We can look nowhere else for this picture of Paul's to be fulfilled except to the Protestant church; for the class of which he speaks maintain a form of godliness, or the outward services of a true Christian worship.
And is not the church of our day beginning to manifest to an alarming degree the very characteristics which the apostle has specified?
Fifteen clergymen of the city of Rochester, N.Y., on Sunday, Feb.

5, 1871, distributed a circular, entitled "A Testimony," to fifteen congregations of that city.

To this circular the Rochester _Democrat_ of Feb.

7 made reference as follows:-- "The 'Testimony' sets out by stating that the foregoing pastors are constrained to bear witness to what they 'conceive to be a fact of our time; viz., That the prevailing standard of piety, among the professed people of God, is alarmingly low; that a tide of worldliness is setting in upon us, indicating the rapid approach of an era, such as is foretold by Paul in his second letter to Timothy, in the words, "In the last days perilous times shall come."' These conclusions are reached, not by comparisons with former times, but by applying the tests found in the Scriptures.
They instance as proof, 'the spirit of lawlessness which prevails.' The circular then explains how this lawlessness (religious) is shown.

Men have the name of religion, but they obey none of its injunctions.