Preacher Bonds had grown more and more zealous in his fight against holiness.
Deacon Gramps had preached his doctrine everywhere, in his home as well as in the church, and he had already seen its fruits manifested right in his home.

One of his sons who had now become of age had built a sort of philosophy of life on his father's teaching.

He had reasoned something like this: "Since Father sins, and Mother sins, and the preacher sins, and everybody else sins, and nobody can keep from sinning, then it follows that one is not responsible for the sins he commits whether they be large or small, few or many.

Then why not have a good time in this life?
Why not go the full length into sinful pleasure ?" And go the full length he did.

He had become involved in one criminal scrape after another, and he would have landed in the penitentiary before this time had it not been for Deacon Cramps' financial backing.