The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-11-05

to light and their hidden beauties revealed to q
wondering world. These prophecies, more
| over, were to be sealed until certain time. If
| that time has arrived their meaning will be
revealed, not alone to one, but to many minds
The plan of the book is very simple, although
we confess the labor requisite for developing it
must have been truly arduous aud wonderful.
The author states that any word used in a
prophetical sense has q clearly defined and un-
ohangeable meaning, and this meaning will he
FOUND belonging to that word in whatever part
of the Bible it is placed "thst the language of
| all inspired Prophets is one and the came, and
! that it never varies, i" and as example of this,
he gives in the frat number of the work the
word wOmaH as signifying Church; in some
instances it signifies the true Church, in others
an heretioal Church bat always Church.
The frat number written in style
somewhat akin to that of the mysterious
authors whose. sealed warnings are now on
folded to US; but the number before us is
simple, concise, explicit and singularly unas
sumng.
The wonderful propositions our a1thor lays
down, may startle our Protestant friends, as
well as astonish our Catholic readers, but the
work bears such an impress of earnestness and
truth that We hardly think any one can be
offended by its arguments.
We have read it with kind of ave. with q
deepening faitn and a growing love towards
that glorious Church which is described by st.
John as g q woman clothed with the SanT
Our author tells us that Sun, in the language
of prophecy, signifies the true Faith and hence
this inspired vision greets our sight with
new and consoling meaning.
If the interpretations laid before had
been worked out upon any preoonceived ideas,
would find here and there incongruities,
Inconsistencies aud, perhe ps. absur dities; but
according to S4muel's plan every word falls
into it's place with fitness that startles us by
q consciousness of truth.
The prophecies in general, and the Apoca.
lypse in particular have always been made
use of by our enemies to insult and defame the
Church. IL is curious, no less than consoling,
to see how perfectly and yet how sensibly these
same prophetic writings may be applied to her
greater honor and glory. One remarkable fea.
ture of the work before us is the Interpretation
given to the word Lamb, as signifying the
Roman Catholic Clergy When the word refers
to Christ, it's meaning is unmstakable-in all
other nstan ces it stands for the Catholic priest
hood.
One of the most thrilling interpretations of
this wonderful book is the description of " the
beast having two horns of the lamb" Horns
signifies powers, and the beast here mentioned
10 Apostacy, hence we learn that the apostate
priest still exercises two powers of the clergy
two faculties of the priesthood.
Ttro horns Of the lamb! Fearful truth, as we
know even in the of Hyacinthe, that de-
graded monk whose impure hands can yet
exercise although it be sacralege-the power
of consecrating the bread and wine into the
precious Body and Blood of Christ.
We close this brief and discursive notice of
the book before us with this extract from its
pages
"Although the Interpretation of prophecies
| is quite different from that of preaching and
expounding The Word of God in general, yet
| the approval OF condemning of any such inter
pretations naturally and by divine right be-
| longs to the Church. Therefore, in the fifth
chapter of the Apocalypse, the Lamb, or clergy,
is properly represented as the one opening or
promulgating to the world the contents of the
| seven seals"
While we cannot take upon ourselves, in ad
vance of ecclesiastical authority, the reeponsi
bility of passing upon the claims of this work
| to the confidence of tho faithful, we can, anc
do, highly recommend it as most entertsinine
reading.