The Sunday School

1. "My son, forget not My law; but ?.et thino heart keep My commandments." Between the lesson on God's "Messing upon Solomon and the going forth of his famu we have this one on the secret of all blessIng and true honor. These words are fop wisdom's children, those who are ehildren of God by faith in Christ Jesus (John i, 12), for inasmuch as the law cannot givo life only those who have life can keep tho law (GaL iii, 21, 22; Kom. x, 4; viii, 3, 4). Because in Christ wo have life freely by His grace, therefore we love His law and keep His commandments. 2. "For length of days and long life and peace shall they add to thee. " "He is oor life and the length of our days" (Deut. xxx, 80). "He is our peace'' (Eph. ii, 14). To reoelve Hixn is life (I John v, 12), but Ho cante to give us more than life, eveD life abundautly (John x, 10). Many saved peoplo miss much of heaven vipon tlie earth (Deut. xi, 18-21) because thcy do not eat tlie word of God and lay it up in their hearts for constant mfiditation. 3. " Write them upon the table of thino heart." All the paths of the Lord ara merey and truth unto such as keep His covBnant and His testimonies (Ps. xxx, 10). And every believer is expected to be a living witness to this fact, an epistle oí Christ, written with the Spirit of thé living God in üeshy tables of the heart (II Cor. iii, 3). 4. "So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man." Not that all men will praise you or love you if you live a holy life, for not all loved our Lord, and the disciple must bo content to be as his Master (John xv, 20). But the conscious blessing of the Lord will Ijo yours, and the favor of all such aa truly love the Lord. When it is manifest that the Lord is with us, there will be abundant blessing to many, as in the case of Joseph, David and Daniel. 5. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. " Since it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps ( Jer. x, 23) and the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, is it any wonder that the Spirit has written, " Cursed be the man that trusteth In manandmakethflesh his arm. Blessed is the man that trusteth in tlie Lord, and whose hope the Lord is?" (Jer. xvii, 5, 7, 9.) And again, "Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bling it to pass." 6. "In all thyways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. ' ' ïhis goes well with Phil. iv, 6, 7, where we are forNflilen to be anxious about anythlng and commanded to be prayerful about everything. Guidanceand blessing are assured to all who rely upon Him to direct and manage them and their affairs. See for further comfort Ps. xxxii, 8; II Chron. xvi, !). t 7, 8. "Benotwise in thine own eyes, fear the Lord and depart from eviL " Hero is the secret of soul health, and the health orsickness of the soul ofttimes wondrously affects the body. The fear of the Lord includes, at least, a fear to grieve Him and a humbling of self to walk with Him (Mie. aí. 8, margin), in complete subjection to Him and to His word. 9, 10. "Honor the Lord with thy substance and with the first fruits of all tliine increase. " Hen: is the secret of blessing in temporal things; barns and wine presses full. The same thing is strongly emphasized in Mal. ili, 10. He who in all things acknowledges God and with cheerfulness renders to God a becoming gratitude cannot but enjoy the blessing of God. The nine lepers who went to the priest did as they were commanded, they did their duty, but the grateful tenth received had an abundant blessing which tho duty follows missed. Let all Christians give at least a grateful tenth, and God will make His promises literally true. 11,12. " My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord." Our Heavenly Father earnestly decires tlie highest happiness for all His childrcn, but He is often hindered in doing for us what He would like to by onr willfulness, therefore to flt us toreceive His bounty He has to chasten us, to humble us, to make us see the folly of our wars, that we may yield to Hini and His ways and be blessed indeed. 13. "Happy is the man thatfindeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. " Christ is the wisdom of God. He also is life, and also understanding (I Cor. i, 24; Prov. viii, 14, 35). Give heed to chaptcr iv, 5, 7, and take the conifort of Prov. iii, 24; iv, 12; vi, 22. Tlünk of au unfailin.g l'riend and guide witli us day and night to lead us, talk with us, keepus and guard us from stumbling. Compare Jude xxiv and Eph. iii, 20. 14. "For the luercliandise of it is better tiian tlio merchanciise of silver. and the gain thereof than line gold. " Silver and gold and all the gain of earth are only for t he earth and pass away, but wisdom ia eternal - it eudureth forever. To increase in wisdom is a hcavenly and eternal thiug, and to make Him who is our wisdom known to others is the highest and wisest of all occupations. 15. ".Slic is more preeious than rubíes, and all the thingsthou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. ' ' So also ia ehapterviii, 11. And ágata, in Job xxviii, 18, it is written, ''The price of wisdom ia above rublea" When Mary sat at Jesus' feot and hcard Hia word, and Martha seemed to find a little fault with her, Jesus said, "But one thing is uendful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not bo taken away lroni her." Whatever Ho meant by those words we cerüiinly know that Ho Himself, tho wisdom of God, is to us the one thing needful, and iu Umi dwelleth all the f ullness of the Godliead bodily (Col. ii, 9). lü. "Lengthof days in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and lionor. " In chapter viii, 18, ie is written, "Riches añil honor are with Me; yon, durable riches and righteousness. " There are richea which perish, which aro of uso only in thiaworld, and thcro are durable riclies, which only Ho can give. " There is that maketh liimself lich, yet hnth nothing; there is that maketh himseli poor, yet liath greas riches" (xiii, 7). He made Himselt' poor that wo mlght bc rich. We may be poor, yet make niany riuli (II Cor. viii, 9; vi, 10). 17. "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her patlis are peace. " ïhey are also patlis of righteousness (Pa xxiii, 3)-, and the ,ork of righteousness shall ba peaoe, and the effect of righteousnes quietuess and assurance forever (Isa. xxxii, 17). The patjl of the just is as the shiniugf lighi that shineth more and more unto the perfect day (iv, 18,). He Himseli is ths way as well as tlie wisdom, and to abid in Him is the sceret of it all.