Saving Children

Παντὶ τοίνυν σθένει ὁ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος Παιδαγωγὸς, ὁ Θεοῐς ἡμῶν Λόγος, πάσῃ καταχρώμενος σοφίας μηχανῇ, σώζειν ἐπιβέβληται τοὺς νηπίους, νουθετῶν, ἐπιτιμῶν, ἐπιπλήττων, ἐλέγχων, ἀπειλούμενος, ἰώμενος, ἐπαγγελλόμενος, χαριζόμενος· πολλοῖς τισὶν οἰονεὶ χαλινοῖς τὰς ἀλόγους τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος δεσμεύων ὁρμάς. Συνελόντι γοῦν εἰπεῖν, οὕτως ὁ Κύριος πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς πρὸς τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν. ' Τέκνα σοί ἐστι; παίδευσιν αὐτὰ, ἡ Σοπφία παραινεῖ· καὶ κάμψον αὐτὰ ἐκ νεότητεσ αὐτῶν. Θυγατέρες σοι εἰσι; πρόσεχε τῷ σώματι αὐτῶν, καὶ μὴ ἰλαρώσῃς πρὸς αὐτὰς τὸ πρόσωπιν σου.' Καί τοι τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν, υἱούς τε καὶ θυγατέρας, σφόδρα καὶ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ἀγαπῶμεν. Ἐπεὶ δ' οἱ μὲν πρὸς χάριν ὁμιλοῦντες, ὀλίγον ἀγαπῶσιν ὅ μὴ λυνποῡσιν, οἱ δὲ πρὸς ὠφέλειαν ἐπιστύφοντες, εἰ καὶ παραυτίκα λυπηροὶ, ἀλλὰ εἰς τὸν ἔπειτα εὐεργετοῦσιν αἰῶνα· ού τὴν παραυτίκα ἡδονὴν ὁ Κύριος, ἀλλὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐσκόπησε τρυφήν. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Ὁ Παιδαγωγός, Λογὸς Πρῶτος, Κεφ. Θ

With all His power, The Instructor of humanity, the Divine Word, employing all the means of wisdom, attends to the saving of the children, admonishing, upbraiding, blaming, chiding, reproving, threatening, healing, promising, favouring, by many reins, as it were, curbing the irrational impulses of humanity. Indeed to speak concisely, the Lord acts towards us as we do towards our children. 'Do you have children? Correct them,' Wisdom counsels, 'and bend them from their youth. Do you have daughters? Attend to their body, and let not your face brighten towards them,' 1 And this even though we love our children exceedingly, both sons and daughters, above anything else. For they who speak to please have little love for the one they would not pain, but those who prescribe bitter medicines, though they presently cause pain, do good forever. It is not present pleasure, but future happiness, that the Lord would have you look to. Clement of Alexandria, The Teacher, Book 1,Ch 9.  1 Sirach 7:23-24 LXX