# Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1900_S8
# AI translation — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

8 Proceedings of the eighteenth convention

is impressed upon parents. Consider only Eph. 6:4: "Fathers, bring up your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." That is a needed admonition, because parents, even Christian parents, by virtue of their old Adam are, out of sheer concern for the body and the earthly livelihood of their children, all too prone, alas, to neglect their souls. And yet the first duty of parents is and remains the Christian education of their children.

Our Confession has said this too. In the Large Catechism it says: "For if we want to have fine, capable people, for both the secular and the spiritual government, we must truly spare no diligence, trouble, or cost on our children, to teach and educate them, that they may serve God and the world, and not only think how we may gather money and goods for them, for God can well nourish them and make them rich without us, as he also does daily. But therefore he has given us children and commanded that we bring them up and govern them according to his will, otherwise he would have no use for father and mother. Therefore let everyone know that he is bound, on pain of losing God's grace, to bring up his children above all things in the fear of God and in knowledge, and, where they are fit, also to have them learn and study something, so that one might use them for whatever is needed." (Müller, p. 418.)

Luther, in his writing "To the Councilmen of All Cities of Germany, that they should establish and maintain Christian schools," of the year 1524, gives several reasons why parents should not content themselves with instruction in worldly knowledge and skills, but should instruct their children above all in God's Word. He says there, among other things: "The third (reason) is surely the very highest, namely God's commandment, who through Moses so often urges and demands that parents are to teach the children, as also Psalm 78, v. 4 ff., says: 'How highly he commanded our fathers to make known to the children and to teach the child's child.' And the fourth commandment of God shows this too, where he enjoins obedience to parents upon children so highly that disobedient children are even to be put to death by the court, Deut. 21:21. And why do we old people live, if not that we may look after, teach and bring up the young folk? It is not possible that the wild young people should teach and keep themselves; therefore God has commanded them to us, who are old and experienced, what is good for them, and will require a very heavy reckoning of us for them. Therefore Moses also commands, Deut. 32:7, and says: 'Ask your father, he will tell you, the old men will show you.'" (St. Louis Edition, X, 464.)

He goes on: "Although it is sin and shame that it has come to this with us, that we must first be stirred up and let ourselves be stirred up to bring up our children and young people and to consider their welfare; yet nature itself ought to drive us to it, and the example of the heathen also shows us in many ways. There is no unreasoning creature that