HOMILETICS OF VERSES 1-13 THE LOVE OF WISDOM. I. Exceeds the love of wealth and station. Here was a woman occupying the most illustrious position, the queen of a country so highly favoured that it was called "The Happy Land," and possessing unlimited resources, as the splendour of her retinue and the richness of her presents indicated, smitten with a love of that which was to her more precious than crown or sceptre. There are wants in man which neither riches nor honours can satisfy. The deep questionings and eager longings of the heart can be met only by the solutions of a higher wisdom. "It is a good thing to doubt, better to be resolved. The mind that never doubts, shall learn nothing: the mind that ever doubts, shall never profit by learning. Our doubts only serve to stir us up to seek truth our resolutions settle us in the truth we have found. There were no pleasure in resolutions if we had not been formerly troubled with doubts. There were nothing but discomfort and disquietness in doubts, if it were not for the hope of resolution. It is not safe to suffer doubts to dwell too long upon the heart; there may be good use of them as passengers, dangerous as inmates. Happy are we if we can find a Solomon to remove them."-Bp. Hall. Many sacrifice wealth, comfort, position, and even health itself, in a life-long pursuit after truth. II. Inspires the soul with courage and enterprize in its search. Undismayed by distance or the difficulties of travel, this rich and powerful queen journeyed from the remotest South to Jerusalem, not for the purpose of merchandise or political alliance, but purely in search of wisdom. "We know merchants who venture to either Indies for wealth; others we know daily to cross the seas for wanton curiosity. Some few philosophers we have known to have gone far for learning; and amongst princes it is no unusual thing to send their ambassadors to far distant kingdoms for transaction of business, either of state or commerce. But that a royal lady should in person undertake and overcome so tedious a journey, only to observe and inquire into the mysteries of nature, art, and religion, is a thing unparalleled. Why do we think any labour great, or any way long, to hear a greater than Solomon? How justly shall the Queen of the South rise up in judgment and condemn us who may hear wisdom crying in our streets, and neglect her!" Man will venture everything for that which he loves. Love is the soul and strength of bravery. The love of wisdom is ennobling. III. Gives an aptitude in acquiring its rarest treasures (verses 1-3). The queen came as an enquirer, to prove Solomon with hard questions. Great art is required in asking questions; and it is only a passionate love for the science in which we are specially interested that guides the mind to the most important points on which light is needed. In most things "love sees not with the eye, but with the mind;" and its divinings are subtle and wonderfully verified. "The spirit of this asking of questions and solving of dark riddles is of the very nature of the Socratic wisdom itself. To ask questions rightly,' said Lord Bacon, is the half of knowledge.' 'Life without cross-examination is no life at all,' said Socrates. And of this stimulating process, of this eager enquiry, of this cross-examining of our thoughts, bringing new meanings out of old words, Solomon is the first example. When we enquire, when we question, when we are restless in our search after truth, when we seek it from unexpected quarters, we are but following in the steps of the Wise King of Judah and the Wise Queen of Sheba."-Stanley. The enquiries of the royal student were fully and satisfactorily answered (verse 3). Happy are they whose doubts are resolved, and whose hearts are set at rest. IV. Reverently acknowledges its Divine origin (verses 4-9). And if this great personage admire the wisdom, the buildings, the domestic order of Solomon, and chiefly his stately ascent into the House of the Lord, how should our souls be taken up with wonder at thee, O thou true Son of David, and Prince of Everlasting Peace, who receivedst the Spirit not by measure, who has built this glorious house not made with hands, even the heaven of heavens, whose infinite Providence hath sweetly disposed of all the family of thy creatures, both in heaven and earth; and who didst ascend on high and leddest captivity captive, and gavest gifts to men.-Bishop Hall. True wisdom is from above, and bears the indelible impress of its heavenly origin (James iii. 17). A generous spirit will acknowledge and admire the genius which he finds in another: a devout spirit will trace all gifts to their Divine source, and adore the affluence and wisdom of the Giver. LESSONS:-1. Wisdom is worthy of diligent self-denying search. 2. A saving knowledge of Christ, who is the wisdom of God, is the highest and only satisfying wisdom. This passage may be also homiletically treated as follows: THE QUEEN OF SHEBA, A TYPE OF THE HEATHEN SEEKING AFTER TRUTH. It was no uncommon thing in ancient times for men to travel far in search of wisdom. They would traverse seas, and deserts, and mountains to visit the spots famous for learning, and to converse with men celebrated in philosophy. The increased facilities with which the most distant countries are now reached, and the vast number of people who now travel with such variety of objects, do not admit of the career of a seeker of knowledge being so noticeable as of yore. And yet the search for increased light is not less earnest, and it is certainly more general. The cry of the dying Goethe is the cry of millions to-day, "Light, more light!" The Queen of Sheba is a type of the intense desire with which thousands outside the circle of Christian teaching are seeking after truth. I. There is the admission of conscious need. The Queen of Shebi possessed everything that could minister to her temporal enjoyment. She had wealth, prosperity, rank, power; but these did not satisfy the cravings of her soul. There was a sense of something still needed in order to attain happiness. That something was the wisdom described and extolled in Prov. iii. 13-18. The sense of need is the spur which goads the soul onward in its weary, painful search for rest. The sinner never seeks forgiveness till he is first conscious of his sin; he never flees for safety till he is roused to a sense of danger. Our fitness to receive the blessings of the gospel is the humble confession of our need. God delights to fill the empty, to feed the hungry, to cheer the disconsolate. II. There is the eagerness with which the intelligence of clearer light is welcomed. The Sheban Queen "heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord" (verse 1). God hath no use of the dark lanterns of secret and reserved perfections: we ourselves do not light up candles to put them under bushels. The great lights, whether of heaven or earth, are not intended to obscurity; but as to give light unto others, so to be seen themselves. Dan and Beersheba were too strait bounds for the fame of Solomon, which now had flown over lands and seas, and raised the world to an admiration of his more than human wisdom. Even so, O thou Everlasting King of Peare! Thy HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: KINGS. name is great anong the Gentiles. There is no speech nor language where the report of Thee is not heard. Fame, as it is always a blab, so ofttimes a liar. The wise princess found cause to distrust so uncertain an informer, whose reports are either doubtful or fabulous, and, like winds or streams, increase in passing. This great queen would not suffer herself to be led by ears, but comes in person to examine the truth. How much more unsafe is it, in the most important businesses of our souls, to trust the opinions and reports of others! Those eyes and ears are ill bestowed that do not serve to choose and judge for their owners.-Bp. Hall. The anxious enquirer hails with joy the faintest glimmer of light which will conduct him out of the dark labyrinth in which he has been so long wandering; as the inhabitant of the Polar Regions, shut up in darkness for the greater part of the year, rejoices to descry the first rosy rays of dawn kindling on the snow-clad mountain tops, which announce to him the approach of the summer, during which the sun never sets. III. There is the willingness to seek truth wherever it may be found. "And she came to Jerusalem," &c. (verse 2). She spared neither expense nor trouble; the toils and dangers of travel did not intimidate, the scorn and contempt of the world did not trouble. The soul-hunger for the word of life, the desire to know something about the name of Jehovah, enabled her to overcome "How superior is this heathen woman to all difficulties, and brave all perils. many Christians who hunger and thirst after all possible things, but never after a knowledge of truth and wisdom." The sincere secker after truth will press through fire and water, will sunder the dearest ties of relationship, will sacrifice the most brilliant prospects in life, to attain the goal where light and rest and peace are to be found (e.g., the history of Sakya-Muni, founder of Buddhism). "When the IV. There is the joyous acknowledgment of the truth (verses 4-9). 1. This acknowledgment was the result of overwhelming conviction. queen had seen all Solomon's wisdom, &c., there was no more spirit in her " (verses 4, 5). She saw, examined, and judged for herself; the evidence was ample, and the conviction irresistible. The reality of Solomon's ability and greatness exceeded all she had heard. The profession of truth that is not based on clear and profound conviction will not be permanent. The true order is laid down by the apostle: "We believe, and therefore speak" (2 Cor. iv. 13). 2. This acknowledgment was freely and generously rendered (verses 6-8). An unprejudiced mind will readily and cheerfully admit the force of truth. It is weak, it is dishonest, not to act up to the deepest convictions of the soul. The martyrs and confessors bore nobly their testimony in the presence of cruelty and death. 3. This acknowledgment recognized the Divine source of truth (verse 9). Perhaps the heathen queen was turned from her dumb idols, henceforth to worship the living and true God. This was a general belief among Jewish writers. God is the fountain of all truth; and He should be praised continually for the abundant revelations with which He has favoured the race. V. There is the practical manifestation of a grateful heart (verse 10). The queen brought presents of gold, of precious stones, and fragrant spices. The "How should we test of our gratitude to God is seen in what we give to him. Few give according to their ability, none in proportion to the blessings received. Was not this withal a type of that bring unto Thee, O Thou King of Heaven, the purest gold of Thine own graces, the sweet odour of our obedience. homage which should be done unto Thee, O Saviour, by the heads of the nations? The kings of Tarshish and the isles bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts; yea, all kings shall worship Thee, all nations shall serve Thee (Isa. lx.). They cannot enrich themselves, but by giving unto Thee." 149 True wisdom cannot be bought with gold, but too much gold cannot be spent in its attainment and propagation. It cannot be too dearly bought, not too far fetched. LESSONS:-1. Great is the responsibility of that nation which possesses the light of Divine Truth. 2. A sincere seeker after Truth shall not seek in vain. 3. The eagerness with which the heathen embraces the Truth is a rebuke to the cold indifference of more highly favoured nations. GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES. Verses 1-13. The Queen of Sheba comes to Solomon. 1. She comes in order to hear the wisdom of Solomon. 2. She finds more than she expected. 3. She worships and praises the Lord for what she has seen and heard. 4. She returns home in peace, with rich gifts. Solomon receiving the Queen of Sheba a type of Christ (Matt. xxii. 42). 1. He did not reject her who sought Him, but raised her up (Jno. vi. 37). 2. He solved her questions, and showed her His glory (Jno i. 9, 14; xxii. 46; vi. 68). 3. He accepted her gifts, and gave her much more in return, even all that she desired and requested (Jno. x. 11, 28; xvi. 24; iv. 13). Verses 1-3. The dissolving of doubts (compared with Dan. v. 16). Doubts and ques ions are the common lot and heritage of humanity. They vary in their subjects and times, but we have them always on hand. We live just now in a specially doubting age, where almost every matter of feeling is openly doubted, or, it may be, openly denied. Science puts everything in question, and literature distils the questions, making an atmosphere of them. We doubt both creation and Creator. We doubt free agency and responsibility, immortality and salvation, the utility of prayer and worship, and even of repentance for sin. And these sweeping, desolating doubts run through all grades of minds, all modes and spheres of life, as it were telegraphically, present as powers of the air to unchristep the newborn thoughts of religion as fast as they arrive. The cultivated and mature have the doubts ingrown they know not how, and the younger minds encounter their subtle visitations when they do not seek them. And the more activeminded they are, and the more thoughts they have on the subject of religion, the more likely they are (unless anchored by true faith in God) to he drifted away from all the most solid and serious convictions even before they are aware of it. Note the three principal sources and causes whence our doubts arise, and from which they get force to make their assault. They never come of truth or high discovery, but always of the want of it. 1. All the truths of religion are inherently dubitable. They are only what are called probable, never necessary truths like the truths of geometry or of numbers. In these we have the premises in our very minds themselves. In all other matters we have the premises to find. Now this field of probable truth is the whole field of religion, and of course it is competent for doubt to cover it in every part and item. 2. We begin life as unknowing creatures that have everything to learn. We grope, and groping is doubt; we handle, we question, we guess, we experiment, beginning in darkness and stumbling on towards intelligence. We are in a doom of activity, and cannot stop thinking-thinking of everythingknocking against the walls on every side; trying thus to master the problems, and about as often getting mastered by them. Yeast works in bread scarcely more blindly. 3. It is a fact that our faculty is itself in disorder. A broken or bent telescope will not see anything rightly A filthy window will not bring in even the day as it is. So a mind wrenched from its true lines of action, or straight perception, discoloured and smirched by evil, will not see truly, but will put a blurred, misshapen look on everything. To show not how doubts may be stopped, for that is impossible, but only how they may be dissolved, or cleared away, observe: can dissolve or I. Doubters never extirpate their doubts by inquiry, search, investigation, or any kind of speculative endearour. They must never go after the truth to merely find it, but to practise it, and live by it. It is not enough to rally their inventiveness, doing nothing to polarize their aim. They imagine, it may be, that they are going first to settle their questions, and then, at their leisure, to act. As if they were going to get the perfect system, and complete know ledge of truth, before they move an inch in doing what they know! No, there is no fit search after truth which does not, first of all, begin to live the truth it knows. II. There is a way for dissolving any and all doubts-a way that opens at a very small gate, but widens wonderfully after you pass. Every human soul, at a certain first point of its religious outfit, has a key given it, which is to be the open sesame of all right discovery. Using this key as it may be used, any lock is opened, any doubt dissolved. Thus every man acknowledges the distinction of right and wrong, feels the reality of that distinction, knows it by immediate consciousness even as he knows himself. Here is the key that opens everything. The true way of dissolving doubts is to begin at the beginning, and do the first thing first. Say nothing of investigation, till you have made sure of being grounded everlastingly, and with a completely whole intent, in the principle of right doing as a principle. And here it is that all unreligious men are at fault, and often without knowing, or even suspecting it. They do right things enough in the out-door, market sense of the term, and count that being right. But let them ask the question, "Have I ever consented to be, and am I really now, in the right, as in principle and supreme law; to live for it, to make any sacrifice it will cost me, to believe everything it will bring me to see, to be a confessor of Christ as soon as it appears to be enjoined upon me, to go on a mission to the world's end if due conviction sends me, to change my occupation for good conscience' sake, to repair whatever wrong I have done to another, to be humbled, if I should, before my worst enemy, to do complete justice to God, and, if I could, to all worlds-in a word, to be in wholly right intent, and have no mind but this for ever?" Ah! how soon do they discover possibly, in this manner, that they are right only so far as they can be, and not be at all right as in principle-right as doing some right things, As certainly as the nothing more. new right mind begins, it will be as if the whole heaven were bursting out in day. This is what Christ calls the single eye, and the whole body is inevitably full of light. This is the menstruum by which all doubts may be dissolved. How surely and how fast they fly away, even as fogs are burned away by the sun! LESSONS:-1. Be never afraid of doubt. 2. Be afraid of all sophistries and tricks and strifes of disingenuous argument. 3. Have it as a fixed principle that getting into any scornful way is fatal. 4. Never settle upon anything as true because it is safer to hold it than not. 5. Have it as a law never to put force on the mind, or try to make it believe, because it spoils the mind's integrity; and when that is gone, what power of advance in the truth is left? Never be in a hurry to believe, never try to conquer doubts against time.-Condensed from Bushnell. 6. Verse 4. Words must be followed by works: the beholding with her own eyes, and her very own experience, must be added to the rumours she has heard. Nathaniel, when he heard of Jesus the Messiah, spoke doubtingly at first-Can any good |