ar than the
soldier who without a tremor presses into the engagement.

The second time at which Thomas appears is in the upper room, after the
Holy Supper had been eaten. Jesus had spoken of the Father's house,
and had said that he was going away to prepare a place for his
disciples, and that then he would come again to receive them unto
himself. Thomas could not understand the Master's meaning, and said,
"Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?"
He would not say he believed until he saw for himself. That is all
that his question in the upper room meant--he wished the Master to make
the great teaching a little plainer. It were well if more Christians
insisted on finding the ground of their faith, the reasons why they are
Christians. Their faith would then be stronger, and less easily
shaken. When trouble comes, or any testing, it would continue firm and
unmoved, because it rests on the rock of divine truth.

The last incident in the story of Thomas is after the resurrection.
The first evening the apostles met in the upper room to talk over the
strange things which had occurred that day. For some reason Thomas was
not at this meeting. We may infer that his melancholy temperament led
him to absent himself. He had loved Jesus deeply, and his sorrow was
very great. There had been rumors all day of Christ's resurrection,
but Thomas put no confidence in these. Perhaps his despondent
disposition made him unsocial, and kept him from meeting with the other
apostles, even to weep with them.

That evening Jesus entered through the closed doors, and stood in the
midst of the disciples, and greeted them as he had done so often
before, "Peace be unto you!" They told Thomas afterwards that they had
seen the Lord. But he refused to believe them; that is, he doubted the
reality of what they thought they had seen. He said that they had been
deceived; and he asserted that he must not only see for himself, but
must have the opportunity of subjecting the evidence to the severest
test. He must see the print of the nails, and must also be permitted
to put his finger into the place.

It is instructive to think of what this doubting disposition of Thomas
cost him. First, it kept him from the meeting of the disciples that
evening, when all the others came together. He shut himself up with
his gloom and sadness. His grief was hopeless, and he would not seek
comfort. The consequence was, that when