id, "Who is John Myers going to vote for?" "Oh," said my friends,
"he's going to vote for _our_ man." "Then I'll vote for the other man,"
said he, "for I'm sure Myers will vote wrong." Myers had swindled him in
a business transaction; and his feelings towards him were so strong, and
of so unpleasant a kind, that he could not think anything right that
Myers did, nor could he think anything wrong that he himself did, so
long as he took care to go contrary to Myers.

It is very natural to smile at such weakness when we see it in others,
and yet exhibit unconsciously the same weakness ourselves under another
form. There are some Christians who, when their minister pleases them
well, are quite delighted with his discourses. They are "marrow and
fatness" to their souls. And every sermon he preaches seems better than
the one that went before; and they feel as if they could sit under that
dear good man for ever. But a change comes over their feelings with
regard to him. While going his round of pastoral visits some day, he
passes their door, but calls at the house of a richer neighbor a little
lower down: or on visiting the Sunday-school, he pats someone's little
boy on the head, and speaks to him kind and pleasant words, while he
passes their little son unnoticed. He has no improper design in what he
does; but it happens so; that is all. The idea of partiality never
enters his mind. But they fancy he has got something wrong in his mind
towards them; and it is certain now that they have got something wrong
in their minds towards him. And now his sermons are quite changed. The
"marrow and fatness" are all gone, and there is nothing left but "the
husks which the swine should eat." And every sermon he preaches seems
worse than the one which went before, until at length they get quite
weary, and their only comfort is, if they be Methodists, that Conference
will come some day, and they will have a change. And all this time the
preacher is just the same good man he ever was, and his sermons are the
same; only _they_ are changed. They have misjudged him, and become the
subjects of unhappy feeling, and are no longer capable of doing either
him or his sermons justice.

And the longer the unhappy feeling is allowed to remain in their minds,
the stronger it will become, and the more mischievous will it prove.
After disabling or perverting their judgments with regard to their
pastor, it will be in danger of separating them from the Church;