Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, and South Wales Free Press. — 1866-12-29 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

PUSEY AND THE CONFESSIONAL.  "S. G. 0." has written a letter to the London Times, of which the following is an extract  A young lady some years since, came under the inffnence of a director o co,fewor of the Church of England. Re obtained a complete ascendancy over her. She, before him, took a vow of celibacy for two years nknown to her parentA An offer ti ir arriage was made to her, will. thew approval There was no question of her marrying until after the time of htr vow should have expired, hut ev. a then she had scruples unless her director would give his sanction . this, even when solicited hy her parents, he refused to do The result was She remained single, died so, slot toe gentleman who wicked to marry her, Joined the Roman Church. This same director, in another case, took an oath of celibacy from a young lady ; he afterwards absolved her, and she married a clergyman In another case, It is not clear he took the oath or vow from the lady, buts he went to him for absolution from it, was absolved, and is at present living, I trues, a happy married woman. I bring forward these eases, not as stall believing they are WICOMMOh, out because proofs of their truth have been afforded me, and In such cast e,sve may easily suppose, it difficult, as the role, for many reasons to get the truth. Permit me to a,k Dr Pinney if he can plead ignorance of such cases as the above ? Is he prepared to defend any clergyman of the Established Church in the exercise of the authority he may gain over young ladies as their confessor and director in, unknown in their parents. aiding them to bind themselves by vows, or oaths, or whatevsr the process may be to celibacy, or indeed, to any one course 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 tell of the parents when it becomes known to them? I believe he will seek he Justify It. I cannot doubt, with the evidence I have before me, that in the first of the three cases if not In all the others, be—Dr Posey—was the confessor or director Who acted an I have described,  If it la Co I am obliged to acd my conviction that in his large experience and practice as o°l[N-weir and director he hak sgdn and again, been the mean. of so bringing young persons ii, anbjection to hie will anti teaching that they have concealed, with the sanction of a priest, much that, Scatting to God's plain law of duly to their parents, they ou,ht to have made known to them.  To the above letter of "S. G. O.'s," Dr. Palmy re. plies :  It is &dexterous strategic movement on his part, ["8.13.0."J when I was pressing upon your readers the pleader. how to prevent a terrible evil, in hich (I know from privates letter to myself) the hearts of Eng.lah parents, far and wide, went along with me, to turn the discussion, and induce you to rum It, to cm t-dln advice eupposed to have been given, which has abtolately nothing to do with Confession. I doubt win-to, he wt I SOOOOO,I in ,the P..rents WlllllOl, whet, the fact is brought before them. be turned aside from considering how their mahlren may best be protected from terrible evil destructive to soul and body, II an allegation of uuwiedom, very many year. ago, in some Insulated mules. With regard to those cases, I have written to "S G. 0." to 'moire of him to whom he refers In the histories which he has detailed to you. Two of the cases, I am absolutely certain, cannot relate to me. Nor I do not believe, and never believed. that any prieet has any power to absolve from a vow made to Atonality God, which in these Ca.s the priest is alleged to have done. When I receive "S. G. o.'s" answer I will write further to explain my principles, as you desire It Meanwhile, I may as well say this, that I am certain that —I. I never recommended to any lady to take av. for life. I do not think vows wrong, although, under certain circumstences. I should think teal decidedly unwise. Still, I never advised them. 2 That I had many years ago difficult vases In which to advise when pers..o wished to make vows for life, which would have hem, rash in them, and which I • had to diomade. 3 That if "S 0 0 's" statement of my having sanctioned in that case a vow for two yeare is accurate, it was to prevent a rash vow for life 4. That au,h a vow would leave, arid would be Intended to leave, a person perfectly free at the end of the two years, al free as It he or she ha, never made it; and that it would he a shocking immorality for any one to express s solemn conviction that 13 id had called him or her to that single life which linker, in at estop to .iur Lord's word.. galls "a thing more angeliod and divine" 0 B, b v., c. 73), and then to net irrevocanly iii a way oppwe i to that conviction within two years. 5 That, suppoeing a person to have had such a strong conviction that she was called by God to a single life, it would have been utterly wrong 'unity clergyman to recom• mend au di an cue to matey, shier, Is what lam alleged to have refused to do. At the expiration of the two years the lady was terfecty free as be'ore ; she had only her original resooneibility to necide whether she was called by God to a singe life or no. In such a case it would have been more clerical tyranny, as well as unfaithfill. to have persuaded such an one to marry ageinet her own convictions, as it would have been to have persuaded any one sgailist marriage if her convictions had been the other way. Since parents leave their children free to marry or not to marry, there was no queivion of filial obedience. 6 I suppose that It is added ad inoidiam that the gentleman who sought her in marriage became a Roma. Catholic. In all pronahlllty, than, the lady, had she married, would have become one too; which I suppose that "5 0 0." would not have thought desirable. Ole word more ta the original sullee'. of Confeedon o.le who has token so ranch real idterest in the moral and material welfare if the working dies'. as 'n. G. 0" will be glad as wed as surpri.ed ti hear that Confeesion has in many cases arrestwi a 6,..5pe,r 'web, ills morally certain, would, if left to itself, have terminated its tussah}, or suicide.