I read this passage of the Federalist Papers over and over again without being able to make any sense of it, until I realized I had no idea –or rather, had an incorrect idea– of what ‘venial’ meant (Federalist 37):
It is but just to remark in favor of the latter descriptions, that as our situation is universally admitted to be peculiarly critical, and to require indispensably that something should be done for our relief, the predetermined patron of what has been actually done may have taken his bias from the weight of these considerations, as well as from considerations of a sinister nature. The predetermined adversary, on the other hand, can have been governed by no venial motive whatever. The intentions of the first may be upright, as they may on the contrary be culpable, The views of the last cannot be upright, and must be culpable.
It means excusable, forgivable, (I had confused it with venal.)
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