The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1866-12-29 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

PUSEY AND THE CONFESSIONAL.  "s. G. 0." has written a letter to the London s, of which the following is an extract : . _  A young lady some years since, came under the Influence of a director o confessor of the Church of Ragland. He obtained a complete ascendancy over her. She, before him, took • VOW of celibacy for two years. II OkO,OOO to her par t 0.1.4 An offer of marriage was made to her, with their approval There was no question of her marrying until after the time of her vow should have expired, but ev-n then she had scruples unites her director would give his sanction . this, even when solicited by her parents, he repr.,,l do. The result was she remained single, died so, nil the gentleman who wished to marry her, ldned the Roman Church. This same director, In another cue, took an oath of celibacy from a yocing lady he afterwards absolved her, and she married a clergyman, in another case, it is not clear he took the oath or vow frees the lady, hut she went to him for absolution from It, was absolved, and is at present living, I Onus • happy Married woman. I bring forward these cases, not as at all believing they are uncommon, but because proofs of their truth have been afforded me, and In such reetialre may esuly suppose, It difficult, as the role, for many reasons to get the truth. Permit me to ask Dr. l'usey if he can plead ignorance of such cases as the above Is he prepared to defend any clergyman of the Fatablished Clurch In the exercise of the authority he may gain over young ladles as their confessor sad director in, unknown to their puents, aiding them to bind themselves by vows, or oath., or whatever the procea clay be to celibacy, or Indeed, to any one c mrse of life which shall hold them tied by such vow, until the priest chooses to release them? Can he justify the holding a young lady to such vow against the will of the parents when it become, known to them : I believe he will welt to justify it. I cannot doubt, with the evidence I have before aie, that in be first of the three cases if not in all the others, he—Dr Pusey—was the confessor or director who acted as I have described.  If it I. 80, I am obliged to add my conviction that In his large experience and practice as confeseor and director he has, soln .d again, been the means of no bringing young person• in subjection to his will and teaching tin" they have concealed, with the sanction of a priest, much that, accer lag to God'. plain law of duty to their parents, they might to have made known to them.  To the above letter of G. o.'s,” Dr. Pusey re. plies It. a dexterous strategic movement on his part, ["9.i when I was pressing upon your reader, the question how to prevent terrible evil, in which I know from privates letter to myself the hearts of English parents, far and wide, went along with me, to turn the dlscussion, and induce you to tunt it. to certain advice !supposed to have been given, trit,ch ho. ab•viutzly irt,h Confer,ton. I doubt whetter he wtl succeed in trite Parents will not, when the fact is brought before them, be turned saidefrom considering how their cloldren may best be protested from terrible evil destructive to soul and body, by an ellegation of unwlsdony Very many years ago, in some insulated cues With regard to those cases, I have written to "i G. O." to inquire of it,m to whom he refers in the histories which he has detailed to you. Two of the cases, I ant absolutely certain, cannot relate to me. For I do not believe, and never believed, that any rriext has any power to absolve tr.ou a vow mute to Almignty (hod, which in these cases the pnest is alleged to have done.  tr;c.e-ivn.:73. G. answer I will Write further to erplatn my principles, as you desire it. Meanwhile, I may a. well say this, that I am certain that —l. 1 neve. reo,lnniended to any lady to take a v•iw for life. I do not think alert vows 1.1.0111., although, under certain circumsomees. I should think town cb,cl.leilly unwise I never ad riord thom I That I had many years ago difficult cases In which to advise when persoia wished to make vows for life, which wont t have been rash in them, and which I had to dissuade. 3 That if "S 0 0 's" statement of my having sanctioned in that case a vow for two year. is accurate, it was to prevent • mak vow for Ile 4. That such • vow would Into, and would he Intended to leave, a person perfectly free at the end of the two years, al free as II hoot she had eeeee made it; and that it would be a shocking Immorality for any one to expresa • solemn conviction that Gui had called him or her to that single life which Hooker, In al.nsion to our Lord's wordy, calls "• thing more angelical and divine" H H, b v., c. 731, and then to set irrevocaoly In s way vposed to that conviction within two years. 5 That, supposing • person to have had such a strong conviction tr..t she was cal.eil by GM to • single Me, It would have been utterly wrong In any clergyman td, recant. mend math an one to marry, which is what I am alleged to have refused to do. At the expiration of the two years the lady was ;erfectly tree an before she had only her original responm Witty to decide whether elle was called by God to a sing e life or no. Is inch • case it would have been mere clerical tyranny, us well se unfaithful, to have persuaded such as one to marry against her own convictions, soil h... been La have ner.nwiedil env one against marriage if her convictioos had been toe other way Since parents leave their children free to marry or nit to marry, there was no querion of filial obedience. 0 I suppose that It is added ad intialolll that the gentleman who sought her In marriage became • Homan Catholic. In all probability, then, the lady, had she married, would have become one too: which I supp,.e that "3 C 0." wonti not have thought desirable. lie word more ou the original subject of Confession. Use who has taken so much real interest in the moral and material welfare of the working classes as "3. G. 0" will he glad as well as surprised to hear that Cinfession has In many cases arrested a deeps& which, Ills morally certain, would, U left to itself, have terminated is Insanity or suicide.