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in neighbourhood to another, and, except this fingle text, it is every where rendered neighbour by our tranflators.

Philip. ii. 5. &c. Let this mind be in you which was alfo in Chrift Jefus, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation;-Wherefore God alfo bath highly exalted him. That every tongue should confess that Jefus Chrift is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. The proper rendering of this text is, Who being in the form of God, did not think that being equal to God, or a state of equality with God, was a thing to be feized (i. e. by him) but made himSelf of no reputation. This makes the whole paffage perfectly just and coherent, as a recommendation of humility; and also hints a fine contraft between the conduct of Chrift, whom St. Paul elsewhere calls the fecond Adam, and the firft, who is alfo faid to have been made in the likeness of God, but aspiring to be as God fell, and was punished; whereas Chrift, who had more of the likeness or form of God, on account of his extraordinary powers, not grasping at any thing higher, but humbling himself, was exalted. It is in this fenfe, or a sense similar to it, in which this very text is quoted by thofe fathers of the chriftian church who wrote before the controverfy about the divinity of Chrift was ftarted. In this manner, even fome who maintain the divimity of Chrift render the words. Thus, Father

Simon, who contends that being in the form of God is equivalent to being truly God, renders the latter part of the verfe, did not imperiously affume to himself an equality with God. Indeed the word, but, which introduces the next verfe, evidently leads us to expect fome contrast between what goes before and after it, which is very striking in the manner in which I tranflate this text; but it is altogether loft in our common verfion. For he made himself equal to God, but humbled himself, is not even fenfe. Laftly, I would obferve that the word, which is here rendered equal to, is also used to exprefs a very high degree of refemblance, which it is very certain that Chrift was poffeffed of with refpect to God; and Dr. Doddridge renders it, to be as God.

VII. Chrift may be fuppofed to have pre-existed, or to have had a being before he was born of the vir`gin Mary, without fuppofing him to be the eternal God; but it appears to me that the apoftles confidered Chrift as being, with refpect to his nature, truly and properly a man, confifting of the fame conftituent parts, and of the fame rank with ourfelves, in all things like unto his brethren; and the texts which are thought to speak of him as having exifted before he came into this world, appear to me to bear other interpretations very well. Some of them have been explained in a different fenfe al

ready,

ready, and I fhall now endeavour to explain the reft.

John viii. 56, &c. Your father Abraham rejoiced to fee my day, and he faw it, and was glad. Then faid the jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and haft thou feen Abraham? Jefus faid unto them, Verily, verily, I fay unto you, before Abraham was I am. The meaning of this paffage clearly is that Abraham forefaw the day of Christ, and that Chrift was the fubject of prophecy before the times of Abraham. This faying of our Lord is alfo illuftrated by what the author of the epiftle to the Hebrews fays concerning all the ancient worthies, viz. that they all died in faith, not having received the promifes, but having feen them afar off. In this manner, therefore, Abraham alfo faw the day of Chrift. Agreeably to this it is easy to explain John xvii. 5. Giorify me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was, of the glory which was intended for him in the councils of God before all time.. Nay this must neceffarily be our Lord's meaning in this place; fince in many other paffages the power and glory which were conferred upon Chrift are exprefly faid to be the reward of his obedience, and to be subsequent to his refurrection from the dead. It is with peculiar propriety, therefore, that this request of our Lord follows his declaration, that he had done the work for which. he was to receive the reward; ver. 4. I have glorified thee on the earth, I have finished the work which thou

gaveft me to do; and now, O Father, glorify thou me, &c. As the connection of this prayer fhews that whatever it was that our Lord requested, it depended upon the part which he had to act in the world, it is plain that it could not be any thing which he had enjoyed antecedently to his coming into it.

In the fame manner we may explain the following prophecy of Micah concerning Chrift, v. 2. Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee fhall he cone forth unto me that is to be a ruler in Ifrael, whofe goings forth have been from of old, from everlafting. For this may be understood concerning the promifes of God, in which the coming of Christ was fignified to mankind from the beginning of the world. The Chaldee paraphrafe renders it, whofe name was foretold of old.

As to thofe who think that our Lord meant to intimate that he was truly and properly God because he uses that expreffion I am, by which the true God announced himself to Mofes, they will perhaps be fenfible how little ftrefs is to be laid upon it, when they are informed, that, though the fame phrafe occurs very often in the hiftory of Chrift, our tranflators themselves, in every place excepting this, render it by I am he, that is, I am the Chrift. It is used in this fenfe in the 24th verfe of this chapter, If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your fins. And again in the 28th verse, When ye shall lift up the fon

of

of man, then fhall ye know that I am he. That the words I am in this place do not mean the eternal God, is manifeft from the words which are imme diately connected with thefe; then shall ye know that I am be, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father bath taught me, I speak these things.

John xvi. 28. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world; again, I leave the world, and go unto the Father. In order to understand this text, it fhould be obferved, that by the world is not always meant the material world, and leaft of all in the difcourfes of our Saviour; but the world confideredas a state of trial, exercise and difcipline, and especially the unbelieving and ungodly part of the world. The world shall hate you, John xv. 10. I pray not for the world, xvii. 9, &c. Our Saviour also speaks of fending his difciples into the world; though, con. fidered as a part of the material fyftem, they had been in it long before. John xvii. 18. As thou haft fent me into the world, even fo alfo fend I them into the world. Since, therefore, the miffion of Chrift, and that of the apoftles, are fpoken of in the very fame words, and represented as commencing in the fame manner, there can be no more reason to suppose that Chrift had a being before he came int the world, than there is to fuppofe that the apoftles hd preexifted. Also when our Lord fays, John xvii. 11. Now I am no more in the world, he could not mean the material world; for, after his refurrection, he

was

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