The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-01-04 00:00:00

TO THE REV. RICHARD BROWN,

Reverend Sir,—l now come to the question alluded to in
my letter last week, to which question you, as a pastor, re-
fused to give an answer.
In your address from the pulpit, you informed your con-
gregation that the bishop had forbidden all the clergy in his
district to go about collecting alms ; I, therefore, waited on
you to inquire, if the bishop had also forbidden all his clergy
to make the wills of their penitents in their own favour. To
this question you declined to give adanswer. It is, reverend
sir, a question of such importance to the whole catholic com-
munity, that it cannot remain in doubt! It must be an-
swered. The interests of religion, the honour and character
of the priesthood, require an answer. Are you prepared as
a faithful shepherd, having to give an account of your pasto-
ral charge, to allow your flock to remain in darkness, when
it seeks after refreshment and light? Are you, as a priest of
the altar, to withhold from the faithful that information
which they seek in points of religion ? Should there be any
mystery observed in our holy religion ? Are you aware, re-
verend sir, of the awful responsibility you incur by with-
holding such information from me? Have you considered
the effects which such a refusal will produce on the public
mind ?—of the unnatural inference that will be drawn from
it should you unfortunately persist in your silence? Think,
reverend sir, of the consequences that may result from it to
your own flock, when the shepherd refuses it the food after
which it hungers. .

The question, reverend sir, is a very plain one ; it requires
no study, I should imagine, to answer. A disingenous and
dishonest pastor may evade it ; a faithful and honest shep-
herd never can allow it to remain in doubt. You are under
Dr. Brown's spiritual authority, you, therefore, must know
whether he has given such an order as the one alluded to.
You, reverend sir, are my pastor, and I ask you, is there
such a power given to confessors as that of making the wills
of their penitents in their own favour ? The question, I
hope, is intelligible; if not, I will put it in another form.
Does the church sanction such a power or right in a con-
fessor? Will not the confessional' be looked upon as an
office for the making of wills should no answer be given ? Is
the love of temporal interests to outbalance the love of those
that are spiritual ?

L'amour qui nous attache aux beautes eternelles,
N'etouffe pas en nous l'amour des temporelles.
Do we find, reverend sir, that when Christ gave to his apos-
tles the power to forgive sins, he also gave them the power
to make the wills of their penitents? Have we any instance
of such a power being given in the sacred writings ? Did the
apostles everexercise such a power? Did they delegate such
a power to their disciples ? In the third century, we find St.
Cyprian loudly condemning a priest who had accepted the
office of executor or guardian, and forbidding prayers to be
offered up for those who should attempt, by such things, to
draw off priests from the service of the altar.
Has not the confessional now become a kind of closet for
the making of the wills of half-witted, deluded persons?
Have we not convincing evidence that such is the case ? Have
we not seen that in the confessional the foulest robberies
have been committed? Has not the public press called our
attention, not many months ago, to the circamstances under
which an imbecile old lady had two wills forced upon her by
her confessor? Was not the name of the confessor given at
the time, and has he attempted to deny it? Have we not
heard of a confessional in an adjoining county being profaned
in a similar manner? Have we not in this town, three wills
of three old maids, in the Deputy Registrar's office, all in
the handwriting of the same confessor? Have we not re-
cently seen a confessor come into a Court of Justice with two
Wills of his penitent, having one to fall back upon in case he
should have failed to establish the other ? Have we not heard
of these and other abominations at which the heart sickens ?
And where is the bishop that he takes no notice of this ?
Where is the priest, the good and faithful past.r, who has
come forstard to condemn such profanations ? What, is
there not one clergyman among your whole body, not one
reverend doctor to take up his pen or to raise his voice against
such scandals? Where and when are such shocking abuses
to end ?

The greatest enemies, reverend sir, which the Catholic
Church has to fear and fight against, are her own clergy ;
history shows us that this has been the case in past ages.
Our Saviour has said, " You cannot serve two masters ; you
cannot serve both God and mammon." Which of these
masters do you think, reverend sir, is worshipped by your
will-making brethren?
I must for the present conclude, and will resume the sub-
ject next week ; meanwhile, I hope you will do me the
honour to reply to my query.
I am, rev. sir,

Your very obedient servant,
THOS. EASTWOOD

Greenfi2ld, December 29, 1811

THE TRACTS FOR THE TIMES

TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, HIS GRACE
THE LORD ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY, PRIMATE OE
ALL ENGLAND AND METROPOLITAN•

We, the subscribed, lay inhabitants of Cheltenham, and
devoted Episcopalians, regarding with dismay the recent de-
velopment of the views inculcated by the authors of the
" Tracts for the Times," venture to address your grace, as
the chief ecclesiastical guardian of the. church of Christ in
England, persuaded that many of the writings are utterly
repugnant to the word of God, at variance with the plain
meaning of the articles, liturgy, and homilies of the church
of England, and contain the essence of many of the most
fatal errors of the church of Rome. _ _

We therefore humbly entreat your grace to take such mea-
sures as to your grace may seem most advisable for the epis-
copal bench to declare, authoritatively, their united disap-
probation of those opinions, which have already been sepa-
rately condemned by many of the bishops at their triennial
visitations, as we doubt not they would have been by the re-
mainder, had similar occasions presented themselves.
We do not presume to dictate to your Grace, but present
our request in solemn earnestness, as to one whom the
charge and oversight of the flock of Christ in this realm has
been committed by the Chief Shepherd and Bishop of our
souls.

We, the subscribed, with every sentiment of respect,
humbly beg to declare ourselves your Grace's most obedient
and faithful servants.

Lambeth, Dec. 24, 1841

Gentlemen,—l have to acknowledge the receipt of your
letter of the 23d of this month, accompanied by an address
very numerously signed by many of the laity of Cheltenham,
and I beg to assure you, that in compliance with the wish
expressed by the petitioners, I shall give my grave consider-
ation to this document.
I have the honour to be, gentlemen,
Your most obedient servant,
John Lewis, Esq., &c. W. CANTUAIt.

AMERICAN DUEL.-At Natchez, by the latest advices, a
duel between Judge Tenney and N. C. Rowley, Esq., was in
train of preparation. It was to take place on the 6th inst.,
on the Arkansas shore, opposite to Princetown. Each of the
principals was to be armed with a rifle, a pair of duelling
pistols, and a bowie knife. The rifles to be discharged at
thirty paces distance, then to advance at pleasure to the full
of one or both. The cause of the duel is said to be a deci-
sion of Judge Tenney, at the last Circuit Court in Concor-
dia, affecting Rowley's property. Quite an improvement on
the usual tardy course of appeal. Should the judge receive
a rifle ball through the heart, we presume it will be held that
his decision was wrong, and ought to be set aside. On the
other hand, should his Honour succeed in plunging a bowie
knife fist-deep into the thorax of Mr. Rowley, then the law
of the judge will stand as good, and the equity of his decision
be unquestioned.—Guiana Gazelle.

;.41,flarlirtf.

WAKEFIELD CORN MARKET, DEC. 31

Our arrivals of Grain are moderate, still fully equal to the de.
mand, having a thin attendance of buyers, as is usual at this
season. The new Wheat comes in very poor condition, and a
decline of is per qr. is submitted to; for Old there is no anxiety to
press sales, and equally as little disposition to buy ; prices are about
the same. Barley dull, without variation in value. Oats and
Shellings rather lower. New Beans almost unsaleable, Old as
before.