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Testimonies for the Church Volume 5
There are men of poverty and obscurity whose lives God would
accept and make full of usefulness on earth and of glory in heaven, but
Satan is working persistently to defeat His purposes and drag them
down to perdition by marriage with those whose character is such that
they throw themselves directly across the road to life. Very few come
out from this entanglement triumphant. Brother-----, you are willing to
experiment and try to prove that you will be an exception to the general
rule. Joseph was one of the few who could withstand temptation. He
showed that he had an eye single to the glory or God. He evidenced
a lofty regard for God’s will, alike when occupying the prisoner’s
cell and when standing next the throne. He carried his religion with
him wherever he went and in whatever situation he was placed. True
religion has an all-pervading power. It gives tone to everything man
does. You need not go out of the world in order to be a Christian, but
you may carry your religion, with all its sanctifying influences, into
all you do and say. You may discharge well the duties belonging to
the situation where God has placed you, by keeping the heart fixed
upon heavenly things, and thus break the spell now upon you through
unwise association. Had you followed the light you would now be
able to escape the snares which those who discern not the will of God
have laid to captivate your soul.
Another striking point in the character of Joseph, worthy of imita-
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tion by all youth, is his deep filial reverence. As he meets his father
with tears streaming from his eyes, he hangs upon his neck in an affec-
tionate, loving embrace. He seems to feel that he cannot do enough for
his parent’s comfort and watches over his declining years with a love
as tender as a mother’s. No pains is spared to show his respect and
love upon all occasions. Joseph is an example of what a youth should
be. Love manifested for your mother would disclose a beautiful trait
of character such as God would approve.
The want of respect for the counsel of a godly parent is one of the
marked sins of this degenerate age. There are many lives in our land
that are dark and wretched because of one step taken in the dark. By
one act of disobedience many a youth has blighted his whole life and
weighed down a loving mother’s heart with anguish. God will not hold
you guiltless if you follow in this course. By despising the counsel
of a God-fearing mother, who would willingly give her life for her