7. But by the side of this timeless and ineffable
generation of the Only-begotten, which transcends the perception of
human understanding, we taught as well the mystery of God born to be
man from the womb of the Virgin, shewing how according to the plan of
the Incarnation, when He emptied Himself of the form of God and took
the form of a servant, the weakness of the assumed humanity did not
weaken the divine nature, but that Divine power was imparted to
humanity without the virtue of divinity being lost in the human
form. For when God was born to be man the purpose was not that
the Godhead should be lost, but that, the Godhead remaining, man should
be born to be God. Thus
Emmanuel is His name, which is God with us St. Matt. i. 23., that God might not be lowered to the level
of man, but man raised to that of God. Nor, when He asks that He
may be glorified St. John xvii. 5., is it in any way a
glorifying of His divine nature, but of the lower nature He
assumed: for He asks for that glory which He had with God before
the world was made.