The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-10-08
OUR SOUTHERN PULPIT

Washington. ID. c.. September 3O-(Spe-
cial. AT the Vermont avenue Christian
church here today the pastor. Rev. f. d.
Pow er. DID, preached an able sermon
on THE Trinities" to an immense con-
gregation. selecting as his text l Cor. IA
Said DIR. Power:
1t Is by no me;fls n fanciful thought that
the main facts and teachings of scripture
are presented to us under the form OF
trinities-groups consisting of three Inn
rortant constituents. We 10 not wonder
at this interesting fact when cur expert
ence with everything outside of :he Bible
brings us constantly into contact with
trune divisions of things. In the world
of nature we have the three kingdoms.
animal vegetable and mineral In mat
ter we have existelce under three forms.
solid liquid and gaseous. In our own
being we have body. soul and spirit In
the heavens have sun. moon and stars,
and in the earth. air. land and sea.
Approaching the revelation of God In
His word, we are prepared to notice the
same exhibition of three in one. ana even
to find the most sublime and essential
clements of Christianity developed and
exhibited in n succession of tripites.
T. Whether the word trinity be scrip
tlIral or not frd we discard the express
sion "the trinity" because of its unscrlp-
turalness, II still expresses the thought
of this peculiar division as seen In the
three distinct persons In the unity OF the
Godhead Of this one fact we are sure
tho sacred orS cles teach that the one Nv
ing and true God is in some inexplicabie
manner triuae. for He is spoken of as one
in some respects and as three in others
Addressing Himself in the creation. God
said: LET us make man IN our IMAGE
after our likeness" Our Lord declared:
"If any man love me he will keep my
&C amendments. and my Father VIII loVe
him. ard we Will come unio him ana
make cur abode with him. Sendihs
forth His disciples He commanded 10 We
therefore and teach all nations. baptlZihs
them into the name of the Father. anu
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. or
Christ. John testifes: "In the beginning
was the word and the word was WIN
God. and the word was God. OF the it'ly
Spirit Peter aftirms in his reDuke oi an
anias: ..Why hath Satan filled thine
heart to lie TO the Holy spirit! Ihou
hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
The apostolic benediction proclalihea'
1.-The grace Of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
love of God and the communion OF the
Holy Spirit be with YOU all" There are
three that bear record In heaven, the
Father. the word and the Holy SPIRIT.
AMI these three are one
Here is q mystery, the stupendous mys-
terry of the Christian religion. the lnellaple
mystery of three persons In one Coo We
cannot define II. Every human attempt az
definition involves it IN deeper mystery
The arithmetic of heaven, where one
II axes three and. three make but one IS
beyond us Yet this is no more mystic
rious and incxplicable than the trinity OF
orr own nature. body. soul ard spirit,
and no man has ever shown that 1t IN
wolves contradiction or in any way
Conflicted with the testimony or our
senses or with demonstrated TRUTH ana
We must accept it by the power Of a SIM
pie faith, or rush into tritheism on the
one hand or unitari Inism an the ether.
2 Going further into the examination
of this arrangement OF trinities, we take
the Divine Person mentioned In the text
Christ, the second person In the Cod
head. At once there comes before us the
trinity Of offices filled by our LORD,
prophet priest and king. Man could not
be saved unless in one divine person all
three of these should be combined CHRIST
could not be the Christ of God were not
all three Of these diGnities and glories
united in His single person.
Prophet lie was. typlhed by all the IL
lustri0us personages Of the Hebrew race
tho oracle. the teacher. the spokesman for
ness of revelation. and chat TO all man
kind. God who at sundry times ana in
divers manners spoke In times past unto
the fathers by the prophets. hath I'm ihese
last days spoken unto us by His Son
Priest lie was. the only and all-suffi-
cient priest Of the Christian church. None
other can stand between man az"
his God. None other can exer-
else the sacerdotal functions ex-
cent i'm the sense that MI Chris-
tiars are kings and priests unto God. y
pr;est IS he foreshadOwed by the serV-
ants of the Jewish sanctum: yet more
beautifully adorned than the family or
Aaron In all the splendid robes OF the
temDlc more glorious in communications
than the mystcriously glowing / rim ana
Th,immim on the high priests ephod De
fore the mercy scat. more potent In sac1-
flee and intercession than all the priest
hood under the law seeing tiaI
lie offered Himself on the altar and
rneucd nm n new and living way into the
holy of holies by His own blood ot atone
won't This ore, because he contnueth
fnr.ver hath an Interchangeable priest
nod wherefore lie Is able 10 save unto
tho uttermost them that come unto the
Father nv Him" Such an high priest
became us, holy. harmless. undehied'
eeparate from sinners and made hlsner
than the heavens, VINO neeuctl uut "o4iS'
az those high priests, to offer uD sacrllce
first for his own sins and then for the
monies. for this he did once when he
offered up himself
King he was. TIE Christ. the anoint-
cd of God. 81 have set my king Upon
my holy hill of Zion" blessed and only
potentata. the king of kings ana Lord
nc lords" All-Elorious. all-powerfui' all
racnont. He sways His scepter over MS
rocnle and over all the earth. God hdth
Liehlv exalted Him and given linn Il
rorne that is above every name, that at
no name of Jesus every knee should DOW
OF things in heaven, ana things on earth'
md things under the earth, ana every
tonpue should confess that Jesus Is the
C.b,jet INTO the glory of God the rather.
rims the Christ is invested with 4 w
ure mower In one being these three
orfices meet in their perfection. ana we
cccent Him In all His glory, personal ana
official c,,.;et thu.
~ow the doctrine of CHRIST the
fact, that constitute the gospel, are UNI
foIdod to us in "A trinity. Three dlStIHct
Facts are here. First, that ChriSt uru
Gov orr sins according to the scriptures
eocord chat He was buried, and th!rd'
,bat lie .'arose again according TO the
-, .c.,
II &c not possible TO measure the lnlh-
ite import of these three facts. 1here
would he no gospel without them. no sal
vation no proof of the divinity OF Jesus
no ground of faith. The gospel Is the
mower of God unto saiVatloh' not Id4'h'
not repentance. not baptism, not nope
not love. We are saved by Jesus christ
Il