The Newtown bee., 1902-04-18
STIR, BESSIE &
$50 and o5S Main Street, Bridgeport Conr

mors might be true, to come there,
except one.
Thomas was of a DIES bonding tenn
He saw the dark side Of
things.
THERE IS NO REASON TO QUESTION HIS
PERSONAL ATTACHMENT TO CHRIST.
But he had doubling, foreboding dis
position. In the rumors Of the resur-
rection he could not put any confidence.
The friendship and companionship of
Jesus were to his mind ended, by the
Dreams Of a better day
for Israel were dissolved. He did not
care to 20 to that room where perhaps
he might meet one or two of the dis
ciples. Nothing would come of it if
he should meet them. All Judea had
risen against Jesus: Romans and Jews,
the priests, the governors, the people,
had agreed on His death, and He had
been crucitied. Hope did not live any
longer in the heart of this quickly de-
pressed man, and to him itseemed use
less to meet his old companions, only
to revive the memory of defeated ex-
pectations and to discuss this new inn
possibility, the resurrection of Jesus.
And, therefore, it was that he was not
with the other disciples the evening
of that first Easter when the risen
Lord appeared among them with his
blessing. But, after that, the disci-
had seen the Lord. No doubt, too,
they told him with all the joy and en-
thusiasm and emphasis of that certain
conviction with which the sight of the
risen Lord had inspired them. Still it
/ was not sufficient for him, he would not
believe. Faith was hard to Thomas,
that is, faith in any gospel, in any
good tidings. He said to them, sex
Ecept shall see in his hands the print
of the nails, and put my finger into the
print of the nails, and thrust my hand
Into His side 1 will not believe" Ter
persons, whom he we'll knew, whose
llC lldu ll) " NuOS
ton, told him they had seen Jesus
alive; that they had seen Him closely
that He had showed them His hands
and His side; that he had talked witt
them, they heard him speak, the,
could all tell just what He said, they
all heard him alike and agreed as tt
what Christ had said. But even thai
for him was not enough. Even the evi
dence OF his own eyes, he acknowledges
would not convince him. He mus
touch his Lord. He must put his hant
into the wounds made by the nails ant
the spear. Exceedingly incredulous .
any good news Twas this sceptical, des
bonding man.
But, so it was, that one week afte
the first Easter, as it were on the even
ing Of this Sunday, the disciples wer
assembled together again, in the sam
upper-room, and this time Thoma
was with them. And, as before, sud
denly and with the same divine still
ness, Jesus appeared in the midst o
them, with the same words:
"pEACE BE UNTO YOU
And then he turned to Thomas, ant
invites him to make the test of whicl
he had spoken to the other disciples
1t is not said that the shame O
Thomas at his obstinate, unbelief al
lowed him to do what he had talked o
doing. He knew his Lords voice, man
ner, fOrbearance: saw all these as b
had seen them in the old time when h
followed his Master throughout tn
scenes of His wonderful and graciOu
ministry: he felt the searching of tina
omniscience which had read tn
thoughts of his heart; and wit
a hum bled mind and in deep adoratio
he makes confession of his faith in tn
words MY Lord and my Cod" Sti
he has been greatly at fault in doubt
ing so long, and therefore, when a
last he yields to the truth, he is ar
swsred by the Lord in words Of sue
measured commendatiOn as carry wit
them grave reproof: Thomas, becaus
thou hast seen me, thou has believed
blessed are they that have not see
, and yet have believed"
, Every Christian, since the very tirs
disciple, "has not seen and yet has b.
lieved." He has had sufficient reaso
, for believing; for, it must be unde,
! stood, faith is not against reason, {
without reason. The antithesis is nc
!. between faith and reason, but betwee