The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-05-06
John Miller. Calvinist.

of the law. A code of moral law may be
perfect and yet quite useless. If its force
is left to its own Inherent beauty, how far
will it got The law Of the land, like that
of God says: "Thou shalt not kill" but if
it stops there what efficacy will it have
Will any man be deferred from killing an
enemy because the law advises him that
it is wrongf If, however, the law adds ::
" In case thou do thou ehalt be hung"
then the advice becomes weighty.
The moral law as laid down in the
scriptures and taught by the Church is a
beautiful code 1t ia the law of love, OF
harmony, of common sense, of good policy,
of natural justice. AS such it commends
itself to the philosopher and must attract
the sympathy of the human soul in its pas
sionless mood. But with the vast mass of
humanity what gives it authority and
force7 Who is philosopher, who is pas
sionlessf Look at man as you find him
blinded by the smoke of life's battle, drunk
with the fumes of hatred, lust, ambition,
avarice. Is he ready to be controlled in
all this volcanic agitation by the mere
spiritual beauty Of q principle of justice
Storms envelope themselves with clouds
which shut out the calm beauty of the
starry sky.
But there is sanction to the code of
morals which God has laid down for men.
1t is a law which much be observed in view
of immortality-an immortality of joy if
obey ed, of pain if violated. This principle
controls the human race, no matter what
it's religion. There is no actual religion 30
future life with it's accountability for this.
Experience teaches men that crime often
enjoys immunity in this world, that often
times one may steal, swindle, Islander, even
murder, with almost the certainty of escape
from punishment at the hands of society.
Still every man who believes himself re-
sponsible to Supreme Being, and re-
sponsible not only in this life but in future
one, will be held in check more or less by
that belief even when all temporal fear has
vanished.
We hold, indeed, that this consideration
of supernatural responsibility is the
actual and necessary basis of human 30
that complete anarchy and savage barbar-
ism would soon result, if men were re-
strained by nothing but the punishmente
which hnman govern ents decree. The
proposition need not, however, be carried
to that extent for the purposes of our pre-
cent article. We merely say now that the
supernatural sanction ia of vast uti' ity, gu
| IA cd k,>t ha ;riI in laf in n
| the moral Conduct of men.
But what has all that to do with our
time honored adversaries, the Presny-
teriaus7 Read the following telegram
TRENTON. May 3-The New Brunswick
| Presby terry assembled in this city, this morn
| ing, to consider the charges of heresy against
Rev. John Miller, a leading preacher Of the
| Presby teriau Church, in that he has Published
book denying the Trinity and the immortali-
| " of the soal. In defending himself he said
No man in the church held the cslvinstic
| doctrine with greater boldness and tenacity
than he, but he did not believe in the Trinity
as to the Immortality of the soul he owned
himself as opposed TO the doctrine.
Strange bread of life furnished by such
Milers as this We look forward with
Curiosity to see what will be done with
John. In the fret place, if the point is toe
knotty and the subject too delicate fol
much ventilation before the Presbytery 8
kind of demurrer or exception could b.
filed grounded on the jurisdiction of thu
court. What right, indeed, can body o.
uninfallible men have to pass on a qaestior
| of "heresy7" Each of those men claim
the right to read and interpret the script
ores for himself has not Miller a simila
( right each of those men acknowledges tina
he is not infallible, that his judgment ma!
be wrong may not, then, all of them b.
wrong May not Miller be right 7 May h
not just as we'll say that they are hereto
as they may cay that he is oueR
This suggestion is not to be sneezsd at
We opine that. Miller will nave stroni
following in the Presbytery or, at least
some very lenient judges. 1t seems that h
is a "leading preacher" that he is a stroni
Calvinist, that he has published q book
Now he must expect a good many of hi
friends to buy that book he must also b
sunnose6 not tn have kent tho cnntpnts n