180 MORAL CONDITION OF THE CHILD 



of something in the personality of the child ; but 

 we also believe that the ideal work of the Holy 

 Spirit is done for the human spirit in normal de- 

 velopment of the spirit of the child ; that children 

 may from birth be the children of the Heavenly 

 Father. Our present task is to inquire into the 

 manner and methods of the Holy Spirit in such a 

 case, that by co-operation with that Spirit we may 

 learn to promote in increasing measure that much- 

 to-be-desired end. 



Our conception is well described by the phrase 

 " birth from above." The manner of it is not 

 that of an instantaneous moral change, which evi- 

 dently does not fit the childhood condition, but 

 rather a spiritual incoming from a pressure as 

 continuous as that of the atmosphere about us. 

 The birth of the human spirit we have already 

 pictured as occurring during the years when the 

 child is coming to human manifestation. Even 

 though to some that picture may be unacceptable 

 as to the birth of the human spirit, it may stand 

 as our illustration of the incoming of the Divine 

 Spirit. We hold that the Holy Spirit is an ever- 

 present, ever-active influence upon the child- 

 nature. It must be admitted that divine methods 

 in general are from germinal beginnings through 

 unobservable increments to fullness of life. That 

 it should be so in this spiritual birth from above 

 should create no surprise. We can conceive a 

 great deal being done for the child before there 

 is a volitional response from it. Psychologists 



