Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 2 · Commandment 9 · Exercitation 8
EXERCITAT. VIII. Againſt mocking. Commandement. IX.
Prov. 17.5. Hee that mocketh the poore reproveth his maker.
foreign, Permutantes nomina.THe changing of a mans name, is a ſpeciall ſort of mocking, and bearing falſe teſtimony. Thus Eſau called Iacob, jagnakobh, as though hee had beene the ſupplanter of him,foreign Gen 27.36. So when the law was tranſlated into greeke by the Seventy, the Iewes changed their names, and called them hakkore lemiphrangh, legentes a ſiniſtra; & hakkore hagiphthit, legentes Aegyptiace: ſo the Arrians changed the name of Athanaſius, and called him Sathanaſius. So the Greeke Church mocked the Latine Church and called them Azymitas; and the Latines mocked the Greeke Church, and called them, farme…arios. So the heathen mocked the Iewes calling them Verpi, Recutiti, apellae, and Sabbatarij.
It is lawfull to play upon the names of profane and wicked men.foreign So Abigail played upon the name of Nabal, For as his name is, ſo he is; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. 1. Sam. 25.25.
Another example, the mount of Olives is called, mons hammiſhah, the hill of olives,foreign a foreign unxit foreign a foreign corrupit. foreign a foreign The father of the Kenites of whom he deſcended, 1. Chr. 4.19. or from foreign Somniare. foreign Aethiops. foreign Pater Saulis. foreign ſtercus. but the holy Ghoſt playeth upon the name, and calleth it mons corruptionis, the hill of corruption, in deteſtation of the Idolatrie which was ſet up there, 2. King. 23.13.
A third example, Ier. 29.24. the holy Ghoſt giveth a ſharpe quip to Shemaia the Nehelamite alluding to his fathers name, and to his falſe deluding with his dreames. And wee ſee an excellent quip, Pſal. 7.1. When David called Saul, the ſonne of Cuſh the Benjamite, for Kiſh the Benjamite, becauſe Saul was like the moore that could not change his colour. So the Iewes in the time of Hadrian the Emperor called an impoſter, before he had deceived them, bar Hhokebhah, ſilius ſtellae; but after that hee had deceived them, they called him bar hhoſebhah, filius mendacij. So they played upon the name Iezabel, Zebhel, ſtercus est. So the Church played upon the name Epiphanes, and called him Epimanes, or mad man. So Sardanapalus, becauſe hee was effeminate they played upon his name,foreign, eſt id quo Ʋiri ſumus. and called him Sardan foreign. So Tiberius Claudius Nero, they called him Biberius Caldius Mero, becauſe he delighed to drinke ſtrong wine and hote waters.
Mocks, are divided according to the object; firſt, to mock man is a great ſin; ſecondly, to mocke their parents a greater ſinne; but thirdly, to mocke God is the greateſt ſinne of all.
Names are given to men according to the object, firſt in any quality of the body.Firſt, to mocke a man for any infirmity in his body, that is a ſinne: ſo they mocked Elias, and ſaid, Come up thou bald pate; but to give names from the quality of the perſon are not nicknames or mockes; ſo he was called gneſabh, Gen. 22.22. becauſe hee came forth perfect like a man with haire upon him, and ſhegnir, hirſutus, and Edom, becauſe he loved red pottage.
foreign, diſtintionis cauſa.To give a man a name from ſome part of his bodie, or ſome accident of his body, for diſtinctions ſake, is not mocking: as Pharaoh Neco, Ier. 26. as ye would ſay, Pharaoh with the goutiſh feete; hee was ſo called to put a diſtinction betwixt him and others, who were called Pharaoh: and to diſtinguiſh him from Abrahams Pharaoh, called Teutis; from Ioſephs Pharaoh, called Rean; and Moſes Pharaoh, called Talma, and from Pharaoh Hophra, Ier. 44.
Secondly for any defect of the body.So to give a name from ſome part of his body for diſtinctions ſake, is not mockery. Thus Iudas is called Thaddeus, as yee would ſay, the man with the dugges: So Lebbeus, Corculum, or little heart. So Simon is called Niger, for diſtinction ſake, Act, 13.1. So Iames the leſſe, Marc. 15.40. So Darius is called foreign, with the long hand. So Anaſtaſius the Emperour is called foreign, a duplici pupillo oculi: So Edward longſhanks.
Thirdly for his eſtate.Thirdly, it is not lawfull to mocke a man for his eſtate or condition; For he that mocketh the poore, reproveth his maker. Prov. 17.5.
Fourthly for his country.Fourthly, wee ſhould not mocke a man for his countrey; Can any good thing come out of Nazaret. Ioh. 1.46. So Iulian in contempt called Chriſt a Galilaean. Ezek. 36.15. Thou ſhalt not beare the reproach of the people any more; they objected to the Iewes ſterilitie and famine, becauſe if was uſuall amongſt them, as in the time of Abraham, Iacob, Elimelech, and in the time of Ioram; when the woman fled to the Philiſtims for famine. 2. King. 8.
Fiftly, to mock a man for his religion. Pſal. 137.Fiftly for his religion. Let us heare your Hebrew ſongs. So 1 Chron. 30. they mocked thoſe who kept the Paſſeover. So when Chriſt was praying upon the croſſe; they mocked him and ſaid, he calleth upon Elias. Mat. 27. Such was Iſmaels mocking of Iſaac. Gen. 21.9.foreign Metzahhek expoſing him to be mocked, not onelyonly mocking him himſelfe, but making others to mock him alſo; which the Apoſtle calleth perſecution. Galat. 4.29. ſuch were the mockers of David. Pſal. 69.12. They that ſate in the gate ſpake against me; and I was the ſong of the drunkards. So when they mocked the very gifts of the Holy Ghoſt, as when the Diſciples ſpake with ſtrange tongues, they ſaid, They were drunke with new wine. Act. 2.
It is lawfull to jeſt at idolaters and their idolatrie,It is lawfull to jeſt at idolaters, as Elias jeſted at the Prieſts of Baal; the heathen called their god Baal ragnas, or Baal foreign, the God of thunder, but God in diriſion calleth him Baal-Peor, or Baal-foreign; the Ekronits called Baal-zebub, the God of flies, (there were no flies ſeene in the temple of Ieruſalem) but God in diriſion calleth him Baal-zebub, foreign, the God of dung.
Some of the heathen have mocked their Idols,The idolaters jeſt at their owne Gods. knowing them to be no gods; Dionyſius comming home one one night very cold; and having nothing wherewith to warme him, he pulled down Hercules Image, and threw it into the fire and ſaid, This ſhall be thy thirteenth labour O Hercules. A Proteſtant comming into a Popiſh Church, the Papiſts did ſhew to him the image of Chriſt, and Franciſcus upon the one hand, and Dominicus upon the other: hee ſaid, that hee knew well that that was the Image of Chriſt, but he knew never that thoſe were the two theeves which were crucified with him, the one at his right hand, and the other at his left: So Eraſmus may jeſt at the long eares of the Popiſh ſaints, although Bellarmine ſnuffe at it.
It is lawfull to reply ſometimes by way of jeſt to a profane and bitter foole; Anſwere a foole according to his fooliſhneſſe. Prov. 26.5. When Iulian the Apoſtate asked, what was the Carpenters ſonne doing, (meaning Chriſt whom hee called a Carpenters ſonne) the Chriſtians replyed, he is making a coffin for thee; and ſo it fell out ſoone afterward, that he was killed in the warres. Baſil ſaith to a profane fellow cooke to Valens the Emperor,Baſil. tripart. hiſt. lib. 6. cap. 6. when hee was pratling of religion; Tuum est de pulpamentis cogitare, ſed non divina dogmata decoquere.
Secondly, to mocke the parents is a great ſin. Prov. 30:17. The eye that mocketh at his father, and deſpiſeth to obey his mother, the Ravens of the valley ſhall pick it out, and the young Eagles ſhall eate it. So Ham mocked his father Noah. Gen. 9.22.
Thirdly, to mocke the Lord is is the greateſt ſinne of all; then they ſet their mouth againſt the heavens. Pſal. 73.9. Thou art a Samaritan and haſt a divell. So to mocke him in his judgements. Eſay. 28.22. Now therefore be ye not mockers, leſt your bonds bee made ſtrong. So Luc. 16.14. and the Phariſees alſo who were covetous heard all things, and they derided him. So to mocke him in his fatherly correction; He that mocketh the poore reproveth his maker. Prov. 17.5.
Diverſe ſorts of unlaw-jeſts. foreign inſulſum.There are ſundry ſorts of jeſts which are unlawfull; firſt, jeſts that have no profit, ſuch are called Taphel, unſavory. Colloſ. 4.6. Let your ſpeeches be poudered with ſalt. Iob. 15.2. Should a wiſe man utter vaine knowledge, and fill his belly with the eaſt winde; the belly here is put for the ſtomack, and the ſtomack is put for the heart; for even as the ſtomack digeſteth meates, ſo doth the heart things tranſmitted to it from the ſenſe and phantaſie, and by the wind here, is underſtood that which is unprofitable or good for nothing. Hoſ. 8.7. Ier. 5.17. When a mans heart is filled with this wind, then his jeſts are unſavory. The ſpouſes lippes are like Lilies dropping downe ſweet ſmelling myrrhe. Cant. 5.13.
The ſecond ſort of unlawfull jeſts is in mirrhe, and it is called unchaſte mirth, foreign; ſuch mirth as is betwixt the whore and the harlot: the Holy Ghoſt when hee ſpeaketh of any uncleane thing, either naturall or morall, he expreſſeth it in cleane and comely termes; and as wee put honour upon the members of diſhonour. So doth the holy ghoſt cover theſe unclean things with comely termes, the Iewes ſay Peraſhtiu cehogen, foreign See Rom. 7.explicavi illud ſicut decet; and the Greeks call this foreign.
The third ſort of jeſts are biting and virolent jeſts, as when they mocked Chriſt, they ſaid, hee calleth upon Elias when hee ſaid, Eli, Eli, my God my God. Mat. 27. So that virolent mocke of the boyes to Eliſha, 2 King. 2. Aſcend yee bald-pate, that is, as the whirle-winde tooke away your maſter Elias, ſo it may make you mount up, and take you away that yee be never ſeene againe. The trees which growes in new Ieruſalem, Revelat. 22.2. bring forth fruit monethly, and their leaves ſerve to heale the ſores of men: The tongues of the children of God ſhould be like the tree of life, to heale the ſores of men, and not to gall and wound them: Thou that woundeſt them with the bitter ſcoffes and mockes will never bee able to edifie them; can a fountaine bring forth ſweet water and ſowre?
The higheſt degree of this mockery is, when they make a proverbe of the children of God; as Pſal. 69.11.To take up a parable ſometimes taken in a good ſenſe and ſometimes in a bad for mocking. I became a proverbe to them. So Ezek. 15.44. Behold every one that uſeth proverbs ſhall uſe this proverbe againſt thee ſaying, as is the mother ſo is the daughter. Sometimes againe this phraſe is taken in a good part. Num. 21.27. Wherefore they that ſpeake in proverbe ſay, Come unto Heſhbou, let the citie of Sihon bee built and prepared. So it is taken for the greateſt puniſhment, Deut. 28.37. And thou ſhalt become an aſtoniſhment, a proverbe and a by-word among all the nations whither the Lord thy God ſhall lead thee.
Mockers in geſture are here condemned.So mocks in geſture are here condemned, as Lagnag, ſubſannare, the mocke which is made both with the mouth, and with the noſe; which the Apoſtle calleth foreign, to fliere with the noſe. Gal. 6.7. So the nodding of the head, Pſal. 22.7. They ſhake the head. Marke a difference betwixt theſe phraſes,Movere caput, & movere tibi caput ut differunt. movere caput, & movere tibi caput: movere caput eſt deridentis; movere tibi caput cum habet dativum rei vel perſonae expreſſum, ſignificat condolere: foreign Quis movebit tibi caput? foreign Deridendentis ſunt.as Nahum. 3.7. Quis movebit tibi, ſcil. caput. Who will bemoane thee, becauſe when we have pitie upon one, we move the head. Sometimes to move the head is a ſigne of aſtoniſhment: Ier. 18 16. Every one that paſſeth thereby ſhall bee aſtoniſhed, and wagge his head. So to ſhut out the tongue: Eſay. 57.4. Against whom doe doe ye ſport your ſelves? againſt whom make yee a wide mouth, and draw out the tongue? So to ſhut out the lippe: Pſal. 22.7. They ſhoote out the lippe. So Prov. 16.30. Moving his lippes, he bringeth evill things to paſſe. So the putting out of the finger; Eſay. 58.9. If thou take away from the midſt of thee, the yoake and putting forth of the finger and ſpeaking vanity; They ſhoote out their middle finger, the reſt of their fingers being folded; and therefore it is called digitus infamis.
So to make a man Letopheth, that is, to houre him out with drummes and tabrets; the Greekes called foreign, cum manuum plauſu riſus excitatur, when they laugh clapping their hands. Lament. 2.15. All that paſſe by clap their hands.
Concluſion.The concluſion of this is: Pſal. 1.1. Bleſſed is the man that walketh not in the councell of the ungodly, nor ſtand in the way of ſinners; nor ſitteth in the ſeat of the ſcornefull. It is a great ſinne to walke in the councell of the ungodly, a greater ſinne to ſtand in the way of ſinners, but the greateſt ſinne of all is, to ſit in the ſeat of the ſcornefull: to ſit here, is deliberately and adviſedly to ſit as Iudge, and to mocke.