Luke xvii. 5, G. And the Apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye might say unto this sycamine-tree, Be thou plucked tip by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
THE Gospel is truly " a doctrine according to god- liness:" its precepts are as much superior to heathen morals, as its doctrines are to the heathen mythology. The forgiveness of injuries is required of the followers of Christ, to an extent that unassisted reason would have deemed neither practicable nor desirable. Our Lord told his Disciples, that they must not only forgive any occasional offence, but forgive it, however often it might be committed ; provided the offender acknowledged his fault, and professed a determination to amend it. This seemed to them " an hard saying," and a requisition which far exceeded the powers of human nature to comply with : they therefore entreated him to " increase then- faith. " Now such a petition, so introduced, appears absurd : but it was, in reality, most judicious. In proof of this we shall shew,
I. The reason of it —
At first sight we are ready to think that they should have prayed for an increase of patience or of love ; since those graces appear far more intimately
connected with the forgiveness of injuries than faith: but they were correct in their judgment, and right in their petition : for, respecting faith, it must be said,
1. It is the root of all acceptable obedience — [We may perform works that shall appear good, though we have no faith ; hut none that are really good : for, in order to he good and acceptable to God, they must flow from a principle of love to God ; they must also be performed with a readiness of mind, as to the Lord : and with an unfeigned desire that he may be glorified by them. But whence can we obtain this principle ? or how can we act in such a manner, or for such an end, if we have not been led by faith into a view of his glorious character, and to the knowledge of the obliga- tions we owe him in Christ Jesus ? We might as well expect to find fruit on a tree that has no root, as such actions without an humble and lively faith. Our Lord himself tells us, that " without him," that is, without an union with him by faith, " we can do nothing :" and St. Paul tells us, that " without faith it is impossible to please God." The Thirteenth Article of our Church also confirms the same in the most express terms. Indeed all holy actions and affections are called, " the fruits of the Spirit :" but it is by faith only that we obtain the Spirit : consequently, they must all be traced to faith, as the proper root from whence they spring.]
2. It is particularly influential in the production of a forgiving spirit —
[Till we know what we ourselves merit before God, and
what mercy is offered to us in the Gospel of his Son, we shall
be disposed to resent an injury that is done to us : at least, if
we abstain from any vindictive acts, we shall feel an inward
corroding of spirit, when the remembrance of the injury occurs
to our minds. But let a person have a just view of redeeming
love, and it will soon calm all his angry passions : when pained
with the recollection of the evil treatment he has received, he
will call to mind his own conduct towards God : when disposed
to complain of others, he will think what reason he has given
to God to complain of him : and when called upon to exercise
forgiveness, he will bear in mind what mercy he himself has
exercised at the hands of God. This, I say, is the necessary