This fact is not sufficiently considered by Trinitarians. They first demand of us to believe the doctrine of the Trinity, and, when pressed to state distinctly the doctrine, retire into the protection of mystery, and decline giving any distinct account of it. Now, no human being ever denied the existence of mysteries connected with God, and nature, and all life. To assure us, therefore, that such mysteries exist, is slightly superfluous. But, on the other hand, no human being ever _believed_, or could _believe_, a mystery, any more than he could see anything invisible or hear anything inaudible. To believe a doctrine, the first condition is, that all its terms shall be distinct and intelligible. (_b._) The second answer to the question is, “We mean, by Persons, three Persons, like Peter, James, and John.” According to this answer, the _Trinity_ remains, but the _Unity_ disappears. This answer leaves the Persons distinct, but the Unity indistinct. The Persons are not confounded; but the essence is divided. The Tri-personality is maintained, but at the expense of the Unity. In fact, this answer gives us Tritheism, or three Gods, whose unity is only an entire _agreement_ of feeling and action. But this answer we may set aside as unorthodox, no less than unscriptural. (_c._) Having thus disposed of each other possible answer, there remains only that which makes of the three Persons three revelations or manifestations of God, or representations of God. This answer avoids all the difficulties. It avoids that of _contradiction_; as we do not say that God is one in the same sense in which he is three, but in a different sense. It avoids the objection of _obscurity_; for it is a distinct statement. It avoids the objection of Tritheism; for it leaves the Unity untouched. Moreover, it is a real Trinity, and not merely nominal. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are not merely three different names for the same thing, but they indicate three different revelations, three different views which God has given of his character, which, taken together, constitute the total divine representation. It remains, therefore, simply to ask, Is this view _a true one_? Is there any foundation for it in Scripture, in reason, and in Christian consciousness, the three sources of our knowledge of the truth? § 4. The Trinity of Manifestations founded in the Truth of Things.