| The Life of Dr. J.R. Miller |
Chapter 5 |
Page 5 |
He had no prospect of a field of labour in any other denomination, and his people were daily becoming more devoted to him, when – in July, 1869 – he wrote a long, tender letter to his father and mother, telling them of his scruples and of the decision he had formed, after much prayer and consideration, to resign his pastoral charge and to seek membership in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. He made no reflections whatever upon the Church in which he had been trained and by which he had been ordained. On the contrary, he acknowledged his deep indebtedness to the United Presbyterian Church, and to the godly parents who had so earnestly and faithfully taught him the way of life, and who had followed him with their earnest prayers all his days.
In August, 1869, he announced to the congregation his intention to resign the pastorate charge and asked them to join him in his request to presbytery for dissolution of the relationship existing between them. The congregation reluctantly acquiesced in his request. By the action of the Presbytery of Mercer he was released August 24.
There was sorrow among the ministers and members of the United Presbyterian Church. There was a wide feeling among its ministers that the Lord had a work for Mr. Miller among them which would have been abundantly blessed. But those who knew the spirit of his life recognized the honesty and sincerity of heart with which he made the change, and followed him with their best wishes, their prayers and their unceasing interest. They recognized that the Lord had led him out into a wide field, and always rejoiced in the fact that his life had been so abundantly used.
Page 5