ferred to by the Prophet and Apoftles; where, fpeaking of the state of the churches at that time, he entreats them "earneftly to contend for the faith*;” affigning this reafon, for there are certain men ફેડ crept in unawares, who deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jefus Chrift." 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 paffes to a defcription of the finful ftate of the world" in "the laft time:" evidently meaning from the context, that period of time which fhould precede the COMING OF CHRIST and the FIRST RESURRECTION. In his epiftle §, he fays, < Beloved, remember ye not the words which were "fpoken before of the Apoftles of our Lord

Jefus Chrift? how that they told you, there should "be mockers in the last time, who fhould walk after "their ungodly lufts. Thefe be they who feparate "themselves, fenfual, having not the Spirit." Now what did the Apoftle mean by "mockers" of "the

laft time?" He could not mean common mockers, who ridicule men for the fake of fport, for fuch mockers must have been common in all ages of the world: but mockers, who fhould make a mockery and ridicule of God and his revealed word; for this was the only fubject of his epiftle. Nor could he allude to a few men only, because there were in his time fome ungodly men, who had even "crept unawares" into the church; "who denied the "Lord God and our Saviour Jefus Chrift." He muft then mean, that there thould be a powerful multitude, or whole nations of mockers in the laft "time" fo as to render it " perilous" to the believers in the word of God, in all parts of the world,

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* .Verfe 3. † Verse 4. Verfe 14, 15. § Verse 17, 18, 19

according

2

according to St. Paul's prediction, already explained. And that they might know the time when these "mockers" fhould come, he gives two other diftinct marks. This hoft of mockers are to "walk "after their own lufts;" that is, they are to live without any law or reftraint; without any rule of thought, word, or action, except the unlimited gratification of their appetites and paffions; utterly regardless of the dictates of reafon, the rebukes of confcience, or the light of the revealed word of GOD.

Again, they are to form themselves into one great carnal body of men ;" or, to ufe the words of the text, they are to "feparate themselves, "fenfual" the meaning of which is, that, having been before united to the Chriftian world, they now fhall feparate themselves from it, and become an affociated body, ignominioufly diftinguishable from all other bodies of men, by the depravity of their principles, and their extreme fenfuality, and by "not "having the fpirit" of truth. Thus the Apoftle has given three great and difcriminating figns of "the "laft time:" ift, That there fhall then come mockers of the word of God: 2dly, That they fhall form themselves into one great fociety, separate from the moral and Christian world: and, 3dly, That this fociety fhall be eminently remarkable in the world for their fenfuality, and a difregard of ALL TRUTH. The candid reader will now judge, whether all these marks do not unequivocally apply to the French republic, and its numerous adherents, fpread over fo large a part of the earth. They are all "mockers” of the word of God, and in the moft open and flagrant manner have denied his exiftence: they have "feparated themselves" not only from all the believers in that word, but from all fects, 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 themfelves 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 fenfual wills; equally regardless of religion, private virtue, and public faith; and "being paft feeling, have given themselves over to lafci"viousness, to work all uncleannefs with greedi" nefs *."

3. But St. Peter gives us figns of "the last days," which, if poffible, are yet more fingularly charaçteriflic of the present times, than either St. Paul or St. Jude. After having, in his firft and fecond epiftle, treated briefly, but very comprehenfively, of the word and grace of God, and the falvation offered to mankind through the first coming, death, and refurrection of Jefus Chrift, he proceeds, in the third chapter of the latter, to the second coming of Chrift to reign upon earth, and finally to "judge the quick "and the dead." The time of this fecond and final advent, the Apostle calls "THE DAY OF THE LORD,' which fhall come as a thief in the night, in the "which the heavens fhall pafs away with a great "noife, and the elements fhall melt with fervent "heat; the earth alfo, and the works that are "therein, fhall be burned up." But previoufly to his reminding the church of this awful clofing fcene, he treats, in the fame chapter, of " the laft

days," or laft period of time, which fhould precede the fecond coming of Chrift, and the first refurrection. "For," fays het, knowing this, "firft there fhall "come in the last days, fcoffers, walking after their "own ungodly lufts, and faying, Where is the pro"mife of his coming? for fince the fathers fell asleep, "all things remain as they were, from the beginning

* Eph. iv. 19.

2 Pet. iii. 2

+2 Pet. ii. 1o..

" of

"of the creation. For this they are willingly igno"rant of, that by the word of God, the heavens were "of old, and the earth ftanding 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 fore, referved unto fire against the day of judg"ment and perdition of the ungodly." Paraphrafe these fix verses, according to the tenour of the two epiftles, and what is their evident fenfe but this? Know

ing, as ye do, "the words and doctrines of the Prophets and Apoftles *," that Chrift shall come, ' and the dead fhall be raised, let me remind you, 'that "first," and in the last days, juft before his coming, "there fhall arise scoffers, walking after their own lufts;" fcoffers who fhall treat with ridi'cule and contempt the coming of Chrift, and the ' refurrection of the dead; faying, "Where is the ' promife of his coming? where is the refurrection ' of the juft, who are to reign with him upon earth? These events are promised in your Scriptures, by the mouth of your God, and yet we fee nothing of 'them!". On the contrary, ever" fince the fathers 'fell aflcep;" ever fince the death of Adam, Noah,

&c. we find " that all things continue as they were 'from the beginning of the creation." And there'fore we are satisfied that your Redeemer never will appear again, that the dead never will rife, and that 'the world and all things in it will continue for ever ' as they are.'

And is it not a truth of the moft extenfive notoriety, that the atheistical revolutionifts of France have made the whole word of God, as well as the coming of Chrift and the refurrection of the dead, the unceafing theme of their ridicule and contempt, in profane publications of every fize and description, and even

in their theatres; and to give an unreserved national fanction to the mockery, did not the Convention, attended by an innumerable host of atheists, abjure Christ, and deny the exiftence of God? To heighten their fcoffing and contempt for the ever-living God and his holy word, did they not create an image, honour and addrefs it as addrefs it as their only fupreme God, burn incenfe upon its altar, and worship it; and moreover (I tremble in repeating it) tie the two Teftaments to the tail of an afs (in diabolical derifion of the manner in which Chrift rode into Jerufalem), and, dragging them through the streets, burn them by the common executioner? And that this mark of the laft days might completely be verified in the prefent times, they have made it a fundamental article of their creed, that death is an eternal fleep, and confequently that there can be no refurrection of the dead. Surely this is " fay"ing," not only in words, but actions, "Where "is the promife of the coming of Chrift? where is "the refurrection of the dead? for fince the fathers "fell afleep, all things continue as they were from "the beginning of the creation."

Again, St. Peter mentions another fign of the last days, which, in a peculiar manner, points out the prefent times, and which can, with propriety, be applied to no other; for, while yet defcribing the fcoffers of the last days, he adds this fingular and diftinguishing reafon of their mockery, because

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they are willingly ignorant of these truths, namely, "that the heavens, by the word of God, were of "old, and the earth ftanding out of the waters, and in "the waters; whereby (or to the end) that the world "that then was, being overflowed with water, perifh "ed: but the heavens and earth which are now, by