TRIUMPHS OF TRUTH: TRINITY 6...

[ed. This is the seventh of the 27-part-series from a pamphlet by Elder Wilson Thompson titled, The Triumphs of Truth. Or The Scripture A Sure Guide To Zion's Pilgrims.]


Chapter 6 RECAPITULATION.
We have seen in the foregoing; that from the apostles days, down to the Council of Nice, during the three fist centuries of the church, that the notion, or doctrine of the Trinity, was not held under the idea of tri-personality; and this well accounts for the entire absence of all such arguments, in all the disputes which Christ, and the apostles had with the Jews, and others, respecting the divinity of Christ; we never hear one of them introduce the doctrine of three distinct persons in the Godhead; no, such an expression is never recorded in the scriptures. The reason is obvious, it was no part of their creed; for those that do hold it, can scarcely write a sheet of paper, or preach a sermon on the divinity of Christ, without using repeatedly the word three distinct persons, ten or twenty times in a sermon would be but seldom to repeat it over. 

Surely if the apostles had been of this sentiment, they would have expressed it somewhere; but we hear them say nothing about it; therefore, if we take them for our patron in contending for the faith, we should let it die and be forgotten. We have seen that the Council of Nice, was called by Constantine the Great, and that it was composed of the Bishops of the established church of Rome. That their chief object was, to put an end to the Arian controversy. That for this purpose the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds were formed; that as persecution was the chief object that this council had in view; so they made these creeds the criterions by which to try them; and from hence the tri-personal theory took its rise, and is therefore, of Antichristian origin; and that it was opposed by the Greek fathers, in its first introduction into the Latin Church; and the only apology which could be made for the Latins was, the poverty of their language and an improper understanding of the Greek hypostasis. 

We have seen that this notion is not only of Antichristian origin, but that it has many pernicious effects, not only in persecution, which in all its branches is an offspring of Hell, [although I believe the doctrine of Arius was very base and hetroclitical] but in giving us a wrong and improper idea of God in picturing in our minds, more than one object of worship, and dividing our worship and affections, among three distinct persons, located at some great distance from the earth; looking from thence, through nature’ s wide domain, and inspecting the actions of men. Thus many are led to worship a distant and located God, and have almost forgotten that he is Omnipresent and not far from every one of us. 

O my brethren, arise from these captivating chains; from this galling yoke; from this bewildering and delusive imposition of antichrist. God is a spirit, not persons; to know God [who is a spirit,] and Jesus Christ the mediator whom he hath sent, is eternal life; not to know three distinct divine persons. It is written, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve;” not that we should worship, and serve three distinct divine persons, each one distinctly considered being truly and properly God. Let us worship God in the spirit; not in three distinct persons. Not the second divine person in the Godhead, but God himself, was manifested in the flesh; therefore, the whole fulness of the Godhead; [not the second person in it] dwelt in him bodily. Would we approach to God?  We must come by the Mediator, the man Christ Jesus. There is no way to come to the Father but by the Son, as saith Christ, “No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” 

The Father is in him, and not a distinct person from him, and therefore, no man can come to the Father, but by the man, the mediator, in whom alone man can have access to God. Would you know whether you are born of Cod or not?  Examine yourselves, “for except you have the Spirit of Christ you are none of his.” The Spirit of Christ and the Holy Ghost are the same Spirit and not two distinct persons. We have showed from positive scripture that our adorable Immanuel is the “EVERLASTING FATHER,” therefore, not a distinct person from him; that he is a quickening spirit; therefore, not a distinct person from the Spirit. From positive scripture language, and parallel texts in the old and new testaments which explain each other; we have showed that the divine Jesus is exclusively the “LORD GOD of the holy prophets.” The just God besides whom there is no savior; the first, and the last; to the exclusion of all first, or third persons distinct from him. We have showed that all we can know of a Trinity in the Deity is manifested in the person or manhood of Jesus Christ, or that in the man Christ, is a trinity of character, or divine operation; or in other words; God is manifested in the flesh, as one God in the trinity of operation, in the accomplishing of his threefold work, of creation, redemption, and regeneration; all of which is performed by One Divine Agent, in a Trinity of character, but not a trinity of distinct divine persons, either real or proper.

We have showed from the scripture language, that Jesus is the Highest, to the exclusion of any other distinct persons equal in height with him. That he is the ALMIGHTY, to the exclusion of all distinct persons, as being equal with him in might. And that he is the ALPHA, and the OMEGA, distinct from whom, there can be no equal person. Therefore, we may well say, according to the sweet simplicity of the scriptures: Jesus Christ is both Lord and Christ, “the only wise God our Savior.” Without a distinct equal in wisdom, and far superior to all persons distinct from him. We have also seen that a denial of three distinct divine persons, has nothing to do with a denial of the Trinity, and that the doctrine of a trinity is no support to the tri-personal scheme, as a trinity does not necessarily imply tri-personality.  

We have showed that in the light of scripture, the trinity of Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, seems more to respect the revelation, or operation of God, than his essence; or in other words, the scriptural doctrine of a trinity seems to respect God’ s method of grace in the salvation of his people, and the preparing, conducting, and consummating this salvation according to his eternal purpose, rather than a trinity in the divine essence; or thus, God as the creator of the world, the author of grace, the concert or of the glorious system by which an exhibition of these are made, the Father of our spirits, the parent cause of our spiritual birth, and the giver of all blessings; is brought to view in the scriptures in relation to the elect, both head and body; that is, both Christ and the church, under the relative character of Father; hence he is called the Father of Christ, the Father of our spirits, the Father of mercies, and the Church may pray, our Father. 

God in the execution and accomplishing of the above mentioned system for the salvation of his elect church, became incarnate, or was manifested in the flesh, which flesh was begotten by his power, and so is the Son of God; in whom the Father is performing his purposes of grace, and revealing the blessings of the divine paternity to the church, through the Son, and although the divinity of Christ was not begotten and therefore, did not properly in itself belong to the filiation of Christ, yet it was proper to him as Mediator, and so in Christ was two whole and distinct natures, the underived, and unbegotten God, and the undefiled and holy man, each nature performing the works proper to itself; yet as the man was the Son properly, and in him God was revealing his glory, and fulfilling his powerful works, many of those works proper to his divine nature are attributed to him asSon, because the divinity of the Father, and the divinity of the Son, was the same divinity, brought to view under the two fold character, proper to the two fold revelation of it. 

God is a most pure spirit, and by an invisible power regenerates the souls of the elect church, and will raise them from the dead, as he did their elect Head, and therefore, God is but one God, of one indivisible essence, existing without a generation of divine persons, or triune essence, but one essence, revealed in a trinity of character, suitable to the three fold work in which God is revealed to his people. Now this God is the proper object of religious worship and adoration, and is not a distinct person, but the same indivisible God, be him revealed in whatsoever variety of character he may. 

When we worship God as our Father, with our whole heart, we worship him not as a person distinct from the Immanuel; when we worship God manifested in the flesh, we worship him not as a distinct person from the Father, and when we worship the Holy Ghost, we worship him not as a distinct person from either of the above; but we worship one indivisible God, who is the same undivided object of worship in whatever variety of character he maybe revealed; and ascribe to him as God, all, and every divine property, and prerogative, as the whole and exclusive Deity, in whatever diversity of character he is revealed to us; either as Father, Word, orHoly Ghost. Now I hope no man will be so unjust to himself, and to me, as to say, that I hold the incarnate God, or the divine Spirit to be mere names; for I do with my whole heart, most unreservedly, and unquestionably, believe that the divine Jesus and the Holy Ghost are not two distinct divine persons, the former begotten by or derived from the Father; and the latter becoming a divine person by procession from the Father and Son. 

This idea is too low and diminutive of the blessed Jesus in his divine nature, for it argues that he, in his divinity, [or divine person as it is called] was begotten by, or derived of the Father. Be astonished O heavens at this! Was Immanuel, the First, and the Last, the Almighty, begotten! This I cannot believe, I cannot see any vagueness in these names, since the whole Godhead in all its fulness is intended; the word of God hath used these appellations, with reference to God, in relation to his people and their salvation. I am therefore authorized to use the same appellations, when speaking of the same God, in this relation to the same people, and their salvation; and it is no more just to say, these are empty names when I use them, than when the scriptures use them. I can see nothing to make the name Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, with one indivisible and self-existent God to fill these relative names, denoting the gracious manifestations of himself to men, in away of salvation, any more empty, than three distinct persons and one God to rule these persons; but if we consider that these persons according to the tri-personal scheme are so distinct that the Father is not the Word, and the Word is not the Holy Ghost, then these persons, are much more vague than these names, each of which contain, or reveal, not one person to the exclusion of two equals; but the whole fulness, and glory of the exclusive God. 

Unless there be three distinct Gods, one in each distinct person, a greater vagueness must appear in each of these persons, while the divinity of each is distinct, than can appear in these names when each name is ruled with the very same divinity undivided, but by these names distinguished, with reference to the different manifestations of that undivided Divinity. As God has been pleased in his infinite wisdom and grace, to reveal himself to us in his word, by the name of Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, I dare not say it is too vague, and as he has never in his word called himself three persons, I feel under no obligation to believe in the existence of such persons; nor can I abandon the phraseology of inspiration, for the phraseology of uninspired men, however bright they may have shined in other points in the christian world; nor do I see any need of attempting to assist revelation by making the addition of person, to the three that bear record in heaven.  

Christian brethren let us learn humility from the mystery of Godliness, and if in everything we find something mysterious, so in the Trinity we may not feel surprised to find a mystery; let us, therefore be humble enough to go no further in this mystery than the scriptures go, and where they stop, let us stop, and until they say there are three distinct persons in the divine essence, let us reject the doctrine as human conjecture. Let us realize that God is everywhere present, invisible, a most pure spirit, underived, unbegotten, existing of himself, in himself, and by himself; and that in a way of grace and salvation, to, and for such rebellious worms as we, he has revealed himself to us under the endearing, the soul comforting, the love inspiring all engaging relations of Father, Word, and Holy Ghost; yet he lets us know, that these are not three, distinct individuals, but ONE. 

All nature, as an open volume, declares to every attentive, intelligent being that there is a God of matchless power and skill; but only in the blessed Jesus, can we know this God as our Savior, our Redeemer, our Shepherd, Husband,Father, friend and fountain, shield and buckler, life and head, our sun, our song, our tower, and our hiding place from every storm. Would we approach unto God, we must come by Christ, as he says “no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” Wouldst thou know the Father? No man knoweth him save the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. The man Christ Jesus is the Son, he is the Mediator, the way to the Father, and may I not say, he is the visible form of the invisible God, or in whom we see him that is invisible, for “God was manifested in the flesh;” and by the mediating man alone, can any of the fallen rise and have free access, to a reconciled God; and by this mediator alone can any of the sons of Adam, be reconciled to God. Here believers commune in the spirit, here they have fellowship with theFather and with his Son Jesus Christ. 

Here the mourning sinner, heavy laden with guilt and fears, loses his burden, shakes off his chains, bursting as from a gloomy dungeon, he hails God as his Father, and Christ his elder brother, while his very soul experiences a sweet and pleasing transition from trouble to joy, from mourning to praise, from lamentation and woe, to songs of praise; nay, from the border of despair, to the portals of heaven, and sees with great delight, that of a truth, “God in Christ is reconciling the world,” nay, even a miserable sinner, base as I, “to himself.” 

Here let Zion’ s heaven bound pilgrims still repair for fresh supplies; here let mourning sinners come with all their heavy woes; though their sins be red like crimson, or scarlet, he can cleanse the foulest soul, and make them white as wool or snow. He has a name sufficient to secure your salvation; it is “The Lord our righteousness;” he is worthy to have a name which is above every name, yea, above the name of all persons distinct from him, and let all his subjects rest secure under his unparalleled power and rejoice while they honor him to the exclusion of all other persons to be the KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS. Now unto him who is the “King eternal, immortal and invisible; the only wise God our Savior, be glory and praise, now and forever. Amen.”