Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-12-10
REv ?. 7. scRuaes.
In Charge of fhe Central Methodist
Church, ON Union Street.

The reverend gentleman whose name
heads this article has long been identified
with the section Of country immediately
surrounding Memphis. At the outset OF
his career, az viii be seen from the ap-
pended letter, he was q preacher In the
church in whose fold he always contin-
aed, And to whose ministry be returns
The Western Methodist well Gays OF him
that At the bar and on the bench, lawyer
and judge, he has been bon0red by his
fellow citizens; but the Hon. p. 7. 8eruggs
now wears q higher title, and 50 the Rsv.
p. 7. Scruggs may all his years be holy,
happy and useful In the fullest measure.
The quarterly conferences for Second
street church, after giving him license es
q preacher, recommended the restoration
Of his credentials IS an ordained minister;
and the restoration was voted unanimous
ly by the Memphis annual conferences.
M. Scruggs, IN O communication pub
lished az length In the Western Metho-
dist thus sums up his life: II I were
alone interested in my connection with
b Christian ministry, perhaps entire
Ailence as TO the circumstances OF my re
TRACY and return, would be more proper
b to speak. Bat as both the church
and the public are interested, It may be
proper to state q few facts. I was Or
dained an elder by Bishop Andrew In the
fall of 1882, n remained In the timer
ancy until the fall OF 1887, at which time
I located, having during he year COM
menced the practice of law in connection
with my late lsmented friend, Honorable
Austin Miller, at Bolivar. For two
years I carried the minister with me
into the courtroom, and until / became
fully convinced that by associsting the
two characters l should do more harm
than would be compensated by all the
preaching I could do. 1 had q dependent
and growing family without q hoLae, and
without money. The duty OF providing
for their support, and the education Of my
children devolved on me, and II left un-
done, the responsibility was mine; in this
condition OF things, 1 felt that l must
either give up the ministry or the means
OF d~ischarging q duty which I held a.
sacred as TO preach the gospel. Accord
ingly, in the fall Of 1889 I voluntarily re-
turned to the church from which / re-
ceiyed 1t, the evidence OF my authority "a
a minister. 1t is due to myself TO say
that so long as 1 exercised the functions
OF the ministry, 1 brought no shadow OF
stain upon it. I never gave cause for grief
or shame to the church. At the same time l
regret that candcr compels me to say thai
after 1 had surrendered my credehtials,
[ did not live 30 carefully as 1 ought, nor
was my life regulated by the rules of piety
that duty required. But to err is human
to forgive Is divine. The former was mine,
the latter belonged to Sod. 1 can say with
truth that in ali my Wsnderings, l never
forgot the deep respect which, In early
youth, l imbibed for the church OF God,
and reverence for the ministry. A series
Of sever but mereifu1 provldences has
grsciously led me back to the Zoo Of the
cross of Christ, where balm is found for all
wounds. II 1 erred in quitting the minis
try, b best course now is to repair the
srIor as far ss 1 can, by doing all in fu
ture hat conscience and duty demands.