2 Tim. iii. 1.

This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come.

It is nearly 1800 years since our blessed Lord declared to his Apostle, “Behold I come quickly.” It, therefore, well becomes his children to be watching the signs of his appearing, and to be studying with intense interest the records which he has given for the guidance and warning of his people. It is not presumption, but sober faith, thus to inquire into God’s prophetic word. The Book of Revelations was written [71a] “to show unto God’s servants things which must shortly come to pass;” and our Lord himself has directed us to observe the appointed signs, to compare and check them with advancing history, and when we shall see all these things come to pass, to know that the day is near, even at the doors. [71b]

We purpose, then, to close our present course by carefully examining into God’s description of the state of the church in the latter days.

We sometimes hear the expression of sanguine and happy hopes that the Gospel will so prevail throughout the world as to leave no place either for heresy in religion, or for viciousness in life; that there will arrive a time before the coming of our blessed Lord, when men will witness the fulfilment of the prophecy “that righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.” Yet the smallest glance at the prophetic Scriptures is sufficient to show that there is no warrant for such bright anticipations there. Again and again does God declares that the days immediately proceeding Christ’s coming shall be days of especial darkness both to the world and to the church. “Upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear; and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” [72]

With this description the language of our text is in close and complete accordance. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

Let us, then, endeavour to profit by the word of warning, and examine

I. The perils of the latter days;

II. The character and security of the saints of God.

I. The perils of the latter days.(1.) There will be perils from the world without. We have already learned from the language of our blessed Lord that there will be “distress of nations with perplexity, men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” We are told in St. Mark [73] that there shall be “wars and rumours of wars,” that “nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be earthquakes in divers places; and there shall be famines and troubles; these are the beginning of sorrows.” It is of course impossible but that the people of God should be deeply affected by this awful convulsion of the moral atmosphere of the world. When there is a universal earthquake in society, all must feel the shock; when the storm bursts around us, all must be more or less affected by the crash.

(2.) We must, therefore, reckon this coming convulsion of society as one of the leading causes of the peculiar perils of the latter days. But there are plain intimations in the Word of God that the chief source of peril is to be found within the visible church itself. An enemy within the citadel is always more dangerous than an enemy without; and such an enemy is plainly predicted in the Bible. Our text describes not the opposition of infidelity, but the corruption of Christianity; and draws our thoughts not to the conflicting powers of the world, but to the degenerate principles of the church. “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitorous, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” There is nothing here of wars or rumours of wars, of the array of earthly monarchs against the cross; the danger here predicted is found within the body of professors, and consists in a wide spread, deep-rooted apostacy from the faith. Nor does this apostacy lead to the open and avowed rejection of the Gospel. Would that it did! The apostate body retains its visible profession, and parades its high-sounding name of Christianity, for (verse 5) it has “a form of godliness,” while it denies its power. Though ignorant of the truth, these false professors do not professedly reject it, for they are “ever learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Thus are they reprobate concerning the faith. To be reprobate implies appearance, pretension, profession. Tin is not reprobate unless it be passed as silver, nor the infidel reprobate unless he assume the name of Christianity. The reprobate persons, therefore, described in our text must retain their place amongst professors, they must have the form of godliness, the bright appearance of some precious metal, yet when tested and tried by the Word of God, must be found to be a base coinage, reprobate concerning the faith.

From these remarks it must be plain to all that the peculiar peril of the latter day consists in the corruption of Christianity by a body of men who all the while retain its form; of men who, with a high-sounding profession, resist the truth as it is in Jesus. The same appears with no less distinctness in 1 Tim. iv. 1–3, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” There can be no doubt that in both passages the Holy Spirit is warning us of the same danger; for in both the leading features are the same. The evil springs up not without the church to resist, but within the church to corrupt it. The deadly plant has its root in the garden of the Lord. “Some shall depart from the faith.” There is no rejection of the visible profession of the Gospel, for the description given applies not to infidelity but to degeneracy; it is a departure from the faith, not from the name of Christianity. “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats.” So the influence exerted is on Christian brethren, for they seek to bind the yoke around the neck of those which “believe and know the truth.”

These two passages are enough to show that the apostacy of professors, and not the assault of infidels, is the great source of peril in the latter days. But there is one further passage which we cannot pass unnoticed, namely, 2 Thess. ii. 3–11. [76a] In verse 3 we are plainly told that before the day of Christ shall come there must be a falling away, a revealing of the man of sin, the son of perdition. “Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” The connexion of the passage with those just considered appears more distinctly in the Greek than in the English, where the sentence stands. “Except there come the [76b] falling away,” the expression “the” connecting it plainly with the other prophecies of the Bible, and the general expectation of the Church. The connexion also with the latter days of the world’s history is proved distinctly by the fact that the man of sin is to be destroyed by the brightness of our Lord’s return, “whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming.” We may, therefore, regard this chapter as giving an account of the same apostacy as that alluded to in the other texts. And now mark its character. It springs up in the church itself. Apostacy means departure or decline, and therefore, as we remarked in the text from Timothy, it is not an infidel power rising up against us to attack, but a degenerate power growing up in the midst of us to corrupt. As it springs up within the church so does it retain its place there. “It sits in the temple of God.” The church of God is often spoken of as a temple, as in 1 Cor. iii. 16, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?” [77] And to sit in the temple of God implies that it occupies the seat, retains the name, and assumes the sanctity of the church of God. So again the words, “Sheweth himself that he is God,” point not to the infidel but to the professor, to one usurping, not attacking the sovereignty of Jehovah. The man of sin does not deny God’s existence, but usurps God’s authority. But when thus seated in the temple of God he is guilty of most awful sin. He sets himself above God; he displays himself as though he were God; he “shows himself that he is God;” he assumes God’s attributes; he lays claim to the powers and even titles of Jehovah. The elements of this apostacy were at work even in the days of the apostle. The seed was even then sown, the deadly leaven was already fermenting in the church. “The mystery of iniquity doth already work.” The time, however, was not yet come for the revealing or manifestation of his character and power. There was a certain restraining force which then kept him in. But this force was not to last for ever, for he “that letteth should be taken away, and then should that wicked be revealed.” This restraining force has always been explained as that of the Roman empire. The early church never questioned it, and it is a fact stated on good authority, and worthy of the deepest consideration, that the primitive Christians used to pray in their public worship for the preservation of the empire of pagan Rome, because they were persuaded from this prophecy, that when it fell the man of sin should be established on its ruins. But there is one other feature in this man of sin to be most carefully noted by the church. It does not refer to any single individual, but to a long series of apostate professors. It has been thought by some that the man of sin will be some single individual; one glance, however, at the passage will suffice to show that it must refer to a long series of successors. The whole period between the date of the epistle and the final coming of our blessed Lord is divided in the prophecy between “him that letteth” [78] and “the man of sin.” He that letteth then existed, and would continue till the man of sin took his place. The man of sin again would retain his place till the Lord Jesus appeared in glory. The two together, therefore, occupy a period of almost 1800 years. They cannot, therefore, both be individuals. One at least must represent a series of successors. But the two expressions are equally personal. “He that letteth” (? ?at????) is a form of expression quite as personal as “the man of sin.” It would be inconsistent therefore to say that one represents a series, and the other an individual. They must be both successions or both individuals. The latter supposition we have already shown to be impossible, the former we firmly believe to be the truth.

The apostacy, therefore, is not a sudden and passing outbreak of corruption just in advance of the advent of our Lord, but a deep-rooted, long-existing, departure from the faith, handed down from age to age, and spreading its baneful influence from the breaking up of the Roman empire to its final destruction at the coming of the Lord in glory. Now it is plain that the existence of such a body must render the latter days indeed perilous to the saints of God. It possesses every influence of every worldly kind; the influence of secular power, rising up as the successor to the empire of Rome; the authority of ecclesiastical position, sitting in the temple of God; the cunning of deep seductiveness, being itself the mystery of iniquity; the association of long-continued influence, spreading on from century to century; with the direct support of Satan himself, “for his coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders.” [80] Such is the apostacy against which the saints of God are called to take their stand, and with reference to which it is predicted by the Spirit that “in the last days perilous times shall come.”

But where are we to look for this apostacy? It is described in prophecy: can it be traced in history? It is predicted in the word: can it be found in fact? Is the man of sin yet seated in the temple of God? I should not be a faithful servant of my God, if I did not express my deep conviction that this most perilous apostacy is the Papal system of the Church of Rome. For mark the close correspondence between the words of the prophecy, and the facts of history. The man of sin, according to the prophecy, was to spring up in the bosom of the church itself. Who shall deny that this is the case with the Romish popedom? The man of sin was to sit in the temple of God. The Pope of Rome declares himself that he sits as Christ’s vicar in the chair of Peter, and sways the sceptre of universal dominion in the church. The man of sin represents a long succession, maintaining the same principles, and heading the same apostacy from the truth: the exact counterpart of the popes of Rome.

The history of the man of sin is marked by three important dates. His principles were working secretly in the days of the apostles. He would be revealed or made manifest at the breaking up of the Roman empire. He would be destroyed at the coming of our blessed Lord. The two first of these dates exactly tally with the history of the Romish popedom. From many passages in the Epistles it may be gathered that its principles were working secretly when the apostles wrote them. [81] As the empire declined the Bishop of Rome rose in power, till at length, when the Emperor was taken out of the way, the Bishop stepped into his place, asserted himself to be Christ’s vicar, and pronounced himself Lord of all the authorities of the known world. The words therefore can allude to no later heresy at some future time to arise within the church, for the mystery was already working, and the public development was to take place when the Roman empire was destroyed. Of course the third date cannot yet be tried by history. It may serve, however, to fix the prophecy on the Church of Rome, for it proves that it can refer to none of the early heresies in the church; they have long since vanished, and cannot be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s appearing. The history of the Church of Rome then exactly tallies with the prophecy, and nothing else can. But what shall we say of the awful assumption predicted of the man of sin? Can that be charged on the Romish popedom? It saith, “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped.” With sorrow of heart we are compelled to acknowledge that we fear it is one of the marked features of his character. See how he has dared to tamper with the commands of God himself. I have myself seen a catechism, in which the second commandment is actually struck out of the decalogue of God. Why is it, again, that none of the laity in the Church of Rome receive the cup in the Sacrament of the Lord’s supper? Our Lord himself plainly commanded it. He even made the command more expressive for the cup than for the bread, saying, “Drink ye all of this;” yet Rome says to all her laity, “Drink ye none of this.” What is this but to exalt himself above the Saviour, and with a bold hand to set aside the plain command of God himself? And look again at the doctrine of transubstantiation. You will remember the passages quoted last Sunday from the Councils. They taught that the priest could make [83] Christ the Son of God, could shut him in a casket, could carry him in a procession, could sacrifice him for sin. What is this but to exalt himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped? But the prophecy adds, “Sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself that he is God.” This may refer to the assumption either of God’s attributes or titles. The claim of infallibility, universal dominion, and the power of absolute forgiveness is nothing less than a usurpation of the attributes of God. But he has dared also to assume the titles, yea the very title of God himself. When the Lateran Council was held at Rome, and Pope Leo sat enthroned in the Lateran church, which claimed to be the mother church of universal Christendom, when he thus sat in the temple of God surrounded by its assembled representatives, the public orator, Marcellus, had the daring boldness to give utterance to the words, “Thou art our shepherd, our physician, in short, a second God in the world.” [84] “Sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” Did ever portrait more completely represent the person?

We conclude then that the Church of Rome is the great apostacy, the peculiar danger which makes the latter days so pre-eminently perilous. But we have not yet done with the consideration of their danger, for we are taught,

(3) That there will be a peculiar power of seduction immediately preceding the advent of our Lord. All the prophecies to which we have to-day alluded agree in showing that the great apostacy would be marked throughout its course by a mysterious power of seducing souls. But there are plain intimations in the word of God, that this power will be put forth in the latter days with an energy both multiplied and quickened. Nor is this a point of trivial importance; for you often hear it urged that we are too enlightened in this nineteenth century to be again ensnared by the superstitious principles of Rome. The rapid progress of scientific knowledge is thought a sufficient antidote against the seductions of those who would pervert the truth. Now such opinions will not stand for a moment the test of Scripture; for the Holy Ghost declares expressly that at the very time when science shall have reached its height, and when human intelligence shall have gained the very climax of its perfection, (I mean at the time just preceding the advent of our Lord,) that at that very crisis there shall be an unparalleled spirit of delusion in vigorous activity throughout the Church. Our Lord himself has prepared us for such a fact. [85] “For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect.” And the Spirit of God has expressly revealed it in Rev. xvi. 13–15. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth, and the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” I cannot now attempt a comment on these remarkable words, but only just observe two things respecting them.

(1) They allude to a period closely preceding the winding up of the world’s history: there are seven vials, and these spirits appear under the sixth; when the seventh is poured out, the words are uttered, “It is done.” [86a]

(2) They represent this period as a time of peculiar delusion throughout the world. The other vials all speak of war, suffering, and bloodshed: under the sixth there is a hush, like the hush of peace; its leading feature is delusion; delusion varied in all its forms, for there are three spirits; devilish in its origin, for they are the spirits of devils; prevailing in its influence, for it will throw its seductive power over the rulers of the world, and so sway the minds of states, that they will be, as it were, spell-bound, and lend their influence to the direct support of the antagonist of God. “They go forth to the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, and gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” [86b] I am not now intending to occupy your time by comparing this prophecy with history; my object is to bring home to each of you the fact, the one simple and most startling fact, that a spirit of strong delusion will peculiarly mark the latter days. The church is not to sit still in calm security, as though her warfare were accomplished, and her crown won at the Reformation. The great struggle is to be at last, the unclean spirits are to come forth at last; the sifting and searching days are to be at last. The nearer we approach to the advent, the greater the need of watchfulness; the farther the world advances, the more cautious heed should we pay to the warning voice of our Saviour; “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”

There is, therefore, abundant reason to believe that in the last days perilous times shall occur, it behoves us then to look most carefully into the second division of our subject.

II. The character and security of the people of God.

Nor is it enough for us to rest in any general description, as for example, in the fact that they are called, sealed, written in the book of life; we want such a description of their character as shall place them in contrast with the apostacy of the age in which they live. Such a description we may reasonably look for in the book of Revelation. The fullest account is there given of the apostacy; so there we should look for the clearest description of the contrasted saints. Now there is one sentence in that sacred book, which may supply us with the exact description we require, and which appears to point to two leading signs as distinguishing the character of the saints of God, viz. their submission to the word of God, and their simple faith in Christ himself. I allude to the language of the Holy Ghost in Rev. xiv. 12. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

Nor is this a single, solitary passage. It seems to form as it were the motto of the whole book of the Apocalypse.

“Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. i. 2.

“I, John, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. i. 9.

“I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held.” Rev. vi. 9.

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.” Rev. xii. 12.

“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Rev. xii. 17.

“And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God.” Rev. xx. 4.

In these words we have the saints of God again and again placed in direct contrast with the apostacy; we may therefore boldly refer to them as marking distinctly their character.

(1) What then is this character? They are witnesses.

They are not carried away by the prevailing apostacy of the times, but are witnesses against surrounding error. The expression “witness” implies that they stand aloof as a protesting body. The witness for God is not one who floats down the broad tide of popular opinion, but who stands up in opposition to it, and boldly proclaims the truth of God. Athanasius was a witness for Christ, when he stood forth with all the world against him, and himself alone contending against the world. Our Saviour was a witness to the truth, when before Pontius Pilate he witnessed a good confession, and was bold to endure the cross in order to fulfil the Father’s will. Thus the Greek word for “witnesses” is the same as that for “martyrs,” [89a] and the witness for Christ must be one raising the voice of protest, and contending against opposition for the truth once delivered to the Saints.

But for what are they witnesses? “For Jesus and the word of God.” [89b]

These two subjects form the great matter of their protest. “They keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” They are not occupied by secondary matters, nor debating on ecclesiastical distinctions. Such questions would not justify their separation. The word of God and the Son of God are the grand points for which they struggle.

Now this, let it be well observed, is the exact position of the faithful Protestant. As witnesses we are forced into separation from the great mass of professing Christendom. We were compelled at the Reformation either to abandon truth, or to quit the church which claims to itself the name of Catholic. And what is the subject matter of our protest? What are the points for which we struggle? If we were to search throughout the English language for any one short sentence, which should contain at once the sum and substance of our Protestant profession, I know of none that could be so exactly suitable as that with which the Holy Ghost has furnished us,—“the witness of Jesus and the Word of God.” The whole of the Protestant controversy branches out from this one passage: it contains the germ of the whole argument.

Now there is something very cheering in this conclusion. We are often taunted with our disunion from the (so called) Catholic church: we are often reproached because we are in a state of separation. But we give thanks for those reproaches. They are amongst the title-deeds of our inheritance; they help to prove us what we wish to be, the saints of God, and the witnesses for Christ. Had the Spirit of God described the saints in the latter days, as united under one vicar upon earth, as swaying the sceptre of unresisted power, as exercising lordship over kings and potentates, as reigning triumphantly through the known world, then indeed we should have trembled. But now it is the reverse. Our position is exactly that ascribed to the saints of God in prophecy; the position of Rome exactly that ascribed to the man of sin. The Scriptures tell us plainly that the saints in the latter days must stand aloof from the great apostacy, raising against it the voice of protest; and it fills our heart with gladness to find ourselves in that exact position. The saints of God are described in prophecy almost by the very name of “Protestant.” We are not ashamed, therefore, of the blessed title, but following the guidance of the prophetic Scriptures, we had rather far be called “Protestant” than “Catholic.” He that sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God, he is sure to claim for himself the name of Catholic, but he that is the servant of God must stand out boldly as the unflinching Protestant for Christ.

(2) This also is the security of the saints.

To stand against the apostacy of the latter days, they must be drawing truth from God himself, and deriving life from Christ himself. They must listen to God himself, as speaking to them in his own inspired word, they must be kept by Christ himself while they believe on him as their only Lord. Their strength lies in this, that there is no curtain, no veil, no cloud between the soul and God—no second Mediator to convey the truth to them, or to convey them to Christ. They go straight into the presence of the Father: they learn his own word from his own lips, and they are ushered into his presence by his own well-beloved Son. So it is that they “overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”

This is their safety against error. In the doubts, and dangers, and delusions of the latter days, they rest on that which is infallible. Holy writers may mislead; human guides may fail; the most attractive ministers may become spellbound by the seductions of the day; but the Word of God remains unaltered and unalterable; and the saints of God must stand secure, being taught by the Spirit to depend on it alone for truth.

This is their security against a fall. They bear their testimony to the glories of Christ’s grace, and meanwhile they rest secure in it. As witnesses for Christ, they are believers in Christ. The foundation on which they build is Christ himself. They lean on his atonement, his all-sufficient sacrifice, his perfect and complete redemption, nor can all the storms of hell prevail to shake their safety. The anchor of their soul entereth into that within the veil; and though they may here be tossed and troubled, no trouble, no turmoil, no distraction can tear them from the anchor that is fixed fast in the sanctuary of God. They derive their strength from Christ himself, as seated at the right hand of God; they live with him in the enjoyment of a direct and immediate union with himself; “Their life is hid with Christ in God:” and no man can rend the bond; no distractions can burst the union; nor can all the devils in hell combined prevail to pluck one single saint out of the faithful hand of his redeeming Lord. “I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”And now, dear brethren, to conclude. I have preached these sermons under the deep conviction that clouds are gathering around us, and that our great sifting time is near. Eighteen hundred years have nearly passed since the Saviour said, “I come quickly.” Nor are there signs wanting of his approach. There is to be seen throughout the world a breaking down of fixed principles of religious belief, a spirit of un-settlement brooding over the minds of men, and a loose indifference to the unscriptural claims of Rome. All this is predicted as a sign of his approach. Let us then stand fast in Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone. As pardoned sinners, let us cling to the cross; as justified believers, let us go boldly to the throne of grace; as God’s elect, let us rally round the banner of the Lamb. Then men of expediency may forsake the truth in the hour of its need; men ignorant of their bibles may be carried off by the seducing spirits of the latter days: men of unbelief may scoff alike at our fears and hopes; but Christ will hold us fast in his own right hand till the day of his coming. Clouds may gather, black as hell; storms may burst, terrific in their crash; but we shall be kept safe in the pavilion of our God, till we join the one, vast, harmonious hymn of praise, which will swell up from the whole company of God’s elect, to welcome Christ as he comes forth in his kingdom, the Redeemer, the Advocate, the Strength, the Salvation of his saints.