Matthew Poole and continuators on Philippians 2:7

7 But made himself , of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men .

Some expound this particle as a Discretive, others an Adversative, or Redditive.

i. e. Most wittingly emptied himself, or abated himself of the all fulness of glory he had equally with God the Father, that considering the disproportion betwixt the Creature and the Creatour; he in the eyes of those, amongst whom he tabernacled, appear'd to have nothing of reputation left him, Dan. 9.26. 'Tis not said the Form of God was cut off, or did empty it self: but he who did suffer in the Form of God, made himself of no account; did empty, abate, or abase himself, (so the Apostle elsewhere Actively and Passively useth the word, 1 Cor. 9.15. with 2 Cor. 9.3.) and that indeed whiles subsisting in the Form of God (according to agreement, Zach. 6.13. & 1[illegible: 1 letter].7.) not by laying aside the nature of God, but in some other way, i. e. his own way, kept secret till he was pleased to manifest it, Rom. 16.25. Col. 1.26. by freely coming in the fle[illegible: 1 letter]h, 1 Tim. 3.16. Heb. 10.7. which is such an astonishing wonder, and mysterious abasement, as gains the greatest veneration from his Saints. Thus for a little time laying aside, at his own pleasure withdrawing, and going aside from his glorious Majesty. He lessen'd himself for the Salvation of his People. He had a liberty not to shew his Majesty, Fulness, and Glory during his pleasure, so that he could (as to our eyes) contract and shadow it, Ioh. 1.14. Col. 2.9. His condescension was free, and unconstrained with the consent of his Father, Ioh. 3.13. so that though the Scripture saith, The most high dwelleth not in Temples made with hands; yet the Son of the Highest, 1 King. 8.27. Isa. 66.1. Mark. 5.7. Act. 7.48. can at his own pleasure shew, or eclipse his own glorious brightness, abate or let out his fulness, exalt or abase himself in respect of us. However in his own simple and absolute nature, he be without variableness or shadow of turning, Iam. 1.17. being his Fathers equal, and so abides most simple and immutable: yet respectively to his state, and what he had to manage for the Redemption of lost Man; with regard to the discovery he made of himself in the revelation of his Divine Properties, the acknowledgment and celebration of them, by the Creatures, he emptied himself, not by ceasing to be what he was before, equal with his Father, or laying down the essential Form of God, according to which he was equ[illegible: 1 letter]l to God; but by taking the form of a servant, wherein he was like to Men, i. e. assuming something to himself he had not before, viz. the humane nature; vailing himself, as the Sun is said to be vailed, not in it self, but in regard of the intervening Cloud, Mat. 27.39. to 45. what could hinder that he should not manifest his excellency now more, then less clearly? Men one while acknowledging and praising it, another while neither acknowledging or praising of it, then again praising of it, yet more sparingly? He by taking the form of a mean Man, might so obscure the dignity of his Person, as to the acknowledgement of him to be the Son of God, equal with his Father, that in vouching himself to be so, he might be accounted a Blasphemer, Iob. 10.36. and during that appearance, not seem to be the most high; even as a King by laying aside the tokens of his Royalty, and putting on the habit of a Merchant, when all the while he ceaseth not to be King, or the highest in his own Dominions. Hence the most high may be considered, either in regard of his nature, wherein he holdeth the highest degree of perfection; or in regard of those personal act[illegible: 1 letter] he performs in the business of our Salvation. In the former, Christ is the most High; in the latter, our Mediatour. So the Form of God was the term from which, and the Form of a Servant, the term to which, he mov'd in his demission, or abasement, which did not simply lie in an assumption or union of the Humane Nature to the Divine, for this doth abide still in Christ highly exalted, but in taking the form of a Servant, which with the humane Nature he took, by being sent forth, made of a Woman under the Law, Gal. 4.4. but by his Resurrection and Glorification, lest that Relation or Habit of a Servant (being such an one who was also a Son, and a Lord, Heb. 1.2. with 3.6.) when yet he retains the humane Nature still. As therefore he was of the Seed of David according to the Flesh; Rom. 1.3. though before he had not flesh: so he took the form of a Servant in the likeness of Man, according to his humane Nature, although before he took that Form, he could not have humane Nature: He did not annihilate any thing he was before; onely of his own accord, bowed down himself, and va[illegible: 1 letter]led his own glory, in taking our Nature, therein to be a Servant unto Death.

Taking (in the Greek, without any copulative and before it) in opposition to being, or subsisting; he was in the Form of God, which he had before, and took this which he had not then, into the unity of his subsistence, by a personal union, Heb. 2.16. He was the Servant of God, Isa. 42.1. Mat. 20.28. in the whole work of his condescension, which was gradual, else the Apostle's art to engage the Philippians to condescension had not been cogent from Christ's Example. For 1. He being increate, did assume to himself a Created (not Angelical, but) humane Nature with no reputation, in that regard taking the Form of a Servant, wherein he was like Man, as the next Clause explains this. 'Twas an infinite, inconceivable condescension of the Son of God, to take our nature into union with himself, whereby he who was very God in all things like unto his Father, b[illegible: 1 letter]came like unto us in all things, sin onely excepted, Rom. 8.3. Heb. 2.17. Hence 2. He did not immediately advance the nature he took into Glory, but became a Servant in it to his Father, to perform the most difficult service that ever God had to do in the World, he was not onely in the likeness of sinfull flesh, assoon as a Man, Rom. 8.3. of the Seed of Abraham, Heb. 2.11. to 15. but subject to the Law, Luk. 2.42, 51. Gal. 4.4. in a mean condition from his Birth, despicable in the judgment of the World, his Mother poor, &c. Isa. 53.2, 3. Mat. 2.14. & 8.20. & 13.55. Mark 6.3. Luk. 2.7, 22, 24. & 22.27. so that in finishing his work, he was exposed to scorn, Psal. 22.6, 7. Isa. 53.1, 2. however all the relation of his service was to God the Father, as his Antecedent Correlate. To the farther clearing of what went before, the Apostle adds.

In the likeness or habit of Men, without any copulative particle, by apposition for fuller explication (compare forecited parallel places) connoting his employment (rather than condition) having a true Body, and a reasonable Soul for this purpose, according to the Prophecy, to be Servant to his Father, Isa. 42.1. And if the Adversaries say, He onely took on him the Form of a Servant, when he suffered himself to be beaten, &c. 'tis easily answered. These were onely consequents upon the Form of a Servant; one may be a Servant, and yet not beaten; and when they so treated our Saviour, he accounted it dealing with him as a Malefactor, Luk. 22.52. Christ obeyed not Men, but God the Father, to whom alone he was Servant, when made Man, Psal. 40.6, 7, 8. 'Tis the nature of Lord and Servant, to relate to each other. Every Servant is a Man (Brutes are not Servants) labouring in service, accompanies the humane Nature which is common to Christ, with other Men, on whom it crept by the Fall; Christ regards none others Will, but the Will of his Father, how hard soever it was, even to the laying down of his Life for the reconciling of his Church to him. And be sure he Died as a Man, and not onely in the habit of a Servant. Onely in Humane Nature could he (as it follows without a particle in the Greek) be made like unto Men, or in the likeness and habit of Men. The Helenists do use words of similitude, when they design sameness or the thing it self, and that indeed essentially. For however it be urg'd, that likeness be oppos'd to the same, and that which is true, Ioh. 9.9. yet not always; as one Egg is like to another, there is convenience in quality, and that in substance is included. Christ is like to other Men in Humane properties, and an afflicted state, so that sameness of nature cannot be denied, Rom. 8.3. Heb. 2.16.17. or rather [illegible: 1 letter]ameness of kind, though not of number, it being by a Synecdoche to be understood generally, Gen. 50.3. Mat. 1.16. Ioh. 1.14. Heb. 4.15. 1 Ioh. 1.1. & 4.2, 3. The properties of Humane Nature are of the essence he took, who was found in habit as a Man, when yet he was separate from Sinners, 2 Cor. 5.21. with Heb. 7.26. yet the Apostle's business here, is not of Christ's sinlesness in that condition, but of his condescending love, in taking on him that condition, being sent in the likeness of sinfull flesh, yet without sin. 'Tis a likeness of nature to all Men, and not a likeness of innocency onely to the first, Gen. 5.1. that Paul here speaks of. And as it is said, The word was made Flesh, so here Christ is made in the likeness of Men, that we may understand 'tis the same numerical Person, who was in the Form of God, that was made Man. The abasement of God-man being so great, that he was made like to Man, i. e. to meer and bare Man, though he was more. Nor onely did he appear in many forms (as might be under the Old Testament) or was join'd to Man, but personally assum'd a true Body, and a reasonable Soul, and so was very Man, aswell as very God. Fo[illegible: 1 letter] when 'tis not said simply made Man, but with that addition, in the likeness, it is done to a notable limitation of his station on each part; on God's part it imports, Christ did not lay aside the Divine Nature, but onely (vail'd) his Majesty and Power; on Man's, to exclude sin, viz. That he was true Man, yet onely like to all other Men. But what is now the natural affection of all Men from the fall of Adam, and is an infirmity and abatement as to that, he was without sin, and onely in the likeness of sinfull flesh.

Marginal references: Psal 22.6.; Isa. 49.3, 6. & 52.13. & 53.11. Ezeck. 34.23, 24. Zach. 3.8.; Or, habit.