The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent | Page 2

S. Matt. ix. 24.
"And they laughed Him to scorn."
SERMON LXII.
WHAT LASTS, AND WHAT PASSES AWAY.
(25th Sunday after Trinity.)
S. Matt. xxiv. 35.
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass away."
SERMON LXIII.
THANKFULNESS TO GOD.
(Harvest.)
S. Matt. xxii. 21.
"Render--unto God, the things that are God's."
SERMON LXIV.
THE FORMATION OF HABITS.
(SCHOOL SERMON.)
Proverbs xxii. 6.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will
not depart from it."
SERMON LXV.

RELIGIOUS ZEAL.
(Dedication Festival.)
Psalm lxix. 9.
"The zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up."
SERMON LXVI.
THE MEETING HEREAFTER.
(Funeral Sermon.)
Joshua iii. 17.
"And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm
on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over
on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan."

XXXVII.
CHRISTIAN UNITY.
Trinity Sunday.
S. Matt. xxviii. 19.
"In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."
INTRODUCTION.--An ancient writer informs us that when the
Egyptians named their Greatest God who was over all, they cried thrice,
"Darkness! Darkness! Darkness!" And when we come to speak of the
great mystery of the Holy Trinity, the utmost we can do is to repeat
their cry, and say, "Darkness! Darkness! Darkness! In the name of the
Father--Darkness, and of the Son--Darkness; and of the Holy
Ghost--Darkness!" for however much the mind may strive to penetrate
this mystery, it can never attain to its solution. Just as the eye, looking

at the sun, sees the Overpowering light as a dark ball, being dazzled by
its excessive glory, so the eye of the mind perceives only darkness,
when looking into the infinite splendour of God in Three Persons.
We may, indeed, see sundry likenesses here on earth, which assist us in
believing the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, but they are helps, and helps
only; and not explanations. Thus, the sun may shine into a glass, and
the glass reflect in clear water, and we see three suns, a sun in the
heaven, a sun in the glass, and a sun in the water, which proceeds from
both;--and this assists us to understand how the Son of God is of the
Father, and the Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son, and how
that each is God, and yet that there are not three Gods, but one God.
But, after all, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a matter of Faith, and
not of Reason. We must believe, though we cannot understand.
SUBJECT.--In this Holy Trinity of Persons there is perfect unity
existing, an unity of substance, an unity of Godhead, an unity of
perfection, an unity of love.
And on earth, among men, there should be unity. "Be ye perfect," said
our Lord, "even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect." The
Father is love, the Son is love, and the Holy Ghost is the love of the
Father and of the Son, and this love requires the same of us--even love,
or unity.
This is what God wills on earth, our living unity, even as it exists in
Heaven between the Three Persons of the glorious Trinity.
But there are three great hindrances to Christian Unity.
I. Selfishness. Each man seeks his own interest, not the general interest.
Let his own selfish interests be touched, and all concord is at an end.
Look at two little dogs playing together, they put their paws on each
other's shoulders, and dance round each other, and roll each other over,
and are full of affectionate play. Throw them a bone, and it is a true
bone of contention at once. All their affection is dead, and they are
fighting each other for the bone. It is the same with men, they are
perfectly friendly with each other so long as no little bone comes in the

way--some little money matter--and then there is no end to the snarling
and snapping and growling. How often it is that the dearest friends fall
out about money! This has been so often noticed that it has become a
common saying, "Have no money dealings with your friend." Even
near relations become bitter, and are estranged, over some provision in
a will. All this arises from self-seeking. Each cares for himself, and not
for others.
Now look at the Holy Trinity. The Three Persons share in equal Power,
Majesty, and Eternity. The Father commits all power unto the Son, the
Son gives all honour to the Father, the Son gives over to the Holy
Ghost the government of His Church. The Father shares with the Son
and the Holy Ghost the