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I. IT MUST BE CANDID — SINCERE. It is said of "fools" that they "despise wisdom and instruction." But the children of Wisdom "receive" her words. They give them what they are entitled to, a serious and deliberate attention. They listen, they remember, they meditate, they examine, they accept, they lay up for use. If you feel the value of your privilege in having the Word of God in your possession, you will attend to the instructions and counsels, the admonitions, the encouragements, the commands which in the Bible are set before you. There are some who refuse to hear at all. This is unreasonable, uncandid, unmanly, and most infatuated. There are some who only seem to hear; the spirit of assentation has in it no sincerity, no heart. When there is sincerity of heart you will "hide with you" the Divine counsels and commands; hide the contents of the Word in the memory, in the understanding, in the conscience, in the heart.

II. IT MUST BE EARNEST. An inquiry determined on gratification, and that spares no pains on its attainment. Divine Wisdom is in earnest in imparting her instructions, and the pupil should be in earnest in seeking her instructions. He who is sensible of his inability to guide himself in the perplexing paths of life will be all solicitude for a conductor, Divine guide who may bring him into the right way and keep him in it.

III. WITH EARNESTNESS MUST RE UNITED IMPORTUNATE PERSEVERANCE. This is implied in the variety of expressions used in succession to each other. Men discover the value they set on the treasures of this world by their unrelaxing diligence in seeking them. They do not give up the search immediately because they do not immediately succeed. Divine knowledge is fitly compared to treasure. The comparison is natural and common. But how few even of the people of God who profess to have learned the value of this wisdom and knowledge by a happy experience discover the longing, the vehement and persevering research, for the attainment of a larger and larger amount of it which might be expected of them I There is no way in which the Word can "be" in us richly without an eager seeking after it, or "dwell" in us richly without a careful and jealous keeping of it. There are powerful spiritual inducements presented. "Then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord," etc. By these terms true religion is expressed. Knowledge of God is the first lesson of heavenly wisdom. On the right apprehension of this lesson all the rest necessarily depends —

"You cannot be right in the rest

Unless you think rightly of Him."Wrong views of God will vitiate every other department of your knowledge. The "fear of the Lord," founded in the knowledge of Him, is something to the right understanding of which experience is indispensable.

IV. THE SOURCE FROM WHICH TRUE WISDOM IS TO BE OBTAINED. "The Lord giveth wisdom." In two ways — by His Word and by His Spirit. These two are really one, for God neither gives wisdom by His Word without His Spirit nor by His Spirit without His Word. The word rendered "sound wisdom" is one of general import, signifying anything real, solid, substantial. God has stores of wisdom laid up for present use; He will ever give larger and clearer manifestations of Himself, of His truths, of His ways, and of His will out of His inexhaustible stores, and there is also a treasure of invaluable wisdom and knowledge in reserve for His people in a future and better world. Another promise is safety. "A buckler to them that walk uprightly." Jehovah is security amidst all the assaults of the enemies of the upright, and especially amidst "the fiery darts of the wicked one," which, when the shield of Jehovah's power is interposed, cannot touch him, but fall, quenched and pointless, to the ground.

(R. Wardlaw, D.D.)

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KJV: My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;

WEB: My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you;