SOLOMON'S WISE JUDGMENT.
Q. What is this?
A. A picture of Solomon's wise judgment.
Q. Describe what you mean?
A. Two women stood before king Solomon.
Q. Did the women say any thing to the king when they came before him?
A. Yes; one woman said, O my Lord, I and this woman dwell in one house,
and I had a child there, and this woman had a child also, and this woman's
child died in the night.
Q. To whom did the women speak when they said, O my Lord?
A. To king Solomon.
Q. What did the woman mean when she said, we dwell in one house?
A. She meant that they both lived in it.
Q. Did the woman say any thing more to the king?
A. Yes; she said the other woman rose at midnight, and took her son
from her.
Q. What is meant by midnight?
A. Twelve o'clock, or the middle of the night.
Q. What did the other woman say in her defence?
A. She said the live child was hers, and the other said it is mine;
this they spake before the king.
Q. When the king heard what the women had to say, what did he do?
A. He said bring me a sword; and they brought a sword before the king.
Q. Did the king do any thing with the sword?
A. No; he said, divide the child in two, and give half to the one, and
half to the other.
Q. What did the women say to that?
A. One said, O my Lord, give her the living child, and in nowise slay
it; but the other said, let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide
it.
Q. What took place next?
A. The king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in nowise
slay it, she is the mother thereof.
Q. What is meant by slaying?
A. To kill any thing.
Q. To which woman was the child given?
A. To the woman that said do not hurt it.
Q. What is the reason that it was called a wise judgment?
A. Because Solomon took a wise method to find it out.
Q. Did the people hear of it?
A. Yes, all Israel heard of it, and they feared the king, for they saw
that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment.
Q. What is meant by all Israel?
A. All the people over whom Solomon was king?
Q. If we want to know any more about Solomon where can we find it?
A. In the third chapter of the first book of Kings.
_Incidental Conversation_.
Q. Now my little children, as we have been talking about king Solomon,
suppose we talk about our own king; so let me ask you his name? A.
King William the Fourth.[A] Q. Why is he called king? A. Because he
is
the head man, and the governor of the nation. Q. What does governor
mean? A. One that governs the people, the same as you govern and
manage us. Q. Why does the king wear a crown on his head? A. To denote
that he governs from a principle of wisdom, proceeding from love.
Q. Why does he hold a sceptre in his hand? A. To denote that he is
powerful, and that he governs from a principle of truth. Q. What is
a
crown? A. A thing made of gold overlaid with a number of diamonds and
precious stones, which are very scarce? Q. What is a sceptre? A. A
thing made of gold, and something like an officer's staff. Q. What is
an officer? A. A person who acts in the king's name; and there are
various sorts of officers, naval officers, military officers, and
civil officers. Q. What is a naval officer? A. A person who governs
the sailors, and tells them what to do. Q. What is a military officer?
A. A person who governs the soldiers, and tells them what to do. Q.
What does a naval officer and his sailors do? A. Defend us from our
enemies on the sea. Q. What does a military officer and his soldiers
do? A. Defend us from our enemies on land. Q. Who do you call enemies?
A. Persons that wish to hurt us and do us harm. Q. What does a civil
officer do? A. Defend us from our enemies at home. Q. What do you mean
by enemies at home? A. Thieves, and all bad men and women. Q. Have
we any other enemies besides these? A. Yes, the enemies of our own
household, as we may read in the Bible, and they are the worst of all.
Q. What do you mean by the enemies of our own household? A. Our bad
thoughts and bad inclinations. Q. Who protects and defends us from
these? A. Almighty God. Q. Are there any other kind of officers
besides these we have mentioned? A. Yes, a great many more, such as
the king's ministers, the noblemen and gentlemen in both houses
of parliament, and the judges of the land. Q. What do the king's
ministers do? A. Give the king advice when he wants it. Q. And what
do
the noblemen and gentlemen do in both houses of parliament? A. Make
laws to govern us, protect us, and make us happy. Q. After they have
made the laws, who do they take them to? A. To the king. Q. What do
they take them to the king for? A. To ask him if he will be pleased
to
approve of them. Q. What are laws? A. Good rules for the people to go
by, the same as we have rules in our school to go by. Q. Suppose the
people break these good rules, what is the consequence? A. They are
taken before the judges, and afterwards sent to prison. Q. Who takes
them before the judge? A. A constable, and afterwards he takes them
to
prison, and there they are locked up and punished. Q. Ought we to love
the king? A. Yes, and respect his officers. Q. Do you suppose the king
ever prays to God? A. Yes, every day. Q. What does he pray for? A.
That God would be pleased to make him a wise and good man, so that he
may make all his people happy. Q. What do the Scriptures say about the
king? A. They say that we are to fear God and honour the king. Q. Who
was the wisest king? A. King Solomon. Q. How did he become the wisest
king? A. He asked God to give him wisdom to govern his kingdom well;
and God granted his request. Q. Will God give our king wisdom? A. Yes,
he will give him what is best for him. It says in the Bible, if any
man lack wisdom let him ask of God, for he giveth all men liberally,
and upbraideth not. Q. What is the best book to learn wisdom from? A.
The Bible. Q. Is the queen mentioned in the Bible? A. Yes; it is said
queens shall be thy nursing mothers. Q. Who came to Solomon besides
the two women? A. The queen of Sheba, she came to ask him questions.
Q. When he answered her questions what happened? A. The queen was so
much delighted with his wisdom, that she gave him a hundred and twenty
talents of gold, and spices in abundance. Q. How much is one talent
of gold worth? A. Five thousand, four hundred, and seventy-five
sovereigns. Q. Did she give him anything more? A. Yes, she gave him
precious stones. Q. What are precious stones? A. Diamonds, jasper,
sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl,
topaz, chrysoprasus, jacinth, amethyst. Q. Did king Solomon give the
queen of Sheba anything? A. Yes, he gave her whatsoever she desired,
besides that which she brought with her. Q. Where did she go? A. She
went away to her own land. Q. What part of the Bible is this? A. The
ninth chapter of the second book of Chronicles, Master. The queen is
mentioned in other places in the Bible, and another day I will tell
in
what parts.
[Footnote A: This lesson was written in the life time of our late
sovereign. It can easily be applied by the judicious teacher, and made
to bear upon present circumstances, and I earnestly hope that her
present gracious Majesty may become patroness of infant education. Not
infant education travestied, but the thing itself.]
|
