1927. Ephef. ii; 19, 20.—and of the houshold of God not to godied i And are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jefus Chrift himself at being the chief corner-itone. 930. 9. God, who created all things 10, II. The manifold Wifdom of God; 931.491 iv; 4, 5, 6. There is One ·One God and Fa Spirit,-One Lord, gother of all, who is above all. 932. 32. Even as God, for Chrifts fake, [Gr. in Chrift,] hath forgiven you. 933. V, 2. As Chrift alfo hath given himself for us, an Offering and a Sacrifice to God, for a fweet-fmelling favour. As God gave his Son, fo Chrift gave himself, voluntarily and by his own Will as well as by his Faesthers, to be a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World. See N° 934. 934. Phil. ii; 5—11. "Os in pogon Deß vnágχων, εχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἰ ἴσα θεῷ, ἀλλ ̓ ἑαυτόν εκένωσε, &c. Thus rendred by our Franflators : Who being in the Form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, &c. But the truer Rendring is as follows: Let the fame [humble] Mind be in you, which was alfo in Chrift Jefus. Who being [before his Incarnation] in the Form of God, yet did not covet to be honoured [was not greedy or in hafte of being bonoured as God: But in the first place willingly, and with great Humility] emptied himself [of That Glory, That Form of God which he before poffeffed,] and took upon him the Form of a Servant, and was made in the Likenefs of Man; And being found in Fafhion as a Man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto Death, even the Death of the Cross. Wherefore God alfo hath highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every Name; That at the Name of Jefus every knee fhould bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth, and things under the Earth; [that be fhould be, loa Je, honoured as God.] And that every tongue fhould confefs, that that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God "A the Father and expos ay br Who being in the Form of God. The Brightness of his Fathers Glory, and the exprefs Image of his Perfon, Heb. 3 The Image of the Invisible 11 Gad, she Firstdigborn of every creature, Col. 1, 15; The Perfon by whom tud God created all things, by whom he governs all things, and by whom be appeared to Adam, to the Patriarchs, and to Mofes: The Angel that appeared in the Bufb, (Acts Dots Vil 30.32.) and faid, I am the God of thy Fathe God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. This was, being in the Form of God. And is a very unnatural Interpretation, which not -od only the Socinian Writers, but Grotius alfo and some Others, put upon thefe Words, [the Form of God,] when they understand them to fignify Chrifts Power on of working Miracles here upon Earth. For on the contrary, the Apoftle evidently means to affirm, that his Caming at all bere upon Earth, with how great Power foever, in the Form of a Man, was it felf a principal Part of his Humiliation; in that, in order thereunto, he first [cnerwoer zuror] emptied himself of That edGlory which was the Form of God. AS 11To be honoured as God.] So the Words, Toa Jew, or ideov, moft properly fignify: Which hour Tranflators render, To be equal with God. svede Did not covet to be honoured as God. Defired not to make oftentation (fo the learned Bp Bull renders Sont) of his being in the Form of God; was not greedy or in hafte (fo the Words more strictly fignify) of being honoured as God; but willingly condefcend ed to humble himself firft into the Form of a Servant, and then was exalted to be [foa e honoured as Lord of all things: Thus Heb. v,s, Chrift glorified not himself to be made an High-Prieft, but He that faid unto him, Thou art my Son, this day have I beN gotten gotten thee: And Joh. viii, 54, If I honour my self, mine Honour is Nothing; it is my Father that honoureth me, of whom ye fay that he is your God. The Words, [3χ αρπαγμὲν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἰ ἴσα De] did not covet to be honoured as God, or, was not greedy or in hafte of being honoured as God ;are indeed a very unusual Phrafe: And therefore our Tranflators may well be excufed in rendring them otherwise. But that This is the truer Interpretation, will appear from the following confiderations: First, that the following Words [A'A A`A kaulòv intvwσr, BUT emptied himself,] show thofe immediately foregoing, not to be part of the preceding Character of Chrifts Greatness, but part of the confequent Account of his Humiliation. For fo the conftruction is more usual and natural, and the Connexion plainer; [Though he was in the Form of God, yet He was not greeay of being honoured as God, BUT (on the contrary) willingly emptied himself of his Glory.] But in the other Interpretation, the Word [A] has not fo natural a place:[He thought it not robbery to be equal with God; But yet nevertheless, (not fo properly anλd, but rather 'aws or as he emptied himself, &c] 'y' Secondly, that the Phrafe [ἐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο,] though feldom met with in profane Authors, yet in thofe few places where it does occur, always fignifies, either did not boast and make oftentation of, or did not think fit greedily or hastily to catch at any thing. As hath been obferved by Grotius, Arch-bishop Tillotfon, Dr Whitby, and Others. Thirdly, (which is yet more material;) in the Ecclefiaftical Writers of the first Three Ages, this very Text is always referred to, as understood by them in This Sense. Thus in a Letter written from the Churches of Lions and Vienne in France, to those of Afia and Phrygia, in the Reign of the Emperor Verus, con concerning the Martyrs that fuffered in thofe times; They were (fay the Churches in that Letter) fuch zealons Followers of the Example of Chrift, who being in the Form of God yet did not covet to be honoured as God, [ἐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ ἐν) ἴσα θεῶ,] that though they had often been cast to wild Beafts, and had endured all manner of Torments, yet would they by no means suffer themselves to be honoured with the Title of Martyrs, before they had perfected their Testimony by their Death. Eufeb. Hift. lib. 5, cap. 2. And Origen, in his comment upon St John, thus ufes the Phrase: We may presume to affirm (faith he,) that the Goodness of Chrift, appeared greater, and more divine, and Truly after the Image of his Father; when he humbled himself, and became obedient unto Death, even the death of the Crofs ; [* εἰ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὰ 5H Toa Je] than if he had been greedy of immediately Jhowing forth himself as God, [than if he had affected and coveted to retain, or appear in, That Form,] and would not have become a Servant for the Salvation of the World. pag. 34, Huetii. And Novatian: Chrift (faith he,) THOUGH he was in the Form of God, yet did not catch at being equal with God. For though he knew that he was God, as baving God for his Father; yet he never compared himself with God his Father; remembring that he was from his Father, and that he received from his Father That very Thing,(viz his being God.) Hic ergo, QUAMVIS effet in Forma Dei, non eft rapinam arbitratus æqualem fe Deo effe. Quamvis enim fe ex Deo Patre Deum effe meminiffet,nunquam fe Deo Patri aut comparavit aut contulit; memor fe effe ex fuo Patre, & hoc ipfum quod eft, habere fe quia Pater dediffet. Inde deniq; & ante carnis affumptionem, fed & poft affumptionem corporis, poft ipfam prætereà refurrectionem, omnem N 2 Pa |