"unawares, who deny the only Lord God, and "our Lord Jesus Christ." And to encourage them in the pious work, he briefly reminds them of the dreadful judgments which had been in past times, and which would hereafter be inflicted on the ungodly at the day of judgment; and then passes to a description of the sinful state of the world in the last time." evidently meaning from the context*, that period of time which should precede the COMING OF CHRIST and the FIRST RESURRECTION. In his epistle †, he says, "Beloved, remember ye not the words which "were spoken before of the Apostles of our "Lord Jesus Christ? how that they told you, "there should be mockers in the last time, who "should walk after their ungodly lusts. These "be they who separate themselves, sensual, bav

ing not the spirit." Now what did the Apostle mean by "mockers" of " the last time ?" He could not mean common mockers, who ridicule men for the sake of sport, for such mockers must have been common in all ages of the world: but mockers, who should make a mockery and ridicule of God and his revealed word; for this was the only subject of his epistle. Nor could he allude to a few men only, because there were in his time some ungodly men, who had even "crept "unawares" into the church; who denied the "Lord God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." He must then mean, that there should be a powerful multitude, or whole nations of mockers" in the

* Verse 14. 15.

† Verse 17, 18, 19.

last time;" so as to render it" perilous" to the believers in the word of God, in all parts of the world, according to St. Paul's prediction, already explained. And that they might know the time when these "mockers" should come, he gives two other distinct marks. This host of mockers are to "walk after their own lusts;" that is, they are to live without any law or restraint; without any rule of thought, word, or action, except the unlimited gratification of their appetites and passions; utterly regardless of the dictates of reason, the rebukes of conscience, or the light of the revealed word of GOD.

Again, they are to form themselves into one great carnal body of men;" or, to use the words of the text, they are to separate themselves sensual" the meaning of which is, that, having been before united to the christian world, they now shall separate themselves from it, and become an associated body, ignominiously distinguishable from all other bodies of men, by the depravity of their principles, and their extreme sensuality, and by "not having the spirit" of truth. Thus the Apostle has given three great and discriminating signs of "the last time:" 1st, That there shall then come mockers of the word of God: 2dly, That they shall form themselves into one great society, separate from the moral and christian world: and, 3dly, That this society shall be eminently remarkable in the world for their sensuality, and a disregard of ALL TRUTH: The candid reader will now judge, whether all these marks do not unequivocally apply to the

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French republic, and its numerous adherents, spread over so large a part of the earth. They are all mockers" of the word of God, and in the most open and flagrant manner have denied his existence they have "separated themselves" not only from all the believers in that word, but from all sects, and even nations, who believe in a God: they have deified liberty as the great god of their only idolatry, which is to proclaim to the world, that they hold themselves free from all law, all restraint, and rule of action whatever; on the contrary, that they are at full liberty to follow the dictates of their own corrupt and sensual wills; equally regardless of religion, private virtue, and public faith; and "being past feeling, "have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness *."

3. But St. Peter gives us signs of "the last days," which, if possible, are yet more singularly characteristic of the present times, than either St. Paul or St. Jude. After having, in his first and second epistle, treated briefly, but very comprebensively, of the word and grace of God, and the salvation offered to mankind through the first coming, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he proceeds, in the third chapter of the latter, to the second coming of Christ to reign upon earth, and finally to "judge the quick and the dead." The time of this second and final advent, the Apostle calls "THE DAY OF THE LORD," which shall come as a thief in the night, in the which

*Eph. iv. 19.

"the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, "and the elements shall melt with fervent "heat; the earth also, and the works that are "therein, shall be burned up*." But previously to his reminding the church of this awful closing scene, he treats, in the same chapter, of " the last days," or last period of time, which should precede the second coming of Christ, and the first resurrection. "For, says het, knowing this, "first there shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own ungodly lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for "since the fathers fell asleep, all things remain "as they were, from the beginning of the crea"tion. For this they are willingly ignorant of, "that by the word of God, the heavens were of "old, and the earth standing out of the water and "in the water; whereby the world that then was,

being overflowed with water, perished. But the "heavens and the earth, which are now, are kept " in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judg"ment and perdition of the ungodly." Paraphrase these six verses according to the tenor of the two epistles, and what is their evident sense but this? Knowing, as ye do, "the words and doctrines of the Prophets and Apostlest," that Christ 'shall come, and the dead shall be raised, let me ' remind you, that " first," and in the last days, 'just before his coming," there shall arise scoffers, walking after their own lusts;" scoffers 'who shall treat with ridicule and contempt the 'coming of Christ, and the resurrection of the

* 2 Pet. iii, 10.

† 2 Pet. iii. 2, 7.

‡ 2 Pet. iii. 2.

dead; saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? where is the resurrection of the just, who are to reign with him upon earth? These events are promised in your Scriptures, by the mouth of your God, and yet we see nothing of them!" On the contrary, ever" since 'the fathers fell asleep"; ever since the death of Adam, Noah, &c. we find "that all things 'continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." And therefore we are satisfied that your Redeemer never will appear again, that the dead never will rise, and that the world and all things in it will continue for ever as they are.'

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And is it not a truth of the most extensive notoriety, that the atheistical revolutionists of France have made the whole word of God, as well as the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead, the unceasing theme of their ridicule and contempt, in profane publications of every size and description, and even in their theatres; and to give an unreserved national sanction to the mockery, did not the Convention, attended by an innumerable host of atheists, abjure Christ, and deny the existence of God? To heighten their scoffing and contempt for the ever-living God and his holy word, did they not create an image, honour and address it as their only supreme God, burn incense upon its altar, and worship it; and moreover (I tremble in repeating it) tie the two Testaments to the tail of an ass (in diabolical derision of the manner in which Christ rode into Jerusalem,) and, dragging them through