244 



a severe plague which was inflicted on them as 

 a punishment, and which swept off many thou- 

 sand people. 



" The history of this obdurate Prophet furnishes 

 a deplorable instance of the weakness of the 

 human heart, and of the obstinacy with which 

 it clings to sinful passions, in spite of the most 

 solemn warnings. Balaam could not forego the 

 tempting offer of Balak, nor the allurements of 

 his own ambition : after having been refused per- 

 mission to go to that king, and after having been 

 obliged to bless the people instead of cursing 

 them, he endeavoured, by his mischievous counsel, 

 to seduce the Israelites into idolatry. He ex- 

 pressed indeed a hope of dying the death of the 

 righteous, but for that purpose he should have 

 lived the life of the righteous. He was cut off 

 by the avenging sword ; and his end furnishes 

 an awful example of the gradual progress of sin, 

 and proves that extraordinary ' gifts of the Spirit' 

 are not always accompanied by the genuine 

 * fruits of the Spirit.' When we possess ex- 

 traordinary talents, or any peculiar gifts from 

 Providence, we should consider them as so 

 many temptations or trials, and pray the more 

 humbly and strenuously for assistance to use 

 them virtuously." 



My uncle then explained that to tempt, is an 

 old English word, which signifies to try ; it is 

 frequently so used in all our old works, as well 



