The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-01-08
The Church and the Convict.

ITO dCtlOu VI TlyulOuCu CHuTCn. brOOK-
Ign, informally voting to retain the name of
convict new serving his term in Sing
Sing, on its roll of members, is so unusual
as to deserve a few words of comment.
The facts are briefly as follows: Some
weeks ago it was accidently discovered that
Albert 81. Smith, business man of this
city, was forger; that in fact he had been
forger for number of years, and that he
had thereby ruined his two partners in bus
mess. When arrested he promptly con-
fessed his crime. He was tried last week
and sent to the state prison for seventeen
years.
On the day on which he was taken to
Sing Sing he sent letter to DR.. Lyman
Abbott, the pastor Of Plymouth church, of
which he had been a member for many
years, cOnfessing his sin, avOwing his re-
pentance, and expressing his desire to pay
the full penalty for his offences. DR.. Alb
bolt caused this letter to be read to the
church members, at the same time saying
that he believed Smiths repentance to be
genuine. Whereupon the church unani
mOusly adopted the following resolution:
Resolved, that this church, fully recognz-
ing the sin of Albert II. Smith in the acts
atty, retain his name upon the rolls, in
the faith that no man mere needs the watch
and care of a Christian church than one
who has fallen into sin, but has sincerely
repented of his sin and desires to return
to the way of righteousness and life.
Our message to our brother is: that God
pardOneth and abSOlveth all those that truly
repent and unfeignedly believe His holy
gospel. and we commend him to the pray
ers of the members of our church and to
such special offices of spiritual aid as it may
be possible for the pastors or other officers
of this church to render to him.
In adopting this resolution the Plymouth
church has, in our opinion. done exactly
what the founder of Christianity would
have done under the same circumstances
Christ came not to call the righteous, but
sinners to repentance; and Him that
cOmeth to Me-" he once declared, Il will
in no wise cast out" There was absolutely
no limit to His divine forgiveness, and the
most biting and scOrching denunciatiOns of
His earthly ministry were poured upon the
heads of the c0mplacent and self righteous
peOple-many of them church members
who had no pity or charity for human fall
ures, and no forgiveness for those who re-
pented. We repeat, therefore, Plymouth
church has acted in the spirit of Christ in
its treatment of Albert H. Smith; and if it
be true that few other Christian bodies
would have adopted the same course, then
so much the worse for the other Christian
bodies. Doubtless it will shock some good
Christians to be told that confessed and
repentant sinner has any place in the Chris
tian church. 10 their thinking the church
is society of carefully selected saints,
against whose character and social standing
nothing can be said. In other words, the
church is club of nice congenial people,
who dance at the same balls, and are invited
to the same dinners and receptions. That
it is an agency for the rescue and salvation
of sinners, when stepped in crime, is thought
too great for them. 1t introduces new
and diSagreeable element into their snug
scheme of religion, and they repudiate it in
their wrath.
| But the church in its earliest and purest
! day never expelled criminals who repented