Ver. 6.-Simple as opposed to guileful. "The Lord preserveth the simple." This is not the "simple" of the Book of Proverbs-the young, inexperienced, susceptible souls, who a.re only too easily led astray. "Simple" here rather means gentle, sincere, genuine, inoffensive, guileless, not ordering conduct by the subtlety of this world's wisdom; this very simplicity, which lays them most readily open to attack, is in itself a.n appeal for God's protection. Compare our Lord's commendation of the passive graces in his Beatitudes, especially this, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." L THE SIMPLE MAN LETS GoD WOBK. "The Lord preaerveth the simple." He has no confidence to make his own plans; he waits to know a.nd fit in with God's plans for him. '!'his ma.y seem weakness; and it sometimes is weakness. But it need not be, It should only be the simplicity of the child-spirit, which depends on the father, and has the fullest confidence in the fatherly wisdom and wa.ya. He has no confidenoe in hie own working out of the plan. So he leans on Divine help continua.Hy, ever say- ing, "What I know not, that teach thou me; " "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." Thie, too, may seem to be weakness, but it is not; it is only man meeting fully the conditions of hie being, for man is as a climbing plant, only strong and able to attain hie best when he leans upon the Ftrong. It is the problem of life, and the simple man most easily solves it-How ca.n humanit_y reach its best? The simple man says, "By being always open to God's working in us." IL THE GUILEFUL MAN DOES BIB OWN WORK, He is quite satisfied with his own plans. They are such as will bring the best possible to himself. He has an eye to the "main chance" a.I ways, and means to secure it-straightforwardly if he can, otherwise if he cannot. And he is quite satisfied with hie resources. There is nothing that he cannot do, or thinks he cannot do. Life is to him the sphere in which things have to yield to his wishes. The b,uileful ma.n ha.a no particular need of God, a.nd, indeed, he sometimes finds him in his wa.y, and so is aroused to an active anta.i(onism. "God is not in all his thoughts." '!'here is no place in him for humility-self-confidence fills all the space. There is no call to prayer, for he wants no help. He is sufficient unto himself, or thinks he is. The guileful ma.n will not have it that he is a dependent creature. IlL 'J.'B.E GUILEFUL MAN BEACHES PBEBENT BEBULTB; THE SIMPLE MAN BEACH~- PB, 0XVI, 1-19,] 'fHE BOOK OF PSALMS. 79
ABIDING RESULTS. This is precisely the difference which having God makes. With• out him there is nothing ,that abideth. With him everything worth having abideth for ever.-R. T.