The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1856-01-04
A Shocking Case of Ministerial Deprayity.

tiAdi'
A Shocking Case of Ministerial DepraVity.
The Rev. James P. Jennings, late pastor Of
The First Methodist Church at Rome, y. Y, has
been indicted, and subsequently, arrested, by the
Methodist Ecclesiastical authorities, upon
charge of gross immortality, and is to be tried
on the 18th inst, upon charges preferred against
him. A young woman attending Fairfield
Academy is said TO have been in correspondence
with Jennings, and, from intercepted letters, 1t
is reported that the church, the cause Of morall-
ty, and the peace of families, have been most
heaftlesSlv and shameiuiy sacrificed. Jennings
has family.
The girl is young only II, and of one Of the
most respectable families Of the town of Rome.
Her parents and We believe herself, were
members of Jennings church. The family re-
posed the most implicit confidence in him, per-
mitted him to make their house his home dur
ing the absence OF his wife in the east request
ed him to watch over the conduct OF the daugh-
ter and reprove her for her tCaslonal glddlnesS
in fact, rather placed her under his charge and
bestowed upon him thousand expressions OF
confidence.
While they were doing this, he was compass
sing her ruin. During a residence OF some
weeks at her fathers house, he had peculiar op-
portunlties for carrying on bis internal purPo-
ses After the girl had been sent off TO school,
her reverend Spducrr opened a correspondence
with her. In these letters various meetings
and designations were appointed, some ofwhich
were fulfilled, and some provldentlalIy mIscar-
ried. We are tod that the style OF the letters
written BY Jennings to the girl is most disgust
ingly filthy.
The case is one of the most painful on record.
Hitherto Jennings is said to have borne an IT.
reproachable character. He was commended
for his kindness Of heart and eminent piety uni-
yersaIly. .-Lfiea a.. " Herald.
Dz-All is not gold that gli,ters-neither are
all Christians who preach the Gospel-hence
the deeD reproaca that is constantly being brought
upon the Church, BY "woves in Sleeps cloth
ing" Some people were nd to believe that
KNOW-NOTHlNG1SM was an HONEST and
vIRTUous organization, because certain ,uiais-
ters of the Gospel partook of its doctrines. and
participated in its horrible oaths aud obligations
without rejecting that as bad men as ever dis
graced the earth have found their way into the
sacred pulpit-and the above article affords
iamen;abe evidence OF the truth of the asseF-
ton. Such minister as the Rev. Mr.. JEN-
NIYGs could well afford to haunt dark caverns
and urge his fellow man TO wage war of BIZ
ter haired against others wearing the image o
their Maker, whose only crime consisted in the
locality Of their birth-place-and do DO violence
10 his conscience!
II is matter OF general remark that true re-
ligioa is in a more depIorabIe condition now
than il has beea for the last halfa century-and
seems to BE- daily tending dorm yards, growing
out of the gross recklessness of many ministers
who preach the Words of Life. Since the in
PRODUCTION Of Know Nothingism, Churches are
thnly attended--aad public worship has be-
come as cold and liieless as an iceberg. We
say this in sorrow, and appeal 10 every honest
Christian to answer whether if is not true. How
could it be otherwise.
Many ministers enter the pulpit-thank God
for religious ireedom-Sprak OF ioee as the great
controlling element of Christianity after
wards meet portion of the people thus address
ed 10 midnight Lodges, and counsel them to
hate lcdh a perfect hatred.
Notwithstanding these 'wores" have found
places among God's people, there are hundreds
Of minister's, of ali denominations, who preach
the word in IFS purity, and practice what they
preach-and TO this, more than TO any other
cause, are we indebted for what good does pre-
vail in the world No people can rank in hon.
- II
20 be happy here and hereafter, will seek to be-
come one with his whole heart