posed, and as He holds forth
His hands for his inspection, shame and joy struggle for the mastery in
his spirit, and give utterance to the humble but glowing confession, "My
Lord and my God." His own test is superseded; he makes no movement to
put it in force; he is satisfied of the identity of his Lord. It is the
same penetrating knowledge of man's inmost thoughts, the same loving
treatment of the erring, the same subduing presence.

And thus it frequently happens that a man who has vowed that he will not
believe except this or that be made plain finds, when he does believe,
that something short of his own requirements has convinced him. He finds
that though he was once so express in his demands for proof, and so
clear and accurate in his declarations of the precise amount of evidence
required, at the last he believes and could scarcely tell you why, could
not at least show his belief as the fine and clean result of a logical
process. Thomas had maintained that the rest were too easily satisfied,
but at the last he is himself satisfied with precisely the same proof as
they. And it is somewhat striking that in so many cases unbelief gives
way to belief, not by the removal of intellectual difficulties, not by
such demonstration as was granted to Thomas, but by an undefinable
conquest of the soul by Christ. The glory, holiness, love of His person,
subdue the soul to Him.

The faith of Thomas is full of significance. First, it is helpful to our
own faith to hear so decisive and so full a confession coming from the
lips of such a man. John himself felt it to be so decisive that after
recording it he virtually closes the Gospel which he had undertaken to
write in order to persuade men that Jesus is the Son of God. After this
confession of Thomas he feels that no more can be said. He stops not for
want of matter; "many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His
disciples" which are not written in this Gospel. These seemed
sufficient. The man who is not moved by this will not be moved by any
further proof. Proof is not what such a doubter needs. Whatever we think
of the other Apostles, it is plain that Thomas at least was not
credulous. If Peter's generous ardour carried him to a confession
unwarranted by the facts, if John saw in Jesus the reflection of his own
contemplative and loving nature, what are we to say of the faith of
Thomas? He had no determination to see only what he desired, no
readiness to accept basele