Digging into the Wall
A sermon at Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church warns against the hidden sins of 'walled-up rooms' in the human heart.
The story, cleaned up
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Last night at Asbury Methodist Episcopal church the Rev. Horatio Alling preached before a large congregation. He took his text from Ezekiel viii:8: 'Then He said unto me: Son of man, dig now in the wall. And when I had digged into the wall—behold! a door.' The pastor described the circumstances of the prophet, who, upon digging into the wall, found idols and false gods worshipped in secret. Mr. Alling presented the evils of idolatry and its influence on the human soul. He said that the heart of man was a temple which many men secretly dedicate to idols in the belief that God does not see. He continued: 'The pages of romance and even of history have frequent recitals of walled-up rooms and hidden doors. Invariably they conceal the skeleton of some fatal tragedy, some awful crime, some lasting shame. Hidden things are generally sinful things. The only growth which is natural in the baneful shade of secrecy is the poison ivy of sin.'
“The only growth which is natural in the baneful shade of secrecy is the poison ivy of sin.”
This sermon reflects the Victorian-era obsession with inner morality and public image. It serves as a stark reminder of how religious discourse framed personal integrity as a matter of 'clearing out' secrets to achieve communal health.
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