The Newtown bee., 1901-07-26

gagged in cooperating with kindred 1 spirits for the purpose of helping thu
 needy, consoling the mo urner,
 1 ENCOURAGING THE WEAK, ,CONVERT1Nt THE SINFUL,
 in other words, to those engaged il
 bringing to pass His kingdom on earth
 "We touch Him in life's throng ant
 press" as Whittier says, but not in
 life's solitude and seclusion. To lot
 sure, there is time when Paul may gC 1 into Arabia, and Moses into the vii
 derness, and there find God; but it k
 only when they are in prepartion fol
 larger usefulness. Jesus did not show
 Himself to Thoms until Thomas had
 in measure at least, gotten out of himself. AS the apostle went out of
 himself, Christ entered. Is this not
 always SO? Do not men make out of
 themselves a boulder, and roll it
 against the sepulchre of the Lord, and
 prevent Him oft times from ever
 being manifested to them? To
 them He always remains the dead,
 the unresurrected Christ. Yet should
 one remove the boulder of self, Christ
 at once arises and visits that soul, bringing newnesS of life.
 We may readily believe that change came over Thomas as soon as he had
 joined himself to the company of the disciples, not only because of their con-
 tinued assurances that the Master had indeed arisen from the dead, but be- cause of the wholesome, invigorating atmosphere in which he found himself
 The social atmosphere we breathe re- deteriorating effect, as truly and as quickly as the physical atmosphere re- acts upon our bodies. Thomas gradu- ally yielded himself to the hopeful, be- lleving, enthusiastic spirit into which he had been led; so, when the full rev. elatlOn came to him, he was prepared for it. But: and mark we'll this: Had he refused to join the disciples, had he persisted in hugging his grief alone, it IS highly probable that he would never have beheld the risen Saviour And see what this would have involved in his case, being of such tempera- ment as he was. It is very doubtful if he would have recovered from his deep dejection, rather he would have sunk lower, like one who has become caught in quicksands. So, to-day, in stead of our speaking of Judas Iscariot as the only one of the original twelve that fell away, we should be obliged to include with him Thomas To be sure we should feel immeasurably more sympathetic with Thomas than with Judas. Nevertheless we should have to omit Thomas from the list of the original twelve, who for many years preached Jesus Christ and His resur- rection, and finally died in magnificent defense of that supreme truth of which they had been preaching.
 Let me hastily draw just one lesson her If us, and it is almost sure to sooner or later, let us not, as do so many, and as did Thomas even at first, let us not withdraw from our fellow men, eSpeci- ally from fellowship with the church. The SOrrOWing world needs our sym pathy the more. because we know what sorrow is. The church needs us. and we need the church more than ever. To remain in solitude means in creasing depression, deeper despair, in- creased uselessness, moral and spiritual We can be what Thomas might have become, or, we can become what Thomas finally proved 1 to be. It rests with us, as it did with | him.
 The second general observation is l this: Thomas says he will believe, if | only he can see the print of the nails, | thrust his hands into the side, etc. In | other words, he is willing to believe, 1 provided he can have just the evidence he wants. The world contains many | people who take similar stand. We meet them constantly. They say We should become Christians if only we could accept miracles, if we could l believe in this doctrine or understand that dogma" Shakespeare we'll says:
 Our doubts are traitors
 Ana make us lose the good we oft might win,
 By fearing to attempt"
 In other walks of life, too, beside the 'eligiOus, we hear the same. One young nan says: "I should get an education f I only had the money" This yonnp woman says: II should become weil informed if only could get the books. s.' 50 everywhere are those who are as erting what they would do if uch and such conditions pre- ailed. o that word if! "It has nly two letters; but is one of the most unfortunate words in the English Ian uage!
 Very often, however, by taking some teps in advance as did Thomas. the esired conditions may be found. His $ Ory proves this. Mary Maqdalene id not say, "I should go to the tomb l l some one one would only roll inc ( tone away" Rather she went. and $ [eaven did for her what she could f ot do for herself. But, freouentlv. q ne exact conditions we desire neyerf f