Catoctin clarion., 1903-04-23
INCREASE OF FAITH"
Sunday Sermon By the Rev. DR.. Quincy
Ewing.
Shows How This Becomes the Prayer Of Gu
Souls When the Worlds Fer. l.xitles
Bear Down Upon Us.

New York CITY. - The Rev. Quincy
Ewing, os St. James Episcopal Church,
Greenville. Miss, who was at one time un,
der consideration for one Of the important
pulpts of Brooklyn, recently preached 4
thoughtful sermon on Increase OF Faith:
Mr.. Ewing took his text from Luke XVI;
): "Lord. increase our faith In the
course of the sermon he said:
We do not know why precisely the dlsci'
pies should have made this REQUEST at this
particular time Jesus bad just said to
Them III thy brother trespass against thee
rcbnke him, and if he repent, forgive hlm,
and if ,.e trespass against thee seven times
in day. and seven times in day turn to
thee. saying. j repent thou shalt forgive
him" Then very abruptly comes, from
them the request, Increase our falth'
Possibly there was some tone OF lmpatlence
in their voices as they spoke. They may
have recalled that in the old book of lie.
viticus was to he found practically the
same commandment that He was giving
them; that in the bool; OF Leviticns they
were taught not to hate their brethren,
ror to bear grudge against the children OF
their reop,c. but to love their neighbor "a
themselves: and they may have felt that
there was no need for them to bear TINS
cd teaching over agan rom the llps ot
the Master: that lie was but wasting
tllCe III lelNnE tn"lu NH't 'h's- "h'"'J
knew so we'll
So their request Increase our faith may
have meant, Tel us something that we do
not already know-somcthing 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 Deliveror Make us more certain
that we were justified in breaking away
from the authority of the ScrlhcS ana
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, rcvco some
thing which viii certify our faith in You
as the Messiah -
Or the request may have had profound:
or import and been uttered in tone OF
self.distrust. OF unfeigned humility and
supplcation. Suddenly while jesus was
speaking there may have awakened IN the
souls of His hearers the accusing conscious
ness that. though they had known for 50
long the divine law OF duty toward Their
neighbors, yet never had they or the't
fathers been able to live IN to it., to real
i2e in their human life the divine ideal, and
ncconpanyng the consciousness OF past
failure may have been the reflection that
never sholld they be able TO realize that
divine ideal. to eEpel from their human
hearts all hatrcds, all rcsentments. all con
tennis. all mforgivingness and look upon
their feIIow.mcn with the steady CHRIST
vision of iedcmptvc charity.
And so their request may have meant
"Opan wider our sriritual eyes, that we
may see with You; iead us, draw lis up to
Your spiritua height; let rs share with
" Il 'y1 o,,l lpf
drink from the invisible fountain OF ' our
vast strength and goodness; let US know
the secret of Eour Chrstliness, that we
pay rise to full sympathy with Your di'
,ne purpose and build with You the king,
dom Of God among men rs on would
have it builded." But whatever may have
been the character Of the dlscip'es' re-
quest. whether Of impatlent criticism or
humble speculation in the words that came
from their lips. Increase our faith, we
may all utter the deepest and devoutest
PRAYER of the most needful moments OF
our human life, Increase our faith How
inevitably that becomes the prayer OF our
son's at times when the infinite problems
and perplcXites of this probematlcal, per,
picking world hear down upon us and
threaten to weigh us down; when we are
forced to give ourselves to reflection upon
the long and cruel aud, apparently, nnend.
ing Su!1erlng OF Sonu an" 'NiI' 'h' S""'''"T
of ,lnnumbered ml'Ilon'; tne vast la''uVes
OF justice and trlumnhS OF injustice thr
tragic defeat OF right aud victories OF
wrong; the bitter battles Of uplifting truth
for recognition by the mind and heart OF
humanity: the painful. questionable pro-
gress of indubitab'a good everywhere unon
earth; and. so rejecting are, tempted to
cry out in loud dcsnar or IN danger ct
being mastered by that deep hopeiessness
which utters no souNd and SHOWS ',Se't St II,
no outward sign; h,pp,c'eHSneS,t' 'nnu throi, j.
deafness heart Oh Gool "",S nz.',os, ''oy'
on 10 Victo.F I'll lhlhss I,n, nj ln
thaI the to,mor'nWS IT. n";n"tntY orIa,,. m'ia
gladIer ana noD'cr thah Io !THIein"a n n
hope(essness. that the wrongs we NhoW VIII
he done away ana me R2oa we uftali ,Int en-. en-.
BODY 1tsrL N lact' no,'e'esS,leN"' ti"v oo
individual efforts, ali lhat we can say az
that we can 10, are nor h'eie N','", u"u
slent strlvlngS against clcFh'I ,"te, EoNv,
less. as the wing. OF hSeci1 hu.tttlI' l's
the storm. to eIecl any netteItnene ,,. ".
things that are no" n'ucm -, u 'n,nr
of the apostles, increase onr la't"' ,""i
mean, then. to our ln9iViau"' SOUS S'
lent, unsyllabled cry ior rescue 70 the n
visible Power thar maze us ana tlc WoiIu'
a pleading with that rover ihNlS,pie,
whose name we cannon theh utter' WHOSE
attributes we hesitate lheh 10 "eciare' n,Av
again we may he privileged TO pray our
Father that nGraln we may lerl ourselves
His children; that real enough may oc,
come His presence IN our lives; TO oanlsh
from us all doubt that the world mteIllgI,
Ut 81 '}VSN 10 Nlnp 'o'q!S!tl9lui M 10 'ol1
His keeping; all suspicloN; that any goo1
dies, that any right fails, that any throneu
and crowned power of iniouity 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, perpexty that the request of the
APOSTLES should be our prayer, for that re.
nuest OF theirs points to an eternal and
universal need of 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