them to touch him; and as they had been at supper together He asked to
share their meal, and He ate of the broiled fish and of the honey-comb
before them. After this He talked lovingly with them of Himself--of
the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning Him and of the work of the
kingdom that was before them. Again he blessed them, and breathed on
them, saying, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." And so ended the day of the
Lord's resurrection from the dead--the first Easter of the Christian
Church.

CHAPTER XLVI.

THE LORD'S LAST DAYS WITH HIS DISCIPLES.

On Easter evening, when the Lord's friends were gathered in the upper
room where He appeared to them, one of the eleven was absent. There
were others beside the apostles--Cleopas and his companion, and
probably the women of Galilee, as well as Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus
of Bethany, but Thomas was not there. The others had told him that the
Lord had shown Himself to them and had broken bread with them, but he
could not believe. He believed, perhaps, in a vision, but not in the
return of the crucified Jesus. He declared,

"Except I 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, I
will not believe."

A week passed, and the disciples were again gathered in the upper room,
and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut and guarded as before,
but, as before the Lord suddenly stood in the midst, saying,

"Peace be unto you." Then He turned to Thomas with gentle rebuke,

"Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy
hand and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless but believing."
Thomas did not wait to touch the Lord, but cried,

"My Lord and my God!"

"Thomas," He said, "because thou hast seen me thou hast believed;
blessed are they that have not seen and have believed."

Soon after this the apostles went away into Galilee, as the Lord had
commanded them to do. There by the Lake where He had called them from
their nets to follow Him they waited for Him. Peter, and James, and
John were there, with Thomas, and Nathanael, and two others of His
disciples. The old love for the Lake came back to Peter, and he said,

"I go a fishing," and the others said,

"We also go with thee," and they went out for a night with the nets on
the Lake, but they caught nothing. In the morning as they drew a
little nearer land they saw a dim figure on the shore and