3. [part]
[...] When you learned to sit on a little chair and speak and walk, you could not wash yourself right away and comb or dress yourself or eat by yourself. All of that had to be thought of and taken care of by your dear parents. And I have seen that Children, who have been cared for most carefully, sometimes are naughty and are contrary and have cried. They of course don’t yet understand what is good and necessary for them.
4.
But you, dear children, are now bigger and probably understand what I am saying to you. Your powers of understanding are still growing but stand you in good stead in the care and service of your body when used correctly. For example, you see that children like to go on the ice in the winter and you also hear that many of them fall and are hurt. So if you want to act reasonably, don’t go alone into places like that where it is slick and slippery. When your parents tell you something and you listen right away and gladly, then much harm can be avoided. For example,, children like to touch everything. When something sharp is on the table and they reach for it, one says to them “Leave that alone.” If they listen, they don’t hurt themselves. Indeed, one child can help another. For example, if a child has a knife in his hand and runs around in the room with it, another child can say to him, “O, put that knife down, you might fall with it.” And it is good if he listens right away. You know the little [hymn] verse: “The king wants to honor the kind of people who listen to every child with benefit and gladly know that they are pupils and must learn [2].” The most important thing is this: If you continue and remain childlike in the Covenant of Grace that God made with you in your Holy Baptism, the Holy Spirit will dwell in your hearts and remind you of everything that you must do and avoid, even in regard to you bodies. To this you must well pay attention and be obedient. You know the little verse: “The Holy Angels are ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are to inherit blessedness.” And what the Lord our Savior says: “The angels of the children always see the face of the Father in Heaven.” So pray to God that He might preserve and protect you, even in the body, through His Holy Angels. In this way many misfortunes will be turned away from you, without your even knowing about it.
2. “Solche Leute will der Koenig ehren, die ein jedes Kind mit Nutzen hoeren…”
Something
of Bodily Care for Children
Translated by Pastor Roy Ledbetter
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