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  is.  57:5
destroyed  by  their  own  parents,  and  they  do  like  the  king     32^35^'
Manasseh,  who  sacrificed  his  own  son  to  the  idol  Moloch
and  burned  him,  II.  Kings  xxi.    What  else  is  it  but  to  2  Kings
sacrifice  one's  own  child  to  the  idol  and  to  burn  it,  when     ^^'^
parents  train  their  children  more  in  the  way  of  the  world
than   in   the  way  of    God?    let  them  go  their  way,  and
be  burned  up  in  worldly  pleasure,  love,  enjoyment,  posses-
sions and  honor,  but  let  God's  love  and  honor  and  the
desire  of  eternal  blessings  be  quenched  in  them?

O  how  perilous  it  is  to  be  a  father  or  a  mother,  where
flesh  and  blood  are  supreme!  For,  truly,  the  knowledge
and  fulfilment  of  the  first  three  and  the  last  six  Com-
mandments depends  altogether  upon  this  Commandment;
since  parents  are  commanded  to  teach  them  to  their
children,  as  Psalm  Ixxviii.  says,  "How  strictly  has  He  ps.  78:5
commanded  our  fathers,  that  they  should  make  known
God's  Commandments  to  their  children,  that  the  genera-
tion to  come  might  know  them  and  declare  them  to  their
children's  children."  This  also  is  the  reason  why  God
bids  us  honor  our  parents,  that  is,  to  love  them  with  fear;
for  that  other  love  is  without  fear,  therefore  it  is  more
dishonor  than  honor.
Now  see  whether  every  one  does  not  have  good  works
enough  to  do,  whether  he  be  father  or  child.  But  we
blind  men  leave  this  untouched,  and  seek  all  sorts  of
other  works  which  are  not  commanded.
