| A Welsh preacher, full of passion, fire and brimstone, harangues the congregation from the pulpit. |
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| The subject I have taken for my sermon today, is that of sin. |
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| We are all aquainted with sin, are we not? Each one of us, from the highest of the high down to the lowest |
| members of our society -- I'm talking about you! -- are constantly beset with sin on all sides. |
| Not an evening goes by without our television screens being filled with sin. Every moment of our lives is |
| threatened by the ever-present temptations of the world. |
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| But, brethren, there is nothing to say we must yield to these temptations. No-one is behind us, to twist |
| our arms until we give way. |
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| Perhaps you are thinking that I do not know the pressures of life. A man of the cloth, you may imagine -- |
| what does this man -- this preacher, know of temptation? But I am no less human than the weakest |
| among you. The same blood pumps in my veins, the same sights register upon my eyes, the same... urges... |
| disturb my thoughts. |
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| Every day I am subject to the evils among us. Every time I see the Cub Mistress -- oh, that uniform, hiding |
| those shapely curves... those long legs... those firm... ample.... |
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| But do I ever suck 'em? I mean succumb? I mean, give in? No! I do not give in. I do not yield! |
| I stand firm -- firm! |
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| There are other sins that lie in wait for us. Even the innocent postman's bag can bring temptation. The other |
| day, my wife was shocked -- shocked -- to open a package addressed to myself. Inside was what I can |
| only describe as a magazine, sent to me presumably... as a joke. Perhaps -- perhaps by a member |
| of this very congregation. |
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| Was it you? Or you? Or perhaps... you? Look into your hearts. Examine your consciences. |
| Which one of you ordered a copy -- in my name -- of Whiplash Virgins? |
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| Which of you further compounded this crime by forging my signature to a subscription to Illustrated |
| Rubber Weekly? A subscription, incidentally, I have been unable to cancel. |
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| Now that my wife has moved out... I am further beset by temptation. This time in the shape... the shape... |
| the shape of Mrs Brownlow, my... housekeeper. |
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| But -- I am strong, in the very face of sin. Despite the fact that Mrs Brownlow's previous employment was |
| as a masseuse. Despite the fact that the adjoining door between our bedrooms enables me to hear every |
| creak, every rustle of silken lingerie,every soft sigh and trembling moan... |
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| Despite all this, I have not -- and I will not -- give way to the pleasures of the flesh. Never. Never! |
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| And it's killing me, do you hear? It's killing me! |
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| The lights fade. |
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| © Leonard Morley 2009 |
