Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1873-08-21
lOriginal.l
THE TRINITY.

lNere are some CruCQS LndC TedSOl, uudSSlSI-
ed by revelation, cannot discover. Such
truths are said to be above reason. TO this
class of truths belong the doctrine of the
Trinity. A plain statement of this doctrine
may be made by saying, that there are in the
God.head three persons, and that these three
persons are one God, the same in substance,
equal in power and glory. The human mind
is neither able to discover this, nor is it able
to fully understand it when the revelation is
made. By no process Of reasoning can it be
explained how one can be three, nor how
three can be one. This is not the only truth
which is, in some respects, incomprehensible
and yet not repugnant to reason. We do
not fully understand how the blood circu-
lates in our veins; neither do we understand
how it is that we see with our eyes, hear with
our ears and taste with our tongues and pal
ates. These things are not great mysteries,
like the doctrine of the trinity, still they are
mysterious.
For all the knowledge we have Of the doc
trine of the trinity we are indebted to the
Bible. That the doctrine is revealed in the
Bible no one who has attentively read the
Scriptures can doubt. 1t is revealed both in
the Old Testament and in the New. In the
first verse in the Bible it is said: "In the be-
ginning God created" &c. Literally trans
lated, it would read, "In the beginning Gods
created" &c. In other words, the name Of
the divinity is in the plural number This
by itself would not amount to much, but when
taken in connection with what is said about
the creation in the first chapter of the gospel
by John, it beyond doubt denotes plurality
of persons in the God-head. The titles given
to these three persons are Father, Son and
Holy Ghost or Spirit. When the work of
creation had so far progressed that the peri
cd for bringing the human race into exist
ence, this remarkable sentence occurs: "Let
US make man." One of the persons of the
trinity, the Father, no doubt, addressed the
other two The language indicates the call
ing of an assembly for consultation. No
mere creature could give advice in so import
ant an undertaking, and had any creature
given counsel, then it could not be said that
God made all things according to the coun-
sci of his own mind. In various portions
of the Old Testament we find texts which
cannot be otherwise interpreted than as teach
ing the plurality of persons in the God-head
but the teachings of the New Testament are
clear and positive. The baptismal formula
and the apostolic benedction are clear. In
every land the form of words is the same.
The individual who is baptized has the words
Father, Son and Holy Ghost pronounced
over him. When Jesus was baptized in the
river Jordan, the Father declared in an audi
BILE voice: "This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased and the Holy Ghost de-
scended in bodily shape like dove upon
him." Luke 3: 21. When congregation
of Christians is dismissed, the officiating min
lister says: "The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the commu-
MON of the Holy Ghost, be with you all
Amen" These words most plainly announce
plurality of persons in the God-head, or a
trinity. The grace of Christ, the love Of God
the Father and the communion of the Spirit
are invoked. This sentence is part Of the
Scriptures. 1t is found in 2 Cor. 13: IA.
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WHAT I KNow.-I know that He was