DR. MORAN AND THE BISHOP’S OATH.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2639, 2 August 1871, Page 2

DR. MORAN AND THE BISHOP’S OATH.

To the Editor. Sir, — If I humor Dr. Moran so far as to concede that persequor means to follow perseceringly, I will nevertheless prove that in the Bishop’s oath it means to persecute. I should like Dr. Moran to say what sense he attaches to “following persevcringly heretics, &c.?” How, and for what purpose, friendly or hostile, to imitate or to punish, is he required to follow perseverinjly and to the utmost of his.ability heretics, schismatics, &c ? No body disputes the “ primary ” meaning of persquor. But it is positive trifling to fall back, as Dr. Moran does, upon a mere etymological rendering of a terra whose true significance cannot be determined apart from the general purport of the sentence, para graph, or connexion in which it occurs. If I say that a very dear friend of mine is gone on a journey and I will pursue him ; and by and bye, say that a thief broke into my house last night and escaped with all my Elate, &c., but that the police v ill pursue im till they catch him ; will anyone understand that pursue must mean in both instances one and the same thing ? The pursuit in the one case is the act of a friend, in the other it is the act of an avenger. So in regard to fol owing perseceringly whether in a given instance it means to follow for a good or an evil intent must be determined by circumstances. What does persequor mean in the vocabulary of Roman Catholicism ? When a Roman Catholic bishop swears that he will “ follow peseveringly heretics,” &c., what sense must be attached to his use of the words ? It is certain that he does not mean to follow them in order to imitate them, to mane friends of them, or to Mess them ! No. Remembering how Roman Catholic bishops have been wont to follow heretics, &c., there is no difficulty in seeing that to persecute is the only thing that the bishop by his oath is committed to do with heretics ! In the Pontificate Pomanum there is a horrid curse, which runs thus :—“ By the authority of Omnipotent God, and of St. Peter and St. Paul, ids apostles, we firmly, and under the threat of anathema, enjoin that no one carry off these virgins or religious persons here present from Divine service, to which under the standard of chastity they have been dedicated, that no one plunders their property, but that they enjoy it in quiet. If any one shall have presumed to attempt this, may he he cursed in the state (or city), and in the field, cursed in watching and cursed in sleeping, cursed in eating and drinking, cursed in walking and sitting : may his flesh and his bones be cursed, and from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head may he enjoy no health ! May there light upon him the curse which the Lord seat in the law by Moses to the sons of in-

iquity. May his name be erased from the book of the living, and not be recorded with the righteous. May his portion and his heritage be with Cain the fratricide, with Dathau and Abiram, with Ananias and Sapphira, with Simon Magus, and with Judas the' traitor, aud with those who said to God, ‘Depart from us—we will not follow thy ways. May enternal fire devour him with the devil and his angels, unless he make restitution and come to amendment. So be it. So bo it.” Air .Editor, does not your blood run cold in your veins as you read such horrible language ? And this, sir, is the language of a Church claiming to be the Church of Him who has taught us to “ Jove our enemies, bless them that curse us," &c 1 Do not these dreadful curses show what persequor means when found in the same book in which they occur ? Dr Moran is very anxious to get the people of Otago to believe that his Church has never been a persecuting Church! We have seen that she has been and still is a cursing Church ! According to he Canon Law of the Romish Church, “ Secular princes shall, if necessary, be compelled, if they desire to be accounted faithful, that for the defence of the faith they shall publicly make oath that they will endeavor bona jule, with all their might extirpate from their kingdom all heretics, so that anyone about to assume any authority, whether spiritual or temporal, he shall be held bound to confirm his title by this oath.” Sir, after this can any doubt rest upon any honest mind as to what persequor means in the mouth of a Romish bishop ? Dr Moran holds me to the “ primary ” meaning of persequor. I will then hold bim to the primary meaning of Impugnabo, and see what will come of it. Why he has -takea no notice of Impugnabo in the Bishop’s oath, is obvious enough. Turning to Ainsworth’s Latin Dictionary (I have not Dr Smith’s at hand), I find to fight against is given as the “primary” meaning of impugno. How then are we to read the hateful clause Pro Posse Persequar et Impugnabo, according to Dr Moran’s rule of taking the “ primary ” as the true meaning of the terms ? Thus—- “ To the utmost of my power I will follow perseveringly and fight against heretics, &c.” if Dr Moran does not “ feel* somewhat ashamed ” for having exposed his ignorance, or something worse, to the contempt of all men of common sense, it is high time that hj« should do so! Mr Editor, I should not have taken up my pen to expose the persecuting spirit of Homan Catholicism buffer the claim for State aid that Dr Moran is somewhat arrogantly putting forth for Roman Catholic schools. A denominational system of education m'aus itfidelity to truth, and on that account it should be opposed to the utmost by all true Christians. If Dr Moran had advocated the removal from “ our educational system” of all taint of sectarianism, he would have secured pretty, general sympathy. But when he pleads, not tor equity that shall consist with loyalty to truth, but for a sectarianism that cares for nothing but the interests of a church whose dogmas, to nine-tenths of the people of the Province are nothing better than a tissue of absurdities, superstitions, aud antagonism to civil and religious liberty, we are compelled to raise our voice against the effort that is being made to induce the Government to support so great an evil. “ t airplay ” on the lips of th.: representative of a church that hj s from her birth till now (Semper Eadem) been the sworn foe of all that is worthy of the name < f justice and liberty, means sectarianism of t e most objectionable kind. I trust the people of Otago arc keeping ‘heir eye on Dr Moran’s movements, and that very speedily throughout the Province, pfforts ’will be organized for promoting petitions to the General Assembly in favour of a thoroughly undenominational secular system of education, the only one that at once embraces justice to all parties and loyalty to God’s truth. Omega. August 1, 1871. [We trust that correspondents writing on this or any other subject will bear in mind that to monopolise so much space on questions which only interest a few is unfair, as it necessarily excludes other more interesting matter. Short and pithy letters are always likely to be read by most classes.— E S.]