Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-04-30
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
AN ELOQUENT DISCOURSE ENTITLED
"lNcREASE OF FAITH" q

The Rev. Quincy Ewing Shows How This
becomes the Prayer Of Our Souls
When the Worlds Perplexitics Bear
Down Upon Us.
New YORK CITY. - The Rev. Quincy
Ewing CT St. James Episcopal Church,
Greenville, Miss, who was at one time un-
der consideration for one OF the important
puipits Of Brooklyn, recently preached 4
thoughtful sermon on Increase OF Faith"
Mr.. Ewing took his text from Luke xviii
81 Lord. increase our faith In the
course of the sermon he said:
We do not know why precisely the dlscl-
pcs should have made this request at this
part ycular time. Jesus had just said to
theh' III thy brother trespass against thee
rebuke him. and if he repent, forgive him,
and i he traspass against thee seven times
in day. and seven times IN a day turn to
thee, saying, I repent thou shalt forgive
him Then very abruptly comes from
Possibly there was some tone of impa tience
in taeir voices as they spoke. They may
have recalled that in the old book of Le
vitcus was to be found practically the
same commandment that He was giving
them; that in the book of Levticus they
were taught not to hate their brethren.
nor to bear grudge against the children Of
their people, but to love their neighbor as
themselves; and they may have fe.t that
there was no need for them to bear this
old teaching over again from the lips Of
the Master: that He was but wasting
time in telling them what they already
knew SO well.
80 their request. Increase our faith may
have meant, Tel US something that we do
not aready !lnow-something hid from the
prophets and wise men Of Old times; 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 in You is
not misplaced; that You are truly the
promised Deiiverer. Make us more certain
that We were justified in breaking away
from the authority of the Scrioes and
pharSees, IN forsaking all to follow 7 Iou.
DO not be simply repeating to US what we
may read ourselves in an ancient book :;
Fay something, do something, reveal some
thing which will certify our faith in You
as the Messiah"
VI the request may have had a profound
er import and been uttered in tone OF
Setdistrust, Of unfaigned humility and
huppIcation. Suddenly while Jesus was
speaking there may have awakened in the
souls OF Ills hearers the accusing conscious.
ness that, though they had known for SO
long the divine law OF duty toward their
anelgnoors, yet never had they OF theil
fathers been able to live up to it. to real
ze IN their human life the divine ideal, and
accompanying the consciousness Of past
failure may have been the reflection that
never should they be able to realize that
divine ideal, to expel from their human
hearts all hatreds, all resentments, all con
tSSAiptS, all uniorgivingness and look upor
tnelf 1ellowmen with the steady Christ
vision OF redemptive charity
n0A 0Aho SO their request may have meant
open wider our spiritual eyes. that WI
way see with You; lead us, draw us up t.
Vf Vvouf spiritual height; let us share will
% ullnk from the invisible fountain Of You
Vas tSst strength and goodness; let us knoy
me secret Of Your Christliness, that w
may rise to full sympathy with Your d
1 1.le purpose. and build with You The king
Ii Soni OF GOD among men as You woui
baee be 1t builded." But whatever may hav
OueH. Oueh the character Of the disciples re
IuesG, whether of impatient criticism O
tumble ar speculation in the words that cam
from their lips. Increase our faith. W
may may all utter the deepest and devoutes
pnr mrNer b1 OF the most needful moments {
Uul human life, Increase our faith" Ho
10y nuyyl'aoy that becomes the prayer Of OF
sod suaIs at times when the infinite problem
nler Lu perplexlties of this problematical, pc
tbrots "oIld pear down upon lis an
fasea5en forea5 to weigh us down; when we al
ttIStcad tSc to give ourselves to reflection upc
;ne rns n long and cruel and, apparently. unen
81 ts Sul1erlng Of good and evil; the sutferir
~ ~ Gonnumbered millions; the vast faiiur
~. JusIlce and triumphs of Injustice: II
wr5 was.c defeat Of right and victories
for f.ong, the bitter battles Of uplifting tru1
bnn, iee!ognltlon by the mind and heart
rras1 humanity; the painful, questionab able or
ssesS sarsS, OF lndubitable good everywhere upt
crv Va, and, so rejecting, are tempted
by baE;. out IN loud DESPAIR, or in DANCER
VIII VIII mastered by that deep hopelessne
no 'Nu ~ utters no sound and shows itself
dea+3S 3SIltward sign; hopelessness, that
on "tll'ess ~ esq heart of good does, indeed, thr
thatt to victory IN things evil; hopelessne
pla51 Che to,morrows of humanity will
5l"uIer and nobler than it's Yesterday
he bepd1cessness, dnAss that the wrongs we know "
hodIl'o Io?e :e away, and the good we dream e
ind;,,; idiS hsen IN fact; hopelessness. that a
tbatF ttIb1a!Fldual efforts, all that we can sav
SLEW we can do, are not mere vain. trs
lesnn ln' strlylngs against eternal fate now
the as as the wings of insects Auttering
thin s'orm, tI, to effect any betterment
of ~ mat are. How much that nro,
masn .ne apostles, Increase our ; faitbp - ~ n,
lent r, men, TO our individual sou]sl
-<-A' unsSllahed cry for rescue 70 the