rich." "Tis Christ in his mediatorial glory as God-man, as the head of his body, the church, that the apostle speaks of in both these passages-He that in this capacity was in the form of God-He that was rich in all his mediatorial riches and glory: these are the riches that he parted with, and became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich.

Our ever blessed and adorable Jesus is essentially God in the undivided essence, one with the Father and the Holy Ghost, co-equal and co-eternal: as such, it is derogatory to his great glory, his essential and personal glory, as the only begotten Son, the second Person in the glorious Trinity, to say of him only he is in the form of God, to say he thought it not robbery to be equal with God. He is God, and not simply in the form of God essentially and personally considered, so that this phrase," form of

and to

2 Cor, 9%

G

God," must have some other meaning. The apostle means to express the same by it as he does in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews, where he says-"Who being the Brightness of his Father's glory, and the express Image of his Person," as Godman and Mediator, the Head of his body, the church; and in this capacity "upholding all things by the word of his power," and by himself purging our sins.

The being in the form of God also certainly means the God-man, the MediatorHe that was set up under the name of Wisdom, when all was vast eternity, the Head of his body, the church; and this glorious Personage, the God-man, thinks it not robbery to be equal with God, not merely in his divine nature abstractedly considered, for then the apostle would not have introduced Him in these words, but would have spoken as the beloved John does" In the beginning was the Word," the essential Word, the only-begotten Son," and the

Word was with God, and the Word was God;" and "there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."+ Here we have his essential glory, his personal glory, his equality and distinct personality in the ever blessed Trinity.

But the apostle, as a divine apologist, introduces him here as if he himself thought it a most wonderful truth, that He who is here said to be only in the form of God, the God-man elect, should be equal with God; therefore he expresses himself with a degree of caution, he thought it not robbery,") lest those to whom he wrote should reject it at first, and therefore he makes a kind of an apology, by this mode of expression" Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God," that the truth of it might open on them by degrees; namely, that he is not only God abstractedly considered, but that

* John 1.

+ 1 John 5.

in his complex character, here styled the Form of God, he is equal with God.

In that memorable chapter, the first to the Colossians, Christ is introduced by the apostle not in the same words, but exactly to the same purport-"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son; in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins; who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature; for by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him. And he is before all things, and by him all things do consist. And he is the Head of his body, the church.” Here" the Image of the invisible God,” which is just the same as the other expression, "being in the form of God," is positively said to be the Creator of all things;

and surely this is tantamount to a full equality with God! By the God-man, the Head of his body the church, the Image of the invisible God, were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth. He, who in the Hebrews is said to be the Brightness of his Father's glory, and the express Image of his Person, (words of the same meaning as "being in the form of God,") is also said to uphold all things by the word of his power; and the prophet Zechariah bears his testimony to the same truth"Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, and against the Man my Fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts."*

It was in this glorious complex character, as God-man elect, that "his goings-forth were of old from everlasting;" when he went forth in all his Father's glory from conquering unto conquer, till he had completely

Zech. 13.-In our Bibles, the words, "that is," are added by the translators," The Man [that is] my Fellow;" but this spoils, instead of mending, the sense of the

passage.