our Lord Jesus Christ, he says, Through him we both," that is, both Jews and Gentiles, "have access by one Spirit unto the Father," Ephes. ii. 18. I have produced these various portions of the sacred writings, in which the three Divine Persons of the Trinity are all mentioned, to show the manner in which they are spoken of by the inspired penmen, when placed in union together. I purpose to quote one or two texts, in which the Son and the Holy Ghost are proved distinctly and severally to be God, and consequently distinct from the Father, but equal with him as touching their Godhead. Thus, in the opening of St. John's Gospel, we read these words" In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And do we ask who the Word was? we are told in the same chapter, that it was He who 66 was made flesh, and dwelt among us, the only-begotten of the Father," (John i. 1, 14,) even Jesus Christ our Lord. Again, our Lord himself said of himself to the Jews, "I and my Father are one,” (John x. 10.) St. Paul also, writing to the Romans, speaks of him as Christ, who is over all, God blessed for ever," (Rom. ix. 5 ;) to Timothy, as "God manifest in the flesh," (1 Tim. iii. 16;) and to the Hebrews, as "God" whose "throne is for ever and ever," (Heb. i. 8.) Moreover, we read of St. Stephen, St. Paul, and St. John, all at different times, offering up prayers to him as to God.* 66 With respect to the true character of the Holy Ghost, a very few words will be requisite. That the Holy Ghost is not a mere influence, but a Person distinct both from the Father and the Son, has been shown from several of the texts already brought forward. We may add, however, one or two passages, in which he is clearly spoken of as a Person. This is clear from the way in which our Lord himself spake of him, when promised to send him to the disciples to take his own place. He styles him "the Comforter." He ascribes to him distinct personal acts. Thus he says of him," He shall testify of me,"-" He will guide you into all truth,"—"He shall glorify me," John xv. 26, and 13. With respect to the truth of the Holy Spirit being divine, we may refer to that awful passage, in which our Lord speaks of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. "All manner of sin and blasphemy," he says, "shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come," (Matt. xii. 31, 32.) Surely this goes far to prove, that the Holy Ghost is at once a distinct Person from God the Father, and the Son of God, and that he must be fully equal with them. And again, when St. Paul says to the Corinthians," Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you?" (1 Cor. iii. 16 ;) in another place he says, "Know ye not that ye are the Acts vii. 59; 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9; Rev. xxii. 20. On the Divinity of the Son, it may be mentioned, that a Sermon will be found in the CHRISTIAN REMEMBRANCER for December, 1835, in which the author of the present Sermon has brought together some of the prominent arguments in support of the doctrine. temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (2 Cor. vi. 16;) and adds, "For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people," (2 Cor. vi. 16.) Here the Holy Ghost is described as the living God. And, lastly, when St. Peter charged Ananias with his awful falsehood respecting the sale of his possession, he did so in these words-“ Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God," (Acts v. 1—4;) thus showing that the Holy Ghost must be God. Many more passages of Scripture might have been produced on the several points which we have been considering. But I think that these are sufficient to show, that the church is fully justified in interpreting our Lord's words, in the form of Christian Baptism, as descriptive of the existence of three distinct, divine, and equal Persons in the eternal Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. There is also, I may add, some confirmation of this great doctrine to be derived from the Old Testament. It is true, that the doctrine of the Trinity is peculiarly a christian doctrine, and therefore the proof of it is to be sought for in the Gospel. But since the same Divine Being who is the Author of the latter revelation, was also the Author of the former, it may perhaps be asked whether some traces, at least, of this truth may not be discovered in the pages of the Old Testament? And this most decidedly is the case. We meet there with a vast number of passages which seem to speak of the existence of more Divine Persons than one in the Godhead. Thus, in the very first chapter of Genesis, which has been just read to-day, when the Almighty was about to create man, we find him using these remarkable words: "Let us make man in our own image; after our likeness," (Gen. i. 26.) Upon which, also, it is added, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him," (Gen. i. 27.) Again, after the fall of our first parents in paradise, we read of the Lord saying, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil," (Gen. iii. 22.) So also, at the building of the tower of Babel, we find the true God represented as using these words: "Let us go down and there confound their language,' (Gen. xi. 7.) And once more, Isaiah says, “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send? and who will go for us?" (Isa. vi. 8.) And, in another part of his prophecies, we read these words: Produce your cause, saith the Lord; let them bring forth and show us the former things, that we may consider them," (Isa. xli. 21, 22.) An immense number of other passages occur, in which a distinction appears to be made of two or more Divine Persons. We may instance these: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters," (Gen. i. 1, 2.) "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool," Ps. cx. 1.* These few passages, out of a vast number 66 * This part of the proof of the Trinity, has been very fully considered by Mr. Vogan, in his Bampton Lectures. which might be adduced, are sufficient to show that the Old Testament is not contrary to the New, but confirms the view of the gospel, that there are more Persons than one in the Godhead, and can only be explained satisfactorily by means of the doctrine which we derive therefrom. It is necessary here to make an observation, that when we speak of the Son and the Holy Ghost being each God, as well as the Father, we should ever bear in mind the unity of the Godhead; the truth, that is to say, that there is but one God. This truth the gospel as fully maintains as does the Old Testament, the Christian as fully as does the Jew. The words of Moses are as cordially believed by us, as they were by those to whom they were addressed, when he said, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord," (Deut. vi. 4;) or one Jehovah or, when he said, "Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God: there is none else besides him," (Deut. iv. 35.) The words also of the Almighty, delivered by his prophet Isaiah, "I am the Lord, and there is none else; there is none beside me,” (Isa. xlv. 5, 6,) receive our most grateful and cordial assent. We know that our Lord himself, when asked by one of the Scribes, which was the first commandment of all, gave at once the exact words of Moses just read, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord," (Mark xii. 29.) St. Paul also has taught us this truth: "We know," says he to the Corinthians, "that there is none other God but one, though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many.) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him," (1 Cor. viii. 4—6.) To the Ephesians he writes, "There is only one God, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all,"(Eph. iv. 6.) These texts are sufficient to show the doctrine of the gospel on the unity or oneness of God. There remains only to remark, that such also is the plain doctrine of the Church on this subject. Our first Article commences with these express words: "There is but one living and true God;" though she adds, "And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." There is one more confirmation of this doctrine, which is of such paramount importance, that I must not omit to notice it; I mean the testimony of the Church Catholic, in the earliest times, to this great article of faith. I say, this is a most valuable and important point. For who are to be regarded as most competent to judge what was the meaning of the words used by the holy evangelists and apostles? Surely those who lived in or nearest to their times. Now, these are the satisfactory words of one who had fully studied the subject, Bishop Bull: "The unanimous consent," he tells us, "of the catholic doctors of the church, for the first three ages of Christianity, concerning the article of the Trinity, is, in short, this: 1. That there are in the Godhead three (not mere names or modes, but) really distinct Persons-the Father, the Son, or Word of God, and the Holy Ghost. 2. That these three Persons* are one God." It is impossible, of course, now to enter fully into this subject. But I must quote one testimony, it is that of the holy Polycarp, who, we are told, had been instructed by the apostles themselves, and had lived with many who had seen Christ, and had even been appointed to the bishopric of Smyrna by the apostles. When he was called upon to suffer death for the faith, in the affecting prayer which he then uttered, he is represented as having used words to this effect:-addressing the Almighty, he says, "For this and for every thing I praise thee, I bless thee, I glorify thee, together with the eternal and heavenly Jesus Christ, thy beloved Son, with whom to thee and the Holy Ghost be glory, both now and for evermore. Amen."§ I may mention also for our satisfaction, that it has been fully shown by Dr. Waterland, from the creeds of the early church, from the public condemnation as heretics passed by the church catholic on all who denied the Divinity of Christ, as well as from the testimonies of the fathers of the church," to be certain fact that the doctrine of our Lord's Divinity, and so of the whole Trinity, was looked upon by the ancient churches of Christ as one of the prime verities, one of the essentials of Christianity;"|| whilst the learned Mr. Bingham informs us that "it is evident to a demonstration, that the three Persons of the Holy Trinity were always the object of divine adoration from the first foundation of the christian church."¶ In conclusion, let us make one or two practical remarks. 1. This is one of those subjects which, whilst it should ever be approached with a reverential and humble spirit, may also in itself further tend to encourage such a spirit in us. We can neither understand, nor explain, much of our own nature, or even of the commonest things about us. How much more so then when we come to contemplate the nature of God! No humble Christian therefore will attempt to explain the exact nature of the Trinity in Unity. We acknowledge that it is a mystery. We receive it as it is revealed to us in Scripture. We believe that there are three Divine Persons in the Godhead, and yet but one God. But how they exist we know not. How the Son is from everlasting, what is the nature of his eternal generation from the Father, or how the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son, we do not pretend to explain. We cannot with our imperfect faculties understand it; perhaps we may know hereafter. This is well treated of by an early Christian Father, St. Chrysostom. "I know," says he, "that he begot the Son; the manner how, I am ignorant of. I know that the Holy Spirit is from * Or Hypostases. + Bull's Sermons, Discourse I. p. 1.-Works, Ed. Burton. Those who wish more fully to examine this interesting question, are referred, amongst modern works, to Dr. Burton's "Antenicene Fathers;" and his "Testimonies to the Trinity;" or to Mr. Vogan's Bampton Lectures; and, amongst others of an older date, to Dr. Waterland's Works, Bishop Bull's Works, and Bingham's Antiquities of the Christian Church. § Quoted by Mr. Vogan in his Bampton Lectures, from Dr. Burton's "Testimonies to the Trinity." Eusebius makes a slight but not important difference in the words used by Polycarp. Waterland's Works. Ed. Van Mildert, vol. v. p. 253. him; how from Him, I do not understand. I eat food; but how this is converted into my flesh and blood, I know not. We know not these things, which we see every day when we eat, yet we meddle with inquiries concerning the substance of God." Let us learn from these considerations to cherish a humble and reverential spirit. 2. Let us be thankful for the revelation of these great doctrines to us in Holy Scripture. To know these things is a privilege not vouchsafed to the heathen world, nor fully to the Jewish nation, but to us who live under the last revelation of the Almighty. "God has given us grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity.". Be it our endeavour to be thankful for this his inestimable benefit; and let us show our thankfulness for it by our conduct respecting it. Be it our constant prayer to him that he will "keep us steadfast in this faith." Be it also our constant endeavour to keep ourselves so steadfast. Let us likewise desire to extend the same faith to others at home and abroad; especially let us teach it, as the Catechism instructs us to do, to the children under our care. Let us also beware lest by our heedlessness we fail of handing it down in purity to our posterity, and to the children which are yet unborn. More particularly let us never lend an ear to any who would propose to remove from our Prayer Book that most perfect exposition of the christian faith, which bears the name of St. Athanasius's Creed; for we know not how much the purity of our Church's faith may have depended on it, or how many of her members have been kept from falling by its salutary, and not as some people fancy, uncharitable, but most kind and charitable warnings of the danger of denying the faith. So let us show our gratitude to God for his grace to us. Lastly, let us further show our gratitude by allowing the doctrine to bave a practical influence on our lives. We are fallen and sinful creatures, in danger of eternal death for our sins. Here is revealed to us, in the eternal Son of God, a Saviour from all sin and danger. We are weak, corrupt, and imperfect creatures, ready to fall into sin daily. Here is revealed to us, in the Holy Spirit, a mighty helper, who is able to lead us into all goodness, and preserve us from sin. Both these are Divine Beings, uniting in purpose with God the Father to work out our present holiness and happiness, and our eternal salvation, and fully able to accomplish all this. Brethren, let us accept most thankfully of this great salvation, and endeavour to act in life as if we were so. We have been baptized in the name of the Three Divine Persons. In our baptism, we have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We have been justified therein by the death and merits of the Son; we have been brought near thereby to the Father. But this will not save us, unless we shall be found at last in a justified and sanctified state. Let us, then, correctly endeavour, through a living faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Almighty Spirit, so to live as to secure the love of the Father, and to keep it even unto our lives' end. Amen. D. I. E. Pelar. vol vi. § 2. as quoted by Mr. Newman, in his "Arians of the Fourth Century." P. 176. |