Sentimentalism
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“Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that
have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto
you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according
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as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto
life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us
to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through
lust. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue;
and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to
temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness,
brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these
things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be
barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But
he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather,
brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for
if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:1-11
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We are in a world where light and knowledge abound; yet many,
claiming to be of like precious faith, are willingly ignorant. Light is all
around them; yet they do not appropriate it to themselves. Parents do
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not see the necessity of informing themselves, of obtaining knowledge,
and putting that knowledge to a practical use in their married life. If
they followed out the exhortation of the apostle, and lived upon the
plan of addition, they would not be unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Many do not understand the work of sanctification.
It is a progressive work. It is not attained to in an hour or a day, and
then maintained without any special effort on their part. Many seem
to think they have attained to it when they have only learned the first
lessons in addition.
Many parents do not obtain the knowledge that they should respect-
ing the married life. They are not guarded lest Satan take advantage of
them, and control their minds and their lives. They do not see that God
requires them to control their married lives from any excesses. But
very few feel it to be a religious duty to govern their passions. They