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Indulged Daughter
491
The power of grace alone can accomplish this most desirable work.
You are weak in this direction.
You have become wayward, bold, and daring. The grace of
God has no place in your heart. In the strength of God alone can
you bring yourself where you can be a recipient of His grace, an
instrument of righteousness. Not only does God require you to
control your thoughts, but also your passions and affections. Your
salvation depends upon your governing yourself in these things.
Passion and affection are powerful agents. If misapplied, if set in
operation through wrong motives, if misplaced, they are powerful to
accomplish your ruin and leave you a miserable wreck, without God
and without hope.
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The imagination must be positively and persistently controlled if
the passions and affections are made subject to reason, conscience,
and character. You are in danger, for you are just upon the point
of sacrificing your eternal interests at the altar of passion. Passion
is obtaining positive control of your entire being—passion of what
quality? of a base, destructive nature. By yielding to it, you will
embitter the lives of your parents, bring sadness and shame to your
sisters, sacrifice your own character, and forfeit heaven and a glo-
rious immortal life. Are you ready to do this? I appeal to you to
stop where you are. Advance not another step in your headstrong,
wanton course; for before you are misery and death. Unless you
exercise self-control in regard to your passions and affections, you
will surely bring yourself into disrepute with all around you, and
will bring upon your character disgrace which will last while you
live.
You are disobedient to your parents, pert, unthankful, and un-
holy. These miserable traits are the fruits of a corrupt tree. You are
forward. You love the boys, and love to make them the theme of
your conversation. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh.” Habits have become powerful to control you; and you
have learned to deceive in order to carry out your purposes and
accomplish your desires.
I do not consider your case hopeless; if I did, my pen would not
be tracing these lines. In the strength of God you can redeem the
past. Your name is already a byword in-----; but you can change
this by using the powers which God has given you. You may even