, 1880-04-04
THOMAS .AQUINAS.
q ~ v III 70 .&ASE y 43-9 IAN1s
TIE FATHEE'S WORKS A TEXTBOOK AMONG
TfIf JECIT1T2

your paper lew remarks upon tne artlcle
which appeared in your last Sundays issue,
written by Prof Blackburn, taken from the
Adudncc.
He says: "Sixty years ago IIallam thought
that only four or five Englishmen valued the
fellowship of Thomas Aquinas and read
much Of his huge folios. In 1885 Wadding-
ton said that the tones Of AQuinas, once read
with such avidity, are now confined to the
shelves of a few profound students, whence
they will never again descend. The
Jesuits are ordered (by the present Pope) to
lay aside their textbooks and casuistries for
the system Of the medieval st. Thomas.
They would find him to be more profitable
company than their Molina, Suarez, and
Peter Dens." So much of Prof. Blackburn.
I am very much astonished at the Pln-
connected with the Teaching OF st. Thomas
doctrine, and at the same time for making
assertions SO very broad and sweeping.
Had Mr. Hallam and Mr.. Waddington taken
the trouble Of stepping into Jesuit college
PLANTATION Of St Thomas every day in the
week; and had Prot. Blackburn ever asked
of 4 Jesuit what system of theology Is taught
in the Jesuit colleges or schools, he would
have been informed that it was that Of St.
ss TaSsf Is sad sso% a1 read e ffe aoe RI ss
sor allow me to quote a few lines from that
strange work, "1nstitutum Societatis Jesu"?
A decree Of the Fifth Congregation held nh
der Clement VIII, 1888 and 1884, says: " Our
follow the doctrine Of St. Tliomas and no
one shall be promoted to a chair Of Theology
unless he Is a follower Of st, Thomas, and
any one not welidisposed towards this great
author, or teaching a different doctrine, must
be removed from the office of teaching" The
RI Ia tn ha rhCnrJp3 hp 3tr0rinri11 St1-
perior insists upon this same order. The
rules laid down for the Professor of The0l-
ogy oblige him to defend the teachings OF st.
Thomas, and even on those who study pri-
about the doctrine OF ST. Thomas;,n
1t is very strange, then, that Professor
should inform the world at large that the
Jesuits ..@are ordered to lay, aside their text-
hqos for the the M 5yssn TEN Of the 9sya e ms6 ST.
the more astonishing when the Professor
tells us that Pope Leo XIII. orders the
Jesuits to do so. This looks very much like
it.. Professor, listen: Pope Leo addressed
brief to two Jesuit Fathers teaching; theology
lately called to Rome BY Leo XIII. to teach
theology in the Roman. College. The Pope
had received . copy Of their lectures on "De
Deo creante," De Gratia Christi and De
Re Sacramentaria," and in return he an
oHCAc. IL Ia VI @4lC AC9t AHPOA tA44ANf III
these times especially, that the clergy be
deeply imbued with sound and solid doc
trine. This result will certainly be attained
if, rs we have learned to our, great JOY, the
doctrine Of ; St. Thomas floaElsh IN y9n1
in men upon whom it has been
enjoined {referring to the Institute of the
Society Of Jesus1 'to follow BY all means, in
Scholastic Theology. the. doctrine Of st.
Thomas, to hold him as their own master,
IN n in IN nm l
highly esteemed by their pupils Therefore,
the obligation of your rule, the intention and
commands OF your father and founder, st.
Ignatius, the DEGREES of Your Congregations,
and the wishes and exhortations OF this 1loiy
trine with marks Of special favor, should fill
you with courage to carry out SO glorious 4
work. Nor do we doubt that, by following
faithfully in the footsteps OF so great q Doc
f9r Eeap a tGf m 1pPsf YpaSGn and df rsst Sau
From your schools the Church of God cy-
poets to receive soldiers most strenuous in
combating error, and in defending the cause
Of Catholic truth"
Might not the Professor have learned from
this brief also the true motives Of the Pope
In exhorting all to follow faithfully in the
Of the Angelic Doctor?
The Professor mentions the Jcs1its Molina
and Suarez. / wish to inform him {for he
has never studied these great authors) that
crs Of St, Thomas than Molina and Suarez
Neither does the Professor know that whilst
st. Augustine is styled 'tFather of Grace"
Suarez, his great interpreter. is called
Il Theologian Of Grace" AS to Peter Dens,
why it is news to hear that he was Jesuit,
follow Peter Dens.
"Protestants are quite surprised" says
the Professor. "by the Pope's late encyclical."
{ can tell him that the Jesuits are not, but