The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1868-01-02
Confession Of q Clergyman.

|
Confession Of o Clergyman.
An Apology for the Modern Dcpravity Of
tho Holy Men of God, Especially fol
their Sensual Sins.
A CURIOUS ARGUMENT FOR A RELIGIOUS
| MAGAZINE.
From the Pulpit for November.l
We infer from what we hear in pri.
vate conversation, and what we read
in the public journals, that the public
think 1t very marvellous that so many
of the clergy are wrecked upon t..
rock of sensuality. The astonishm
is not astonishing People who
not make habit Of thinking, will hare
ly be thoughtful enough to know the
fact with reference to this matter. The
fact is that there is no profession, class,
or avocation, so exposed to or tenn
ted by the devil of sensuality as
ministry. The very sanctity of the
Office is an occasion Of their stumbljn =
The office is confunded with its occa,
pant The sanctity of the former
made tho possession of the latter.
Now, the office is an invulnerable myth ;
its occupant is man of like passions
with other men. No temptation is suf-
iicicnt to overcome the other ofiic !.
while so stout faithed an occupant of /,
as Peter, the apostle, may fall griev-
iously at the first approach of the ad
vcrsary Unthinking women may
seem to be only tempting the office,
when they are unwittingly laying snares
for its occupant. Ey their persistent
exhibition Of confidence in the office
they are confding persistently in its oc-
pant. And so it came to pass in this
way that the minister, with all his flesh
and blood about him, has the door OF
temptation thrown open to him and
then closed behind him. Blind conf
ding on the one side, and unguarded
sociability on the other, lead to equiv
ocal circumstances as to both. No
man in the world has so few conditions
imposed upon him at the threshold oi
society as the clergyman. His passport
to social life is almost carte blanche
Women of both states and all ages are
his companions, socially and profess
ionally. The rules of social intercom.
munion between the sexes are. in his
case, virtually suspended. What woul(
be an indiscretion with other men is ,
matter course with him. He shares
or is alternately admitted to the prva
cy of the sick room with the plysi
clan. Wherever spiritual advice is cal
led for, there he reiyns alone and un
molcstcd. And he is stdentary man
of nervous -sanguine temperament, and
| like all men OF this sort and life, feel
the law of his flesh warring against the
law Of his religion. None have sucl
passions US those Of sedentayy lile ii
proportion to the idleness Of the mus
cles, is the ativity otthe passions. Th
devil tcmpts the Industrious ; idle mel
tempt the devil. The clergy shoul'
give more earnest heed to "muscula
Christianity" But not only is thei
life afflicted with. deficiency in bodil.
exercise, but it is additionally accurse
with the temptations that take advan
tage of this physical feebleness
Half the crimes of sensuality come
of physical feebleness. Considering
then, this sandy haired composition
this nervous combustibility, this super
abundance of sexual heat from a def
cheney in physical exertion and thi
extraordinary exposure to the wilcs o
the wicked, and the insinuative inluen
ces of unsuspicion, Tie mareel, nay, IL
miracle is not Mot so many but so tew Q
clergy fail into tile sins Of sensaul'n
The wonder is, not that so many yield
but that so many stand firm.
And so far from these clerical sins C
sensuality being the incxplcable lapse
they are represented to be by the pub
lie press and private Grundys, they ar
not only the least surprising, but til
most ercusaJle sins the Clergy ca~ com
NIT. But we do not excuse, we expl;il
them. We are giving their compare
tive and not their actual crIminality
i While we regard sudden trip int
sensual sin US comparatively the mos
exeusable of the Obliquities of whic
the clergy can be guilty, we certain
advise all those who are thus guilty, o
feel themselves in danger of being, t
; quit the pulpit at once and forever
Aul let none 90 to the sacred ollie
who are not strong in the II .sh as We
aa in the Lord. AMI let the physical
feeble who are in it leave ii, lest
eorae fate comes upon them. Divin
s,aee will not make amends for physi'
Al inArmities
A n,r seduction that il crime cha
which Asne a,% more heiroHs, miern'
AMI da,anabla lst Who viii commit !
The maa who ia convicted 81 il 4,
sor,ea every tWiNse sf,he torture I
which he can I've sati ae'ed w ,he ae;l
hn,Na lava otthe Divine Sa,e,nAaea
Nor Ia there any explanation ~ ''a y
iored fbr that horrible apeeiea ~ u
genus sensnality, VI which seNe,1
clcrgymcn IN ,his country have ,eeen
ly been found guilty, aud which aha
be namclcss here, Such oaen>ea a,
very peculiarly odiaus aud abharrea
in view OF the fact that sensual gratiI
cation is possible without adding mo,
than one to tho number OF tho dohauel
ed.
Let these putrid brethren DO out o
f and put away, and let there be rigo
Gus enleavor TO lift the standard .
clerical purity in the above NJ well !
in every other respect, but let il bo ~
membered also that the steadfastncs
| of the clergy is matter Of amazeuen
when the considerations we have nan
, ed are taken into the account.
A negro went to the Mongrel spcal
: ing at Campbellton, Ala. few day
since, and for some reason carried