January 30

A man that hath friends must show himself friendly; and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.—PROV. xviii, 24.

First on thy friend deliberate with thyself;

Pause, ponder, sift; not eager in thy choice,

Nor jealous of the chosen; fixing, fix—

Judge before friendship, then confide till death.

EDWARD YOUNG.

There is scarcely any character under which Christ in His Manhood is represented by which He comes so near and dear to us as that of Friend. Man is made a social being, and a large portion of our earthly enjoyment springs from the society of our friends. Now Jesus meets this deep want of our nature, by offering to all—the most guilty transgressor—the homeless wanderer—the abandoned outcast—the precious boon of His friendship. But let us remember that while it is the true friendship of Man that Jesus offers us, it is also that of God. While He wears our nature, and is truly our Brother, He is also our King. His friendship is therefore backed by Omnipotence, and it cannot consequently possibly fail in what it undertakes to do for us. We may have an earthly friend who is neither wanting in constancy of affection nor in willingness to make any sacrifice to aid us, but he is deficient in ability. In the dark hour of our extremity, when we most need aid, he stands by, it may be, with a tearful eye and a bleeding heart, but utterly helpless to assist us. But it is not so with Jesus. Never can we be beyond the grasp of His powerful hand. His resources are not only boundless, but they are available when we most require them.

ROBERT BOYD.

Life without friendship is like the sky without the sun. CICERO.