Divine Truths in Jesus Christ, Title page – Author to the reader
Speculum Theologiae in Chriſto: OR, A VIEW OF SOME Divine Truths, Which are either Practically Exemplified IN JESUS CHRIST, Set forth in the GOSPEL: Or may be reaſonably deduced from thence.
By EDWARD POLHILL of Burwaſh in Suſſex, Eſq.
LONDON: Printed by A. M. and R. R. for Tho. Cockerill, at the Three Legs in the Poultrey, over-againſt the Stocks-Market. MDCLXXVIII.
TO THE CHRISTIAN READER.
IT was anciently obſerved by St. Auſtin, touching the Prophets under the Old Teſtament, Non tantum lingua illorum hominum, verum etiam vita fuit Prophetica: They did not only propheſie, or reveal the mind of God by words; but by things done by or upon them. Iſaiah muſt walk naked and barefoot, to ſhew the ſhame of the Egyptian captivity. Jeremy muſt go down to the Potters Houſe, and there ſee the Veſſel marred, to give the Jews a pregnant demonſtration, that God could unmake and deſtroy them. Ezekiel was to remove and bring forth his ſtuff, to give them a lively repreſentation of their captivity. Above all, this was eminently ſeen in our great Prophet Jeſus Chriſt; He did not only reveal the Goſpel, but he himſelf is the ſubſtance and marrow of it. He is the very mirror of Divine Truths and Perfections. His ſtile is the Image of the inviſible God, the brightneſs of the Fathers Glory. As an eternal Son, he is ſuch in himſelf; As incarnate, he is ſuch to us. The Meſſiah (ſay the Rabbins) is facies Dei, the face of God. The Glory of God (faith the Apoſtle) is in the face of Jeſus Chriſt. The Divine perfections appear in him, as beauty doth in the face. The inviſible one may here be ſeen; the inacceſſible Majeſty may be approach'd unto. Infinity, to accommodate it ſelf to our Model, appears nube carnis, in a Cloud of fleſh, that his glory might not ſwallow us up. In our Emanuel we have a body of Theology, an excellent Summary of Divine Truths, in a very lively manner ſet forth to us. The Atheiſt, who owns not a God in Heaven, might here, if he had eyes of Faith, ſee God in the fleſh. The Wiſdom of God doth here appear, not in the orders and harmonies of nature; but in a plot much greater, and more admirable: God and Man, infinite and finite, Eternal and Temporal are met in conjunction, that the human, finite, temporal nature in Chriſt, might be the Theater for the Divine, Infinite, Eternal nature to ſhew its perfections in. The Truth of God manifeſts it ſelf illuſtriouſly, in that no difficulty could hinder the early promiſe of the Meſſiah made immediately after the fall of man; neither could any time bury it in oblivion. He would be true in that which was the hardeſt thing for him to do, in parting with his only begotten out of his boſom for us. After many ages the Promiſe muſt bud and bloſſom, and bring forth the Meſſiah. We ſee here, That God is the holy one, his hatred of ſin is writ in Red Characters, in the blood and wounds of our dear Lord. His love to holineſs was ſuch, that he would ſend his own Son in the fleſh, to recover holineſs into the heart of man again. We have here Providence accurately watching over our Saviour all-along; firſt over his Genealogy, then over his birth, life, death, reſurrection: And laſtly over the iſſue of all; a Church raiſed up to ſing Hoſannah's to him for ever. Omnia plena Sacramentorum, ſaith an Ancient; Every thing in Chriſt reads us a Lecture of Divinity. He being the ſecond Adam, who brought in righteouſneſs and life unto men; we are ſure that there was a firſt, who brought in ſin and death to them. From his conception, being an extraordinary one, we may plainly gather what the Two ſtates of Nature and Grace are; By the common generation we are fleſh of fleſh, unclean creatures. By the power of the regenerating ſpirit overſhadowing our hearts, we become ſpirit of ſpirit, holy new-creatures. In his life and preaching we have miracles triumphing over nature and all the order of it; Myſteries exceeding Reaſon, and all its Acumen; and a Samplar of humility, Meekneſs, Mercy, Righteouſneſs, Holineſs, Obedience, ſuch as the Sun never ſaw. In his death we have, what the proud Socinian thinks impoſſible, Infinite Mercy, and Infinite Juſtice kiſſing and embracing each other. Mercy was ſeen, that God ſhould give his only, his dearly beloved Son for us. Juſtice was ſeen, that God ſhould exact of him, ſtanding in our ſtead, as much as would counterpoize the ſin and ſuffering of a World, in his glorious ſatisfaction. We ſee what that is, which juſtifies ſinners, and makes them ſtand before the Holy God. In his excellent example, we ſee how juſtified ones, which are myſtical parts and pieces of him, ought to walk and tread in his ſteps. Theſe things are the ſubject matter of the enſuing Diſcourſe; may all, who are called Chriſtians, ſtudy Jeſus Chriſt. The little foreign, the Reaſon of Man, is much cried up in this Age; may we much more adore the Infinite Word and Wiſdom of God. The temper of St. Bernard may be recommended to all, Si ſcribas, non ſapit mihi, niſi legero ibi Jeſum; ſi diſputes aut conferas, non ſapit mihi, niſi ſonuerit ibi Jeſus: The devout Father could not reliſh any thing but Jeſus Chriſt; may our hearts ever burn and be inflamed with love to him, in whom are hid all the treaſures of wiſdom and knowledg; may we deſire none but Chriſt: Non aliud praeter illum, non aliud tanquam illum, non aliud poſt illum; Nothing beſides him, nothing like him, nothing after him. This is the ſcope of my Book; if it profit or do good to any, it is enough, and as much as is deſired by him, who is
A Lover of Truth, Edw. Polhill. Jan. 21. 1677.