The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-09-04
SAYS KIND PROVIDENCE
PRESENTS TEMPTATION
Kew. w. Oliver Gordon breaches In.
teresting Sermon In Branch
Memorial.
APPEAL FOR LARGER FAITH
Preacher Would Know Why There
Appears Such Difference Between
Faith in Nature and Faith in Re-
ligion.

Taking as his text Luke 17:5, Lord.
increase our faith" Rev. w. Oliver
Gordon yesterday morning spitced a
most interesting sermon In Branch
Memorial Methodist Church. The
sermon was listened to by large
congregation. which appeared deeply
impressed by the pastors appeal. In
part Mr.. Gordon said:
The apostles asked for an increase
Of faith. We know not the secret feel
ings from which the request sprang.
Perhaps their hearts failed them, as
they heard one weighty lesson after
another from the Masters lips. or
questions arose in their minds, Who
can receive such high doctrines? Who
can follow such lofty standards Of
practice? Who can do such mighty
works? These are but contectures
OF this we are assured: The request
they made was of deepest concern and
greatest significance-Lord. increase
our faith
Mans Faith I'm Nature
Faith Is a word whose true mean
Ing is not easily defined. The farmer
casts his seed into the ground and
does SO expecting to reap a harvest
though he has no assurance that the
earth will not be dry and parched.
or that the sun will not refuse it's
light and heat. Mention these con-
tingencies, that they may interfere
with his harvest, and the farmer re-
plies that whilst he has no assurance
of reaping, he has faith in the soil
and in sunshine and shower, and he
knows that when the harvest time
comes he will reap.
'All theorizing to the contrary
shakes not his conviction. That is an
illustration of natural faith.
Here is man who starts on a
journey. @He knows nothing of the
manufacture of the car in which he
is seated and has never met the con-
ductor or trainmen. he knows moth
ing OF the track nor of those whose
business 1T is to take care of the road,
and yet he believes that by staying
on that car he will reach his destina-
ton. May not the car be unsafe i?
May not the conductor be a novice ?
May not a switch be left open. and
he be dashed over to destruction
These suggestions he treats as child
ish, and sits in the car composedly
as though in his own drawing room
that Is natural faith. Such faith Is
found everywhere. 1t Is in every de-
partment of life. Society rests on it.
Business depends on it. 1t underlies
all our great enterprises. and is back
of all our far-reaching and unceasing
activities You cannot do anything
without exercising natural faith.
That for which the apostles prayed
was an increase of religious and spir-
itual faith Men have no difficulty in
exercising faith in natural, but seem
to have great difficulty in exercising
faith in spiritual things A religious
or a spiritual faith is a faith that has
God for its object. You have faith
in man when you believe in him
and rely on his word. You have faith
in God, when you believe in Him and
rely on His word. Is God worthy or
your faith? Is Jesus Christ worthy
OF your trust and confidence? IL
ting our trust in Him are badly de-
ceived. To say He is not worthy OF
trust and confidence is to rob Him
of those attributes that essentially be-
long to Him, and to pluck from His
character the element of perfectlon,
differentiating and distinguishing IT
from every other character in the uni
verse.
The Faith That Rests On God.
What we mean by religious faith
Ia a faith that rests on GOD as lie
is revealed to us in Christ, in whom
all the attributes of the great Jehovah
meet and shine divinely bright-a
trust in Christ as our divine Saviour,
with an unhesitating and answering
reliance on Him for the fultiilment OF
all His promises unto us. That for
which the apostles prayed was not
for faith, but an increase of faith
an increase of that which they already
possessed
This leads US to remark that faith
may be weak and it may be strong
We read of weak faith, of little faith,
and of faith as grain or mustard
seed Faith IN its beginning may be
very small. and. therefore. its culture,
it's development and growth, should
be earnestly sought.
.In order to secure an increase OF
faith, there must be exercise. There
was a time in : braham's life when
his faith was weak. when, through
fear, he practiced deception. This
was surely an exhibition of weakness
After a fuller unfolding of the divine
character and a revelation of the great
God unto him, his faith developed
into a sublime trust that made him
ready to offer up his son. Isaac, to
God, and placed MIN IN the IrOn'
rank of those who have distinguished
themselves by their faith. Notice also
this development OF faith as exhibited
in the great apostle to the Gentiles
From Paul's own statement we
learn that his faith was weak in the
beginning. but he exercised this grace,
and through an experimental &C
quaintance with the Master and the
revelation of God unto him-he- At.
tanned such strength OF faith as to
be able to testify: I know In whom
l have believed and am persuaded
He Is able to keep that which / have
committed unto Him against that
day
Faith may increase in clearness of
perception. When the discoveries OF
the New World saw birds flying over
their heads, pieces of driftwood and
| branches of trees washed out by the
waves of the sea, the eye of their
faith followed these heartening evil
dences, looking more and more in
ltently for what they were in search
OF. until q vision dawned on them.
and loi the New World appeared. and
the shout Of Land! Land" filled every
heart with Joy.