Of Justification By Faith, Title page – To the Christian Reader
VINDICIAE FIDEI, OR A TREATISE OF IVSTIFICATION BY Faith, wherein that point is fully cleared, and vindicated from the cauils of it's aduersaries. Deliuered in certaine Lectures at Magdalen Hall in Oxford, By William Pemble, Master of Arts of the same house: And now published since his death for the publique benefit.
PHILIP. 3. 9. —And he found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousnesse which is of God by faith.
OXFORD Printed by IOHN LICHFIELD and WILLIAM TVRNER, for Edward Forrest. 1625.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL MASTER DOCTOR WILKINSON Principall of Magdalen Hall: The Masters, Batchelours, and other Students of that flourishing Societie.
SIRS
CVstome hath made dedication of bookes almost as common, as Printing of them: and Wisdome directs there to dedicate, where we owe either respect, or thankes: this worke therefore is yours by right, the Author thereof (who is now with God) vndertaking it at your request, and performing it amongst you for your good, so that now to bestow it vponupon you is not a gift, but retribution: and I hope, it will both stirre you vp to be carefull to continue fit men to stand vp in his place, and remaine to his successours as a patterne of imitation, if it be too high for aemulation. To commend this Authour to you, were to bring Owles to Athens, and for me to commend the worke, would not adde much worth to it: I know nothing can disparage it, vnlesse it be a naked Margent: but you and all that will be pleased to take notice of his yeares, and great abilities in all humane learning, wil confesse he could not hauehave time to reade many Fathers, and so that defect may be easily pardoned. For he had fully finished sixe lusters of yeares, yet had hee throughly traced the circle of the Arts, and attained to an eminency, not only in those ordinary Sciences, wherein all Schollers hauehave some smattering, but euen in those sublimer speculations of which all are not capable, few search after: For hee was export in the Mathematickes both mixt, and pure: his skill in Histories was also praise-worthy: sometime he spent (and not without successe) in trauailing to learne … and much trauaile in the study of our home-taught tongues, that he had worth to lai…e beene Professour …, or H…brew: all which indowments, as they … afterwards hauehave enabled him to read with much profit, so could they not chuse but preuent younger yeares from reading at all the ancient Fathers, so it was not want, but abundance of learning, that tooke vp his time, and preuented his Margent, and therefore I hope shall not disparage this worke. The first weapon young Fencers learne to vse is single sword, when they are masters of that, they inlarge their skill; our Author was but yong, let it not preiudice him, that he first vses onelyonly the sword of the Spirit, the word of God; especially sith that is so dextrously weelded, that by it alone he hath deadly wounded the Romish Leuiathan: Therefore (as in my knowledge▪ these Lectures were heard with much applause, so doe I perswade my selfe, they wil be read with great approbation, and occasion the publishing of other Lectures, and priuate labours, wherein hee tooke no lesse paines, nor deserued lesse praise, then in his publike indeauours. So hoping that you will accept this small paines of mine, I take my leaue, and rest
From Tewkeisbury this 9th of Iuly. 1625. Yours: willing to doe you greater, though not more acceptable seruice, IOHN GEREE.
To the Christian Reader.
GEntle Reader, this Treatise was neither finished nor polished by the Author: He left it with mee when hee died, to bee dealt with as cause should require; vponupon perusall, I found it fit for the time, so full of lif… so sound & cleere in proofe, that in my conceit it will doe much good: and here thou hast it, as he left it. The argument is of all, indifference betwixt vsus and Papists the chiefest, no controuersie more disputed, and lesse agreed vponupon then this. Christ and his bloud is the maine cause of our spirituall peace; Papists and others diuide with him, and take something to themselues: the spirituall pride that is in the heart of man, would faine hauehave a finger in the work of saluation, of other controuersies betwixt vsus & the other party: some befor the Popes Kitchin, some for the Popes crowne, but this of our Iustification, toucheth the life of Grace to the quicke, breeds more in our flesh then any, and th…se sicknesses are most dangerous, that come from within. It is a fundamentall case, wherein to faile, takes away the essence of a Christian: Wherefore sith there is now such need to hauehave the world confirmed in this truth of God, I thought good to send this booke abroad, wherein this is put out of question to any man of a single eie; that we are not iustified by any thing wee any thing we can doe or suffer.
Many write bookes, and confute them themselues when they hauehave done; but this our Author what hee wrote, he beleeued; for being to die, he confirmed this Truth, in a discoursefull of life and power, and professed to take his last vponupon it, that it was the very truth of God. Wee reade that some learned Papists, when they are to giuegive vp the ghost, disclaime their owne merits, and would faine finde all in Christ alone: but this our Author did it before sundry, with that life, and feeling, … cleare apprehension of the louelove of God in his Sonne, that such is heard him, and loued him well and long, could not well tel, whether they should weepe, or reioice; weepe, to see a friend die, reioyce to see him die so. Good Reader, learne this holy instruction out of this booke: that we are not to be found in our owne righteousnes at all, and beleeue it; thou shalt hauehave as he had, peace passing all vnderstanding, in life, and in death, for being iustified by saith (not by workes) we hauehave peace with God saith Saint Paul. If any ingenuous learned Papist would vndertake to answer this booke, me thinkes I might prophecy that as Vergeziꝰ (Bishop of Capo d' Istria, and Nuncio to Clement the seuenth, and Paul the third) reading Luther, to answere Luther, was conuerted, and had his soule saued. And as Pighius, tho of a peeuish Spirit enough, yet reading Caluin, to confute Caluin, was in the very doctrine of Iustification confuted himselfe, and wrote with vsus. So I say, would a modest Papist read this booke to reply vntounto it, he could not but see the truth, and yeeld vntounto it. For tho many have done excellently in this argument, yet to speake my opinion freely, at least for perspicuitie, this surpasseth them all. Farewell.
Thine in Christ, Rich. Capel.