The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-02-02
For the Central Presbyterian.
Rome and Liguori.

Rome and Liguori.
Messrs. Editors,-The 'inaccuracy and
apparent unfairness of few of the quo
tations from Liguori, upon which Bishop
Keane has animadverted with so much
severity in your last issue, have already.
been accounted for in the brief card pub
lished by me last week No one can re-
greet more than myself the mistake by
which unverifed quotations at second
hand, and mere memoranda of passages
have inadvertently taken the place of
carefully prepared TRANSACTIONS While
there has been in this way some unin-
territorial misrepresentation of Liquors.
Language, there has been none of his doc
trlne, as am prepared abundantly to
show; and while l feel most keenly the
advantage that has been given to my OPP
ponent by this misstep, yet certainly the
general public is to be congratulated
that by it Bishop Keane has been led to
speak out plainly ON the issues involved
and let us know just where the Roman
Catholic clergy of this country stand
upon these great fundamental questions
of the obligations of oaths, the principles
of evidence, the rights of property, etc.
which lie at the basis of our civil govern
ment. The discussion of this article will
be important, not only as showing that
the teachings of Liguori are those which
have imputed to him, but also as show
ing how far Bishop Keane by his at
tempted defense of Liguori has committed
himself to the same principles we have
condemned in him. Permit me, however,
before entering upon the tangle and
jungle OF Misrepresentation, to make a
single remark. [ have for several weeks
been showing the Misrepresentation of
Protestants and their teachings in Roman
Catholic textbooks in use ali around us ::
misrepresentation much more gross and
groundless than any Bishop Keane has
imputed to me (such as those of making
liars OF the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy
Ghost. ETC., and we have heard nothing
from him. 1t makes a great difference
whose OK it is that is gored. He will
allow textbooks to be taught in his par
ochial schools, which parody the belief
of his neighbors" and it is all right; but
let little gorihg be done on the other
side even unintentionally and then there
is wrath.
1. The first point to which the Bishop
takes exception in my article is the au-
thorlty attributed to st. Liquors. writ
ings in the Catholic Church. He saws
on this point
Now the canonizaton of Saint does not
imply that there is no error In his writings"
but only that nothing in them has been found
deserving of ecclesiastical censure,' which has an
entirely different meaning"
Well, when you consider that at least
one hundred years must elapse after a
mans death before he can be canonized,
and that all his published writings must
be officially scrutinised to see that there
Is nothing deserving ecclesiastical cen
sure, his canonization certainly implies
that there is in them nothing contrary to
the faith of the Roman Catholic Church,
which was of course what [ meant In
any other sense they are ALL alas, full of
error from beginning to end. He con-
tinues:
AS to what is here asserted to be implied by
an authors being raised to the rank of Doctor
of the Church, have never heard of such de-
cision. In as far it implies that the teachings
of any Doctor of the Church must be followed as
standard of truth or rule of Judgment, such
Is assuredly not the teaching Of the Catholic
Church."
My authority for the statement that
these teachings are to guide Bishops and
clergy" ETC., is DR.. Littledale, an eminent
English scholar plain Reasons, etc., p.
81 who quotes as his authority, LEO
~, cited by Benedict XIV, de Canon
izatione ~, XI, ICY. But l did not say
" that the teachings of any Doctor of the
Church must be tollo,Oed as a standard of
truth or rule of judgment" If the
best one Of them all could be selected,
and the Bishops and clergy compelled to
follow that one, the case would be bad
enough, but not half as bad as it is now
for as every reader of Blaise Pascal, him
self Roman Catholic, knows, it is that
principle of probabil8m which Bishop
Keane SO carefully holds in the back
ground in all this discussion, which makes
the Roman Catholic rule of morals so un-
certain and pliable-that principle which
holds that, instead of going directly to
the Word of God as the inspired stand
ard by which everything is to be Judged
questions of casuistry are to be deter
mined by balancing against each other the
decisions of weak and fallible doctors
of the Church" According to this prin-
clple the fact that one approved writer
holds an opinion in morals renders it
,oroha bla opd &c he ;s 4Lo Ill, - IL -..