he has not confined the word lie to unjustifiable untruth. He has not quite held by his own principle of Mental Restriction and Equivocation being as bad as Lying, and he has used some expressions which may easily bear an ill interpretation. But he made a mighty stride to Truth, being one of the first writers on Morals who handled the subject differently from the Roman casuists, and cast away with scorn the puerile confusion between Moral Truthfulness and Material Truth, on which their system rests. "He that tells a lie, and by his Mental Restriction says he tells a truth, tells two lies, one practical, and the other in theory; one to the magistrate, and the other to himself."-D. D. iii. 28.

Oct. 1854.

John and Charles Morley, Printers, Derby.

MORAL THEOLOGY

OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.

No. III.

S. ALFONSO DE' LIGUORI'S THEORY

OF THEFT.

AN ARTICLE REPRINTED FROM

'THE CHRISTIAN REMEMBRANCER' OF OCTOBER, MDCCCLIV.

LONDON:

J. AND C. MOZLEY, 6, PATERNOSTER ROW; EDINBURGH: R. GRANT AND SON; DUBLIN: W. CURRY AND CO.

S. ALFONSO DE' LIGUORI'S

THEORY OF THEFT.1

THAT S. Alfonso Maria de' Liguori's Theologia Moralis is the latest exponent of Rome's moral system we have already made clear. We have shown that S. Alfonso was beatified and canonized so late as the year 1839, that the Sacred Congregation of Rites examined his System of Morality twenty times, and agreed, with concordant voice, with unanimous consent, with one voice, and with one mind,' that it contained nothing to be censured. We have shown that an authoritative document, issuing from the Sacred Penitentiary in 1831, decreed that the opinions professed in the Blessed Alfonso's Moral Theology might with safety be followed and professed, on the ground that the Holy Apostolic See had declared that it found nothing in his works worthy of censure; and that the Cardinal Archbishop of Besançon required his clergy to adhere to the judgment of Rome by following and reducing to practice the opinions of the Blessed Alfonso de' Liguori, all doubt whatever being thrown aside. But it appears that the beatification, canonization, commendation, approbation, ratification, and sanction, have not been sufficient to persuade some of our readers that all members of the Roman Church are really tied to accepting his morality. Indeed, with respect to Englishmen who are members of the Roman Communion, we cannot wonder at a little kicking, and plunging, and tossing the yoke, when they find what they have to bear. We must, therefore, add more

11. Theologia Moralis S. Alphonsi de Ligorio, &c. Parisiis, 1845.

2. Homo Apostolicus, sive Praxis et Instructio Confessariorum. Auctore illustrissimo et reverendissimo D. Alphonso de Ligorio. Moguntiæ, 1842.

3. Compendium Theologiae Moralis S. Alphonsi Maria de Ligorio, Auctore D. NEYRAGUET. Liburni, 1851.

4. Cases of Conscience, or Lessons in Morals. London, 1853.