Fourthly, That Christ was God subsisting in the divine Nature, I shall bring two places to prove that, the first, Phil. 2.6. Who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God, but empted himself and made himself of no reputation, he was first in the form of God before he appeared in the form of a Servant, the form of God is his divine glory and blessedness, every way equal to God. The form of a Servant is either his coming in the similitude of sinful flesh. or his subjecting himself to the curse of the Law, or his humble and mean condition while he lived among men, it consists in one of these or in all three, now before he submitted to this he existed in the ⟨p. 85⟩form of God, that is, was clothed with divine Majesty and in all things equal with God the Father, his being and existence which he then had was truly divine. The form of God is the very divine essence, as clothed with Glory and Majesty, this did justly and naturally belong to him, and was not usurped by him: the other place is Christs prayer, John 17.5. And now O Father glorify thou me with thy own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the World was. God is said to glorify any person when he giveth him glorious qualities and powers; or by revealing and manifesting those glorious qualities which he hath; or when he doth receive him and treat him agreeably to his Glory. The meaning of Christs prayer then must be of one or other of all these senses: when he prayeth that the father would glorify him with that glory that he had with him before the world was, if you take it in the first sense, he desireth that God would bestow upon him as Mediator or God Incarnate a Glory suitable to that Glory he had with him from all Eternity. If in the second sense, he desireth his Glory may be revealed, or become conspicuous in his humane nature. If in the third, that God would receive him honourably and agreeably to that Glory, which sense is the chiefest, ⟨p. 86⟩for it containeth the other two. The meaning then in short is, that he might be received to the full enjoyment of that glory which he had before the World was. Christ was from all Eternity the glorious God, this Glory of his Godhead by his humiliation was not diminished and lessened, but obscured and hidden: and therefore prayeth that he may be received by the Father, and openly declared to the World to be the Son of God.
Fourthly, That Christ was God s•bsisting in the divine Nature, I shall bring two places to prove that, the first, Phil. 2.6. Who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God, but empted himself and made himself of no reputation, he was first in the form of God before he appeared in the form of a Servant, the form of God is his divine glory and blessedness, every way equal to God. The form of a Servant is either his coming in the similitude of sinful flesh. or his subjecting himself to the curse of the Law, or his humble and mean condition while he lived among men, it consists in one of these or in all three, now before he submitted to this he existed in the ⟨p. 85⟩form of God, that is, was cloathed with divine Majesty and in all things equal with God the Father, his being and existence which he then had was truly divine. The form of God is the very divine essence, as cloathed with Glory and Majesty, this did justly and naturally belong to him, and was not usurped by him: the other place is Christs prayer, Iohn 17.5. And now O Father glorifie thou me with thy own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the World was. God is said to glorifie any person when he giveth him glorious qualities and powers; or by revealing and manifesting those glorious qualities which he hath; or when he doth receive him and treat him agreeably to his Glory. The meaning of Christs prayer then must be of one or other of all these senses: when he prayeth that the father would glorifie him with that glory that he had with him before the world was, if you take it in the first sense, he d•sireth that God would bestow upon him as Mediator or God Incarnate a Glory sutable to that Glory he had with him from all Eternity. If in the second sense, he desireth his Glory may be revealed, or become conspicucus in his humane nature. If in the third, that God would receive him honourably and agreeably to that Glory, which sense is the chiefest, ⟨p. 86⟩for it containeth the other two. The meaning then in short is, that he might be received to the full enjoyment of that glory which he had before the World was. Christ was from all Eternity the glorious God, this Glory of his Godhead by his humiliation was not diminished and lessened, but obscured and hidden: and therefore prayeth that he may be received by the Father, and openly declared to the World to be the Son of God.
