Cautions and Counsels
345
neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy
sight; thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” ...
This is not a solitary case. Even the marriage relation was not
sufficient to preserve this man from the corrupt habits of his youth. I
wish I could be convinced that such cases as the one I have presented
are rare, but I know they are frequent
A Self-murderer—A Mr.-----professed to be a devoted follower
of Christ. He was in very feeble health. Our feelings of sympathy
were called out in his behalf....
[452]
His case was shown me in vision. I saw that he was deceived in
regard to himself, that he was not in favor with God. He had practiced
self-abuse until he was a mere wreck of humanity. This vice was
shown me as an abomination in the sight of God....
[He] had practiced these habits so long he seemed to have lost the
control of himself. He was naturally a smart man, possessing more
than common abilities. But how were all his powers of body and mind
brought into subjection by Satan and consumed upon his altar!
This man had gone so far he seemed to be left of God. He would
go into the woods and spend days and nights in fasting and prayer
that he might overcome this great sin, and then would return to his
old habits. God did not hear his prayers. He asked God to do for him
what had been in his power to do for himself. He had vowed to God,
time and again, and had as often broken his vows and given himself up
to his own corrupt lust, until God had left him to work his own ruin.
He has since died. He was a self-murderer. The purity of heaven will
never be marred with his societ
Appeal to an Indulged Daughter [
Note: these are extracts from
a letter to a self-willed girl who was practicing secret vice.
]—Your
mind is impure. You were relieved from care and labor altogether too
long. Household duties would have been one of the richest blessings
that you could have had. Weariness would not have injured you one
tenth as much as have your lascivious thoughts and conduct. You
have received incorrect ideas in regard to girls and boys associating
together, and it has been very congenial to your mind to be in the
[453]
company of the boys. You are not pure in heart and mind. You have
4
Testimonies For The Church 2:349, 351
.
5
An Appeal to Mothers, 24-28
.