hand, and in her left hand riches and honour: Her ways are ways of
pleasantness, and all her paths are peace,"--Solomon goes on immediately
to say (verses 19, 20), "The Lord by Wisdom hath founded the earth, and
established the heavens?"

By Wisdom: by the very same Wisdom, Solomon says, which is to give men
length of days, and riches, and honour. Is not this curious at least?
That there is but one wisdom for God and man? That man's true wisdom is
a pattern of God's wisdom? That a man to prosper in the world must get
the very same wisdom by which God made and rules the world? Curious. But
most blessed news, my friends, if we will think over what it means. I
will try to explain it to you: first, as to this world which we see;
next, as to the heavenly world of spirits which we do not see.

You have, many of you, heard the word "Science." Many of you of course
know what it means. That it means wisdom and learning about this earth
and all things in it. Many more of you of course know that in the last
hundred years science has improved in a most wonderful way, and is
improving every day; that we have now gas-lights, steam-engines, cotton-
mills, railroads, electric telegraphs, iron ships, and a hundred curious
and useful machines and manufactures of which our great-grandfathers
never dreamed; that our knowledge of different countries, of medicines,
of the laws of health and disease, and of all in short which has to do
with man's bodily life, is increasing day by day; and that all these
discoveries are very great blessings; they give employment and food to
millions who would otherwise have had nothing to do; they bring vast
wealth into this country, and all the countries which trade with us. They
enable this land of England to support four times as many human beings as
it did two hundred years ago; they make many of the necessaries of life
cheaper, so that in many cases a poor man may now have comforts which his
grandfather never heard of.

I know that there is a dark side to this picture; that with all this
increase of wisdom, there has come conceit, and trust in deceitful
riches, and want of trust in God, and obedience to His law. I know that
in some things we are not better, but worse than our forefathers; God
forgive us for it! But the good came from God; and that man is very
unwise and unthankful too, who despises God's great gift of science,
because fallen man has defiled His gift as it passed through his