The Fourth Commandment

Thus far we have learned the first three commandments, which treat of our duty to God. First, that we are to trust, fear and love him with our whole heart all the days of our lives. Secondly, that we are not to misuse his holy name to support falsehood or any wicked deed, but are to use it for the praise of God and in the service and salvation of our neighbors and of ourselves. Thirdly, that on the holy days of rest we should diligently study and practice God's Word, that all our acts and lives may be in harmony with it. Now the other seven commandments follow, which treat of our duty to our neighbors. Among these the first and greatest is: "Honor thy father and thy mother." Ex 20, 12; Deut 5, 16.

God has exalted fatherhood and motherhood above all other relations under his scepter. This appears from the fact that he does not command merely to love the parents, but to honor them. As to our brothers, sisters and neighbors, God generally commands nothing higher than that we love them. He thus distinguishes father and mother above all other persons upon earth and places them next to himself. It is a much greater thing to honor than to love. It includes not only love, but also obedience, humility and reverence, as if we were pointed to some sovereignty hidden there. It not only requires us to address the honored ones affectionately and reverently, but, above all, that we show by our actions, both of heart and body, that we hold them in highest esteem and, next to God, regard them above all others. For whomsoever we honor from the heart we must truly regard as superior. Thus the young must be taught to reverence their parents in God's stead, and to remember that even though they be lowly, poor, frail and peculiar, they are still father and mother, given by God. Their way of living and their failings cannot rob them of their honor. Therefore, we are not to regard the manner of their persons, but God's will that appointed and ordained them to be our parents. Before God we are no doubt all equal, but among ourselves there must be such inequality and rightful distinction as is enjoined by God. Therefore, you are here commanded by God to be careful to obey me as your father, and informed that I exercise parental authority over you.

First, then, learn what is meant by honor to parents as required by this commandment. It is that they be esteemed and prized above everything else as the most precious treasure we have on earth. Then, that, in conversation with them, we measure our words, lest our language be discourteous, domineering, quarrelsome, yielding to them in silence, even if they do go too far. And thirdly, that we honor them by our actions, both in our bearing and the extension of aid, serving, helping, and caring for them when they are old or sick, frail or poor; and that we not only do it cheerfully, but with humility and reverence, as if unto God. For he who is rightly disposed to his parents will never let them suffer want and hunger, but will place them above and beside himself, and share with them all he has to the best of his ability.

Again, observe what a great, good and sacred function is here assigned to children, which, alas, is totally disregarded and cast aside. No one recognizes it as God's command or as a holy, divine Word and precept. For if we had thus honored this commandment it would have been apparent to all that the call is for holy people who live according to these words. It would not have been necessary to institute monastic life nor spiritual orders had every child kept this commandment, and been able to have a good conscience toward God and say: If I am to do a good and holy work I know of none better than to show my parents all honor and obedience, because God himself has commanded it. For what God has commanded must be better and far nobler than all that we ourselves can devise. Since there is no higher nor better teacher to be found than God, there surely can be no better teachings than those he imparts. Now, he abundantly teaches what we are to do if we would perform truly good works; and we may know that we do his pleasure if we perform what he commands. Since the commands of God embody his highest wisdom, who am I that I should attempt to improve upon his appointments?

If God's will had been our guide we should have had godly children, properly taught and reared in true blessedness; they would have remained at home in obedience, serving their parents, and we should have had an object lesson in goodness and happiness. But we were so foolish as not to assign God's commandment its appropriate place. It was neglected and left to pass out of sight; a child had no opportunity to heed it, and meanwhile it gazes in ignorant astonishment at what we have devised without ever asking God's permission to do so.

Therefore, let us at last teach our young people to banish all other things from sight and to give first place to this commandment. Let us teach that if they would serve God with truly good works, they must do what father and mother, or those in their place, desire. For the child that knows and does this has, first, the great comfort of being able to joyfully boast, in spite of and against all who are occupied by their own self-chosen devices: Behold, this work is pleasing to my God in heaven; I am sure of that. Let them come forward in pompous array, boasting their many great, grievous, hard and burdensome works, and we shall see whether they can produce one that is greater and nobler than obedience to father and mother, which God has appointed and commanded to rank next to obedience to his own Supreme Majesty. If God's Word and will, then, are to be fulfilled, nothing is to be more sacredly regarded than the will and words of our parents, provided that therein we remain obedient to God and break not the preceding commandments.

Therefore, from your heart you should rejoice and thank God that he has chosen and fitted you to perform such a beautiful and pleasant task. Only see that you esteem it as something great and precious, although it be regarded as the lowest and most contemptible service, and not because of your worthiness, but because it is comprehended as a constituent part in God's diadem and temple, his Word and commandment. Oh, what a price the Carthusian monks and nuns would pay for the opportunity of bringing before God, in the exercise of their religion, one single work done in obedience to his command, and of being able to say with a joyful heart in his presence: Now I know that this work is well pleasing to thee. What shall become of these poor, miserable people when, standing before God and the world, they shall blush with shame before a little child that has fulfilled this commandment, and confess that with the merits of their whole lives they are not worthy to hand it a cup of water? Because of the satanic perversion with which they trample God's commandment under foot, it serves them right that they must torture themselves in vain with their self-devised works, and must besides reap scorn and trouble as their reward.

Now, should not the heart leap and melt with joy when, proceeding to the divinely appointed task, it shall be able to say: Lo, this is better than all the sanctity of the Carthusians, although they fast until they die and pray on their knees without ceasing. For here you have a distinct text, a divine testimony that God commanded this, but never a word from him about the other. It is, however, a proof of the wretchedness and the pitiable blindness of the world that no one believes this; so thoroughly has the devil deceived us with a false righteousness and the show of our own works.

Therefore, I repeat, I should be very glad if we would open our eyes and ears and take this to heart, that we may not be led astray again from the pure Word of God to the lying vanities of the devil. Then a desirable state of affairs would obtain; parents would enjoy far more happiness, love, friendship and unity in their homes, and the children would receive all the love of their parents. On the other hand, where children are obstinate and never do right unless a rod is laid on their backs, they provoke to anger both God and their parents. Thereby they deprive themselves of what is intended as a blessing and a joy to their consciences, and lay up for themselves nothing but misfortune. Therefore, it has come to be a universal complaint in the world that both young and old are wayward and unrestrained, without a sense of discipline and reverence. They do nothing unless driven to it by force, and behind each other's backs they defraud, and steal to the limit. Therefore God punishes them and they sink into all kinds of filth and misery. So the parents themselves effect no remedy. One fool rears another; as they have lived, so will their children live after them.

Now this, I say, is the first and strongest reason that should prompt us to keep this commandment; and for this reason if we had no father or mother we should wish that God would set up for us a block or a stone to call father and mother. How much more should we rejoice that he has given us living parents to honor and obey when we know that it is so pleasing to the Supreme Majesty and to all the angels, and that it vexes the devils; that it is the grandest work we can do next to the sublime task of worshiping God according to the injunctions of the previous commandments. Even the giving of alms and all other works for our neighbor are not equal to this. For God has exalted the estate of parents above all others; yea, he has appointed it in place of himself upon earth. God's will and good pleasure should be cause and inducement enough for us eagerly and joyfully to do what we can to honor it.

Besides, we certainly owe it to the world to show gratitude for every kindness and good thing we have received from our parents. But here again the devil rules in the world; the children forget their parents, as we all forget God. No one remembers how God nourishes, protects and cares for us, and how he richly blesses our souls and bodies. Especially when an evil hour visits us do we become angry and impatiently complain, and all the blessings we have received throughout our lives are forgotten. Just so we do to our parents, and there is no child that acknowledges and considers this unless it be led to do it by the Holy Spirit. God is fully aware of this perverseness of the world; therefore, by commandments he reminds each one, and urges him to consider what his parents have done for him. Then one recognizes that he has received his body and life from his parents, besides being nourished and reared by them when otherwise he would have perished a hundred times in his own filth. It is a true and noble saying of the wise: "Deo, parentibus et magistris non potest satis gratiae rependi," that is, "God, parents and teachers can never be sufficiently thanked and repaid." He who views the matter in this light will, without express command, do all honor to his parents and cherish them as the bearers of God's blessings.

Besides all this, another strong inducement for us to keep this commandment is that God has attached a temporal promise to it, saying: "That thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee."

Here we behold additional evidence of the sincere interest taken by God in this commandment. He affirms that he considers it not only an object of pleasure and delight to himself, but also an instrument of our welfare in that it is intended to promote our highest good as an aid to a pleasant, delightful and blessed life. Saint Paul also is deeply interested in this commandment and highly praises it, saying: "Which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth," Eph 6, 2-3. Although other commandments have promises attached, yet in none is the promise so clearly and explicitly expressed.

Here you have the reward that crowns those who keep this commandment; they shall enjoy good days, happiness and prosperity. On the other hand, the punishment of those who disobey it is a briefer life, without enjoyment. For to live long means, in the Bible, not only to grow old, but to have everything that pertains to a long life—health, wife and child, food, peace, good government and like blessings, without which this life cannot be cheerfully enjoyed nor long maintained. Will you not obey your father and mother and submit to their training—then obey the hangman; if you will not obey him, obey death, the great slayer, the teacher of wicked children. In short, God requires us to obey, love and serve him, that he may abundantly repay us with all good; but if we anger him he will visit us with death and the hangman. Whence but from disobedience come so many criminals who are daily hanged, beheaded, broken on the wheel? Since they will not submit to good discipline, they bring to pass, through God's judgment, their own misfortune and grief. For it seldom happens that such accursed persons die a natural or timely death.

But the godly and obedient are blessed. They live long in peace and see their children, as we said before, to the third and fourth generations. Experience teaches that where there are fine old families that enjoy an abundance of both substance and offspring there are people whose good rearing has been demonstrated by their veneration for parents. On the contrary, it is written of the wicked (Ps 109, 13): "Let his posterity be cut off; in the generation following let their name be blotted out." Then consider well how important a thing obedience is in God's sight, since he so highly honors it, so greatly delights in it, and so richly rewards it, besides being firm in visiting dire punishment upon the disobedient.

All this I say that the subject may be thoroughly impressed upon the young, for no one can conceive the importance of a commandment which hitherto, under the Papacy, has neither been taught nor practiced. Every one thinks these are plain and commonplace words, and no effort is needed to obey them. Therefore, he lightly passes them by to gaze in wonder after other things, failing to perceive and believe that God becomes angry when this commandment is neglected, and that a man does a work precious and pleasing to God when he keeps it.

While speaking on this commandment, it is in place to mention the various instances in which obedience is required by those in authority over us, whose duty it is to command and govern. All authority has its root and warrant in parental authority. Where a father is unable alone to rear his child, he employs a teacher to instruct it; if he is too feeble, he obtains the help of his friends or neighbors; if the parent departs this life, he commits and delegates his authority and responsibility to others appointed for the purpose. He must likewise have domestics—men and maids—under him for the administration of the household. All who are called masters stand in the place of parents and from them must obtain authority and power to command. In the Bible they are all called fathers, because in their government they perform the functions of a father and should possess a fatherly heart toward their people. In the language of the Romans and others of ancient times, masters and mistresses of the household were called patres et matres familiae, housefathers and housemothers. So they called their princes and magistrates patres patriae, fathers of the country; and it is a shame that we who wish to be Christians do not so call our rulers or, at least, treat and honor them as such.

What a child owes to its father and mother, the entire household owes them likewise. Therefore, men and maids should not only obey their masters and mistresses, but should honor them as their own parents; they should do all that they know is expected of them, not from compulsion and with reluctance, but with pleasure and delight; and they should do it for the reasons mentioned—because it is God's commandment, and it is more pleasing to him than all other works. Therefore they ought to be willing to even pay for the privilege of service and be glad to obtain masters and mistresses, that they may have a joyful conscience and know how to do truly golden works. These works till now have not been done, but have been despised; instead, everybody ran, in the devil's name, into convents, on pilgrimages, and after indulgences, to the injury of soul and conscience.

If this truth could be impressed upon the poor people, a servant girl would leap for joy and praise and thank God; and by orderly work, for which she obtains her food and wages, she would acquire a treasure unequaled by that of any of the reputed greatest saints. Is it not a wonderful thing to be able to boast to yourself, If I do faithfully my daily home duties, it is better than the sanctity and austere life of the monks? And besides you have the promise that you shall fare well and prosper in all good. How can you be more blessed or live more holy, as far as works can contribute to this end? Before God, it is really faith that makes us holy; faith alone serves him, while our works serve the people. Here you have everything that is good: shelter and protection under the Lord, a joyful conscience, and more—a gracious God, who will repay you a hundredfold. You are a true nobleman if you are pious and obedient. If you are not, you will receive only God's wrath and displeasure; no peace will be in your heart, and later you will have all kinds of trouble and misfortune. He who will not be influenced by these facts and incline to be pious, we commend to the hangman and death. Therefore, let everyone who can take advice remember that God is truly here, and that it is God who speaks to you and demands obedience. If you obey him you are his beloved child. If you despise his commandment, shame, misery and sorrow shall be your reward.

The same may be said of obedience due to civil authority, which authority, as we have said, is all embraced in the estate of fatherhood and extends beyond all other relations. Here the father is not one of a single family, but one of many tenants, citizens or subjects. Through civil rulers, as through our parents, God gives us food, home and land, protection and security. Therefore, since they bear this name and title with all honor as their chief glory, it is our duty to honor them and to esteem them as we would the greatest treasure and the most precious jewel on earth.

Now, he who is obedient, willing and capable, and cheerfully gives honor wherever due, knows that he pleases God, and receives joy and happiness as a reward. If, on the other hand, one will not serve in love, but despises and resists authority—or rebels—he should know that he has no favor or blessing. Where he gains a dollar by his unfaithfulness he will lose ten elsewhere. Or he will fall a prey to the hangman, or perish through war, pestilence or famine, or his children will turn out badly; servants, neighbors, strangers, tyrants, will inflict loss, injustice and violence upon him. What we in disobedience seek and merit, then, will be paid to and visited upon us.

If we would only once consider how pleasing are works of obedience to God, and how richly they will be rewarded, we should have superabundant treasures and all that our hearts desire. But God's Word and commandments are despised as if they were the utterances of some tramp. Let us see, though, if you are the man who can overthrow God. How hard will it be for God to recompense you? You would live vastly more with God's protection, peace and blessing than you will in disgrace and misfortune. Why, think you, is the world full of unfaithfulness, shame, misery and murder? Just because everyone strives to be his own lord and free from authority, to care nothing for any one, and to do what he pleases. God punishes one rogue by means of another; if you deceive and despise your master, another comes and treats you likewise, and in your own home you must suffer ten times more wrong from your wife, children or servants.

We, indeed, feel our misfortune, and we murmur and complain of unfaithfulness, violence and injustice; but we are unwilling to see that we ourselves are rogues who justly deserve our punishment, and we are not reformed by what we suffer. We, in reality, do not desire the divine favor and blessing, therefore we justly suffer misfortune without mercy. There must still be somewhere in the world godly people, since God continues to grant us so many blessings. If it depended upon our merit, we should not have a dime in the house nor a blade in the field. All this I am compelled to emphasize with so many words in the hope that someone will take it to heart, and that we may be released from the blindness and misery into which we have deeply sunk, and may properly understand God's Word and will and sincerely appropriate them. For from them we may learn how to obtain abundant joy, happiness and salvation, both here and in eternity.

Thus we have two kinds of fathers presented in this commandment: fathers by blood and fathers by office, or fathers in the family and in the State. Besides these, there are spiritual fathers. Not those in the Papacy; though they indeed apply this title to themselves, they fill no fatherly office. Only they are spiritual fathers who rule and teach us by authority of God's Word; as Paul glories in being a father when he says: "In Christ Jesus I begat you through the Gospel," 1 Cor 4, 15. Now, because they are fathers, honor is due them, indeed more than to all others. But they receive the least honor; the world is bound to honor them by banishing them from the country and by grudging them a bite of bread, and in short they must be, as Paul says, in verse 13 of the same chapter, "as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things."

It must be impressed upon the people at large that they who would be called Christians owe it to God to show double honor to those who watch in behalf of their souls, that they may befriend and provide for their spiritual shepherds, Heb 13, 17; 1 Tim 5, 17. Then will God give you abundance and never let you come to want. But here everyone withholds and objects, and all fear lest they starve, and therefore we cannot now support one faithful, respectable preacher where formerly we feasted ten gormandizers. For this we deserve that God should withdraw from us his Word and his blessings, and again allow preachers of falsehood to arise who lead us to the devil, even at the expense of our own sweat and blood.

They, however, who keep God's will and commandment before their eyes, have the promise of being liberally repaid for all they contribute to both temporal and spiritual fathers and for the honor they render them. What has been promised them is not bread, clothing and money for a few brief years, but long life and peace, and abundance and blessedness forever. Therefore, only do your duty, and let God nourish you and provide for all your wants. He has promised it and has never yet lied, nor will he lie to you. This should ever encourage us and cause our hearts to melt with joy and love toward those to whom we owe this honor. We should raise our hands and cheerfully thank God for giving us such promises, and afterward we should run to the ends of the earth to realize its fulfilment. The combined effort of the whole world could not add an hour to our life or raise from the earth one grain of wheat for our support, but God can and will give to all exceeding abundantly according to their hearts' desire. He who despises this knowledge and casts it to the winds is unworthy ever to hear another word from God. On these things we have dwelt to excess, as it were, for the benefit of those to whom this commandment refers.

In this connection it would not be amiss to advise parents, and others filling their office, as to their treatment of those committed to their authority. Although the duty of superiors is not explicitly stated in the Ten Commandments, it is frequently dwelt upon in many other passages of Scripture, and God intends it to be included even in this commandment, where he mentions father and mother. God does not purpose to bestow the parental office and government upon rogues and tyrants; therefore, he does not give them that honor, namely, the power and authority to govern, merely to receive homage. Parents should consider that they are under obligations to obey God and that, first of all, they are conscientiously and faithfully to discharge all the duties of their office; not only to feed and provide for the temporal wants of their children, servants, subjects, etc., but especially to train them to the honor and praise of God. Therefore, think not, you parents, that the parental office is a matter of your pleasure and whim, but remember that God has strictly commanded it and entrusted it to you, and that for the right discharge of its duties you must give an account.

Here again is the lamentable evil that no one recognizes or takes to heart such truths. All live as if God gave us children as objects of mirth and pleasure; as if he gave us servants to use, like the ox or the horse, only for work, or as if we were to live with those under us according to our own whims—to ignore them, in unconcern about what they learn or how they live. No one is willing to believe that it is the commandment of the Almighty, who will solemnly require an account and will avenge its neglect, nor is it generally recognized that the young should be objects of conscientious solicitude. If we wish to have worthy, capable persons for both temporal and spiritual leadership, we must indeed spare no diligence, time or cost in teaching and educating our children to serve God and mankind. We must not think only of amassing money and property for them; God can feed them and give them riches without our help, as he does daily. But he commanded with regard to the children given us that we should train and rule them according to his will; otherwise God would not have ordained that there should be father and mother. Let everyone know, then, that on pain of the loss of divine grace his chief duty is to rear his children in the fear and knowledge of God; and, if they are gifted, to let them learn and study, that they may be of service wherever needed.

If this were done, God's blessing and grace would become evident in the rearing of people who would be a benefit to land and nation, in the elevation of our citizenship, in the training of virtuous and domestic women, who in turn would rear pious children and servants. Then think for yourself what deadly wrong you are committing if you are negligent in this respect and fail to rear your children to be useful and to be a blessing. Further, you bring upon yourself wrath and sin, meriting hell because of the treatment you have given your own children, even if you are pious and holy in other respects. And because this commandment is disregarded, God terribly punishes the world; hence it is without discipline, government and peace. We all lament over this state of things, but we do not see that it is our own fault. The children and subjects we have are the children and subjects we rear. This is enough to serve the purpose of a warning; a more extensive explanation belongs to some other occasion.