Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-06-22

"
they washed he was able to distinguish
the boys from the girls. Second. he
threaded the intricately pierced dia-
mond by compelling a small worm to
crawl through the crystal labyrinth.
while there was tied to the body OF the
worm small siiken thread. Thirdly,
be filed the golden goblet with water
which had not fallen from the heavens
above or gushed up from the waters
beneath by driving colt around ana
around and around until his latbered
TANKS We're covered with foam and
filed the goblet to the brim. These ex-
amples OF the wisdom OF Solomon may
be only fables; but, whether they are
fables or not, one fact we do know.
and that is that the wisdom of King
solomon stands as type of the all
knowing wisdom. the wisdom of an
omniscient, all seeing God
God Knows Everything.
Is 1t not a blessed satisfaction to Won
that God knows everything? The world
Tor years may have been -misjudging
and eoudemning us. not because it Is
an unjust world at heart, but simply
because Its knowledge Is so meager.
How differently the world would treat
Washington or a Lincoln IL thsy
could only come back to earth. How
differently we would treat our own
dear ones IL we only knew the true
conditions OF their lives 4 think the
saddest remark ever heard or any
one making was by dear member of
my church. She was lying In bed about
TO die OF cancer. One day she looked
up and said; II wonder II God will ever
forgive me for being irritable and fault
nnding to my children? I sometimes
think l was not to blame for being
cross. 1 sometimes think that this can.
Ger has been working upon me and I'M
dermining my system for years and
years. and did not know it, and my
irritability was due to my sickness and
not because my nature was naturally
cross" All, yes. the world may not
know the causes OF our actions. but
God knows. Is 1t not blessed thought
to you that God knows your every
thought and your every deed and does
not misinterpret your actions, as the
world so often does? He knows all.
Yes, ALL
King Solomon, in the next place. was
not man of blood. He was not the
central figure OF sanguinary battle
fields. His chief musical instinct was
not the bugie to sound forth the clarion
call 10 arms. He was the prince OF
peace. He was the creator and the de-
veloper OF n nations industries during
an era when the sword was turned into
a plowshare and the spear into prun
ing hook. He was not like q Napoleon
or Frederick the Great or Caesar
or an Alexander or a Cyrus or an Ar
taxerxes, whose greatest claim to fame
was dependent upon the rapidity with
which they could unsheath their
swords and the unerring power with
which they could strike and destroy n
trembling foe. But King Solomou's
greatest claim TO fame rests upon the
fact that he was n builder and not a
destroyer, creator and not con-
queror.
Rivers of Gold.
Like Moses bringing forth water
from Horeb, King Solomon lifted his
magic wand and struck the hard bowl
ders OF national finance, and Mt once
there gushed forth rivers OF molten
gold. Work. work, work. there seemed
TO be plenty OF work In his Kingdom.
There was work for everybody and
high wages and prosperity for all. AS
we wander today over the hillsides we
find them covered with orchards. The
trees are bending so low under the
weight OF the fruit that the branches
have to be propped up. When we go
down into the valleys we find them
covered with the golden headed har-
vests. When we go down 20 the sea-.
shore we hear the "Yo heaver' OF the
sailors whose ships have come from
Tarshish. The busy marts are crowd
cd with merchantmen. The fat, well
fed cattle are upon a thousand hills.
The long caravans, heavy laden with
gold and silver and ivory and precious
spices and silks and rare treasures of
all sorts. are crossing the deserts from
the east and the south. Alb. yes. never
was there such an era OF prosperity as
that OF The Solomonic reign. Read the
ninth chapter OF Kings and second
chapter Of Ecclesiastes II you would
know what was the extent of that pros
perify. rsSel was great" That al
iudes not onty 20 his own Individual
,greatpess. but also to the greatness OF
his people '.Ahd Increased more than
all that were before me In Jerusalem.
Also my wisdom remained with me-
And whatsoever mine eyes desired
kept not from them. withheld not INV
heart from any joy, for my heart re-
ooiced In AL my labor. and this was
the portion OF all my labor" Thus.
my friends, as the harvests began to
grow In the fields and the fruits began
TO ripen In the orchards and the gold
and silver and the ivory and the pre-
rious, stones and the silks were brought
from foreign lands into the Hebrew
capital on account of the wisdom of
The king can we not feel that all our
temporal prosperity Is directly due to
the great Prince Of Peace. whom we
call our Saviour, Jesus Christ?
Why do we have our national
Thanksgiving day. when we come to-
gether as nation to praise him. IN
less We feel that Gods wisdom grows
for US the wheat and the corn and
gives US the oranges and the apples
and the lemons? Why do we repeat
the Lords prayer and say, "Give us
this day our daily bread" unless we
feel that, as carpenters and mechanics
and musicians and cooks and clerks
and schcolteachers and merchants, he
viii give to us an opportunity to earn
our food? Can a sparrow fly across
the heavens but he guides 1t? Can
a flower grow In the garden but the
chemistry Of hin divine laboratories
coiors 1t? Can the sheep be blanketed.
with heavy wool unless he cares for