BBked, and discovered thBt self-indnlgence nourished appetite inoo pasHion, which carried them nway beyond Bll possibility of self-restraint. Indulgence involved loss of moral power. Feed the body and yon will inevitably starve the soul, bring "leanness into the soul." "The gratification of wilful and presumptuous desire begets only an intenser sense of want." Chateaubriand tells how the "Meschacebe, soon after leaving its source Bmong the hills, began to feel weary of being a simple brook, and so asked for snow from the mountains, water from the torrents, rain from the tempests, until, its petitions granted, it burst its bounds, and ravaged its hitherto delightsome banks. At first the proud stream exulted in its force, but seeing ere long that it carried desola- tion in its flow, that its progress was now doomed to solitude, and that its waters were for ever turbid, it came to regret the humble bed hollowed out for it by nature, the birds, the flowers, the trees, and the brooks, hitherto the modest companions of its tranquil course." In Numb. xi. 4 we are told that" the mixed multitude that was among them fell a-lusting," and the Israelites joined them in crying for flesh to eat. What ought they to have done? I. SINFUL DESIRES WILL SOMETIMES ARISE EVEN IN GOOD MEN. Wanting what is not provided, or what is contrary to the Divine will, under the urgings of bodily passion, is a constant experience. It is even illustrated in the idea of making bread out of stones, to satisfy hunger, which came to Jesus in the wilderness. Every man must take account of the fact that his bodily passions may at any time become temptations. IT. SINFUL DESIRES MUST BE REPRESSED WITHIN BAJ'E LTJIIITS, .And this we do by refusing to let them say anything or do anything. Compelled silence soon weakens them. That power of self-mastery a man may have and hold if he gains it in the first occasion of struggle with uprising desires; but it is very hard to win again if once it is lost. III. SINFUL DESmES INDULGED GAIN RUINOUS MASTERY. The common law of wanting to do a thing again which we have once done acts in this. And all indulgence tends to weaken moral power. Illustrated by the drunkard and by the devil-posses- sions (Legion) of the New Testament.-R. T. Ver. 16.-The character of .Aaron. "The saint of the Lord." Perowne renders, "the holy one of Jehovah." The word "saint" is equivalent to "set apart one," "consecrated priest." "The term denotes official sanctity-that derived from a Divine consecration. It will be remembered that Korab, Dathan, ancl .A.biram denied the privileges of the priesthood on the ground that all the congregation were holy, every one of them, and that Moses replied, 'The man whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be the holy one"' (Numb. xvi. 3-7). Every man, to be studied fairly, must be viewed ·both in bis public and his private character. Officialism may but present to us a character put on. It may be the fair and honest expression of what a man really is. I. THE 0HABACTER 011' AARON AS A MAN. It has been summarized in this way : "Aaron was of an impulsive character, leaning for the most part on his brother, but occasionally showing, as is not infrequent with such minds, a desire to appear inde- pendent." It must be borne in mind that Aaron received no such personal revela- tions from God as Moses received, and that he never occupied other than a subordinate place, and so never felt the sanctifying pressure of supreme responsibility. He was a man who could follow, but could not lead; who could serve, but could not rule. There are such among us; men who are good and trustworthy servants, but who ruin every business of which they have control. And these very men a.re often like Aaron, hankering after the positions for which they are unfitted. There is tinder of jealousy in such men e.t the success of others, which e. spark will easily set alight. Aarons can carry out; they cannot initiate. II. THE CHARACTER OIi' AARON AS A PRIEST. This office suited him precisely, because in it he could be wholly occupied with providing details. A priest is a man who is not required to have e. will cf his own. A .course is prescribed; he is to be loyal in following out that course, Aaron's official character comes out well, but it was subject to some severe strains. He would have kept all right if things had con- tinued in their regular routine, Routine does not weary the Aaron-type of man. 486 THE BOOK OF PSALMS. [l'B, OV[, 1-4.8.
But lhc unusu&l upset him. He felt nervous. He could not decide and stand firm• he Id olhers o,·errnlc him, and unduly influence him; he could not rely on his ow~ judgmeut; he tried to master difficullies in the weakest of ways, by compromises. -H.T.