r and good; that he might purify, refine, and enrich their lives;
that he might prepare them to be his witnesses, the conservators of his
gospel, the interpreters to the world of his life and teachings. He
sought nothing for himself, but every breath he drew was full of
unselfish love.

We should learn from Jesus that the essential quality in the heart of
friendship is not the desire to have friends, but the desire to be a
friend; not to get good and help from others, but to impart blessing to
others. Many of the sighings for friendship which we have are merely
selfish longings,--a desire for happiness, for pleasure, for the
gratification of the heart, which friends would bring. If the desire
were to be a friend, to do others good, to serve and to give help, it
would be a far more Christlike longing, and would transform the life
and character.

We are surprised at the kind of men Jesus chose for his friends. We
would suppose that he, the Son of God, coming from heaven, would have
gathered about him as his close and intimate companions the most
refined and cultivated men of his nation,--men of intelligence, of
trained mind, of wide influence. Instead of going to Jerusalem,
however, to choose his apostles from among rabbis, priests, scribes,
and rulers, he selected them from among the plain people, largely from
among fishermen of Galilee. One reason for this was that he must
choose these inner friends from the company which had been drawn to him
and were already his followers, in true sympathy with him; and there
were none of the great, the learned, the cultured, among these. But
another reason was, that he cared more for qualities of the heart than
for rank, position, name, worldly influence, or human wisdom. He
wanted near him only those who would be of the same mind with him, and
whom he could train into loyal, sympathetic apostles.

Jesus took these untutored, undisciplined men into his own household,
and at once began to prepare them for their great work. It is worthy
of note, that instead of scattering his teachings broadcast among the
people, so that who would might gather up his words, and diffusing his
influence throughout a mass of disciples, while distinctly and
definitely impressing none ineffaceably, Jesus chose twelve men, and
concentrated his influence upon them. He took them into the closest
relations to himself, taught them the great truths of his kingdom,
impressed upon them the stamp of his