MEDITATIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOGMA.TREATISE II. 16. THE EQUALITY OF THE DIVINE PERSONS.
St. Edward, King of England, C
MEDITATIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOGMA.
TREATISE II.
16. THE EQUALITY OF THE DIVINE PERSONS.
I. The three Divine Persons are perfectly equal in all
things inasmuch as They are perfectly one. The Divine
Essence is not divided amongst Them, but They are of
identically the same nature and the same substance. No
one, and no two of Them, can be greater than another .
nor can the three together possess more or do more than
any one of Them. Even considering Them separately in
Their personalities, with the differences of Their mutual
relationships, there is still perfect equality between Them.
The Sonship and the procession of the Third Person are
as perfect and as necessary in the Divinity as the Paternity.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are eternally simultaneous
constituents of the activity of the One Godhead within It
self. The reception of the Divine Essence is as infinite and
noble as the communication of it. It is an equal dignity
and glory to the Father to be without first principle or
source, to the Son to be produced by the infinite Father,
and to the Holy Ghost to be the termination and completeness of the divine action without producing another person.
Take a comparison. A ray of bright sunlight was long supposed to be a unity only : now it is proved to be a trinity
of three rays, each having a different colour and a different
effect on vegetation. These act as one principle. They
occur in a certain order, but one does not exist before the
other nor apart from another. Each is equally sunlight,
and is equally necessary to constitute the glowing unity
of the sunbeam and to maintain life on earth. Attach great
importance to right thinking about doctrines. But this
requires right living and right worship. Each of this trinity
is essential to make up the unity of full religiousness.
II. The three Persons are also equal in their attributes and powers : for these, though spoken of as separate
qualities, are but the one immovable, unchangeable, Divine
Essence. The three Divine Persons have the same sovereign supremacy over all things, the same eternity, the
same goodness and love and justice, the same knowledge
and wisdom. Their actions, too, are inseparable. They
have not made different worlds or originated different religions ; all combined equally in creating all the universe,
and in establishing the two dispensations of the Old and
New Testament. What Our Lord said of Himself applies
equally to the other Persons : " The Son cannot do any
thing of Himself but what He seeth the Father do : for
what things soever He doth, these the Son also doth
in like manner " (John v. 19). So do you strive in all things
to think and act with God. Do nothing without Him, still
less in opposition to Him. So His likeness will be perfected
in you until it grows into an intimate union.
III. The three Divine Persons are equal in Their right
to the adoration, service and love of all creatures, on account of the equality in Their greatness and holiness, in
Their love and Their operations towards us. What we
worship in one we worship in all ; what we see in one we
see in all. It is true that the Second Person has brought
Himself into closer relations with us by becoming man ;
and that His human life and virtues and His presence in
the Blessed Sacrament appear rather to reveal the Second
Person to us than the Father and the Holy Ghost, and
rather to draw out our tenderness towards Him. But yet
Ve must remember that the mystery of the Incarnation and
Redemption is the joint work of the whole Trinity, only
manifested differently on account of the relative differences
of the Persons ; and that the revelation of the one Person
of Our Lord is the revelation of all, according to His words,
" Philip, he that seeth Me seeth the Father also " (John
xiv. 9). So when Our Lord comes to you He brings with
Him the Father and the Holy Ghost. Love and worship
each Person separately and all three in Their supreme unity.
MEDITATIONS ON CHRISTIAN DOGMA BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES BELLORD, D.D
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