gave him a title due only to God, reproved him, saying, " Why callest thou me good? there is none good but One, that is God." But here he so commended the subject of their peti- tition as manifestly to intimate his approbation of the petition itself. In like manner, when Paul, some years afterwards, prayed to him for the removal of the thorn in his flesh, Jesus answered him, "My grace is sufficient for theed:" thereby leaving no room for doubt but that we may address our prayers to him, and that " he will fulfil all our petitions." " Do we then need faith ; or, possessing it already in a small degree, do we need to have it strengthened and increased ? " let us remem- ber, that " whatsoever we shall ask of him, or of the Father in his name, that will He do, that the Father may be glorified in the Sone." He has "all fulness treasured up in him;" yea, " in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily :" and " out of his fulness shall we all receive, even grace for grace." As repentance is his gift f , so is faith also his giftg: wherever it exists, it is He who has wrought it in the heart11; for he is both "the Author and the Finisher of it1." Let us then from day to day present to him the petition in our text, " Lord, increase our faith."]
Now from this subject we may clearly learn, 1. The true order of Christian duties — [The Apostles asked for faith in order to produce in them a suitable practice : and this is what we also must do : we must not set ourselves, as many ignorantly do, first to perform good works, in order that they may serve as a warrant for believing in Christ : but we must believe in him, in order that we may be enabled to perform good words to his honour and glory. This may appear an unnecessary distinction; but it is of infinite importance : it lies at the very foundation of all our hopes, and of all our comforts. If we attempt to reverse this order, we shall be like persons who should prepare a super- structure without laying a foundation, or expect fruit from a tree that had no root. The Scripture is very express on this subject : we must lay hold on the promises first, and then make use of them for the purifying of our soulsk : we must first behold the glory of the Lord in the Gospel, and then by virtue of that sight be changed into his image1.]
2. The proper tendency of faith —
[Why did the Apostles ask for faith? Was it to set aside the duties that had been just inculcated? No: it was, that
d 2 Cor. xii. 8—10. e j0hn xiv. 13. f Acts v. 31.
* Acts xviii. 27. Eph. ii. 8, Phil', i. 27. h Col. ii. 12.
1 Heb. xii. 2. * 2 Cor. vii. 1. '2 Cor. iii. 18.