Sidenote: Num. xii. 8.
Sidenote: Deut. xxxiv. 10.
Sidenote: Exod. xxxiv. 28.
Sidenote: Ib. iv. 12.
Sidenote: Num. xii. 1.
1. THE greatness of each person as regards his own functions is taught
us in that Scripture lesson by which your attention has been justly
attracted, that Moses, than whom no man saw God more intimately,
_neither arose there a prophet since in Israel whom the Lord knew face
to face_; he who was constantly with the Lord forty days and nights,
when he received the law in the Mount, he, I say, to whom the Lord gave
the words which he should speak, is found to have approved the counsel
of his brother Aaron more than his own. Was there then any man more
prudent and learned than Moses? Nay, of Aaron himself we afterwards
read that together with Miriam he transgressed concerning the Ethiopian
woman.
Sidenote: Deut. xviii. 15.
Sidenote: S. Luke xvi. 31.
2. But I would have you carefully consider this very thing, how Moses
excelled in knowledge, Aaron in counsel. Moses was the greatest prophet,
who said of Christ, _Like unto me, unto Him shall ye hearken_. And the
Lord Himself says of him, _if they hear not Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead_. In the
matter of prophecy therefore Moses is preferred as a prophet; but where
the subject and function and office relates to the Priesthood, Aaron is
preferred as being a Priest. Let us now treat the passage itself.
Sidenote: Lev. x. 16–18.
3. A he-goat was slain for sin; offered for an whole burnt-offering.
Moses afterwards sought for it, and it was burnt. _And he was angry
with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive,
saying, Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin-offering in the holy place,
seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity
of the congregation? Ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place
as I commanded._ Now when Aaron saw that Moses was angry he replied to
him meekly, _Behold, this day have they offered their sin-offering and
their burnt-offering before the Lord, and such things have befallen
me, and if I had eaten the sin-offering to-day, should it have been
accepted in the sight of the Lord? And when Moses heard that, he was
content._ Let us consider what these things mean.
4. Not to sin is an attribute of God alone: to amend and correct one’s
error and to do penance for one’s sin is the part of a wise man. But
this is very difficult in this human life. For what is so rare as to
find a man who will convict himself, and condemn his own act? Rare
is the confession of sin, rare is penitence, rare among men is the
admission of that word. Nature and shame both recoil from it; nature,
because all are under sin, and he who wears flesh is subject to
transgression. Thus the nature of the flesh, and the allurements of
the world are repugnant to innocence and integrity. Shame recoils also,
because every man blushes to confess his own fault, thinking more of
the present than of the future.
Sidenote: Ps. xiv. 6.
5. Now Moses desired to find a soul free from sin, that it might lay
aside the slough of error, and depart, relieved from transgression,
without any cause of shame within itself. But such a soul he found not,
because an irrational impulse comes quickly on, and a certain flame,
whose motions are very swift, feeds upon the soul, and burns up its
innocence. For the future is outweighed by the present, moderation by
violence, worth by numbers, soberness by pleasure, hardness by luxury,
sadness by joy, austerity by blandishments, slowness by too great
precipitance. And iniquity, which suggests occasions of doing evil,
is a thing swift in its nature, for its _feet are swift to shed blood_;
but all virtue uses gentle and long delays, judging beforehand and
looking narrowly into what is to be undertaken. And thus the good mind
scrutinizes its own counsels, and examines beforehand what is becoming
and excellent; but in iniquity the act outstrips consideration.
Penitence therefore is tardy and abashed, because it is oppressed and
drawn back by present shame; having, in itself, regard only to things
future, the hope whereof is late, the fruit tardy, and so the desire of
them is tardy also.
6. During these strivings of hope and virtue shamelessness runs
onward, and by the glare of things present, penitence is excluded,
its affections are, as it were, burnt up, and all that has respect to
it is lost. The Law seeks and finds it not, for it is scorched by the
heat and smoke of iniquity, and the anger, as it were, of the Law is
roused. Moses says that the sin-offering ought to have been eaten in
the holy place, and rebukes the priests as remiss; Aaron replies that
the priestly judgment ought to be cautious; that such a function must
not be lightly entrusted to an unsound conscience, lest this error be
worse than the first. For by a filthy vessel wine or oil is easily
tainted and spoilt.
7. But how could sin be burnt out when the fire was strange fire; and
this in the sight of the Lord to Whom even hidden things are known? Can
it please the Lord, if a man, while he is yet engaged in sin, and keeps
unrighteousness in his heart, professes that he is doing penance? It is
the same thing as if one who is sick should feign himself well, he will
only become worse; for the pretence of health can avail him nothing;
since it is but shadowed forth by words, not sustained by any support
of virtue.
8. This strange fire then is lust, this strange fire is every incentive
of cupidity, this strange fire is all burning avarice. By this fire man
is not cleansed but rather burned up. For where this strange fire is,
if any man offer himself in the sight of the Lord, the celestial fire
consumes him as it did Nadab and Abihu who were burned together with
those sacrifices which had been offered for sin on the sacred Altars.
He therefore who would cleanse his sin let him remove from him strange
fire. Let him offer himself to that fire only which burns up the fault
not the man.
Sidenote: S. Matt. iii. 11.
Sidenote: Ib. ix. 20.
Sidenote: Luke xix. 8.
Sidenote: Heb. xii. 29.
Sidenote: S. Luke xxiii. 43.
9. And who this fire is, let us learn from the words, that Jesus _shall
baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire_. This is that fire which
dried up her issue of blood who had suffered it for twelve years; that
fire, which took away the sin of S. Zacchæus when he said that he would
give half of his goods to the poor, and if he had taken any thing from
any man would restore fourfold. This is that fire, which wiped away
the thief’s crime, for He is _a consuming fire_ Who said, _To-day shalt
thou be with Me in Paradise_. Thus He healed those in whom He found a
simple and pure confession; no malice, no fraud.
Sidenote: S. Matt. xxvii. 4.
10. Judas moreover could not obtain a remedy, although he said, _I have
sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood_, for he cherished
within his breast strange fire, which urged him on to destroy himself.
He was not worthy to be healed, for he wept not through conversion of
his inmost mind, nor did he diligently do penance; for such is the love
of the Lord Jesus that He would have granted pardon even to him, had he
waited for the mercy of Christ.
Sidenote: S. John iv. 34.
Sidenote: Isa. xxx. 15.
11. This fault therefore the priests cannot remove, nor the sin
of him who offers himself in guile, and still harbours a desire of
transgressing. For they cannot eat of that which is full of fraud, and
has the serpent’s scar within; for the food of the priest lies in the
remission of sins. Wherefore Christ the chief of Priests says, _My
meat is to do the will of My Father which is in heaven_. What is the
will of God but this, _In returning and rest shall ye be saved_? In the
guileful man therefore there is no food. Neither again can he taste the
sweetness of a feast whose conscience is not sincere and pure; for the
bitterness of fraud takes away the sweetness of the viands; and an evil
conscience will not permit penitence to refresh and feed the guilty
soul.
Sidenote: Lev. xvi. 27.
12. Such affections therefore, such petitions, such penitence are
neither useful nor a pleasure to the priests. And that he-goat offered
as an whole burnt offering for sin was deservedly burnt, because
strange fire was found in the sacrifice. On that account it was not
a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to God; for that is not accepted
which has not been approved among the riches of sincerity and truth.
Sidenote: Ib. xvi. 8.