Eli might have restrained his wicked sons, but he feared their displeasure. He suffered them to go on in their rebellion, until they became a curse to Israel. Parents are required to restrain their children. The salvation of children depends very much upon the course pursued by the parents. In their mistaken love and fondness for their children, many parents indulge them to their hurt, nourish their pride, and put upon them trimmings and ornaments which make them vain, and lead them to think that dress makes the lady or gentleman. But a short acquaintance convinces those with whom they associate that an outside appearance is not sufficient to hide the deformity of a heart void of the Christian graces, but filled with self-love, haughtiness, and uncontrolled passions. Those who love meekness, humility, and virtue, should shun such society, even if it be Sabbathkeepers’ children. Their company is poisonous; their influence leads to death. Parents realize not the destructive influence of …
"For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not."
EGW explicitly mentions Eli and his sons, directly referencing the biblical narrative in 1 Samuel 3:13. The core issue of parental failure to restrain children is central to both passages.
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Both passages deal with the importance of proper upbringing and training of children. Proverbs 22:6 provides a general principle, while EGW applies it to specific behaviors and consequences.