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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01676	Questions and disputations concerning the Holy Scripture wherein are contained, briefe, faithfull and sound expositions of the most difficult and hardest places: approued by the testimony of the Scriptures themselues; fully correspondent to the analogie of faith, and the consent of the Church of God; conferred with the iudgement of the fathers of the Church, and interpreters of the Scripture, nevv and old. Wherein also the euerlasting truth of the word of God, is freed from the errors and slaunders of atheists, papists, philosophers, and all heretikes. The first part of the first tome. By Nicholas Gibbens, minister and preacher of the word of God.	Gibbons, Nicholas.	1601 (1601)	STC 11814; ESTC S103122	726,660	618

QVESTIONS AND DISPVTATIONS CONCERNING THE HOLY SCRIPTVRE WHEREIN ARE CONtained briefe faithfull and sound expositions of the most difficult and hardest places APPROVED BY THE TESTIMONY OF the Scriptures themselues fully correspondent to the analogie of faith and the consent of the Church of God conferred with the iudgement of the Fathers of the Church and interpreters of the Scripture nevv and old Wherein also the euerlasting truth of the word of God is freed from the errors and slaunders of Atheists Papists Philosophers and all Heretikes The first part of the first Tome By NICHOLAS GIBBENS Minister and Preacher of the word of God IOSHVA 1.8 Let not the booke of the Lavv depart out of thy mouth but meditate therein day and night that thou maist obserue and doe according to all that is vvritten therein for then shalt thou make thy vvay prosperous and then shalt thou haue good successe IOHN 7.17 Jf any man vvill doe his vvill he shall knovv of the doctrine vvhether it be of God or vvhether J speake of my selfe AT LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON 1601. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD MY VERY HONOVRABLE GOOD LORD TOBIAH by the mercifulnesse of God Bishop of Dirham c. THe sacred Scriptures as you know right Reuerend they are the brests of the Church of God the foode of the faithfull the oracles of God the bequeath and Testament of Iesus Christ By them the Children of the Church thorough hearing reading and meditation in them receiue that sincere and holsome nourishment whereby they growe from children to be perfect men in Christ By them the godly receiue direction in euery enterprise for they are as faithfull counsailours to teach vs wisdome so that where men are blind thorough naturall corruption they are the lanterne whereby to see the light where men for sinne despaire of mercie they teach with confidence to rest on God where men are presumptuous to feare his iustice where men delight in sinne they teach the punishment and how to auoide the danger of the same And as they doe thus declare the truth so also by the light thereof they discouer error and are profitable to improue and to correct that the man of God may be absolute and perfect to all good workes By them our blessed Sauiour Iesus Christ taking on him our nature that in our nature he might appease his fathers wrath for our transgressions and might furnish vs with the merite of his righteousnesse whereby being restored to be the sonnes of God we might be partakers in his kingdome hath left his will and Testament recorded by which the infallible truth of God thorough the blood of Christ is sealed vp and men may know assuredly for as much as they know that God who hath promised is true and cannot lye themselues to be inheritours of immortall glorie so many as indeuour stedfastlie to keepe the conditions of the couenant I will be their God saith he and they shall be my people Wherefore as on the one part we haue infinite cause to magnifie the mercie of the Lord for this inestimable treasure of his holy word so on the other side of intolerable griefe and lamentation considering the negligence of men to imbrace this benefite whereby it commeth to passe that not onely so many thousand soules of men doe daily decay and perish but euen our enemies reproch our religion and blaspheme the Lord thorough our securitie that hauing the word of God before vs we neglect it and are not amended in our liues Whereunto we cannot but confesse for our sinnes doe testifie vnto our face that we are not for the greatest part of better conuersation then are the Heathen which know not God and that many euen among vs which seemed and were esteemed to be religious haue also almost forgotten their former loue The reason whereof is not strange vnto your Lordship nor vnto any that is godly prudent For the word of God hath not this priuiledge that whosoeuer toucheth the outward hem thereof shall fully be cured of his disease But as our corporall meate returneth not to nourishment vnlesse euery member of concoction performe his dutie Euen so this spirituall foode vnlesse it be seene with the eye heard with the eare confessed with the mouth beleeued with the heart it yeeldeth not that sappe or iuice that men may grow thereby Neuerthelesse as the lightning thorough his sudden brightnes awaketh those that are heauie with sleepe and forceth their eyes to behold the cleerenes of the same euen so the Gospell at the suddaine appearing thereof in this our land allured all with her perfect beautie yet many became offended at the light delighting in darknes more then light because their deedes were euill and many became like the stonie ground whose hearts are hardened and will not yeeld obedience many also who mixe it with couetousnesse vaineglorie and voluptuousnesse of life but not with faith heare it and receiue it and outwardly professe it but yet are choaked among the thornes Neither can it be but many should beholde it and few regarde it many receiue it and many fall away for many saith our Sauiour are called by it but few are chosen by the Lord. Now albeit the highest cause of things remaine in the secret counsaile of the will of God yet the outward meanes vndoubtedly of this distresse are plaine and easie to be discerned and ought of all men to be considered One is that darnell and tares haue growne vp together with the wheate which being sowne before in vnhappie seedes of vnholsome doctrine haue been permitted by the Lord himselfe to growe together that they that are approoued might be knowne Another is that this vine of God is not in this world so carefullie regarded but that briers and thornes corrupted manners and profane impietie doe make it for the most part to bring forth either sower or small grapes The third and principall is negligent respect of the will of God reuealed in the Scriptures whereby it commeth to passe that men haue not their hearts prepared to receiue it when they heare it neither can so easilie be grounded in the faith by the preaching of the word because they search not by reading and conference of Scripture whether the doctrine taught them be so in deede and carrie that equall waight in the balance of Gods sanctuarie but while it is sowne in them as in the streete that euill one commeth and stealeth both the practise and remembrance out of their heart There are many who to excuse this negligence pretend discouragement through the hardnes of the Scriptures which notwithstanding the Lord hath giuen to be euen instruction and sharpnes of wit vnto the simple Wherein also we doe confesse that the Scriptures of God in diuers respects are hard and difficult Namely hard to them that despise them and will not vnderstand hard to be vnderstoode of the naturall man without the eye-salue of the spirit of grace Hard in some points of

the occasion was d It appeareth by Tertullian lib. de Idololatria August de ciuitat lib. 15. cap. 23. Pet. Mart. in Gen. 6. moued perhaps somewhat by the authoritie of the Iewes a booke of Apocrypha or secret Scripture falslie intituled by the name of Henoch his Prophesie vnto which they gaue reuerence as to the holie Scripture because the Apostle Iude e Iud. vers 14. affirmeth he did Prophesie notwithstanding hee nameth neither booke nor writing of Henoch neither is it of necessitie that we should thinke although we denie f August de ciuitat lib. 15. cap. 23. Notwithstanding that that prophesie which hath gone vnder Enoches name was written by Enoch we vtterly deny because it is apparandie countersaite it not that he wrote his Prophesie for the same spirit of Prophesie that was in Iude being g 1. Pet. 3.19 1. Cor. 12.11 the same that was before in Henoch could not but know the certaine summe and contents thereof Neither is it a new inuention of the Iewes and Heretikes to entitle their owne workes h Hieron Epist. ad Laetam Caueat omnia apocrypha et si quando ea non ad dogmatum veritatem sed ad signorum reuerentiam legere voluerit sciat ●●on eorum esse quocum titulis praenotantur multáque hi● admixta vitiosa grandis est prudentiae aurum in lui● quarere August Tracta in Ioh. 98. Idem contra Faustum lib. 22. c. 79. Innocentius 1. Epist. Decret 3. Leo Magn. epistol Decret 91. cap. 14. Curandum ergo vt falsati codices à syncera veritate discordes in nullo vsu lectionis habeantur c. to another more famous or religious authour such is the power of Sathan in his instruments to make them labour without hope of praise and such is his subtiltie and malice i Hieron commentar in Isai cap. 64. De quibus verè dici potest quod sedeat diabolus in infidijs cum diuitibus in Apocryphis vt interficiat innocentem Insidiatur enim in Apocryphis quasi Leo in spelunca sua Leo Magn. epist. 91. cap. 15. Apocryphae autem scripturae quae sub nominibus apostolorum multarum habent seminarium falsitatum non solum interdicenda sed etiam penitus auferendae sunt atque ignibus conc●emandae vnder colour of names of holie men to seduce Gods people But as the authoritie of this counterfeit authour is nothing worth so on the other side the truth of the Lord in holie Scripture is the k Psalm 19.7 Isai 8.19.20 Clem. Alexan. Strom. 7. onelie help and fullie is it sufficient to ouerthrow this errour By the daughters of men is meant as l Tertul. lib. de virgin v●land Cum filias hominum dicit manifestè virgines pertendit al confesse wicked women or the daughters of the wicked Therefore also by the sonnes of God such as were of the house and familie of God and godlie Parents Moreouer they tooke them wiues and continued in the state of wedlocke Lastlie they were m Vers 3. 13. flesh with whom the Lord was angrie whom he destroyed in his anger what were they els therefore but perfect n Not medioxumi or mungrels halfe men halfe diuels as is reported that Castor was and Hercules and Radamanthus Festus Pomp. in verb. mediusfidius Item Seruim in Virgil. Aenead lib. 8. Lactant. libr. 2. cap 15. Quia neque angeli neque homines fuerunt sed mediam naturam tenuerunt A Scripturis absonum Item Eugubin Steucus de Perenni Philosop libr. 6. cap. 32. men Wherefore these sonnes of God were flesh indeed and o Philip. 3.19 Origen in Psalm 38. Si terrena sapias terrena loquaris thesaurus tuus cor tuum in terra sit terreni carnis imaginem portas fleshlie minded such as chose rather to forsake the worship of God then the fulfilling of their foolish lust fixed on the fading beautie p De huiusmodi hominum procreatione quasi de scripturia hausisset ceciuit Orpheus libr. 8. Sacri Sermonis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. Nomine coelicolas illos dixere gigantes orti quod terra fuerint sanguine coeli binc Graecis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à terra geniti i. ab impijs mulieribus filijs Dei scilices hominibus recte à parentibus institutis of wicked women Here hath the Church of God a goodlie warning That all those to whom religion is of care do take heed q Deut. 7.3 2. King 8.18 of ioyning in societie of marriage with Infidels Atheists or Idolaters The example is manifest the sonnes of God that is such men of the posteritie of Seth as had beene r Chrysost Hom. in Gen. 22. Et viderunt filij Dei qui à Seth Enos progeniti trained vp in true religion saw the daughters of men of ſ Cyril Alexan. in Iulian. lib. 9. Certè in Noae tomporibus filij Dei hoc est qui ex sanguine Enos filias hominum id est cas qua ex sanguine Cain c. Caine and Lamech other of the wicked Idolaters tyrannous Atheists that they were faire as the daughter of the Philistim t Iudg. 14.3.7 was in the eyes of Sampson they u They did not by violence rauish whomesoeuer as the Iewes affirme but they took themselues wiues so the word signifieth of whom soeuer they thought beautifull the word beareth shew of no violence but rather wantonnesse chose them wiues of all that liked them that is had not regard how religion might be hindred but how their affections might be satisfied by which meanes the knowledge of God decayed religion was extinguished sinne increased and the fearefull wrath of God was brought vpon their heads Now although this example be knowne vnto vs and their destruction x 1. Cor. 10.11 written to admonish vs although the word of God y Exod. 34.6 Deut. 7.3 doe carefullie forbid this sin and seuerelie threaten z Malac. 2.11 those that practise it yet how often is it seene in this our age that godlie Christian Protestants in shew and countenance doe ioyne in marriage for beautie wealth or honour sake with Atheists with Libertines with Papists and doe take the daughter of a straunge God Yea that which is the greatest shame such Parents wil oftentimes prouoke their children to match rather with a Cicero Offic. lib. ● Themistocles cum consuleretur vtrum hono viro pauperi an minus probato diuitifiliam collocaret Ego verò inquit malo virtum qui pecunia egeat quàm pecuniam quae viro riches then with godlines Some doe pretend herein that they may conuert a sinner But the Lord saith the wicked by marriage b Deut. 7.4 will peruert the righteous Surelie c 1. King 11.2 they will turne away thy heart The proofe whereof we haue beside this example in the d Iudg. 3.6 nation of Israel in e Iudg.