"The temptations to wrong are many; they spring out of a corrupt nature"
About this Quote
Sin isn’t portrayed here as an exotic outside force; it’s framed as a renewable resource, manufactured on-site. Simpson’s line tightens the moral screw by relocating “temptation” from the streets to the self. “The temptations to wrong are many” acknowledges the lived experience of moral pressure, but the second clause refuses to let the listener blame bad company, hard luck, or a decadent age. They “spring out of a corrupt nature”: the problem is endogenous.
That verb choice matters. “Spring” suggests something spontaneous, even lively, as if wrongdoing doesn’t need elaborate planning or external provocation; it erupts naturally when the conditions are already compromised. The subtext is pastoral and disciplinary at once: if the source is internal, then vigilance can’t be occasional. You don’t just avoid certain places or people; you surveil your own impulses, habits, and rationalizations. Simpson is also doing a subtle democratic move typical of 19th-century Protestant preaching: corruption is not reserved for villains. It’s the baseline human condition, which levels the congregation and makes moral improvement a collective project rather than a class judgment.
Contextually, as an American Methodist bishop speaking in a century of revivalism and reform campaigns (temperance, Sabbath observance, “moral” public life), Simpson’s theology supports activism without letting activism turn self-congratulatory. If corruption is native to the heart, then even righteous causes are vulnerable to pride, cruelty, and hypocrisy. The line works because it offers no flattering escape hatch: the enemy is not just out there; it’s you, and it’s prolific.
That verb choice matters. “Spring” suggests something spontaneous, even lively, as if wrongdoing doesn’t need elaborate planning or external provocation; it erupts naturally when the conditions are already compromised. The subtext is pastoral and disciplinary at once: if the source is internal, then vigilance can’t be occasional. You don’t just avoid certain places or people; you surveil your own impulses, habits, and rationalizations. Simpson is also doing a subtle democratic move typical of 19th-century Protestant preaching: corruption is not reserved for villains. It’s the baseline human condition, which levels the congregation and makes moral improvement a collective project rather than a class judgment.
Contextually, as an American Methodist bishop speaking in a century of revivalism and reform campaigns (temperance, Sabbath observance, “moral” public life), Simpson’s theology supports activism without letting activism turn self-congratulatory. If corruption is native to the heart, then even righteous causes are vulnerable to pride, cruelty, and hypocrisy. The line works because it offers no flattering escape hatch: the enemy is not just out there; it’s you, and it’s prolific.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ethics & Morality |
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