New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-24
REVELATION OF GOD IN THE TRINITY.

The Rev. Hugh Miller Thompson, d. d.,
preached at Christ Church protestant EpscopaD, at
Fffthave. and Thirty -ffthst, yesterday morning His
text was based upon Matthew ILL., 10, II: And Jesus,
when He baptized went up straight away out OF the
water; and To- tho heavens opened unto Him, and
He saw the Spirit Of God descending Ike dove and
lighting upon Him. And 10, voice from Heaven saying.
This is my beloved Son. in whom am well pleased"
1t is usual the preacher said, to consider the doctrine
of the Trinity as the deepest of all mystery indeed to
consider dark and deep mystery that beyond
the conception OF the human mnd and that we onght to
leave 1t altogether alone that is something profound
and mysterious, and not really to be looked at,
but to be contemplated rather With roverent III
revelations OF God. This is not the way the Holy
Scriptures cen to place n the ,n matter at adj
has revealed Himself Every part OF the doctrine is q
revelation and the usual thought that the doctrine OF
Divine Unity is an easy matter, and simple thing that
any child can understand them, but that upOn this sim
pie doctrine Of Divine Unity Christ snPerindueed great
reason by teaching the doctrine Of the Trinitythls,
say, the way in which people consider these
two the doctrine Of Unity and the doctrine of the
Trinity. 1t is to make tho mystery OF the Unity plain
that we have the Trinity revealed
doctrine This is doctrine awful and profound and the
man who imagncs that he understands the doctrine of
Divine Unity and finds 1t a simple doctrine may know
has not the slightest conception of what that doc
eS IS Of 's the EveSsng Cod he has not
conception. AS long as God dwells alone behind the
darkness, vailed the clouds, uIipifOacnaDlc IN
everlasting silence as long as He speaks not as long as
He acts not, solitary lonely Cod then you have the
Unity mo hea s OF ha man as
near man. The unity of God has in one sense nothing
TO do with man. nothing TO 90 even WIN Goa creation
Of silence But back Of that silence, God comes for and
speaks Himself to the world AS long as lie dweit in the
Unity knew Him not, but now lie comes forth as
Creator and We have gnpses OF ms lace lie Is MAKER
Of heaven and snrh God tho Pihe mas come fos
His smiles in tho glory OF the stars. We His goodness
and love in the suns flame and the gttens dew w, mat
great family whose food comes from His hand We see
Him doing in HIS great household what we would do IN
ours We call Hin Father but He IL Father OF The race
well the Father of all lie has made. and which he Is
The relationships Of an eternal Father argue etcr-
nal Son. and next relation is that OF the son Whom
again the eternal silence broken ana out OF INC ever
to make Himself still better known, He comes az Son
Some say it is impossible for God TO have son. and 50
dismiss tho whole subject The Jews believed that O
Messiah come and the only question was Is thls
the true soni The philosophc Greek as wei as ING
has o Son. IL will not do to call Christ aIchange
Angels can tell me about God ,ney can leu me was
than r. have behind the darkness that shuts
out Gods Unity from us people ne c no. m
well. Only God Himself can name lis own name Only
revelation than the one which we have already
must be stepping Out into tho world ana showing GIN
Now, we have the Second Person of the Three, but
even that is not close enough. After ALL Christ lived
only In men, He lived only in mems houses and he
stayed with them only SO years. lie could only belong
to generation other generations can only hear o.
To OF His generation His life once was, and
has past away But this will not content God. TO Know
God, this life ecrna-to know HIN. for though He iG
tncomprehcnsble He Is movable. 20 away, for II
90 not away Comforter will not come; bat 81 SO
away will send Him unto you" Gods Spirit comes now
sent down by the Father and the Son, TO stay
comes not live in mems houses but 10 dwell In mems
hearts, be very close that He Ia in man We now
come last and the closest and beyond that nothing
possible Beyond the fact that paltakers OF the
Divine nature. beyond this there can be no communion
M IL no bind
and God to man. We have the knowledge or God the
Father God the Son. and God the Holy Ghost the three
manifestations that have of the silence and tho
abyss and have appeared 10 Except as od has told
me that lie Is named by these names and that these
three names tolls His character and His relation 10 man
know nothing. What may be in the ages 10 come God
has not given, and man is rash to guess