Secondly,notice how great,good,and holy a work is here assigned children,which is alas!utterly neglected and disregarded,and no one perceives that God has commanded it or that it is a holy,divine Word and doctrine.For if it had been regarded as such,every one could have inferred that they must be holy men who live according to these words.
Thus there would have been no need of inventing monasticism nor spiritual orders,but every child would have abided by this commandment,and could have directed his conscience to God and said:
"If I am to do good and holy works,I know of none better than to render all honor and obedience to my parents,because God has Himself commanded it.For what God commands must be much and far nobler than everything that we may devise ourselves,and since there is no higher or better teacher to be found than God,there can be no better doctrine,indeed,than He gives forth.Now,He teaches fully what we should do if we wish to perform truly good works,and by commanding them,He shows that they please Him.If,then,it is God who commands this,and who knows not how to appoint anything better,I will never improve upon it."Behold,in this manner we would have had a godly child properly taught,reared in true blessedness,and kept at home in obedience to his parents and in their service,so that men should have had blessing and joy from the spectacle.However,God's commandment was not permitted to be thus [with such care and diligence]commended,but had to be neglected and trampled under foot,so that a child could not lay it to heart,and meanwhile gaped [like a panting wolf]at the devices which we set up,without once [consulting or]giving reverence to God.
Let us,therefore,learn at last,for God's sake,that,placing all other things out of sight,our youths look first to this commandment,if they wish to serve God with truly good works,that they do what is pleasing to their fathers and mothers,or to those to whom they may be subject in their stead.For every child that knows and does this has,in the first place,this great consolation in his heart that he can joyfully say and boast (in spite of and against all who are occupied with works of their own choice):"Behold,this work is well pleasing to my God in heaven that I know for certain."Let them all come together with their many great,distressing,and difficult works and make their boast,we will see whether they can show one that is greater and nobler than obedience to father and mother,to whom God has appointed and commanded obedience next to His own majesty;so that if God's Word and will are in force and being accomplished nothing shall be esteemed higher than the will and word of parents;yet so that it,too,is subordinated to obedience toward God and is not opposed to the preceding commandments.
Therefore you should be heartily glad and thank God that He has chosen you and made you worthy to do a work so precious and pleasing to Him.
Only see that,although it be regarded as the most humble and despised you esteem it great and precious,not on account of our worthiness,but because it is comprehended in,and controlled by,the jewel and sanctuary,namely,the Word and commandment of God.Oh,what a high price would all;Carthusians,monks,and nuns pay,if in all their religious doings they could bring into God's presence a single work done by virtue of His commandment,and be able before His face to say with joyful heart:"Now I know that this work is well pleasing to Thee."Where will these poor wretched persons hide when in the sight of God and all the world they shall blush with shame before a young child who has lived according to this commandment,and shall have to confess that with their whole life they are not worthy to give it a drink of water?And it serves them right for their devilish perversion in treading God's commandment under foot that they must vainly torment themselves with works of their own device,and,in addition,have scorn and loss for their reward.
Should not the heart,then,leap and melt for joy when going to work and doing what is commanded,saying:Lo,this is better than all holiness of the Carthusians,even though they kill themselves fasting and praying upon their knees without ceasing?For here you have a sure text and a divine testimony that He has enjoined this,but concerning the other He did not command a word.But this is the plight and miserable blindness of the world that no one believes these things;to such an extent the devil has deceived us with false holiness and the glamour of our own works.
Therefore I would be very glad (I say it again)if men would open their eyes and ears and take this to heart,lest some time we may again be led astray from the pure Word of God to the lying vanities of the devil.Then,too,all would be well;for parents would have more joy,love,friendship,and concord in their houses;thus the children could captivate their parents'hearts.On the other hand,when they are obstinate,and will not do what they ought until a rod is laid upon their back,they anger both God and their parents,whereby they deprive themselves of this treasure and joy of conscience and lay up for themselves only misfortune.Therefore,as every one complains,the course of the world now is such that both young and old are altogether dissolute and beyond control,have no reverence nor sense of honor,do nothing except as they are driven to it by blows,and perpetrate what wrong and detraction they can behind each other's back;therefore God also punishes them,that they sink into all kinds of filth and misery.
As a rule,the parents,too,are themselves stupid and ignorant;one fool trains [teaches]another,and as they have lived,so live their children after them.
