, in
the home, in the city, in the state. Its greatest triumphs have been
made through friendship, and it in turn has ennobled and sanctified the
bond. The growth of the Kingdom depends on the sanctified working of
the natural ties among men. It was so at the very start; John the
Baptist pointed out the Christ to John the future Apostle and to
Andrew; Andrew findeth his own brother Simon Peter; Philip findeth
Nathanael; and so society through its network of relations took into
its heart the new message. The man who has been healed must go and
tell those who are at home, must declare it to his friends, and seek
that they also should share in his great discovery.

The very existence of the Church as a body of believers is due to this
necessity of our nature, which demands opportunity for the interchange
of Christian sentiment. The deeper the feeling, the greater is the joy
of sharing it with another. There is a strange felicity, a wondrous
enchantment, which comes from true intimacy of heart, and close
communion of soul, and the result is more than mere fleeting joy. When
it is shared in the deepest thoughts and highest aspirations, when it
is built on a common faith, and lives by a common hope, it brings
perfect peace. No friendship has done its work until it reaches the
supremest satisfaction of spiritual communion.

Besides this satisfaction of the heart, friendship also gives
_satisfaction of the mind_. Most men have a certain natural diffidence
in coming to conclusions and forming opinions for themselves. We
rarely feel confident, until we have secured the agreement of others in
whom we trust. There is always a personal equation in all our
judgments, so that we feel that they require to be amended by
comparison with those of others. Doctors ask for a consultation, when
a case becomes critical. We all realize the advantage of taking
counsel. To ask for advice is a benefit, whether we follow the advice
or no. Indeed, the best benefit often comes from the opportunity of
testing our own opinion and finding it valid. Sometimes the very
statement of the case is enough to prove it one thing or the other. An
advantage is reaped from a sympathetic listener, even although our
friend be unable to elucidate the matter by his special sagacity or
experience. Friends in counsel gain much intellectually. They acquire
something approaching to a standard of judgment, and are enabled to
classify opinions, and to ma