A true friend's an unconscious part
Of every true beat of our heart;
A strength, a growth, whence we derive
Soul-rest, that keeps the world alive."

Then, friendship sheds light in the mind. "He who has made the
acquisition of a judicious and sympathetic friend," says Robert Hall,
"may be said to have doubled his mental resources." No man is wise
enough to be his own counselor, for he inclineth too much to leniency
toward himself. "It is a well-known rule that flattery is food for the
fool." Therefore no man should be his own counselor since no one is
so apt to flatter another as he is himself. A wise man never flatters
himself, neither does a friend flatter. As a wise man sees his own
faults and seeks to correct them, so a true friend sees the faults of his
friend and labors faithfully to banish them. The one who flatters you
despises you, and degrades both you and himself. An enemy will tell
you the whole truth about yourself, especially your faults, and at times
that both weaken and hurt you. A friend will tell you the whole truth
about yourself, especially your neglected virtues, but at a time to both
strengthen and help you. The highest service a friend can render is
that of giving counsel. The highest honor one can bestow upon his
friend is to make him his counselor. It is no mark of weakness to rely
upon counsel. God, Himself, needed a counselor, so he chose His Son.
"His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Isa. ix, 6. Counsel, says
Solomon, is the key to stability. "Every purpose is established by
Counsel." Prov. Xx, 18. Who despiseth counsel shall reap the reward
of folly. A friend is safe in counsel, according to his wisdom, for he
never seeks his own good, but the good of his friend. It is a saying, "If
some one asks you for advice, if you would be followed, first find out