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"He that dwells in the heavens shall laugh them to scorn, and the Lord shall have them in derision" [Psalm 2:4]. The sentence is repeated; for "He who dwells in the heavens," is afterwards put, "the Lord;" and for "shall laugh them to scorn," is afterwards put, "shall have them in derision." Nothing of this however must be taken in a carnal sort, as if God either laughs with cheek, or derides with nostril; but it is to be understood of that power which He gives to His saints, that they seeing things to come, namely, that the Name and rule of Christ is to pervade posterity and possess all nations, should understand that those men "meditate a vain thing." For this power whereby these things are foreknown is God's "laughter" and "derision." "He that dwells in the heavens shall laugh them to scorn." If by "heavens" we understand holy souls, by these God, as foreknowing what is to come, will "laugh them to scorn, and have them in derision."

Then when he says, "He who dwells," the suppression of those plotting against the kingdom of David is set forth. And concerning this he does two things. First, it is shown how they are suppressed by the Lord. Second, how by his Christ, at "But I have been appointed," etc. Against these -- namely the Lord and his Christ -- they plotted, as was said. Concerning the first, note four things: namely derision, scorn, angry speech, and disturbance. For just as a boy of no strength and power, if he fights against a giant, is laughed at by the giant, so if anyone of no power wishes to plot against him who dwells in the heavens, he is laughed at by him. Job 35: "Look up to heaven and behold, and contemplate the sky, that it is higher than you. If you sin, what will you harm him?" And if the powerless one persists, then the one who is more powerful rebukes and scorns him. For derision is done with the mouth, according to Jerome in the Gloss; but scorn with a wrinkled and contracted nose, arising from a certain slight indignation. Prov. 1: "I also will laugh at your destruction and will mock, when what you feared comes upon you." But if he in no way desists, he proceeds to vengeance; and therefore he says, "Then he will speak to them in his wrath," that is, he will pronounce the sentence of vengeance against them. For wrath does not befall God, but what belongs to the creature is sometimes attributed to the Creator by anthropopathy, which is a human pre-passion. Ps. 6: "Lord, not in your wrath," etc. Finally, the sentence is carried out; and therefore he says, "and in his fury he will trouble them," in heart and in soul in eternal punishment: that is, by his own power he will punish them. Job 15: "When he moves to seek bread, he knows that the day of darkness is prepared in his hand; tribulation will terrify him, and anguish will surround him." These four things will occur at the judgment. For he will deride by placing them on the left: Mt. 25. He will scorn, saying: "I was hungry," etc., reproaching them. He will speak in wrath, sentencing: "Depart, you cursed, into eternal fire," etc. He will trouble them, executing the sentence: "These will go into eternal punishment," etc.

In short, Mr. McCabe is under the influence of a primary fallacy which I have found very common in men of the clerical type. Numbers of clergymen have from time to time reproached me for making jokes about religion; and they have almost always invoked the authority of that very sensible commandment which says, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Of course, I pointed out that I was not in any conceivable sense taking the name in vain. To take a thing and make a joke out of it is not to take it in vain. It is, on the contrary, to take it and use it for an uncommonly good object. To use a thing in vain means to use it without use. But a joke may be exceedingly useful; it may contain the whole earthly sense, not to mention the whole heavenly sense, of a situation. And those who find in the Bible the commandment can find in the Bible any number of the jokes. In the same book in which God’s name is fenced from being taken in vain, God himself overwhelms Job with a torrent of terrible levities. The same book which says that God’s name must not be taken vainly, talks easily and carelessly about God laughing and God winking. Evidently it is not here that we have to look for genuine examples of what is meant by a vain use of the name. And it is not very difficult to see where we have really to look for it. The people (as I tactfully pointed out to them) who really take the name of the Lord in vain are the clergymen themselves. The thing which is fundamentally and really frivolous is not a careless joke. The thing which is fundamentally and really frivolous is a careless solemnity.