The Excellency of Christ, Title page – Dedication 2
THE EXCELLENCY OF CHRIST, OR, THE ROSE OF SHARON: Shewing THE ART OF TAKING CHRIST AS THE ONELYONLY SOVERAIGN MEDICINE OF A SIN-SICK SOVL.
ACCOMMODATED BOTH for thoſe that are without, and for thoſe that are in Chriſt,
Who are thereby inſtructed how they muſt be fitted to apply Chriſt unto themſelves.
In 25 Caſes upon that excellent Text in CANT. 2.1. I am the Roſe of Sharon.
BY CHRISTOPHER IELINGER, Miniſter of Gods Word at Stonehouſe in Devonſhire.
LONDON, Printed by I. L. for Fran. Eglesfield, and are to be ſold by William Ruſſell Bookeſeller in Plimouth, 1641.
TO THE RIGHT VVorſhipfull Maſter VVILLIAM BIRCH, Maior, together with his Brethren, and the reſt of the inhabitants of the famous town of Plymouth.
The beſt bleſsings of this life, and everlaſting bleſſedneſſe in the life to come.
THe *In hac Dominica (quae ſeptima eſt ab illa quae ſeptuagiſima vocatus) Romanus Pontifex celebraturus ad Eccleſiam pergens & rediens ab eadem, auream in manu ſub aſpectu populi fert roſam, &c. Durand. Rational D…in offi… ▪ …6 f 120Pope of Rome is wont to exhibite, and to ſhew forth once a yeer on a Lords day unto his Roman people, a certain gliſtering, and glorious Roſe to ſignifie the LORD JESUS, who in my text reſembleth himſelf to a Roſe moſt faire and fragrant.
The conſideration whereof (I confeſſe ingeniouſly) moved me not a little to think more ſeriouſly of this moſt excellent compariſon, then ever I did before; for a man (being a Miniſter) cannot but reaſon thus with himſelf: if he whom we Proteſtants judge to be againſt Chriſt take it upon him thus ſolemnly to put men in mind of the Lord Chriſt, by ſhewing unto them a Roſe emblematizing Chriſt, how much more ſhould we Evangelicall Teachers, who profeſſe our ſelves to be all for Chriſt, ſhew forth unto our Chriſtian people their Lord and Maſter Chriſt not onelyonly once a yeer, as he his Golden Roſe, but as much as poſſibly we can, by our often preaching, and publiſhing the Goſpel fo Chriſt (that moſt ſweeet and redolent Roſe of Sharon) whereby we may hope to do infinitely more good unto Gods Orthodoxe people, then he by ſhewing a Roſe artificially unto his ſuper-ſtitious Romans.
For the *Triplex autem eſt in h…c flore materia, aurum videlicet Muſcus & Balſamum. Idem fol. 121.matter of that Roſe is but,
1. Gold.
2. Musk.
3. Balſame.
But the matter of the Goſpel, (whiche he preacheth not) is *Not ſignified onelyonly but profered whereas the Popes Roſe is but ſignificant as they ſay.Chriſt himſelf the Roſe celeſtiall, which is more fragrant then Musk, and more medicinall then Balſame, as I have endeavoured to make it appear, as evidently and manifeſtly as I could in this Treatiſe, which through importunity) I have been animated to publiſh, and now am bold to tender unto you firſt, becauſe you heard me preach firſt (in your own Parochiall Temple the laſt Winter) of this moſt delicious Roſe, which is Chriſt himſelf bleſſed forever.
To ſay no more now of the ſaid Roſe it ſelf, becauſe I affect brevity in a Preface, I ſhall but crave the good bleſsing of our good God upon my poor indeavours, that they may prove as beneficiall unto you as my enlarged heawrt towards you, my moſt reſpected, kinde, and loving neighbours, doth deſire it.
Yours in Chriſt, C.J.
To my much reſpected and deerely beloved friends, The Inhabitants of the town of Stonehouſe.
Grace, Mercy, Peace and comfort from Jeſus Chriſt the moſt precious and comfortable Roſe of Sharon.
SEeing it hath pleaſed the Lord Chriſt firſt to move me to ſelect this ſubject, and to ſpend my Meditations upon it, and good Chriſtians next again and again to deſire it, while I was yet teaching of it, before I could finiſh it, that it might be copied out, and communicated unto themſelves and others, I could not well with a ſafe conſcience detaine i…. For if he that reſerves corn and will not ſpare it to thoſe that need it, be lyable to a *Prov. 11.26.curſe. I might juſtly feare leſt I alſo keeping back the ſpirituall food of the ſoul-fatting word of God, when it is thus earneſtly craved, ſhould incurre the ſame horrible danger of being accurſed. Better it was therfore and ſafer for me to expoſe my ſelf to a cenſure (which being a ſtranger and moſt inſufficient, I cannot well avoyd) then to a curſe.
And now for as much as thoſe hungry ſouls have moved me at laſt to impart it, as not daring to deny it, I could do no leſſe then expreſſe my ſingular care for you, and great love, which I beare towards you, by ſparing the ſame ſpirituall alimonie unto you in ſpeciall, and making you partners with thoſe, who were ſerved firſt, becauſe they came firſt, and heard me firſt, when I diſtributed and divided the word of truth firſt, touching that moſt ſweet and medicinall Roſe of Sharon Chriſt Ieſus bleſſed for ever.
Nor may you be offended wth me for making you partners onelyonly, and not ſole owners, for
1. You looſe nothing by that, having as much as they.
2. Beſides that ſweet Roſe, of the which I treat here, is a Roſe of the field, and not of a garden, and therefore ought not to be encloſed, as garden Roſes are and reſerved by a few, but rather as common be imparted unto many. And therefore it is my heartie vote, and the thirſting deſire of my ſoul, that not you onelyonly, and thoſe to whom I dedicate this book as joyntpartners with you, but alſo all others, that ſhall reade it, may take and own that moſt needfull and wholſome ſpirituall food, the preaching I meane of Chriſt, the ſweet Roſe of Sharon, and moſt nutritive bread of Life, who in thoſe Sermons made publike for the good of all, is profered and tendered unto all.
Your loving Friend and Miniſter, C. I.