October 1928
604
T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
fane language. Accosting him, he said: “ This boy was born and brought up in a heathen country, a land of idolatry, but in all his life he never heard a man blas pheme his Maker until now.” The man apologized and moved away in shame. • Swearing seems to be the product o f civilization, and many Americans are addicted to the habit. W e heard o f an American traveler in Russia who was taken to be a minister because he was not heard to swear, all Amer icans being supposed to be given to the use bf “ cuss words.” It is certainly no mark, o f manliness, as the writer con tends in the periodical quoted, nor is it “ a healthful exercise;” or “ a badge, o f sincerity.” It is neither brave, courteous nor reverent. It betrays vain foolishness. There is no benefit whatever to be derived from it. It is a sac rilege that influences men away from God and righteous ness. It ordinarily goes with brutality and clusters with all sins. It betrays low breeding. People o f character detest hearing it. It admits o f no defense whatever. Our Lord A Poet A BOOK has been published fairly recently called “ The . Poetry of Our Lord.” It is by the late Professor C. F. Burney, o f whose scholarship there can be no doubt. Our Lord most probably spoke not in Greek, but in Aramaic, the language o f the Hebrew common people— “ the poor,” to whom the Gospel was preached. Professor Burney has discovered that if we translate our Lord’s say ings from the Greek of the New Testament into Aramaic, they obey the laws o f Hebrew poetry. “ The Lord’s Prayer,” for example, becomes a hymn in two four-beat tristichs. He shows that when the Lord’s prayer is translated into Aramaic it has not only the rhythm of poetry, but also the rhyme as well. Then he goes on to show that this is true o f many other o f our Lord’s utterances: The Sermon on the Mount, the com mission .to the disciples, some of the parables, and His last discourse given to St. John. All o f these in Aramaic obey the laws o f Hebrew poetry! “ It is impossible to resist the conclusion that we have our Lord’s very words as He shaped them into a form which the humblest of His disciples could easily memorize.” This is a truly remarkable discovery and one which once more awakens the question o f verbal inspiration. But the New Testament was given to the world in Greek. W e have been told that this is because it is a lan guage of such beauty and of such marvelous power o f expressing clear thought. But is it not also a wonderful revelation of God’s forbearance, and His amazing and abounding love? For did the Jews—God’s chosen people — suffer at the hands o f any nation as they suffered from the Greek ? “ O f all races, and they were many, hostile to Israel,” says one, “ none was a more deadly foe than the Greek. None was a more relentless prosecutor. None was, by its luxury, by its culture, by its critical acumen, a more seductive foe to the morals and faith of Judaism.” Yet God graciously took the language of the Greek to be the great means of bringing the Gentile world to the light o f the Gospel o f Christ.
:: Heart to Heart ::
The Curse of Cursing I T is indeed lamentable to find a great magazine like The North American Review (Feb., 1928) carrying an article condoning swearing. Various notables who have enjoyed the use of “ cuss words” are brought before us, and the writer contends that honest swearing is a health ful exercise, a tonic for irritable nerves. “ Doubtless much o f the nagging and nervousness ascribed to the gentler sex have been due to the uncharitable convention o f the past’ which excluded them from the benefits of this wholesome practice,” says the writer. “ In its mechanism, swearing is analogous to the locomotive blowing off steam. It re lieves a high-pressure tension in the human engine; and often averts what might otherwise be a serious explosion.” He recites the case of a very “ human man” who loved to swear before clergymen “ because he knew it pleased them. They couldn’t swear themselves; but they did enjoy hearing a few good cuss words;” Lest some might surmise that this author merely advo cates the use of mild invectives rather than familiar words o f profanity, permit us to quote: “ Some well- intentioned persons have suggested the substitution of harmless invectives in place of the recognized cuss words. For instance, when a man loses his temper, let him ex claim : ‘Bats and Black Beetles!’ Such reasoning shows a lamentable lack of acquaintance with the underlying psychology of swearing. It is just because it is the thing forbidden that swearing is effective. Were it not taboo, it would fail to give relief. Real swearing is a badge o f sincerity.” ■ Modern writers are becoming more and more open in their advocacy o f things forbidden by the Word of God. Certainly no person who has the first degree o f reverence for God, or respect for his own devout mother or father, will take the name o f God or Christ in vain. Profanity is a tribute which a confirmed servant of the devil pays to his master. John Bunyan, we are told, was so profane as to bring down upon himself the rebuke o f a vile woman o f the town. The thought that he was so wicked as to incur the reproof of one so vile as she, cut him to the heart and led to his conversion: A teamster, pointing to one of his horses, said to a friend: “ That -horse knows when I swear.” “ Yes,” an swered his friend, “and so does God.” “ Swear not at a ll" says the Word of God, and in view o f "such an exhortation, the Christian who makes use of “ cuss words” grieves the Spirit and releases his own spiritual power. Peter, when out o f fellowship with Christ, denied his Lord with curses and oaths. He wanted his hearers to understand that he was in no way associated with Christ, and knew well that he could give no more con vincing proof than to swear. When Dr. Scudder was returning from India, he was upon the liner with his son when he heard a man use pro
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs