The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 193

II. CIIILDREN AND PARENTS. 1. Children. "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord." Children are at first utterly helpless. And for a long time they are dependent on their parents. Especially, in their inex- perience, are they dependent on the experience of their parents. That points to their being obedient to their parents. The principle is, as stated here, obedience ir. all thing.•, there being no exception to it in the mere pleasure of the child. In Ephesians the rule is grounded on its being right. The rule for the wife, we have seen, is grounded on its being.filling. The rule for children here is grounded on its being well-pleasing. That is to say, it is a beautiful thing to see children subjecting their impulses, their wishes, their plans, to the better judgment, riper experience, of their parents. It is a beautiful thing to see them rendering prompt and universal obedience. This is not only beautiful in itself, but it is beautiful in the Lord. That snproses that they have given them• selves to the Lord. In that case they will regard their parents as given them by the Lord. And not only so, but they will regard them as in the place of the Lord lo them. It is pre-eminently a beautiful thing when children learn to reverence and obey their parents, not simply as their parents, but as placed over them by Christ. 2. Parents. "Fathers, provoke not your children, that they be not discouraged." Parents (for we are to think of the whole ruling power relative to the children) have the stronger position. There is great disparity at first for purposes of rule. But they are not to use their position to provoke their children. That is the coarse way of ruling. The ro<l, though necessary at times, is not to be the substitute for reason. It is also generally the selfish way. Parents cannot take pains with their children. They cannot bear with their dulness. They have not the patience to deal with their self-will so as to have it overcome. They cannot bear to have their liberty curtailed, their comfort dis- turbed, by their children. And so they passionately, tyrannically, carry out their pleasure on their children. That is not only to be condemned in itself, but it is espe- cially to be condemned in those who should regard themselves as the representatives of Christ to their children. Christ does not act harshly to men. He does not act harshly to them. And therefore they should not act harshly to their children. 'l'he effects are, as might be expected, bad. The children are discooraged. Youth is the time of hope- fulness. With the wakening of the powers hopes spring forth. And parents have carefully to watch over the calling forth of the powers of their children. It is all- important that these be directed in a Christian way. But children ,1,re easily discouraged. 'l'hey lose heart before the difficulties connected with following out useful and Christian aims. And they need to have many words of encouragement spoken to them. 'l'hey need to be shown what they can do. But to give them no encouragement, to treat them as though they were incapable of anything great, to heap reproaches on them, to punish them harshly, is to crush the life out of them. The breaking of the spirit is said to be the bane of youth. III. SERVANTS AND MASTERS. 1. Servants. (1) Rule. "Servants, obey in nll things them that are your masters according to the flesh." The slave was entirely at the mercy of his master. God never intended any one to be in thnt position. The servant with whom we have now to do occupies a very different position--still, however, the weaker position in the relation. And as for childrcu, so for servants, the rule is obedience in all things. 'l'hat is to say, within the proper sphere of work there is no exception founded on the mere pleasuro of the servant. When it is said that obedienco is to be rendered to them that are masters according to the flesh, there is I\ sugges- tion, though yet only a suggestion, of a relation to a higher Master. (2) Principle. "Not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord." The principle is not men-pleasing, or regard simply for the human master. 'l'hat is not fitted to be a principle, for it proceeds on a variable element. It requires no more than eye-service, or as it is here (:s distinguished from Ephesians), acts of eye-service. The eye of the master cannot always be on the servant. If, then, the servant is regulated by the eye of the mast~r, his work must vary accordingly, being sometimes well done, sometimes ill done, and sometimes not done at all. The principle is fearing tho Lord, or regard for the Divine Master. We are not to understand regard for the authority of Christ in general, but regard for the authority of Christ as rei'resented in the master, even in the slave-master. 'l'his is fitted to be law universal. For the eye of Christ, being all-seeing, is always on the servant. There is thus cxcluu.ed duplicity; thore is 190 TilE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE COLOSSIANS. [ea. m. 1-25.