ARCHIE had wondered with what sort of eyes people could see Jesus, and asked his teacher on the subject, when the following conversation took place: —
Teacher. Who were you named after?
Archie. My uncle Archibald.
T. How do you know you have such an uncle? you never saw him.
A. Oh, I know it—I know it—because he sends me things.
T. How do you know that he sends them?
A. Oh, I know that, because he writes me; and his letters all say, “From your affectionate uncle Archie.” The teacher, at this point, gave Archie an unsatisfied, uncertain look.
A. Oh, I know, because folks have seen him there, and they told me; and if I grow up a good boy, he has promised to take me, and do for me. Oh, I’m just as sure as if I had seen him.
And he looked as sure as sure could be.
T. You never saw him with your two bright blue eyes?
A shake of the head.
T. But you believe in him just as fully as if you had?
A nod of assent.
T. Well, that is seeing him with the eye of faith. That is the way we see Jesus Christ. He sends us far more things, and far better, than your uncle Archie sends you. All uncle Archie sends you—yea, all he has—has been sent by the Lord Jesus Christ. He, too, has written to us, in the gospels and epistles. And then we have also the accounts given by those who have seen him, and bear witness to what he did and suffered for us, and to God’s raising him from the dead, and taking him up to heaven. And Jesus Christ has surely promised to all who believe in him that he will shortly receive them to himself, to live with him always. Believers are just as sure of all this as if they had seen him with their bodily eyes. May you, dear Archie, thus see Jesus Christ by the eye of faith.
[Extracted, with additions.]