and to be consumed, and then destroyed at the time of the end. The consumption of the Papacy has been going on for long, its end is to be at the last siege of Jerusalem as "the false prophet."

The coming of that lawless one was to be "in all powers and signs and wonders of a lie." Here again we have the antithesis of Jesus, who was approved of God in powers and wonders and signs,-the same three words.

The lying wonders of the Papacy have been a marked characteristic. Its doctrines are indeed the energy of Satan.

Another feature of the mystery of iniquity was to be its deceptive character: "In all deceivableness of unrighteousness." If there were not the pretence of good, it would not be deceivableness. In 2 Timothy iii. 5, St Paul gives one character of this deception-too often selfdeception-" Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof."

The power of that deception is not in the man of sin, but in the state of the heart of those who are deceived. It is "in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved." Nothing is more remarkable in fallen man than the zeal with which he propagates a religion, and rests his hopes upon it, and yet does not love the truth. A zeal of God without the love of the truth is one of the paradoxes of fallen humanity. When the Jews felt the truth of St Stephen's reasoning, quotations from Scripture, and the force of his rebukes, they gnashed upon him with their teeth,

and stoned him as a blasphemer. How eminently was the same exemplified in the continual treatment of Christ! The love of the truth is often conspicuously deficient in the zeal of religious partisanship. To be thoroughly penetrated with the love of the truth, at whatever cost to our prejudices and prepossessions, is a high spiritual attainment.

ness.

The awful judgment of those who receive not the love of the truth is, "That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousAlthough the Papacy is the historic fulfilment of this prediction of the man of sin, there are thousands of anti-papists who are involved in its condemnation. We must look through historic developments to the underlying principles which cause them, and then we shall see the awful struggle that is between sin and holiness, between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman, unlimited by time or place. Thus "the servants of Moses" gained "the victory over the beast and his image" (Rev. xv. 2, 3).

Hence those who escape the power of the man of sin, as seen in the mystery of iniquity, are only those whom "God hath from the beginning chosen to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth."

What an awful picture is here given of the defilement of the Gentile temple of God, and of that blasphemous Romanism which is now hastening to its doom! For a long time it has been under consumption by the Spirit of His mouth. Since the Reformation the Word of God has

E

been consuming Romanism, and the gospel has been preached more clearly. Its final end, however, will not be until "the brightness of His coming." Lord Jesus, hasten that day!

THE PREDICTIONS IN SECOND TIMOTHY AND SECOND PETER.

THERE are some remarkable predictions of the moral state of the last days of the times of the Gentiles in the Second Epistle to Timothy and the Second to Peter. They have no limitation to person or to place, and the moral picture is more or less applicable to various times; but, notwithstanding, they have statements which especially belong to the last times of our dispensation. Thus St Paul says, 66 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 pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts; ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

In one form or another these features are found at

various times, but seldom in complete combination, and still more seldom in union with a form of godliness.

In watching the signs of the times, the principles advocated by the Prime Minister in the late debates upon the Irish Church were an awful exemplification of "truce-breaking" in connection with a form of godliness. At the time of the Union, Ireland was a separate kingdom, under one crown with England. A solemn treaty was made whereby England secured for ever the rights and property of the Established Church. At the time of the Emancipation Bill of 1829, the Irish Roman Catholic Bishops declared, with equal solemnity, that they would never do anything to injure that establishment as secured by law. Every Roman Catholic member of Parliament swore to the same. Yet all these engagements were not only violated, but the principle of treaties was ridiculed; and the Prime Minister and his party declared that they did not believe themselves bound to observe the engagement so solemnly contracted. In this they were assisted by ministers of religion, and the whole breach of treaty was applauded as a measure of national justice.

On the continent of Europe, Prussia and Austria acted in a similar manner towards the German Bund in the affair of Denmark. At this very moment Prince Gortchakoff proclaims the same treaty-breaking on the part of Russia.

I do not remember any other period of Christian history in which the breach of treaties was proclaimed as a principle. Yet the perpetrators of those crimes are not

profligate men, who cast off the profession of religion.

Another form of the perilous character of the last times has been, more or less at all times, but is widely spread at this day: "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth," led captive by teachers "who creep into houses."

"Knowledge" is here eπíyvwots—that which is obtained by reflection and meditation.

There then follows a remarkable prediction:-" Now as James and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no farther: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was."

Of the ten plagues and the preceding wonders in Egypt, the magicians were able to imitate the wonder of the rod and the first two plagues, but there they failed. The deceivers of the last times are to have a similar check. There appears to be here an important prediction, the true meaning of which awaits further elucidation. due time God will manifest His own Word.

In

The remarkable prediction in 2 Peter ii. has been clearly fulfilled by Popery. "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through