"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." And the Apostle John ends that wonderful account with these words: "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing, ye might have life through His Name." The forty days that the Lord was going in and out among His disciples was nearly over. We read in the first chapter of the Acts the account of the last talk that the Lord had with them. He had been explaining many things to them about the Kingdom of God, and telling them that they were to stay in Jerusalem till the Holy Spirit was sent down to them, which God the Father had promised when Jesus went back to Heaven. [Illustration: AT PENTECOST.] The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, and He is here with God's people now. It is He who whispers in our hearts and checks us if we do wrong. It is He who tells us about Jesus, and helps us to understand His forgiving love, and all He has done for us by His life and death. We should pray earnestly that God would give us more of the Holy Spirit's presence and comfort. The Lord told them that they were to be His witnesses all over the world, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins were to be preached in His Name among all nations. Then He led them out as far as Bethany, which is just over the brow of the hill called the Mount of Olives. And as they stood together there, He blessed them, and while He blessed them and they were looking at Him He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. "And while they looked stedfastly towards heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." [Illustration: AND WHILE HE BLESSED THEM, HE WAS TAKEN UP . . . OUT OF THEIR SIGHT.] And it is this promise which should cheer us all in these dark days. St. Paul calls it "that blessed Hope, the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ!" May we all be ready to welcome Him when He comes! XIV. "Consider the Lilies" Nazareth is a place of many flowers and of lovely views. From the hills around, those who go there can see peeps of the blue Mediterranean; and travellers tell us that the fields and hillsides are carpeted with countless flowers. Here Jesus, our Lord, lived for thirty years. Here He wandered as a child, and grew up as a young man. When at length the time came for Him to fulfil His great Mission, He came down to the cities round the Lake of Galilee. For He had come from Heaven to preach the Gospel to the poor, to heal the sick and brokenhearted.