{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_52767/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_52767","id":"gutenberg_52767","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52767","summary":null,"tags":["Bible -- Prophecies","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Second Advent"],"text":"Transcribed from the 1846 J. Hatchard and Son edition by David Price,\nemail ccx074@pglaf.org\n\n\n\n\n\n                                   THE\n                             TIME OF THE END;\n\n\n                                   OR,\n\n                    THE WORLD, THE VISIBLE CHURCH, AND\n                            THE PEOPLE OF GOD,\n                                    AT\n                         THE ADVENT OF THE LORD.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                  BY THE\n                         REV. EDWARD HOARE, A.M.\n                           CURATE OF RICHMOND.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                 LONDON:\n                          J.  HATCHARD AND SON.\n              KINGSTON: SEELEY.  RICHMOND: J. DARNILL & SON.\n\n                                  1846.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n\n\n\nBY THE SAME AUTHOR.\n\n\n                   SERMONS ON THE SCRIPTURAL PRINCIPLES\n                  OF OUR PROTESTANT CHURCH.\u2014PRICE 2_s._\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                Richmond:\n                          PRINTED BY W. OFFORD,\n                              BREWER\u2019S LANE.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n\n\n\nTO THE\nPARISHIONERS\nOF\nRICHMOND, SURREY.\n\n\nTHE following Lectures on the World, the Visible Church, and the People\nof God, contain the substance of three Sermons preached in the Advent\nseason of last year.  They were written, and even committed to the press\nwith the full expectation that our happy connexion would long remain\nunbroken.  But it has pleased God to open before me another sphere of\nlabour, which I have thought it right to undertake; and you must now\nreceive this little volume as a parting memorial from one who can never\ncease to take the deepest interest in your welfare.\n\nI should have preferred leaving with you something more characteristic of\nthe general tenour of my ministry; something containing fuller statements\nupon the grand saving doctrines of the Gospel, such as the completeness\nof the atonement, the present, free, and perfect justification of every\npoor sinner that believes in Jesus; and the new birth as wrought by the\nHoly Ghost in the soul, and invariably accompanied by the fruits of the\nSpirit in the life.  These are the truths which I hope have filled my\nsermons, and which I pray God may be written indelibly by the Holy Ghost\nupon your hearts.\n\nBut I trust the subject of this little volume may not be altogether\nill-suited to our present circumstances, inasmuch as by directing us to\nthe church\u2019s dangers, it may lead us to pray for the church\u2019s safety.  If\nthe view taken of St. Paul\u2019s prophecy be correct, we live in times of\npeculiar peril, and must be prepared for a further increase of seduction\nand apostacy within the visible church.  How earnest then should be the\nprayers of God\u2019s people, in behalf of God\u2019s ambassadors!  He alone can\nmake us able ministers of the New Testament; He alone can preserve us as\nfaithful witnesses for Christ.  I know well, brethren, that you have\nprayed habitually for me, and for that assurance I most heartily thank\nboth God and you.  And now I leave it with you as my earnest and solemn\ncharge, that you will not relax those prayers, but increase and multiply\nthem in behalf of him who is about to fill my place.  Let his hands be\nstrengthened by the believing intercessions of a faithful flock; let him\ngo into your pulpit borne up by prayer.  And may the God of all grace\nshower down both on you and him every rich blessing of his Spirit!  May\nwe hear the glad tidings of your undivided fellowship in the Gospel!  And\nmay an abundant answer be given to my unworthy though unceasing\nsupplication, \u201cthat your hearts may be comforted, being knit together in\nlove, unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the\nacknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ!\u201d\n\n                                                             EDWARD HOARE.\n\n_Richmond_,\n      _Feb._ 1846.\n\n\n\n\nLECTURE I.\n\n\n\u201cBEHOLD I come quickly,\u201d was the last promise, \u201cEven so come, Lord\nJesus,\u201d the last prayer, in Scripture.  The glorious prospect of this\nquick return was the constant joy of the Apostles and early disciples of\nour Lord.  Nor can any thing be more marked than the contrast between our\nthoughts and theirs, in reference to this important subject.  They were\nfor ever anticipating the time, and falling into error through their\neager haste for the coming kingdom; we are too prone to stave off the\nthought of it, as a thing distant and uncertain.  They could not rest\nwithout an eager inquiry as to the times and seasons of his approach; we,\non the other hand, are tempted to sit still in listless apathy, with the\neye blinded to the facts of history, with the ear deaf to the voice of\nprophecy, and so regardless of the knowledge really given us by God.\nThey lived at the outset of the church\u2019s pilgrimage, with a distance of\nat least 1,800 years between them and their joyous hope; and yet they\nmost eagerly inquired, \u201cWhen shall these things be?\u201d  We live on the very\nverge of its conclusion, with the great climax full in view; yet we go on\nas if the world were to last for ever, steeped in apathy the most\nprofound, with reference alike to the event itself and to its times.\n\nThis indifference has arisen, in some measure, from a certain vague\nexpectation of some undefined changes that are expected to precede the\nadvent.  There is a general idea afloat that there will be some notice of\nthe glorious day; and even thinking persons look for the universal\nconversion of the world before the present dispensation can be brought to\na close.  In other cases, the mind instinctively shelters itself behind\nthe sameness and uniformity in the order of society.  No man doubts that,\nat the time appointed, the sun will rise to-morrow, for the simple reason\nthat, day after day, it has risen hitherto with exact and unvarying\npunctuality.  On the same principle, the continuance of the world\u2019s order\ndeadens the expectation of a change.  Society remains unaltered in its\nleading features: pleasure, trade, and politics, retain their hold on the\npublic mind.  The father\u2019s interests engross the son; and the natural\ninference is, that things will continue to move on as heretofore, and\nthat there is little either to be hoped or dreaded in the prophetic\npromise of the Lord\u2019s return.\n\nBelievers therefore should study well those portions of prophecy which\ndescribe the state of the world preparatory to our Lord\u2019s return.  All\nwitnesses for Christ should be acquainted with the forerunners of his\ncoming.  Those who watch for him should know the signs of his appearing.\nIn studying these signs there are three great classes which naturally\ncome under review, the world, the visible church, and the chosen saints\nof God.  Into each of these, if the Lord permit, we will examine\nseparately.  And may He, who alone \u201cteacheth us to profit,\u201d so pour forth\nhis Spirit, both on the writer and the reader, that all may be \u201cled into\nthe love of God, and the patient waiting for Christ!\u201d\n\n\n\nTHE WORLD.\n\n\nIN what condition will our Lord find society at his coming?  What will be\nthe spirit of the age? and what its habits and occupations when Christ\nappears to reign?  This is our first question; and it is quite impossible\nto over-estimate its importance.\n\nI.  There will be _no stop to men\u2019s pleasures_ before the advent.  There\nwill be no startling announcement which will prevail to check the\npleasure hunters.  They will be found pursuing their giddy course just as\nat present: they will not find their souls solemnized in anticipation of\nthe great event: the nearness of the advent will not suffice to bring on\nrepentance: if they are not subdued by the cross of Christ, they will not\nbe by the prospect of his appearing.  The great machinery of God\u2019s\nprovidence will move on without their perceiving it: the signal will be\nalready given, the angelic hosts already on the wing, and the door of\ngrace already closed, before there are any such startling appearances\nbefore the world as shall arouse the mere pleasure hunter from his\ndreams.  Our Lord teaches this in Matthew, xxiv. 37\u201339.\u2014\u201cAs the days of\nNoe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For as in the\ndays that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying,\nand giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and\nknew not, until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the\ncoming of the Son of man be.\u201d  Noah\u2019s preaching was the only notice of\nthe coming flood.  The world pursued its own course until the very day\nthat the rain began to fall.  On the evening before they were feasting\njoyously, perhaps scoffingly at the toilsome labours of the man of God;\nmany doubtless laughing at the ark; when, unexpectedly, without further\nnotice, in the midst of their festivity, the storm gathered, the door was\nclosed, and the unbelieving world overwhelmed in judgment.  \u201cSo,\u201d saith\nthe Lord, \u201cshall be the coming of the Son of man.\u201d\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nII.  _Nor will there he any stop to business_.\n\nThe same passage from St. Matthew describes a state of active employment\nin the world:\u2014\u201cThen shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken,\nand the other left.  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one\nshall be taken, and the other left.\u201d (xxiv. 40, 41).  The men in the\nfield and the women at the mill represent society as engaged in their\ndaily callings.  Nor is this description confined to the unconverted\nonly; it includes both characters.  Of the two men in the field one shall\nhe taken, _i.e._ caught up to be with Christ as a believer; one shall be\nleft, _i.e._ to perish as an unbeliever in the world: of the two women\none shall be taken as a saint of God; one shall be left as a guilty\nsubject of his wrath.  The word here rendered \u201c_taken_\u201d is the same as\nwas employed by our Lord when he said \u201cI will come again and _receive_\nyou unto myself;\u201d and therefore all that are \u201ctaken\u201d are chosen saints of\nGod.  Believers, therefore, and unbelievers, will go out on that very\nmorning to their business.  The streets, as usual, will be full, the\nshops open, trade flourishing; the accountant will be found at his desk,\nthe merchant in his counting house, the tradesman in his shop, the judge\non the bench, the lawyer at the bar, the statesman in his cabinet, and\nthe children in the school.  Nor will there be any check on their\nsociety.  There will be the dinner party, the friendly intercourse of\nthose who love the things of God, and the empty frivolities of those who\nlive in pleasure.  Men will have their balls, operas, and theatres, to\nthe very last; they will dance on to the very morning of the\nresurrection.  There will be no change in the habits of society, no\nalteration in the ordinary aspect of the world; we shall be living\ntogether in social life just as at present, with business, cares, and\nsocial duties; when suddenly\u2014in a moment\u2014in the twinkling of an eye\u2014the\nwhole shall be stopped by one shrill blast of the trump of God; and some\nrejoicing, some trembling, some singing hymns of joy, and some gnashing\ntheir teeth for woe, we shall be summoned before the Son of man.\n\nThese are features in the general aspect of society, which only show that\nthere is nothing to prevent the immediate appearance of our Lord.  But\nthey do not belong exclusively to any period.  For the last eighteen\nhundred years men have been \u201ceating and drinking, marrying, and giving in\nmarriage;\u201d and, as far as these points are concerned, they may apply as\nwell to any other time as ours.  There are however other signs given,\nwhich tend rather especially to mark our own times as approaching closely\nto the latter days.  Take for example the prophecy of Daniel, which\nteaches,\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nIII.  That, just before the advent, there shall be _an increase of\nscience and travelling_.  Daniel, xii. 4.\u2014\u201cBut thou, O Daniel, shut up\nthe words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run\nto and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.\u201d  These words plainly refer\nto the latter days; not to the end itself, but to \u201cthe time of the end;\u201d\nto the last period.  Now, of this period there are two things predicted\nto the Prophet; the one religious, the other social; the religious change\nis the unsealing of the vision, or the opening of the eyes of believers\nto truths hitherto concealed in prophecy; the social change is the rapid\nprogress of travelling and science throughout the world.  It is the\nlatter of these with which we are now concerned.  At the time of the end,\ntherefore, there is to be an increase of knowledge and of men running to\nand fro on the earth.  Now, ask any common observer of mankind, one who\nlooks on life without reference to prophecy or religion; ask him what he\nthinks the most remarkable feature in the present aspect of society, and\nhe will tell you the rapid advance of science and increased facility of\ncommunication.  Just contrast the world at large, in respect of\n_travelling_, with what it was fifty years ago.  Most truly may it be\nsaid, \u201cMen are running to and fro on the earth.\u201d  The leading commercial\nfeature of the day is railway speculation; the habits of society are\nbecoming materially changed through the ease and rapidity with which we\ntravel.  Thousands and tens of thousands have now become travellers, who,\na few years since, had scarcely quitted the immediate neighbourhood of\ntheir native town.  Nor is this confined to England.  It is the same with\nAmerica, Russia, India, and the whole continent of Europe.  Look again at\n_science_, at the vast improvements in machinery, at the curious\ndiscoveries in every department of useful art, at the rapid increase of\nknowledge throughout the world.  Look again at _the connexion_ between\nthe two.  The increase of travelling is foretold by the Prophet in\nconnexion with the advance of science.  \u201cMany shall run to and fro, and\nknowledge shall be increased.\u201d  But in Daniel\u2019s day there could appear no\nsuch connexion.  The increase of knowledge could give no speed to the\nheavy motions of the camel.  This connexion is a discovery of the last\ntwenty or thirty years.  The prophecy lay dormant for twenty-four\ncenturies, when a new order of things sprang up amongst us; the connexion\nforetold in Daniel\u2019s prophecy broke in upon the minds of men of science,\nand the immediate effect has been, that increased knowledge and increased\ntravelling are going hand in hand throughout the world.  Now I do not\nmean to strain this too far, or to represent it as a sign of the\nimmediate approach of our Lord.  It may be merely the commencement of a\nnew era; \u201cthe time of the end\u201d may be only dawning upon the world.  But\nthus much we may safely say, that there has already been sufficient\nchange in these two respects to satisfy the prophecy; that; if the coming\nwere to be to-morrow, there is enough to convince the most hardened\ninfidel, that Daniel\u2019s words have received a literal, complete, and most\nremarkable, fulfilment.  In this respect, therefore, the world is ready\nfor the advent.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nIV.  There is reason to believe from the prophetic Scriptures that _the\nnations of Europe will __be the first nations of the world at the time of\nour Lord\u2019s return_.\n\nIt is curious to observe in history the rise and fall of the various\nnations which have successively occupied the foremost position in\nsociety.  Like the gleam of sunshine on the landscape, civilization and\npower have beamed for a while upon successive kingdoms, and then left\nthem to be obscured and darkened by the cloud.  Thus Babylon,\nMedo-Persia, Greece, and Rome, have successively swayed the sceptre of\nthe world.  This sceptre is now held by the European nations generally.\nThe power is perhaps greater than in any former age; but there is this\ngreat difference, that now it is possessed by no nation singly, but\ndivided amongst several.  In former days, the Roman republic was itself\nsovereign and supreme; there was no other which could pretend to rivalry.\nIt is not so now; there may be proud pretensions to national superiority;\nbut all have the advantage of unquestionable superiority over the\nuncivilized nations of Africa and the East.  Such changes are\ninexplicable on merely worldly principles: there is nothing in nature to\nexplain this rise and fall of moral light.  The student of history may\nendeavour to trace the causes of a nation\u2019s gradual decline; but, why\nthose causes themselves appeared is a question which no natural intellect\ncan solve.  The student of prophecy, however, is not left in darkness.\nHe knows not why it is that an all-wise God has so ordered it, but he\nsees in all these changes the exact completion of God\u2019s prophetic\nScriptures, and at once solves the mystery by referring the whole to the\nrevealed purpose of an all-wise and all-controlling God.  In two separate\nvisions these changes were all foretold by Daniel.  As history says there\nhave been, so prophecy foretold there should be, four ruling kingdoms in\nthe world.  We are taught this by the vision of the image and its\nexplanation in Daniel, ii. 31\u201345; and by the vision of the four beasts,\nin Dan. vii. {17}  From both we gather the same leading facts.  (1.) That\nMedo-Persia, Greece, and Rome should, in turn, succeed to the supremacy\nof empires held by Babylon at the time of the Prophet.  (2.) That the\nfourth, or Roman empire, should appear under a two-fold aspect, at first\nbeing united like the foot, but afterwards divided like the toes.  (3.)\nThat this fourth empire should be the last; that there should be no fifth\narising to supersede it; for that in the time of the ten kings, its\nsecond or divided period, should arise the kingdom of the Son of man.\nDan. ii. 44.\u2014\u201cAnd in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set\nup a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not\nbe left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all\nthese kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.\u201d  Now, as to the two first\nfacts, there is an exact correspondence between history and prophecy.  As\nwas foretold, Persia succeeded Babylon, Greece Persia, and Rome Greece.\nThe Roman power again has appeared under a two-fold form, first being\nunited under the republic and the empire, and then breaking up into the\nkingdoms of modern Europe.  The prophecy, therefore, by its two first\nfacts, brings the history of the world\u2019s kingdoms down to our own exact\nposition, and at the same time it teaches, by the third, that there can\nbe no further change before the advent.  \u201cIn the days of these kings,\u201d\n_i.e._ the European nations, \u201cshall the God of heaven set up a kingdom,\u201d\n_i.e._ the kingdom of the saints, of the Son of man in glory.  With\nreference, therefore, to the political changes of the world, we are\nliving under the last period of the last empire.  There is to be no\nfurther shifting of the seat of power: strength and civilization will be\nfound resting with Europe when the Son of man appears.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nV.  There is however one feature of society before the advent of which\nthe same cannot be said; one class of prophecies which do not yet appear\nto have received their full accomplishment, _viz._ those which predict a\n_state of war and tribulation_.\n\nWe are taught by our Lord (Matthew, xxiv. 21, 22) that the time of the\nend shall be one of peculiar distress: \u201cFor then shall be great\ntribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this\ntime, no, nor ever shall be.  And except those days should be shortened,\nthere should no flesh be saved: but for the elect\u2019s sake those days shall\nbe shortened.\u201d  The passage may have a primary and typical reference to\nthe destruction of Jerusalem; but that this reference is not exclusive\nappears plainly from _vv._ 29 & 30: \u201cImmediately after the tribulation of\nthose days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her\nlight, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the\nheavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man\nin heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they\nshall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven.\u201d  The\ntribulation of those days is here described as the last event on earth\nbefore the advent.  So again in Luke, xvii. 33:\u2014\u201cWhosoever shall seek to\nsave his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall\npreserve it.\u201d  The passage refers to \u201cthe day when the Son of man is\nrevealed,\u201d _v._ 30; and the words quoted show that the state of things\nwill be of such a character as to involve the risk of martyrdom in the\nfaithful confession of the truth.  But the words of Daniel are more\nexplicit still.  \u201cAnd at that time shall Michael stand up, the great\nprince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be\na time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to\nthat same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one\nthat shall be found written in the book.  And many of them that sleep in\nthe dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to\nshame and everlasting contempt.  And they that be wise shall shine as the\nbrightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as\nthe stars for ever and ever.  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and\nseal the book even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and\nknowledge shall be increased;\u201d Daniel, xii. 1\u20134.  There can be no doubt\nas to the time here referred to: it is determined by four indisputable\nmarks.  The final deliverance of God\u2019s chosen people; the resurrection;\nthe glory of the saints; and the title given to it, \u201cthe time of the\nend.\u201d  Nor can there be any doubt as to the fact predicted.  \u201cThere shall\nbe a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to\nthat same time.\u201d\n\nThe words of our Lord again teach us that the commencement of these\nsorrows shall be war.  \u201cAnd ye shall hear of wars, and rumours of wars:\nsee that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but\nthe end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom\nagainst kingdom: and there shall be famines and pestilences, and\nearthquakes in divers places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows;\u201d\nMatt, xxiv. 6\u20138.  So the great crisis is described in the Revelation, as\n\u201c_the battle_ of Almighty God;\u201d Rev. xvi. 14.  But we are now at peace,\nnor is there at present any open combination of the ruling powers against\nthe truth.  Believers may have their hearts grieved by the national\nsupport of error, and here and there may be the outbreak of a persecuting\nspirit; but there is nothing yet of a great tribulation, nothing\napproaching to the fiery trial foretold in Daniel\u2019s awful prophecy.  All\nthis is to come: how soon God only knows.  Persecution is now condemned,\nbut the last ten years have witnessed a wonderful political revolution in\nRome\u2019s favour; and it may be amply proved from facts as well as documents\nthat she only waits the favouring day of power, to develope her old\ncharacter, and make herself drunk in the life-blood of the saints.  We\nare still at peace: but we heard last year of the cloud in the West, who\nshall say how soon the storm may gather, and burst in a thunder-clap over\nour heads?  Europe is still at peace; but surely the mine is ready, the\ntrain is laid, and it needs but the death of one aged sovereign to\nproduce an explosion which may convulse the very foundations of society.\nThen increased science will only produce unknown horrors, nor does it\nneed any stretch of a lively imagination to foresee the onset of such\ndays as those described by our Lord, when he said, \u201cThen shall be great\ntribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this\ntime, no, nor ever shall be.\u201d\n\nFor such a period believers should be ready.  Every living man will be\nswept away by the flood, except the little, blessed, band, who have a\nfast \u201chold upon the anchor of the soul sure and stedfast, and that\nentereth into that within the veil.\u201d  Nothing then will stand but the\nstrong reality of a living union with Jesus.  Well, therefore, has the\nvoice gone forth as the precursor of the conflict, \u201cBehold I come as a\nthief.  Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he\nwalk naked, and they see his shame;\u201d Rev. xvi. 15.\n\nBut, in what attitude shall society be found?\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nVI.  According to the Scriptures, there shall be _a general indifference\nto the subject of his return_.\n\nOf course, amongst the people of God, there will be many whose hearts God\nhas led to the patient waiting for Christ.  Some, in the fervour of an\nardent hope, may carry their longings into enthusiasm; and others, in the\ncalm sobriety of a Scriptural faith, like Simeon and Anna, will abide\nwaiting for their Lord.  But such cases will be the exception.  The great\nmass of men will be altogether indifferent.  They will care no more for\nour preaching than the men before the flood did for Noah\u2019s: they will\nthink it an idle and enthusiastic tale, and utterly disregard the whole\nmatter.\n\nSome indeed will scoff at it.  They will challenge believers to the proof\nof it; they will point to the world\u2019s unbroken course, and say \u201cWhere is\nthe promise of his coming?\u201d  They will be ready to raise the sneer\nagainst the church\u2019s hopes, and only notice the blessed tidings just to\nscoff at them as idle speculation.  \u201cKnowing this first, that there shall\ncome in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and\nsaying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell\nasleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the\ncreation;\u201d 2 Pet. iii. 3 & 4.\n\nBut this scoffing spirit is not described as the general feature of\nsociety.  It requires some attention even to scoff at God\u2019s promises.\nBut the general character of the world with reference to this great\nsubject will be apathy; downright, dogged, indifference to the whole\nconcern.  Thus, in the parable of the talents, \u201cthey all slumbered and\nslept.\u201d  The wise virgins could sleep in calm peace, for they were ready;\nthe foolish virgins could slumber only in apathy, for, being unprepared,\nthey could only wake to perish.  Thus our Lord says he \u201cwill come as a\nthief in the night,\u201d when none give the thing a thought.  The watchman\nmay cry the hour, but the sleeper sleeps: he may sound the note of\nwarning, but the sleeper sleeps: the thief may be within the chamber, but\nstill he sleeps unmoved, unconscious, unprepared.  Now this is the\ndescription which our Lord gives of the world before his coming.  He\nsays, men shall be found sleeping, a few blessed servants watching, but\nthe mass sleeping, unconscious of his approach, unconcerned at his\npromises, unawakened even by the judgments that hurry on as the\nforerunners of his wrath.\n\nThe message then for the day is, \u201cAwake thou that sleepest and arise from\nthe dead, and Christ shall give thee light.\u201d  It is impossible for any\nman of common observation to be blind to the fact that the great mass of\nmen are still slumbering before God.  Quick and energetic in their\nbusiness, keen in their speculations, alive and alert as to the money\nmarket, they are profoundly insensible to the coming.  They are content\nto leave the great point unsettled.  They are hurrying before the\njudgment seat, and have not yet bowed before the cross.  They are shortly\nto stand before the judge, and for aught they know, the whole weight of\nGod\u2019s curse still hangs over their unforgiven sin.  There is no\nfellowship with a Saviour, no walking with God, no cleansing of guilt in\nthe Lamb\u2019s most precious blood, no eager wrestling with God that they may\nhave a full assurance of their name written in the book of life.  A free,\nfull, complete, salvation is now offered to them; justification and\nrestoration are promised graciously through the name of Jesus.  They are\nwarned of their danger, and invited to the Lord for safety.  Yet they\nsleep, they slumber on; and if perchance they for a while raise their\nhead to listen, it is either to scoff at the message, or to sink back\ninto a slumber more fatal, more profound.  Oh! that the Holy Ghost may\ncondescend in mercy to awake those slumberers to activity and life!  Oh!\nthat the Spirit of the living God may himself break the spell of that\nfatal apathy!  Oh! that in our beloved church we may see the fulfilment\nof the Apostle\u2019s prayer:\u2014\u201cThe Lord direct your hearts into the love of\nGod, and into the patient waiting for Christ!\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLECTURE II.\nTHE VISIBLE CHURCH.\n\n\nTHERE is nothing more beautiful than holy union.  It is beautiful in a\nfamily, beautiful in a parish, beautiful in a nation, and above all\nbeautiful in a church.  That such a union ought to exist amongst the\npeople of God on earth none can deny; that it is the joy of heaven, and\nis about to fill the coming kingdom with overflowing peace, is the happy\nconviction of every student of the Scriptures.  Nor can we be surprised\nthat men of vivid imagination and ardent minds should be powerfully\nattracted by the idea of a visible oneness in the church of Christ.\nThere is something so truly grand and heavenly in the thought of a holy\nsuccession of devoted men, combining apostolical authority with an\napostolical spirit, and handing down from age to age, untainted and\nundiminished, a complete system of apostolical truth, that it is only\nnatural for men to look with reverence on such a picture.\n\nBut, before we are caught gazing on the imagination, we are bound to\npause awhile to examine into facts; and, before we allow the mind to\nbecome unsettled in the ardent pursuit of a lovely theory, it is the\nimperative duty of all sober-minded, truth-seeking, men to look first at\nthe word of God and learn whether, in the present dispensation, there is\nany hope that the vision will be realized.\n\nTo decide this point, we have to examine into _the predicted condition of\nthe visible church of Christ_.  The question is, are we warned of a state\nof division, or are we not?  Does prophecy represent the visible church\nof the latter days as giving an undivided and unerring witness to the\ntruth; as dwelling harmoniously \u201cin the unity of the Spirit, in the bond\nof peace, and in righteousness of life,\u201d and so prepared to welcome\nChrist with a united hymn of thankful joy? or does it foretell a state of\nthings the exact opposite, _viz._ division, seduction, and vice, amongst\nprofessors?  If the former be the state predicted, we may well sink into\ndespair from its plain contrast with present facts: vice, heresy, and\nschism, are rampant in the body of baptized professors; whatever men\nthink of the cause or remedy, all are agreed as to the fact.  If the\nlatter, we may look away from present anxieties and, falling back on\nGod\u2019s revealed purpose, may learn, even from the distractions of the\nchurch, the wisdom, the knowledge, and the unfathomable counsel of its\nHead.\n\nMay God the Holy Ghost guide us into the path of truth.\n\nThere are two ways in which we might profitably pursue our investigation.\nWe might either take a wide range of Scriptural evidence, and give a\ncursory notice of many texts; or we might take one single passage and\nsift it thoroughly.  We will adopt the latter method, and confine our\nattention almost exclusively to the third and fourth chapters of the\nsecond Epistle to Timothy.  Three subjects will naturally arise in our\nexamination of this prophecy.\n\nI.  The period to which it refers.\n\nII.  The persons to whom it refers, _i.e._ whether it speaks of men\nwithin or without the visible church.\n\nIII.  The state of things which it foretells.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nI.  _The period to which the prophecy refers_ is described distinctly\n(iii. 1) as \u201cthe last days:\u201d \u201cThis know also, that in the last days\nperilous times shall come;\u201d or, as it is said, 1 Tim. iv. i., where a\nsimilar apostacy is foretold, \u201cthe latter days:\u201d \u201cNow the Spirit speaketh\nexpressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,\ngiving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.\u201d  The exact\nextent of the period expressed by \u201cthe last,\u201d or \u201clatter days,\u201d it may be\ndifficult to determine; but one thing is plain; they must reach up to the\nadvent of our Lord.  There is nothing else to follow them before his\ncoming.  They may cover a longer or shorter period, but that period is\nthe last of the present dispensation.  They may commence earlier or\nlater, but they must end with the advent.  The prophecy carries us,\ntherefore, right on to the coming of the Lord: it contains a picture of\nthe visible church as Christ shall then find it; it is not a description\nof its early days alone, the first efforts of its infancy; but rather of\nits old age, when man shall have done his all, when churches have been\nestablished, bibles circulated, and all done that can be done through\nman\u2019s instrumentality; then\u2014at the very end\u2014will the church be surprised\nin the exact condition foretold in this chapter of the Apostle.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nII.  _The persons to whom it refers_.\n\nDoes it speak of men within or without the visible church?\n\nUpon this entirely depends our present use of the prophecy.  If it is to\nbe understood as referring to the heathen world, or to those who openly\nreject the name of Jesus, it would of course throw no light on our\npresent subject.  Before we can really apply it to our argument we must\nascertain clearly that it speaks of those within, and not without the\nvisible church of professed believers.\n\nA slight reference to the words will suffice to set this point at rest.\n\n(1.)  In _v._ 5, the persons described are said to retain \u201cthe form of\ngodliness:\u201d \u201cHaving a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof;\nfrom such turn away.\u201d  There is no rejection of the outward rites of\nChristianity.  They are not like socialists, infidels, or heathen\nidolaters, persons who make no profession of a faith in Jesus, but they\nhave all the specious appearance of true religion; they are members\ntherefore of the visible church of Christ.\n\n(2.)  In _v._ 7, they plainly lay claim to \u201cthe truth:\u201d \u201cEver learning,\nand never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.\u201d  By \u201c_the truth_\u201d is\nmeant the pure truth of Christ\u2019s Gospel, the message of salvation which\nGod has given us in his word.  The study of the truth implies an outward\navowal of it.  They do not attain, but they profess a knowledge of it.\nSo also in _v._ 8, they are described as \u201creprobate concerning the\nfaith:\u201d possessed of the appearance, but devoid of the reality.  They\nlook like men of faith, but when proved by divine tests they are found\nfictitious and defective.  They are like false coin which cannot stand\nthe refiner\u2019s fire.  But all this implies profession, and it once more\nappears that the persons described belong to the visible church of\nChrist.\n\n(3.)  The same may be gathered from the Apostle\u2019s charge to Timothy, as\ngiven in _ch._ iv. 1\u20134.\u2014\u201cI charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord\nJesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and\nhis kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;\nreprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and doctrine.  For the\ntime will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their\nown lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;\nand they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned\nunto fables.\u201d\n\nThese words describe the danger as falling within the range of the\nchurch\u2019s discipline, as arising in the midst of that very body in which\nTimothy was then called to labour as a Bishop.  The church at Ephesus,\nwith Timothy at its head, was the type or representative of the church in\nthe latter days in the heart of which this evil should arise.  Nor is\nthis point unworthy of our careful observation, for it proves the\nimportant fact that we must look for error in the midst of the most\nperfect ecclesiastical arrangement.  In the church at Ephesus we see the\nchurch\u2019s order in its purest and most perfect form.  The whole was\narranged under Apostolic authority.  St. Paul himself gathered in the\nconverts, ordained the first elders, and placed the Bishop in his\ndiocese.  There was needed no long chain of questionable links to\nestablish the fact of Apostolical succession; the whole came from the\nfountain head.  The machinery of the church was perfect; the ordination,\ngovernment, and discipline were Apostolic.  Bearing in mind, therefore,\nthat Timothy was addressed as the representative of those who in the\nlatter days should fill his office, we are brought to the conclusion that\nwe must look for the great defection in the very midst of Apostolical\norder.  The most perfect ecclesiastical authority will be insufficient to\nsecure the truth.  Danger will arise not merely within the visible\nchurch, but within its purest and most Scriptural form.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nIII.  _The state of things which the words foretell_.\n\n(1.)  _A wide-spread departure from Christian morals_.  \u201cFor men shall be\nlovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers,\ndisobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,\ntruce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those\nthat are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more\nthan lovers of God;\u201d iii. 2\u20134.\n\nHow sad a picture, but how true!  It is surely drawn from what God\nforesaw in present life!  We have here a class of men sealed unto Christ\nby baptism, and, while they bear his name, dishonouring his kingdom.\nThere is no evidence that they are born again of God, no fruit of the\nSpirit, no sign of his inward guidance.  Love they have, but it is\nabsorbed by self, and become hateful.  For heavenly-mindedness, they are\ncarried on by worldly covetousness; and, instead of wrestling for God,\nthey are grasping, labouring, speculating for money.  In the pride of\nwealth and intellect they grow boastful of their successes, and blaspheme\nthe Lord who gave them.  Parents are neglected and disobeyed; and, as is\nusually the case, when the earthly parent is set at nought, the heavenly\nFather is disregarded also; for self-confidence and self-pleasing reign\nin the unthankful and unholy heart.\n\nNatural affection falls next, and the vile temper vents itself in savage\nfierceness even against the wife, the child, the brother.  Promises are\nbroken, slanderous reports are circulated, wives are neglected,\nprofligate companions are adopted; and the children of God are despised\nand scoffed at, as absurd in their peculiarities, and contemptible in\ntheir faith.\n\nGovernments again are disobeyed, political factions plot against the\nstate, dignities are evil spoken of; and, strong in their own conceit,\nheady and high-minded men regard their own intellect as their only guide,\nand their own will as their only law.  Meanwhile God is forgotten in a\nwide-spread thirst for pleasure; sabbaths are broken in pursuit of\npleasure, souls endangered, and all for pleasure.  Pleasure is the idol;\nthe phantom before which they bow; the vain idea on which they fix their\nhearts\u2019 best love.  They are \u201clovers of pleasure more than lovers of\nGod.\u201d  Such, saith the Scripture, is to be the moral character of vast\nmultitudes of professed believers in the latter days.\n\n(2.)  And now look at what may be termed their _religious_ character.\n\nWe have already remarked they will retain the form of godliness.  There\nis no open rejection of the name or the outward acts of Christianity: in\nappearance their standard is high, for it is a form of _godliness_.  But,\nwith all this, they deny its power; they do not like its soul-searching\nmessage.  They would not for the world be accounted any thing but\nserious, they are regular and attentive at the round of the church\u2019s\nservices; they welcome your words so long as you speak of the externals\nof religion; but, when you search into the real matter, the new birth by\nthe Holy Ghost; pardon through the Lamb\u2019s blood; justification freely\ngiven through his righteousness; the deep humiliation of those who live\nby grace; the weaning of the affections from the world, and the fixing\nthem unreservedly on Christ; then it is that the natural man rises up,\nand, if not by words, they will by facts deny its power.  They will live\nas much in the world as ever.  They will have the form of godliness at\nthe sacrament on Sunday, they will deny its power by their eager thirst\nafter gain and pleasure through the week.  They will approve the form\nwhen the services are reverently conducted in the church: they will deny\nthe power when called upon to cleave anew to Christ in life.\n\nAnd, even when there is not this cleaving to the world, there may be the\ndenial of its power in conjunction with the form of godliness.  Such is\nthe case when the church and its forms are made more prominent than\nChrist and his grace.  There may be the form of godliness in the\nexpression of peculiar reverence for the things of God, in frequent\nbowings, in the constant use of the epithet \u201choly,\u201d and in humble\nsubmission to the church\u2019s teaching.  But with all this there may be the\nstopping short of the power of a lively faith.  The church may be like\nthe painted window disguising the true colouring of the sun; the soul may\nbe resting on the church\u2019s ordinances rather than the cross; baptism may\nbe exalted, and the new birth by the Holy Ghost forgotten; while the mind\nbecomes so subjected to the church\u2019s teaching, that it dares not presume\nto make a fearless use of the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of\nGod.  When such is the case, we have the form of godliness without the\npower.\n\n(3.)  A third feature of the character of the church in the latter days,\nas here described by prophecy, is _an ignorance of_, _and aversion to_,\n_the truth as it is in Jesus_.\n\nIn chap. iii. _v._ 7, there is a description of future ignorance: \u201cEver\nlearning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.\u201d\n\nIn chap. iv. _vv._ 3 & 4, this ignorance is turned into actual aversion.\n\u201cFor the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but\nafter their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having\nitching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and\nshall be turned unto fables.\u201d  And this is the more remarkable if you\nobserve that the ignorance of truth does not arise from neglect.  They\nare not like persons who pass it by as a thing of no importance, who turn\naside from the whole matter; but they are \u201cever learning.\u201d  They will\nmake the thing their study, they will have many books and read them, they\nwill ransack human literature, they will be able to quote human\ntestimonies, they will strive to unravel the tangled mazes of patristic\ntheology.  And, what says the prophecy respecting their success?  They\nare \u201cnever able to come to the knowledge of the truth.\u201d  Why is this?\nHow can it be, that with all this fair form of godliness, with all this\ndeep research and learning, they are yet outstripped by some simple\ncottager who knows only his bible and his Lord?  The prophecy must again\nreply, and it shows that the defect is rather in the heart than in the\nhead; for (iv. 3) \u201cthey will not endure,\u201d they do not like, \u201csound\ndoctrine;\u201d and again (iii. 8) \u201cthey resist the truth.\u201d  Truth is\npresented and resisted, and then they will turn to fables.  They are\nblinded, because they will not see; their mind is turned unto fables;\njust because their heart has never been turned in true repentance to the\ncross.  They are exactly like those whom St. Paul describes as led astray\nby the man of sin: \u201cAnd with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in\nthem that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that\nthey might be saved.  And for this cause God shall send them strong\ndelusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned\nwho believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness;\u201d 2\nThess. ii. 10\u201312.  They have pleasure in unrighteousness, and therefore\ncannot love the truth.  The result is a strong delusion, a judicial\nblindness, an incapacity of receiving Christ.  In their latter stages\nthey really think they are conscientious; they are not hypocrites or\ninfidels, but have schooled their understanding into the belief of the\nfables to which their heart is turned.  Having begun by disliking the\ntruth, they end by believing lies.  \u201cFor this cause shall God send them\nstrong delusion, that they should believe a lie.\u201d\n\n(4.)  But there is a fourth remark from the prophecy of no small\nimportance; _viz._ this; _the apostacy will be found not merely amongst\nthe laity_, _but the clergy_, _i.e._ amongst those who exercise the\noffice of the ministry in the house of God.\n\nOrdination cannot effect regeneration.  The Bishop\u2019s hands may give the\npastor\u2019s office, but they cannot give the pastor\u2019s spirit; and thus there\nwill be amongst the clergy the same leaven of corruption that there is\namongst the flock.  Like priest, like people.  Thus you will observe in\nthe prophecy that there is to be no lack of teachers in the latter days.\nThere will be deceivers as well as the deceived, and men will \u201cheap to\nthemselves teachers, having itching ears;\u201d iv. iii.  Nor will these be\nmere upstarts rising up without legitimate ordination, for let us turn to\nthe parallel prophecy, Acts, xx. 29 & 30.  These words were addressed by\nSt. Paul to the elders of the church of Ephesus, the very men over whom\nTimothy presided as a bishop.  They are therefore closely connected with\nthe epistle, the only difference being that they are addressed to\ndifferent officers of the same church.  It is only consistent therefore\nto suppose them to relate to the same apostacy.  Nor can there be any\ndoubt as to the ecclesiastical position of the persons addressed; they\nhad authority higher even than Apostolic; for the command was given them\n\u201cTake heed unto yourselves and to the flock over the which the Holy Ghost\nhath made you overseers.\u201d  And now what says the prophecy?  It contains\nthe description of a two-fold danger, from without and from within: some\nshall arise without and break in upon the church\u2019s fold, \u201cI know this,\nthat after my departing, shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not\nsparing the flock;\u201d _v._ 29.  But others shall spring up within, in the\nvery midst of a rightly ordained ministry, corrupting the faith without\nattacking it.  \u201cAlso, of your own selves shall men arise, speaking\nperverse things, to draw away disciples after them;\u201d _v._ 30.\n\nAnd this makes the latter days so pre-eminently perilous; seduction\nwithin is vastly more dangerous than attack without.  How much more when\nit arises amongst the consecrated guardians of truth!  If the defection\nwere limited to the laity, the believer\u2019s path would be comparatively\neasy; but here lies the danger, that the truth will be resisted by the\nvery men whose sole office it is to teach it; perverted by those who are\nsolemnly entrusted with its maintenance; that there will be traitors in\nthe very heart of the camp of God; that men holding the church\u2019s orders,\nand thereby winning to themselves the church\u2019s confidence, will draw away\ndisciples after them, and, retaining their ecclesiastical position, will\nemploy its influence as the secret antagonists of the truth. {41}\n\nSuch being the predicted condition of the visible church in the latter\ndays, it remains only that we draw from the prophecy two or three\nimportant practical conclusions.\n\n(1.)  There is no Scriptural warrant for expecting infallibility in the\nvisible church.\n\nWe need not pause to examine into the frail and feeble arguments on which\nthe claim to such a gift is based, nor need we attempt to follow\ncontroversial writers in their contradictory endeavours to ascertain its\nseat.  Let that seat be what it may, whether popes alone, or councils\nalone, or councils summoned under pontifical authority, we are prepared\nto prove from the prophetic Scriptures that there are no circumstances\nwhatever under which any body of uninspired men can claim to be received\nas unerring authority by the church.  If ever there has been a necessity\nfor an infallible living voice to preserve the truth, and to cut off\nheresy by decrees, that necessity, all must admit, will be vastly\nmultiplied in the latter days.  Then there will be the false Christs\nforetold by our Lord; then the three unclean spirits will go forth to\nseduce professors; then the man of sin will be seated in the temple of\nGod, and then, if ever, the infallible decree will be needful to assert\nthe truth.  But who at such a time is to decree it?  There will be, as we\nhave shown, a body of men within the church, corrupting the truth,\nresisting the truth, turned unto fables, believing lies.  Are such\npersons to be admitted to the church\u2019s councils, or are they not?  Are\nthey, or are they not, to take a part in the decision?  If they are,\nthere is too much reason to fear it would be vitiated by their fables,\nthat the dead fly would cause to stink the apothecary\u2019s ointment.  But,\nif not, how are they to be excluded?  By what tests is the council to be\npurified?  They will all retain the form of godliness; they will appear\nwith all the weight of ecclesiastical position, and apostolical\nordination; there will be nothing wanting in the regularity of their\norders, the validity of their sacraments, or the apparent godliness of\ntheir life; they will subscribe to any forms, and sign any articles; nor\nwill there be any visible, tangible, criterion, by which they can be\nexcluded from the church\u2019s ministry or council chamber; but yet, if\nadmitted, they will draw away disciples after them, and by speaking\nperverse things will vitiate every decision in which they are permitted\nto take a part.\n\nThe prophetic Scriptures, therefore, are in perfect harmony with the\nremainder of the bible and lead us like it to the one infallible rule of\nfaith, the written word of the living God.  To this St. Paul directed\nTimothy; for, after having foretold the seductive errors about to arise\nand advance within the church, he leads him to the bible as the only sure\nresting place, and says, \u201cAnd that from a child thou hast known the holy\nScriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith\nwhich is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,\nand is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for\ninstruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect,\nthroughly furnished unto all good works;\u201d _vv._ 15\u201317.  He seems here to\nplace the infallibility of the word in direct contrast to the fallibility\nof men.  In the course of his prophecy he has shown that amongst those\nwho retain the form of godliness there will spring up many who deny its\npower; but then, turning to the written word, he says, \u201c_All_ Scripture\nis given by inspiration of God;\u201d every sentence is infallible, every word\ninspired.  On this alone is there any sure footing for those that would\nstand the shock of the latter days.  If they lean on tradition, on\ncouncils, on popes, or even on devoted ministers whose characters they\nrevere, and whose ministry they have found a blessing to their souls,\nthey are leaning after all on man, on man who may fail them at the very\ncrisis of their peril; but, when they draw truth from the fountain of\ntruth, they may receive it with unreserved reliance, for God himself has\ngiven it, and declared by the Holy Ghost that it \u201cis able to make us wise\nunto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.\u201d\n\n(2.)  The people of God should not be shaken in their faith by the\ndangers which they observe within the church.\n\nIn saying this, it is not intended to under-rate the deep anxiety of the\ntimes in which we live.  On the contrary, we believe the conflict now\nrising amongst professors to be one of so vast a moment as to have been\nthe subject of prophetic warning no less than eighteen hundred years ago.\nBut, at the same time men should not be soon shaken in mind or troubled.\nOur faith should rather be confirmed than weakened; for, as the\nfulfilment of each prophecy gives additional strength to our confidence\nin the prophet, so the rise of each new danger within the visible church\nshould only add to our unshaken reliance on the divine authority, and\nunaltered infallibility of the word.  If the guide through some unknown\ncountry were to warn us at the outset of our journey that, as we\napproached the close, we should find the path narrow, the bye-ways many,\nand the guides divided, we might feel distressed when his words were\nverified, but each new danger would increase our confidence in his\nguidance.  So it is with the church.  The path is narrow, the journey\ndifficult and dangerous, but we must remember that the Guide told us of\nit at the outset, and the one result should be that we trust him more\nunreservedly, and lean with more peaceful security on his word.  This is\nthe use which our Lord himself has taught us to make of rising dangers.\nFor mark his words: \u201cWhen these things begin to come to pass, then look\nup, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh;\u201d Luke, xxi.\n28.  Believers are not to look down in discouragement, but to look up in\nhope.  They are to take courage and be cheered on to fresh victories;\nthey are to rejoice in the unfailing character of the word, and\nwitnessing the progress of predicted dangers, are to look joyfully for\npredicted joys; they are to regard these fearful times as forerunners of\ntheir coming glory, and, fear being absorbed in hope, are to watch in\njoyful expectation for their crowning blessedness at the advent of their\nLord.\n\n(3.)  How precious are the promises of a Saviour\u2019s preserving grace!\n\nIt has been shown that the latter days will be days of peril, that there\nwill spring up seducing teachers even in the very heart of Christianity\nin its purest form, that no articles or ecclesiastical system can avail\nto prevent their rise and progress, and that no human tests can separate\nthe reality from the form of godliness.  As these latter days approach,\nwe are bound to apprehend these spiritual perils for ourselves and our\nlittle ones; we must expect our sons and daughters, as they grow up into\nthe world, to be attacked by this deadly pestilence, and, unless\npreserved by grace, blighted and withered ere the lovely bloom be formed.\nIn perilous times we live; for perilous times we are training our\nfamilies.  Oh! the blessedness of those precious promises which assure us\nthat he will keep his own children to the end!  Oh! the peace of being\nable to fall back upon those gracious words, \u201cI give unto them eternal\nlife, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out\nof my hand!\u201d  Keeping to them we need not tremble at the subtle and\nskilful combination with which the enemy leads on his mighty hosts\nagainst the truth; nor need we shrink from the struggle in the deep\nconsciousness of weakness, insufficiency, and ignorance.  No!  Believers!\nye are in the right hand of the Lord; ye are purchased by the blood of\nJesus, and loved with an everlasting love; ye are under the sacred\nteaching of the Holy Ghost, and by him called, preserved, taught, and\nsanctified; ye must therefore be content to cast away all earthly\ndependencies, to cease from every arm of flesh, to throw yourselves\nwithout either reserve or doubt on Him who has redeemed you by his blood;\nresting on his word as alone infallible, and abiding in his grace as the\none and all-sufficient source of life, strength, peace, and holiness.\n\u201cOf him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and\nrighteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.\u201d\n\n\n\n\nLECTURE III.\nTHE PEOPLE OF GOD.\n\n\nIN considering the state of the world as foretold in prophecy preparatory\nto the advent of our blessed Lord, we have been led thus far to much\nmatter of a distressing character; we have had to draw the picture of a\nbusy world steeped in apathy, and a professing church full of apostacy;\nthe prospect has in very truth been fearful, gloomy, and disheartening;\nbut we are now to turn to brighter topics, and draw our thoughts to the\nbeloved family of God\u2019s faithful children, to the little band of\njustified believers, to those that are new born of God, to the blessed\nchurch of God\u2019s elect: we are to examine prophecy respecting them; we are\nto search into their character, joys, and sorrows; and to gather from the\ntestimony of the Spirit the condition in which they will be found at the\nadvent of our Lord.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nI.  They will be found _scattered throughout society_.\n\nOur Lord prayed for his people, \u201cnot that they should be taken out of the\nworld, but that they should be kept from the evil;\u201d and we are never to\nexpect to find them externally separate from the surrounding world.  They\nwill not be gathered together in separate states and villages; there will\nnot be one village of unbelievers and another of believers; but there\nwill be some of both classes every where.  The tares will grow with the\nwheat, and the wheat with the tares.  This appears very plainly from the\nprophecy of our Lord already referred to; \u201cI tell you, In that night\nthere shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other\nshall be left.  Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be\ntaken, and the other left.  Two men shall be in the field; the one shall\nbe taken, and the other left;\u201d Luke, xvii. 34\u201336.  This passage describes\nthe separation of God\u2019s children from the world, or the gathering in of\nGod\u2019s elect; and the point which at present we would particularly observe\nis this, that up to the very crisis they are together in society, in the\nsame bed, the same shop, the same field; there is no visible separation,\nno drawing off from the duties of common life; all are together to the\nvery night of the advent.\n\nII.  And we may remark, secondly, that the saints of God will not be\n_distinguished by any ecclesiastical system_.\n\nThere is a natural craving in the human mind for something tangible and\nvisible.  Hence the origin of idolatry; men want to see the object of\ntheir worship, and so create for themselves an image.  Hence also the\ncraving after that which God has declared impossible, a visible church\nfree from error; an outward form inseparable from inward grace; a pure,\nholy, spotless framework, which, excluding all others, shall embrace in\nits system the whole of God\u2019s elect.  But this second fiction is quite as\nimpossible as the first, and there is no more expectation of seeing God\u2019s\nelect embodied in a form than of seeing God himself represented in an\nimage. {51}  God\u2019s children are a scattered family; scattered not merely\nas to place but as to discipline.  In saying this we do not undervalue a\nScriptural discipline, or regard episcopacy as a thing which may be set\naside at pleasure: as we find it in the bible we give thanks also that we\nfind it in our church.  But what we mean is this, that God\u2019s grace is not\ntied down to ecclesiastical machinery; that a true church cannot command\nit, a defective church cannot exclude it.  None can bind the life-giving\npower of the Spirit.\n\nThus all the descriptions of the saints of God in the latter days\ndescribe them not by outward form, but by inward grace; the\ndistinguishing features are always spiritual, never ecclesiastical; they\nrefer to character, not discipline.  For example: \u201cHear the word of the\nLord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that\ncast you out for my name\u2019s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he\nshall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed;\u201d Isaiah, lxvi. 5.\nThere can be no doubt as to the date of this prophecy; it plainly carries\nus right up to the advent.  \u201cHe shall appear to your joy.\u201d  Nor can there\nbe any doubt again as to the persons addressed in it; they are the\nblessed company of the saved in distinction to the miserable multitude of\nthe lost.  \u201cHe shall appear to your joy.\u201d  And now how are they\ndescribed?  He does not say \u201cHear ye the word of the Lord, ye that are\ncorrect in your ecclesiastical arrangements; ye whose ministers are\npossessed of Apostolical succession;\u201d nor \u201cye that are in communion with\nthe Pope of Rome;\u201d but \u201cye that tremble at his word.\u201d  Whoever therefore\nreceives in faith the promises of the bible; whoever is brought by God\u2019s\nSpirit blessing those promises to believe on Jesus, whoever he be, and\nwherever he be, whether he be churchman, dissenter, or even Romanist,\nthat man is safe, and the Lord Jesus \u201cshall appear for his joy.\u201d {53}\n\nIt is just the same in the book of Revelation.  In that remarkable\nprophecy we have repeated mention of the saints in direct contrast with\nthe apostacy of the latter days: we have in several passages their\nportrait clearly drawn, as if to leave no doubt as to their character\nwhen that last peril should gather around the faith.  Now this\ndescription is always of a spiritual character.  The seed of the woman\nare those \u201cwhich keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of\nJesus Christ;\u201d xii. 17.  \u201cHere is the patience of the saints; here are\nthey that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus;\u201d xiv. 12.\n\u201cThese shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them:\nfor he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him\nare called, and chosen, and faithful;\u201d xvii. 14.  In all these passages\nthere is not one word of outward form, they refer exclusively to inward\nlife.\n\nBut still more.  A corrupt church _cannot exclude divine grace_; for we\nhave in this book a full description of the great apostacy which is to\nswallow up all other heresies in the latter days.  In chap. xvii. and\nxviii. it is described under the name of \u201cBabylon.\u201d  There is, we know, a\ndifference of opinion as to the application of this prophecy.  It may be\nan open question whether or not it applies to Rome.  But on one thing all\nare agreed\u2014that it is a description of a tremendous ecclesiastical\napostacy which will be destroyed at the advent of the Lord.  Now chapter\nxviii, gives a description of its fall,\u2014a fall predicted in immediate\nconnexion with the advent: \u201cAnd he cried mightily with a strong voice,\nsaying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the\nhabitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of\nevery unclean and hateful bird;\u201d _v._ 2.  And the remarkable point is\nthis, that even in Babylon, just at the period of her fall, there shall\nbe found scattered a little band of the chosen saints of God; for what\nsaith the angels cry?  \u201cCome out of her, my people, that ye be not\npartakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues;\u201d _v._ 4.\nEven there, and even then, will be some of the chosen people of the Lord.\n\nBut, on the other hand, a _pure church cannot secure divine grace_.  A\nScriptural liturgy, and Scriptural articles, cannot secure a Scriptural\npeople.  There will be weeds in the garden, as well as flowers in the\nwaste.  This appears very plainly from the parable of the virgins.  There\ncan be no doubt of the reference of this parable to the visible church\nbefore the advent.  It is a description of those who professed to be\nwaiting for the bridegroom.  Now we see in the ten virgins a perfect\noneness of ecclesiastical form.  There was no visible difference between\nthe foolish and the wise.  They were watching together; they professed\nallegiance to the same bridegroom; they had the same vessels, and the\nsame lamps; the passer by could have seen no difference: the distinction\nwas within, not without; and because the oil was wanting to the foolish,\nthe bridegroom said, \u201cI never knew you.\u201d\n\nWe are brought therefore to the conclusion that the saints of God will\nnot be distinguished by ecclesiastical system.  There will be nothing in\nthem which the world can see, except it be the fruit of the Spirit.\nThere will be no outward form, which can stamp them certainly as the\nelect of God.  They will be knit to Christ by a living union, but the tie\nwill be invisible.  They will have the Father\u2019s name written on the\nforehead, but no mortal eye can discern the character.  They will be\nsealed by the seal of the Spirit, but there will be nothing external to\nenable man to pronounce with certainty upon their safety.\n\nAnd how solemn are the thoughts involved in this sacred truth!  We have\nalready found that there will be no distinction in society, that in the\nsame family, in the same trade, in the same shop, nay even in the same\nbed, one shall be taken and the other left.  But this carries us farther\nstill, and shows that there will be the same separation even in the same\nchurch.  Two persons will come together to the same building, join in the\nsame outward worship, make use of the same liturgy, sing the same\npraises, hear the same chapters, listen to and perhaps approve the same\nsermons, and kneel side by side at the same communion.  Man will discern\nno outward difference.  And so Christ will find them at his coming.  They\nwill \u201cboth grow together until the harvest.\u201d  Then and not till then will\nGod separate his children.  Then will it appear that the one has been a\nfollower of the Lamb, the other of the world; the one born again of God,\nthe other unregenerate; the one justified, the other damned; and all\nbecause the one was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the other had\nthe form of godliness, but rested there, and was without its power.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nIII.  They will stand out _as witnesses for Christ_ in the midst of\ngeneral declension.  The ship at anchor will remain unmoved while all\naround it are drifted down the tide: and this is the position in which\nChrist will find his chosen people: they will hold fast anchored in\nChrist, while all around them are drifted off from God.  We have already\ncalled your attention to the great apostacy foretold within the visible\nchurch, and we have only now to remark its widespread influence and\neffect.  This is described by our Lord: \u201cAnd many false prophets shall\narise, and shall deceive many.  And because iniquity shall abound, the\nlove of many shall wax cold.  But he that shall endure unto the end, the\nsame shall be saved;\u201d Matthew, xxiv. 11\u201313.  These words foretell a\nperiod of abounding error, abounding sin, and abounding departure from\nthe Lord: abounding error; \u201cAnd many false prophets shall arise, and\nshall deceive many:\u201d abounding sin; \u201cbecause iniquity shall abound:\u201d and\nabounding departure from the Lord; \u201cthe love of many shall wax cold.\u201d\nThe chill shall reach even those whose hearts once seemed warm.  Nor\nshall any stand but the heirs of God\u2019s salvation.  \u201cHe that shall endure\nunto the end the same shall be saved.\u201d  All mere professors are here\ndescribed as fallen; all mere hereditary Christians fallen; all\nChristians by expediency fallen; all who have rested in ecclesiastical,\narchitectural, and ornamental Christianity fallen; all those who have had\nthe form without the power\u2014fallen; all fallen but the little band of\nthose faithful men whose names are written in the Lamb\u2019s book of life.\nThey will then stand out as the rock, when the storm has washed away the\nsand that covered it; unshaken, immovable, and only made conspicuous by\nthe tempest.  Or as the evergreen; still verdant, still beautiful, when\nthe winter\u2019s frost has stripped the neighbouring plants whose short-lived\nbeauty seemed far more brilliant under the summer\u2019s sun; so will they\nabide in the winter time of the church\u2019s history; their life untouched,\nfor it consists in a union with their Lord; their beauty undiminished,\nfor it is His unfading likeness impressed by the Holy Ghost upon their\nheart.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nIV.  A fourth remark follows at once from this position of the saints as\nwitnesses in the midst of general declension, _viz._ this: they will be\n_unsupported by the arm of flesh_.  When all except the true saints have\ndeclined from the faith, it stands to reason that those saints will be\nleft unsupported by the world\u2019s influence.  This appears also very\nplainly from our Lord\u2019s prophecy: \u201cThen shall they deliver you up to be\nafflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for\nmy name\u2019s sake;\u201d Matthew, xxiv. 9.  Political influence will then be\nagainst the truth.  \u201cYe shall be hated of all _nations_.\u201d  There will be\na national opposition to true godliness, as there ought to be a national\nsupport of it.  We must be prepared therefore to see all national and\npolitical influence thrown boldly into the scale of error: we shall be\ntaught by the sins of those in power not to lean on the arm of flesh, to\ncease from man, to rest simply upon Christ and Christ alone.  Then God\u2019s\nredeemed will find no help from statesmen, but draw all their help from\nChrist.  They will be forced to cleave to those precious promises, \u201cI am\nwith you always even unto the end of the world;\u201d \u201cThe gates of hell shall\nnot prevail against you;\u201d \u201cFear not, little flock, it is your Father\u2019s\ngood pleasure to give you the kingdom.\u201d  Their union with him will be\nevery day more and more precious; their thirsting after him more and more\nintense; his word, his grace, his presence, his love, will be the\nstrength of their hope, the subject of their discourse, the one source of\ntheir joy; and, forsaken by all other, they will cleave only unto him\ntill the blessed day when as the King of kings he shall come forth for\ntheir joy and glory.\n\n                                * * * * *\n\nV.  And this leads us to a fifth and last feature in the description of\nthe saints.  They will be _waiting and watching for the coming of the\nLord_.\n\nIt is sometimes thought enthusiastic to be speaking much of the second\ncoming of the Lord.  Unfulfilled prophecy is thought difficult, and it is\nbetter, say many, to dwell exclusively upon the more certain narratives\nof the past.  But not so the Scriptures.  They describe believers as\nwaiting, watching, and ardently expecting the blessed period of their\nSaviour\u2019s glory.  For example, in 1 Thess. v. 4, expectation of the\nadvent is the distinguishing characteristic of the people of God: \u201cBut ye\nbrethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a\nthief.\u201d  To the world at large it should come as a thief in the night; it\nwould find them unexpecting, unprepared; but not so to the saints.  They\nwould be on the look out; the world\u2019s night would be their day; the\nworld\u2019s darkness their light; the world might see nothing, but they would\nsee Christ.  \u201cYe brethren are not in darkness, that that day should\novertake _you_ as a thief.\u201d\n\nAnd it is very important in this respect to observe the contrast between\nthe children of God and the surrounding world.  With reference to the\nadvent apathy, we have already seen, is to be the leading feature of\nsociety.  Men will be unconscious and regardless of its approach.  But\nwith reference to the world\u2019s progress, even they shall be alarmed.  They\nwill be aroused, but not by the hope of Jesus.  For look at the\ndescription: \u201cMen\u2019s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after\nthose things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven\nshall be shaken;\u201d Luke, xxi. 26.  These words describe an undefined sense\nof something coming; a general expectation of some approaching crisis; a\nfeeling of wonder as to what will happen next; a breaking up of former\nconfidence, and a fearful looking after those things which are coming on\nthe earth.  Such will be the mind of those who look at things on merely\nworldly grounds.  But now observe the contrasted character of the\nchildren of God.  \u201cWhen these things begin to come to pass, then look up,\nand lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh;\u201d _v._ 28.  Like\nthe men of the world, they look for an approaching crisis, but as men of\nfaith they look beyond it.  Like the world they observe the gathering\nstorm; but as believers they fix their eye on Him who governs it.  They\nwill study history with their bibles in their hands; they will see in\neach passing change fresh landmarks, fresh signs of their Lord\u2019s\napproach.  In the sound of war and the advance of error they will hear as\nit were the distant footsteps of their coming Lord.  Prophecies will\nbecome clearer and clearer to their view, the book being unsealed\naccording to the words of Daniel, because \u201cthe time of the end\u201d is come.\nFacts will become interpreters, and difficulties be cleared up by the\nfulfilment of the prophecies; the signs of the advent will become\nintelligible in history; so that when He comes he will find his servants\nwatching; looking up and lifting up their heads; waiting patiently, yet\nlonging ardently; and ready to welcome their reigning King with the words\nlong since provided for them by the Prophet.  \u201cLo, this is our God; we\nhave waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have\nwaited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.\u201d\n\nBelievers! ye must be found thus waiting, thus watching.  Time is\nhurrying on; but the men of this world still sleep in apathy.  The voice\nof the watchman fails in rousing them; the signs of the times are\nneglected and despised by them.  But it must not be so with the saints of\nGod.  Ye must be listening for his coming footstep; watching and keeping\nyour garments in the midst of seducing error and abounding sin.  As the\nchosen of God, ye must be standing forth for truth; as witnesses for\nChrist, ye must exalt the sovereignty of the word and of the Lamb; as\ncitizens of the New Jerusalem, ye must be strangers and pilgrims upon\nearth.  Oh! may God grant us all grace that we may be found faithful!\nMay He hold us in his own right hand, and so make us more than conquerors\nover sin and error!  May He take, under his especial care our wives, our\nchildren; our brethren, our dear friends, with the whole multitude of his\nscattered church!  May He himself keep them and us in these dangerous\ndays! that so, at his coming, both they and we may be found amongst the\nblessed company of God\u2019s faithful saints, and, beholding Christ in his\nglory may be made like him through the omnipotence of his grace!\n\n                                * * * * *\n\n                                 THE END.\n\n\n\n\nFOOTNOTES.\n\n\n{17}  For the investigation of these prophecies, see Newton on the\nProphecies, or Birks on the First Two Visions of Daniel.\n\n{41}  Hence it appears that defect in many of the church\u2019s ministers does\nnot justify separation from its communion.  The Scriptures teach us\nplainly that such defect must be expected when the form and discipline\nare of the most perfect character.\n\n{51}  Is not this a fundamental error in the proposed Evangelical\nAlliance?  It is a human scheme for the incorporation of God\u2019s elect.\n\n{53}  It is sometimes argued from these principles that believers are at\nliberty to disregard ecclesiastical distinctions; and, if justification\nwere the only object which the Christian has in view, there might be some\nfoundation for the conclusion.  But the justified believer is living for\na further and higher end, _viz._ a perfect conformity to the whole mind\nand will of God, and this latter is the standard to which all practical\nquestions should be referred.  In such cases the question is not \u201cHow\ndoes it affect my justification?\u201d but, \u201cIs it agreeable to God\u2019s will?\nand will it promote his glory?\u201d  Thus the importance of a Scriptural\nchurch discipline is not in the least affected by the principle that\ngrace may prevail without it; nor is dissent necessarily justifiable\nbecause the dissenter may be justified.  All believers are not always\nright in all things.  Early education, early prejudice, or the sad\ndefects and blemishes, which are too often seen in the human acting out\nof Scriptural principles, may serve to warp both the judgment and the\nwill even of the child of God.  Thus it is that a man may be safe in his\nunion with Christ, and yet wrong in his want of union with the Episcopal\nchurch.  Thus also we may regard such an one as a brother in Christ,\nwhile we are bound to protest against what we believe unscriptural in the\nsystem of his ministry.","title":"The Time of the End: or, the World, the Visible Church, and the People of God at the Advent of the Lord","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":13311}