Aaron
The True Priest's Garments
The ideal priest is adorned with holiness, light, and harmony, leading souls to life and rest.
Holiness on the head, Light and perfections on the breast, Harmonious bells below, raising the dead to lead them to life and rest; this is how true Aarons are dressed.✦✦✦1
The Poor Priest's Confession
The speaker laments his own profaneness, defects, and inner noise, confessing himself a poor and unworthy priest.
Profanity in my head, defects and darkness in my heart, a clamor of passions ringing me for dead in a place where there is no rest: I am dressed as a poor priest.✦
Dressed in Christ
Through Christ as his head, heart, and music, the speaker is transformed from dead to alive, clothed in holiness and perfection, and can declare himself truly dressed as Aaron.
I have only another head, another heart and breast, another music — one that makes me live, not dead. Without him I could have no rest. In him I am well dressed.✦✦2 Christ is my only head, my sole heart and breast, my only music, striking me even dead—so that I may rest from my old self and be newly dressed in him.3 So holy in my head, perfect and light in my dear breast, my doctrine tuned by Christ (who is not dead, but lives in me while I rest)— Come, people; Aaron is dressed.✦
Read the original English
Holinesse on the head, Light and perfections on the breast, Harmonious bells below, raising the dead To leade them unto life and rest; Thus are true Aarons drest.
Profanenesse in my head, Defects and darknesse in my breast, A noise of passions ringing me for dead Unto a place where is no rest: Poore priest thus am I drest.
Onely another head I have, another heart and breast, Another musick, making live not dead, Without whom I could have no rest: In him I am well drest.
Christ is my onely head, My alone onely heart and breast, My onely musick, striking me ev'n dead; That to the old man I may rest, And be in him new drest.
So holy in my head, Perfect and light in my deare breast, My doctrine tun'd by Christ, (who is not dead, But lives in me while I do rest) Come people; Aaron's drest.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Exod.28.36-Exod.28.38 — You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy to the LORD.' Exod.28.37 — You shall set it on a cord of blue, and it shall be on the turban; it shall be on the front of the turban. Exod.28.38 — So it shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the guilt of the holy things that the sons of Israel consecrate with all their holy gifts. And it shall be on his forehead continually, for acceptance for them before the LORD.
- ↩Exod.28.30 — And you shall put the Urim and the Thummim into the breastpiece of judgment, and they shall be over Aaron's heart when he enters before the LORD, and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the sons of Israel over his heart before the LORD continually.
- ↩Exod.28.33-Exod.28.35 — And you shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarn, around its hem, and gold bells in between them all around. Exod.28.34 — a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around Exod.28.35 — And it shall be on Aaron when he serves, and his sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, and he shall not die.
- ↩Exod.28.33-Exod.28.35 — And you shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet yarn, around its hem, and gold bells in between them all around. Exod.28.34 — a gold bell and a pomegranate, a gold bell and a pomegranate, on the hem of the robe all around Exod.28.35 — And it shall be on Aaron when he serves, and his sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before the LORD, and when he comes out, and he shall not die.
- ↩Col.1.18;Eph.1.22 — And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might have first place in everything. Eph.1.22 — And he put all things under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church.
- ↩Matt.11.28-Matt.11.29 — Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Matt.11.29 — Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- ↩Gal.2.20 — I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Notes
- 1 ↩"Light and perfections" echoes the priestly breastplate's Urim and Thummim (often rendered "lights and perfections"); the head-holiness and hem-bells likewise track Aaron's vestments in Exodus 28.
- 2 ↩“Another head / heart / breast / music” names a second, true vestment and life in contrast to the speaker’s own deficient priesthood in the previous stanza; the next stanza identifies this “other” as Christ.
- 3 ↩Source “old man” is the Pauline term for the unrenewed sinful nature (often rendered “old self” in contemporary English). “In him” refers to Christ, continuing the poem’s clothing/priestly-dressing motif.
The Temple: Sacred Poems and Private Ejaculations companion
A prayer for every moment, already on your phone
Chosen Portion puts a curated historic prayer in front of you each day — so the words are there before the moment arrives.
Chosen Portion is the digital descendant of the carried prayer book: the short daily prayers this collection preserves, delivered one a day to your pocket.
- One short, memorable prayer delivered daily — build your repertoire a card at a time
- Prayers matched to real situations: fear, gratitude, decisions, grief, sleep
- Save favourites into your personal pocket collection you can open anywhere