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.

This, now, I say should be the first and most important consideration
to urge us to the observance of this commandment; on which account,
even if we had no father and mother we ought to wish that God would set
up wood and stone before Us, whom we might call father and mother. How
much more, since He has given us living parents, should we rejoice to
show them honor and obedience, because we know it is so highly pleasing
to the Divine Majesty and to all angels, and vexes all devils, and is,
besides, the highest work which we can do, after the sublime divine
worship comprehended in the previous commandments, so that giving of
alms and every other good work toward our neighbor are not equal to
this. For God has assigned this estate the highest place, yea, has set
it up in His own stead, upon earth. This will and pleasure of God ought
to be a sufficient reason and incentive to us to do what we can with
good will and pleasure.