, who, being in the form
of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of
no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made
in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled
Himself, and became obedient unto death" (Phil. ii. 5-8). This most
wholesome saying of the Apostle has been darkened to us by men who,
totally misunderstanding the expressions "form of God," "form of a
servant," "fashion," "likeness of men," have transferred them to the
natures of Godhead and manhood. Paul's meaning is this: Christ, when He
was full of the form of God and abounded in all good things, so that He
had no need of works or sufferings to be just and saved--for all these
things He had from the very beginning--yet was not puffed up with these
things, and did not raise Himself above us and arrogate to Himself power
over us, though He might lawfully have done so, but, on the contrary,
so acted in labouring, working, suffering, and dying, as to be like the
rest of men, and no otherwise than a man in fashion and in conduct, as
if He were in want of all things and had nothing of the form of God; and
yet all this He did for our sakes, that He might serve us, and that all
the works He should do under that form of a servant might become ours.

Thus a Christian, like Christ his Head, being full and in abundance
through his faith, ought to be content with this form of God, obtained
by faith; except that, as I have said, he ought to increase this faith
till it be perfected. For this faith is his life, justification, and
salvation, preserving his person itself and making it pleasing to God,
and bestowing on him all that Christ has, as I have said above, and
as Paul affirms: "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God" (Gal. ii. 20). Though he is thus free from all
works, yet he ought to empty himself of this liberty, take on him the
form of a servant, be made in the likeness of men, be found in fashion
as a man, serve, help, and in every way act towards his neighbour as he
sees that God through Christ has acted and is acting towards him.
All this he should do freely, and with regard to nothing but the good
pleasure of God, and he should reason thus:--

Lo! my God, without merit on my part, of His pure and free mercy, has
given to me, an unworthy, condemned, and contemptible creature all the
riches of justification and salvation in Christ, so that I no lo