the place of the precious atmosphere of the grace of the fear of God. For the mother makes the home, and where she is ignorant of Christ and God, what will be the character of that home ?

We must expect, alas ! that those who are going on in the course of this world will be such. But these institutions of learning are the places where the sons and daughters of Christian parents receive their training. Some of these institutions are directly under the supervision of the leading evangelical denominations and are responsible to them. Why are not the teachers called to account ? Has the spirit of loyalty to Christ departed ? Oh, for the spirit of Phinehas, of unsparing faithfulness to God.

Many Christian parents send their sons and daughters to these places under the impression that all is well. Does not the Church endorse the college? Is not its president a clergyman ? Imagine the feelings of parents who by self-denial have sent their son to college, to see him return an unbeliever-despising the precious Word of God, and an enemy to the gospel. Would it not be better to see him a drunkard ? for that sin is in the body, but infidelity fastens its fangs upon the heart and feeds upon the vitals of the man's soul.

Does all this sound extreme ? We are persuaded that it is not. Who of us has not heard of these saddest cases ? And who can tell of the innumerable number whose shipwreck of faith will not be known until "the day shall declare it"? So long as the Lord's people are indifferent to the reality of the. danger, so long are they exposed to it. An infatuation seems to have taken possession of the professing Church, and they are ready to barter the Word of God, the truths of the incarnation, atonement, the person of Christ, the presence of the Holy Ghost,- everything that makes up our Christian heritage- for a mess of German pottage. For Germany seems to be one of the most fruitful sources of all this infidelity. The natural industry of that people, coupled with their speculative tendencies, and divorced from the fear of God and subjection to His Word, has produced an immense mass of theories, philosophic and scientific, alike perhaps in nothing save their unlike-ness to God's truth, and their fascination for minds not subject to that truth.

There seems to have been in these theories a revival of the old deism of the eighteenth century, which did not trouble itself so much to deny the existence of God, as to put Him out of His own creation. The educated world is fast becoming agnostic. And this is the tendency in institutions of teaching to-day.

The question then will be asked, Does the enjoyment of a liberal education necessarily mean the destruction of faith ? Most unhesitatingly we answer, No, All true knowledge but enlarges the field
of human intelligence, and strengthens the faculties of man. It puts us nearer to Him who knoweth all things. But all true knowledge must recognize Him as He has revealed Himself in Christ our Lord. We need fear no knowledge of nature or of man. We will find God in all His works. We will find Him even above the chaos of humanity, in the history of the world. All speaks of Him, and when the ear has been once opened to hear the voice of the Son of God, we can see and hear God every where. We can say with the poet,-

"Let knowledge grow from more to more,
But more of reverence in us dwell."

Ah ! that is it. All true knowledge humbles man and exalts God. We cannot have too much of that. Satan, on the contrary, would give knowledge apart from God, and this we repeat is the growing tendency in the vast majority of the educational institutions of to-day.

But we are asked, What is the remedy ? In one sense there is no remedy. We cannot improve the world, and these things are mainly in and of the world. True, if Christians were awake to their responsibilities they might check the growth of infidelity in those schools over which they have control ; or failing in this, they might establish others on Christian principles. In the main, however, we are confronted with the sad fact that education is in the hands of the world.

Shall we then let our children grow up in ignorance ? Better that than have them infidels. But neither is necessary. Our children are in the world, they must overcome it as their parents, it is to be hoped, do. It is well however for the parents to realize that it is the world into which their children go when they begin school. A sense of the danger will put them on their guard.

A happy, holy Christian home is the great safeguard against all kinds of worldliness, whether intellectual or moral. Let there be prayer and faith from the earliest childhood; godly example, tenderness, and withal a firm hand of parental love. In other words, let the children be surrounded at home by an atmosphere of Christianity, let them be taught of Christ and early brought to the gracious Savior. In all probability their conversion will take place early in life.

Nor let the parental care cease with the conversion of the child-it should have then a second beginning. Let the children be sympathized with ; their interests, and their lessons talked over, so that they feel happy in the joy and fellowship of home. The multiplication of schools has made it unnecessary, save in rare instances, for the child to leave home until the time comes for college, and even then it is by no means always necessary.

This is the golden time for seed-sowing and faithful care. By the time he is ready for college, the youth's character should be established and be so confirmed in the faith and knowledge of the Word of God, that the most brilliant theories would seem to him as old wives' fables compared with the precious verities upon which he has grown strong; every suggestion of doubt would be an insult to the blessed Lord, whom he has long known and loved. If the young man is weak and unstable and unsaved, it may be gravely questioned whether he should be sent into the perils of a college life, In fact, unless one show a real aptitude for learning and some soberness of mind, it might be far better to have him enter upon some other walk of life. We only suggest this for prayerful consideration.

Another most important matter and one which should arouse Christian parents to a sense of responsibility is this, should not Christians take a deeper interest in the works of God and in all true knowledge ? If themselves more familiar with the facts of science, could they not more easily check the crudities gathered in the mind of youth ? We do not mean that parents should become students again, but that by reading they should be more or less familiar with the great truths of the world. There are works which can supply most delightful and valuable instruction in these lines.

Above all, let there be a fresh turning to the Word of God. As in Israel's day, whenever they ceased from the occupation of their heritage, the enemy came in and dispossessed them, so it is now. If we were ever gaining in heart knowledge of the perfections of the Word of God, higher criticism would have no dangers for us, nor for the young, growing up to understand the depths of beauty and wisdom in the Scriptures.

Is it not too often the case that Christian parents cease to grow in the knowledge of God's word ? But little that unfolds its wondrous depths is read; in fact, is not their reading confined largely to simple gospel tales or the merest elements of divine truth ? Let there be an acknowledgment of failure, a hearty turning to God with an awakened interest in divine things, and we are persuaded that not all the power of Satan intrenched in all the universities of the world will be able to dislodge one of the least of these little ones from the impregnable position- founded upon the Rock.