1. 40th Hymn, I. C. M. 2. 37th Hymn, [?s]. 3. 55th Hymn, C. M. N.B. 1.3.4.5 80807 1. 185th Hymn, I.C.M. 2.173d Hymn, [?s]. 3.96thHymn, C. M. O.B. 1.6.7.8 The Queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it; for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew, 12:42 Sacred History informs us that for the twenty-one Centuries which elapsed from the call of Abraham, to the period when the Apostle Peter was divinely commissioned to preach the gospel to the Roman Centurion Cornelius, the Knowledge of the true religion was confined to the people of Israel, who were the chosen and exclusive depositaries of the Divine Revelation. Yet it cannot escape the observation of the student of Gods Word, that there are, scattered here and there through the long period of spiritual darkness which rested upon the [c?ations] of the earth, gleams of light showing that there was, at least, a possibility of an extension, at some future period in the Worlds history, of the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven. For, ever and anon, at intervals in the history, individuals are introduced to view from the distant and unenlightened Nations, who, attracted by some special influence, are found among Gods people, sharing in their privileges, and, in some instances, their destiny. The mother of the Royal line of David, and of the family from which, by lineal descent came, in his humanity, Our Lord and Savior, was one of these individuals. The beautiful 3 and interesting story of Ruth, the Moabitess, is familiar to us all; how, when driven by famine from the land of Israel, Elimelech took refuge, with his wife Naomi, and their two sons, in the land of Moab; how the two sons, in the land of Moab; how the two sons chose wives from among these Moabitish heathen women; how, on the death of the father, and both sons, the bereaved widow, Naomi resolved on returning to her own land; how, the two daughters-in-law, Orpah, and Ruth, resolved to go with her; how, she endeavored to dissuade them from this step; how, she prevailed on Orpah to return, but could not succeed with Ruth, whose ever-memorable reply is a very model of beautiful and disinterested affection: Entreat Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God. The grand purposes of Infinite Wisdom, moving on in the direct channel of human inclination, as the unconscious means of their accomplishment, brought Ruth from heathenish Moab, to enlightened Judea, where she learned the true religion, and by a combination of remarkable providences, became the founder of the Davidic throne, and of the Messianic Kingdom. Thus the Knowledge of the true religion was, in this case, communicated, to a foreigner, 1352 years before, as an earnest, of the general admission over 5 of the Gentiles to the privileges of the people of God. A very different illustration of the same truth is presented in the brief but suggestive story of the Queen of the South, showing still more strikingly how the Providence of God was even then preparing the way of the Lord one thousand years before the coming of Christ. In the case of Ruth this impartation of the Knowledge of the true God was made to her alone, and she became the individual possessor of it by taking up her abode among Gods people. But this Queen of the South came for the express purpose of ascertaining the entire system of wisdom of which Solomon was possessed, and having [possessed her] obtained it herself, she returned to her own land + doubtless imparted it to her own people. It may be a curious question in this connection. How this Heathen Queen who came from the uttermost parts of the earth had ever heard of the wisdom of Solomon I can do no better than use the language of [Kitt?] in reference to this subject: After reminding us of the fact that the time was when men traveled far in search of wisdom; that they made long journeys and voyages, they traversed seas, and deserts, and mountains, to visit seats of learning, or the towns in which men famous for their knowledge abode; and that even now, there are those who have traveled far and often to see for themselves and gather up the treasures of knowledge which are peculiar to each country and people, he remarks that this mode of acquiring knowledge viz: by personal travel, was eminently the form which any zeal for knowledge took in ancient times and that the earliest instances of it occur in the Scriptures. As a historical illustration, he directs our attention to the time of Solomons illustrious reign, when we are told in Scripture, that there came of all people to hear the wisdom of Solomon 7 from all the Kings of the earth which had heard of his wisdom. How they had heard of this wisdom in that day of imperfect communication is probably to be explained by suggesting, as he does, that the extended conquests of David the large dominions of his son the great and magnificent works and undertakings of that son his extensive commerce by sea and land his connection with the Phenicians, who of all people, were, from their position, qualified to spread such intelligence far and wide all contributed to spread his reputation abroad. We learn furthermore that foreign princes themselves repaired to Jerusalem to view his glorious and curious works of art, and to hear his Sage utterance; Sometimes also ambassador were send, to felicitate him, and to bring back all they could gather of his wisdom. But while all this is mentioned in general terms in the sacred record, the only one of such visits from these illustrious pilgrims of knowledge which has been particularly recorded, is that of a woman, the Queen of Sheba who heard of the fame of Solomon, concerning the name of the Lord, and came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones It was what this Queen had heard of Solomon, in her own land, which induced her to undertake this long and costly journey. It is nearly a certain fact that the navy constructed by Solomon as mentioned in the preceding chapter had touched at the ports of this Queen as 9 they sailed to and returned from Ophir in search of gold, almug-trees, and precious stones, and if so, this furnished opportunities to the Queen to acquire information of the great King Solomon, to whom this navy belonged. So that fired with an intense desire to hear the wisdom of Solomon, she immediately determined to visit his Court and hear him for herself. She came with all the splendor which she could command, a very great train, with specimens of her wealth, and Royal estate, and having accomplished all the purpose of her heart in this pilgrimage of knowledge, she bade adieu and took leave of Solomon impressed far more profoundly with his wisdom than with his untold wealth and his unexampled prosperity; and she said; It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. How be it I believed not the words until I came, and mine eyes had seen it; and behold the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee and hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel; because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore made he thee King to do judgment and justice. We hear no more of this Queen in the history 11 history, until about a thousand years afterwards we find the Son of David, the Son of God, of whom Solomon was a type in his wisdom, holding her up, [as] in the words of our text, as rebuking by her earnestness in search of wisdom, and as sure to rise up in the judgment with that generation to condemn it, for neglecting to avail themselves of the presence of that greater than Solomon who stood among them, and whom they knew not. 1. Let us inquire, what remarkable characteristics of this Queen of South, constitute her claim to the distinction assigned to her by Jesus Christ? There must have been something very striking and every way worthy of attention and study, since the Great Teacher, the embodiment of Wisdom, presents her on the enduring tables of Sacred History as one of the cases illustrative of great truths, and as one of the warning mementos to coming generations. I remark then (1) This heathen Queen felt a deep anxiety to obtain Wisdom. It is a lamentable fact that such anxiety is not always found in persons of her position. Few are the Kings + queens in this world who trouble themselves as to intellectual advancement, or moral improvement. The great objects which occupy their minds are the surest methods of enlarging their dominions, or extending 13 extending their fame or influence, of strengthening the foundations of the throne of their power, and of inventing new modes of physical enjoyment. Some Monarchs stand out prominently upon the page of history as Patrons of learning, and patterns + models of Wisdom in Government, such as Alfred the Great of England, and Washington in our own land, but the vast majority of earthly princes seek after no such lofty objects, and confine themselves to personal interest and enjoyment. Not so with this Queen of South. If it be true as learned men have supposed that She was a descendant of Abraham by Keturah, and hence may have retained some traditional fragments of the true religion, we readily understand how, being dependent solely upon [obse??e] tradition, her mind, being active and inquisitive, was greatly perplexed in regard to questions upon important subjects connected with Divine truth; This shows that she was used to reflect seriously upon religion, and that she could obtain proper instruction from no source that was available, or near at hand; and such was her deep anxiety to learn, that she listened with intense interest and eagerness to the statement which reached her, that, far to the North of her, there reigned a Mighty Monarch, [whose wisdom was] of whom it was said that the wisdom of God was in him; that God had given him a wise and understanding heart, so 15 that there was none like him before, neither after him should any arise like unto him. And under the pressure of this deep anxiety, she promptly (2) Determined to seek out this source of wisdom. There was no hesitation. It was a foregone conclusion with her. It was a decided point with her, an almost intuitive truth, that Wisdom was the principal thing and that it was to be had, and must be had. As to consequences, even though they may have entered as an element into her estimate of the enterprise, yet very evidently they exerted no influence in deterring her from the pursuit, or delaying her, or causing her to hesitate. Hers was not unlike the feeling of Paul in regard regard to his life mission; Yea [also] doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; She seemed to value nothing else but this in comparison; Wealth I have; treasures of gold and precious stones, and lofty state, and power, and splendor, but all these are as nothing so long as I feel my destitution of Wisdom; and I am therefore resolved to seek it at once; to go to this mighty Monarch, this Solomon the Great, and I am determined to obtain the solution of these questions which torture + perplex me, and to get the full satisfaction of my anxious heart in regard to Wisdom, and to do this at once. So (3) She not only put into effect her resolution 17 but she manifested untiring perseverance, in spite of most formidable difficulties. It would be to no purpose that these obstacles should be suggested to her she might be told that (a) the distance was immense from her country to Jerusalem, that (b) she was accustomed as a female, and a Queen to luxurious living and I could not endure the discomforts of such a journey by land, and (c) that all along this dreary pilgrimage the route was beset with venomous beasts of prey, or [c???l] Highway Robbers. She would meet these suggestions all with the spirit of Paul when he said [clo?e] of these things move me; my heart is fixed; One thing have I desired, that will I seek after that is, to hear the Wisdom of Solomon; and I will brave all the fatigue, all the discomforts, all the perils that may beset the way, provided I gain this great object. Then (4) In all her intercourse with Solomon, she exhibited the docility of a little child. She did not conceal her ignorance. She made known to him all her wants; she communed with him of all that was in her heart, and showed that what she wished was instruction. No false pride; no presenting of [ca??ls] of objection through pride of intellect, marked her application for wisdom. But she showed herself ready to hear and to adopt the instructions of Solomon with the most cordial and prompt acquiescence. 19 (5) So that as well might be expected she was eminently successful in her search for wisdom; for we learn that Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the King, which he told her not. She learned the great primary truths, of Gods being and perfections, His Law, and its authority His worship in its purity, + spirituality, the nature and meaning of the temple, the altar, and the sacrifices at Jerusalem. (6) Lastly; She fully appreciated the wisdom and glory of all she had learned. It is not unreasonable to suppose that she obtained a copy of the then extant Scriptures, and that she was so impressed with the value of the truths she had learned, in their influence upon the subjects of King Solomon, as she pronounced them happy in their association with him, that she returned to her own land laden with these spiritual treasures to impart them to her own people, and to make them acquainted with them. It [was] is this combination of traits of xter + conduct that vindicates her claim to be mentioned by the Savior as worthy of notice, and as he [u??lls] the Panoramic view of History and points to her as [a] one of the grand central figures of a great thought, the objects of this presentation of the part of the Savior is to rebuke the conduct of those in these enlightened days who with fewer and far 21 less formidable difficulties to encounter, and with a greater certainty of success in the effort, and more still, with a greater than Solomon at hand possessing all the treasures of Heavenly Wisdom, of which Solomons Wisdom was but a feeble hype, [we] not only exhibit less faith, but no faith in Him; not onl show no anxiety to secure this wisdom, but turn away from it, and go in pursuit of the trifling objects of this perishing world. But Let us consider. II. What was the wisdom of Solomon which so attracted the Queen of SHeba? It was two-fold: 1. Worldly wisdom, political + judicial sagacity sagacity, and vast and varied learning. (2) His was also that Heavenly Wisdom which teaches the way of eternal life. Both are important but one the latter is essential. The acquisitions made in worldly wisdom can never be overestimated in their value provided they are made to the glory of God, sanctified and set apart to the promotion of the spiritual benefit of ourselves and others. Acquired for any other purpose, for vain glory, for mere personal distinction, or for the purpose of overthrowing the truth, misleading the minds of others, and seducing them from the way of life, then no greater curse can befal the human mind. 23 Solomons worldly wisdom enabled him to accumulate wealth in untold amounts, by Commerce in all its forms, so that to use the language of S. S. he made silver in Jerusalem as stones and such indeed was the abundance of this precious metal that it was not anything accounted of in the days of Solomon. His political wisdom was such that by his diplomacy he prevailed upon all the Kings of the Earth to enter into alliance with him, and they sought the presence of Solomon, and brought, every man his present, to conciliate the favor of this wise and powerful Ruler. His judicial wisdom was such as to strike with astonishment even those who favored the right + the true; while it filled with consternation and alarm those who lived by fraud and crime. His vast and varied stores of learning are topics of description in the Scripture Narrative, as we learn that he was a Poet, [and] a philosopher and a Sage, a Scientific writer, understanding Botany, Zoology, and Natural History; his wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the East country and all the wisdom of Egypt; for he was wiser than all men; and he spake 3000 proverbs; and his songs were 1005; and he spake of trees from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the [hy??] [?] that springeth out of the wall; he spake also of beasts, and of fowl, and of creeping 25 things and of fishes; so that really although the history does not use the names of sciences as they are now applied, the truth is that he may have known more about Botany than Prof Gray of Harvard, + more about Icthyology, the science that treats of fishes, than even the great Agassiz himself; he may have been a greater Poet than Milton, or Homer, or Dante; a greater Astronomer than Sir Isaac Newton. Such indeed was the fame of his Wisdom that these came of all people to hear the Wisdom of Solomon, from all Kings of the Earth which had heard of his wisdom. Now Solomon had all this wisdom of a worldly nature in this astonishing measure, and yet he also had II Heavenly Wisdom. He knew the Lord God of Heaven. He worshipped Him. He served Him, until he was tempted + allured away for a time by evil influences, but he was brought back to God and died no doubt in full possession of the Favor of God which is life and His loving kindness which is better than life. It was this really that overwhelmed this Queen of the South with wonder and joy and which led her to say to him behold the half was 27 not told me! III. But we have dwelt long enough + upon the original narrative, to put ourselves in full possession of the ground work of our text. The verse is the language of Christ Himself, and he presents this incident in the life of Israels greatest King as the basis of a great lesson to his hearers. This lesson is two-fold; (a) the infinite superiority of HEavenly Wisdom to the highest wisdom of earth; (b) the fearful guilt of those who neglect to possess themselves of this Heavenly treasure. Now I do not understand that Xr. condemns earthly wisdom at all. On the contrary, contrary, I think he commends the Queen of SHeba for seeking it. It is not any offence to God that we seek to learn all that can be learned of the [things] sciences of this world; for they all bear testimony to God. You cannot learn too much of these things; the more deeply you study these works of Nature, the stars, the Suns, the lands + seas, the grand old mts. and the mighty rivers, the beasts + fowl + reptiles and the variety of men + manners throughout the earth; the more you will be led to see that the God shines lustrously through + above them all. It is a 29 grand thing to master the learning of this world; to be able to explain the mysteries of Nature, + enjoy the rich treasures of Knowledge which have been sought out by the genius of Man. But let me tell you that there is a wisdom which so far surpasses all the worldly wisdom you can acquire, that they pale their ineffectual fires before its brilliant glorious light, and sink into absolute insignificance in the comparison. To the worldly minded man, our Saviors words do not seem to convey this idea in the unlimited manner which we use. For the utmost He says in this connection is a greater than Solomon is here! How much greater He does not say, but then, as we know that He meant Himself as this greater than Solomon, and as He is represented as the Wisdom of God, which is Infinite, we need not hesitate to adopt in all its apparent greatness of extent the idea that the value of true Wisdom is infinitely beyond that of all earthly wisdom combined. Now of all the enjoyments of this life there are none so pure, none so satisfying as intellectual pleasures. The range of the mind when untrammeled over the illimitable plains of knowledge; the deep draughts of the Pieri an Spring; the slaking of the thirst of the mind in the fountain of Helicon; the rich accumulation 31 accumulation of the [wealth] treasures of History; the scaling of the craggy heights of Mathematical science; the penetration into the profound mysteries of geological Science; the investigation of the untrodden fields of Astronomy [science]; the studies of Nature in all her departments; all elevate, ennoble, purify, enlighten, expand and delight the soul of man. And so the wise and the good of all ages have gathered together in places scattered over the [earth] civilized world Institutions of Learning, and furnished the young with the means and facilities of indulging in these exalting + refining pleasures,and fitting them by intellectual [pleasures] culture to be the picture guides and leaders of other generations as they enter, pass over, and leave the stage of early preparation for lifes great work. But what if you study Nature, and ignore Natures God, what if you drink of Helicon + Pieria, and avoid the fountain opened in the House of David, the fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuels veins, where sinners plunged beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains? What if you fill your mind with the Historic love [of History] of this world, and know nothing of the history of your own soul; its origin its entrance, on a scene of sin + woe; its own guilt + [woe] suffering here; and its imminent peril of an unblessed eternity of woe as its destiny; and the abundant [supply and] remedy for all its spiritual evils here and hereafter; 33 what if you can solve the grandest problems of Mathematics, and shall never have even attempted to solve our Saviors great question in the Rule of Eternal Loss and Gain; What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? What though you may have a name alongside of Agassiz as a Naturalist and Buckland + Miller + Dana as a Geologist and a Mineralogist; and Newton, + Kepler + Mary Somerville and Caroline Herschell and her illustrious brother as an Astronomer; and though your poetry rival that of Milton and Shakspeare, what of all this, of what of all this, if [who] with one of these great Astronomers you should say that you do not see that the Heavens declare the glory of God, you do not see that the firmament showeth His handy work; but that there, amid the starry worlds you see nought but the glory of Newton, Hipparchus, and Kepler. In such a character as this I should see something to weep for but not a character in which to glory. I should see a keen bright Damascus blade, polished, glittering, + beautiful, but sharpened only to cut through the [shield] scabbard in which it lay, or to strike by its influence fatal blows upon Society. I should see in it the brilliancy of a light thus Kindled in the soul by earthly fuel, [only] not to enlighten + direct but to dazzle and consume. Beware oh, beware of a Godless Wisdom, feeding the pride of the 35 intellect, but poisoning the Soul. Then the vast superiority of the Wisdom of Heaven over that of Earth; the greatness of the Son of God over the great King of Israel, consists in the fact that while the combination of the two presents to view the noblest spectacle of human greatness + glory, while he or she who has human learning sanctified by the religion of Jesus is a character far transcending the highest conception of the human mind in the true nobleness and value, [yet] it is nevertheless true that with nothing but human learning, human attainments, human accomplishments, this life will be a failure or, worse, and the life to come will be eternal ruin; while on the other hand, high as is my estimate of human learning, he, or she, who, reared in ignorance, unto whom Knowledge, her ample page, Rich with the spoils of time did neer unroll, and in whose soul the light of Christian Hope has been Kindled, whose eye of faith has been lightened to look beyond the present dark and sinful world, to look to Jesus and walk with God; to whom this world seems the field of work for God + for souls, and Heaven the eternal home toward which they eye of faith is ever turned, is a character richer in graces and virtues here, and far more valued in the sight of God; honored fo God + man here; and to be crowned hereafter with Glory, honor, and 37 immortality; for theirs is the priceless Knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ whom God hath sent, which is Eternal Life. Let us consider IV. Upon what grounds the Queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment and condemn us; The just ground of her condemnation of us, is that the value of the object she in view being infinitely inferior to ours, and the difficulties to be encountered being infinitely greater, than ours she yet possessed and exhibited a far stronger and more unhesitating faith. It was the fame of the wisdom of Solomon an earthly Monarch that stimulated her; we have the Son of God Himself Divine the embodiment of Heavenly Wisdom, to which our search should be directed a greater than Solomon; a greater than all the other beings in all the Universe of God; this is the object which we should seek; In her search she had to traverse hundreds of miles; she passed over the pathless desert, through the wilderness, constantly liable to the assaults of the lurking Robber, or the sudden attack of the beasts of prey; toiling on through days and nights of weary travel without a thought of abandoning her purpose, fearlessly and with a courage unnatural to her sex she hopefully 39 won her way, believing that she would succeed, and that if indeed she should obtain the object of her pursuit, she shd. have acquired what to her would be better that rubies; better than mines of untold precious metals; better than pearls from the depths of the Sea! Look on their picture then on this; Behold the [mighty God] great Author of our salvation, the mighty God the everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace; the only savior; the only name given under Heaven among men whereby we must be saved; no long and toilsome march; no peril, by flood + field; no we [??isome] + painful penance to perform; no expenditure of wealth; no money; no price is exacted; free salvation, rich mercy pardon, peace, reconciliation with God; hope to cheer here, and [faith] love to lighten the burdens of life; joy in death; and Heaven, sweet Heaven at last; all this just at hand; no ascending to heaven to bring Xr down; no descending to the deep to bring him up from the dead; but having the word nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart the word of faith which we preach, that if thou wilt believe with thy heart + confess with thy mouth thou shalt be saved; with 41 such overwhelming proof of Power, love and willingness to save, as cannot be paralleled, we yet turn away our faces from him; count him a root out of a dry ground having no form or comeliness; and when we see him there is no beauty that we shd desire him; we despise + reject him; we esteem him as stricken, smitten of God, + afflicted a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief and while he is fairer than the children of men; the brightness of the Fathers glory and the express image of His person; the chiefest among ten thousand and the one altogether lovely we nevertheless prefer the glories of earth to the glory of this Savior; the wisdom of this world which is but foolishness with God; we seek the honor of this world which passeth away; its fading glories; its transient joys; its perishing pleasures, instead of the joys of this salvation; the glories of Heaven the pleasures which are at Gods right hand and which are forevermore. How we deserve the deepest Hell, who slight the joys above! How righteously will this Queen of the South, rise up in the judgment and condemn us because of our God, dishonoring want of faith! 43 V. To these precious daughters of our land this discussion brings lessons of no light [inter??st], and importance. You are to learn [the] 1. The excellence of Knowledge. What an age is ours! The press, the pulpit the platform the school-room, the living teacher, the R.R. the telegraph everywhere are spreading the seeds of that great Knowledge which is Power; the march of mind, of civilization, of salvation is sweeping on in resistless triumph. The Queen of the South had no R.R. no telegraphic line of communication between her distant + unknown land + Solomon yet she came slowly; toilsomely; but perseveringly to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Imitate her anxiety, her resolution her docility, her humility, and like her you will succeed, in acquiring the treasures of Wisdom; but in no other way will you ever succeed. (2) We learn that wisdom is not forbidden to Woman. Solomon did not reject her application for wisdom because she was a woman; he did not sneer at the idea [that] of a [she was] woman striving to improve her mind; he did not remand her with a lofty superciliousness to the kitchen, + the nursery as her only appropriate sphere because she was a woman! No! but he received her right royally as his equal in social rank, and 45 Solomon told her all her questions, and there was nothing hid from Solomon which he told her not. He recognized her perfect right to seek and to receive all the advantages of wisdom. Nor did Jesus Xr. [deny] declare that the Queen of Sheba was transcending the limits of womans rights when she asked to be instructed but he heartily commends her example, and places her upon a prominence of immortality in view of all the world. Let no rude hand, or voice of discouragement then evermore be [heard] known in this land of the gospel to close up the temples of learning against the admission of woman. Let her enter. Stand aside, ye Goths and Vandals, who would keep her out. Open wide the doors and give her ample scope and verge enough to grasp all the precious treasures that have so long been deemed the peculiar property of her brother and only her equal Man. You call her frivolous and complain of her want of solid + substantial character and yet you object to the only remedy for this sound learning and solid Education. This will make your women something more than mere parlor ornaments, and playthings of an hour; it will make them what God designed they shd be and what, as surely as he lives, they will be, 47 corner stones in the domestic temple polished after the similitude of a palace, blessings to the Christian homes of our favored land, blessings to the world and to the church of Jesus Christ! One [remark] more lesson I must not omit: [I cannot omit to] 3. I notice that this Queen of the South came to learn not to usurp authority and to teach the world as the strong minded women of this enlightened age regard themselves commissioned to do in certain regions of our country. I do not hold to any inequality in the sexes; [still] I hold to a full equality in the special sphere of each. God made them for different spheres and whenever they attempt, either of them, violently to pass over from the one to the other common sense is outraged; virtue is shamed; modesty is put to the blush; decency is dishonored; Gods word is utterly ignored; and God Himself is defied. In the arrangements of Society in regard to the sexes, there is a deep seated principle originating from the Author of our being which prescribes limitation to the action of each sex. But this limitation is not obstruction, or unjust + arbitrary tyranny. Not at all! It confines indeed but does not hinder it directs. It does not oppose; it guides. [It] The current of womans life has been very 49 appropriately and beautifully illustrated by the calm, noiseless, even, pure [stream] waters of some noble river, reflecting heaven upon its bosom, refreshing and adorning the Earth with its influence. But to do this it must be kept within its banks which by no means keep it back but only direct its course. But the unnatural departure of woman from her holy and happy sphere where alone she can reign undisputed sovereign, is like nothing so strikingly as the turbid flood which licentiously rushes from the natural channel [making a] with obtrusive show, + roaring noise attracting attention only to its spreading, wild and dangerous invasions. Everything is beautiful [in its beautiful] in its season Everything is beautiful in its appropriate sphere But as snow in summer, and rain in harvest so woman in politics, as the ballot box, on the hustings, is unwelcome, unlovely, disgusting. In her own sphere she is + ought to be undisputed Queen; her right, there, [should be] none [to] shd. dispute. But out of it, usurping the power of man in his sphere she is a monstrous, an unnatural [exhibition] prodigy of human folly and moral deformity; a wandering star shooting madly from her orbit, portending disaster and calamity to the world; threatening to awaken a moral earthquake which shall rend into fragments the solid fabric of our Christian Society. 51 4. But my last lesson found in this beautiful story is the obligation and responsibility of woman to the Bible, and the Bibles God. This Queen is a Representative woman. She symbolizes that thirst for Knowledge which woman experiences as well as man. Because she was a Queen she had the power and exercised it to seek the gratification of her thist. She came from the uttermost parts of the Earth to obtain [it] knowledge and she was successful. She felt with unspeakable delight throughout all the depths of her womans nature the rushing [delight] streams of this Knowledge [with unspeakable delight] as they refreshed, purified + exalted her not only as a Queen but as a woman, and as she saw that there was no iron decree that lowered her sex in the social scale. Ever and anon, we find, even in profane history, the record of such representative characters, as they stand out on the historic tablets of all Nations, showing that God and Nature have united in declaring womans social equality and [??titling] her to the highest degree of intellectual and moral culture. But as the Nations under the stern hand of barbaric rule pressed down her aspirations, and closed against her the doors of the temple of Science, in due time came the Bible and vindicated her claims to an equal share of the blessings of an elevating and expanding system of mental training. And now where Gods blessed Word goes, light bursts forth upon the Nations, and woman is redeemed. 53 It does not make all women Queens indeed; but yet the throne it provides her is more lofty, more attractive more potent in its influence for good, than that on which sat the Queen of the South, Cleopatra of Egypt, Elizabeth of England, or Isabella of Spain. Her throne is erected in the heart of the Husband and the Son, and from that exalted and powerful seat of her silent yet mighty dominion goes forth an influence that, first controlling them, through them controls the country, and through that country, the world. It is not by wearing the armor of the mail clad warrior; nor by lifting her voice in the hall of heated debate; nor pleading at the bar of Justice in the interest of the client; nor by preaching the gospel to the lost + ruined; nor by forgetting the beautiful delicacy of her [holy] womanly nature, rushing into the heated arena of political strife, at the ballot box, or in the caucus. No, No, whenever you find her there or in any such unseemly places, do not believe for a moment that she is there under the sanction of the Bible. That Holy Book denounces all such violations of Gods eternal ordination in regard to womans mission and womans functions, and womans sphere. But when she guides her steps, and rules her life, and forms her character in accordance with this Book, she will be found where love and tenderness and refinement of thoughts and feeling preside. In the charmed circle of home making all around her happy; or with the pen of polished and elegant literature lending her influence to the promotion of all that is good + beautiful 55 in Life, alluring to brighter worlds + leading the way; comforting the sorrowing; feeding the hungry; clothing the naked; sheltering the homeless; sending the Gospel to the perishing; cheering the faint hearted laborer in the Lords vineyard as he bears the burden and heat of the day; and directing the anxious sinner to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world; and by her intercessory prayers moving the arm of Omnipotent Grace to save the lost + fallen! Oh, when this is the honored office assigned to woman by the Bible, who shall venture to assign to her inferiority in the race? Who shall say that she shall not be fitted for her work and labor of love in this vast field of holy toil? For my part I I bid god-speed to these toiling workers in this rich and remunerative field of Female culture, and if a word of encouragement from an humble co-laborer will be valued, you have it today! May God bless you in your work! Have elevated views of its grandeur, and lift yourselves above the mere mechanical execution of the work laid upon you. Think that you are rearing a power here for good that is commensurate in its influence only with Eternity, and do it nobly, do it justly, do it in the fear of God, and great, oh, great beyond conception will be your reward! Not in the wealth of this world; not in the puff of Honors noisy breath; but in the living monument of educated minds blessing and ornamenting and beautifying this world, and in the inexpressibly precious benediction 57 benediction of a Gracious Lord which will be your welcome to the mansions in our Fathers house! And what to you, dear daughters of our fatherland, who throng these courts of refined and elevating culture? What to you shall be said? I can but say from a full heart, God bless you! God bless you! Seize with eagerness the treasures of scientific truth, but above all learn to know God through Jesus Christ! Then shall you escape the condemnation of the Queen of the South seeing that you will have come to this Greater than Solomon; this Son of God the King of Israel, and found that wisdom which alone will guide your souls to God, and to Glory.