Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

esteemed. ... I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do
according to what is in My heart and in My mind. I will build him a
sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever."'"
Those whose blind affection for their children leads them to
pamper them in their selfish desires, not rebuking sin and correcting
evil, make it clear that they honor their wicked children more than
they honor God. Eli should have first attempted to restrain evil by
mild actions; but if these did not work he should have subdued the
wrong even if by the severest methods. We are just as responsible
for evils that we might have stopped in others by parental or pastoral
authority, as if the acts had been our own.
Eli overlooked the faults and sins of his sons in their childhood,
fooling himself that after a time they would outgrow their evil
tendencies. Many today make a similar mistake. They encourage
wrong tendencies in their children, offering the excuse, "They are
too young to be punished. Wait until they become older and we can
reason with them." Thus the children grow up with traits of
character that are a lifelong curse to them.
There is no greater curse on a home than to allow youth to have
their own way. The children soon lose all respect for their parents,
all regard for authority, and become captive to the will of Satan. The
influence of an undisciplined family is disastrous to society. It
builds a tide of evil that affects families, communities, and
governments.
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