y could find no fault in him. Is it the perfect
beauty of his character? Not one nor all of these will account for the
wonderful attraction of Jesus. Love is the secret. He came into the
world to reveal the love of God--he was the love of God in human flesh.
His life was all love. In a most wonderful way during all his life did
he reveal love. Men saw it in his face, and felt it in his touch, and
heard it in his voice. This was the great fact which his disciples
felt in his life. His friendship was unlike any friendship they had
ever seen before, or even dreamed of. It was this that drew them to
him, and made them love him so deeply, so tenderly. Nothing but love
will kindle love. Power will not do it. Holiness will not do it.
Gifts will not do it--men will take your gifts, and then repay you with
hatred. But love begets love; heart responds to heart. Jesus loved.

But the love he revealed in his life, in his tender friendship, was not
the supremest manifesting of his love. He crowned it all by giving his
life. "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for
the sheep." This was the most wonderful exhibition of love the world
had ever seen. Now and then some one had been willing to die for a
choice and prized friend; but Jesus died for a world of enemies. It
was not for the beloved disciple and for the brave Peter that he gave
his life,--then we might have understood it,--but it was for the race
of sinful men that he poured out his most precious blood,--the blood of
eternal redemption. It is this marvellous love in Jesus which attracts
men to him. His life, and especially his cross, declares to every one:
"God loves you. The Son of God gave himself for you." Jesus himself
explained the wonderful secret in his words: "I, if I be lifted up from
the earth, will draw all men unto me." It is on his cross that his
marvellous power is most surpassingly revealed. The secret of the
attraction of the cross is love. "He loved me, and he gave himself for
me."

Thus we find hints of what Jesus is as a friend--what he was to his
first disciples, what he is to-day. His is perfect friendship. The
best and richest human friendships are only little fragments of the
perfect ideal. Even these we prize as the dearest things on earth.
They are more precious than rarest gems. We would lose all other
things rather than give up our friends. They bring to us deep joys,
sweet comforts, holy inspirati