Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-04-25
INCREASE OF FAITH"
ySermon BY the Rev. DR.. Ouinc !,
Ewing. \
now This Becomes the PRAYER of On
uls When the Worlds Per I:xiiiss
Bear Down Upon Us.

nville. Miss. who was at one time un-
consideration for one OF the important
Is OF Brooklyn, recently preached a
yhttul sermon on Increase of FAITH" =
Ewing took his text from Luke xvii:
Lord. increase our faith" In the
sc OF the sermon he said
do not know why precisely the disci-
should have made this request at this
ocular time. Jesus had just said TO
n: III thy brother trespass against thee
uke him, and ii he repent. forgive HIM.
II he trespass against thee seven times
day. and seven times in day turn To
e. saving. i repent. thou shalt forgive
A.. Then very abruptly comes from
m the request. Increase our fifth
ssibly there was some tone OF Impotence
their voices as they spoke. The. NAV
We recalled that in the old book OF le-
.icus was to be found practically the
me commandment that He was giving
EN-: that in the book OF Leri'lcus they
ere taught not TO hate their brethren:
DR. to bear grudge against the children OF
ier people. but To love their neighbor as
iemselves: and they NAV have felt that
here was no need for them to bear tins
ID teaching over again from The lips OF
he Master: that He was but waStin.
line in telling theIa what they already
NEW so well.
So their request. Increase our faith may
have meant. Tel us something that we do
prophets and WIS., men of old tunes: tell
us something. show IS something, do some
thing which viii make rs surer that You
arc indeed the Messiah we aud orr fathers
have looked for; that our hope in You Is
not misplaced; that You are truly the
promised De.iverer. Make US more certain
that we were justified in breaking away
from the authority of the Scribes and
Pharisees, in forsaEing all 10 follow Iou.
DO not be- simply repeating to us what we
may read ourselves in an ancient book;
say something. do something, reveal some
thing which will certify our faith in You
as the Messiah
Or the request may have had a profound
er import and been uttered in a tone OF
self-distrnst. of nnieiened humility and
supplication. Suddenly while Jesus was
speaking there MAJ have awakened in the
souls of His hearers the accusing conscious
ness that. though they had known for so
long the divine law OF duty toward their
neighbors, vet never had they or their
fathers been able 10 live IN to it. to rear
ize in their human life the divine ideal, and
accompanying the consciousness OF past
failure NAV have been the reflection that
never should they be able to realize that
divine ideal, to exnel from their human
hearts all hatreds. all resentments. all con-
'sffpts. all unforcivingness and look upon
their fellow-mcn with the steady Christ
vision of redemptive charity.
And so their request may have meant.
open wider our spiritual eyes. that we
HAY see with You: lead US. draw lis up to
Your spiritual height: let us share with
You Your vision of God and man: let us
drink from the Invisible fountain of Your
Vast strength and goodness; let US know
The secret of Your Christliness. that we
may rise To full sympathy with Your d.
vine purpose and build with You the king
dom OF God among men as You would
have il builded.' But whatever may have
been the character OF the Disciples re-
quest. whether of impatient criticism or
humble speculation in the words that came
from their lips. Increase our faith. we
may all utter the deepest and dcvoutest
PRAYER of the most needfui moments OF
our human life. Increase our faith" How
inevitably that becomes the prayer Of our
souls at times when the infinite problems
aud perplexities Of this prohlematical. per-
picking world bear down upon us and
threaten to weigh us down: when we are
forced l. rive ourselves to reflection upon
Ie long ard cruel and apparently. unend-
-lg suffering of good and evil: the suffering
OF unnumbcred millions: the vast failures
of justice and triumphs of injustice; the
tragic defeat OF right and victories OF
wrong: the bitter battles of uplifting truth
for recognition by the mind and heart of
humanity: the painful. questionable pro-
gress of indubitable good everywhere upon
earth: and. so rejecting. are tempted to
cry out in loud DESPAIR. or in danger OF
being mastered by that deep hopelessness
which uttcrs no sound and shows itself III
no outward sign hopelessness. that a
deathless heart of good does indeed. throb
on to victory in things evil: hoDe;essness.
hat the to-morrows Of humanity will be
ladder and noh.er than its Yesterdays.
iopelessness. that the wrongs we know will
be done away. and the good we dream en-
fboiv itsen in fact: honeessness. that ou-
Individual efforts, all that we can say. all
that we can do, are not mere vain. tran
sient strivings against etc.nal fate. power
Has, as the wings OF insects fluttering in
the storm. 10 effect any hetterment OF
things that are! How much that PRAYER
of the apostles. Increase our faith, may
mean, then. TO our individual souls, 81
lent. unsyllabled crv for rescue 70 the In
visible Power that made us and the world;
a plead.ng with that Power Invisible.
whose name we cannot chen utter. whose
attributes we hesitate then to declare that
again we may be privileged TO pray. Our
Father that arain we may feel ourselves
His children; that real enough may be-
rome His presence in our lives. to Danish
from us all doubt that the world intelligi-
nj 81 'lqsV 10 YIpp 'o'qlS.ualuiun 10 40
His keeping; all suspcion. that any good
dies, that ary right fails. that any throned
and crowned power of ininuitv can swing
this earth outside the circle OF His Faith
er's purpose and His Fathers love.
But it is not only in times OF sorrow sdd-
ness. perplexity that the request of the
apostles should be our prayer, for that re-
quest OF theirs points TO an eternal and
universal need o. the human soul. the need
. to-day. tomorrow and forever OF firmer
grasp of God. a clearer vision of His pur-
poses, deeper reading OF His will, in or
der that we may live and save ourselves IN
the way divine. Perhaps from the stand
point OF the need of some OK us it is more
necessary for us 10 pray fervently that
prayer, Increase our faith" in the sea-
ons of our greatest JOY than in the days of
'ur deepest anguish; mere necessary at
mes when the world shines bright about
and we are conscious of the burden or
perplexity and 10 misgiving. and dis
ID to be Thoroughly satisfied with our
:. or performances and with things
ey are; for then, il may he. we are in
ST danger OF forgetting God of grow
mindful OF our personal dependence
i'm, OF crowding Him out OF oar life,
ping sayly the gay surface OF things
and ears blind and deaf 10 their
.pect, their profound and supreme
Perplexed, bewildered. crushed,
he stress OF deep personal anguish.
think God far from US, all out of
18th our lives and their needs But
God at all. however far we put
a US. however grimly we deny our
z consoling faith in His wisdom
iess-to think God at all IS inf
ter than To forget, to ignore Him
II our goodness and our happi-
not need Him: as ii the world
were fair enough and bright
altogether satisfactory enough
5ut HIS presence,
what sort of faith this Is we