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have yielded, how much bitterness would have been avoided! I must be permitted here to record, in justice to the brethren who were in favor of calling Mr. Cornish, that, upon their side, they had no objection to Mr. Gloucester; they regarded him with much concern, and, indeed, tenderness, for he was the son of their deceased pastor; how else could they regard him but with interest"? But as he had not finished his studies, and the spiritual wants of the people called so loudly for the services of a pastor, they felt that all personal partialities should be waived, in consideration of the spiritual wants among the people. Upon these opposite views I make no remarks; let every reader weigh them, and decide for himself. Every effort being expended to reconcile these parties, and there being no probable prospect of healing the differences, the minority concluded, after mature deliberation, to withdraw and form another church or congregation. To this end, on the 9th of March, 1824, not quite two years after the death of Mr. Gloucester, a petition, signed by seventy-five persons, was presented to presbytery, requesting to be organized into a Second African Church. This petition was protested against by the session of the church, upon the ground that, as the petitioners were either communicants or pew-holders, their petition be not granted until they shall comply with their engagements to the church, and be regularly dismissed; whereupon presbytery passed the following resolution: "Having heard the parties fully, and maturely deliberated on all the circumstances of the case, that this presbytery are fully satisfied that the parties which have existed in the First African Church are of such a nature that further attempts to reconcile them are inexpedient, and that it will be for the peace of the church, and for the promotion of the Gospel, that a Second African
