The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-07-23
Sermon
YESTERDAY

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Rev. C. c. Rarick OF the First Metho
dist church yesterday morning spoke OF
the subject What is the Trinity" tax.
ing his text from first John 5:7:
For there are three that bear RECORD
in heaven, the Father. the Word, and
the Holy Ghost; and these three are
one"
He said in part:
by the Trinity is menant the union
of three persons in one Godhead; the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost
The history of all human opinion con
cerning the Supreme One, is in large
sense, a record of the struggle of specu.
lation towards this mystery--for it is a
mystery and must so remain to us.
"The word Trinity is not used in the
Scriptures. 1t is found only in creeds
and in theological literature. Nor is il
purely Christian doctrine and known
only from the Bible. The idea of a
theeness Of some sort in the Supreme
Deity Is one of the most widespread Of
religious notions among men. The an.
cient Hindoos, Persians and Egyptians
all had il. II is also found in Central
Asia, largely in China and Japan. An.
dent philosophers In Greece and Rome
taught it. II is in the mythology Of
the Scandinavians and Gauls and OF some
of the nations of aboriginal America.
"lt is objected that the doctrine is
absurd and contradictory, involving an
impossible conception. That is enough
against it, if the objection can be sup
ported. But no mind knows that God IL
not there and could not be. and yet in
his nature be but one. That he could
not be three and only one in the same
sense is certain. for the predication is in
absolute contradiction, but it is net so
certain that he could not be three in one
sense and only one in another. This Is
all that is claimed by the most thorough
paced Trinitarian.
1T is not difficult to believe chat
there are three that bear record in
heaven and these three are one.' And
to believe this we are not required to
believe any mystery. In fact, the Bible
does not require you TO believe in any
mystery at all. 1t only holds up facts
as objects of faith and with the mystery
or manner we have no concern. Let me
illustrate: You believe in the sun,
but whether he stands still in the midst
of his system, or, not only revolves on
his axis, but 'rejoiceth as a giant to run
his course you cannot comprehend, nor
can you tell by what natural mechanical
power he Is upheld. He Is upheld; we
cannot deny the fact. But how? IT,
cannot be accounted for so as TO satisfy
the rational inquirer. You believe there
is such thing as light, whether flowing
from the sun or some other luminous
body; but You cannot comprehend either
its nature or the manner wherein it
flows Again, here are three candles yet
there is but one light. Explain this and
[ will explain the three. .one.God. The
mystery lies in the manner of it. but Of
the manner you believe nothing at all,
nor does God require it. II would be
absurd for any one to reject what God
has revealed because he cannot compre-
hend what he has not reevaled.
"Now let us look for our practical
answer to this question. We will find
that the doctrine involves no obsurdity
1r contradiction. Independent of the
Scriptures it has reason and analogy on
it's side. Take for example the sun. We
ind that it is three in one. There is
Jhe round orb, the light, the heat. Each
of these we call tile sun When we
'peak Of its diameter we mean the orb,
when we say the sun is bright we mean
he light, when we say the sun is warm
We mean the heat. The orb is the sun,
.he light is the sun, the heat is the sun.
rhey all mean different things and still !
here is but one sun.
Man himself is an example of