all eternity true God adorned with divine glory splendour and majesty see Prov. 8. 22 23. c. Who being in the form of God by which of necessity must be understood the substantiall form or very divine Essence as cloathed with divine glory and majesty there being no accidents in God 3. Jesus Christ is God equall with the Father having the same divine Essence for the divine Names divine Properties Works and Worship are ascribed unto him See 1 Joh. 5. 20. Joh. 2. 24. Joh. 6. 40. and Joh. 5. 23. Thus he is said to be equall with God 4 The divine Essence glory and majesty which Scripture doth ascribe unto Christ do justly and naturally belong unto him and is not usurped by him for it is no robbery for him to be equall with God 5. The Father and the Son are one only God it being impossible there should be two Gods or any thing equall with God which is not God himself now Christ is equall with God 6. Jesus Christ though having still the same divine Essence with the Father yet was alwayes a distinct Person from him even the second Person of the blessed Trinity See 1 Joh. 5. 7. for equality is only in these things which in some respect are distinct and he is equal with God 7. Then is ones abasement a vertue and worthy to be imitated when it is voluntarily under-taken for the glory of God and the good of others and not when it is constrained or only imposed upon us as a just punishment for our self-exalting or any other sin Christ's humility propounded here for our imitation was such as is imported in the sense and scope of these words he thought it no robbery to be equall with God The drift whereof is to shew that Christ knowing himself to be the true God and not to have usurped that divine honour did willingly under-go that low condition and was not constrained to it as a punishment for usurping upon that which was not his own by right as the Devils were thrown down from Heaven because as is commonly conceived they would by robbery have usurped divine honour or to be equall with God 8. Jesus Christ the Eternall Son of God in the fulnesse of time became man and was incarnate for so is meant by his becoming of no reputation and taking on him the form of a servant 9. It was Jesus Christ the second Person in the Godhead who did take on him the nature of man and was incarnate and not the Father or the Holy Spirit for it is Jesus Christ here spoken of who took on him the form of a servant See Rom. 1. 3. 10. Jesus Christ by his Incarnation and assuming the nature of man did empty himself of that divine glory splendour and majesty which before he had not by ceasing to be what he was but by assuming something to himself which before he was not to wit the humane nature in which respect as being now God-Man-Mediator he is lesse than the Father Joh. 14. 28. under the infirmity of which nature he did hide for a time his divine glory so that very little of it did appear and to some few only Isa. 53. 2. he became of no reputation In the Greek it is he emptied himself 11. Such was the love of Christ unto lost sinners Joh. 15. 13. and to the glory of his own and his Fathers mercy to be manifested in their salvation Joh. 17. 4. that willingly and of his own accord without any constraint except that of love he laid aside his glory and became low and empty for their good for he made himself of no reputation 12. Jesus Christ the second Person of the Godhead did assume to himself the true and reall nature of man having the same essentiall properties with the natures of other men for he took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likenesse of men which likenesse denoteth not onely a similitude in outward shew and appearance but in the very essential parts See Gen. 5. 3. 13. Christ assumed to himself the humane nature not as it shall be in glory perfectly glorified but as cloathed with sinlesse infirmities even such as are in us the punishment of sin and did dimit himself to be one of the lowest condition of men for he took upon him the form of a servant and not of a glorified Saint 14. Though Jesus Christ did take upon him the whole nature of a man consisting of a true body Heb. 2. 14. and a reasonable soul Matth. 26. 38. Yet he did not assume the person of a man so as to be two Persons one as God another as Man he is one Person still the humane nature subsisting in the second Person of the Godhead so he took to himself not a servant but the form or nature of a servant and he remaineth the same he or person after incarnation which he was before be took to himself See Luk. 1. 35. 15. Though there be but one Person in Christ yet there are two distinct Natures the Divine and Humane without confusion or mixture every one reserving their own distinct properties so he took on him the form of a servant but did not change the form or nature of a servant to the nature of God See Luk. 2. 52. Joh. 2. 24. 25. 16. The truth and reality of Christ's humane nature was evidently known unto those who did converse with him by the fashion and proportion of his body and the whole strain of his carriage and actions they being such as are in and use to be gone about by other men for so much is meant by his being found in fashion as a man 17. Jesus Christ though God equall with the Father and so above all Law given unto men yet being incarnate did take upon him the yoke of obedience unto the Father's will revealed in the Law that by the obedience of one many might be made righteous see Rom. 5. 19. And became obedient unto death where his death is spoken of as the tearm of his obedience or as but one part of it at most the rest consisting in his performance of what the Law both Morall and Ceremoniall did require and is commonly called his Active Obedience see Matth. 3. 15. 18. So great is the guilt of sin Deut. 27. 26. so strict is that obligation to under-go eternall wrath which lyeth upon us for sin Matth. 5. 18. that no lesse could pay our ransom and satisfie provoked justice than the shamefull painfull and cursed death of the Son of God for in order to our Redemption he behoved to be obedient unto death even the death of the crosse 19. Such was the love both of the Father Job 3 16. and of the Son Joh. 15. 13. to man's salvation that for bringing it about the Father appointeth the Son to die and the Son willingly became obedient to the Father â—â—en to death Vers. 9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name
having exhorted them to union he dehorteth from doing any thing through strife 2. The lust of vain-glory whereby a man pursueth more after applause from men to himself Joh. 12. ver 43. and to be esteemed of above others Joh. ver 9. than the honour of God or to be approven of him is the mother of contention and strife and a great unfriend to union and peace it being a lust which carryeth alongs with it a spirit which will not cede to truth Joh. 5. v. 44. together with an evident contempt of all others being compared with the man himself who is tainted with this evill 2 Chron 18. ver 23. Hence he forbids acting from a principle of vainglory as they would eschew strife and so entertain union and peace let nothing be done through vain-glory 3. So ordinary is it for God to plague self-seeking spirits with disappointment Luke 14. ver 11. so unconstant and unchangeable is popular applause Joh. 12. ver 13. compared with chap. 19. v. 15. and so little is there in any man to be puffed up with 1 Cor. 4. ver 7. that all glory of this kinde is but vain glory or but emptie glory as the word in the original doth bear 4. The grace of humility doth not consist in an affected strain of words and gestures Matth. 6. ver 16. but being seated in the heart it maketh a man think meanly of himself or of any thing that is his thus the word signifieth and is here rendered lowliness of mind 5. Where this grace of humility is it contributeth much for unity and peace and is inconsistent with a carrying on of our point from a principle of vain glory or through strife for he prescribeth humility as an antidote against those evils and a soveraign mean for attaining unto and entertaining of union and peace but through lowlinesse of mind c. 6. So conscious should we be of our own infirmities 1 Tim. 1. ver 15. so modest in the esteem of our own graces and vertues Rom. 12. ver 3. so far from prying into or aggreaging the infirmities of others Prov. 10. ver 12. so much should we esteem of their known graces and vertues Act. 15. ver 8. and so prone in charity to beleeve there may be much more good in them then what appeareth 1 Cor. 13. ver 7. that we ought to esteem any other for what we know of him to be better then our selves for let each esteem others better then themselves saith he 7. Where Christians are of the forementioned temper it speaketh true humility and contributeth much for union and peace for the Apostle having injoyned lowlinesse of minde in order to unity injoyneth the practice thereof in these tearms let each esteem others better then themselves Vers. 4. Look not every man on his own thing but every man also on the things of others He dehorteth from a third vice destructive also of union and peace to wit self-love whereby we regard only our own honour and profit wholly neglecting the concernments of others He exhorteth also to the contrary vertue Doct. 1. Self-love or respect to our own things only being joyned with contempt and mis-regard of the interest of others is a great enemy to union and peace for while he presseth unity he dehorteth from self-love looking not every man to his own things 2. The procuring maintaining and advancing of our neighbours good estate in his profit honor fame and all spirituall blessings should be aimed at and endeavoured by us with the same accuracie and diligence which we use in reference to our selves and where Christians are of this temper it contributeth much for union and peace for these are the things of others which he exhorteth every man also to look unto or accuratly aim at as one shooting at a mark for so the word beareth 3. A Christian is so to look upon the concernments of others as not to neglect these things which concern himself for he commandeth look also on the things of others also or joyntly with your own things Vers. 5. Let this minde be in you which was also in Christ Jesus The Apostle presseth all the before-mentioned vertues from Christ's example which he propoundeth here in generall for their imitation Doct. 1. Christ's example in these things which concern our duty is a most excellent Matth. 1â— 29. unerring 1 Cor. 11. 1. and effectuall patern 2 Cor. 3. â—8 to be imitated by those who professe themselves to be his Let the same minde be in you which was also in Christ Jesus 2. This should commend a grace or vertue unto us and make it lovely that â—esus Christ by his practice hath given to us a patern of it for the Apostle presseth these vertues because they were eminently to be seen in Christ Let tâ—e same minde be in you c. 3. Exemplary humility tender respect to the concernments of believers with a most earnest desire after the Churches peace both with God and amongst believers themselves were eminently to be seen in Christ for he saith this minde to wit that humble loving uniting and modest minde whereof he spake in the preceding verses was also in Christ. Vers. 6. Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equall with God 7. But made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likenesse of men 8. And being found in fashion as a man be humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the crosse He in largeth and explicateth the example proposed to this sense That Jesus Christ before his incarnation being true God cloathed with divine Majestie and so in all things equall with God the Father ver 6. did neverthelesse hide his glory assuming to himself the nature of man with all the sinlesse infirmities thereof so that sin only excepted he was in all things like unto other men v. 7. and being thus incarnate and found by all who conversed with him to have all the true properties of a reall man he voluntarily submitted himself to under-go whatsoever was injoyned him by the Father as necessary for the Redemption of mankinde in which obedience to the Father he persevered even to the death and in end did crown it by under-going the cursed death of the crosse v. 8. Now Christ did under-go all this for our good and the making up of our peace with God and one with another in God So here is in Christ great humility and condescension and such respect unto the good of others that in some sense he did prefer them unto himself together with a most earnest desire after the Church's peace which are the vertues pressed from Christ's example by the Apostle upon these Philippians Doct. 1. Jesus Christ had a being or subsistence before his Incarnation who being or subsisting which is spoken of him before his Incarnation 2. That being and subsistence which he then had was truly divine He was from
not a portion of God only or the glorious effects of his power or his particular gifts and graces but his compleat essence dwelleth in him Thirdly That he is a distinct person from the Father the whole Godhead being incarnat not as absolutely considered but as it is in the Person of the Son for it is in him to wit in Christ not in the Father that the Godhead dwelleth bodily Fourthly Though there be two Natures in Christ yet he is but one person for the Godhead dwelleth in him bodily that is personally or by vertue of the personal union Fifthly This union is inseperable for the Godhead dwelleth in him as in his fixed proper house Sixthly Notwithstanding of this union the two Natures remain distinct as the inhabitant is distinct from the house wherein he dwelleth Seventhly That God doth hold out himself in the Person of Christ God-man as in a glasse to be taken up and transacted with by lost sinners or the drift of the purpose is to show that the fulnesse of he Godhead resideth in him so as that we may make use of that fulnesse throughly for our salvation and that there is no need of any thing to be added to him Vers. 10. And ye are compleat in him which is the head of all principality and power Here are other two arguments First Christ is not only full in himself but all who are in him by faith are compleat through him as having from him all things necessary for salvation The second argument is against the worshipping of Angels in particular which he resuteth from Christ's prerogative above the Angels as being their Head and Lord upholding and ruling them as his creatures chap. 1. 17. and preserving them in the state of grace through vertue of his mediation Job 4. 18. and imploying them for the Churches good Heb. 1. 14. and therefore they are but his servants and the best of them but our fellow-servants and therefore ought not to be worshipped Rev. 22. 8 9. nor are they mediators betwixt God and us that being an honour due to him only who is their Head 1 Tim. 2. 5. Doct. 1. We are in our selves empty things being destitute of every thing which might commend us to God in him we are compleat and so in our selves empty 2. There is a fulnesse in Christ to be communicated unto all who being sensible of their own emptinesse do by faith lay hold upon him in whom we are compleat which compleatness consisteth in the enjoyment of sufficiency of means for salvation prescribed by him Heb. 3. 2. and in the imputation of his most perfect righteousnesse and in the begun renovation of our nature by the Spirit of Christ 1. Cor. 1. 30. which shal be still upon the growing hand till grace be crowned with glory Eph. 5. 27. 3. Though there be a compleat fulnesse in Christ the Mediator from whence we may supply our emptinesse yet we cannot partake of that his fulnesse except we first be in him and by faith be united to him so in him we are compleat 4. The greatest powers and most noble of creatures being compared with Christ are but in the rank of subjects and servants He is the head even of principalities and powers 5. According to the different degree of excellency which is in Christ and the creature we ought to esteem highly of the one and meanly of the other thus he is the head even of principalities and powers The scope whereof is to shew that he should have the honour which is due to him and they are to be kept in their own place Vers. 11. In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. In this verse and the verses following he cleareth how we are compleat in him and reasoneth against the Mosaical Ceremonies especially Circumcision upon their observation whereof they were tyed unto all the rest Gal. 5. 3. therefore he mainly oppugneth it The argument is Believers have in Christ the thing signified by that Ordinance to wit spiritual circumcision in the heart which consisteth in the putting off by the power of Christs Spirit that corrupt masse or body of manifold sins flowing from our innate corruption or sinful flesh so that there was no need of that carnall circumcision by hands in cutting off the flesh of the foreskin which is a good consequence against the urgers of circumcision under the new Testament where these shadows Christ the substance being come are abolished especially seeing they urged it upon this pretence That the Gentiles could not be purified without it Doct. 1. In every Sacrament such as Circumcision once was there is an outward sign which is given by Christ's Ministers and some inward grace signified by it the author and worker whereof is only Christ himself So there was the outward rite of Circumcision by the hands of men and the inward grace of mortification without hands and by the Circumcision of Christ that is by the inward power of the Spirit of Christ. 2. There is no saving grace enjoyed by Believers but what they have in Christ to wit as the fountain Joh. 1. 16. as the procurer and purchaser of all grace for us Rom. 6. 6. and as the applier of his own purchase to us Act. 5. 31. So in him we are circumcised 3. As our manifold actual sins do flow from the fountain of original corruption frequently called flesh Rom. 7 8. So the whole bulk of sin is fitly compared to a body because of the weight of guilt which is in it Rom. 7. 24. and the soul is wholly compassed by it as it is with our natural body Gen. 6. 5. yea and the whole members of the body are made instruments of it Rom. 6. 19. Thus he saith The body of the sins of the flesh 4. They who are in Christ must be about the work of putting off this body setting against not only some one sin or other but the whole masse and body of sin putting off the body of the sins of the flesh 5. This sinful body is already put off and laid aside in some sense by real Believers to wit in its guilt Rom. 8. 1. in its dominion and reign Rom. 6. 14. in the Believers sincere purpose and honest resolution 2 Cor. 7. 11. as also in his hope that one day it shall be put off wholly 1 Joh. 3. 2. So the Circumcision which Believers already have in Christ is designed A putting off the body of the sins of the flesh Vers. 12. Buried with him in Baptism wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead He doth further enlarge the former reason whereby he also pre-occupieth an objection against our compleatnesse in Christ by shewing we have in Christ not only the thing signified but also an external initiatory seal to wit Baptism in the
place of Circumcision now abolished the fruits of which seal are mortification of sin and vivification in grace by vertue of the death resurrection of Jesus Christ being laid hold on by faith which is wrought in us by the mighty power of God so that there was no place left for Circumcision Doct. 1. The Sacrament of Baptism under the new Testament succeedeth to Circumcision under the old and is to be administred to Children born within the visible Church as Circumcision was to Infants of eight dayes age then Gen. 17. 12. for not only both do seal the same Covenant of grace and are initiatory seals of it but also Paul sheweth that the Christian Church is as compleat now in Christ as the Jewish Church was though we want Circumcision because we have an Ordinance as good as it was to wit Baptism Now if Baptism did not belong to Infants we should not yet be so compleat as they were seeing the Covenant was sealed by Circumcision both to themselves and their little ones Buried with him in Baptism 2. Regeneration consists of two parts to wit first Mortification of sin which ought to be a through and constant work here set forth by our being buried which speaketh more than death And secondly Vivification or quickning in grace set forth by our rising again Doct. 3. Both those parts of Regeneration are sealed in Baptism not as if we were of necessity to suppone that those are already in the person to be baptized but because Baptism obligeth the baptized person to set about these and sealeth up the whole Promises on Gods part even those which are for sanctification and grace so that whenever the party baptized shall lay hold by faith upon the Promise he hath God engaged by word and seal to make it out thus Circumcision was a seal of the righteousness of faith Rom. 4. 11. and yet it was not to be supponed that every Child of eight dayes age had actual faith Buried with him in Baptism wherein ye are also risen 4. Though the Sacraments do seal up grace to us in the way presently mentioned yet they do not confer grace upon us by any proper vertue of their own nor yet is there any principle of power in us which can reach the effectuating of such a work Eph. 2. 1. although the Sacraments do strongly tie us to the working of it as said is It is only the death burial and resurrection of Christ which is the fountain-cause of our dying to sin and living to God in so far as by the merit efficacy and example of the former we attain unto the latter in which respect we are said to be buried with him and risen with him 5. It is no lesse than the infinit power of God which worketh faith in us and neither Sacraments nor the Death or Life of Christ will avail to the subduing of sin and quickning of grace except Jesus Christ be laid hold upon by faith We are buried with him by faith and faith is the operation of God 6. In our acting of faith in God we are not to lay hold upon him in a general confused notion but should eye that in God most which is most conducing unto that purpose for which we do imploy him Thus speaking of faith as it imployeth God for quickning in grace he casteth an eye to that work of God whereupon our quickning in grace dependeth most even his raising of Christ from the dead Vers. 13. And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses He giveth a further reason against the necessity of circumcision to wit when they were dead in sin and without circumcision as being Gentiles see Eph. 2. 11. God had quickened them with Christ making them partake of the life of grace purchased by him here and giving them right to the life of glory hereafter having pardoned all their sins freely for his sake So there was no necessity but rather it would be impiety to return unto Circumcision now especially seeing it was urged by the false Apostles as a necessary mean to get their natures purified and their sins pardoned Doct. 1. Every man by nature through sin is in a state of death he is thereby spiritually dead as being deprived of all grace union and communion with God chap. 1. 21. he is also judicially dead as lying under the sentence of death pronounced by the Covenant of Works Gen. 2. 17. And you being dead in your sins 2. As this state of death doth totally disable us from quickening our selves it is onely God who quickeneth so no misery of the creature though never so comprehensive as extending it self both to our outward and inward state though never so desperate as being past all remedie by humane help will impede God from doing good and bestowing of the choicest good Thus though they were miserable for their inward state as being dead and so incurable by humane Art and for their outward state as being in the uncircumcision of their flesh or uncircumcised Gentiles yet God doth quicken them 3. Whenever a man believeth in Christ he is in the same moment of time united to Christ and so that all which he did or suffered as sustaining our person or which he procured for our behoof as being our Head whether in his death buriall or resurrection is imputed to us by God and a right unto them derived to us as if we had been personally present with him all those times and given our consent to his doing of all those things in our name and for our behalf hence is it that He is said to have quickened these Colossians together with him though Christ had risen from the dead some years before their coversion 4. There is no spirituall life attainable except our obligation to wrath by the pardon of sin be removed you hath he quickened having forgiven you all your trespasses 5. This pardon though dearly purchased by Christ Matth. 26. 28. yet it is freely bestowed upon us having forgiven you the word signifies freely forgiven as coming from a root which signifies grace 6. Pardon of sin is also universall as leaving no sin unpardoned to him who doth believe and repent Psal. 32. 5. having forgiven you all trespasses Vers. 14. Blotting out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his crosse The Apostle illustrates the benefit of pardon and bringeth an argument against the Ceremoniall Law in generall by shewing God had not onely forgiven the debt of sin but Christ also by his death had destroyed their obligation to wrath because of sin making it altogether uselesse ever to give faith in Law against them which obligation he calleth the hand-writing of ordinances which was contrary to us alluding to written obligations among men for sums of money or such like wherein there is the body of