The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-06 00:00:00

THE CONFESSIONAL.

The protest of the people of England, clerical and
lay, against auricular confession is complete. No
pretence of Romanism, or of the Romanising party in
the Church, is more insolent or more unfounded than
that which attributes the prevalence of the right of
private judgment in the English Church to the
example of the popular nature of the English consti-.
tution, and assumes, therefore, that it is the creature
of secularity and a portion of the Eastern heresy.
It was the Reformation which made the revolution .
But for the first, the s econd would never have been
heard of, and the miracle performed upon Mary of
Modena at St. Winifred's Well, in Wales, would
have been solemnly believed and quietly acquiesced
in, and we should have had no liberation to com-
memorate, and no liberty to enjoy. The freedom
of discussion in the Church of England has been
chiefly the result of a desire to understand, joined
to a determination to reverence, the Scriptures, not
widely nor idly dealt with, but only in so far as the
intention of the Deity should be capable of being
inferred from those Scriptures, in a serious desire to
ascertain what was the rule and the intention. In
this freedom there is no latitudinarianism, and
no attempt to abridge thought on one side or to ex-
cite profanity on the other. It is, in fact, the just
medium to which the Reformers desired to attain,
and while it does not trammel the human will, it
does not fail to declare the rules by which that will
must be guided and the sanctions to which it must
submit.

The philosophical reader of such annals as dis-
play the mental history of this country will see the
national mind strongly divided, and that generally
into two particular categories, those who believe too
little, and those who believe too much. This division
arises from an unfounded arrogance in the one and a
native weakness in the other. Of the first we reap the
fruit of infidelity, and of the second disturbances
created by the Church of Rome and her adherents
in the general polity of the state. How very far
this Church has fallen in the opinion of Englishmen,
and of all natives of reformed countries, is chiefly
visible in the case of the Confessional. n many of
its other false doctrines the Church of ltome has
had the good fortune to adopt subjects on which
the profane vulgar are not much learned, and there-
fore its doctrines on such matters are not likely
to meet with much public and general dispute.
But the question of the Confessional touches the
very root of all organised society, and at this,
as far as this country is concerned, the chief
indignation of the people is levelled. While
those who thought it right to adhere to some ex-
treme display in worship were content to avail
themselves of that display alone, perhaps it would
be scarcely right or just that we should suppose
them to be acting in any. ill-faith, or working
against the interests of religion of the Church, and
thus we did not deal so harshly with that parti-
cular kind of affectation which was not inappro-
priately called church millinery. But the Confes-
sional, properly so called, takes a wider range than
the mere question of what is or what is not the
actual boundary of priestly power, and there
could not be a greater proof of how correct is the
feeling of the people, and how deeply seated are the
doctrines of Protestant Christianity, than the uni-
versal repudiation which the doctrine of auricular
confession has received from the sincere men in
England. At the same time, and with the fullest
sense of the dangers, and indeed of the great sin,
of auricular confession, our own desire would be to
see the question dealt with by the authorised tri-
bunals of the Church ; and deeply as we admire our
order," we think that in such a matter (except as
to publishing the opinions of those of the clergy
who choose to adopt such a medium), the post of
honour of the press is without doubt a private sta-
tion. We have not the least fear that the Popish
vanity of auricular confession has, to any serious
extent, invaded the Church. Both the clergy and the
people are too trustworthy to lead us to dread such
a result. When public meetings on the subject have
been held, we deny that such—at all times painful
displays—have been provoked by the conduct, even
the occasional conduct, of any considerable number
of the clergy. The persons guilty of outraging the
Protestant feeling of the country have, as is the
case in all pursuits, been persons generally of little
mark as to usefulness in the Church, and perhaps
of leas in their career as scholars. The who have

sought to exaggerate the priestly offi.
rally been men who have not hon .
amount of their own abilities or the
their own success. There arc no Taylors, nor Ti
lotsons, nor • Lowths, nor Usshers, amongst the
modern list of coaricular." confessors" and parish
" martyrs."
If there is any power of appreciation of the signs
of the times amongst the extreme and anti-Protes-
tant class, they must see that the whole spirit of
the people is fighting against them, and that the
one opinion of the entire Reformed Churches con-
demns the practices by which they have led, in the
Church of England, some of their weak brethren to
err. There are, however, a few, and a very few,
from whom. the spirit of judgment would seem to
have departed, and who fight for a principle with-
out the least reference to its advantage to the cause
of religion or of the Church ; forgetting the-greatest
maxim of the Apostle that "all things are lawful,but
all things are not expedient." 'We should be sorry
to think that at any time in England, or in Chris-
tendom,any part of the people should be precluded
from the advantage of " confessing their sins one to
another," if the one had injured the other and wished.
to give proof of regret in the slight reparation of
acknowledgment, or if it was a comfort to a bur-
dened conscience to be relieved from its own
agonies by the admission of sins to a clergyman or a
neighbour. But to permit, on this sround, exa-
mination and cross-examination, the licentiousness
of Liguori and the filth of Dens—that suggestions
of crime should be put broadly, demanding long and
dangerous explanation, and every sinuosity of vice
should be traced turn by turn—and all that for the
only purpose of saying, "itepent of that and Pll
forgive you"—this would be to adopt the doctrine
of the confessional of Rome,•and to abandon the
notion of free agency in confessing voluntarily,
which is the element of all the confession which
the Reformed Churches allow.

It would be well, however, that too violent
courses should not be recommended, merely on the
ground that men differ in doctrine and practice on
this matter. There is a large body in the Church
much more tolerant to dissent, and even to suspi-
cious dissent than to that portion of the Church
itself which, we regret to say, entertains extremes
opinions. Never was the advice of the Pagan fable
more needful than just aow—ntedio trttissiintfs ibis !
There is a long way between the doctrines, and
often the worth of the Churchman who holds the
highest notions of his power, and who may be nick-
named by those who comprehend neither of the
phrases " Traetarian" and " Puseyite," and the dis-
seminator of the "cold-hearted heresy" of Socinian-
ism. It is dangerous to assume that all men who
go somewhat too far are actually conspiring with
the general enemy, or that men otherwise blame-
less are imbued with some deep desire to betray
the Church. At all events it is to be hoped that.
however much needed are lectures like those of
Dr. Cumming against the practice of the Confes-
sional, the need for them will decay before the in-
fluence of true attachment to the Protestant faith,
and the legitimate operation of the machinery of
the Church herself.—Morning Herald.

NEW ARRANGEMENT AS REGARDS
THE LETTER CARRIERS.

The following new system of arrangements, as
regards remuneration to the letter carriers or post-
men, has just been agreed to by the authorities of
the General Post-office:—

" TO THE LONDON LETTER CARRIERS.

" I am directed by the Portmaster-General to in-
form you that his. lordship has received authority
from the Lords of the Treasury to make the follow-
ing alterations with regard to the appointment,
pay, and promotion of the London letter carriers,
and other members of the fourth class :

"1. In future, when vacancies occur among the
letter carriers of the third class, such letter carriers
as are also charge takers' (and fully competent for
that office), and as are not already in the third
class, will be promoted to it in the order of merit,
without requiring that they should become sorters;
but, with this exception, no more letter carriers
will as such be promoted to the third class, and all
future vacancies which may arise among the letter
carriers now in that class will not be filled up.
"2. The scale of wages for the 4th class, which
at present commences at 19s. per week, and rises
by an annual increment of ls. to 235., will, as re-
gards all future appointments, commence at 18s.,
but will rise, by the same annual increment. to 255.

"3. Men now in the service will continue to ad-
vance on the present scale till they reach 235. per
week; but instead of remaining at 235. (the maxi-
mum of that scale), they will, after six years' ser-
vice (dating from their being placed on the esta-
blishment), advance to 245., provided they shall
have stood at wages of 235. as much as one year.
Having served another year at wages of 245., they
will advance to 255., the maximum of the new scale.
A service of six years is required to entitle a man
to advance to 245., because, under the new scale, it
will require six years to reach that point.
"4. Those who have already served six years in
all (dating from their being placed on the esta-
blishment), and at least one year at wages of 235.
a week, will be at once advanced to 245., and a_year
hence will he further advanced to 255. a week.

"5. By the old scale (that in use before the re-
vision in 1854), the 60 senior post letter carriers
(a distinction which, as you know, then existed)
were entitled to 30s. each per week, and a further
of 11 to 255. ; and it has been arranged that of
the old _general post letter carriers still in the ser-
vice (whatever may be their present class (such as
are receiving, less than they would have had under
the old scale, shall henceforward receivethe wages
which, under the old scale, they would have en-
joyed. This will at once advance every such letter
carrier (now receiving less) either to 255. or 30s. ;
and as vacancies occur in the 30s. class, they will
he filled up by the admission (according to seniority)
of other old general post letter carriers, so long as
they remain in the service.
" 6. In like manner also, under the old system,
141 of the senior London district letter carriers
received wages of 255. a week ; and it has been
settled, that, as regards all men now in the service
who were district letter carriers at the time of the
revision, this regulation shall be re-established.
Consequently, such of the 141 senior London dis-
trict letter carriers still in the service (whatever
may be their present class) as now are receiving less
than 255. a week will be advanced to that amount ;
and as vacancies occur in the 255. class, they will
be filled up by the admission (according to seniority)
of the other London district letter carriers, so long
as any remain who were in the service at the time
of the revision.

" 7. It is, of course, intended that all advance-
ments herein authorised shall, as heretofore, depend
on every man's good conduct, and on the efficient
discharge of his duties.

" 8. At present men sometimes enter the ser-
vice beyond the age for which the lowest wages
are calculated, and with the burden of a family
upon them. Such men are objectionable, not
only because. a man who has incurred respon-
sibilities beyond his income is likely to be uneasy,
dissatisfied, and a bad officer, but because the diffi-
culty of training a person to the rapid and effi-
cient discharge of the duties of letter carrier and
sorter is greatly increased if at the commencement
he is past the age of youth. To remedy this evil
it has been determined that every new letter car-
rier is to be appointed under 21 years of age.
" 9. The wages for the current week will be
paid, in accordance witk the foregoing arrange-
ments,
on Saturday next, Dec. 4.
" 10. Arrangements, as you are aware, have for
some time been in progress for changing the hour
of the last collection of letters from ten o'clock to
nine ; aad it is under consideration whether 13ome
improvement may not be made in the mode of
et rhee n t
satisfaction 'alk s.
po!T itir. I m de
gleatt ereasired t
rriers to re
o tehxe
pirdiffss
which Lord Colchester feels at
being thus enabled
to fulfil the expectations held out by him to the
general body of letter
carriers, of improving their
condition ; and to state that hislordship •
glad to
find that, although. some few letter carriers have
been led to by bad d a visers into acts which have
brought punishment upon them, the general body
have placed a just confidence in his word, and have
shown that they did not participate in the late
discreditable system of agitation.
" WILLIAM IIOKENHAM,
" Controller of the Circulation Department."

DEATH OF LADY LUCY B RIDGE VAN.—W e deeply
regret to announce the death of Lady Lucy Bridgeman,
daughter of the Earl of Bradford, who died on Friday morn-
ing, at Weston Hall, Staffordshire, from the effects of the
severe burns she received in endeavouring to extinguish the
burning clothes of her unfortunate sister, Lady Charlotte
Bridgeman, who, it will be recollected by our readers, died
on the 26th ult., from the fearful injuries sustained by her
dregs igniting accidentally in the drawing-room at Weston
Hall. A deep gloom has been cast over this noble family by
the distressing calamity. Her ladyship was eldest au e.
viving daughter of the Earl of Bradford, and was hem
October 3, 1826.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—Rush of Blood to the Head is fre-
quently caused by a bad condition of the stomach or bowels,
but by a course of Holloway's Pills, these distressing symp-
toms are prevented, or if they have made their appearance,
are quickly exterminated. Dizziness of sight, headache,
and other alarming symptoms, are also relieved by this
wonderful aperient ; also all internal disorders are curable
by them, because by their influence on the nerves, Alit y
reduce the entire system to a healthy action. The first
effect of Holloway's Pills is to cause a healthy flour of saliva
during mastication, to excite the stomach to secrete suffi-
cient gastric juice to digest the food, whose chyle, entering
the blood, bestows on that fluid wholesome tonic properties.

~~-,~.

r.-

ASTLEY'S ROYAL AMPHITHEATRE,
Westminster-road.

Sole Lessee Mr. William Cooke.

The Lessee has the honour to call public attention to the pro-
duction of a new grand military and equestrian drama, on
Saturday, Nov. 4, for the first time.
THIS EVENING, and during, the week, will be repeated
a new grand Spectacle, entitled LIFE:IN THE EAST ; or,
The Fugitives and their Faithful Steed. Written expressly
for this amphitheatre by Mr. It. Phillips, and embracing the
entire strength of this vast Hippodramatic Temple. Princi-
pal characters by Messrs. R. Phillips, Holloway, J. Anson,
Mark Howard, Francis ; Miss Dowton, Miss Weston, &c.

Followed by the inimitable SCENES IN THE ARENA
in which Messrs. W. Cooke, Runnels, W. Cooke, jun.; Mes•
dame Blanche, &c., will go through their unrivalled feats.

No fees to box-keepers. The art of riding taught.
Commence at seven. Carriages at Eleven.
Prices of admission :—Dress Circle, 3s. ; Upper Boxes, 2s. ;
Pit, ls, ; Galleries, 6d. ; Private Boxes, from is to £2 2s.
and upwards