true crown of II man's life?" No doubt the term "crown" may be used in a variety of scmes. The psalmist seems here to think of the crown ae that which bedecks and beautifies; and he makes us think of the crown of flowers on the May queen, rather than of the jewelled crowns on wealthy kings. So thP, question comes to be-What is the true adornment, or enrichment, the true decoration, of a human life? Then the answer comes-It is what God gives a man beyond his mere neces8ities, in the rich outpouring of Divine loving-kindness and mercy. It may be put in this way-The Divine provisi-Ons are crowned with Divine bestowments. I. DrTIKE PROVISIONS. ·we cannot be surprised that God, as Creator, should supply all the reasonable needs of his creatures; or that God, as Father, should supply all the wants of his children. There is a certain obligation resting on God that arises out of his relationships. There is a fairly good sense in which the creature and the child may be said to have daims on God, to which, if he be God, he must respond. "The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in due season." But the limit of the claim to necessities should be clearly shown. And real necessities are very few, and can be easily defined. Try to conceive the change, in lifo and relations, if God were now to draw back from us everything but our actual necessities. St. Paul could say, "I have all, and abound." II. DIVINE BESTOWMENTs. Illustrate by the luxuries and delicacies that the house- wife provides beyond the necessaries of the table and the house. She epriches, or crowns, her provisions. So with our Father-God. He meets need, but goes beyond need to give us all things "richly to enjoy." .All the extra things, all the pleasant things, all the pretty things, of life, are bestowments of the Divine loving-kindness and tender mercies. If we may think of God's duty in what he provides, we may think of his personal love to us in what he bestows. Then show that personal love can never rest satisfied with its objects being merely provided for; it never can rest until they are happy-happy up to the very limit of their power to be happy. What must God the Father's idea of happiness for his earth-children be? With that he would crown them.-R. T.
Ver. 6.-Tl,e Lord of the oppi·essed. The point set forth prominently is that God is acti1Jely engaged in securing the interests of the oppressed. '!'hat goes into the word used, "executeth." We might think of justice and judgment as the pillars of God's throne, and yet conceive of him as only announcing hie just decisions; leaving to others the work of carrying them out. To put it in a formal way, the legislative rights of God may be recognized, but the executive rights of God may be denied. We may fully hold both truths of fact. God does pronounce his own judgments; God does execute his own sentences. The figure for God is especially effective in Eastern countries, where justice is so often perverted, and the oppressed have no chance if they happen to be poor. Illustrate by our Lord's parable of the unjust judge and the importunate widow. All the oppressed and poor may be absolutely sure that Jehovah will considerately hear their cases, deal with perfect uprightness in relation to their trouble, and CfJ.rrJ out his decisions, whatever they may involve. L THE LOBD OF THE OPPRESSED HEEDS THE OPPRESSED. The poor often find it nearly impossible to get their cases brought before the magistrates, judges, or kings of earth. It is the righteousness of God that he is right towards every one ; all may seek, and none ever seeks in vain. There is absolute freedom given to every man and woman under the sun to tell out the trouble to the Lord. And we may have absolute faith that no tale of human need was ever poured out before God, and disregarded by him. It is a beginnina of hope, that the Lord surely heeds us. IL TH& LoRD OF THE OPPRESSED ACTS FOB THE OPPRESSED. God's decisions never merely lie on a statute-book, like many acts of earthly courts and parliaments. If God decides a thing, it has to be carried out; nay, he himself presides over the carrying it out. We are to have confidence in the Divine energy and activity. "Commit thy v.ay unto the Lord, and he will bring it to pass." How, when, where, he will execute his judgments, we may not anticipate; it is enough for an oppressed soul to know that God is acting for him. "He will bring forth our righteousness as the light, and our judgment as ttie noon-day." III. Tm: LORD OF THE OPPREflSED AOTS UPON THE OPPRESSORS, It is not merely I'S. Oltl. 1-22.] THE BOOK OF PSALMS. 8!)3