The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-01-21 00:00:00

Jam. 21, 1851.

THE CONFESSIONAL.—Richard Swain, late a priest of
the Church of Rome, and now of the Priests' Protection
peroi ensste,launedn
tl
layt eml
mthueeßhoemxpiseh.
do
ef Dearaacon
nar
address
s hsAaf Archdeacon,—ln coehmdt
heeac op yourselfne ,a—s i
nI
and
natdac
sktkhn
eoo acknowledging
ll
ree
erdgngyei
wOO% receipt
gtyh,otearhe a
assetr h.
Society, in a letter to a London paper says:—'" I write and TO THE VENERABLE THE ARCHDEACON OF LINDISFARNE.,
yeast° he amv eb ehr aodf
p ailsaskt hnooowd ,a as nad
Hence in the mysteries of that secret system during. twenty
six years. The canon of the Council of Trent enjoins on rance of my entire concurrence in the feeling, almost
Reformation and of loyalty to our Proteee
every priest dead silence in all matters revealed to him by universally expressed, of attachment to the real principles
his penitent, under the penalty of mortal sin for making of our happy
any disclosure whatever, directly or indirectly, to any hug tent Sovereign.
man being ;no matter how gross, how murderous or In my replies to various other addresses I have endea-
as
treasconfessoronable, the crime may b
en tic is disclosed I
toacted him voured to avoid repetition of the same topics ; and my
. Cld me, e ,in
many cases, in that capacity, that I should have disclosed present aim is to supply omissions and to remove objec-
tions.
the revelations made known to me, and thus the commis- It has been asserted, then, that the resistance to Papal
sion of egregious crimes might have been prevented ; but, aggression is a selfish and bigoted movement owthe part
upon more reflection, the better part of human nature was of the clergy. Now, I believe that the question at issue
overcome, and I was obliged by that tyrant law to chain partakes more of a civil than a religious nature. That
within my heart confessions, which, if they had been even the step taken by Rome is intended as a preliminary to
partially divulged to the unhappy victim, might have hin- the undoing of all that our ancestors achieved at the
dered the sad and shocking events that followed. lam Reformation, and is to pave the way for imposing, both
free to confess from what I felt then. and what I know now, upon the clergy and laity of this country, the yoke of a
that the priest in the confessional is often an accessory to
murder before the fact ; and, consequently, in the sight of form in which it has presented itself is that of invasion
corrupt and tyrannical religion, 1 firmly believe ; but the
God, is a party to a murder, and actually as guilty as if he upon the rights of the Crown and the independence of our
had himself committed the diabolical act. I am, there- national institutions.
fore, decidedly of opinion, that confession, as practised in Our clergy would, no doubt, be scandalized and annoyed
the Church of Rome, should be abolished, like every by a perpetual collision of bishop with bishop and priest
other treasonable conspiracy, with a high hand and a with priest, such as the restless and domineering spirit of
strong arm by the legislature from every part of her Ma •
• NUNNERIE3.—The Bristol Mirror, after commenting than the laity in protesting against this usurpation ; nor
am I aware that they have exerted themselves in any
Popery would not fail to seize every opportunity of pro-
jesty's dominions."
clueing. Otherwise the clergy are not more interested
on the state of Lunatic Asylums. and the visitations to
which they are properly subjected, says—" There are degree more, even if so much as their lay brethren, in
establishments of another class, increasingly numerous in making a firm but temperate remonstrance against it.-
this country, and, we fear, also in this neighbourhood, The whole nation felt the insult at once ; they have risen
which are subject to no such salutary inspection. When as one man to express their indignation upon the plain
a nun takes the veil and renounces the world, her with- and intelligible ground occupied by our forefathers at the
drawal from society is aceompanied with the outward Reformation. This sense of wrong inflicted upon the na-
show of a public and voluntary renunciation of the world. tional dignity disposes at once of the charge of intolerance.
upon
or
Tonn fanaticism.aßn
Roman
m censurean
The will may be, and doubtless often is, influenced on
Cathwohliiccsh,
Ii t
hope may hthaavte
mbeyencemnLdreuthyatsobpeaesns
such occasions by persuasive arts of a most unjustifiable
character; and which leave the victim of Rotnish error
and despotism anything but a free agent in the true sense seen to direct itself against the system, not against indi-
of that term. But if, in that moment of excitement, she viduals. Moreover, 1 have always felt that a marked dis-
takes the vows of perpetual celibacy, mortification, and
tinction is to be made between English Roman Catholics
seclusion, what is her future lot, and state of feeling with
and others of that persuasion. The English Roman Ca-
regard to the destiny to which her assent has been pro- tholics have ever shown themselves loyal and tranquil
cured ?—There is the mystery. Is it right that men, and subjects, kind and liberal neighbours ; and if any suspi-
still more that women, should be incarcerated for life
folk and Lords Beaumont and Camoys. These noblemen
cion has been awakened at any time it should be dispelled
within the walls of a convent, on any pretext whatsoever ? by the noble and manly part taken by the Duke of Nor-
Is it right, in this free Protestant country, that the law of
popes and priests, and abbesses, however tyrannical, throw no doubt upon the peculiar doctrines of their church,
should be paramount and uncontrolled, and, in its effects,
ference with the privileges of their own Sovereign without
nor do they dispute the really spiritual claims of its head,
unseen within those cemeteries of a living death ? It is but they cannot become parties to its improper inter-
our beast that the Pope bath no jurisdiction within this
realm ; but who else than the Pope, and his emissaries, forfeiting that allegiance which they owe in common with
have jurisdiction within convent walls ? Now and then
the secrets of those prison-houses transpire. Not lon all their fellow-subjects; they, therefore, stand in a far
g more honourable position as Christians than their ultra-
since a case came before the courts in Ireland, of some montane brethren and all such as act upon ultramontane
sisters of Cork, who had been coerced into signing away principles.
their property from their own relations, while immured It has often appeared to me surprising that any person
in a convent, and the deeds were set aside. Other and of ordinary understanding, and to whom the scriptures
far darker histories have happened in nunneries. It is
are open, should be induced to wander in the darkness of
impossible that such arbitrary and uncontrolled powers Romanism when he might enjoy the pure light of our
as are
should not commi
betted to .
priests anest d superiors ofshould be convents Reformation. Nevertheless, when I have considered the
abused abli influence exerted upon the human mind by early habits
brought under the power of British law, and visited regu- and associations, and the firm hold which religious opi-
larly by British magistrates, for their inmates are quite nions maintain upon more advanced periods
of life; the
ahelpless against those who rule over them as lunatics surprise has been greatly abated in respect of such as have
e."
ORIGIN AND POWERS OF CONVOCATION.—SO far from
imbibed the doctrines of the Rotnish church from their
birth. But I cannot refrain from expressing the greatest
having been a necessary incident to the Church of En-
gland, our Convocation wonder that any who have been nurtured in the bright-
reign of Ed dates no further back than the ness and freedom of Protestantism should condescend to
ward I. That politic monarch being deter-
mined to break through the immunity from taxation then accept the restrictions put upon the will and understand-
claimed by the clergy summoned them to meet together ing and conscience, and accommodate themselves to the
palpable errors, the gross absurdities, and the mischievous
with the barons, knights of the shire, and burgesses, in
practices of Rome.
order to raise a subsidy for his necessities. The clergy, That I may not be supposed to speak without some in-
insensible to the boon which was then sought to be coil- quiry or reflection, or to indulge in a spirit approaching to
ferred upon them, resisted the overture with all their
mi ght intolerance, I will shortly specify some of the points which
, and were said to be meditating a sentence of ex- I have ever considered most objectionable ; and I would
their
communicationmeasures bye
procuring a nst the King judgment of when e anticipated
call the attention of our own clergy to them when they
find it their duty to instruct the people upon the discrimi-
perty. This forestalling of the Reformation by three awry
against them, and threatening the seizure of their pro-
nating doctrines and relative merits of Popery and Pro-
testantism.
hundred years was only prevented by the submission of 1. I first mention the claim of the Pope to universal
the clergy, and thus did the houses of Convocation be-
empire over the church of Christ. That such a claim is
come an integral part of the British Constitution. It is
not supported in the smallest degree by the text usually
a mistake, however, to suppose that they ever possessed brought forward (Matthew xvi. 18, 19), 1 have endea-
was to sum est an assessment, which was carried the power of taxing the clergy—all that they did
voured to prove in the last two sermons of a volume pub-
g lished in 1822.
into eessedffect
no by a
power ofe
decidingent act of
questions Parliamen They Other doctrines, practices, and claims, equally desti-
tote of authority from Holy Writ, are—
poss
puted doctrine ; nor could they, as was so frequently as-2. Transubstantiation and the refusal of the cup in the
serted at the city meeting, make laws to bind the church. ,
The Church consists both of clergy and laity, and the holy communion to the laity.
-
laity not being represented in the Convocation were never 3. Divine honours paid to the Virgin Mary, the invoca
bound by its canons. Those canons also were invalid lion of saints, and the worship of images.
if they were repugnant to the law of the land or the 4. The doctrine of purgatory, and the power of a priest
Royal prerogative. To confuse such an institution, to procure relief from its penalties.
5. The rant of indulg.
which was in effect little more than a Committee of Ways
6. Restraint upon theences use of the Holy Scriptures,
and Means to the House of Commons, with a provincial amounting to prohibition.
or general council of the early Church, is, if we look at 7. The unnatural extent in which celibacy is enforced.
all deeper than the names of things, absolutely ridiculous. Fe The pretence that miracles are even now performed
The cause of the disuse of Convocation was the consent in the church of Rome. It may well be doubted if there
of the clergy, in 1664, as notified by Archbishop Sheldon be any authentic record of any miracle since the destruc-
to Lord Clarendon, to be taxed directly by the House of tion of Jerusalem ; unless the foiling of Julian's purpose
Commons, without its intervention. From that period to rebuild it be an exception.
its vocation was gone. As well might the chamber of
9
the clergy which met, together with the nobility and the. The offering up of public prayers in a foreign tongue,
commons, to form the States-General in almost every
little understood, with a disposition to discourage all edu-
cation. except on a most narrow and exc:usive principle.
ancient monarchy in Europe, be looked upon as a sacred
and divinely-gifted assembly, as the Convocation of En-
TO. To this catalogue of speculative error arid actual
gland. From the Revolution of 1688, the Convocation,
mischief must be added the most dangerous of all. The
being entirely in the hands of the advocates of religious confessional has always appeared to me a system pregnant
w
intolerance and arbitrary power, was little more than a with evil—moral and civil, social and domestic, and too
surel calculated to enslave
public debating club for the disturbed and angry spirits
the young and corrupt, more especially and female mind.
of the times. What possible good could arise to the
As I am not aware that any more appeals will be made
Times.
Church if Convocation were again allowed to meet ?
to me upon this occasion I have entered more fully upon
_
NO-POPERY EXHIBITION IN LONDON.—At Marl-the
the topics which it suggests in the hope that she observe-
tions I have made, hue. and elsewhere, may be of use to
borough-street Police-court, on Thursday, Augustus
Hayman, John Carter, George Hayling, Richard Brooker,
our younger brethren ; but I shall now conclude with ad-
and John Cranbr oke were brought before Mr. Bingham, vesting to one other misapprehension, if misapprehension
G
charged with creating an obstruction before Cardinal there be, on the part of our aggressors.
Wiseman's house, No. 35, Golden-square, and with col-
Some of them have expressed alarm, and raised an out-
cry, as it there were any intention to have recourse to
lecting money from the crowd. Hayman was dressed out
as an imitation Pope. He had on a mask ; his head was vindictive measures and to ra-enact the penal laws. It
decorated with a paper tiara, on which was
performed daubed a re-
does sound somewhat strangely that a Roman Catholic
presentation of the keys of St. Peter. A sheet
should plead earnestly for religious liberty and other pi-
the office of robe, and the leg and part of the back of a
teous complaints against persecution and against any vio-
chair
lation of the rights of conscience :
chair served for a crozier. He was mounted on a barrel,
which was labelled " Powder for the Pope and Cardinal
" Quis tulerit Gracchos de sedition querentes?"
I believe and sincerely hope they have nothing to fear in
Wiseman." The barrel was placed on a truck, which
was drawn by a donkey, and attended by the other de-
this respect. I am persuaded that no wish exists gene-
rally for any measure but what self-defence requires. An
gene-
fendants, in various capacities, but principally that of
outrageous attack has been made upon us, but I trust
money-collectors. Police-sergeant Joncock, C 12, said,
that about two o'clock that day his attention was attracted adequatemeans may be devised for ourown security withoutdisturbing the free exercise of religion by others or in-
towards a great noise in Golden-square. He went into fringing their rights of conscience. It surely cannot be
the square and found the defendants stationed before Car-
necessary to the maintenance of these great ends that a
dinal Wiseman's house, with a mob of between 2UO and foreign potentate should he permitted to insult a great na-
-300 persons round them. One of the defendants was tion, trample upon the rights of the Sovereign as secured
raising a great clatter by beating on a tea-tray. As soon by law, and disturb the peace and good order of the eats,
as the cavalcade caught sight of him, they turned out of blished church.
the square and made a circuit round, in order to come in
again at another part, but he stopped them, and caused' restrictions upon the introduction and c
provide some r..
them to be taken into custody. Their exhibition had ap-
culation of Papal bulls in this island, and to prohibit
the
In order to prevent such evils it may be necessary t 0
parently been so well relished by the spectators as to pro- assumption of episcopal titles conferred by Rome and
cure them about 7s. in copper money. The defence set deriving the name from any place in this country. It
up was that they merely did as others did to earn a penny. may also be desirable to forbid the existence of monastic
There ware plenty of popes going about the metropolis, institutions, strictly so called ; nor can the residence of
and
were breaking a
the law, did very
fontwl. Th were not aware they
any Jesuits appear otherwise than injurious among Scotch
ey haey d passed a station-house, and English Protestants. That order is well known to
and the inspector there had told them not to beat the tea- have shown itself so dangerous, that it was suppressed by
the
tray
Pope, too loheud,
declared or they
he d migid not ht frig
want to behten the hoa
Pope ;s
he'd for
Clement XIV in 1773, with the approbation of all good
may good
rather work hard like an honest man than be a Pope. and wise men. What species or amount of merit
Mr. Bingham said it was not lawful, whatever might be
myself unable to determine : butql an? sure you will agree
t
the defendants' religious persuasion, or whatever might
with me, that a body of men whose principles and conduct
be their opinion of Cardinal Wiseman's faith, for them to have brought them again into favour at Rome, I.profess
attempt to annoy him or make him ridiculous on account not be looked upon as desirable neighbours among Pro-
have been so justly reprobated i C. the! c countries can-
s
of his faith, whatever that faith might be ; much I
were the defendants to be permitted to go about tle To some such measures as I have thus pointed out, it
business. But,
streets creating an obstruction to public may in all probability be found necessary to resort—and
as the defendants had evidently erred through ignorance,i they may not improperly be referred to in petitions pre-
misled by those who ought .to have known better,
seated to Parliament in the ensuing session. No one,
testants like ourselves.
should content himself by taking their own recognizance
indeed, but Ministers themselves can know what steps are
to keep the peace and be of good behaviour in future.
The barrel and other equipments were ordered to be de-
to be considered most effectual for the security of our Pro'
stroyed. testant faith /and national independence ; but it is our
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION.—Dr. Pusey has just , duty to pray the Almighty Ruler of the Universe that the
published a pamphlet in relation to this subject, under the counsels of our Sovereign and her advisers may be directed
title on high, so as to become instrumental to the pro-
title of a " Postscript to the Letter of the Rev. W. U.
press of " pure and undefiled religion ." so that whatsoever
Richards, in vindication of the Freedom which the Church it
may
of England leaves to her Children to whom to open their
of charity, and that the final result, if we may not hope
Griefs." In the early portion of the pamphlet the writer for a complete agreementto among allChrisHwaritsii yaetwrdaeyr
argues in support of the practice, common to himself be a nearer approach
happiness such agreement,
diffusion of peace and all
among the creatures
confession from those come to them, but whose souls a of God.
many 'other' priests" of the English church, ofreceivhing
not been directly entrusted to them by the bishop, and in
his own case without having any particular cure of souls I am, dear Mr. Archdeacon, your affectionate friendand brother in Christ,
at all. He cites authorities for the purpose of showing
that in the exhortation to communicants, before the ad-
ministration of the Holy Sacrament—that they should
resort, if they bad their consciences troubled, to the
" priest," or some other learned minister—the words
" some other learned minister" do not necessarily refer
to some person appointed by the bishop of the diocese,
as assumed by Mr. Maskell. Dr. Pusey says :—" Lati-
mer, Ridley, Jewell, Andrews, Moreton, White, Laud,
Montagu, Usher, Bramhall, Sparrow, Taylor, and Dr.
Crackanthorpe, Donne, Heylin, Hammond, South,Comber
and Leslie recommend confession for quiet of conscience,
for instruction, correction, comfort, to the weak, wounded,
and ignorant conscience, comfort of God's pardon, abso-
lution, forgiveness of sins, a help to penitence, without
any reference whatsoever to Holy Communion. I may
and another passage from Bishop Taylor, in which, in his
' Rules and Advices to the Clergy of Down and Connor,'
he sets down, • Let every minister exhort his people to a
frequent confession of their sins.' A more authoritativee
document than these, the Homilies, says expressly tht
' Absolution bath the promise of forgiveness of sins,'
although, ' by
.the
reox word of the New Testament,
mpress
ise annexed and tied to the visible
it bath
whichisot tilsnshnpp
imposition of hands.' The church lays
sign,dowt that the Holy Communion is a Sacrament ' neces-
sary to salvation,' and that ' a quiet conscience' is requi-
site
for
those who come to it. And this special mode of
quieting
' the conscience she proposes to each communicant
nie judge
directly, if they need it; she makes each of them, in their
inmost heart, which they and God only know,
whether they need this remedy or no. Before, or without,
confession, no one besides, not even a parent, can know
whether that need exists. Those born of dissenters very
often join the church ; those born of worldly or ungodly
parents are very often touched by God's grace ; irreligious
and profligate husbands have, very often, wives earnest
about their husbands' salvation and theirown. One might
instance the hatred of the French infidel, Michelet, who is
mad against confession, because the wives o
and mothers
if
sons from infidelity."
France, taught by their priests, win their husbands an

THE BISHOP OP DURHAM ON POPERY.

E. DUNELM.

Auckland-castle, Jan. 6,

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

-4-

The deviation of the railway at Fleetwood, 21 miles in
length, was opened last week. It is to supersede that
portion of the line which was formerly carried across the
bav on timber gearing.
On Tuesday evening. a train from Musselburgh to
Edinburgh ran through a flock of sheep which were
stra ng on the line. No fewer than fifteen were fonnd
killed, and four others were so dreadfully mangled that
they had to be destroyed.
A verdict of manslaughter has been returned against
Ronald Baxter, the driver of a special train on the
Eastern Counties Railway, for killing a night-inspector at
Pendersend-station. The train was going at a furious
rate, and the jury were of opinion that proper precautions
had not been taken to give warning, by telegraph, to the
station-masters of its approach.
A NEW GLASS AND IRON RAILWAY STATION.—On
Thursday the Buckinghamshire Railway Company con-
tracted with Messrs. Fox, Henderson, and Co., to erect
a new station at Rewley, Oxford, which is to be con-
structed on the same principle as the building for the
great Exhibition, and it is to be completed in three
months. It is stated that this line to London is to be
opened on the Ist May next.

THELIVERPOOL AND NEW YORK TRADE : A MONSTER
SHIP.—We learn that Jabez Williams and Son, ship-
builders, of Williamsburg, are to commence early nest
spring a clipper ship for a mercantile house in this city,
engaged in the Liverpool trade, of the enormous size of
two thousand eight hundred tons. Her length will be
two hundred and thirty feet, or seven feet longer than the
U. S. ship-of-the-line Pennsylvania. In thin respect,
however, her dimensions do not exceed those of the great
ship which has just been commenced by Wm. H. Webb,
for N. L. and G. Griswold ; but, in consequence of an in-
creasing depth and breadth of beam, she will be some two
hundred tons larger. No'merchant vessel has ever been
built at all approaching her in point of magnitude. She is
to have three decks, and will be able to carry a vast num-
ber of passengers.--New York Journal 9f Wommerce.

ST. PETER t',T ROME.
The throne of St. Peter is--Rome !
Kings and prophets must hol? to him there;
Even Jupiter gives him his statue,
And Makomet hands him his chair: