Another said, "I should like it if Mr. Yerrington would preach more gospel, and not so many practical sermons. I am tired of hearing so much about our duty. I do not think he is as well adapted to our people now as he used to be." Another said, "I believe our pastor is a good man, and wants to do good; but he does not seem to have the gift now of drawing in the people as he once did. The congregation don't increase as fast as it did. I think that a change of ministers might prove useful." Another said, "I have not anything against Mr. Yerrington. I like him much as a man and a minister. For my own part I should be satisfied to have him remain, but I think the novelty of having a new minister would draw in more people." Another said, "Our pastor has been with us many years, and has done much good; but I don't think he will be as useful to us as he has been, if he stays any longer. I don't think he is exactly the man for us now." Here he was interrupted by a brother who could keep silence no longer, (and who did think his pastor was the man for them now,) who inquired as follows: "Why is he not THE MAN FOR US NOW? Have you heard anything against him? Has he been guilty of any impropriety? Is there any accusation touching his character? or what is the matter that he is not THE MAN FOR US Now as much as ever he was ?" "Oh no, no," answered the interrupted brother, "not a word has been said against him. His character stands perfectly fair and unblemished. He is a good man, an excellent man; and I have no fault to find with him at all; but I do not think it advisable for him to remain here any longer. It is sometimes best for ministers and churches to have a change; and as our pastor has been with us so many years, I think it will be for his good and ours too, to have a change." ren were all who felt the tion with Mr. Yerrington. These seven brethslightest dissatisfac(No other member of the church was in the least discontented, unless we speak of the wives of these brethren. Six of them had wives, the other was a widower. Of these six wives, five sided with their husbands; the other, the wife of the penurious man, was a firm friend of the minister. She thought he was the best man in the world, and had none too much salary.) We need not detail what was said by others at that meeting. Suffice it then to remark, that they were astonished and grieved at what these seven had said, and were very decided in expressing their interest and affection for their pastor, and their opinion that he was still the man for them, and their desire that he should remain with them till God should call him to the scenes of another world. enter upon Mr. Yerrington, hearing from this meeting that very night by some of his friends, who could not sleep over it till they had told him, sent word to those seven brethren the next morning, that he would be pleased to meet them in his study that afternoon. They came, and spent an hour with him in talking over the matter; and after hearing what they had to say, and getting an insight into the character and kind of their dissatisfaction, he told them that all he had to say was, that they ought to have told him of their trouble before; and that they need not give themselves any further anxiety about the matter, as he would very speedily relieve them from their burden. Mr. Yerrington being a very independent kind of a man, and taking but little time to make up his mind, and being very decided and immoveable when it was made up, and being very prompt to act on his decisions, and feeling that he never desired to labor with a people where even a small minority of them felt at all dissatisfied with him, resigned his pastoral charge on the following Sabbath. We will not dwell upon the scenes that ensued—the wonder, astonishment, grief and indignation that were felt, and the "bitter things" that were said in for several weeks-the efforts which were made to induce Mr. Yerrington to take back his resignation— the trouble these seven brethren had with certain other brethren, and their qualms of conscience. We will draw a veil of two years over the whole of it, and say the church in have settled the Rev. Rodolphus Ruddleford, who is a good man, and loves to labor in his Master's vineyard; and the Lord of the vineyard is blessing his labors. Mr. Yerrington is the pastor of the large church in the great flourishing inland town |