Ans. 1. A form is either substantial or accidental, — that which is indeed, or that which appears. That it is the substantial form of God which is here intended, yet with respect to the glorious mani- festation of it (which may be also as the accidental form), hath been
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formerly declared and proved. So far it signifies that which is in- ternal and hidden, or not visibly discerned, inasmuch as the essence of God is invisible. The proofs of this I shall not now repeat. 2. Christ's power of working miracles was not visible, though the miracles he wrought were visible, insomuch that it was the great question between him and the Jews by what power he wrought his miracles; for they still pleaded that he cast out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils. So that if the power of doing the things mentioned were /j^opcpri &eov, that form was not visible and exposed to the sight of men ; for it was "aliquid internum et occultum," — a thing internal and hidden. 3. If to be " in the form of God," and there- upon to be "equal with him," be to have power or authority of healing- diseases, casting out devils, raising the dead, and the like, then the apostles were in the form of God, and equal to God, having power and authority given them for all these things, which they wrought accordingly, casting out devils, healing the diseased, raising the dead, etc. ; which whether it be not blasphemy to affirm the reader may judge. 4. It is true, God says of Moses, Exod. vii. 1, " I have made thee a god to Pharaoh ;" which is expounded chap. iv. 1 6, where God tells him that " Aaron should be to him instead of a mouth, and he should be to him instead of God;" that is, Aaron should speak and deliver to Pharaoh and the people what God revealed to Moses, Moses revealing it to Aaron, — Aaron receiving his message from Moses as other prophets did from God ; whence he is said to be to him "instead of God." And this is given as the reason of that expres- sion, chap. vii. 1, of his being "' a god to Pharaoh," even as our Saviour speaks, because the word of God came by him, because he should re- veal the will of God to him : " Thou shalt be a god to Pharaoh : and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh." He is not upon the account of his working miracles called God, or said to be in the form of God, or to be made equal to God ; but re- vealing the will of God to Aaron, who spake it to Pharaoh, he is said to be " a god to Pharaoh," or " instead of God," as to that business. 5. It is truth, the word fj^opcpri, or " form," is used, Mark xvi. 12, for the outward appearance ; and it is as true the verb of the same signification is used for the internal and invisible form of a thing, Gal. iv. 19, " ^x?"; o5 /xop(pu6-fl XpiSTog Iv vfiTv, " Until Christ be formed in you." So that the very first observation of our annotator, that " in our books" (that is, the Scriptures, for in other authors it is acknowledged that this word signifies the internal form of a thing) " this word fji,op(p^ signifies not any thing internal or hidden," is true only of that one place, Mark xvi. 12. In this it is otherwise, and the verb of the same signification is evidently otherwise used. And, which may be added, other words that bear the same ambiguity of
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signification, as to things substantial or accidental, being applied to Christ, do still signify the former, not the latter, yea, where they expressly answer what is here spoken, as emwi/, Col. i. 15, and vTos-affig, Heb. i, 3; both of the same import with /iop(pri here, save that the latter adds personahty. 6. As for the words mentioned out of the Old Testament, they are used in businesses quite of another nature, and are restrained in their signification by the matter they speak of. ^''Jan is not /xo/^p^j properly, but iixdJv, and is translated " imago" by Arias Montauus. "i^^h is rather /J^opip/i, Gen. xxix. 1 7, 1 Sam. xxviii. 14. HJion is used ten times in the Bible, and hath various significations, and is variously rendered : o,ao/w^a, Deut. iv. 1 5 ; yXvTrhv h[jj()iMiJ.a, verse 16 ; SO most commonly. 1''? in Daniel is " splendor," 5&'ga, not iMop(pri. And what all this is to the purpose in hand I know not. The " form of God," wherein Christ was, is that Avherein he was " equal with God," — that which, as to the divine na- ture, is the same as his l)eing in the " form of a servant," wherein he was obedient to death, was to the human. And, which is sufficiently destructive of this whole exposition, Christ was then in the " form of a servant," when this learned man would have him to be " in the form of God;" which two are opposed in this place, for he was the servant of the Father in the whole course of the work which he wrought here below, Isa. xlii. 1.