CHAPTER IV. TRINITY OF THE BIBLE AND UNITY OF THE KORAN. “The_natural_man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." 1 Cor. II. 14. 1. It behoves us to approach this subject with befitting reverence, lest we reduce the transcendent Majesty of the triune God to an idol, the work of our own imagination. The nature of God is so far beyond, and above all similitude and comparison, that in attempting to consider it, we stand in imminent danger of putting forth a set of arbitrary notions concerning the Deity, of making His divine character the subject of ordinary reflection and reasoning, and of creating an image of God which would fall infinitely short of Him, who "dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto."" Specially important is a just appreciation of those symbolical anthropomorphisms, in which the Bible transfers upon God human passions, such as anger and jealousy; or human relations, such as His being the Father of the human family, and in a special sense, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The attributes of God, 72 have been divided into mo 71. "Anthropomorphismus dogmaticus i. e. ea cogitandi ratio perversa, quae humani et imperfecti aliquid ad Deum transfertur." Hutterus Redivivus pag. 148. 72 Attributa divina, rojuara ağıóuara, i. e. conceptus essentiales, quibus notio Dei absolvitur; as they are styled by the old divines. ral and metaphysical;73 the moral attributes comprise His holiness, justice, mercy, and truth; whilst His metaphysical perfections refer to the physical world and are known as His omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and eternity. All these perfections are revealed in the Bible in due proportion, and what is more important, in perfect harmony with each other. " But the Koran passes over the moral attributes, and treats almost exclusively of the metaphysical perfections of the Godhead; thus producing a fearfully distorted image of the Divine nature. When the Bible declares, "God is light," it gives a symbolical definition of His glorious majesty, 15 a beautiful illustration, not only of the harmony between the divine attributes, but also of the manner, in which, if we may be allowed the expression, we may analyse the glory of God, and separately consider its component rays. As by the aid of the prism, a ray of light may be reduced to its primitive colours, and as we can make one of these colours the object of distinct contemplation, so may we bring each of the divine attributes under our se 75 73 Attributa metaphysica (physica, naturalia); and attributa moralia; to them are added: attributa mixta, spirituality, wisdom and happiness. 74 "Harmonia attributorum in eo consistit, quod omnia rite inter se comparanda sint, ne uni tantum tribuatur, ut alterum tollatur, vel evertatur. Sic de misericordia div. ita censendum, ne quidquam detrahatur justitiae, et vice versa, de justitia, ne quidquam detrahatur misericordiae." Buddeus Dogmat. pag. 214. 75 The question, so much agitated by the schoolmen, whether the difference of the attributes was real, or nominal, was decided by the old divines, to be neither realiter nor yet merely nominaliter but formaliter, i. e. no real difference in God Himself, but only necessary to our apprehension. This their unity in God implies the necessity of the mutual harmony of the divine attributes. parate and special consideration: yet it is the union and harmony of these colours, which produce the clear. pure and colourless ray of light. Were one of the primary colours disproportionably strong and prominent, the appearance of light would be necessarily changed. In like manner, if one of the attributes of God be unduly set forth to the prejudice of the rest, we shall consequently have a distorted and imperfect representation of the Divine character. The undue predominance which the Koran gives to God's omnipotent power, presents a painfully onesided view of the Divine character. In its efforts to represent God as an incomprehensibly powerful Deity, the Koran withholds the gracious and loving attributes of God; hence the frigid nature of Islamism. In thus destroying the glorious harmony of the divine perfections, the Koran deprives the sinner of all true comfort, as well as of every incentive to a holy life. Instead of announcing the divine attributes as abstract ideas, after the manner of the Koran, the Bible presents them as historically exemplified in creation, providence and redemption; and although infinite and incomprehensible in themselves, they thus, at once assume an intelligible and practical form. In the Koran, an unknown God speaks of what "he is to himself," entirely omitting what he is pleased to be unto man. 76 How fearfully true are here proved the 76 "Qualiter cognovi te? Cognovi te in te! Cognovi te non sicut tibi es, sed certe sicut mihi es; et non sine te, sed in te, quia tú lux, quae illuminasti me. Sicut enim tibi es, soli tibi cognotus es; sicut mihi es secundum gratiam tuam et mihi cognotus es; cognovi, quoniam Deus meus tu!" Augustine. words, "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father." The Moslem indeed has not the Father, that consoling name never crosses his lips; and there is so far consistency, since in Christ Jesus only, God is a Father. We ask, what comfort can the brokenhearted sinner. derive from approaching a Deity, such as described in a Persian treatise on Divinity: "God is not a body that can be measured; He possesses neither length nor breadth, depth nor height; it is impossible, that there should exist in His nature any necessity to possess the properties of any thing; and He is no line, that is, a thing which can be divided in but one direction; nor is He a flat surface; that is, a thing which can be divided in both directions: He, the great God, is neither heavy nor light; He is neither in motion nor at rest; He is neither in space nor in time. Before Him the past and future are but the eternal present, and He is free from all properties of the creatures.'!77 Widely different from Allah, Jehovah in the administration of His providence "declares His Almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity." The omnipotence of God is manifested by redeeming His people, by upholding them that are ready to fall, by raising up them, that are bowed down, by giving meat to all in due season, by satisfying the desire of every living soul, by showing Himself nigh to all that call upon Him, by preserving the righteous, and by finally destroying the evil doers. 78 The providential care of 77 Pfander's Remarks pag. 11. 78 Psalm LXXVII. 12-15, CXLV. 8. 13-20. Matt. V. 17. Act. XIV. 17. Allah is partial, being confined to the Mohammedans; whilst Jehovah makes "His sun to shine upon the evil and the good, doing good, giving rain from heaven and fruitful seasons and filling all hearts with food and gladness. 2. If then, the Theology of the Koran be unsound in its best points, viz., the metaphysical perfections of God, still more unsound is it as regards those attributes which bear upon the moral nature and the spiritual wants of man. Islamism confines itself to those points of faith, which may be found with more or less clearness, in natural religion; but these cannot lead to a saving knowledge of God: 79 since it is not "God reconciling the world to Himself" who is revealed in natural religion, but only the omnipotent and eternal Creator, manifesting Himself by "the things that are made." Rom. I. 19. 20. The world's Redemption being connected with the revelation of God, as Father, as Son, and as Holy Ghost, belief in the triune God is alone of saving efficacy. John V. 23. XVII. 3. 1 John II. 23. This blessed doctrine in which all the divine attributes are practically displayed in perfect harmony, could not be gathered from nature or reason; because neither of them could anticipate 79, "Die natürliche Gotteskenntniß ist ein angebornes, durch Betrachtung der Natur und Geschichte ausgebildetes Bewußtsein von Gott, das zwar den Begriff des vollkommensten Wesens enthält, aber im sündigen Menschen nicht hinreicht zum Heile, sondern nur den Abfall von Gott darthut, und dadurch die Sehnsucht weckt nach der übernatürlichen Offenbarung. Diese allein als Offenbarwerden der Trinität ist beseligend." Hutterus Redivivus pag. 121. "Notitia Dei naturalis ad salutem procurandam, aut saltem damnationem arcendam, sufficiens non est, nec ullus mortalium per eam solam vel ad salutem perductus fuit, vel perduci potuit." Quenstedt I. pag. 261. |