He is said to be " equal with God," not as he did such and such works, but as Iv fiop(pf} ©fou v'7rup^uv,—heing in the form of God ante- cedently to the taking in hand of that form wherein he wrought the works intimated.
To work great works by the power of God argues no equality with him, or else all the prophets and apostles that wrought miracles were also equal to God. The infinite inequality of nature between the Creator and the most glorious creature will not allow that it be said, on any account, to be equal to him. Nor is it said that Christ was equal to God in respect of the works he did, but, absolutely, " He thought it not robbery to be equal with God."
And so is their last plea to the first part of our argument ac- counted for: come we to what they begin withal.
]. We contend not, as hath been often said, about words and ex- pressions. (1.) That the divine nature assumed the human we thus far abide by, that the Word, the Son of God, took to himself, into per- sonal subsistence with him, a human nature; whence they are both one person, one Christ. And this is here punctually affirmed, namely, he tliat was and is God took upon him the form of a man. (2.) The
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apostle doth not say that Christ made that form of no reputation, or Clirist sxivojsi that form; but Christ, being in that form, kavrhv Ixsvusi, "made himself of no reputation," not by any real change of his divine nature, but by taking to himself the human, wherein he was of no repu- tation, it being he that was so, in the nature and by the dispensation wherein he was so. And it being not possible that the divine nature of itself, in itself, should be humbled, yet he was humbled who was in the form of God, though the form of God was not.
2. It is from his being " equal with God," " in the form of God," whereby we prove that his being in the form of God doth denote his divine nature ; but of this our catechists had no mind to take notice.
S. The " form of a servant" is that which he took when he was made h o,ao/w//.ar/ di/OpU'-j-uiv, as Adam begat a son in his own likeness. (1.) Now, this was not only in condition a se7-vant, but in reality a man. (2.) The form of a servant was that wherein he underwent death, the death of the cross ; but he died as a man, and not only in the ap- pearance of a servant. (3.) The very phrase of expression manifests the human nature of Christ to be denoted hereby: only, as the apostle had not before said directly that he was God, but " in the form of God," expressing both his nature and his glory, so here he doth not say he was a man, but in the "form of a servant," expressing both his nature and his condition, wherein he was the servant of the Father. Of him it is said h /J^op^p ©sou t'^dp^ojv, but fiop^riv dovXov XaQwv, — he was m the other, but this he took. (4.) To be a servant denotes the state or condition of a man ; but for one wdio was " in the form of God, " and "equal with him," to be made in the " foi'm of a servant," and to be " found as a man," and to be in that form put to death, denotes, in the first place, a taking of that nature wherein alone he could be a servant. And this answers also to other expressions, of the " Word being made flesh," and " God sending forth his Son, made of a woman." (5.) This is manifest from the expression, 2yj/i!iari svpsDeig wj avdpu'ro?, — " He was found in fashion as a man ;" that is, he was truly so : which is exegetical of what was spoken be- fore, " He took on him the form of a servant."
But they say, " This is of no importance, for the same is said of Samson, Judges xvi. 7, 11, and of others, Ps. Ixxxii., who yet we do not say were incarnate."
These gentlemen are still like themselves. Of Christ it is said that he humbled himself, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was found in likeness as a man ; of Samson, that being stronger than a hundred men, if he were dealt so and so withal, he would " be- come as other men," for so the words expressly are, — no stronger than another man. And these places are parallel! Much good may these parallels do your catechumens ! And so of those in the psalm, that though in this world they are high in power for a season, yet they
288 VINDICIiE EVANGELIC^.
should die as other men do. Hence, in a way of triumph and merriment, they ask if these were incarnate, and answer themselves that surely we will not say so. True, he who being as strong as many becomes by any means to be as one, and they who live in power but die in weakness as other men do, are not said to be in- carnate ; but he who, "being God, took on him the form of a ser- vant, and was in this world a very man," may (by our new masters' leave) be said to be so.