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tors explain it of the manifestation of the attributes of God in his works, from which may be inferred the divinity of his essence. By parity of reason, from the divine form and majesty of Christ they infer his divine nature.

But as Christ is said, ver. 7, to have assumed the form of a slave when he was not really a slave, so he might appear in the form of God, without being really and essentially God.

2.) Dr. Clarke (Scrip. Doct. No. 934,) represents the Logos as the person "by whom God created all things, by whom he governs all things, by whom he appeared to Adam, to the patriarchs, and to Moses, the angel that appeared in the bush. This," says he, "was being in the form of God." Heb. i. 3. Col. i. 15. With this learned. writer agree Dr. Whitby, Dr. Doddridge, and most of those who are called the high Arian expositors”.

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Dr. Clarke thinks it necessary to caution his readers against "the very unnatural interpretation which not only the Socinian writers, but Grotius also and some others, put upon these words ;" and Dr. Doddridge, with bishop Burnet, (on the Art. p. 46,) thinks" the Socinian interpretation very cold and insipid."

It must be so, if the Arian interpretation of this text is true. But it has not yet been proved that the soul which animated the body of Jesus was the maker and governor of the world, the Jehovah who appeared to Adam, to the patriarchs, to Moses in the bush, and to the Israelites upon mount Sinai. Nor can this stupendous and not very na-. tural hypothesis be justly inferred from the figurative and indefinite expression, that Jesus was in the form of God".

76 In the outward appearance of God before his incarnation, as, after it, he was in the outward appearance of a slave: ver. 7. Newcome. "Sir Richard Ellys, in the Note before referred to, asserts, that the Arian interpretation of the form of God,' as referring to the splendour of the appearance of the Logos to the patriarchs, is unsupported by the authority of the ancients.

3.) Grotius,

3.) Grotius, and with him the old Socinians and the modern Unitarians, understand the expression being in the form of God,' of the miraculous powers with which our Lord was invested, and by which he controuled the laws of nature, healed the sick, raised the dead, and performed other godlike works".

This interpretation best agrees with the antithesis, ver. 7, "He assumed the form," i. e. the appearance of a slave. Also the miracles of Christ might, with as much propriety, be figuratively described as the form of God, as an appearance to Moses in the bush. But we are sure that our Lord performed miracles, and we are not sure that he appeared to Moses and the patriarchs; but the contrary.

"The form of God," says Dr. Lardner, (Log. p. 12,) "seems to me to have been enjoyed by our Saviour in this world. It denotes his knowledge of the hearts of men, his power of working miracles at all times, whenever he pleased, and all the other evidences of his divine mission. This sense wonderfully accords with what our Lord saith, John x. 34. 36."

Mr. Lindsey (Seq. p. 272,) says, "The form of God which Christ wore upon earth, evidently consisted in those extraordinary endowments of a divine wisdom and power, which shone forth in him."

78 << Mopo non significat internum et occultum aliquid, sed id quod in oculos occurrit, qualis erat eximia in Christo potestas sanandi morbos omnes, &c. quæ vere divina sunt." Grotius." Forma Dei quid est nisi exemplum, quòd Deus apparet dum mortuos excitat, surdis reddit auditum, leprosos mundat ?" Ambrosius apud Erasmum.—“ In formâ Dei erat cum divina opera et miracula solo jussu et nutu suo ederet," &c. Slichtingius.-To the same purpose Crellius and Brennius. "Jesus Christ, en qualité d'homme, paroissoit, à certains égards, plus semblable à Dieu qu'aux hommes, comme en ce qu'il commandoit à toute la nature avec un empire absolu, et faisoit des miracles inouis. C'est ce que S. Paul appelle la forme, c'est à dire la ressemblance de Dieu." Le Clerc.

2. "Thought

2. "Thought it not robbery, to be equal with God"."

It is universally agreed that the word α ισα often expresses similarity only, not equality, and that saw may properly be rendered as God, or like God.

The word in the sense of similarity occurs frequently in the Old Testament. Job v. 17, "They grope in the noon-day as in the night." LXX. 10α VUHTI. Chap. x. 10, “Hast thou not curdled me (oa Tugw) like cheese?" Chap. xi. 12, "Man is born (a ov) like a wild ass's colt." See also chap. xiii. 12; v. 20; xv. 16; xxiv. 20; xl. 15. No person therefore, who is not grossly ignorant, would from this text infer the perfect equality of Christ with God.

The words "he thought it not robbery," are attended with considerable difficulty.

The Greek word άgrayμos, here translated robbery, scarcely occurs in any other Greek writer 81. It is a verbal noun. But it is not agreed among the learned, whether it is to be taken in an active or a passive sense; whether

79 << Ουχ άρπαγμον ἡγησατο το ειναι ισα Θεῳ, Non rapinam arbitratus est, esse se æqualem Deo." Vulgate.-"oa, neutrum plurale more Græcorum, adverbialiter capitur." Slichtingius.

eo See Whitby in loc., who, while he establishes this sense of a, contends, justly enough, that it gives no advantage to the Socinians. Classical authorities for this adverbial use of a are to be found in Newcome and in Schleusner. When the Jews charge our Lord with arrogating to himself equality with God, the expression is 100 EQUTOY ποίων τῷ Θεῷ. John v. 18. Indeed Mr. Cappe (Crit. Rem. vol. i. p. 233,) quotes this very text to prove that is signifies nothing more than general similarity. By the expression God was his Father,' he would at the utmost only assert that, in a manner, he was like God,

8: The word is found in Plutarch. de Liberor. Educ. but in a connexion which throws but little light on the subject. Harwood's Lib. Trans. Archbishop Newcome's Note, and Wetstein in loc. It seems, however, rather favourable to the supposition that the word is used in an active sense; in which sense it is understood by Calvin, Beza, Hammond, Doddridge, and Guyse.

it signifies the act of seizure, or the prey, the booty, the thing seized upon.

Many critics, amongst whom are the translators of the public version, take the word in the active sense: they render it robbery "."

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And in this sense of the word this clause is to be understood in apposition with the preceding, and as expressing an additional circumstance of the dignity of Christ antecedent to his humiliation. q. d. He was in the form of God; and being so, he thought it no robbery, no unjust assumption, to be and to appear like God.

The majority of expositors, for very probable reasons stated below 83, interpret the word in a passive sense, agπαγμος

3 σε Αρπαγμος proprie ipsa rapiendi actio, quæ usitatius άρπαγη dicitur: apmaya verò id quod raptum est, sed confundi scias, Isa. iii. 14." Drusius.-In the controversy concerning the person of Christ, it is of no consequence whether the word be taken in an active or a passive sense. Mr. Cappe seems to prefer the active signification: For," he says, "I do not think the words much mistranslated in our version. He has not thought it robbery, either an injury, or an act of usurpation." But the learned writer does not express himself with his usual precision: for he had just before stated it as his opinion that the word άρπαγμος “ is of the very same import with άρπαγμα, the thing seized upon, the subject of unjust usurpation." Cappe's Crit. Rem. vol. i. p. 232.

The reasons for taking the word in a passive sense are the following:

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1. Aprayuos being derived from the perfect passive, retains a passive signification Mr. Wakefield shows from Eustathius, that, according to the genius of the Greek language, ¿praypos is equivalent το άρπαγμα. Αρπάζειν vero est aliquid avide et violenter arripere, ut tibi vendices, et tuum facias." Sylva Crit. vol. iii. p. 112."'Aprayμos proprie, direptio. Nomina in uos desinentia fere actionem, non rem significant. Sed interdum tamen passive usurpatur, ut significat vel rem raptam, vel rem avide diripiendam, et vindicandam.” Schleusner.-See Wetstein, and Wakefield's Inq. p. 186.

2. The construction of the sentence requires that this clause should express the humiliation of Christ, and consequently that apr. should be taken in a passive sense. It would be trifling to say, that, being in the form of God, he thought it no robbery to be in the form or likeness of God. Le Clerc, in his notes upon Hammond, remarks, to justify the common translation, the Greek ought to have been xa οὐχ ἡγεμενος ἁρπαγμον ειναι ισα Θεῳ, όμως κ. τ. λ.” See also Dr. Clarke, Scrip. Doct. No. 934.

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for άρπαγμα, ' a prey, a booty,' a thing obtained by force, and retained with eagerness.'

In this sense the second clause of the sentence is in opposition to the first. It is the first step in his voluntary humiliation.

Who, being in the form of God, did not esteem as a prey' (and therefore did not eagerly grasp, did not claim as his inherent right, did not refuse to relinquish,) this likeness to God.'

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The latter clause is plainly exegetical of the former; this likeness to God is the very same thing as being in the form of God. See Wakefield's Inquiry, p. 185. This interpretation has the sanction of many eminent expositors **.

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3. The early writers, who used the Greek language, and to whom the phrase must have been familiar, understood the words in this sense. In the Letter from the Churches of Vienne and Lyons to those of Asia and Phrygia, they say of the martyrs, "They were such zealous followers of the example of Christ, who, being in the form of God, did not eagerly retain that likeness to God," (did not covet to be honoured as God,' Dr. Clarke,) "that though they had often been cast to wild beasts, and had endured all manner of torments, yet they would by no means suffer themselves to be honoured with the title of martyrs." Euseb. Eccl. Hist. 1. 5.

Origen, in his Commentary upon John, says, "The goodness of Christ appeared greater and more divine, and truly after the image of the Father, when he humbled himself, &c. (ŋ ε άρynaro) than if he had eagerly grasped or tenaciously retained his likeness to God." Huet. p. 34.

Novatian says, "" Christ, though he knew that he was in the form of God, did not eagerly grasp (or tenaciously retain) equality with God. For though he knew that he was God, he never compared himself with God his Father;" &c. De Trin. c. 17. See Clarke, ibid.

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Equalitatem quam cum Patre habebat ambitiose retinere noluit, velut facere solent prædones, qui quod semel rapuerunt summa cura et studio retinent." Vatablus." Pro rapina ducere, dicit pro rapaciter uti, et retinere, ut Latini dicunt, in hostium numero habere, pro occidere ut hostem. Sic enim poni solet verbum yata, ut non ́solum cogitationis sit, verum etiam rei." Conf. v. 25. Castalio." If άρπαγμα be synonymous to άρπαγμος, as βαπτισμα το βαπτισμός, •purioμa to Owrioμos, &c. the proper meaning seems to be a prey, or booty, and may be either just or unjust. They therefore hardly give the exact signification who explain it by a thing very desirable, or to

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