Dealing with Delinquent Students

One thing I wish you to understand, that I have not been in harmony with the expelling of students from the school, unless human depravity and gross licentiousness make it necessary, that others shall not be corrupted. There has been an error in sending students from the school, as in the case of Connecticut, and other cases, which has been a great evil. Souls thus treated have opened before them a course of action that has secured them in the ranks of the enemy as armed and equipped enemies.SpM 143.1

Again, as to making public to the school the errors of students I have been brought in to see and hear some of these exposures, and then have been shown the after influence. It has been harmful in every respect, and has no beneficial influence upon the school. Had those who had acted a part in these things had the spirit and wisdom of Christ, they would have seen a way to remedy the existing difficulties more after the likeness of Jesus Christ. It never helps a student to be humiliated before the whole school. It creates a wound that mortifies. It heals nothing, cures nothing.SpM 143.2

There are students who are suspended from school. They are in this action thrust upon Satan's battle-ground to cope with principalities and powers without armor or defense, to become an easy prey to Satan's devices. Let me speak a word to you in the name of the Lord. When there is a proper course taken, in cases where students seem so easily led astray, there will be found no necessity for suspension or expulsion. There is a right way, and the Spirit of the Lord must move the human agent or else there will be grave mistakes made. It is the nicest work that was ever entered upon by the human agent, the dealing with human minds. Teachers are to consider that they are not dealing with angels, but with human beings who have like passions as they themselves have. Characters are not formed in one mold. Every phase of character is received by (different) children as an inheritance. The defects and the virtues in traits of character are thus revealed. Let every instructor take this into consideration. Hereditary and cultivated deformity of human character, as also beauty of character, will have to be met, and much grace cultivated in the instructor as to know how to deal with the erring for their present and eternal good. Impulse, impatience, pride, selfishness, and esteem, if cherished will do a great amount of evil which may thrust the soul upon Satan's battle-ground without the wisdom to navigate his bark, but he will be in danger of being tossed about at the sport of Satan's temptations until shipwrecked.SpM 143.3

Every teacher has his own particular traits of character to watch, lest Satan should use him as his agent to destroy souls, by his own unconsecrated traits of character. The only safety for teachers is to learn daily in the school of Christ, his meekness, his lowliness of heart; then self will be hid in Christ, and he will meekly wear the yoke of Christ, and consider that he is dealing with his heritage. I must state to you that I have been shown that the best methods have not always been practiced in dealing with the errors and mistakes of students, and the result has been that souls have been imperilled and some have been lost. Evil tempers in the teachers, unwise movements, self-dignity, all have done a bad work. There is no form of vice, worldliness or drunkenness, that will do a more baleful work upon the character, imbittering the soul, and setting in train evils that overbear good, than human passions not under the control of the Spirit of God. Anger, getting touched, stirred up, will never pay. How many prodigals are kept out of the kingdom of God by the unlovely character of those who claim to be Christians. Jealousy, envy, pride, and uncharitable feelings, self-righteousness easily provoked, thinking evil, harshness, coldness, lack of sympathy, these are the attributes of Satan. Teachers will meet with these things in the students’ characters. It is a terrible thing to have these things to deal with; but in seeking to cast out these evils, the worker has in many instances developed similar attributes which have marred the soul of the one with whom he is dealing.SpM 144.1

We live in a hard, unfeeling, uncharitable world. Satan and his confederacy are plying every art to seduce the souls for whom Christ has given his precious life. Every one who loves God in sincerity and truth, will love the souls for whom Christ has died. If we wish to do good to souls, our success with these souls will be in proportion to their belief in our confidence in them and appreciation of them. Respect shown to the struggling human soul is the sure means through Christ Jesus of the restoration of the self-respect the man has lost. Our advancing ideas of what he may become is a help we can not ourselves fully appreciate. We have need of the rich grace of God every hour, then we will have a rich, practical experience, for God is love. He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God. Give love to them that need it most. The most unfortunate, those who have the most disagreeable temperaments, need our love, our tenderness, our compassion. Those who try our patience need most love. We pass through the world only once; any good thing we can do, we should do most earnestly, untiringly, with the same spirit as is stated of Christ in his work. He will not fail nor be discouraged. The rough, stubborn, sullen dispositions are the ones who need help the most. How can they be helped? Only by that love practiced in dealing with them which Christ revealed to fallen men. Treat them, you say, as they deserve? What if Christ had treated us thus? He, the undeserving, was treated as we deserve. Still we are treated by Christ with grace and love as we did not deserve, but as he deserved. Treat some characters as you think they richly deserve, and you will cut off from them the last thread of hope, spoil your influence, and ruin the soul. Will it pay? No, I say no, a hundred times no. Bind these souls who need all the help it is possible for you to give them close to a loving, sympathizing, pitying heart, overflowing with Christ-like love, and you will save a soul from death and hide a multitude of sins. Had we not better try the love process?SpM 144.2

Be careful what you do in the line of suspending students. This is a solemn business. It should be a very grave fault which requires this discipline. Then there should be a careful consideration of all the circumstances connected with the case. Students sent from home a short distance or a long distance, thousands and thousands of miles, are away from and deprived of the advantages of home, and if expelled are refused the privileges of school. All their expenses have to be met by some one who had had hope and confidence in these subjects that their money would not be invested in vain. The student enters into, or falls into, temptation, and he is to be disciplined for his wrong. He feels keenly that his record is marred, and he disappoints those who have trusted him to develop a character under the influence of his training in his scholastic life which would pay all that has been invested in his behalf. But he is suspended for his foolish course of action. What will he do? Courage is at the lowest ebb, courage and even manliness are not cherished. He is an expense, and precious time is lost. Who is tender and kind, and feels the burden of these souls? What wonder that Satan takes advantage of the circumstances? They are thrust on Satan's battleground, and the very worst feelings of the human heart are called into exercise, are strengthened, and become confirmed.SpM 145.1

I put the case as it has been presented to me. I wish all could view this as it has in all its bearings been shown me. I think there would be radical changes made in many rules and methods of dealing with human minds. There would be more physicians to heal human souls, who understand how to deal with human minds. There would be far more forgiveness and sympathy and love practiced, and far less discouraging, tearing-down influences exercised.SpM 145.2

Supposing that Christ should deal with all his sons and daughters who learn of him, as the human agent, as teachers deal with those under their charge; that when the law of the Lord, his rules, his injunctions, have been disregarded by us, the guilty were expelled or suspended, turning the erring away from his saving, uplifting, educating influences, leaving him to pick and choose his own way and course of action without Christ's divine assistance; what would become of our souls? Christ's constant, forgiving love is binding up our souls’ interest with himself. O the mightiness of the love of Jesus overwhelms me as I consider it. The yoke of Christ is easy, and his burden is light. When we enter more entirely into the love of Jesus by practice, we shall see far different results in our own advancement as Christians, and in the molding of the characters of those brought into relationship with us. The most difficult business for individuals is the giving up of that which one thinks is his right. Love seeketh not her own. Heaven-born love strikes deeper then the surface. Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Fortified with the grace of Christ, love doth not behave itself unseemly. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God. God is love. We all need love, gentleness, tenderness, compassion, forbearance. Expel from the soul every vestige of selfishness of human dignity.SpM 145.3

When all hope was excluded from Adam and Eve, in consequence of transgression and sin, when justice demanded the death of the sinner, Christ gave himself to be a sacrifice for the sin of the world. The world was under condemnation. Christ became substitute and surety for man. He would give his life for the world, which is represented as the one lost sheep that had strayed from the fold, whose guilt as well as helplessness was charged against it in the way, hindering its return. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Every son and daughter of God, if they have an abiding Saviour, will act our Christ. Every soul that has not an abiding Saviour will reveal in unChristlikeness of character. Love is not cherished and put into exercise. “Lift him up, the risen Saviour,” in our words, in our conversation, in our dealing with the erring.SpM 146.1

I know by the burden which is rolled upon me, that many who are officiating in our schools need themselves to learn in the school of Christ his meekness, his tender dealing with the erring, his compassion and love. Until they are melted over and the dross separated from the character, they will work at cross purposes. I am deeply grieved in my heart, for serious results in unwise dealings have followed, more serious then many are willing to admit to their own conscience or to God. Self is so large in many, ever striving for the mastery. There are those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ who have never died to self. They have never fallen on the Rock and been broken, Until this shall be, they will live unto self, and if they die as they are, it is forever too late for their wrongs to be righted. I love their souls. Jesus loves their souls, and he will do a good work for them, if they will humble themselves under his mighty hand, repent and be converted, surrender every day to God. It must be a constant daily surrender. We must be minute men and women, ever on guard over self, and watching to improve every opportunity to do good and only good for the souls for whom Christ has given his life to make them his own. When the human agents deal with these souls in a hard spirit, they grieve the heart of Christ, and put him to open shame, for they misrepresent in their own character the character of Christ, Said one, “thy gentleness hath made me great.” I pray to our heavenly Father that all connected with our schools may be in Christ as the branch is united to the living vine.SpM 146.2