's lives. He is setting
up the kingdom of heaven on the earth. His subjects are won, not by
force of arms, not by a display of Sinaitic terrors, but by the force
of love. Men are taught that God loves them; they see that love first
in the life of Jesus, then on his cross, where he died as the Lamb of
God, bearing the sin of the world. Under the mighty sway of that love
they yield their hearts to heaven's King. Thus love's conquests are
going on. The friendship of Jesus is changing earth's sin and evil
into heaven's holiness and beauty.

CHAPTER V.

JESUS CHOOSING HIS FRIENDS.

He seeks not thine, but thee, such as thou art,
For lo, his banner over thee is love.
CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI.

If you loved only what were worth your love,
Love were clear gain, and wholly well for you.
Make the low nature better by your throes!
Give earth yourself, go up for gain above.
BROWNING.

Nothing in life is more important than the choosing of friends. Many
young people wreck all by wrong choices, taking into their life those
who by their influence drag them down. Many a man's moral failure
dates from the day he chose a wrong friend. Many a woman's life of
sorrow or evil began with the letting into her heart of an unworthy
friendship. On the other hand, many a career of happiness, of
prosperity, of success, of upward climbing, may be traced to the choice
of a pure, noble, rich-hearted, inspiring friend. Mrs. Browning asked
Charles Kingsley, "What is the secret of your life? Tell me, that I
may make mine beautiful too." He replied, "I had a friend." There are
many who have reached eminence of character or splendor of life who
could give the same answer. They had a friend who came into their life
at the right time, sent from God, and inspired in them whatever is
beautiful in their character, whatever is worthy and noble in their
career.

We may not put our Lord's choice of his apostles on precisely the same
plane as our selecting of friends, as those men were to be more than
ordinary friends; he was to put his mantle upon them, and they were to
be the founders of his Church. Nevertheless, we may take lessons from
the story for ourselves.

Jesus chose his friends deliberately. His disciples had been gathering
about him for months. It was at least a year after the beginning of
his public ministry that he chose the Twelve. He had had ampl