urge for those matters. They simply would be understood. Tithing was a habit from my earliest childhood, and as I wanted to be sure I should not have that question to settle after our marriage, we talked it over very freely. How It Has Worked Out All this was agreed upon, and I thought that my future husband was very near to saving grace. The fact was he was very much in love with me and was willing to make any concession necessary to keep me for himself. I wonder now sometimes whether he was fully conscious of the things he assented to then, not know ing how vital they were to me, or just thought I could be talked out of those observances when I saw how devoted he would be in other things. At any rate, when it came to the actual doing of those things, I was conscious that these practices looked foolish to him. The tithe not only looked foolish; it was an outrage to expect a person who had to work hard for an income to give one-tenth of it away. Now it was different. We were married and building up our home. The people I enjoyed were distasteful to my husband, and my convictions were so strong on many subjects that I could only go part way in friendship with the people with whom he would have enjoyed cultivating a friendship. I go to church most of the time alone, and he finds an excuse to stay at home or to do something else. Not always; he often goes with me, but I know it is a concession. If there is no seemingly good reason that he should not go, he usually will attend, but I know it is only because he wants to please me. Perhaps the service has been one of deep in spiration, although not of an espe cially intellectual tone; I have been blessed; he has been bored. I won der if he will resent going the next time. The matter of family worship has been indeed one of delicacy. It was hard to have to take the lead. My father had always done that. But that was nothing to seeing my hus band smile an apology when an un saved friend was present overnight one time. I was so heartsick then and many other times that finally I decided to have my devotions alone and to allow him to decide on his own relationship with the Lord. I thought I just would not mention anything religious to him. This I tried and found there was not balm to heal when the tests came. I could not keep my own nerves in control and his temper became cruel. We both acknowledged that we had to
BEFORE YOU MARRY Anonymously Written
“ ^ an two walk together, except w they be agreed?” Stop and think! Do you expect to be a Christian? Are you a Christian now? What do you think the mar riage you contemplate will add to your possible usefulness as a Chris tian? This message is a personal one. If the nature of things did not de mand reserve as far as the out spoken expression of my feeling on this subject is concerned, I should love to take groups of young people and analyze the reason w h y we should not be "unequally yoked to gether with unbelievers” (cf. II Cor. 6:14). This should not be done be cause I have a dear husband who would give his life for me and who is the kindest, most thoughtful of men. It would break his heart to have me express to any one that there is anything lacking in our marriage. It was the most unkind thing I could have done to him to marry him. Had I been living in commun ion with the Lord when I met him, I would have limited my acquaint ance to a helpful friendship. But I had allowed a bitterness to creep in and rob me of my fellowship with Christ. I had to find my way back to the cross where joy and peace abide. This I have done, and the mercy that has received me into service again is beyond my compre hension.
Beginning on a Wrong Foundation How subtle are the wiles of Satan, that arch-enemy! He made some one care for me and me care for him — one who knew the things of grace enough to converse and to sense what would offend my sensibility. But to know saving grace and place God first in a life is a far different matter. I was not an outbroken sinner at that time. The world looked upon me as a Christian. I knew in myself that I was not living a Spirit-guided life. It was then I gave myself in mar riage to my unselfish husband. When he had learned to love me, it seemed to me most cruel to break our en gagement, although I did attempt to, knowing our marriage hardly could be blessed of the Lord. When I saw the pain this effort caused, I seemed like a criminal to have awakened so deep a love then to refuse to give it the natural culmination. I told my fiance how I felt about it, and he insisted that not one bit of religious freedom should be taken from me in our marriage. I men tioned that we had always had fam ily worship in our home and that I was used to asking the blessing on my food audibly at home. I added that these things I felt were part of a Christian home which I would miss and would feel wrong in omitting. Had he been a blood-washed Chris tian, I would never have needed to
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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