Chapter 18—The Choosing of a Husband or Wife
Marriage is something that will influence and affect your life both
in this world and in the world to come. A sincere Christian will not
advance his plans in this direction without the knowledge that God
approves his course. He will not want to choose for himself, but will
feel that God must choose for him. We are not to please ourselves, for
Christ pleased not Himself. I would not be understood to mean that
anyone is to marry one whom he does not love. This would be sin.
But fancy and the emotional nature must not be allowed to lead on to
ruin. God requires the whole heart, the supreme affections.
Those who are contemplating marriage should consider what will
be the character and influence of the home they are founding. As
they become parents, a sacred trust is committed to them. Upon them
depends in a great measure the well-being of their children in this
world, and their happiness in the world to come. To a great extent they
determine both the physical and the moral stamp that the little ones
receive. And upon the character of the home depends the condition of
society; the weight of each family’s influence will tell in the upward
or the downward scale.
Great care should be taken by Christian youth in the formation of
friendships and in the choice of companions. Take heed, lest what
you now think to be pure gold turns out to be base metal. Worldly
associations tend to place obstructions in the way of your service to
God, and many souls are ruined by unhappy unions, either business or
matrimonial, with those who can never elevate or ennoble.
Weigh every sentiment, and watch every development of character
in the one with whom you think to link your life destiny. The step you
are about to take is one of the most important in your life, and should
not be taken hastily. While you may love, do not love blindly.
Examine carefully to see if your married life would be happy or
inharmonious and wretched. Let the questions be raised, Will this
union help me heavenward? Will it increase my love for God? And
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