Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/294

 Envy. The  woman  who  accidentally  smothered  her  baby,  was  a bad  woman  with  no  conscience. She envied  the  happiness  of  the  other woman whose  child  was  living,  and  would  have  liked  the  innocent  baby to be  killed  in  order  that  the  other  woman  might  be  childless  as  well as herself. This shows  what  a cruel  and  hateful  sin  envy  is.

Lies. The  envious  woman  told  the  most  barefaced  lies  in  order to gain  possession  of  the  living  child.

Mortal sin.  The  envious  woman  lied  about  a serious  matter;  for her object  was  to  rob  a mother  of  her  child;  and  therefore  her  lie was a mortal  sin. She sinned  not  only  against  the  eighth  Commandment, but  also  against  the  tenth  and  fifth  Commandments;  for  in  the first place  she  coveted  the  child  which  was  its  mother’s  dearest  earthly possession, and  then  desired  its  death. All these sins  proceeded  from the hateful  sin  of  envy.

The gift  of  wisdom.  The  first  and  highest  of  the  gifts  of  the Holy Ghost,  and  the  crown  of  all  the  others,  is  the  gift  of  wisdom. God gave  Solomon  this  gift  in  an  extraordinary  measure. Not only did he  possess  a knowledge  of  divine  things,  but  he  was  versed  in  all human sciences,  knowing  the  secrets  of  nature,  the  course  of  the  stars, and the  properties  of  beasts,  plants  &amp;c. Moreover, he  was  gifted  with the art  of  government;  and  the  renown  of  his  wisdom  spread  far  and wide, as  you  will  see  in  chapter  LX.

Do you  pray  mostly  for  spiritual  or  temporal gifts? In future  pray  more  diligently  for  God’s  grace  and  especially for the  seven  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost. Pray also  for  the  gift  of the  virtue  most  opposed  to  your  besetting  sin.

N the  fourth  year  of  his  reign  Solomon  began  to  build  the Temple of  the  Lord  on  Mount  Moria  in  Jerusalem. He had ten thousand  men  employed  cutting  cedars  on  Mount  Lebanon