Trollope on Article I: Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

The bein^ of a God is manifest from the consciousness of our own existence in common with that of innumerable beings, material and spiritual, which cannot be conceived to have produced themselves, and whose production must iherefore be referred to some first, independent, and self- existing cause* Hence the notion of a Supreme Being has universally prevailed among^ civilized nations, and mvine worship, in some form or other, has been constantly paid to the Deity, whose power, wisdom, and goodness are clearlj displayed in his works. The unity of the Godhead is deduced from the incompatibility or a plurality of Gods with the unity of design in the works of creation and providence, and from the obvious want of any necessity for more Gods than one.

3. Explain, by reference to the Latin Article,

the assertion that God is without hodyj parts, or

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passions J and shew that the several attributes, which the Article assigpns to him, are essential to the Deity.

In the Latin Article, the expressions are incarporeus, ifH^rttlnlis, et irrvpauibilis ; that is, incorporeal or imma- terial, indivisible, and incapable of suffering. These attri- butes, with the others here mentioned, will at once be admitted. God must be everUuting, inasmuch as the great first cause can never Mave been produced by any other cause ; and being self-existent, must ever have existed : He must be incorporeal, and therefore indivitibUy since, being every where present, he would otherwise not only be visible, but occupy space to the exclusion of other objects : He must be impamblef as being superior to all and every thing which induces suffering : He is all-powerful, for nothing can resist his mi^ht, and he is the only source of power in others : and His wisdom and jpoodness are manifest in Uie perfect order, the excellent deMgn, and the merciful OBconomy of his works. As the world must clearly have been created, so its prefer- vation is dependent upon laws which cannot regulate them- selves ; and no other Maker and {Preserver of all things is conceivable, except God.

4. Prove from the Scriptures the Being*, the Unity, and the Attributes of God.

From the Scriptures it appears that diere is a God fExod. XX. 1. Act&xvii, 23.); that there is Mone God ipeut. vi. 4. 1 Cor. viii. 6.).; that He is the Uving and true Otod (Jerem. x. lOr 1 Thess. i. 9.) ; that * before the earth * and the world were made he was God Jrom everlasting to * everloAtinQ’* (Psal. xc. 2. Rom. xvi. 26., I Tim. i. 17.) : that * God IS a Spirit , and therefore ’ hath not Jleeh ana ’ done*/ neither is he * a man that he should lie or repent’ (Numb, xxiii. 19. Luke xxiv. 39. John iv. 24.) ; that * with ‘God aU things are vomble,* that his understanding is ’ injinitej and the ricnes of his nnsdom unsearchable, that the earth is full of his goodness, and that ^ ever^ good gift ‘and every perfect girt cometh down from him’ (Psal. xxxiii. 6. cxlvii. 5. Matt. zix. 26. Rom. xi. 33. James i. 17.) : that * in the beginning he created the heaven and the earth, and ’ all things that are in heaven and on earth, visible and ’ invisible,* tlwt He ^preserveth them all,’ and that ’ by Him ‘all things consist* (Gen. i. 1. Nehem. ix. 6. Col. i. 16, 17.).

5. Since God is impassible, how is it that the

Scripture speaks of Him slb actuated by feelings

analagous to those of human nature; and what is

the technical term by which this mode of speaking

is designated ?

When the Scriptures speak of God as possessed of human parts and passions, as hands and mouth, or an^er, love, repentance, and the like, they accommodate their lan^age to the weakness of man’s capacity, vhich is unable to comprehend the perfections of the divine nature. This mode of speaking is denominated dvOpufTroTrdOeia.

6. Shew that the doctrine of the Trinityi in

Unity is abundantly proved in the New Testament.

The doctrine of th/e Trinity in Unity is not perhaps distinctly proposed in the New Testament as an article of Faith, but it is so clearly implied throughout the entire histonr, and such distinct views are taken of God’s threefold manifestation of himself, that it is scarcely possible for an honest man to evade the inference. At the same time that distinct personal acts are assigned to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, those attributes are appropriated to each and all of these divine persons which belong only to God, and in auch a manner as to indicate their equality. Thus the Son is not only declared to be God (John i. 1.), but to be invested with ‘all the fulness of the Godhead’ (Col. ii. 9.) : when Ananias lied unto the Holv Ghost^ St. Peter reproved him as tying * not unto men, but unto God*’ (Aets v. 4.) : and the-three persons ai*e mentioned in conj-unction by our Lord himself (Matt, xxviii. 19.), by St Paul (2 Cor. xiii. 14.)^ by St. John (Kev. i. 4.), and each time in a different order, so that they are manifestly coequal together,, as well as co-eternal.

7. Is not this doctrine distinctly recognized in

the Old Testament I

A plurality of persons is recognized in many passages of the Old Testament; as, for instance, when *God said, let *UR make man in OTJR own image’ (Gen. i. 26.). Still the numerical unity of the Godhead is equally eniorced ; and although * without controversy great is the mystery of God- ‘liness’ (1 Tim. iii. 16.), enough is revealed to establish the truth thereof *unto us and our children for ever’ (Deut.. zxix. 29.),

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S. Is there not at least one text of the New

Testament in which the doctrine of the Trinity is

expressly asserted ?

In 1 John V. 7. it is distinctly asserted that * there are ’ three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, J and the Holy Ghost ; and these three are one* The verse is very generally rejected as spurious ; but though external evidence bears strongly against its genuineness, the gram- matical construction is greatly in its favour. Bishop Mid- dleton was of opinion that it ought not to be abandoned without a struggle.

9. Quote passages from the writings of the

early Fathers, wherein the several points affirmed in

this Article are maintained or illustrated.

Justin M. Cohort, ad ‘Or. c. 36. That there is but one God, is thejirst doctrine qftrue religion, Cyprian de Idol. Yanitate : — There is one God, who is Lord qf all : Jbr his svblime greatness cannot admit qf a partner, being endued with all power, Theophilus ad Autol. I. 3. ITieJbrm or shape qf God is ineffable and inexpressible, and cannot be seen with bodily eyes. He is irifinite in glory, incompre- hensible in greatness, supereaxellent in power, incomparable in wisdwn, immutable in goodness, unspeakable in ben^ eende, Clem. R. ad Rom. c. 27. There is nothing impossible with God, By the word qf his majesty were all things made, and by his word he can destroy them, Justin M. Apol. {. c. 6. Him, and his Son begotten by him, and the prophetic Spirit, we worship and adore, Au^stin. de Temp. Serm. 38. Without doubt it is to be believed, that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are one Almighty God, eternal, immutable ; and every one qf these is God, and aU qf them but one God, See also Clem. Rom. ad Cor. c. 46. Ignat. ad Magnes. cc. 6. 33. Athenag. Legal, c. 10. Iren. Hser. 1. 19. Theoph. ad Autol. II. 15. Tertul. o. Prax. co. 26. 30. Cyprianw Epist. 73.

10. In what spirit ought our inquiries into the nature of God, as revealed in the Scriptures, to be conducted ?

From the uncertainty that prevailed among the most learned of the Heathen sages, as to the nature and attributes

of the Deity, the impotence of reason, unassisted by Heve- lation, is so palpably obvious, that the reflecting man will humble his pride berore the light of Scripture ; and, with a teachable temper, be ccmtent to believe what is there re- vealed, and submit his own erring judgment to the infallible guidance of God’s word.