A CHURCH SCANDAL IN MELBOURNE: GROSS IMMORALITY OF MINISTER.

Daily Southern Cross, 7 November 1868, Page 7

A CHURCH SCANDAL IN MELBOURNE: GROSS IMMORALITY OF MINISTER.

AT last tie Taylor si-aii'lul ha* bven fallinneil, an.l sufficient facts have now b en male known t. warrant something like a verdict;. Unfortunately, the worst KU^pici >ns hive been realised, an.l now lhat tbe authorities of the Baptist c .ngregaiion of Uollinß-stri-et have abandoned their loug-picserved • affectation of fecreay, the most distrtssiug details have becom« public. The meeting of the members of the church resulted in a full development of the case, which, but for a silly attempt at further secreBy, might have been published the next morning. The attendance was very larg«, at one time inoluding over 200 persons. It was urged t<y several members that the deacons (Messrs. McF^rl^ue and Hetheriogton) who had obtaioed Air. Taylors confession Bhould at least reply at once to four questions. These were —l. Whether the promise of sedresy wa3 made to Mr. Taylor before or after his confession. 2. Whether he ha 1 confessed to being guilty of adulterous intercourse with a married i woman, a member of his churou, 3. Whether it was in his confession that adulterous intercourse had extended over a series of years. And 4. What was the woman's name with whom he had had connection. At first, both de-icons refused to give the required iuformation. Their pledge, was they said, thit they would not reveal the details of the confession, even to their wives. Another warm debate followed, and was ended by the appointment of two gentlemen (Messrs. Temple ton and Gourlay) to wait at once upou Mr. Taylor, and ask him to release the deacons from their promise. After about twenty miuutea' absence, the the deputation returned. They had, they said, seen Mr. Taylor, and put the question to him, but were met by an absolute refusal. Finally it was moved by Mr. Templeton, and seconded by Mr. Gieen, that the "Church" insist upon answers to the questions put. This resolution was put to the vote, andcarried by a majority of 128 votes against 36. Upon this Mr. McFarlane made the desired communication. Mr. Taylor, he said, had extorted the promise after confessing to the adulterous intercourse, which had been carried on for more than sir years past. The name was then demanded, and some objection raised to its being given. The lady had sister *, it was said, and there was no need for exposure. It was evident that the meeting thought differently, and at last the name was given. It was the name of a lady who has been freely mentioned in connection with this unhappy affair, and it was distinctly btated thai; she is the only lady whose character is affected. It was not the least painful circumstance connected with the proceedings that the lady's husband was present at the meeting, that he was till then unaware of his wife's guilt, and that his knowlodge thereof so affected him that he was removed from the chapel in a semi fainting condition. Mr. K. Jack gave notice that at the next meeting he would move —"That the resolution adopted at a meeting of the Church held on 21st September last, accepting Mr. Taylors resignation, be rescinded, and that' he, having been shown by his own confession to be guilty of gross immorality, extending over a series of years, be expelled from the Church." It was afterwards decided that the lady compromised should be informed of what had come to the know, ledge of the "Church," and asked whether the same was true. This was, it may be presumed, a step preliminary to her, too, being expelled, it is a not very creditable circumstance that during the whole of these proceedings, which lasted till past midnight, a strong partizan spirit led to extreme violence of language. Epithets of a very strong kind were ex* changed, and it was at times difficult to suppose that those present were professtd Christians. It was mooted that the Rev. John Landells, a distinguished Baptist minister, now engaged at Regent's Park Chapel in London, Bhould be^nvited to take charge of the Collins-street Church. —Argus.