The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-01-26

od0ate provided that the man be pru-
dent, fearing to do evil (timoratus), and
truly fit to Judge rightly, and if he be
certain as to the justice of compensation,
without any danger of self-deception. +"
And he adds that such a combination of
qualities aoaH be very rarely found {" sed
hec ra''isSinae evenaemt"). All this DR..
Witherspoon omitted, and overlooked
while penning the burst of indignation
which follows, in regard to state of
things which st. Liguori would be the
first to condemn. And when writing of
the very high estimate" which en-
ploye@s and officials put upon their SER
vices. he forgot to say that st. Liguori
positively teaches that, even in the very
rare and exceptional case when he would
admit that compensation could be thus
taken without theft, that much only could
be taken which would be 1.-the forrest
market value of such services ("usque ad
pretium anfmuna"D.
lO. DIR. Wltherspoon goes on
Let me detain you with but single class of
decisions more-those which have influence to
the sin of murder.
Servants may lawfully assist and cooperate
with their masters in the commission of crime. if
they do so under fear of death or loss as for in.
stance, lest they should be badly treated by the
master, incur his displeasure, or be expelled
from the house." Qb. N. ee)
Now here there is such tangle and
Jungle OF Misrepresentation that it is diff
ficult to state them all. First, neither in
the passage here referred to, which is in
l. 3, N. sc, nor in any other part of st.
Liquors. Theology, is there any such set
of phrases as DR.. Witherspoon has here
given us within quotation marks Second,
st. Llguorl distinctly states that he does
not speak of assistance and cooperation
In the commission of crime" but of "acts
indifferent in themselves (uctionem per Sc
i'ad!f erenten,) which another abuses unto
evil; Third, he not only does not say,
as DR.. Witherspoon represents, that SER
wants are excused in SO acting lest they
should be badly treated by the master"
&c, but he explicitly and positively de-
clareS that these reasons qDould not suffice
to excuse. CHASING them under the head:
qabal's metuS NON ercuset," and then
goes on to say: &c judge that no other
tear could excuse even material cooper
alton in the sin of a fornicator, except the
fear Of death" Fourth, far from apply
ing even this to the sin of murder" in
regard to which DR.. Witherspoon has ex-
plicitly introduced this most remarkable
passage, st. Liguori positively says the
contrary: But it is never allowable to
give sword to one about to commit muir
der, because it is not lawful that an inno-
cent person should be killed, even in or
der that you may escape DEATH" A
more glazing series of Interpretations
than DIR. Witherspoon has managed to
condense into these nine lines of print it
has never been my fortune to meet with
IL. DR.. Witherspoon continues to quote:
If one man murder another in order that
third party may be suspected of the murder, and
so suffer loss the real murderer is under obliga
ton to make compensation to the supposed MUIR
derer for the loss he has sustained, If he be a
worthy person" otherwise he is not" lib. N
587.)
Here he has mixed up two cases, $50
and 507, referring to totally different
matters, the former referring to murder,
the latter to inducing person not to
give another something which he intended
TO give; and he refers the decision in regard
to the latter to the question contained in
the former And. even in relation to the
decision which he thus misapplies, he
changes its nature by a mistranslation of
the phrase "datnnodo taneea 60 SIT dio-
mas, which has nothing to do with the
party's being "a worthy person." but
means simply I" if he is fit to receive the
thing which you have prevented him
from receiving"
II. In the case next quoted by DR..
Witherspoon he evidently does not un-
derstand what is meant by "irregu-
larity," or he would see that the ques-
ton could be examined whether such
consequence followed from killing man
in self-defence, without any intention Of
making light of the horrible crime with
which it is supposed coupled.
/ might now take up the. question Of
Withholding the truth, mental reservation,
and equivocation, and might give on
these points the teaching of such eminent
Protestant moralists as Grotius, PufFen-
dorf, Jeremy Taylor, Milton, Paley.
and Dr. johnson. This, however, would
take up too much of your valuable space;
nor is it the purpose of my reply, but to
show that DR.. Witherspoon God forbid
that l should say Intentionally has mis-
quoted the teachings of st. Liguori and
in a way calculated to do grievous in
justice to the reputation of the Catholic
community for morality. This 1 trust
have made evident.
I