on him the form of a fer- ́n áriçámær fékk☺. 8. And being found in fashion as a man, be bumbled bimfelf, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the crofs. 9.Wherefore God alfo bath bigbly exalted him, and given him a name which is ́above every name: 10. That at the name of Jefus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue fhould confefs, that Jesus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. το. Ἵνα ἐν τω ονόματι Ιησε, - may yóvu sáuty insegria ỳ emfear natax dovier, ins 11. Καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομο aoyhontal, ön KveiC 'Ingos xesds, eis dóğar Dex males's. Certainly never was a Paffage of Scripture more unfairly used, than this noble Paragraph of St Paul. It has been wrefted quite contrary Ways, and to oppofit Extremes. Some have from hence inferr'd, that the WORD,or Divine Nature of Chrift, is the very God: Others, that his Divine Nature is a Being inferior to the very God. Whereas in Reality both fides are manifeftly in the wrong; nor does the Apoftle fpeak one Syllable of the WORD, or Chrift's Divine Nature, in this whole Paffage, as will foon appear. In order thereto, let us fettle the Meaning of fome particular Phrafes. As for the ίχ άρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο, feveral Commen tators have given the true Interpretation of it. "Tis fufficient for my prefent Purpose to transcribe what what Dr. Whitby has written concerning it. His Words are thefe: This Greek Phrafe is only to be met with in Plutarch, faith Grotius (though I cannot find it there) and in Heliodorus; in which Writer it plainly fignifies, to covet earnestly, or look upon a thing as much to be defired, and Snatched at. Thus when Cybele went about to allure Theagenes to the lustful Embraces of Arface, finding him out of the Temple, in a By-apartment, he did (a) agrafLA TOLETY THU CUVTU Xian, that is, the fnatch'd at the Occafion, or look'd upon it as a thing defirable for her Purpofe; and when none of her Propofals or Allurements would prevail with Theagenes to gratifie the Queen's Defires, The brake forth into this Admiration, (b) What Averfeness from Love is this! A young Man in the Flower of his Age thrufts from him, or refufes, a Woman like unto himself, and defirous of him, ex assua ide ἑρμαῖον ἡγεῖται τὸ πρᾶγμα, and does not look upon this. as a great Offer, and a thing very defirable: And when he bad found out, that bis Affection to Chariclea was the Caufe of this Averfeness, the propofeth to Arface the Death of Chariclea, as an expedient to gain his Affetion, and (c) άρπαγμα τὸ ῥηθὲν ἐποιήσατο ἡ ̓Αρσάκη, Arface embraces the Motion as a thing very defirable, or to be coveted. So that asmayua myfida, faith Semidius, is rem optatam perfequi, & ftudiofiffime occupare. That you have (d) endevor'd to confirm the Do&tor's Expofition by fome other Paffages of Anti quity, I need not remind you.. (a). Heliodor. Lib. 7. Pag. 322. (b) Pag. 340, (c) Pag. 337. (d) Script. Do&t. p. 178, 179, 180, In In the next Place, to use the Words of the fame Commentator, oude is to be or appear as God, or in the Likeness of God. So the Wordioa is adver bially ufed frequently in the Septuagint, answering to the Hebrew Caph. Job 5. 14. They grope in the noon-day, ira vu, as in the night. Chap. 10. 10. Haft thou not curdled me, Tea rug, as cheese? Chap. 11. 12. Man is born, Toa ove ignuity, like a wild Affes colt. Chap. 13. 12. Your remembrance is, loa orâ, like unto afhes. And Ver. 20. He confumes, ioa d'onữ, as a bottle. Chap. 15. 16. Man drinketh in iniquity oa or, as drink. Chap. 24. 20. Wickedness fhall be broken, ira Eun, as a tree. Chap. 27. 16. He prepareth raiment, ia, as the clay. Chap. 28. 2.. Brafs is molten out of the ftone, Toa ad, as the ftone. Chap. 29. 14, I put on judgment, fra moi, as a robe. Chap. 40. 15. He eateth grafs, ira esiv, as an ox. Ifa. 51. 23. Thou haft laid thy body, Toa ry, as the earth. Wifd. 7. 1. I my felf am a mortal man, foo anaon, like to all men; And the frft voice I uttered was, πᾶσιν ἴσα χλαίων, weeping as all others do, ver. 3. Whether ira does ever fignify an exact Equality, I will not inquire: but what I have quoted, demonftrats, that it does not neceffarily require, and that very frequently it will not bear or admit, that Senfe. And therefore it is not to be forc'd upon it here. However, I will freely grant, that eval Tou imports full as much, as μoso de ászer. And that it can't poffibly fignify more, I am perfuaded, no Man in his Wits will defire me to prove. As for autov čreve, you would have it tranflated, be emptied himself. I will take the liberty of obferving, that it may as well be rendred, he made himfelf mean, vile, or contemptible, Either Verfion may be be admitted; but I fhall not contend for either. And indeed I'm of Opinion, that they are in the End and Confequence the very fame. But the greatest Difficulty is about in pospî de d. This Phrafe is exprefly apply'd to our Bleffed Lord: but Learned Men have interpreted it very differently. Such as would perfuade us, that Chrift is a mere Man, and that he did not exift before his Incarnation, pretend, that his being v μogoî der signifies his Power of working Miracles by the Finger of God during his Abode upon Earth. But this Expofition is utterly precarious. For tho' Chrift had fuch a Power of working Miracles during his Abode upon Earth; yet there is not the leaft Shadow of Proof, that this is what the Apoftle meant by in pogon des idea. Neither this Phrafe, nor any thing like it, has fuch a Signification in the Scriptures; nor is it the natural and obvious Meaning of the Words themfelves. Nay, on the contrary, there are juft Objections against this Explication. For tho' Mofes, and the Prophets, and our Savior's Disciples, wrought fo many Miracles, and their Power of doing fo is expreffed by such a Variety of Phrafes; yet this Phrafe is never once us'd to denote it by any Writer whatsoever. Befides, Chrift's being moggy der, is opposed to his révors, and being ἐν μορφή δέλω. What then can his κένωσις and being mogon da fignify, upon this Suppofition? Did Chrift ever want the Power of working Miracles? And can his xiveos and being μogo da bear fuch a Senfe? Befides, if his being & μoson de fignifies his Power of working Miracles; how could it be faid, that he did not earnestly defire to be You Jad, which is certainly equivalent to his being: ¿ μosaũ deg? Did not Christ always earnestly de fire fire to continue poffefs'd of, and to exert, that Divine Power, by which he demonftrated the Truth of his Miffion? But I need not spend more Time in the Confutation of this arbitrary Fanfy. It may be imagined perhaps, by others, that Chrift did therefore ἐν μορφή θεῖ ὑπάρχειν, becaufe he was the Great Prophet. For our Savior affures us, that the Pfalmift called them Gods, unto whom the Word of God came, John 10. 35. And he confirms the Pfalmift's Ufe of that Phrafe by fubjoining immediatly, and the Scripture cannot be broken. Now thofe unto whom the Word of God came, were infpir'd Perfons. Thus the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, Chap. 1. Ver. 2, 4, 11. that is, God reveled his Will to him by Infpiration. And accordingly God faid to Mofes concerning Aaron his Brother, be Shall be thy Spokesman unto the People: and he shall be, even be fhall be to thee (7, that is, as it fhould be tranflated) a Mouth; and thou shalt be to him (p787, that is, as it fhould be tranflated) a God, Exod. 4. 16. And again, God faid to Mofes, See I have made thee a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy Fropher. Thou shalt (peak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother fhall Speak unto Pharaoh, that he fend the children of Ifrael out of his land, Exod. 7. 1, 2. In thefe Places, Mofes is ftiled a God to Aaron and Pharaoh, because he was infpired, and they learned the Will of God from him. And confequently our Savior, who received the Spirit without Measure, might more juftly have been ftiled a God upon that Account, than any other infpired Perfon whatfoever. And if he might have been justly ftiled a God upon the account of his being the Great Prophet;. why might he not be faid s pogon der wasze for that Reafon? A I |