The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-08-12
IS THE PROPHECY FULFILLED!
BY THE REV. j. WESLEY HORNE.
PROPHECY.


the first to the fourth verse, inclusive, j.
recorded the following startling prophecy
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by
our gathering together unto him, that yc
| be not soon shaken in mind, or he troubled
neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter
as from us, as that the day of Christ is at
hand Let no man deceive you by any
means: for that day shall not come, except
there come falling away first, and that
man of sin be revealed, the son of perdi-
ton; who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is wor-
| temple of God, showing himself that he is
God"
FULFILLMENT.
Walking slowly and meditatively up the
grand nave of st. Peters at Rome, through
marvellous groups of statuary on the right
hand and on the left, and passing, after a
lingering delay, the celebrated bronze can
opy-ninety- two feet in hight, and support
ing golden cross ninety -ive feet higher
the whole upborne by four richly gilded
spiral columns, under the great dome and
over the high altar of white marble, and
the tomb Of St. Peter, surrounded by
eighty-nine ever burning lamps-you come
at length to the Tribune, containing the
Cathedra Petri of Bernini, enclosing, as it
is said, the veritable wooden episcopal chair
of St. Peter
The conception Of the artist which is
embodied in this Tribune is, to my mind,
at once one of the boldest and most BIAS
phemous of human inventions. A foun-
dation of polished marble-partly black,
partly red-sweeps round with the curve
of the chancel On this platform, at suit
able distances from each other, stand four
colossal figures in bronze, heavily gilt, and
with flowing robes. These figures repre-
of each is extended to receive a foot of the
Cathedra Petri, or Throne of St. Peter
which is itself shining with golden tapes
try-and to help support it on high. Then,
bonding heavens, volumes of golden clouds
roll down, and touching the throne from
behind, assist to sustain it, lifted up be-
tween heaven and earth.
Beside the throne there stand guardian
figures, and over it are angels holding ''the
keys of the Church, and the Pope's tiara.
Meanwhile, among the volumes of clouds,
are chorubim and seraphim, and all the
of the papal power over every other power
of the universe; and the Holy Spirit, the
Heavenly Dove, gives the sanction of the
divine presence; while the beams of His
glory stream out in every direction, and
away beyond the sphere of the angels!
While you stand gazing with awe and
admiration, which you cannot, if you
would, hinder from arising, you catch the
grand conception of the idolatrous artists
work: it is that of the Church militant and
the Church triumphant uniting and vying
with each other to lift up and sustain the
throne of the vicegerent of Christ above
every otilcI uOliiillOll, anu
principality, and power" in the world.
Now, it is known long to have been de-
creed in the Papal Church that if any one
of the popes should be so favored of heaven
as to continue twenty five years in the Pom
titicate, to him should be granted the spe-
cial honor of grand jubilee; and that,
arrayed in his garments of purple and gold,
with golden chain about his neck, and a
ring Of authority on his finger, he should
have the opportunity, as Nicar-General of
Christ, of ascending the throne of Saint
Peter, in St. Peters at Rome; and there,
" sitting in the temple of God, with cross
and crown, crook and crozier, mitre and
sceptre, of giving his blessing, as Holy
Father, to the thousands upon thousands
who might be gathered to do him homage,
amid the peal of organs, and blare of trum-
pets, and shoutings of multitudes, and
pomp and pageantry of Church and State.
1t seems almost too bad, in this connec-
ton, to mention that right here, under the
very shadows of the gorgeous Tribune,
was told that the so-called "ancient, wood
en-, episcopal chair of St. Peter" enclosed
in the Cathedra Petri, is believed to be
nothing better than an old wooden chair of
Northumberland brought from CONSTANT
nople, in one of the many forages made by
the Church
At any rate, the thing would be only in
keeping with the bronze statue of Jupiter
near the transept on the right-mended
toward the head so as to make statue of
st. Peter, whose braZen toe has been we'll
nigh kissed away by the lips of the faithful.
Did any of them ever hear of Madame
de Staers excuse for this and other decep-
tons of the holy Mother Church? "We
shame no.," says that profound critic in
C0rinne, 81 in the pagan trophies which art
has hallowed. The wonders of genius
always awaken holy feelings in the soul,
and We pay Christianity homage in tribute
to all the best works that other faiths have
inspired" Well might Oswald smile at
this explanation" So do we.
Descending from the Tribune, appears
OiI lHC lclU CuC CHdpcl III WhiSi Sttt lilC ltkIC
Ecumenical Council, bearing on its front
the inscription: "D0cete onanss gentes, ecce
ego coliseum, omnibus die5us, usque ct con-
suasnaationena s@culi.'
The chapel does not look large in the
surrounding magnitude of the mighty
church, but it easily accommodated, with
its full quota of paintings and marbles, and
affairs and organs the most august body Of
gorgeously robed divinity that could be
assembled in Christendom. 1t is most
remarkable and memorable fact, chroni-
cled by the reporters, for the public press,
at the time, that when the great Council
came to give their votes on the question of
Papal Infallibility, at the very hour of the
day, clouds and darkness unprecedented
overspread the city, out of which shot
fierce lightnings and burst roaring thun-
ders, completely drowning the voices of the
voters; and that when the record of the
result reached was to be read, so greatly
the darkness deepened that torches had to
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