away their sadness, and taught them what they had never known before. How gladly would they minister to this new friend! When they sat down to supper they set Him in the most honourable place, to preside over their evening meal. He took bread, blessing and breaking it with some words or gesture peculiar to Christ, and gave it to them, as He had been wont to do when He sat at meat with His disciples. Now their eyes were no longer holden that they should not know Him. It was He Himself: their crucified and risen Lord. For one brief, glad moment they saw His beloved face, and the pierced hands, which had given to them the bread. Then He vanished out of their sight; but this was yet another proof to them that it was indeed the Lord.

At once they rose up to return to Jerusalem, thinking nothing of the long walk and the coming night, when they had such tidings to carry to the disciples, and the mother and kinsmen of Christ. It must have been late when they reached the city, but they found ten of the apostles, with a number of the disciples, gathered together, though with closed doors, and precautions taken, for fear of the Pharisees. Who was there? The women probably, Lazarus from Bethany, Nicodemus, perhaps, and Joseph of Arimathea, whose garden had been trampled by so many feet that day. There was great agitation among them still. Had the body of Jesus been stolen away from the grave? Was it not His spirit only which had been seen by the women? Even Peter, who had also now

seen the Lord, the apostle who denied Him being the first to whom He revealed Himself; Peter could hardly believe that it was his Master, and not a spirit. Yet when the two disciples from Emmaus entered, they were met by the cry, 'The Lord has arisen indeed, and appeared unto Simon.' But Cleophas and his companion had something more to tell of than a mere brief appearance. They described the stranger joining them, and walking mile after mile with them, conversing all the while familiarly; how He went in to tarry with them, and sat down to meat, and was known to them in the breaking of bread. This the disciples could not believe. Cleophas and his friend do not seem to have been very renowned followers of Jesus, and the other disciples were hard of belief. Those among them who had seen Him had caught but brief glimpses of Him. Mary Magdalene had not been allowed to touch Him; Salome and His aunt Mary had only held His feet; to Peter He had appeared certainly, but not in this homely manner as a fellowtraveller along the same rough way.

They were still speaking incredulously about these new tidings, when suddenly, with no opening of the fastened doors, and no sound of entering, they saw Jesus Himself standing in the midst of them, and heard His voice, saying, 'Peace be unto you.' But they were terrified and affrighted, supposing that they saw a spirit. There was none bold enough to try to touch Him, and no one dared to speak. With great gentleness and ten

derness He reproached them.

Behold My hands and

My feet,' He said, showing them the 'handle Me, and see. It is I myself.

print of the nails; A spirit hath not Their terror and

flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.' trouble were pacified, but still they were not calm enough for faith. They could not now believe for joy. But to give them time to collect themselves, He asked for food, as once before He had commanded something to eat to be given to the ruler's little daughter, when He called her back from the grave. He ate before them, a convincing proof that He was no spirit; and then He was seen no more by them. But there was no room for unbelief among them now.

The load upon their hearts,

like the great stone of the sepulchre, was rolled away for

CHAPTER XI.

IT IS THE LORD.

THOUGH the chief priests and Pharisees carefully reported that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus of Nazareth, they took no steps to prove the fact, or to punish the violators of the grave. The whole number of the disciples remained in Jerusalem during the feast, and the Sabbath following the feast. Even on the first

day of the week after it, when the bulk of the Galileans had started homewards, the eleven apostles still lingered in the city. Thomas, who had vehemently refused to believe in the resurrection of his Master because he had not seen Him, had passed the week in alternate mourning and disputing with those who vainly sought to convince him. He saw Mary, the mother of Christ, comforted, and full of gladness; his fellow-disciples rejoicing and exultant; yet to all they urged he answered, '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.' It was a miserable

week for him, for he was deeply attached to his crucified Master, and timid and despondent as he was, he had once said, 'Let us also go, that we may die with Him.' But he could not be persuaded that He had risen from the dead.

Eight days had passed since Jesus had been seen; and the eleven apostles were sitting together, the doors being shut for fear of the Pharisees, as on the week before, when once more He stood in their midst, with no sign or sound of coming, and said, 'Peace be unto you.' Then turning to Thomas, and speaking directly to him, He added, '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.' But he did not now need the evidence he had demanded; it was enough to see his Master, and hear Him speak. Jesus wished to prove to him he was the very Son of man, who had died upon the cross. Thomas cried, 'My Lord and my

God!'

They

The apostles no longer lingered in Jerusalem. were needed in their homes in Galilee, and it was safer for them to assemble together there, where the chief priests had less power than in Judea. Moreover, there would be many arrangements to make for their families, before they could set out on those missionary journeys which soon scattered them into far countries. They scarcely yet knew what their Lord would have them to do, but for a short time longer they were sent to dwell