The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-05-24
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
MAY 2S.
Lesson Text: teThe Excellent Wo-
man." Prov. XXI, 1O-31-
Golden Text: Prov. XXI,
3O-Commentary.

The chapter opens with wise and loving
counsel from mother to her royal son. She
would have him to be true Nazarite and o
real friend to the desolate and oppressed, the
poor and the needy. Compare Mum. W.,
l-S; Ps. lxxii, IA. And who can help
thinking of Him who is the true brightness
of God, for such, according to Young, is the
meaning of Lemuel?
Then follow these twenty-five verses Of
our lesson concerning the model woman,
each verse In the Hebrew commencing with
letter of the alphabet in regular order, thus
forming an acrostic.
In the study of this lesson many will con-
fine themselves to the admirable portrait of
the perfect wife and mother, and thus find O
most profitable study. I will take this wo-
man as at least suggestive OF thetrue church,
the bride of Christ as to her personal stand
ing and character, her relations to her hus-
band, to her household and to the poor and
needy She is virtuous woman oversees
10, 29). Young defines virtue as strength Of
mind or body. Peter says that II we desire
an abundant entrance into the kingdom We
must add to our faith virtue. Then she
walks In the fear Of the Lord, which Is the
beginning Of wisdom and q fountain OF life
QI Pet. l., s; Prov. t., 7; 14-27).
Her clothing Is said to be silk and purple,
strength and honor Oversees %, 25), remind
ing us Of Eek. xvi, 49, II, and the clothing
of fine linen, silk and broidered work, and
the beauty because of the Lords comeliness.
See also lisa. lxi., 10. Her loins are also girt
with strength (verse 17). and what strength
Is there that can compare with that Of truth,
righteousness and faithfulness Eph. vi, IA (;
| Isa, M.. 81? Her words are wisdom and
kindness (verse 26), making US think OF Him
Who was full of grace and truth (John l., 14).
L., 11kIf If,,ls l1,,o . t.
| her, for she works early and late, before the
dawn and on into the night Oversees 10, 1s).
Her works are manifold, she is always
abounding, and it is all willing work (verses
| 1919. Compare I Cor. xv.. ST. II Cor.
| viii., II. She bringeth her food from afar
| (verse 14, suggesting to us the mamma from
| heaven in contrast to the leeks and onions Of
Egypt Mans words cannot satisfy; we
| must have the word OF God. The field which
she takes In order to work 1t and the vine
yard which she plants turn our thoughts to
The field in which Ruth cleaned and to the
| vineyard yet to prove truthful Elsa. w.,
while the Joy and reward in the time to come
| (verses 1925. 31) cannot but point us to the
| time when He shall say to the faithful, "Well
done; enter thou into the joy of the Lord"
Let the record stand as description Of the
model woman, and may the Lord greatly
multiply such among our daughters But let
| us also consider the true church and the in
| dividual believer. and may these things be
true of us ':. our daily life! Let us only be-
| ieve, and thus realize what our perfect stand
Ing Is In Christ through His finished work,
and 30 shall our lives be increasingly con-
formed to His image. more perfect reflections
| Of His life which He desires In some measure
| 10 repeat In all His redeemed, even In these
mortal bodies (II Rom. viii, %; II Cor. Ill,
l8 ;iv., 10, 11). -. ...
Her husband is mentioned in verses II, %,
%. It Is written Of Israel, "Thy Maker is thy
husband the Lord Of Hosts is His name"
lisa. liv., 81. The Lord Jesus Is frequently
spoken OF as the Bridegroom Nuke ", "a, S5 !;
John ILL.,, 90 Rev. xxi, s), and we know that
church Eph. ", 81, 32). Her husband doth
safely trust in her, and she is all His desire
| (verse 11). Hear Him say Of her, ''Thou art
all fair, my love there is no spot in thee"
"a garden inclosed Is my sister, my spouse |;
a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Song
w., 7. i2). She will do him good and not
evil (yerse 11). Her husband is known In the
gates (verse 2S).
When we have the spirit Of Paul, who de-
termined to know nothing but Christ and
Him cruciled who said, "Christ shall be
death !" who was ready not to be bound only
but to die for Jesus's sake q Cor. H., 2; Phil.
l., 20; Acts xxi, 1S), then will we ever do
| Him good and give Him pleasure, and He
shall be known and honored through US.
Her husband praiseth her (verse 26).
| Her children and her household claim q
share OF our attention. In verses a, Is, 27.
| We learn Of their clothing, their food and
their ways, all abundantly provided and well
seen to. Our clothing as children Of God Is
Christ Himself, for we are commanded to
"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. Kill,
| 14). He became sin for US that we might be
made the righteousness OF God In Him (ll
| Cor. v, 21), and In Rev. xix, s, the fine
| linen garments OF the bride represents the
Righteousness Of the saints which must be
| His righteousness impaired to us and then
wrought out through us. The church may
be said to see to this matter OF clothing by
| pointing others to Him who provides It by
| His great work.
AS to food, the church has an abundant
supply provided for her to dispense In the
wonderful word which contains milk ios
| babes and bread and strong meat for older
children q Pet. IL, 2; I Cor. ILL.,, 2; Heb. ",
l9, IA; John VI, 81, 57). Then, as to her
| wsys. we have already learned from this
book that wisdom's ways are ways OF pleas'
antness, and all her paths are paths OF peace
(iii.. III. II VIC are only willing to be guided,
ve will not fail to see the way wherein ne
| should walk and the thing that we should do
CJer. Kill, 81. See also Ps. xxxh., 8.
f, Not only are her own household, the
household Of faith (Gsl. w., 10), well seen
20, but "she stretcheth out her hand to the
| poor-yea. she reacheth both her hands to
the needy (verse 20). II the church has the
spirit OF her Lord, It will be one OF her prom
inent characteristics that the poor and needy
are we'll seen to. When jesus would prove
to John the Baptist that he was indeed the
Messiah, He told the messengers to say,
among other things, that the poor have the
gospel preached to them (Math. d., 81. 1t
will be one of the features Of the kingdom
when the church has become the bride OF
Christ that the poor and needy shall have
special care Cps. kxii., 2, 4, u, 19).
In verse so We leafn that all else but the
fear of the Lord Is only vanity, or, as it is
said In I Cor. xiii, there Is love without
which all else, even the giving Of ones body
to be burned. Is as nothing. Without Ne,
says Christ, ye can do nothing (John 1v., 6).
Paul said concerning His Hfeand His works,
"Not /, but Christ, !" 'Not I, but the grace OF
God" (Gal. H., 20 : Cor. xv., 10). When 1t
It Is so with every believer and the church as
q whole, then will this excellent woman be
fully manifested Helper.
Edyooo,o Tofoof Unvpntjnn.