Farewell to the First Congregational Church in Norwalk, Conn. (bound with other addresses)

[P. 151.] " But the human person, it will be said is limited, and God is not. Very true. Sut you have the same objection in reference to the first revelation, the Word, in the world." " Besides you have a special de- light in seeing God in the smallest things, the minutest specks of being.. If, then, it be incredible that God should take the human to express himself, be- cause the human is finite, can the finite in the world, or in a living atom., express him more worthily, or do it more accordantly with reason ?" [P. 152.] " For it no more follows that a human body measures God, when revealed through it, than that a star, a tree, or an insect measures him, when heis re- vealed through that. " RE M AK KS. 1. These representations of the Word and of the incarna- tion appear to us to teach that the Word is no person in the Godhead, but only a power, or capacity, viz: : the power of outwardly expressing, or producing himself; and that in ac- cordance with this teaching, the Scriptures should not say " The Word was God," but " The Word was a power in God." 2. The passages referred to, as they stand in their connec- tion, appear to us to teach that the Logos had as really ex- pressed and outwardly produced God, in the world, (viz. : in its rocks, rivers, mountains, forests, beasts, stars and storms,) as in Jesus Christ ; and that God had before appeared in men as really, though not in the same degree, as in Christ. Ac- cording to the doctrine of the book, we do not see why it would not be as proper to say concerning each mountain, river, beast or man, " This is the true God," as to say it con- cerning the Lord Jesus Christ. In our view, the book repre- sei;its the works of God to be as truly the Godhead as Christ; the Word, which became incarnate in Jesus, having been be- fore embodied in the material creation, and having been as truly made flesh before — ^in beasts and men — as in Jesus Christ ; the only difference being, that in Christ there is ex- hibited more of God, [p. 147.] II.— Concerning the Teinity. The Trinity is a three-fold impersonation which appears at the incarnation ; not an essential Trinity in the Divine Being, but only a Trinity in the mode of representation, as related to our finite apprehension, [pp. 147, 148, 175, 176. As the power of self-representation in God is eternal, if God [Pp. 147-8.] " Prior to this moment, [the incarnation,] there has been no appearance of trinity in the revelations God has made of his being ; but just here, whether as resulting from the incarnation or as implied in it, we are not informed, a threefold personality, or impersonation of God begins to offer itself to view." " In these three persons or impersonations, 1 only see a revelation of the Absolute Being, unde* just .such relatives as by their mutual play, in and before our imaginative sense, will produce in us the truest knowledge of God." [P. 175.] " Do you then ask, whether I mean simply to assert a modal tri- nity, or three modal persons .' I must answer obscurely, just as I answered in regard to the humanity of Christ. If I say that they are modal only, as the word is commonly used, I may deny more than I am justiiied in deny- ing, or am required to deny, by the ground I have taken." " Perhaps I shall come nearest to the simple, positive idea of the trinity here maintain- ed, if I call it an ih-strumental triwity, and the persons iwstrtjmemtal PERSONS. There may be more in them than this, which let others declare when they find it." [P. 176.] " I perceive, too, that God may as well offer himself to me, in these persona, as through trees, or storms, or stars." 10 has eternally revealed himself, then this Trinity is likely always to have been, and in like manner it may always continue to be. Yet it may be, even as a representation, occasioiial and to be discontinued, [p. 177.J The Scriptures discourage the idea that it is to continue, [p. 177.] It is a trinity of repre- sentation only, produced by a process of revelation, [p. 178.] There is no original triad (or Trinity in the Godhead) back of this that is so produced ; and people had better keep their discretion than to seek for one. — [178, 179, 180.] [P. 176, 177.] " Meanwhile, if our feeling is, at any time, confused by these persons or impersonations, we are to have it for a fixed, first truth, that God is, in the most perfect and rigid sense, oneheing — a pure intelli- gence, undivided, indivisible and infinite ; and that whatever may be true of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, it certainly is not true that they are three distinct consciousnesses, wills, and understandings. Or, speaking in a way more positive, they are instrumentally three — three simply as related to our finite apprehension, and the communication of God's incommunicable na- ture." [P. 177.] "But some one, I suppose, will require of me to answer, ic4e- ther the three persons are eternal, or only occasional and to be discontinued 7 Undoubtedly the distinction of the Word, or the power of self -representa- tion in God thus denominated, is eternal. And in this we have a permanent ground of possibility for the threefold impersonation, called trinity. Ac- cordingly, if God has been eternally revealed, or rCTeaZmg Himself to created minds, it is likely always to have been, and alwa,ys to be as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Consequently, it may always be in]this manner that we shall get our impressions of God, and have our communion with Him. As an ac- commodation to all finite minds in the universe, it may be the purpose of Jehovah to be known by this divine formula for ever. That vrhich most dis- courages such a belief is the declaration of Paul — " When all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that did put all things under him, that God may be all, and in all." [P. 178, 9, 180.] (After a citation from Neander.) " If now it be inquired whether, beginning with a doctrine at txiwXy produced by the process of reve- lation, and adequately accounted for as necessary to that process, I would then turn to hunt for some " analogy" in myself , and try to climb up thus, through myself, into a discovery of are original triad in God — convincing myself, nXao, that John and Paul give • jraiimaiioras' of such a triad, I frankly answer, no. The expression of such a hope might comfort some who would other- wise be disturbed, but it will only mislead a much greater number, who had better keep their discretion. If God has given us an instrumental inad which is good for i\a purposes of revelation, there can be no greater fraud upon it than to set ourselves to the discovery of an original triad back of it, that has no instrumental character, and has nothing to do with revelation. [P. 180.] " This view of Christ and the trinity differs, I am aware, in some respects, from that which is commonly held ; but I hope the difference will not disturb you. I have known no other since I began to be a preacher of Christ, and my experience teaches me to want no other. If it has delivered me from agonies of mental darkness and confusion concerning God, which, at one time, seemed insupportable, it cannot be wrong" to hope that God will make the truth a deliverance, equally comfortable and joyful to some of you." 11 REMARKS. 1. We regard these passages as teaching unequivocally, that there is no Trinity in the Godhead. 2. According to the teaching of the book on the subject of the Trinity, we see not why the representation of the scrip- ture might not have been, — so far as the Godhead itself is concerned — of aQuaternity as well as of a Trinity, a Myriad, as well as of a Triad : nor why there might not have been any number of Christs, as well as the one who is styled " The only begotten Son of God." 3. As no real sacrifice, or work of atonement, can be per- formed by a mere representation of a person, without the re- ality, it appears to us that this denial of the Trinity in the- Godhead, is necessarily followed by a denial of any real work of Redemption by the blood of Christ. The doctrine of Justi- fication by faith in that atoning sacrifice must, also, inevitably be denied : as we shall see (hat both are denied in the book in question. It is from this necessary connection of the doc- trine of the Trinity, with the other fundamental doctrines of Christianity, that the doctrine must needs become an article of faith; and is not, and cannot be, a point of mere speculation,, but becomes a doctrine in the utmost degree practical and. vital. III. — Concerning the Law of God. God does not, without the provisions of the Gospel, hold every transgressor to punishment according to the letter of his law. The law has no certain claim of punishment upon the sinner, any longer than till he repents. It needs no atoning sacrifice to satisfy its penal demands, or to vindicate the jus- tice of God while he passes by the transgressions of the sin- ner. It is a groundless assumption to suppose that it does so. — [p. 198.] Christ did nothing to satisfy any penal demands [P. 198.] "First, it [the more mitigated orthodox theory] assumes that, jis punishment expresses the abhorrence of God to sin, or, what is the same, \aa justice. He can sustain his law, and lay a ground of forgiveness without punishment, only by some equivalent expression of abhorrence — an assumption that is groundless and without consideration, as I may cause to appear in another place." 12 of the broken law, nor to vindicate the iustice of God ; ail that he did, and all that needed to be done, was to make men penitent. — [pp. 216-219.] Indeed, if the doctrine were that the Law, without the provision of the Gospel, holds every transgressor to punishment, according to its declared penalty, we should reason the doctrine away, and reject it as incredi- [Pp. 216-219.] " But what, in this view, some will ask, becomes of the law and justice of God ? First, we have Christ, interrupting the flow of justice by delivering men, or assisting them to deliver themselves from the penal consequences of transgression ; trom the blindness, bitterness, DEADNEss, AND OTHER DISABILITIES IT PRODUCES. Secondly, there is made out, or given to men, a coNriDENCE equally repugnant to justice, that God will freely accept, embrace, and even justify the transgressor who forsakes his SIN. Where, now, it will be asked, is government? What becomes of law ? And since God's love of right, or, what is the same, Tiis justice, was evidenced by his law, and the penalties added to enforce it, what shall save the obliga- tion of the law ; what, indeed, shall displace the ambiguity that shades the divine character itself? Hence the necessity, it is argue'd, of some vicarious suffering, or expression made by suffering, that shall vindicate the law as effectively as the penalties remitted would have done, and thus shall save the moral rigor of God's integrity, in the view of his subjects. But, grant- ing this, it does not follow that the new vicarious expression of God must be made by a process equally vindictive vnth punishment ; or that God's abhor- rence to sin must be poured out upon Chrisfa awn person."