Fifth Commandment.
HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER: THAT THY DAYS MAY BE LONG UPON THE LAND WHICH
THE LORD THY GOD GIVETH THEE.
35. The end of this commandment is, that
since the Lord takes pleasure in the preservation of his own ordinance, the
degrees of dignity appointed by him must be held inviolable. The sum of the
commandment, therefore, will be, that we are to look up to those whom the Lord
has set over us, yielding them honour, gratitude, and obedience. Hence it
follows, that every thing in the way of contempt, ingratitude, or disobedience,
is forbidden. For the term honour has this extent of meaning in
Scripture. Thus when the Apostle says, "Let the elders that rule well be
counted worthy of double honour," (1 Tim. 5:17), he refers not only to the
reverence which is due to them, but to the recompense to which their services
are entitled. But as this command to submit is very repugnant to the perversity
of the human mind (which, puffed up with ambitious longings will scarcely allow
itself to be subject), that superiority which is most attractive and least
invidious is set forth as an example calculated to soften and bend our minds to
habits of submission. From that subjection which is most easily endured, the
Lord gradually accustoms us to every kind of legitimate subjection, the same
principle regulating all. For to those whom he raises to eminences he
communicates his authority, in so far as necessary to maintain their station.
The titles of Father, God, and Lord, all meet in him alone and hence whenever
any one of them is mentioned, our mind should be impressed with the same
feeling of reverence. Those, therefore, to whom he imparts such titles, he
distinguishes by some small spark of his refulgence, so as to entitle them to
honour, each in his own place. In this way, we must consider that our earthly
father possesses something of a divine nature in him, because there is some
reason for his bearing a divine title, and that he who is our prince and ruler
is admitted to some communion of honour with God.
36. Wherefore, we ought to have no doubt that the
Lord here lays down this universal rule--viz. that knowing how every individual
is set over us by his appointment, we should pay him reverence, gratitude,
obedience, and every duty in our power. And it makes no difference whether
those on whom the honour is conferred are deserving or not. Be they what they
may, the Almighty, by conferring their station upon them, shows that he would
have them honoured. The commandment specifies the reverence due to those to
whom we owe our being. This Nature herself should in some measure teach us. For
they are monsters, and not men, who petulantly and contumeliously violate the
paternal authority. Hence, the Lord orders all who rebel against their parents
to be put to death, they being, as it where, unworthy of the light in paying no
deference to those to whom they are indebted for beholding it. And it is
evident, from the various appendices to the Law, that we were correct in
stating, that the honour here referred to consists of three parts, reverence,
obedience, and gratitude. The first of these the Lord enforces, when he
commands that whose curseth his father or his mother shall be put to death. In
this way he avenges insult and contempt. The second he enforces, when he
denounces the punishment of death on disobedient and rebellious children. To
the third belongs our Saviour's declaration, that God requires us to do good to
our parents (Mt. 15). And whenever Paul mentions this commandment, he
interprets it as enjoining obedience.215
37. A promise is added by way of recommendation,
the better to remind us how pleasing to God is the submission which is here
required. Paul applies that stimulus to rouse us from our lethargy, when he
calls this the first commandment with promise; the promise contained in the
First Table not being specially appropriated to any one commandment, but
extended to the whole law. Moreover, the sense in which the promise is to be
taken is as follows:--The Lord spoke to the Israelites specially of the land
which he had promised them for an inheritance. If, then, the possession of the
land was an earnest of the divine favour, we cannot wonder if the Lord was
pleased to testify his favour, by bestowing long life, as in this way they were
able long to enjoy his kindness. The meaning therefore is: Honour thy father
and thy mother, that thou may be able, during the course of a long life, to
enjoy the possession of the land which is to be given thee in testimony of my
favour. But, as the whole earth is blessed to believers, we justly class the
present life among the number of divine blessings. Whence this promise has, in
like manner, reference to us also, inasmuch as the duration of the present life
is a proof of the divine benevolence toward us. It is not promised to us, nor
was it promised to the Jews, as if in itself it constituted happiness, but
because it is an ordinary symbol of the divine favour to the pious. Wherefore,
if any one who is obedient to parents happens to be cut off before mature age
(a thing which not infrequently happens), the Lord nevertheless adheres to his
promise as steadily as when he bestows a hundred acres of land where he had
promised only one. The whole lies in this: We must consider that long life is
promised only in so far as it is a blessing from God, and that it is a blessing
only in so far as it is a manifestation of divine favour. This, however, he
testifies and truly manifests to his servants more richly and substantially by
death.
38. Moreover, while the Lord promises the
blessing of present life to children who show proper respect to their parents,
he, at the same time, intimates that an inevitable curse is impending over the
rebellious and disobedient; and, that it may not fail of execution, he, in his
Law, pronounces sentence of death upon theme and orders it to be inflicted. If
they escape the judgment, he, in some way or other, will execute vengeance. For
we see how great a number of this description of individuals fall either in
battle or in brawls; others of them are overtaken by unwonted disasters, and
almost all are a proof that the threatening is not used in vain. But if any do
escape till extreme old age, yet, because deprived of the blessing of God in
this life, they only languish on in wickedness, and are reserved for severer
punishment in the world to come, they are far from participating in the
blessing promised to obedient children. It ought to be observed by the way,
that we are ordered to obey parents only in the Lord. This is clear from the
principle already laid down: for the place which they occupy is one to which
the Lord has exalted them, by communicating to them a portion of his own
honour. Therefore the submission yielded to them should be a step in our ascent
to the Supreme Parent, and hence, if they instigate us to transgress the law,
they deserve not to be regarded as parents, but as strangers attempting to
seduce us from obedience to our true Father. The same holds in the case of
rulers, masters, and superiors of every description. For it were unbecoming and
absurd that the honour of God should be impaired by their exaltation--an
exaltation which, being derived from him, ought to lead us up to
him.216