PROFANE. This is said of the Contempt and Abuse of holy Things. A Man who is defiled, and touches any sacred Thing, pollutes or profanes it. He is called profane, who is not distinguish’d by any sacred Character. Profane Persons are not to meddle with, to speak or write upon sacred Matters. A profane Man, or Laick, is not to touch the holy Vessels, or to be employ’d in divine Mysteries. He that makes a Jest of sacred Things, who profanes them by the Abuse he makes of them, who defiles himself by impure or shameful Actions, is a profane Person. The Scripture calls Esau profane, Heb. xii. 16. Gen. xliii. 32.because he sold his Birth-right, which was consider’d as an holy Thing. The Egyptians would not admit the Hebrews to their Tables, because they held them as profane. Profanum putant hujusmodi convivium. The Priests of the Race of Aaron were enjoyn’d to distinguish between sacred and profane, between pure and defiled; and for this Reason Lev. x. 10.the Use of Wine was forbid them in the Temple, during their Time of Waiting. It was forbid them to keep the Flesh of the Peace-offerings above two Days. If they eat of it on the third Day, they were punish’d as Profaners of holy Things. Profanus erit, & Lev. xix. 7.impietatis reus.
Animals that were declared unclean by the Law, made those that touched them, or eat of them, unclean, profane, and polluted. Isa. lxv. 4.Isaiah calls those profane, who eat of the Flesh of Swine, or who have profane Broth in their Pot. Jus profanum in vasis eorum. When the City of Jerusalem is compared to the Temple, the Soil of this City is called Ezek. xlvii. 15. 2 Mac. xii. 23.profane; that is to say, appointed to common Uses, and for an Habitation of Laicks. Profana erunt urbis in habitaculum. In the second Book of Maccabees, the Heathen that composed the Army of Timotheus, are called profane. St. Paul marks as profane, such novel Words and Expressions as are needlesly 1 Tim. vi. 20.introduced into Religion. Profanas vocum novitates.
To profane the Temple, to profane the Sabbath, to profane the Altar, are common Expressions, to denote the Violation of the Repose of the Sabbath, the entering of Foreigners into the Temple, the Irreverences that are committed there, the impious Sacrifices that are offer’d on the Altar of the Lord.
Ps. lxxxix. 31.To profane the Statutes, or the Commandments of God, is to transgress and violate them.
To profane the Covenant, or Prom-Ps. lxxxix. ises which are sworn to by an Oath, is 34. to frustrate them, or not perform Ecclus. xlvii. 22. Deut. xx. 5.them.
To profane his Race, to blemish the Glory of it. The Author of Ecclesiasticus says, that Solomon profaned his Race, because by his Sins he was the Occasion, that God did not give his Spirit of Wisdom to his Son Rehoboam, who by his Imprudence alienated the Minds of the Israelites, and caused the Revolt of the ten Tribes from Levit. xix. 23. Jer. xxxi. 5.him.
To profane a Vine, or a Tree, is to make them common, and proper to be employ’d in ordinary Uses. What Man is he that hath planted a Vineyard, and hath not yet eaten of it? The Hebrew says literally, who hath not yet profaned it. In Leviticus, where Moses passes a Law concerning the Fruit of Trees newly planted, he expresses the Impurity of the First-fruits by the Name of Circumcision Ye shall count the Fruit thereof as uncircumcised. For the three first Years, these Fruits were cut off as impure. The fourth Year they offer’d what was produced in the Temple. Lastly, in the fifth Year the Owner had the Liberty of making use of the Fruit as his own, which then became profane or common. Jeremiah promises the Israelites, that they should return again into their own Country, that they should plant Vineyards on the Mountains of Samaria, and should profane them; that is, should eat of the Fruit thereof. The Vulgate says, Plantabunt plantantes, & donec tempus veniat, non vindemiabunt. They should not touch thereof ‘till the fifth Year. The Hebrew says, Plantabunt plantantes, Job xi. 8. Job xvii. 16. Isa. vii. 11.& profanabunt.