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that the Glorious Saviour is Himself the Bridegroom, riding on, because His kingdom is always coming, so we know that the Bride is the Church-the whole multitude of souls who have joined themselves for ever to Him. In one sense, we, as Christians, belong to them, and so are joined in the Bride. In another sense we are companions and guests-happy, most happy to be bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb; when, if we be not of the number of the foolish and wicked who are shut out, we shall more fully know the meaning of the glorious psalm and the still more glorious vision.

LESSON CXXX.

THE CHOICE OF SOLOMON.

B.C. 1014.-2 CHRON. i. 1— -6; 1 KINGS iii. 5—15.

And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.

Then Solomon spake unto all Israel, to the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and to the judges, and to every governor in all Israel, the chief of the fathers.

So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of the congregation of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

But the ark of God had David brought up from Kirjath-jearim to the place which David had prepared for it: for he had pitched a tent for it at Jerusalem.

Moreover the brazen altar, that Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, he put before the tabernacle of the LORD: and Solomon and the congregation sought unto it.

And Solomon went up thither to the brazen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it.

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In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee.

And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.

And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of

David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.

And thy servant is in the midst of thy peop'e which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.

Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

And the speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing.

And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;

Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.

And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

COMMENT.-As soon as Solomon had taken possession of his kingdom after his father's death, he collected the heads of all the tribes and all the captains of his army, to hold a solemn festival with him at Gibeon, before the old Tabernacle which had been made at Mount Sinai. The Ark of the Covenant was at Jerusalem in David's tabernacle, but the brazen altar made by Bezaleel in the wilderness was still at Gibeon, and there Solomon held his great feast of sacrifice, where all the heads of Israel joined, and made their offerings; so that a thousand were made upon the altar. It was as it were the farewell to the old Tabernacle, which was about to pass away, in favour of the more solid House of God which Solomon was about to build.

And God Himself sanction d the change by appearing to Solomon at night at Gibeon, and promising to give him what he should ask.

Solomon's answer was beautiful and full of humility. He was twenty years old, and he felt how weak and inexperienced he was; a mere child, as he calls himself, who knew not how to deal with that great people, who clustered on every terraced slope, in every

valley, turbulent, restless, scarce yet reduced to order. Therefore his entreaty was for a wise and understanding heart, to enable him to judge rigntly and prudently. It is the same as our prayer in the collect for Whitsunday for a right judgment in all things. The speech pleased the Lord. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." The young king had not asked for long life, nor riches, nor the death of his enemies, but for true wisdom. Therefore, not only should the gift he esteemed most be granted unto him, but the wealth and glory he had not asked should be added to him; and, if he persevered in the paths of wisdom, he should live long and prosnerously. Well, then, might Solomon declare of wisdom

Length of days is in her right hand,

And in her left hand riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.

This wisdom that he asked for, and that was so abundantly granted him, was, as it would seem, a clear, discerning judgment, and great powers of the mind or intellect, together with such spiritual insight as enabled him to be an inspired writer. He had to the full all gifts of the mind; he could see to perfection what was right. The one thing that he does not seem always to have had, was a perfect will always to do what he saw to be right. We do not know whether he ought to have asked for it, or whether he trusted to the present longing of his young heart always to serve the Lord, if only he knew how; or whether this grace and power were included in his entreaty for heavenly wisdom, and he allowed himself to swerve and fall. All we do know is, that it was just this want of a perfect will that made his latter days lack the dewy freshness and sweetness of those of his father, and that gifts of the mind, precious as they are, must give place to the "more excellent way," namely, that of charity.

LESSON CXXXI.

THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON.

I KINGS iii. 19-28; iv. 20—34.

B.C. 1014.-Soon after Solomon's accession, an incident occurred that greatly spread the fam of his sagacity. Two women, each with a young infant, one only three days older than the other, were sleeping in the same house. They came before the king, one of them making her complaint.

This woman's child died in the night, because she overlaid it.

And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom.

And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.

And the other woman said, Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son. And this said, No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son. Thus they spake before the king.

Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.

And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.

And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.

Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise * slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither

mine nor thine, but divide it.

Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it she is the mother thereof.

And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment.

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Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking, and making merry.

And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river+ unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life.

And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and threescore measures of meal,

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Ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and roebucks, and fallowdeer, and fatted fowl.

For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, from Tiphsah even to Azza,* over all the kings on this side the river: and he had peace on all sides round about him.

And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon.

And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen.

And those officers provided victual for king Solomon, and for all that came unto king Solomon's table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing.

Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.

And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.

And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol: and his fame was in all nations round about.

And he spake three thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five.

And he spake of trees, from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that springeth out of the wall: he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping things, and of fishes.

And there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth, which had heard of his wisdom.

COMMENT. Each woman professed to be the mother of the living child, and as there was nothing but their word for it, Solomon used the sure test of trying which loved it best. The woman who would rather see it cut in twain than not disappoint her rival, could not be the true mother; but she who cared only to save its life deserved the decree, "Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it." The story has many meanings, but one will be enough to think of now, namely, the difference between real love and mere rivalry. Jealous rivalry would destroy the object of competition, to prevent another from obtaining it. Love would forego all her own share in what is most dear to her, give it up even to a rival, if it be for its good.

This is the judgment of Solomon recorded in the Scripture; but Jewish tradition and Eastern romance teem with stories of his decisions some beautiful, some grotesque and wild. Suleiman

* Gaza.

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