and sincere spirit, that without guile I may stick unto thy testimonies, and doe what is acceptable in thy sight. Naturally I am full of falshood and guile, oh thou that art the God of truth, who at the first didst create me after thine Image, make me every day more and more like unto thy self in true holinesse and righteousnesse. Then shall I be true indeed, when Christ the giver of truth dwelleth in my heart: Lord strengthen my faith, that being knit unto Christ the way, the truth, and the life more and more, I may partake of his fulnesse, grace for grace.
C h a p. I.
Of the New Testament or Covenant, and how God hath revealed himself therein.
IN Scriptures NewIn omnibus linguis penè id novum dicitur, quod aliis succedit: ut novus rex,
novus maritus. Exod. 1.8.
Sept. ἕτερος
Aq. & Theod. καίνος
Act. 7.18. is put for admirable, unusuall, not before heard of; as Jer. 31. 22. The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth. Isai 42. 9. Behold, the former things are come to passe, and new things doe I declare. Isai. 48. 6. I have shewed thee new things. And for necessary, noble, illustrious, excellent to admiration or astonishment; as new doctrine, Mark 1. 27. is wonderfull, excellent doctrine; a new Commandement, Joh. 13. 34. that is, a necessary and excellent Commandement; new wine, Matth. 26. 29. that is, wine, which by reason of its excellency is had in admiration. And so we reade, a new Name, Rev. 2. 17. Isai. 62. 2. and my new name, Rev. 3. 12. and a new song,Follio est ipse facit nova carmina Virg. Eccl. (i.) magna & miranda. Serd. Psal. 33. 1. (which by some is interpreted an excellent song) and a new work, or a new thing, Isai. 43. 19. Behold, I will doe a new thing. The Apostle John saith, I write no new Commandement unto you, 1 Joh. 2: 7. but that hinders not the former interpretation of the word new; because it is usuall with that Apostle, to use the same word in divers manners. That is said to be new also, which is another or divers from that which was before Christ came into the world, or which was granted to no former age of the world, but to these last times only: as 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are made new. And so a new song, is a song, wherein the name of God is celebrated for some new and admirable benefit of deliverance by the comming of Christ; as Isa. 42. 10.Sing
