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beginning, but it kindled a great fire among the people, which no earthly interference could extinguish, as we have, and will still further see. I have said why the minority opposed the call of Mr. Cornish to the church; I will here give their reasons for so doing more fully, and also their subsequent action.
It will be remembered that previous to the death of Mr. Gloucester he had written a letter to presbytery, recommending his son Jeremiah as a candidate for the Gospel ministry, and to be taken under care of presbytery. This young man was received under care of presbytery, and prosecuted his studies with energy, and his future was regarded by his presbytery and the church as encouraging and hopeful; the affections of a portion of the church clustered around him, and they regarded him as the future pastor of the church, as soon as he had finished his studies, and was licensed by his presbytery. In view of this, when the proposition was made to call a pastor to the charge of the church, these brethren, who were favorable to Mr. Jeremiah Gloucester, dissented from calling any one to the church; entering the plea that the presbytery had heretofore supplied the church with the first and most efficient ministers in the presbytery, and had ever entertained toward the church the deepest and greatest concern in all their interests; and as it would not be very long before Mr. Gloucester would be through with his studies, they would prefer waiting. To this, however, the other party objected, pleading the wants of the church; its spiritual interests, they said, were waning; they wanted a pastor to go in among the people in their houses, as in the church, to attend in sickness, and to visit among the families, and so keep up an interest for the church. Here then was the difficulty. Could one or the other of these parties
