If a man is wise then in choosing for himself a wife, the first thing he will demand is that she shall be one that fears the Lord, one who shall be able to lead him and help him in that which is his truest life, and to maintain for him a saving intercourse with the world of spiritual realities. He may be assured that in her love to God he has the best guarantee of her love to him, and that if she does not fear and love God the main sanction for their wedded happiness will be wanting. Finally, where the woman who has been described is actually found in real life it is for us to recognise her and to reward her. Let society take note of her: "Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." The great Greek historian said that woman's highest praise consisted in not being mentioned at all. That is not the teaching of Revelation. Woman's best work is often done in silence and without observation, but her highest praise is when the seeds sown in silence have grown into flowers of loveliness and fruit that is sweet to the taste, and the whole community is forced to yield her the honour which is her due, exalting, with heartfelt admiration and with deep gratitude to God, the Wife, the Mother, the Ministrant to the Poor. FOOTNOTES: [695] Prov. xxxi. 1-9. [696] Prov. xxxi. 10-31. [697] _E.g._, בַּר ver. 2 and מְלָכִין ver. 3: _cf._ the strange expressions כָּל־בְּנֵי־עֹנִי and חֲלוֹף כָּל־בְּנֵי in vv. 5, 8. [698] Prov. xxxi. 8, 9. [699] Prov. xxii. 14, xxiii. 27. [700] Prov. xix. 13, xxi. 9, xxv. 24, xxi. 19, xxvii. 15. [701] Prov. xxvii. 16. [702] Prov. xi. 22. [703] Prov. xiv. 1. [704] Prov. xi. 16. [705] Prov. xviii. 22. [706] Prov. xix. 14. In the LXX. this clause is beautifully rendered παρὰ δὲ κυρίου ἁρμόζεται γυνὴ ἀνδρί. By the Lord's ordinance woman and man are dovetailed together in a complete harmony. The thought is well expanded in Ecclesiasticus (xxvi. 1-3): "Blessed is the man that has a virtuous wife, for thereby his life is doubled. A woman made for a man rejoices her husband, and he shall fulfil the years of his life in peace. A virtuous wife is a good portion, in the portion of them that fear the Lord shall she be given." [707] Prov. xxxi. 12. [708] Prov. xii. 4. [709] Prov. xxxi. 23. [710] Prov. xxxi. 29. [711] Prov. xxxi. 11. [712] Prov. xxxi. 14. [713] Prov. xxxi. 15. [714] Prov. xxxi. 16. [715] Prov. xxxi. 17. [716] Prov. xxxi. 18. [717] Prov. xxxi. 24. [718] Prov. xxxi. 27. [719] Prov. xxxi. 21. [720] Prov. xxxi. 25. [721] Prov. xxxi. 20. [722] Prov. xxxi. 30. INDEX OF TEXTS IN PROVERBS QUOTED OR EXPOUNDED. VERSES PAGES CHAPTER I.