it shrink from opening wide its star towards the sky, and tipping its white disk with a pink nimbus when it expands in sunshine; even in shade it wears no sadder colour than a spotless white. Its centre, or heart, or eye, is of pure gold. Its very name, day's-eye, shows how it courts the sun, and closes against darkness. Its leaves grow

habitually close to the ground, though sometimes a leaf or two unfolds along the flower-stalk: yet low-growing as they are, and springing in profusion amid the meadow grasses, a certain acridity protects them from being made havock of altogether and devoured by the grazing cattle which trample them under foot. Grass is tall enough to tower above and hide a daisy; yet the daisy will more

readily spread and supersede the grass, than the grass it. Not the petals only, but the leaves also of the daisy are often tinged with pink; as though its allotted beauty and joy overflowed its capacity to hold them. Small as this plant is, it both spreads rapidly and is at the same time multiplied by seed; it is "mother of thousands of millions."

God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own body.-1 Corinthians xv. 38.

St. Thomas,

APOSTLE.

21 DECEMBER.

was.

The Sacred Text.

E goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would: and they came unto Him. And He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. . . . Matthew, and Thomas.--St. Mark iii. 13, &c. Jesus abode two days still in the same place where He Then after that saith He to His disciples, Let us go into Judæa again. His disciples say unto Him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone Thee; and goest Thou thither again? Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him. These things said He: and after that He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said

Then And I

His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellow disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with Him.St. John xi. 5, &c.

Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto Him, Lord, we know not whither Thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.-St. John xiv. 4, &c.

Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, 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. And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith He to Thomas, 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. And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.—St. John xx. 24, &C.

Jesus shewed Himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, . ...-St. John xxi. 1, 2.

The apostles whom He had chosen

to whom also

He shewed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs. When they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, . . . and Thomas. . . . These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.-Acts i. 2. &c.

BIOGRAPHICAL ADDITIONS.

HUS far Holy Scripture; the sure utterance of inspiration being supplemented by the uncertain voice of tradition.

No authentic record has come down to us of the birthplace, or worldly occupation, or Divine call of St. Thomas. One account

makes him a native of Antiochia; another, perhaps more probably, describes him as a fisherman of Bethsaida. Of the spiritual Zion only can it be certainly reported that he was born in her, a citizen of no mean city."

After the dispersion of the Apostles from Jerusalem, St. Thomas, no longer faithless but believing, brought forth fruit with patience. Knowing Whom he believed he committed himself to His keeping against the great day, and meanwhile preached that Word of Life which he had seen with his eyes and looked upon, and which his hands had handled. To men who heard, to men who forbore, he preached Christ crucified, Christ risen. Into indomitable Parthia he is said to have carried Christ's