"Fathers and mothers should feel that a duty devolves upon them to guide the affections of the youth, that they may be placed upon those who will be suitable companions. They should feel it a duty, by their own teaching and example, with the assisting grace of God, to so mold the character of the children from their earliest years that they will be pure and noble and will be attracted to the good and true. Like attracts like; like appreciates like. Let the love for truth and purity and goodness be early implanted in the soul, and the youth will seek the society of those who possess these characteristics. PP 176.1"
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
The EGW passage directly applies the principle of Proverbs 22:6, emphasizing the importance of training children in the right way so they will be attracted to good and true things. The EGW passage expands on the practical implications of this principle.
"Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners."
The EGW passage discusses the importance of guiding children to associate with good and pure individuals, while 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns against the corrupting influence of evil company. Both passages share the theme of the impact of associations on character development.
"heavenly Father. Let the home be full of sunshine. This will be worth far more to your children than lands or money. Let the home love be kept alive in their hearts, that they may look back upon the home of their childhood as a place of peace and happiness next to heaven. The members of the family do not all have the same stamp of character, and there will be frequent occasion for the exercise of patience and forbearance; but through love and self-discipline all may be bound together in the closest union. PP 176.2"
"And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."
Both passages emphasize the importance of love and unity within a family. Colossians 3:14 speaks of charity as the bond of perfectness, while the EGW passage discusses love and self-discipline binding a family together. The EGW passage expands on the practical application of this principle within the home.
"True love is a high and holy principle, altogether different in character from that love which is awakened by impulse and which suddenly dies when severely tested. It is by faithfulness to duty in the parental home that the youth are to prepare themselves for homes of their own. Let them here practice self-denial and manifest kindness, courtesy, and Christian sympathy. Thus love will be kept warm in the heart, and he who goes out from such a household to stand at the head of a family of his own will know how to promote the happiness of her whom he has chosen as a companion for life. Marriage, instead of being the end of love, will be only its beginning. PP 176.3"
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"
Both passages describe the characteristics of true love. 1 Corinthians 13:4 lists qualities like patience and kindness, while the EGW passage emphasizes faithfulness, self-denial, courtesy, and Christian sympathy as components of true love. The EGW passage applies these principles specifically to the context of marriage and family life.