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Testimonies for the Church Volume 4
individuals with bonds which nought but the hand of death should
sever.
Shall one who is seeking for glory, honor, immortality, eternal life,
form a union with another who refuses to rank with the soldiers of the
cross of Christ? Will you who profess to choose Christ for your master
and to be obedient to Him in all things, unite your interests with one
who is ruled by the prince of the powers of darkness? “Can two walk
together, except they be agreed?” “If two of you shall agree on earth as
touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My
Father which is in heaven.” But how strange the sight! While one of
those so closely united is engaged in devotion, the other is indifferent
and careless; while one is seeking the way to everlasting life, the other
is in the broad road to death.
Hundreds have sacrificed Christ and heaven in consequence of
marrying unconverted persons. Can it be that the love and fellowship of
Christ are of so little value to them that they prefer the companionship
of poor mortals? Is heaven so little esteemed that they are willing to
risk its enjoyments for one who has no love for the precious Saviour?
The happiness and prosperity of the married life depend upon the
unity of the parties. How can the carnal mind harmonize with the mind
that is assimilated to the mind of Christ? One is sowing to the flesh,
thinking and acting in accordance with the promptings of his own
heart; the other is sowing to the Spirit, seeking to repress selfishness,
to overcome inclination, and to live in obedience to the Master, whose
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servant he professes to be. Thus there is a perpetual difference of
taste, of inclination, and of purpose. Unless the believer shall, through
his steadfast adherence to principle, win the impenitent, he will, as
is much more common, become discouraged and sell his religious
principles for the poor companionship of one who has no connection
with heaven.
God strictly forbade the intermarrying of His ancient people with
other nations. The plea is now offered that this prohibition was made
in order to prevent the Hebrews from marrying idolaters and forming
connections with heathen families. But the heathen were in a more
favorable condition than are the impenitent in this age, who, having the
light of truth, yet persistently refuse to accept it. The sinner of today is
far more guilty than the heathen, because the light of the gospel shines
clearly all around him. He violates conscience and is a deliberate