The Time of the End or, the World, the Visible Church, and the People of God at the Advent of the Lord — Key Ideas to Explore

A Twofold Danger from Within and Without

Hoare builds his case on a parallel between Paul’s address to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20) and the pastoral epistles. He notes that the prophecy describes “a two-fold danger, from without and from within”: “grievous wolves” will enter from outside, but “of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things.” The latter threat, he insists, is far more dangerous because it comes from “the consecrated guardians of truth.” The excerpts show Hoare repeatedly stressing that the defection will not be limited to the laity; rather, “traitors in the very heart of the camp of God” will retain their ecclesiastical positions while secretly opposing the truth. This internal corruption, he argues, makes the latter days uniquely perilous, as the very men entrusted with teaching the faith become its antagonists.

No Scriptural Warrant for Infallibility

Hoare directly challenges any claim to infallibility within the visible church. He writes that “there is no Scriptural warrant for expecting infallibility in the visible church,” and he dismisses debates over whether that gift resides in popes, councils, or councils under pontifical authority. Using the predicted apostasy as evidence, he argues that if ever an infallible voice were needed, it would be in the latter days—when false Christs, unclean spirits, and the man of sin appear. Yet the very men who would need to issue such decrees are themselves corrupting the truth. Hoare poses a pointed dilemma: if the corrupt clergy are included in church councils, their “fables” will vitiate the decisions; if excluded, by what test can the council be purified, since they all “retain the form of godliness”? The passage reveals a careful, logical structure that moves from prophecy to practical ecclesiology.

The Pastor’s Parting Charge

The dedicatory letter provides a personal frame for the doctrinal content. Hoare tells his former congregation that he would have preferred to leave them with “fuller statements upon the grand saving doctrines of the Gospel,” such as atonement, justification, and the new birth. But he trusts that the present subject is “not altogether ill-suited” to their circumstances, as it may lead them to pray for the church’s safety. He then charges them to “increase and multiply” their prayers for his successor, asking that “his hands be strengthened by the believing intercessions of a faithful flock.” This pastoral tone—earnest, affectionate, and urgent—colors the entire work. The reader should note that Hoare’s warnings about internal seduction are not abstract theological propositions but arise from a specific pastoral context, addressed to a congregation he is about to leave.

Readers approaching The Time of the End should be aware that the excerpts represent only the opening and a later section on the visible church; the full text likely includes additional lectures on the world and the people of God. Hoare’s method is to treat Scripture as prophetic prediction and then draw “practical conclusions” for the church. The work is best read as a specimen of mid-nineteenth-century Anglican prophetic interpretation, shaped by the author’s pastoral concern and his conviction that the church’s greatest dangers come from within its own ranks.

There’s something tender about old books that take their own time. Reading about Hoare’s warnings of the church’s slow drift, I found myself thinking of Ezekiel’s measured visions, that same unhurried patience with ruin and hope. The one sits beside the other like a quiet conversation across years, each gently confirming what the other already knew. The Prophet Ezekiel: An Analytical Exposition — Background and Themes lingers with me in that same way.