There is a species of blasphemy, not without its degree of malice, found sometimes in people who are otherwise God-fearing and religious.  When He visits them with affliction and adversity, their self-conscious righteousness goes out and seeks Comparison with prosperous ungodliness, and forthwith comments on strange fact of the deserving suffering while the undeserving are spared.  They remark to themselves that the wicked always succeed, and entertain a strong suspicion that if they were as bad as others certain things would not happen.

All this smacks dangerously of revolt against the Providence of God.  Job’s problem is one that can be solved only by faith and a strong spiritual sense.  He who has it not is liable to get on the wrong side in the discussion; and it is difficult to go very far on that side without finding Providence at fault and thus becoming guilty of blasphemy.  For, to mention partiality in the same breath with God’s care of the universe, is to deny Him.

The daily papers, a few years ago, gave public notoriety to two instances of blasphemy, and their very remarkable punishment, for it is impossible not to see the hand of God in what followed so close upon the offending.  A desperate gambler called upon the Almighty to strike him dumb, if in the next deal a certain card turned up.  It did turn up, and at the last accounts the man had not yet spoken.  Another cast from his door a vendor of images and crucifixes with a curse and the remark that he would rather have the devil in his house than a crucifix.  The very next day, he became the father of what came as near being the devil as anything the doctors of that vicinity ever saw.  These are not Sunday-school stories invented to frighten children; the facts occurred, and were heralded broadcast throughout the land.

Despair urged the first unfortunate to defy the Almighty.  In the other ’twas hatred for the Church that honors the image of Christ crucified as one honors the portrait of a mother.  The blasphemy in the second case reached God as effectively as in the first, and the outrage contained in both is of an order that human language is incapable of qualifying.

CHAPTER XLVI.  CURSING.

To bless one is not merely to wish that one well, but also to invoke good fortune upon his head, to recommend him to the Giver of all goods.  So, too, cursing, damning, imprecation, malediction—­synonymous terms—­ is stronger than evil wishing and desiring.  He who acts thus invokes a spirit of evil, asks God to visit His wrath upon the object cursed, to inflict death, damnation, or other ills.  There is consequently in such language at least an implicit calling upon God, for the evil invoked is invoked of God, either directly or indirectly.  And that is why the Second Commandment concerns itself with cursing.

Thus it will be seen that this abuse of language offends against religion and charity as well.  To the malice of calling down evil upon a brother’s head is added the impiety of calling upon God to do it, to curse when He should be prayed to bless.