The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-05-24
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON TX, SECOND QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MAY %.

~. u. Stcarns.
The chapter opens with wise and loving
counsel from mother to her royal son.
She would have him to be true Nazarite
and real friend to the desolate and OBJ
pressed, the poor and the needy. Compare
Mum. vi, Is; Ps. Xxi, Il. And who can
help thinking of Him who is the true
brightness of God, for such, according to
Young, is the meaning of LemuR?
Then follow these % verses of our lesson
concerning the model woman, each verse
in the Hebrew commencing with a 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 a most profitable study l will take
this woman as at least suggestive OF the
true church, the bride of Christ, as to her
personal standing and character, her rela-
ton to her husband. to her household and
to the poor and needy. She is a virtuous
woman oversees 10, 29) Young defines virtue
as strength of mind or body. Peter says
that if 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
a fountain Of life Oh Pet. i, 5; Prov. i, Z;
1427.
Her clothing is said to be silk and purple.
strength and honor (verses %, 25), remind
ing us of Eek. xvi, 10, IA, and the clothing
Of fine linen, silk and broidered work, and
the beauty because of the Lords comeli-
MSS. See also lisa. Xxi, TO- Her loins are
saso girt with strength Verse ID, and what
strength is there that can compare with
that of truth, righteousness and faithful
ness (Eph. vi, IL lisa. xi, so Her words are
wisdom and kindness Verse 26), making us
think of Him who was full of grace and
truth John i, IA.
There is no slothfulness nor love of ease
in her, for she works early and late, before
the dawn and on into the night oversees 70,
49, Her works are manifold, she is always
Astounding, and it is all willing work
oversees 1919. Compare / Cor. XIV, IS; ii
Cor. viii, IL 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 salts
fly; we must have the word of God The
field which she takes in order to work it
and the vineyard which she plants turn
our thoughts to the field in which Ruth
CLEANED and to the vineyard yet to prove
fruitful Qsa W, while the joy and reward
in the time to come oversees 16 %, 81 can
not 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 a description of
the model woman, and may the Lord great
ly multiply such among our daughtersl
But let us also consider the true church
and the individual believer, and may these
things be true of us in our daily life! Let
us only believe, and thus realize what our
perfect standing is in Christ through His
finished work, and so shall our lives be in
creasingly conformed to His image, more
perfect reflections of His life which be de-
sires in some measure TO repeat in all His
redeemed, even in these mortal bodies
dl Rom. viii, 20; ii Cor. iii, Is: iv, 10, ID.
Her husband is mentioned in verses II,
%, %. 1t is written of Israel, Thy Maker
is thy husband; the Lord of Hosts is His
name" Qsa. liv, 81. The Lord Jesus is fire.
quently spoken of as the Bridegroom duke
V, 81, s5; john iii, %; Rev. xxi, 81, and we
know that Adam and Eve were Il type Of
Christ and the church (Eph. V, 81. 32) Her
husband doth safely trust in her, and she is
all His desire Verse ID 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, foun-
tain sealed" CSong iv, :, l2) She will do
him good and not evil Verse ID. Her hus-
band is known in the gates Verse 23l
When we have the spirit of Paul, who de
termined TO know nothing but Christ and
Him crucifed; who said, Christ shall be
magnifed in my body, whether by life or
by DEATH" who was ready not to be bound
only but to die for Jesus sake q Cor. ii, 2:
Phil. i, 20, Acts xxi l3), 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 2S).
Her children and her household claim
share of our attention. In verses 81, Is, %
we learn of their clothing, their food and
their ways, all abundantly provided and
well seen to. Our clothing rs children Of
God is Christ Himself, for we are COM
manded TO Put on the Lord Jesus Christ"
(Rom. xiii, i4). He became sin for us that
we might be made the righteousness of God
in Him I'll Cor. V, 81, and in Rev. xix, s, the
fine linen garments of the bride represent
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 cloth
ing by pointing others TO Him who pro
vides 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 for
babes and bread and strong meat for older
children q Pet. ii, 2; Cor iii. 2; Heb. V,
-, IA; John vi, 81, 50. Then, as to her
ways. we have already learned from this
book that wisdom's ways are ways of pleas
antness and all her paths are paths of
peace Gii. ~ If we are only willing TO be
guided, we will not fail to see the way
wherein we should walk and the thing that
we should do der xiii, -. See also Ps.
xxi, 8
Not only are her own household. the
household Of faith (Gal. vi, l0), well seen to,
but "she stretcheth out her hand TO the
poor-yea, she reacheth both her hands to
the needy" (verse 20) If the church has
the spirit of her Lord. it will be one of
her prominent characteristics that the
poor and needy are well 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 XII, 81. 1t will be one of the features
of the kingdom when the church has be
come the bride of Christ that the poor and
needy shall nave special care Cps. Xxi, .,
4, 10, 49,
Ia verse 80 we learn that all else but the
fear of the Lord is only vanity. OF, as it is
said in / Cor. xiii, there is love without
which all else. even the giving of ones body
to be burned, is as nothing. Without Me,
says Christ, ye can do nothing John XIV, o.
Paul said concerning His life and His
works Not I, but Christ, Not l, but