The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-04-23
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
"INcREASE OF FAITH"

The Rev. Quincy Ewing Shows How This
becomes the Prayer Of Our Souls
When the Worlds Perplexities Lear
Down Upon Us.
New YoRK CITY. - The Rev. Quincy
Ewing, OF ST. James Episcopal Church.
Grccnville Miss. who was at one time "Ii.
der consideration for one OF the lmp9rIi;'h'
pulpits OF Brooklyn, recently preached a
thoughtful sermon on Increase ot taitA:
Mr.. Ewing tool, his text from Luke XVI:
5: Lord. increase oar faith IN 'i'E
course OF the sermon ne sand: -.
We do not know WHY precisely tic diSc'-
' pcs should have made this request az 'Iis
particular time. Jesus had Just sad 10
them: III thy brother trespaSS against ineS
rebuke him, and if he repent, forgive ii'n'
and if he trespass against thee seven 'liieS
in day. and seven times III day TURN 10
thee saying. L repent. thou shalt forgive
him. Then very abruptly comes IRON
them the request, Increase our faith.
Possibly there was some tone OF impatience
in their voices as they spoke. They may
have recalled that in The old book OF le'
viticus was to be found practically the
same commandment that He was giving
them: that in the book or Levltlcus they
were taught not to hate their brethren:
nor to bear grudge against the chil1reh OF
their people, but to love their neighoor as
themselves; and they may have fet lnat
there was no need for them to bear TINS
old teaching over again from me nps o.
the Master: that He was but wasting
time in telling them what they already
knew so well.
So their reouest. Increase our faith may
| have meant. Tel us something that we DO
nol already know-something hid from me ,
| prophets and wise men or old tunes; tell
| US something. show us something, do some
thing which will make us surer that You
are indeed the Messiah we and our fathers
have looked for; that our hope III You Is
not misplaced; that You arc truly the
promised Deliverer. Make us more certain
that we were justified in breaking away
from the authority OF the ScribeS and
| Pharisees. in forsaking all to follow You.
Do not be simply repeating to US what we
NAV read ourselves in an ancient book:
saw something do something, reveal some
thing which will certify our faith in on
as the Messiah"
! Or the request may have had profound.
| er import and been uttered IN 4 tone OF
! self-distrust, OF unfeigned humility aad
supplication. Suddenly while Jeshs was
| speaking there may have awakened in the
souls OF His hearers the accusing conscious
ness that though they had known ior so
| long the divine law of duty toward their
| neighbors, vet never had they or Their
fathers been able to live uD to IT.. to real.
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 abe to rea,iZe that
| divine ideal. to eypel from their human
| hearts all hatreds. all resentme1ts. all con-
tempts. all unforgivirgness and look upon
their fellow-men with the steady CHRIST
vision of reGcmptive charity.
And so tleir request may have meant,
! "Open wider our spiritual eyes, that we
may see with You: lead us, draw us up to
Your spiritual height; let us share wltl,
| You Your vision of God and man: let us
1 drink from the invisible fountain OF Your
| vast strength and goodness: let us know
| the secret of Your Christliness. that we
| NAV rise to full sympathy with Your di
vine purpose and build with You the king,
dom of God among men as Nou would
| have it builded." But whatever may have
been the character OF the disciples re-
/ quest. whether of impatient criticism OF
humble speculation il the words that came
/ from their lips. Increase our faith. we
NAV all utter the deepest and devoutest
PRAYER of the most needful moments oi
! our human life. Increase our faith" tiow
! inevitably that becomes the prayer OF our
souls at times when the infinite problems
and perp,exities OF this probematical, per
1 picking word bear down upon us and
threaten 20 weigh us down: when we are
| forced to give ourselves to reflection upon
the long and cruel and. apparently, urend
ing suffering of good and evil; the suffering
OF unnumbered millions; the vast failures
of Justice and triumnhs Of injustice; the
tragic defeat Of right and victories oi
wrong: the bitter battles OF uplifting truti
for recognition by the mind and heart oi
| humanity: the painful. questionable pr"
gress OF indubitab,e good everywhere upon
earth; and. so refecting, are tempted "a
cry out in loud DESPAIR. or IN danger ol
being mastered by that deen hopelesSness
which utterS no sound and shows ltSei1 1T
no outward sign; hopelessness, that q
death,ess heart of good does. indeed. throt
on to victory in things evil; hoDe!esSneSS
that the to-morrows of humanity viii be
qladler and nohler than its Yesterdays:
hopalessness. that the wrongs we know vii
be done away, and the good we dream en-
body itse.I in fact; hoDelessness. that OIL:
Individual efforts, all that we can say. al
that we can do. are not mere VAIN. tran
sient strivings against eternal late, nower
less, as the wings of insects huttering III
the storm. to effect any hetterment q;
things that are! How much that praye,
of tie apostles, Increase our faith, NAV
mean. then. to our individual souls. A 81
lent. unsyllabled cry for rescue TO the In
visible Power that made us and the world;
pleading with that Power Invisible
whose name we cannot then utter. whose
attributes we hesitate then to declare. that
again we may be privileged to pray. "Our
Father" that aoain we may feel ourselves
His children; that real enough may be-
come His presence in our lives. to banls'
from us all doubt that the world intelll2i
u1 81 'lgSV 10 NIep EsIo!SN!aluIun 10 90
His keeping: all susnicior. that any good
dies. that any right fails. that any thron,ed
end 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. sad
ness. perplexity that the request of the
apostles should be our prayer, Tor that re,
quest Of theirs points to an eternal and
universal need OF the human soul: the need
to-day, tomorrow and forever OF iirmer
grasp OF Cod. clearer vision OF His pur'
poses. deeper reading of His will. in or
der tina. we may live and save ourselves II
the way divine. Perhaps from the stand
| ,,oinr of the need Of some of lis l. i lnOre