HOMILY XXI.] HOMILIES ON EPHESIANS. 53 HOMILY XXI. EPHESIANS vi. 1-3. " Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother (which is the first commandment with promise), that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth." As a man in forming a body, places the head first, after that the neck, then the feet, so does the blessed Paul proceed in his discourse. He has spoken of the husband, he has spoken of the wife, who is second in authority, he now goes on by gradual advances to the third rank which is that of children. For the husband has authority over the wife, and the husband and the wife over the children. Now then mark what he is saying. " Children, 1 obey your parents in the Lord ; for this is the first commandment with promise." Here he has not a word of discourse concern ing Christ, not a word on high subjects, for he is as yet addressing his discourse to tender un derstandings. And it is for this reason, more over, that he makes his exhortation short, inasmuch as children cannot follow up a long argument. For this reason also he does not discourse at all about a kingdom, (because it does not belong to the tender age of childhood to understand these subjects,) but what a child s soul most especially longs to hear, that he says, namely, that it shall " live long." For if any one shall enquire why it is that he omitted to discourse concerning a kingdom, but set before them the commandment laid down in the law, he does this because he speaks to them as in fantine, and because he is well aware that if the husband and the wife are thus disposed accord ing to the law which he has laid down, there will be but little trouble in securing the submis sion of the children. For whenever any matter has a good and sound and orderly principle and foundation, everything will thenceforward go on with method and regularity, with much facility : the more difficult thing is to settle the founda tion, to lay down a firm basis. "Children," saith he, " obey your parents in the Lord," that is, according to the Lord. This, he means to say, is what God - commands you. But what then if they shall command foolish things? Generally a father, however foolish he may be 1 [" The address to children in a letter to the Church presupposes that the Apostle regards them as belonging to the Church, present at public worship, understanding the word read to and applicable to them." Braune in Lange. G. A.] 2 [" (v Kvpiw. Not God, as Chrysostom, and not KO.TO. xvpiov, as Chrysostom, but denoting the sphere to which the action is to be limited." Ellicott. G. A.] himself, does notcommand foolish things. How ever, even in that case, the Apostle has guarded the matter, by saying, " in the Lord " ; that is, wherever you will not be offending against God. So that if the father be a gentile or a heretic, we ought no longer to obey, because the command is not then, " in the Lord." But how is it that he says, "Which is the first commandment"? For the first is, " Thou shalt not commit adul tery; Thou shalt not kill." He does not speak of it then as first in rank,3 but in respect of the promise. For upon those others there is no reward annexed, as being enacted with ref erence to evil things, and to departure from evil things. Whereas in these others, where there is the practice of good, there is further a promise held out. And observe how admirable a founda tion he has laid for the path of virtue, that is, honor and reverence towards parents. When he would lead us away from wicked practices, and is just about to enter upon virtuous ones, this is the first thing he enjoins, honor towards parents ; inasmuch as they before all others are, after God, the authors of our being, so that it is reasonable they should be the first to reap the fruits of our right actions ; and then all the rest of mankind. For if a man have not this honor for parents he will never be gentle toward those unconnected with him. However, having given the necessary injunc tions to children, he passes to the fathers, and says, Ver. 4. "And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath ; but nurture them up in the chastening and admonition of the Lord." He does not say, " love them," because to this nature draws them even against their own will, and it were superfluous to lay down a law on such subjects. But what does he say? " Provoke not your children to wrath," as many do by disinheriting them, and disowning them, and treating them overbearingly, not as free, but as slaves. This is why he says, " Provoke not your children to wrath." Then, which is the chief thing of all, he shows how they will be led to obedience, referring the whole source of it to the head and chief authority. And in the same way as he has shown the husband to be the cause of the wife s obedience, (which is the rea son also why he addresses the greater part of s rofei. [" Paul says n-pucrj), having before his mind not only the Decalogue, but also the entire series of divine precepts, which begins with the Decalogue." Meyer. G. A.]