The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-08-27
A RELIGIOUS INCIDENT.

is thu account of an act of penance
in a ca1arch in East Cleveden, Eng
land. A young member of the
church had been guilty of criminal
intimacy with girl who is now in
Jail on a criminal charge. The
young man went to the chancel
before the whole congregation, and
kneeling, offered the following con-
fesslon. which was read aloud:
Z I, Llewellyn Hsrire, do acknowledge
to be guilty OF most greviOus Gin, fOI
which do hereby ask the forgiveness o.
my fsllow-men, and OF the woman !
have wronRed, and Of Almighty God.
In proof OF my repentance l promise to
carry out the penAnce laid upon me in
the presence of this congregation.
The clergyman fixed as a pen
ance that the guilty man go to the
court and take his place by the side
of the prisoner at the bar. The
man promised to perform this act
of humiliation. The clergyman
then turned to the congregation and
asked: "Seeing that this man has
humbled himself in the house of
God, and, provided he carries out
his promise, will you forgive him ?
If so, answer L will" The answer
indicated was unanimous. Again
the clergyman asked the congrega-
ton if they would all, $50 far as OPP
pOrtunity might permit, help this
man toward living a better life, and
shield him from reproach in this
matter" The reply of each again
was Il will" Turning to the young
man the priest said: God be with !
thee, my son, and give the power of |
true repentance, to live better life |
from this ne hencefOrth, Amenr |
The intimates that Mr..
Beeche. Aight profit by reading the /
account. Confession being good for |
the soul, perhaps practical, per-
sonal application of the incident !
would be profitable to the Plymouth
pastor. But there is a broader sug-
yestiveness in the circumstance.
and one which hints at a cure for
he skepticism that is thinning
'eligious.eongregations and swelling
he mighty army of diSbe levers.
No honorable, honest person, what
'ver might be his personal ideas and
)eliefs, could attack the religion
hat so filed that poor sinners heart
IS to lead him to such humiliatins
and no one could say he
vas not trying to be follower OF
he meek and Iowly Jesus. Itmight
'e said he should not have sinned
hat the religion ought to have kept ,
i'm from wrOng-doing, when the
ecessity for confession and humili-
ton would not have arisen. The
avfor did not sin, it is true, but
ow many others of Gods children
ave been pure always as he was T.?
'ne Of the principal objects of ,
'hrist's mission was to lead men to
8pentance; not the repentance that
1eans only the binding of others
yes to the guilty mans own con-
cience, but the repentance which
humble, contrite, earnest
nd 10 be followed by purer and .
etter life thereafter. This is the
rue purpose of Christianity, and
mOng the greatest successes .
chieved by it are such incidents ;
S th4t recorded, where loving faith +,
D the saving power of Jesus is ,
hown in hum bleness, and charity, ,
Ove and helpfulness are shown in !
be Judgment upon the sinner,
Which lie followed by forgiveness
nd the promise to sustain him in
sading better life. Too often, not !
eligion, but religionists, are the
VOrst enemies to the true Christ a.,
2nity which teaches and COM
nends the Cleveden incident. In
90 many instances repentance is
'ut theory, and forgiveness
myth. The sinner may be humble
nd cOntrite as was his Master, and
lis determination to do right earn
st and strong; but how many
members Of the ordinary coDgrega-
iOL would accept his confession as
genuine and after putting him to
,enance, forgive him in this life,l
md extending to him the right
hand Of fellowship, help him to
walk uprightly before God and
nan? We fear no confession could
'estOre him to the confidence of the
majority Of Christian congregations
md the effort would be to crush
ather than elevate, to destroy in
tead OF save. Religious methods
md fashions" are largely to blame
OF the skepticism so prevalent.
/