"Certainly not," said the reverend, "our Savior meant just what He said when He declared that He and His Father were one."
"I must certainly differ from you," said the stranger, "for He also asked His Father to make His disciples one, even as He and the Father were one, as you will see by reference to John xvii: 20 and 21, and by your argument it must have been His wish for those disciples to lose their separate and distinct identities. I am afraid you are not making a very favorable impression on Mr. Brown's mind."
"Stranger," said Mr. Brown, "your view of the case, I must confess, appears to be very reasonable. Looking at it from any other standpoint would not be in accord with sound reason."
"Let me ask," said the preacher, "did not Jesus say, 'He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father?'" (John xiv: 9.)
"Yes," said the westerner, "for as Paul says, 'He was in the express image of His (Father's) person,' (Heb. i: 3), and this being the case Jesus might well give them to understand that when they had seen one they had seen the other. When Jesus went out to pray, He said, 'O, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will but as Thou wilt.' (Matt, xxvi: 39.) Now then, to whom was our Savior praying? Was He asking a favor of Himself?"
"Oh, no; He was then praying to the Holy Spirit."
"Oh, then by such admission you have separated one of the three from Jesus, for in the beginning you declared that the three were one; and now that we have one of the three separated from the others, let us see if we can separate the other two. In order to do this, I refer you to the account of the martyrdom of Stephen. While being stoned to death he looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and that Jesus was standing on the right hand of God. (Acts vii: 55.) Would it not be rather difficult for any person to stand on the right hand of himself? And in order to prove further that Jesus is a separate person from the Father, we will examine into the account of His baptism. On coming up out of the water, what was it that lighted upon Him in the form of a dove?" (Matt iii: 16.)
"We are told it was the Spirit of God."
"Exactly! And whose voice was it that spoke from the heavens, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased?' (Matt. iii: 17.) Now, mind you, there was Jesus, who had just been raised from the water, being one person, the Holy Ghost which descended from above and rested upon Him in the form of a dove, making two personages; and does not the idea strike you very forcibly that the voice from heaven belonged to a third person? And then, again, I will draw your attention to—"
The churchman was getting warmed up. Said he: "These are things which we are not expected to understand; and, my young friend, I would advise you to drop such foolish ideas, for—"