CHAP. VI.

Ver. 1-4. Ye children, obey your elders in the Lord; for that is right. Honour thy father and thy mother, that is the first commandment that hath any promise, that thou mayest prosper, and live long upon earth. And ye fathers, provoke not your children unto wrath, but bring them up in nurture and information of the Lord.

Now the Apostle sheweth, of the duty of children to their father and mother. It helpeth much to obtain godly virtues, that children from their cradle and from their young age be virtuously brought up in nurture, in good, in virtues, and godly learnings, in love and fear of God, in due obedience to their parents, in gentle and lowly manners. For, as the old saying is; the bottle will keep the smell, or savour of that liquor that is first received. So men, for the most part, smell ever of that fashion and manner, and love that way that they have been brought up in during their young age. Therefore, it is necessary, that children in their young age, should be put to good schoolmasters, that may, and will bring them up in good, holy, and virtuous doctrine, and godly manners; that children may learn to know God their creator and maker, of whom, all goodness doth come; to know the goodness and benefits of God towards them; to laud and praise God, to give him thanks for his benefits; to be obedient to father and mother, to give to them all honour, not only with outward gesture, as bowing their knees, putting off their cap to their parents, or asking their blessings, or doing their lawful commandments, and being obedient with all glad diligence, to do their parents' commandments, but also that they should honour their parents with all

due honour, in giving and providing for them all ne cessaries, if they need, or be poor, or have need of the help of their children. For so this word, "honour," is taken in the Scripture, not only for outward reverence, but also for help or sufficiency of living, as Paul sheweth, 1 Tim. v.; where he saith, "The elders, that rule well, are worthy double honour, chiefly they that labour in the word of God."

In the Lord. This word sheweth, how children should be obedient to their elders, and to their fathers and mothers, that is to say, in the Lord: because the Lord hath so commanded, and it is the will of the Lord, that children should obey their parents or else, in the Lord; that is to say, in all things, that please the Lord; that is, in all lawful things. So children, obeying their parents, giving them due honour, do serve and please the Lord; and those children, that be disobedient to their parents, do displease and offend God.

For this is just, that the children should obey their parents, help and succour their necessity, giving due honour to them: seeing children have received of their parents, their being, food, and cost of bringing up, when they were not able to help themselves. Therefore, it is equity, that they should help their parents.

This is the first commandment in promise to the which, promise of reward is made of long life, either in this life, or in the life to come, or in both as ofttimes chanceth to them that honour their parents in this world. And the contrary is ofttimes shewed, that those children, that do not honour their parents in this world, but be disobedient to them, contemn, despise, and will not acknowledge their father and mother, or kinsfolks, or be so unkind and unnatural children, that desire the death of their parents, for their profit, goods, lands or riches; it is ofttimes

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seen, that those children be of short life in this world, or die some evil death by some mischance, or evil fortune (as called of man), when it is the secret will and working of God, which will not suffer the contempt of parents to be unpunished in this world; that all children might learn to be obedient to their parents, to honour them, and not to contemn or despise them, or to wish their death for any lucre sake, for any honour, or promotion, or such-like thing.

The Apostle promiseth two things to those children, that honour their parents: the one is, that all things shall be well to them, and all things prosperous; the other, length of life. And on the contrary, to them that dishonour their parents, he threateneth two things; that, all things shall be evil to them, and shortness of life. Which things, if they chance not always in this life, yet surely in the life to come they will chance; and God will perform his promise, for God is true in his promises, and will perform them, either in this world, or in the world to come, or else in both. And although it is read of some children, that disobeyed their parents, that they had great riches or felicity in this world, and of long life, in whom this threat of God had no place in this world; yet, without doubt, it had place after this life in them, or else such disobedient children to their parents, were without felicity, and of short life before God. Children that do not obey their parents, they offend against the law of nature, of equity, and justice, and against God's law written; which all require that children should give due honour to their fathers and mothers.

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath. Now he cometh to parents, and sheweth what is their duty towards their children. Fathers and mothers, for the most part, either they are too tender, soft, gentle, or make too much of them; or else, they are

too hard, cruel, sharp, or froward with them. Few, or none of their parents, do know how they should order or bring up their children; but, either nature moveth them to be too tender over them, and so they make the children too wanton, self-willed, froward, not caring for father and mother, yea, disobedient to father and mother, and so ofttimes it is true, that the Mantuan saith,

"Blanda patrum segnes facit indulgentia gnatos;" i. e. "Too much pampering of fathers maketh slow and disobedient children." Therefore, it is true, that Solomon saith: "He that spareth the rod, he hateth the child." And of the contrary part, there are some parents that keep their children in too much awe and fear of them; by whose fierceness and hastiness, the children be almost marred, and brought to such fear, that they be without all sense, and for fear they cannot tell what they should answer or do, yea, for fear they cannot speak one word right. This thing causeth the fierceness or rigorousness of some too severe fathers towards their children, whom, by awe and fear, they think to make wise: and by that means, they make them stark fools, and without senses, as they be, that be angry, or in a fury, which be past themselves for fire or fury, that for a time they cannot tell what they say or do, or what is spoken to them to whose madness or fury, the Apostle doth appear to allude here, when he saith, "Ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath :" as he would say, Ye fathers, by your hardness or rigorousness, provoke not your children to be without sense, or in such fear, that they cannot tell what to say or do for fear.

Therefore, let parents take heed, as they bring up their children, and let them not use too much tenderness, nor yet too much rigorousness over their

children; bringing them up in the knowledge of God, in love and fear of God, in fear to break God's commandments, in the love of God's word, of the which, the children may learn, what is the true worship of God, how they should truly honour and worship God, what is true virtue and holiness, what works please God best, and what please him not. It pertaineth to the parents, to teach their children to love virtue and to hate vice, to walk in virtue and go forwards, and increase in virtue every day; also, to give to their children, holy examples of living, that the children may see in the parents, no filthiness, uncleanness, nor evilness to follow. And also, the children may not altogether be without correction; but the rod must be had sometimes, to correct the wantonness of children and their negligence, to make them obedient to wholesome admonitions and teachings yet the rod of correction may not be used too much, lest by too much beating, the children be dull and care not for beating.

Therefore, children must be ordered sometimes by fair means, and sometimes by correction. And it chanceth ofttimes, that a man shall do more amongst children with an apple, than with a rod; so it be'cometh the parents to bring up their children in learning, and in correction of the Lord: if they can, by themselves; if they cannot, or will not take the pains, then let them put their children to good schoolmasters, that can and will bring them up virtuously, in good learning, and in correction, as need shall require, to correct their wantonness or negligence.

The cause, and the fountain of all evil is, that children and youth are not well brought up in learning and sufficient chastisement; children are brought up in too much tenderness, softness, sluggishness, idleness, wantonness, pride of mind, elation of heart,