ceries or juggling tricks of a profane superstition, the allegorical fornication of idolatry, and the pious thefts by which ample revenues were appropriated to the maintenance of this gainful Apostasy 1.

3. As the demons of the ancient Pagans were partly the souls of the dead and partly mediating spirits which were supposed to have never been embodied; so it is additionally foretold by St. Paul, that the predicted Apostasy would be marked, not only by the worship of such demons as had once lived in human shape upon earth, but likewise by the adoration of those holy angelic spirits who minister round the throne of God. This superstition, it appears, was creeping into the Church even at the time when he wrote; agreeably to his own express declaration, that the mystery of the man of sin was working in the very apostolic age itself: and it appears to have been attended with some superstitious notions respecting an abstinence from meats and drinks.

Let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy-day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths; which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind; and not holding

Compare Rev. xvii. 1, 2, 5, 6. xviii. 3, 7, 11-19, 23, 24. 1 Thessal. ii. 9. 1 Tim. iv. 1. Rev. xiii. 13, 14.

the Head, from which all the body, by joints and bands having nourishment ministered and being knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances (Touch not, taste not, handle not: which all are to perish with the using), after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have, indeed, a shew of wisdom, in will-worship and humility and neglecting of the body, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh1.

II. Since the latter times are the latter three times and a half or the latter moiety of the seven times, and since the period of those latter times coincides with the period of the three apocalyptic woe-trumpets ; the period of the last woe-trumpet will evidently comprehend what may be relatively denominated the last time or the last days. But such a distinction will be useless and superfluous; unless the period of the last woe-trumpet be strongly marked by certain characteristics of its own, which require this distinction to be made. The period, however, of the last woe-trumpet is

Coloss. ii. 16-23. It is worthy of remark, that, in a popish tract republished so late as the year 1798, the editor defends the worship of the Virgin Mary on the very ground predicted by the Apostle; the plea of humility and of having a just sense of our own unworthiness. See Whitaker's Comment. on the Revel. p. 315-318.

* See below book ii. chap. 4. § II.

strongly marked by certain characteristics of its own, which eminently distinguish it from the two preceding periods of the two former woe-trumpets: for it is the period, which may be called the reign of the Antichrist or the reign of the opposing spirit of Infidelity. Hence we see a very good reason, why the concluding portion of the latter times should be marked out by an appropriate name from their earlier portion. If there were nothing particular to distinguish this concluding portion from the earlier portion; that is to say, if it had no peculiar characteristic of its own which required such a distinction to be made: it were plainly gratuitous and superfluous to distinguish, from each other, two portions of a perfectly uniform and homogeneous period. It is true indeed, that the last portion of the latter times would be the last time, whether it were marked by any special characteristic or no: but then it is also evident, that such contradistinctive phraseology would be altogether nugatory in actual use, if there was nothing peculiar to distinguish the last time from all the remainder of the latter times. Now the latter times in general, as we have just seen, are characterised by the prevalence of a superstition, which is described with much precision and exactness: while the concluding portion of them, or the period of the third-woe trumpet, is eminently the reign of Antichristian Infidelity. Such being the case, we may expect, that those prophecies, which undertake to set forth the leading characteristic of

the last time or the last days, will assign, as that leading characteristic, the very spirit of the Antichrist; adding to it various other shades, which jointly should give a perfect picture of the period in question.

Nor shall we be disappointed in this expectation. All the prophecies, which relate to the latter times, describe the great demonolatrous Apostasy as being the distinguishing feature of that whole period in general while all the prophecies, which relate to the last time or the last days, represent a dreadful prevalence of blasphemous Infidelity, as being equally the distinguishing feature of that smaller period in particular. The superstition of the demonolatrous Apostasy is indeed to prevail, with more or less energy, through the entire period of the latter times, and therefore through the smaller included period of the last time also; whence it will be contemporary, during the concluding portion of its existence, with the reign of the Antichrist but the domination and the spirit of that infidel tyrant are so strongly marked by Atheism and Irreligion and Insubordination and a total want of all the kinder affections of our nature, that the leading characteristic of the last time or the last days is not so much the ancient demonolatrous superstition, as a spirit of rank infidel animosity to the Gospel of Christ united with a lawless hatred of every political restraint.

The three prophets among the disciples of our Lord, who foretell and describe the peculiarities by

which the last time or the last days should be distinguished, are Paul and Peter and Jude.

It is observable, that, as St. Paul delineates the characteristics of the latter times in his first Epistle to Timothy; so he delineates, in his second Epistle to the same primitive Bishop, the characteristics of that concluding portion of the latter times, which he contradistinctively denominates the last days.

+: This know also, that, in THE LAST DAYS, perilous times shall come. 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, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Of these there are some, which creep into houses; and which lead captive silly women, laden with sins, led away with diverse lusts, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now, as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was!. 2. St. Peter perfectly agrees with St. Paul in his