Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1904-02-20

tnermore, we do feel and know tnat as
God the Father lives, 80 Christ was
born into this world not only to save us
from sin. but also to prove that God
the Creator is q God of love. Mystery,
mystery, mysteryl A high, deep, I'M
penetrable and overpowering mystery!
Yet the mystery Of the Father, Son ana
Holy Spirit is fact revealed to u.s. 10
be accepted by faith and bringing to Gil
who so receive tia message OF JOY ana
peace.
A Mystery Essential to Peace.
Consider how near this conception OF
Christ the Divine Son manifested IN
human flesh, brings the Deity to u.s.
II we did not have the manifestation
Of Gods love in Jesus Christ, how
would we worship? Even the lowest
forms Of religious truths cannot exist
in the heart Of man without some Kind
of an incarnation. l said some years
ago in India to a Buddhist priest: You
do not believe that these hideous idols
of wood and clay and stone nave any
divine power7 You do not believe that
those bleared eyes and that horrible
grin and that twisted body Is god!
You know you do not. Why, | could
knock him down with my hand. l
could crush him with the heel or my
| foot" "Oh, yes" answered the priest
"What you say is true. We intelligent
leaders of the east do not believe those
idols are gods. But the common peo-
pie cannot conceive Of spirit God as
our prophet has revealed him to u.s..
So we give the common people god
of clay and wood, which they can see
and touch" Brother, our God has sent
us Jesus Christ in the flesh. He came
as a revelation Of God. He came so
that our finite minds might grasp the
infinite. He came to show us that Coo
could suffer as we suffer and be tempt
ed as we are tempted, yet be without
sin. He came as a God Of never end
ing love. Mystery! Mystery! The
Trinity is an inexplainable mystery
Yet 1t is a mystery we all need, mys-
terry we should all accept 1t is mys-
terry essential to our peace.
Mystery of the Trinity.
Thus the mystery of the Trinity
means simply this: God the Father
comes to us and says: ITO explain to
you all things, my child, would be to
set before you what you could not COM
prehend. Your mind Is too weak to
grasp it, any more than little child In
his fathers laboratory can understand
or grasp the chemical principle Of the
adhesion of the basic elements. But II
Won see the Godhead yelled by hui
man form, II you see the Spirit of God
animating a being like yourself, II you
como in contact with the divine perfec-
tions, active In human environment
YOU will then have a glimpse OF the
glory of the Godhead and realize some
thing Of the supernal mystery OF Fa'
ther Son and Holy Spirit. All this
will show to prove that l am God. the
Loving Father, and ye are my chill
dren." Today we find the Trinity a
mystery. But, though a mystery, deep
and high and overpowering, 1t is q
mystery SO simple that little child
car reverence the majesty Of the Fa'
ther. can realize the love of the Son and
can yield to the influence Of the Holy
Spirit. Great and yet beautiful ano
simple Is the mystery Of godliness II
Jesus Christ.
The conflicting doctrines Of Gods
omnipotence and mans free agency are
an inexplainable mystery. Yes, VIZ
know that God is infinitely greater thar
man. We know that the Creator, wht
holds the seas In the palm Of his hanC
and at whose touch the volcanoes
smoke and the earth trembles anc
whose voice is the voice Of the storm
has supreme control over the creatures
he has made. He can say to man, 60
and he goeth; come, and he cometh; d'
this. and he doeth It." But, thor
God the Omnipotent is truly all pow
erful, I know l can resist his will.
know, as a free agent can raise m!
hand or lower It. l know that cal
clinch my fist with hate or have tn
open palm Of love. know l can wall
across this pulpit to the right or to tn
left. l know l can choose betweel
right and wrong. Free, free! Ere
am l, gloriously free! A mystery
great unfathomable mystery! Wit
God the Omnipotent I am still man, tn
free agent.
Harmonizing Creeds.
These two conflicting facts are true
but who can reconcile them? There
fore, after we have once accepted thi
mystery we can harmonic all Chris
tian creeds at the foot Of the eros: