Matthew 19:5 "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh.
One of the issues pertaining to marriage, especially in young adults, occurs when a dating couple slips up in the heat of the moment, and lo and behold, the woman gets pregnant out of wedlock. When this happens, tremendous pressure is often brought to bear upon them to get married, so as to secure both the relationship, and the well being of the baby. Thus, the unborn child is often used as a bargaining chip, to coerce marital vows from hearts that may not be ready, or willing for the commitment.
Now, what is much worse than one bad decision, is two bad decisions, for even though in some instances, such marriages work out, statistics show that in the overwhelming majority of cases, separation is the result. And in too many instances, the brunt of the burden of raising the child, often devolves upon the shoulders of one parent, and thus the stage is set for the phenomena of single parent families we now see across the land. In such cases, special prayer, and God's grace is needed, to deal with whatever situation may eventuate, for God still specializes in mending broken pieces.
However, prevention is better than cure, and it will be much preferable if due caution, and reserve can be exercised, until the urge to merge can be safely unfettered. Therefore, in lieu of the mistakes made by so many of us on this issue, the following sound advice is warranted.
[A.H pp 55>56] The ideas of courtship have their foundation in erroneous ideas concerning marriage. They follow impulse and blind passion. The courtship is carried on in a spirit of flirtation. The parties frequently violate the rules of modesty and reserve and are guilty of indiscretion, if they do not break the law of God. The high, noble, lofty design of God in the institution of marriage is not discerned; therefore the purest affections of the heart, the noblest traits of character are not developed. The youth trust altogether too much to impulse. They should not give themselves away too easily, nor be captivated too readily by the winning exterior of the lover. Courtship as carried on in this age is a scheme of deception and hypocrisy, with which the enemy of souls has far more to do than the Lord. Good common sense is needed here if anywhere.
Psalms 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.