But each woman said it was not her baby but the other's that was dead, and that the mother of the dead one had put the little corpse down by the other sleeping woman, and taken her living child out of her bosom to herself. How was it to be known which was right?--for nobody out of the house knew the two little ones apart, and each of the women declared that she was the mother of the live child, not of the dead. So they came to the king to judge between them. [Illustration: THE BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.--1 Kings 6:11-14.] And what plan could Solomon take to find out the truth? He sent for the executioner, with a sword, and said that as the women could not agree, both the children should be cut in two, and each woman should have the two halves. One woman was content to have it so, but the other only cried out in grief and dread, "O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it." Then Solomon saw in a moment which was full of mother's love, and which was full of hatred and jealousy; so he said, "Give _her_ the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof." And so the true loving mother had her child safe and well, and the other was disappointed in her spite. QUESTIONS. 1. Who was Solomon? 2. Who came before him? 8. What had happened to one baby? 4. What did both the women say? 5. What had Solomon to decide? 6. What did he command? 7. Did he really mean to kill the child? 8. But what did he want to find out? 9. What did one woman say? 10. What did the other woman say? 11. Which was the real mother? 12. What did Solomon command? 13. Would not the loving mother rather give the child away than have it killed? [Illustration] Twenty-fifth Sunday. _SOLOMON'S FALL._ FIRST READING. "All the earth sought to Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart."--_1 Kings 10:24._ KING Solomon was the greatest king in wisdom and riches who ever lived. He had an ivory throne with golden lions standing on the steps, and a beautiful house lined with sweet cedar-wood. He sent ships which brought home gold and silver, and apes and peacocks; and it was said that gold was as common as silver generally is, and silver as common as stones! All people honored him, and the Queen of Sheba came from her far-off country to see him, because of the fame of his greatness. And when she saw him she was quite overcome, and said that all she heard was not half so grand and glorious as what she saw. Very happy, she said, were the people who stood round him and heard the words of his wisdom. We have the words of his wisdom in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible, for his wisdom came from God. And though we shall never see his purple robes or his gold and silver, do you know what our blessed Saviour said?--"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."