THE TRINITY IN UNITY
(For Trinity Sunday.)
Isaiah 6:1-3. In the year that King Uzziah died, &c.
Scene of this sublime vision, the Temple; time, “the year that King Uzziah died.” Why is this fact mentioned? Uzziah had profaned the Temple (2 Chronicles 26:16-21); his son and successor was Jotham, the only king of the house of Judah whose character has not one dishonouring blot; was it not appropriate that, when the disobedient king was removed, and a king who honoured God and His house had succeeded him, there should have been this glorious revelation of the King of kings—not merely as a preparation of the prophet for his mission, but as an encouragement to the monarch to persevere in his loyalty towards God and His truth?
That which was granted to the prophet was a vision of the Triune God. Proofs: Isaiah 6:3, which shows the plurality of persons in the Divine unity; John 12:41, where it is asserted that that which the prophet saw was the glory of Christ; Acts 28:25, where it is asserted that the voice which the prophet heard was the voice of the Holy Ghost; Isaiah 6:3, the threefold repetition of “holy.” I purpose, therefore, to make some observations on this important subject of the Trinity.
I. The doctrine of the Trinity has been believed by the Church of Christ in all ages. This is at least a presumption that it is taught in Scripture, successive generations of devout men could scarcely have been mistaken on such a vital point.
II. This doctrine of the Trinity underlies the whole Bible, and is inextricably interwoven with its fabric and structure. The Old Testament testifies to the Divine unity, as contrasted with the polytheism which prevailed among heathen nations; the Gospels record the manifestation of the Incarnate Son of God; the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles set forth the work of the Third Person in the Church. There is direct testimony to this doctrine, such as Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14. But just as circumstantial evidence when it is clear and complete is even more satisfactory and decisive than the very best direct testimony, still more valuable is the indirect testimony to this doctrine underlying the whole Bible; like a threefold cord, it runs through the whole book, and binds the whole of Divine revelation together.
III. This doctrine of the Trinity, while it is clearly taught in Scripture, is mysterious and inexplicable. We can no more comprehend it with the unaided human understanding than by uplifting the fingers we can touch the starry firmament [694] This is no reason for refusing to accept it [697] for we accept many other facts which we cannot explain (we cannot explain even the familiar fact of sight), but it is a reason for not insisting dogmatically that other men should accept our explanations of it.
[694] See Article: THE TRINITY, in my Homiletic Encyclopædia of illustrations, and section 1501 in my Dictionary of Poetical Illustrations.
[697] See Article: THE TRINITY, in my Homiletic Encyclopædia of illustrations, and section 1501 in my Dictionary of Poetical Illustrations.
As we cannot stay to consider the effect of this vision upon the mind of the prophet, I shall conclude with just three words of practical application of the doctrine itself.
1. It is bound up with our duty to God. We are bound to accept it, because He has revealed it; and accepting it, we are bound to yield to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost the homage and love of our souls.
2. It is bound up with our hope of salvation. If it is not true that the Everlasting Son came forth from the bosom of the Father, and took upon Him to deliver man; and if it is not true that the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son raises men from the death of sin to the life of righteousness, and restamps upon their souls the lost lineaments of our Maker’s image, what foundation is there left for our hope of everlasting life?
3. It is bound up with the fulness of the Gospel blessings. These are all summed up in the Apostolic benediction, 2 Corinthians 13:14. If these be ours, we “have all and abound.”—R. W. Forrest (Christian World Pulpit, i. 492).