rt, unless they have God's
grace. In like manner, when they punish and chastise, as they ought
(at times even unjustly, which, however, does not harm the soul's
salvation), our evil nature resents the correction. Beside all this,
there are some so wicked that they are ashamed of their parents because
of poverty, lowly birth, deformity or dishonor, and allow these things
to influence them more than the high Commandment of God, Who is above
all things, and has with benevolent intent given them such parents, to
exercise and try them in His Commandment. But the matter becomes still
worse when the child has children of its own; then love descends to
them, and detracts very much from the love and honor toward the parents.

But what is said and commanded of parents must also be understood of
those who, when the parents are dead or absent, take their place, such
as relatives, god-parents, sponsors, temporal lords and spiritual
fathers. For every one must be ruled and be subject to other men.
Wherefore we here see again how many good works are taught in this
Commandment, since in it all our life is made subject to other men.
Hence it comes that obedience is so highly praised and all virtue and
good works are included in it.

III. There is another dishonoring of parents, much more dangerous and
subtile than this first, which adorns itself and passes for a real
honor; that is, when a child has its own way, and the parents through
natural love allow it. Here there is indeed mutual honor, here there is
mutual love, and on all sides it is a precious thing, parents and child
take mutual pleasure in one another.

This plague is so common that instances of the first form of
dishonoring are very seldom seen. This is due to the fact that the
parents are blinded, and neither know nor honor God according to the
first three Commandments; hence also they cannot see what the children
lack, and how they ought to teach and train them. For this reason they
train them for worldly honors, pleasure and possessions, that they may
by all means please men and reach high positions: this the children
like, and they obey very gladly without gainsaying.

Thus God's Commandment secretly comes to naught while all seems good,
and that is fulfilled which is written in the Prophets Isaiah and
Jeremiah, that the children are destroyed by their own parents, and
they do like the king Manasseh, who sacrificed his own son to the idol
Moloch and burned him, II.