The New York herald., 1870-01-24
cHusCH OF TIE MESSIAH.

Unifarianism and Triniturinnism Compared
Sermon by Rev. George III. Hepworti.
The Church OF the Messiah corner OF Thirty fourth
street ana Park avenue, was filled yesterday morn
ing by the usual large and fashionable congrega-
ton. Rev. George II. Hepworth the pastor,
preached. His subject was 'Unitarlanlsm and Trlnl-
tarlansm Compared,n doctrina subject but IN
his manner OF treating 1t and the eloquent beauty
Of his comparisons bereft OF the ordinary dogmas OF
sermons OF this class. He took for his text st.
Matthew XIX, l7'.Why callest tfOu me good There
Is none good but one, and that is God" After men,
tiOning the circumstances under which these words
uttered he proceeded.to announce the teachings
embodied In the same. One party in the dialogue
was an inquirer and the other was teacher. What
could the young man understand but this that Cd
not standing before him; that God was IN heav-
en-; that he, Jesus Christ, who was speaking
differed in personality from God; that God was su-
preme ana good and that there was none other
good but Him? For himself he was willing to take
Jesus Christ his teacher. He made no mistake
with regard to himself. He could not miscal him.
SELF Did he not by the words he used
toward the young man imply the difference
between God and nmseng or course he did. He
approached topic pursuant to their request OF the
utmost importance. IL matter or larger i'm
noT1 on an a aey coc ev a md s 4 % rSGfpom m %
him as q son TO father for what they wanted IL
was OF the utmost importance that everybody should
God. lie mad such perfectly defined ideas Of God
that, sinful and Imperfect as he was, he could
throw his arms about the neck OF his
moJher. His mother was III heaven, and
was God. In large commercial centres fashion
rules IN religious matters as In otner things. Irn
tarianlsm was the modern FASHION. How was it
with Unitaranlsm? 1t was not the modern fashion,
able religion, but It was the oldest theology III the
world. 1t was as Old as creation. Moses wds u
Unitarian, anu spent his life teaching the Jews in
the wilderness that there but one God, when
alone they could serve David was a Unitarian, and
his songs breathe this belief. So was 1t with all the
Old prophets They worshlpped with one worship;
they looked with our eyes, and they recognized
God the grand centre OF creation In the sacred
Scriptures tue equivalent OF Trinity does occur
wnlie that OF the unity OF God occurs over three
hundred times. All denonlinat0ns-the Roman
Catholic, old Greek Church ana all cid Church
egendsagree that the Scriptures do not assert Trin-
tarianlsm. How was IT, then tnat In the nineteenth
century the doctrine of Trnariantsn has become
I1evaentY Itwas claimed to be founded on the New
Testament. lie reit rred 10 the different Gospels OF
the New Testament and claimed tnat Matthew,
Mark, Luke ana st. John were all Unltarlans All
the Apostles wheh they went to Athens, to Ethiopia
and elsewhere preached God the unit Why dld
they 40 lty Because Jesus CHRIST loid tnem repeat
noLning unless the Father helped him. Language
can be twisted very siron, ly but the Apostles did
meant what they said. From this point he traced
the continued teaching OF the same doctrine by the
early Christian fathers, ana further that up 10 the
year $50 the word trinity not used any creed
In it's modern use. Since then the synodS nave de.
| nned and ampied the dogma. Could they believe
ina. that winch really and absolutely was one could
be three could three be one? The merest scnool-
| boy knows better II this was applied TO anything
else we should laugh at 1t. Because 1t applied
| TO religion men accepted II, not as logic but a
| bind faith. After charging on this point
at considerable length he reverted TO the teachings
OF Christ bearing upon this point. These were mys-
terious bearings, but take whole book and they
would arrive other citislon than that Jesus
CHRIST was not God and CHAT lie never claimed sucn
| high and sovereign personality lie would not adj
vance 1t as an argument, but lie started back at the
idea Of God coming to this earth and being treated
| as Jesus Christ was SPIT IN Gods lace, thrust u
| spear In Gods side-the idea was absurd and re-
voting. Altogether, he aimed TO show in tue first
place that Unaranlsm the oldest theology In the
world; III the second place. that Trlnltar1anism was
absurd and contrary to all human reason, and
thirdly, that Unltaranism was the only doctrine that
gaVe satisfaction TO the wants and longings or the
human soul.