markable manner to designate that combination of events, which beyond all human foresight, are occurring around us. But on that occasion there was only space to notice the outward and more obvious signs of fulfilment; the events and occurrences of the day, which are most open to the observation of all men. A more difficult, but not less interesting task remains to us, of showing in some points, and this rather as a specimen of what might be said, than as a full account of the subject, that the moral and religious temper of the times does also in a remarkable way answer to the witness of this prophetic word. In other words, that we not only find the external circumstances of the world, its political movements, its providential occurrences, its general fortunes, such as are foretold in this prophecy; but that the same may also be said of the moral aspect of the times in some of its most striking features. This I shall now endeavour to show, repeating only the observation made on a former occasion, that there is no intention of dogmatizing on this subject, or of speaking

with certainty of passing events being the fulfilment of the prophecy. This time only can show. But it is only meant to allege that there is enough in the signs of the times to show a presumption in favour of the position, that according to the testimony of this word, we have entered upon those days which our LORD here describes, when He gives an answer to the inquiry of His Apostles, "Tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world" (or of the age)?

Now in seeking a special application of the text to the days in which we live, I may at first sight seem to be guilty of an act of injustice, since in the ordinary sense of the words we may surely find periods in the history of Christendom, which have been more strikingly marked by abounding iniquity. Without saying more, there have been certainly periods in the history. of this country, and of Christendom in general, when iniquity has seemed more rampant and more prevalent than now; when the character of kings' courts, and of governments, and of the Church, and

of society at large, might seem more fully to meet the description in the text.* Times in which profligacy and impurity have more deeply stained the highest places on the earth, in which corruption and venality have prevailed to a greater extent in governments; nay, where they have poisoned, in a way now happily unknown in this country at least, the pure streams of justice, in which the Church has been more slothful and neglectful of her duties, and in which open vice has more shamefully stalked abroad amongst the masses of the people. It is, perhaps, impossible to be strictly impartial in such comparisons, but to say thus much at least would probably be no more than justice to the days in which we live. How then shall it be made to appear that the text finds its special accomplishment in these very days? I would answer thus:

The term "iniquity" in its popular sense with us, is taken to designate those gross and palpable sins which have just

*What a picture, for example, is presented to us of the days of George II., in Lord Harvey's recently published Memoirs.

been referred to. But this is by no means the critical sense of the word as used in this passage. Its primary meaning is "lawlessness,"* which indeed may well be termed iniquity; which may in the sight of God be even a higher and more daring iniquity, than those grosser vices just named. There is no need then to object to the translation of the word in our Bibles; it only needs to be explained, that this special kind of iniquity, which consists in throwing off restraints, in breaking the bonds of religious, moral, and social life,—in a word, lawlessness, is here critically designated.

And this interpretation which is most accordant with the literal sense of the word, is strongly corroborated by a consideration of the latter clause in the text, and its coherence with the former clause. If the word be taken in its more popular sense, it seems difficult to discover any connection between the former and the latter part of the text, or indeed to see the connection between what is here stated to

* ἡ ἀνομία.

be the cause and effect.

Why should world in the

abounding iniquity in the ordinary sense of gross vices, make the love of Christians to wax cold? Rather we should suppose it would have the very opposite effect. Surely at no time does the love of the Christian to what is pure and just and good, burn more brightly than when he is beset on every side by their opposite evils. Lot was more righteous when he dwelt in Sodom, and "vexed his soul from day to day with their unrighteous deeds," than when he companied with Abraham; and the love of David seemed never more intense than when he cried, "Woe is me that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech, and to have my habitation in the tents of Kedar." And surely it is a matter of common experience with us all, that the tendency of our hearts is to love what is scarce and precious, while abundance tempts us to indifference. But, as I shall endeavour to show in the sequel, there is something in the lawless spirit, in the temper of mind that casts off restraints; which when it infects the minds of Christians, strikes a fatal blow at