As for the garnishing of these Foundations, it is, and will be at the day of1 New Jerusalem, twofold; and the first is with beautiful Gifts and Grace: Thus was the Apostles of old adorned, and thus shall their Doctrine again be garnished. I know that the Doctrine of the twelve hath been always accompanied with goodly Gifts and Grace, from the first Churches quite down, that is, according to the measure of light they appeared in, ⟨p. 161⟩and according to the dispensations of God in the times of Antichrist. But yet the glory that this Doctrine had in these latter days, I mean since the Apostasy, it was nothing in comparison of the glory and splendour that will be in them in the day when this City is builded and complete; Wherefore you find, that though all-along in Antichrist's reign, the Gospel of Grace hath shone, and given light to the Saints and People of God in all their travels and afflictions; yet the shining of it at that day was much2 opposed and eclipsed by the smoke of the bottomless-pit: as he saith, There arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace, and the Sun and the Air was darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit, Rev. 9. 2. In which days, I say, abundance of the light, heat, and operation of the Gospel, was diminished and taken off, so that but little of the power or glory of it, hath been either felt, or seen from that time to this very day. This is that God spake of by the Prophet Amos, saying, I will cause the Sun to go down at noon, and will darken the Earth in the clear day; and I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; ⟨p. 162⟩and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. (All which he explaineth in the next words, for) Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will send a Famine in the Land, not a Famine of Bread, or of thirst for Water, but of hearing the Words of the Lord; and they shall wander from Sea to Sea, and from the 3North even to the East; they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In those days Eli's sons4 were become Varlots. Indeed there was here and there a little child, like Samuel in his minority, that now and then would speak most goodly things. But the Word of the Lord was precious in those 5days, there was no open Vision.
As for the garnishing of these Foundations, it is, and will be at the day of1 New Jerusalem, twofold; and the first is with beautiful Gifts and Grace: Thus was the Apostles of old adorned, and thus shall their Doctrine again be garnished. I know that the Doctrine of the twelve hath been alwayes accompanied with goodly Gifts and Grace, from the first Churches quite down, that is, according to the measure of light they appeared in, ⟨p. 161⟩and according to the dispensations of God in the times of Antichrist. But yet the glory that this Doctrine had in these latter dayes, I mean since the Apostacy, it was nothing in comparison of the glory and splendor that will be in them in the day when this City is builded and compleat; Wherefore you find, that though all-along in Antichrist's reign, the Gospel of Grace hath shone, and given light to the Saints and People of God in all their travels and afflictions; yet the shining of it at that day was much2 opposed and eclipsed by the smoak of the bottomless-pit: as he saith, There arose a smoak out of the pit, as the smoak of a great furnace, and the Sun and the Air was darkened by reason of the smoak of the pit, Rev. 9. 2. In which dayes, I say, abundance of the light, heat, and operation of the Gospel, was diminished and taken off, so that but little of the power or glory of it, hath been either felt, or seen from that time to this very day. This is that God spake of by the Prophet Amos, saying, I will cause the Sun to go down at noon, and will darken the Earth in the clear day; and I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; ⟨p. 162⟩and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only son, and the end thereof as a bitter day. (All which he explaineth in the next words, for) Behold the dayes come, saith the Lord, that I will send a Famine in the Land, not a Famine of Bread, or of thirst for Water, but of hearing the Words of the Lord; and they shall wander from Sea to Sea, and from the 3North even to the East; they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In those dayes Eli's sons4 were become Varlots. Indeed there was here and there a little child, like Samuel in his minority, that now and then would speak most goodly things. But the Word of the Lord was precious in those
- 1The Glory of the Foundations twofold.
- 2The Gospel darkened by the smoke of Antichrist.The Gospel darkned by the smoak of Antichrist.
- 3Amos 9. 10, 11, 12.
- 41 Sam. 2. 12, 13, 14, 15.
- 5& 3. 1.
