The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-09

L SN~S
Pope and continuing to teach the doc
trine which he condemns; and instead of
introducing the quotation of my own in
reference to murder (and thus bringing
new matter into the discussion which
wish to avoid, | will just take this case
anu investigate it. The crime referred
to In the passage is not murder, but for
nication
The question is asked whether it is
lawful for servant to open the door to
formicator? Liguori says, "Croix de-
MES, but more commonly the Doctors af-
firm with Salmo, ETC., neither stands in
the way of this decision. Proposition 81
OF Innocent XI, which says: A servant
man who by putting his shoulders under
his master, knowingly assists him to as
cend through window for purposes OF
fornication, and renders him assistance in
many ways, by carrying ladder for him,
opening the door or cooperating in any
similar way, does. not commit mortal
sin, if he does it through fear of some
notable loss, such as being treated badly
by his master, looked upon with disfavor
or expelled from the house. For (say
these clever casuists) the "opening the
door" to which the Pope alludes, must be
understood according to the context, of
an opening effected by forcel" So then
these wise men concluded that if the
opening be not forcible one the decision
of the Pope does not bind the servant,
and he may faithfully assist by opening
the door,
Then they ask second question,
namely: MAY servant through fear of
death or of great loss," (Which is evil
IDENTIFY the same as the notable loss in
Innocent's Proposition "put his should
ers under his master or carry ladder
for him to ascend in order to commit for
nication, open the door by force, and do
other things of the same kind ?"
Now this is so plainly in the face of
lnnocents decision, to say nothing of
the word of God, that all would seem
obliged to answer negatively-but no
some of them very properly deny, but
others and more weighty ones affirm,
Whose opinion" says Liguori, reason
ably considered, seems to me more proba-
6te; for the reason that, as we said
awhile ago, when you perform an act in
different in itself, in other words, which
may be either good or bad, you are not
bound, exceptin charity, to abstain from
1T, lest some other person abuse it for
purposes of sin. Besides, when you are
in fear of serious loss. you may lawfully
permit the sin of another, for, on the one
hand, charity does not oblige you to
avert his sin with grave loss to yourself,
and on the other hand, the evil design
of another cannot change the nature OF
your action, so that from being an indif-
ferent one it becomes intrinsically evil. -
Here you see they have made every
thing turn upon the Interpretation of the
word cooperation. They limit Innocent s
decision to cooperation by acts intq5n-
SacatIy eul1. This is the cooperation to
which Liguori refers as quoted by Bishop
Keane when he says, ~ judge that no
fear but the fear of death could excuse
even mental cooperation" He means,
and to be consistent, can only mean, CO.
operation by means in themselves unlaw-
full. This is why he excerpts the "giving
OF sword to one about to commit muir
der" The act is unlawful per &c. 1t is
intrinsically evil But in acts that are
Indifferent in themselves he teaches that
we may assist in the commission of crime
and the sin is only venial, if we are afraid
of mourning serious loss by refusal. How
different the teaching of our Lord. eff
thy right hand offend thee cut it off, -
etc. We are to do any thing, suffer any
thing rather than knowingly fall into sin
ourselves, or be the occasion of others
falling. All this the Bishop omitted and
overlooked, and then broke out in his
violent and infammatory paragraph
saying, a more glaring series of misrep-
reservations than DR.. Witherspoon has
managed to condense into these nine lines
of print it has never been my misfortune
to meet with" Just substitute "forni-
cation for murder" and understand
+" cooperation" to be by acts that are not
intrinsically evil, or unlawful in them
selves, and there is not the slightest mis-
representation of any kind.
The last one of the extracts which the
Bishop criticises will detain us a very
little while.
II. 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, il he be
worthy person" otherwise he is not" Ib. N.
5S7)
Here the Bishop calls attention to the
fact that two cases have been mixed up.
| am OBLIGED to him for the correotion