New-York tribune., 1870-12-15

Christian Church was that il resembled an
hospital under the care of the Great Physi-
clan, into which those who knew themselves
TO be sick or suffering came to be cured. Its
ministers were assuredly not immaculate
saints. but men who, like their founder were
in every point tempted as ourselves, and by
the strength Of their own temptation, and
knowledge of the help given them to resist it,
were the better able to guide and strengthen
others.
A few months ago the pastor of church in
this city, being man like other men, fell into
temptation; or to speak after the ordinary
fashion, although n married man and the
father Of family, he conceived sudden mad
passion for young girl, one of his parishon
ers, and allowed his infatuatiOn to get the
better of him 80 far as to run away with her
TO Philadelphia. OF his sin we have not
word to say in extenuation. 1t was grievous
fault, and gricvously he answered it. Having
reached Philadelphia, the mans conscience be-
gan to work with him; he appears to have
been of d weak, impulsive temperament, with
little Judgment and strong emotions. On one
hand was his passion yet unqualified, the con-
sciOusness that by his rash act he had de-
stroyed his home, lost his honest name and pO-
sition forever. The press had already opened on
him in full cry. There happened to be no other
sensation at the time. The story of his crime
and the girls dshonor WAS blazoned in every
paper in New-York. If he went back, as his
own sense Of right and religious feeling
prompted him to do, it was to face the Op-
probrium Of the whole city, the reprOaches OF
of his wife, and most probably the revenge OF
the girls family. On the other hand, the woman
whom he loved waited for him at the hotel.
He had already incurred ruin for her sake;
there was no inducement to make him return,
but hard inexOrable duty.
We venture to say that under like circum-
stances few of us, being men IA impresSlonable
and Unbalanced as tins one, but would have
gone on the downward path. This man came
back gave the girl to her parents as pure as
when she left them; and then, half mad with
the struggle through which he had gone, met
the world and the church with confession
which, to say the least, was manly and sincere.
The world of course, as represented by the
press, dropped him uncOncernedly. lie was OF
no value, as no more items could be extracted
from him. What did the church dO9 Here.
we think, is the test of their comprehension OF
Christianity, and we desire to call attention to
il and to its results. This man had, it is true,
brought 0bloquy upon his profession and upon
them: to use their own language, there had
been dire conflict in him between the flesh
and the spirit, and the faint goodness and
truth and right in him had conquered
He had turned back from the very edge
of the pit. Such man, if welcomed back,
hov al Dpttpr
because, like Christian of old, he had strug-
gled with him face to face until his life had
weIl nigh slipped. But in spite of his con-
fession and repentance, he was thrust out
from the Christian fold with bitterness and
vehemence which savOred of no little worldly
vengeance ThencefOrward the man went down.
The end of the story is briefly told: " The
"Rev. Horace Cooke was yesterday sent to
"Blaclwell's Island for six months on charge
" of drunkenness"
There is story of another of Cbrist's min
listers who denied Him who in the hour of
his bitterest need cursed and swOre, saying:
/" | know not the man. His reproof was but
look and Peter afterwards was one of the
purest of his apostles. There is q story too
of a woman brought before Christ himself
taken in adultery, in the very act, and of His
words to her-wOrds not of rebuke, but heal
ing and forgiveness Neither do / condemn
"thee go and sin no more.D Would that all
His ministers could read the words which He
stopped and wrote upon the ground that
they could better interpret the reality of
Christian charity under the sun.
The fact that the 25Oth Anniversary of the Land
ipO of ba lurim iG abnut Ia he cd at