The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-01-08
HuMsr in the Bible

The disposition to trifls with sacred asso
cations cannot be too severely rsprehendsd
lrreverencs does not scrupls to relate anec
dotes in pervsrsion of Scripture texts, and
to fasten on them the most ludicrsus inter
pretatisns possible. The humor in such
cases is not derived from tho original mar
rative, but from the incsnsrueus relation.
to it of some accidental circumstance. We
may net always avoid sAils when some
thing Of this sort is forced upon our sttsn.
ton, but it is unwise to treasure it up, and
wrong to set it atloat upon the current OF
worldly gossip.
There arc, however, suggestions Of q
humorous character which do not detract
from our reverence either eff the book OF
for the characters represented in it. Some
of these suggestions are the result Of chang
cd custom. IT the elders or deaeons of 4
modern church Should report to the pastor
the falling away" Of certain Of his church
members, his heart would be grievsd at the
detection. He would perhaps wear a sad
and troubled look wherever he went. But
suppose him to express his grief as Ezra
did Oh similar occasion, by tearing in
pieces his cloak and coat, and by pulling
out hair from his head and beard? There
was 30 much "rendins of garments -
among the ancients that we wonder that
wives and mothers did not become impa-
tient at grief. They must have kept large
msnaing baskets. Imagine what an accu-
mutation Of needle-work would be occa-
stoned by any public affection had this Gus
tom descended to US.
Some Of tho Mosaic ordinances are so
foreign to the spirit Of our modern society
that it is hard to conceive that they could
have been fulfilled with the gravity suited
to divinely ordained cxstsm. Marriage
with a deceased Wife's sister vss prohib-
tied, but marriage with deceased broth
er's wife was in some cases compulsory
under pain of public esrensny-having
the shss lsosed. The woman whom the
unfortunate man did not wish to marry
took off his sandal in the presence Of the
elders, spat in his face, end gsvs the sandal
to sighbor-psrchancs to . man Who
had 4 liking for her. In the case II Boaz,
this public ceremony Vas necessary before
he could step into the shoes of near kins-
man.
Certain acts recorded Of prophets and
inspired men, and attributed by Scripture
writers themselves to Divine authority, are
at least amusing.
Samson INDUCED in sort of grim humsr
when he took the doors of the gate of the
city Of GAIA and the two pests and went
away with them, bar and all, and carried
them up to the top of hill miles distant,
and also when he slew thousand of his
enemies with the jawbons of an ass. His
original manner of picking , quarrel with
his enemies is not little remarkable. We
are told "that it was of the Lord :" but
we should certainly set down a. danger
ously whimsical man who married a wife
for the sake Of &c finding occasion " to kill
her country people, and to set their prop
erty on fire. Royal alliances have often
been made for similar reasons, and there is
always an element Of absurdity in them.
In Solomen's writings there il much
which shows that tho wissst nan hsd pur-
chased his wisdom by experience sorrovful
enough to himself, but highly entertaining
to lookers-on. He describes tie fool and
the sluggard by vivid comparisons, such as
solemn folk of the present day think too
undignified for the pulpit. A Clergyman
will read without thought Of humor,
" Though thou bray fool in mortar
among wheat with pestle, yet will not his
foolishness depart from him - but should
he dare to originate an equally striking
illustration, making use of some modern
invention, say the threshing machine, his
hearers would wake from their half con-
scious state and look 1t one another as if
to say, How odd +! how presumptuous how
out of taste Should ho describe man as
too lazy to eat, he would be thought vulgar,
unless he had just read, "The sluggard