Love
Pity becomes pilgrims; and thou dost weep for thy friends, as my good Christian did for me when he left me.
Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart; so does earnest counsel from a man’s friend. Don’t forsake your friend and your father’s friend. Don’t go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster. A neighbor who is near is better than a distant brother.
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel. Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
To my mind all other friendship is but as a shadow with respect to this, its links mere fragile glass compared to the golden bond of true devotion.
In a word, such a friendship should be strong and sweet; altogether holy, sacred, divine and spiritual.
My honored and well-beloved brother Faithful, I am glad that I have overtaken you, and that God has so tempered our spirits that we can walk as companions in this so pleasant a path.
MannaScroll