The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-01-12
For the Central Presbyterian.
Rome and Morals.
PETERSBURG, Va, Jan. 5tl


Messrs. E'ditors,-In that remarkable
Catechism of Father Muller's to which
have SO often referred, and which, be it
always remembered, is a text book in the
Roman Catholic seminaries, to which Pro-
testant parents are thoughtless enough
to send their children, there will be found
on page 70, the following question and
answer:
20. Does the Lord make use of apos-
tate Catholics, such as Martin Luther,
Calvin, John Knox, and Henry VIII,
King of England, to reform the manners
of the people?
f. The thought is absurd. The lives
of those men were evil, and it is only the
devil that makes use of them to pervert
the people still more. The Lord makes
use of His saints, such as st. Francis of
Assisium, a st. Dominick, ST. Ignatius,
a st. Alphonsus, to convert the people
and reform their evil manners by explain
ing to them the truths of the faith, the
commandments, and the necessity of re-
ceiving the sacraments with proper dis
positions, and by setting them in their
own lives the loftiest example of faith,
purity, and all Christian virtues"
Now when we recall the fact that "St.
Dominick, one OF these proposed reform
ers, was the founder of the Inquisition,
that monster of treachery and cruelty :;
an that st. Ignatius," another of them,
was the founder of the Order of Jesuits,
the greatest curse that Europe has ever
had, we can form some idea of what the
authors view of reformation of evil
manners must be.
But l happen to have on my table,
through the courtesy of the Librarian at
Hampden Sidney College, copy of the
published works of one of these "Saints"
whom the Lord makes use of to convert
the people, and reform their evil man
ners. | refer to the last named of the
four reformers above, st Alphonsus Lig-
uori.' He may at this time, I suppose,
be regarded as the highest authority on
morals In the Roman Church He has
not only been canonized as a saint, +"
which implies that there is no error in
his writings but he has also been raised
to the rank of Doctor of the Church, 1"
which implies that "his teaching is to
guide Bishops and clergy in forming their
judgments on difficult cases, and to be a
standard whereby they themselves are to
be Judged" Moreover, new edition of
his works has recently been brought out
at Paris, translated into French by ap-
proved Catholic divines: and the present
Pope, Leo XIII, has accompanied the
publication with letter addressed to the
translators Ito which l have alluded in
previous article), expressing his high
approval of their labors, and declaring
among other things that with the great
est skill he (St. Alphonsus) directed and
promoted the moral training of all. so
that his writings may be all perused by
the faithful without any danger of stumb-
ling"
Here then is one Of the men who as
the representatives Of Roman Catholic
morals are to reform the evil manners of
the people. 1t is certainly of vital i'm
Portance Tor us to know what kind of
uoctrlnes and precepts will be taught TO
our people, II the Roman Catholics should
be able-as they are striving so hard to
do-to substitute their teachings for those
OF the ethical writer's now in voone
amongst us. We open then this eony Of
the Moral Theology" of Alphonsus
which IS in the original Latin, and was
printed in Paris in 1845. under the i'm
mediate supervision Of P. Mich. Hello.
Priest and Professor. O.
Out Of the great mass of casuigtic oues-
uons and decisions, | select a few, and
those not by any means the worst, be-
cause there are many, especially under
the seventh (or, as he calls it, the SIXTH
commandment of the Decalogue, that are
too indecent to be quoted.
But here are, first on the subject Of
the Observance Of the 9th commandment
such decisions as these.