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OF 
 
 HISTORY 
 
 MAR 24 1932 
 
 THE DISCIPLINE 
 
 METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 
 
 </ 
 
 BY ROBERT EMORY. 
 
 NEW-YORK : 
 PUBLISHED BY G. LANE & C. B TIPPETT, 
 
 FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE CONFERENCE OFFICE, 
 200 MULBERRY-STREET. 
 
 J. Collord, Printer. 
 1845. 
 
"Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1843, by 
 G. Lane & P. P. Saxdford, in the Clerk's Office of the District 
 Court of the Southern District of New- York. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 When a young Methodist preacher enters, in accord- 
 ance with the direction of his church, upon the study 
 of its Discipline, he is curious to know when and by 
 whom that Discipline was framed. He learns, indeed, 
 from the book itself, that the General Conference has 
 " full powers to make rules and regulations," under 
 certain " limitations and restrictions." But who im- 
 posed those " limitations and restrictions," and to what 
 extent has the General Conference used its powers ? 
 There is internal evidence that the present Discipline 
 was not all composed at one time. At what periods 
 then were its several parts introduced, and what modi- 
 fications have they undergone ? These are points not 
 only of curious inquiry, but essential often to right in- 
 terpretation. But they are points on which students 
 generally can obtain no satisfactory information. In 
 our civil governments, the statutes are scattered through 
 the several volumes of laws, which have been publish- 
 ed from time to time, and therefore these are all pre- 
 served. But, in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the 
 Discipline, as revised at each General Conference, be- 
 ing in itself complete, supplants all that had gone before 
 it, and the previous editions are cast aside as of no 
 further use. Thus it has continued, until now nearly 
 sixty years have elapsed since the organization of the 
 church, and the Discipline has undergone about twenty 
 distinct revisions. Where then shall the student go to 
 find these successive editions ? If he resort to the 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 libraries of the oldest preachers, they are not there : — 
 to the library of the Book Concern, they are not there : 
 — to the archives of the General Conference, still they 
 are not to be found. Despairing of success in this 
 pursuit, he may perhaps examine the journals of the 
 General Conference, (though, from the nature of the 
 case, this is a privilege which few can enjoy.) But 
 here he will find that all prior to 1800 are missing; 
 and that those subsequent to that date convey no accu- 
 rate information as to the changes in the Discipline ; 
 because, in the alterations, references are made to 
 chapter, section, question, page, &c, which cannot be 
 understood without having a copy of the then Disci- 
 pline in hand : and because, moreover, at each General 
 Conference the subsequent publication of the Disci- 
 pline is intrusted to a committee, invested with powers, 
 (often largely discretionary,) as to the selection, arrange- 
 ment, and wording of the several parts : and no report 
 of their proceedings is entered upon the journal. 
 
 The embarrassment which is here supposed in the 
 mind of a student of the Discipline, is precisely such 
 as the author himself experienced. In such a dilemma, 
 he endeavoured to collect for himself a set of the differ- 
 ent Disciplines. Having his lot cast amid the earliest 
 seats of Methodism in this country, he had the good 
 fortune of rescuing one old Discipline after another 
 from its obscure resting place, until at length, with one 
 exception,* the series was completed, and the rich grati- 
 fication was enjoyed of tracing in the original documents 
 themselves the progress of the Discipline, from the 
 first simple series of questions and answers, to its pre- 
 sent more elaborate structure of parts, chapters, and 
 
 * See pages 81, 83. 
 
PREFACE. 5 
 
 sections. The collection thus made could not be ren- 
 dered universally accessible. The author has thought, 
 therefore, that he would be doing a service to students 
 of the Discipline generally, and especially to his 
 brethren in the ministry, by publishing the results of 
 his investigations in a condensed form. Such was the 
 origin of the present work. In the preparation of it, the 
 author has aimed at nothing more than the most perfect 
 accuracy in the statement of facts, and the most lucid 
 arrangement which the nature of the case admitted. 
 To secure these he has bestowed a degree of labour 
 and attention which few would suppose, that have not 
 made a similar attempt. Having no model for such a 
 work in all the range of civil and ecclesiastical law books, 
 as much time was spent, perhaps, in trying various 
 plans of presenting the subject, as was necessary to com- 
 plete the undertaking, after the plan was decided on . That 
 which has been adopted combines, it is believed, more 
 than any other, brevity with accuracy. The changes in 
 the form and arrangement of the Discipline are noticed 
 in the first book ; and in the second, the changes in its 
 contents. That these last might be stated as precisely 
 as possible, the very words of the Discipline are quoted. 
 This necessarily leads to some repetition, and deprives 
 the work of a part of the interest which it might have 
 possessed if the narrative style had been adopted. But 
 it is believed that this mode will be preferred by the 
 most of those who will wish to consult the work. 
 There is added, in an Appendix, the greater part of the 
 Notes on the Discipline, by Dr. Coke and Bishop As- 
 bury, many of which are still intrinsically valuable ; 
 and all of which are interesting, as presenting the 
 views of the founders of the Methodist Episcopal 
 
6 PREFACE. 
 
 Church. For convenience of reference, there is ap- 
 pended to the whole a copious index. 
 
 Some might expect, in such a work, a discussion of 
 the reasons for certain rules, and the interpretation to be 
 put upon them. There can be no doubt that a know- 
 ledge of both these will be promoted by the informa- 
 tion which is here communicated, as to the time when, 
 and the connection in which the rules were introduced, 
 and the changes they have undergone. But to set forth 
 his own opinion on points of discipline was no part of 
 the author's plan ; nor would it have become either his 
 age in the ministry, or his station in the Church. His 
 object will be accomplished, if he shall promote, in any 
 degree, an understanding of the Discipline of the 
 Church, and an attachment to those great principles of 
 its economy, which, amid all the changes of form, have 
 remained the same from the beginning, and which 
 have proved so signally successful in " spreading Scrip- 
 tural holiness over these lands." 
 
 Robert Emory. 
 
 Frederick City, Md., Nsvember, 184.3. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 Page 
 History of the different editions of the Discipline 9 
 
 Rules and regulations prior to the organization of the Methodist 
 
 Episcopal Church 9-25 
 
 First Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, compared 
 
 with Large Minutes 26-79 
 
 Subsequent editions 80-86 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 History of the several sections of the Discipline 87 
 
 The title 87 
 
 The Bishops' Address 88 
 
 Part 1. Chap. 1. Sec. 1. Of the origin of the M. E. Church 92 
 
 Sec. 2. Articles ofReligion 95 
 
 Sec. 3. Of the General and Annual Conferences 110 
 
 Sec. 4. Of the election and consecration of bishops, and their duty 119 
 
 Sec. 5. Of the presiding elders, and their duty 124 
 
 Sec. 6. Of the election and ordination of travelling elders, and 
 
 their duty 129 
 
 Sec. 7, Of the election and ordination of travelling deacons, and 
 
 their duty 129 
 
 Sec. 8. Of the reception of preachers from the Wesleyan con- 
 
 nection, and from other denominations 131 
 
 Sec. 9. Of the method of receiving travelling preachers, and their 
 
 duty 132 
 
 Sec. 10. Of the duties of those who have the charge of circuits.. 137 
 Sec. 11. Of the trial of those who think they are moved by the 
 
 Holy Ghost to preach 145 
 
 Sec. 12. Of the matter and manner of preaching, and other pub- 
 lic exercises 145 
 
 Sec. 13. Of the duty of preachers to God, themselves, and one 
 
 another 146 
 
 Sec. 14. Rules by which we should continue or desist from 
 
 preaching at any place 146 
 
 Sec. 15. Of visiting from house to house, guarding against those 
 things which are so common to professors, and enforcing prac- 
 tical religion 146 
 
 Sec. 16. Of the instruction of children 147 
 
 Sec. 17. Of employing our time profitably when we are not 
 travelling, &c 157 
 
8 CONTENTS. 
 
 Sec. 18. Of the necessity of union among ourselves 158 
 
 Sec. 19. Of the method by which immoral travelling ministers or 
 
 preachers shall be brought to trial, &c 158 
 
 Sec. 20. How to provide for the circuits in time of conference, 
 
 and to preserve and increase the work of God 164 
 
 Sec. 21. Of local preachers 164 
 
 Sec. 22. Of baptism 174 
 
 Sec. 23. Of the Lord's supper 175 
 
 Sec. 24. Of public worship 175 
 
 Sec. 25. Of the spirit and truth of singing 176 
 
 Chap. II. Sec. 1. The nature, design, and general rules of our 
 
 united societies 177 
 
 Sec. 2. Of class meetings 181 
 
 Sec. 3. Of the band societies 183 
 
 Sec. 4. Of the privileges granted to serious persons who are not 
 
 of our church 187 
 
 Sec. 5. Of marriage 187 
 
 Sec. 6. Of dress 189 
 
 Sec. 7. Of bringing to trial, finding guilty, and reproving, suspend, 
 
 ing, or excluding disorderly persons from society, &c 189 
 
 Chap. III. Sacramental Services, &c. 
 
 Sec. 1. The order for the administration of the Lord's supper... 193 
 
 Sec. 2. The ministration of baptism to infants 200 
 
 The ministration of baptism to such as are of riper years. 202 
 
 Sec. 3. Form of solemnization of matrimony 205 
 
 Sec. 4. Order of the burial of the dead 207 
 
 Chap. IV. Form and manner of making and ordaining bishops, 
 elders, and deacons. 
 
 Sec. 1. Form and manner of making deacons 208 
 
 Sec. 2. Form and manner of ordaining elders 209 
 
 Sec. 3. Form of ordaining a bishop 209 
 
 Part II. Sec. 1. Of the boundaries of the annual conferences, &c. 211 
 Sec. 2. Of building churches, and the order to be observed therein 228 
 Sec. 3. Of the qualifications, appointment, and duty of the stew- 
 ards of circuits 235 
 
 Sec. 4. Of the allowance to the ministers and preachers, and to 
 
 their wives, widows, and children 236 
 
 Sec. 5. Of raising annual supplies for the propagation of the gos- 
 pel, for making up the allowance of the preachers, &c 240 
 
 Sec. 6. Support of missions 247 
 
 Sec. 7. Of the chartered fund 251 
 
 Sec. 8. Of the printing and circulating of books, and of the profits 
 
 arising therefrom 254 
 
 Sec. 9. Local preachers to have an allowance in given cases.... 273 
 Sec. 10. Of slavery 274 
 
 Appendix. Notes on the Discipline 281 
 
THE 
 
 HISTORY OF THE DISCIPLINE. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE DIFFERENT EDITIONS. 
 
 The Methodist Societies were originally governed 
 by the General Rules, drawn up by the Wesleys, in 
 1743, and by the regulations adopted in the conferences, 
 which were held yearly from 1744. These regulations 
 were first published in the Minutes from year to year. 
 They were afterward collected together and printed, 
 with some slight alterations, in a tract entitled " The 
 Large Minutes." The same rules and regulations, so 
 far as applicable to their condition, governed the 
 Methodist Societies in America, from the time of their 
 first formation in 1766. At the first conference, in 
 1773, the preachers formally recognized " the doc- 
 trine and discipline of the Methodists," as contained in 
 the English Minutes, to be " the sole rule of their con- 
 duct." They adopted, however, at successive confer- 
 ences, some additional regulations, rendered necessary 
 by their peculiar circumstances. These were insert- 
 ed, from year to year, in the Annual Minutes, until 
 1784, when the Methodists in America ceased to con- 
 stitute mere societies, and were duly organized into a 
 church. To learn, then, what was the Discipline of 
 the Methodist Societies in America, prior to 1784, the 
 Large Minutes must be compared with the Annual 
 
 1* 
 
10 Rules and Regulations. T1773. 
 
 Minutes of the American conferences. The Large 
 Minutes will be found below, in connection with the 
 Discipline of 1784. Those portions of the Annual 
 Minutes which relate to discipline are as follows : — 
 
 1 7 73. At the first conference, held in Philadelphia, 
 June, 1773, "the following queries were proposed to 
 every preacher : — 
 
 " Quest. 1. Ought not the authority of Mr. Wesley 
 and that conference to extend to the preachers and 
 people in America, as well as in Great Britain and 
 Ireland ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 2. Ought not the doctrine and discipline of 
 the Methodists, as contained in the Minutes, to be the 
 sole rule of our conduct, who labour in the connection 
 with Mr. Wesley in America ? 
 
 "Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 3. If so, does it not follow, that if any 
 preachers deviate from the Minutes, we can have no 
 fellowship with them till they change their conduct? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " The following rules were agreed to by all the 
 preachers present : — 
 
 " 1 . Every preacher, who acts in connection with Mr. 
 Wesley and the brethren who labour in America, is 
 strictly to avoid administering the ordinances of baptism 
 and the Lord's supper. 
 
 " 2. All the people among whom we labour, to be 
 earnestly exhorted to attend the Church, and to receive 
 the ordinances there ; but in a particular manner, to 
 press the people in Maryland and Virginia to the ob- 
 servance of this minute. 
 
 "3. No person or persons to be admitted into our 
 love-feasts oftener than twice or thrice, unless they be- 
 come members ; and none to be admitted to the society 
 meetings more than thrice. 
 
 " 4. None of the preachers in America to reprint, any 
 of Mr. Wesley's books, without his authority (when it 
 can be gotten) and the consent of their brethren. 
 
1774-5.] Rules and Regulations. 11 
 
 " 5. Robert Williams to sell the books he has 
 already printed, but to print no more, unless under the 
 above restrictions. 
 
 " 6. Every preacher who acts as an assistant, to 
 send an account of the work once in six months to the 
 general assistant." 
 
 1774. In 1774 the following regulations were 
 adopted : — 
 
 " All the preachers to change at the end of six 
 months. 
 
 " This conference agreed to the following particulars : 
 
 " 1 . Every preacher who is received into full connec- 
 tion is to have the use and property of his horse, which 
 any of the circuits may furnish him with. 
 
 " 2. Every preacher to be allowed six pounds, Penn- 
 sylvania currency, per quarter, and his travelling 
 charges besides. 
 
 " 3. For every assistant to make a general collection 
 at Easter in the circuits where they labour, to be 
 applied to the sinking of the debts on the houses, and 
 relieving the preachers in want. 
 
 " 4. Wherever Thomas Rankin* spends his time, he 
 is to be assisted by those circuits." 
 
 1 77o. In 1775 the following directions are added : 
 
 " Thomas Rankin* is to travel till the month of De- 
 cember, and then take a quarter in New-York. 
 
 " The preachers in New-Jersey to change in one 
 quarter. 
 
 " Webster and Cooper to change with Gatch and 
 Watters at the end of six months. 
 
 " The preachers in Brunswick and Hanover to 
 change as the assistant thinks proper. 
 
 " Thomas Rankin's deficiencies to be paid out of the 
 yearly collection. 
 
 " The preachers' expenses from conference to their 
 circuits to be paid out of the yearly collection. 
 
 * The general assistant. 
 
12 Rules and Regulations. [1777-9. 
 
 " A general fast for the prosperity of the work, and 
 for the peace of America, on Tuesday the 18th of July." 
 
 1777. In 1777 we find the following : — 
 
 " Quest. 7. As the present distress is such, are the 
 preachers resolved to take no step to detach themselves 
 from the work of God for the ensuing year ? 
 
 " Ans. We purpose, by the grace of God, not to 
 take any step that may separate us from the brethren, 
 or from the blessed work in which we are engaged. 
 
 " Quest. 8. Has not the preaching of funeral sermons 
 been carried so far as to prostitute that venerable custom, 
 and in some sort to render it contemptible ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. Therefore let all the preachers inform 
 every society, that we will not preach any but for those 
 who, we have reason to think, died in the fear and 
 favour of God." 
 
 1778. In 1778 the following :— 
 
 " Quest. 8. What shall the preachers be allowed for 
 quarterage ? 
 
 " Ans. Eight pounds, Virginia currency." 
 
 1779. In 1779, at the conference in Delaware, 
 the following : — 
 
 " No helper to make any alteration in the circuit, or 
 appoint preaching in any new place, without consulting 
 the assistant. 
 
 " Every exhorter and local preacher to go by the 
 directions of the assistants where, and only where, they 
 shall appoint. 
 
 " Quest. 8. Why was the Delaware Conference held? 
 
 " Ans. For the convenience of the preachers in the 
 northern stations, that we all might have an opportunity 
 of meeting in conference ; it being unadvisable for 
 brother Asbury and brother Ruff, with some others, to 
 attend in Virginia ; it is considered also as preparatory 
 to the conference in Virginia. Our sentiments to be 
 given in by brother Watters. 
 
1779-80.] Rules and Regulations. 13 
 
 " Quest. 9. Ought not every travelling preacher to 
 meet the class wherever he preaches ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes ; if possible. 
 
 " Quest. 10. Shall we guard against a separation 
 from the Church, directly or indirectly ? 
 
 " Ans. By all means. 
 
 " Quest. 11. What shall be done with the children ? 
 
 " Ans. Meet them once a fortnight, and examine the 
 parents with regard to their conduct toward them. 
 
 " Quest. 12. Ought not brother Asbury to act as 
 general assistant in America ? 
 
 " Ans. He ought: 1st, on account of his age; 2d, 
 because originally appointed by Mr. Wesley ; 3d, be- 
 ing joined with Messrs. Rankin and Shadford, by 
 express order from Mr. Wesley. 
 
 " Quest. 13. How far shall his power extend? 
 
 " Ans. On hearing every preacher for and against 
 what is in debate, the right of determination shall rest 
 with him, according to the Minutes." 
 
 In the same year, at the conference in Virginia, the 
 following : — 
 
 " Quest. 6. What shall be done with the preachers 
 who were upon trial last year ? 
 
 " Ans. To be continued till next conference. 
 
 " Quest. 7. Shall any preacher receive quarterage 
 who is able to travel, and does not ? 
 
 " Ans. No. 
 
 " Quest. 8. In what light shall we view those 
 preachers who receive money by subscription ? 
 
 " Ans. As excluded from the Methodist connection." 
 
 1780. In 1 780 the following :— 
 
 " Quest. 7. Ought not all the assistants to see to the 
 settling of all the preaching houses by trustees, and 
 order the said trustees to meet once in half a year, and 
 keep a register of their proceedings ; if there are any 
 vacancies, choose new trustees for the better security 
 of the houses, and let all the deeds be drawn in sub- 
 stance after that in the printed Minutes ? 
 
14 Rules and Regulatio?is. CI 780. 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 8. Shall all the travelling preachers take a 
 license from every conference, importing that they are 
 assistants or helpers in connection with us ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 9. Shall brother Asbury sign them in be- 
 half of the conference ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 10. Ought it to be strictly enjoined on all 
 our local preachers and exhorters that no one presume 
 to speak in public without taking a note every quarter, 
 (if required,) and be examined by the assistant with 
 respect to his life, his qualification, and reception ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 11. Ought not all our preachers to make 
 conscience of rising at four, and if not, yet at five ? (is 
 it not a shame for a preacher to be in bed till six in the 
 morning ?) 
 
 " Ans. Undoubtedly they ought. 
 
 " Quest. 12. Shall we continue in close connection 
 with the Church, and press our people to a closer com- 
 munion with her ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 13. Will this conference grant the privilege 
 to all the friendly clergy of the Church of England, at 
 the request or desire of the people, to preach or admi- 
 nister the ordinances in our preaching houses or cha- 
 pels ? 
 
 11 Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 14. What provision shall we make for the 
 wives of married preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. They shall receive an equivalent with their 
 husbands in quarterage, if they stand in need. 
 
 " Quest. 15. Ought not our preachers, if possible, to 
 speak to every person, one by one, in the families 
 where they lodge, before prayer, if time will permit, or 
 give a family exhortation after reading a chapter ? 
 
 " Ans. They ought. 
 
 " Quest. 16. Ought not this conference to require 
 
1780.] Rules and Regulations. 15 
 
 those travelling preachers who hold slaves to give pro- 
 mises to set them free ? 
 
 " A?is. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 17. Does this conference acknowledge that 
 slavery is contrary to the laws of God, man, and na- 
 ture, and hurtful to society ; contrary to the dictates of 
 conscience and pure religion, and doing that which we 
 would not others should do to us and ours ? Do we 
 pass our disapprobation on all our friends who keep 
 slaves, and' advise their freedom? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 18. Shall we recommend our quarterly 
 meetings to be held on Saturdays and Sundays when 
 convenient ?* 
 
 "Ans. Agreed. 
 
 " Quest. 19. Shall not the Friday following every 
 quarter day be appointed as a day of fasting ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 20. Does this whole conference disapprove 
 the step our brethren have taken in Virginia ? 
 
 "Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 21. Do we look upon them no longer as 
 Methodists in connection with Mr. Wesley and us till 
 they come back ?t 
 
 "Ans. Agreed. 
 
 " Quest. 22. Shall brother Asbury, Garrettson, and 
 Watters attend the Virginia Conference, and inform 
 them of our proceedings in this, and receive their answer? 
 
 "Ans. Yes. 
 
 11 Quest. 23. Do we disapprove of the practice of 
 distilling grain into liquor ? Shall we disown our friends 
 who will not renounce the practice ? 
 
 "Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 24. What shall the conference do in case 
 of brother Asburv's death or absence ? 
 
 * At first, held on Tuesday. 
 
 t " This refers to a partial separation which took place in Virginia 
 on account of the ordinances." 
 
16 Rules and Regulations. [1780-1. 
 
 " Ans. Meet once a year, and act according to the 
 Minutes. 
 
 " Quest. 25. Ought not the assistant to meet the co- 
 loured people himself, and appoint as helpers in his 
 absence proper white persons, and not suffer them to 
 stay late, and meet by themselves ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 26. What must be the conditions of our 
 union with our Virginia brethren ? 
 
 " Ans. To suspend all their administrations for one 
 year, and all meet together in Baltimore." 
 
 1781. In 1781 the following :— 
 
 " Quest. 1. What preachers are now determined, 
 after mature consideration, close observation, and 
 earnest prayer, to preach the old Methodist doctrine, 
 and strictly enforce the Discipline, as contained in 
 the Notes, Sermons, and Minutes published by Mr. 
 Wesley, so far as they respect both preachers and 
 people, according to the knowledge we have of them, 
 and the ability God shall give ; and firmly resolved to 
 discountenance a separation among either preachers 
 or people ? 
 
 "Ans." [Here follow the names of thirty-nine 
 preachers.] 
 
 " Quest. 2. Why was conference begun at Chop- 
 tank ? 
 
 " Ans. To examine those who could not go to 
 Baltimore, and to provide supplies for the circuits 
 where the Lord is more immediately pouring out his 
 Spirit. 
 
 " Quest. 3. Is there any precedent for this in the 
 economy of Methodism ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes : Mr. Wesley generally holds a confer- 
 ence in Ireland for the same purposes. 
 
 M Quest. 4. Should we take the preachers into full 
 connection after one year's trial ; or would it not be 
 better, after considering how young they are in age, 
 grace, and gifts, to try them two years, unless it be one 
 
1781.] Rules and Regulations. 17 
 
 of double testimony, of whom there is a general appro- 
 bation ? 
 
 "Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 5. Shall any assistant take a local preacher 
 to travel in the circuit, in the vacancy of conference, 
 without consulting brother Asbury, or the assistants 
 near him, by word or letter ? 
 
 "Ans. No. 
 
 " Quest. 6. If any former assistant has had just 
 cause for removing preaching from any house, should 
 his successor return to it without consulting brother 
 Asbury, or the assistants in the circuits near him ; and 
 if it remains doubtful, leave it till next conference ? 
 
 "Ans. Agreed. 
 
 " Quest. 7. Ought not the preachers to examine 
 every person admitted upon trial for three months ; 
 first, whether they have been turned out ; and if so, let 
 them not be received without they have evidenced re- 
 pentance, and can be generally recommended ? 
 
 "Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 8. Ought not the preachers often to read 
 the Rules of the Societies, the Character of a Method- 
 ist, and the Plain Account of Christian Perfection, if 
 they have got them ? 
 
 "Ans. Yes." 
 
 " Quest. 14. Ought not every assistant to give a cir- 
 cumstantial account of the circuit, in writing, both of 
 societies and local preachers, with a plan, to his suc- 
 cessor ? 
 
 "Ans. Yes. 
 
 " Quest. 15. Ought not each assistant to inform all 
 our societies in his circuit of the sum that is to be made 
 up for the preachers' quarterage, exclusive of travelling 
 expenses, and urge them to give according to their se- 
 veral abilities ? 
 
 "Ans. Yes." 
 
 " Quest. 17. What proper method should be taken, 
 supposing any difference should arise in dealing be- 
 tween our brethren ? 
 
18 Rules and Regulations. [1781-2. 
 
 " Ans. Let the assistant preacher at quarterly meet- 
 ing consult with the steward, in appointing proper per- 
 sons to examine into the circumstances, and if there be 
 any suspicion of injustice or inability in the referees, to 
 appoint men of more skill and probity, and the parties 
 to abide by their decision, or be excluded the society. 
 
 " Quest. 18. How many general fasts shall we have 
 this year ? 
 
 " Ans. Four, as follows : — the first Thursday in 
 June, September, January, and April." 
 
 1 7 82. In 1782 the following :— 
 
 " Quest. 1 1 . What shall be done to revive the work ? 
 
 " Ans. Hold evening meetings, and preach in the 
 mornings in places convenient. 
 
 " Quest. 12. What shall be done to get a regular 
 and impartial supply for the maintenance of the 
 preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. Let every thing they receive, either in money 
 or clothing, be valued by the preachers and stewards at 
 quarterly meeting, and an account of the deficiency 
 given in to the conference, that they may be supplied 
 by the profits arising from the books and the confer- 
 ence collections. 
 
 " Quest. 13. How shall we more effectually guard 
 against disorderly travelling preachers ? 
 
 11 Ans. Write at the bottom of every certificate : ' The 
 authority this conveys is limited to next conference.' 
 
 " Quest. 14. How must we do if a preacher will not 
 desist after being found guilty ? 
 
 " Ans. Let the nearest assistant stop him immedi- 
 ately. In brother Asbury's absence, let the preachers 
 inform the people of these rules. 
 
 " Quest. 15. How shall we more effectually guard 
 against disorderly local preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. Write at the bottom of the certificate : ' This 
 conveys authority no longer than you walk uprightly, 
 and submit to the direction of the assistant preacher.' 
 
 " Quest. 16. By what rule shall we conduct our- 
 
1782—3.3 Rules and Regulations. 19 
 
 selves toward the preachers and people that separate 
 from us ? 
 
 " Ans. Disown them. 
 
 " Quest. 17. How shall we more effectually guard 
 against impostors 1 
 
 "Ans. Let no person remove from north to south 
 without a certificate from the assistant preacher ; and 
 let no one be received into society without." 
 
 11 Quest. 19. Do the brethren in conference unani- 
 mously choose brother Asbury to act according to Mr. 
 Wesley's original appointment, and preside over the 
 American conferences and the whole work ? 
 
 " Ans. Yes." 
 
 " Every assistant preacher must so order his circuit, 
 that either himself or one of his helpers may travel with 
 Mr. Asbury through his circuit." 
 
 1783. In 1783 the following :— 
 
 " Quest. 9. How is this sum [for the support of the 
 preachers' wives] to be raised ? 
 
 " Ans. Let the preachers make a small collection in 
 all the circuits. 
 
 " Quest. 10. What shall be done with our local 
 preachers who hold slaves contrary to the laws which 
 authorize their freedom in any of the United States ? 
 
 " Ans. We will try them another year. In the mean 
 time let every assistant deal faithfully and plainly with 
 every one, and report to the next conference. It may 
 then be necessary to suspend them. 
 
 " Quest. 11. Should our friends be permitted to 
 make spirituous liquors, sell, and drink them in 
 drams ? 
 
 " Ans. By no means : we think it wrong in its na- 
 ture and consequences ; and desire all our preachers to 
 teach the people by precept and example to put away 
 this evil. 
 
 " Quest. 12. How shall we conduct ourselves to- 
 ward any European Methodists, should they come to 
 this continent ? 
 
20 Rules and Regulations. [1783-4 
 
 " Ans. We will not receive them without a letter of 
 recommendation, which we have no reason to doubt the 
 truth of. 
 
 " Quest. 13. What can be done to supply the cir- 
 cuits with preaching in time of conference ? 
 
 "ins. Let the assistants engage as many local 
 preachers as can be depended upon, and such among 
 them as are needy be allowed for their labour in pro- 
 portion with the travelling preachers. 
 
 " Quest. 14. How many days of thanksgiving shall 
 we have for our public peace, temporal and spiritual 
 prosperity, and for the glorious work of God ? 
 
 " Ans. Two : the first Thursday in July and Oc- 
 tober. 
 
 " Quest. 15. How many fast days shall we have ? 
 
 " Ans. Two : the first Friday in January and 
 April." 
 
 " Quest. 17. How is this money [for the preachers' 
 wives] to be raised ? 
 
 "Ans" [The amount is then apportioned to the 
 several circuits.] 
 
 1 7 84. In 1784 the following :— 
 
 " Quest. 8. How shall we keep good order among 
 the preachers, and provide for contingencies in the va- 
 cancy of conference, and absence of the general assist- 
 ant ? 
 
 " Ans. Let any three assistants do what may be 
 thought most eligible, call to an account, change, sus- 
 pend, or receive a preacher till conference. 
 
 " Quest. 9. What can be done with those places 
 we have long tried, and appear to grow worse every 
 year? 
 
 " Ans. If you are obliged to make use of such places 
 to get to more valuable ones, appoint no public preach- 
 ing, but only meet society in the evening, or speak to 
 the black people. 
 
 " Quest. 10. What can be done toward erecting new 
 chapels, and discharging the debts on those already built? 
 
1784.] Rules and Regulations. 21 
 
 " Ans. Let the assistant preacher put a yearly sub- 
 scription through the circuits, and insist upon every 
 member that is not supported by charity to give some 
 thing. Let them subscribe the first quarter, and pay 
 the second ; and the money to be applied by two ge- 
 neral stewards. 
 
 " Quest. 11. How shall we prevent superfluity in 
 dress among our people ? 
 
 " Ans. Let the preachers carefully avoid every thing 
 of this kind in themselves, and speak frequently and 
 faithfully against it in all our societies. 
 
 " Quest. 12. What shall we do with our friends that 
 will buy and sell slaves 1 
 
 " Ans. If they buy with no other design than to hold 
 them as slaves, and have been previously warned, they 
 shall be expelled, and permitted to sell on no consider- 
 ation. 
 
 " Q^iest. 13. What shall we do with our local 
 preachers who will not emancipate their slaves in the 
 states where the laws admit it ? 
 
 " Ans. Try those in Virginia another year, and sus- 
 pend the preachers in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsyl- 
 vania, and New-Jersey. 
 
 " Quest. 14. How shall we reform our singing? 
 
 " Ans. Let all our preachers who have any know- 
 ledge in the notes improve it by learning to sing true 
 themselves, and keeping close to Mr. Wesley's tunes 
 and hymns. 
 
 " Quest. 15. How shall we enlarge the conference 
 collection to supply the wants of the preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. Let there be a public collection in all the 
 principal places in the circuits, and brought to confer- 
 ence." 
 
 " Let every assistant preacher see that [the money 
 for the preachers' wives] is collected and paid quar 
 terly. 
 
 " Quest. 18. What shall be allowed the general as- 
 sistant yearly ? 
 
22 Rules and Regulations. [1784 
 
 " Ans. Twenty-four pounds, with his expenses for 
 horses and travelling, brought to, and paid at, confer 
 ence." 
 
 " Quest. 21. How shall we conduct ourselves to 
 ward European preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. If they are recommended by Mr. Wesley, 
 will be subject to the American conference, preach the 
 doctrine taught in the four volumes of Sermons, and 
 Notes on the New Testament, keep the circuits they 
 are appointed to, follow the directions of the London and 
 American Minutes, and be subject to Francis Asbury 
 as general assistant, whilst he stands approved by Mr. 
 Wesley and the conference, we will receive them ; but 
 if they walk contrary to the above directions, no ancient 
 right or appointment shall prevent their being excluded 
 from our connection. 
 
 " Quest. 22. What shall be done with our travelling 
 preachers that now are, or hereafter shall be, possessed 
 of slaves, and refuse to manumit them where the law 
 permits ? 
 
 " Ans. Employ them no more. 
 
 " Quest. 23. How shall w r e more effectually appoint 
 and keep days of fasting ? 
 
 " Ans. By writing it upon every class paper, ' To be 
 the first Friday after every quarterly meeting.' " 
 
 The close of the year 1784 constituted a new and 
 most important epoch in American Methodism. The 
 independence of the United States having been con- 
 firmed by the peace of 1783, the authority of England 
 over them, both civil and ecclesiastical, came to an 
 end. The connection with the Church of England 
 being thus providentially dissolved, Mr. Wesley, who 
 had always resisted a separation from it, took mea- 
 sures, on the application of the American societies, to 
 organize them into a church. In explanation of his 
 views and wishes, he addressed to the brethren in 
 America the following letter : — 
 
1784.] Organization of the M. E. Church. 23 
 
 "Bristol, Sept. 10, 1784. 
 
 " To Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and our Brethren in 
 North America : — 
 
 " 1. By a very uncommon train of providences, 
 many of the provinces of North America are totally 
 disjoined from the British empire, and erected into 
 independent states. The English government has no 
 authority over them, either civil or ecclesiastical, any 
 more than over the states of Holland. A civil autho- 
 rity is exercised over them, partly by the congress, 
 partly by the state assemblies. But no one either 
 exercises or claims any ecclesiastical authority at all. 
 In this peculiar situation some thousands of the in- 
 habitants of these states desire my advice ; and in 
 compliance with their desire I have drawn up a little 
 sketch. 
 
 " 2. Lord King's account of the primitive church 
 convinced me, many years ago, that bishops and 
 presbyters are the same order, and, consequently, 
 have the same right to ordain. For many years I 
 have been importuned, from time to time, to exercise 
 this right, by ordaining part of our travelling preachers; 
 but I have still refused, not only for peace' sake, but 
 because I was determined as little as possible to vio- 
 late the established order of the national church to 
 which I belonged. 
 
 "3. But the case is widely different between England 
 and North America. Here there are bishops who have 
 a legal jurisdiction. In America there are none, and 
 but few parish ministers ; so that for some hundred 
 miles together there is none either to baptize or to 
 administer the Lord's supper. Here, therefore, my 
 scruples are at an end ; and I conceive myself at full 
 liberty, as I violate no order, and invade no man's 
 right, by appointing and sending labourers into the 
 harvest. 
 
 " 4. I have, accordingly, appointed Dr. Coke and 
 Mr. Francis Asbxjry to be joint superintendents 
 
24 Organization of the M. E. Church. [1784, 
 
 over our brethren in North America ; as also Richard 
 Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey to act as elders among 
 them, by baptizing and administering the Lord's supper. 
 
 " 5. If any one will point out a more rational and 
 Scriptural way of feeding and guiding those poor sheep 
 in the wilderness, 1 will gladly embrace it. At pre- 
 sent I cannot see any better method than that I have 
 taken. 
 
 "6. It has indeed been proposed to desire the 
 English bishops to ordain part of our preachers for 
 America. But to this I object, (1.) I desired the 
 bishop of London to ordain one only, but could not 
 prevail. (2.) If they consented, we know the slow 
 ness of their proceedings, but the matter admits of no 
 delay. (3.) If they would ordain them now, they 
 would likewise expect to govern them. And how 
 grievously would this entangle us ! (4.) As our 
 American brethren are now totally disentangled both 
 from the state and from the English hierarchy, we 
 dare not entangle them again either with the one or 
 the other. They are now at full liberty simply to 
 follow the Scriptures and the primitive church. And 
 we judge it best that they should stand fast in that 
 liberty wherewith God has so strangely made them 
 free. John Wesley." 
 
 At the same time, Mr. Wesley prepared and printed, 
 for the use of the church in America, a Liturgy, 
 abridged from that of the Church of England, and a 
 collection of psalms and hymns. The former was 
 entitled, " The Sunday Service of the Methodists in 
 North America. With other occasional Services. 
 London. Printed in the year 1784;" and contained, 
 among other things, " The Form and Manner of making 
 and ordaining of Superintendents, Elders, and Dea- 
 cons," and the " Articles of Religion." The latter 
 was entitled, " A Collection of Psalms and Hymns 
 for the Lord's Day. Published by John Wesley, 
 M. A., late Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford; and 
 
1784.] The Christmas Conference. 25 
 
 Charles Wesley, M. A., late Student of Christ Church, 
 Oxford. London. Printed in the year 1784." 
 
 To carry into effect the proposed organization, a 
 General Conference of preachers was called, to meet 
 in Baltimore at Christmas, 1784. Sixty out of the 
 eighty-three preachers, then in the travelling connec- 
 tion, attended at the appointed time. "At this confer- 
 ence," say the Annual Minutes for 1785, "it was 
 unanimously agreed that circumstances made it ex- 
 pedient for us to become a separate body, under the 
 denomination of ' The Methodist Episcopal Church.' " 
 And again they say, " We formed ourselves into an 
 independent church ; and following the counsel of 
 Mr. John Wesley, who recommended the Episcopal 
 mode of church government, we thought it best to 
 become an Episcopal church, making the Episcopal 
 office elective, and the elected superintendent or 
 bishop amenable to the body of ministers and preach- 
 ers." They adopted a Form of Discipline for the 
 government of the church. This was substantially 
 the same with the Large Minutes, the principal alter- 
 ations being only such as were necessary to adapt 
 it to the state of things in America. As this was 
 the first Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, it is here republished entire, together with 
 the portions of the Large Minutes which were left 
 out or altered. Those parts of the Large Minutes 
 which were left out of the Discipline of 1784 are 
 here enclosed in brackets, and, when the passages are 
 long, are printed in smaller type, while what was con- 
 tained in the latter, and not in the former, is printed 
 in italics. Where there has been merely a substitution 
 of one passage for another, the language of the Large 
 Minutes is given at the foot of the page. The figures 
 in parentheses refer to the Large Minutes. 
 
 " Minutes of several Conversations between the Rev. 
 Thomas Coke, LL.D., the Rev. Francis Asbury, 
 and others, at a Conference, begun in Baltimore, 
 2 
 
26 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 in the State of Maryland, on Monday the 27th of 
 December, in the Year 1784. Composing a Form 
 of Discipline for the Ministers, Preachers, and 
 other Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church 
 in America. 1 
 
 " It is desired that all things be considered as in the 
 immediate presence of God ; that every person speak 
 freely whatever is in his heart. 
 
 " Quest. I. How may we best improve the time 
 of our conferences ? 2 
 
 " Ans. 1. While we are conversing, let us have an 
 especial care to set God always before us. 
 
 "2. In the intermediate hours, let us redeem all the 
 time we can for private exercises. 
 
 "3. Therein let us give ourselves to prayer for 
 one another, and for a blessing on [this] our labour. 
 
 [" Quest. (2.) Have our conferences been as useful as they 
 might have been 1 
 
 " Ans. No : we have been continually straitened for time. 
 Hence scarce any thing has been searched to the bottom. To 
 remedy this, let every conference last nine days, concluding on 
 Wednesday in the second week.] 
 
 " Quest. 2. What can be done in order to the future 
 union of the Methodists ? 
 
 " A?is. During the life of the Rev. Mr. Wesley, toe 
 acknowledge ourselves his sons in the % gospel, ready in 
 
 1 The title of the Large Minutes reads, " Minutes of several Con- 
 versations between the Rev. Mr. Wesley and others ; from the Year 
 1744 to the Year 1789." They are here printed as found in Wes- 
 ley's Works, vol. v, pp. 211-239. The English editor observes in a 
 note, " This tract, which is usually denominated, ' The Large Mi- 
 nutes,' contains the plan of Discipline as practised in the Methodist 
 connection during the life of Mr. Wesley. As its title intimates, it 
 underwent several alterations and enlargements from the year 1744 
 to 1789, when the last revision took place. It is here reprinted from 
 a copy which bears the date of 1791 — the year in which Mr. Wesley 
 died — collated with the edition of 1789." Although the edition, 
 which is here quoted, was revised four years after the organization of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, yet it is ascertained, by comparison 
 with the Annual Minutes of the English Conference, that little alter- 
 ation was made in the Large Minutes subsequently to 1784. 
 
 a " this conference." — Large Minutes. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 27 
 
 matters belonging to church government, to obey his 
 commands. And we do engage, after his death, to do 
 every thing that we judge consistent with the cause of 
 religion in America and the political interests of these 
 States, to preserve and promote our union with the 
 Methodists in Europe. 
 
 " Quest. 3. As the ecclesiastical as well as civil 
 affairs of these United States have passed through a 
 very considerable change by the revolution, what plan 
 of church government shall we hereafter pursue ? 
 
 " Ans. We will form ourselves into an Episcopal 
 Church, under the direction of superintendents, elders, 
 deacons, and helpers, according to the forms of ordi- 
 nation annexed to our Liturgy, and the Form of Dis- 
 cipline set forth in these Minutes. 
 
 " Quest. 4. (3.) What may we reasonably believe 
 to be God's design in raising up the preachers called 
 Methodists ? 
 
 " Ans. [Not to form any new sect; but] to reform 
 the continent, 1 [particularly the Church ;] and to spread 
 Scriptural holiness over these lands. 2 
 
 " Quest. 5. (4.) What was the rise of Methodism, 
 so called ? 
 
 " Ans. In 1729, two young men, reading the Bible, 
 saw they could not be saved without holiness, followed 
 after it, and incited others so to do. In 1737 they saw 
 holiness comes by faith. They saw likewise, that men 
 are justified before they are sanctified ; but still holi- 
 ness was their point. God then thrust them out, utterly 
 against their will, to raise an holy people. When Satan 
 could no otherwise hinder this, he threw Calvinism in 
 the way; and then Antinomianism, which strikes di- 
 rectly at the root of all holiness. 
 
 " Quest. 6. (5.) Is it advisable for us to preach in 
 as many places as we can, without forming any so- 
 cieties ? 
 
 " Ans. By no means. We have made the trial in 
 
 1 " nation." — Large Minutes. - " the land." — lb. 
 
28 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1764. 
 
 various places ; and that for a considerable time. But 
 all the seed has fallen as by the [high] way side. 
 There is scarce any fruit remaining. 
 
 " Quest. 7. (6.) Where should we endeavour to 
 preach most ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Where there is the greatest number of 
 quiet and willing hearers. 2. Where there is most fruit. 
 
 " Quest. 8. (7.) Is field preaching unlawful ? 
 
 " Ans. We conceive not. We do not know that it 
 is contrary to any law either of God or man. 
 
 " Quest. 9. (8.) Have we not used it too sparingly? 
 
 " Ans. It seems we have ; 1 . Because our call is, 
 to save that which is lost. Now, we cannot expect 
 them to seek us. Therefore we should go and seek 
 them. 2. Because we are particularly called, by 
 * going into the highways and hedges,' [which none 
 else will do,] 'to compel them to come in.' 3. Be- 
 cause that reason against it is not good, ' The house 
 will hold all that come.' The house may hold all that 
 come to the house ; but not all that would come to 
 the field. 
 
 " The greatest hinderance to this you are to expect 
 from rich, or cowardly, or lazy Methodists. But re- 
 gard them not, neither stewards, leaders, nor people. 
 Whenever the weather will permit, go out in God's 
 name into the most public places, and call all to repent 
 and believe the gospel ; every Sunday, in particular ; 
 especially where there are old societies, lest they settle 
 upon their lees. 
 
 ["The stewards will frequently oppose this, lest they lose 
 their usual collection. But this is not a sufficient reason against 
 it. Shall we barter souls for money X\ 
 
 " Quest. 10. (9.) Ought we not diligently to observe 
 in what places God is pleased at any time to pour out 
 his Spirit more abundantly ? 
 
 " Ans. We ought ; and at that time to send more 
 labourers than usual into that part of the harvest. 
 
 ["But whence shall we have them"? 1. So far as we can 
 afford it, we will keep a reserve of preachers at Kingswood. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 29 
 
 2. Let an exact list be kept of those who are proposed for trial, 
 but not accepted.] 
 
 "Quest. 11. (10.) How often shall we permit 
 strangers to be present at the meeting of the society ? 
 
 " Ans. At every other meeting of the society in 
 every place let no stranger be admitted. At other 
 times they may ; but the same person not above twice 
 or thrice. In order to this, see that all in every place 
 show their tickets before they come in. If the stewards 
 and leaders are not exact herein, employ others that 
 have more resolution. 
 
 " Quest. 12. How often shall we permit strangers 
 to be present at our love-feasts ? 
 
 " Ans. Let them be admitted with the utmost cau- 
 tion ; and the same person on no account above twice, 
 unless he becomes a member. 
 
 " Quest. 13. (11.) How may the leaders of classes 
 be made more useful ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Let each of them be diligently examined 
 concerning his method of meeting a class. Let this be 
 done with all possible exactness at the [next] quarterly 
 visitation. And in order to this, allow sufficient time 
 for the visiting of each society. 
 
 " 2. Let each leader carefully inquire how every 
 soul in his class prospers ; not only how each person 
 observes the outward rules, but how he grows in the 
 knowledge and love of God. 
 
 " 3. Let the leaders converse with the assistant fre- 
 quently and freely. 
 
 " Quest. 14. (12.) Can any thing farther be done, 
 in order to make the meetings of the classes lively and 
 profitable ? 
 
 11 Ans. 1. Change improper leaders. 
 
 " 2. Let the leaders frequently meet each other's 
 classes. 
 
 "3. Let us observe which leaders are the most useful ; 
 and let these meet the other classes as often as possible. 
 
 " 4. See that all the leaders be not only men of 
 sound judgment, but men truly devoted to God. 
 
30 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, L1784. 
 
 " Quest. 15. (13.) How can we farther assist those 
 under our care ? 
 
 " Arts. 1. By meeting the married men and women 
 together, the first Sunday after the quarterly meeting, 1 
 — the single men and women apart, on the two follow- 
 ing, — in all the large societies : [this has been much 
 neglected.] 
 
 " 2. By instructing them at their own houses. What 
 unspeakable need is there of this ! The world say, 
 * The Methodists are no better than other people.' 
 This is not true. But it is nearer the truth than we 
 are willing to believe. 
 
 " [N. B.] For 1. Personal religion either toward 
 God or man is amazingly superficial among us. 
 
 " We 2 can but just touch on a few generals. How 
 little faith is there among us ! How little communion 
 with God ! How little living in heaven, walking in 
 eternity, deadness to every creature ! How much love 
 of the world ; desire of pleasure, of ease, of praise, 3 of 
 getting money ! How little brotherly love ! What con- 
 tinual judging one another ! What gossiping, evil 
 speaking, tale bearing ! What want of moral honesty ! 
 To instance only [in] one or two particulars : who 
 does as he would be done by, in buying and selling, 
 particularly in selling horses ! Write him a knave 
 that does not. And the Methodist knave is the worst 
 of all knaves. 
 
 " 2. Family religion is shamefully wanting, and almost 
 in every branch. 
 
 " And the Methodists in general will be little the bet- 
 ter, till we take quite another course with them. For 
 what avails public preaching alone, though we could 
 preach like angels ? We must, yea, every travelling 
 preacher must, instruct them from house to house. 
 Till this is done, and that in good earnest, the Metho- 
 dists will be little better than other people. Our reli- 
 
 1 " visitation."— Large Minutes. 2 " I."—Ib. 
 
 3 " of praise" is in the original English Minutes, though not in the 
 Large Minutes. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 31 
 
 gion is not deep, universal, uniform ; but superficial, 
 partial, uneven. It will be so, till we spend half as 
 much time in this visiting, as we now do in talking 
 uselessly. 
 
 " Can we find a better method of doing this than Mr. 
 Baxter's ? If not, let us adopt it without delay. His 
 whole tract, intitled, ' Gildas Salvianus' is well worth a 
 careful perusal. [A short extract from it I will subjoin.] 
 Speaking of this visiting from house to house, he 
 says, p. 351: — 
 
 " We shall find many hinderances, both in ourselves, 
 and in the people. 
 
 " 1 . In ourselves there is much dulness and laziness ; 
 so that there will be much ado to get us to be faithful 
 in the work. 
 
 " 2. We have a base, man-pleasing temper ; so that 
 we let men perish, rather than lose their love. We 
 let them go quietly to hell, lest we should anger them. 
 
 " 3. Some of us have also a foolish bashfulness. 
 We know not how to begin, and blush to contradict 
 the devil. 
 
 " 4. But the greatest hinderance is, weakness of 
 faith. Our whole motion is weak, because the spring 
 of it is weak. 
 
 "5. Lastly, we are unskilful in the work. How 
 few know how to deal with men, so as to get within 
 them, and suit all our discourse to their several condi- 
 tions and tempers ; to choose the fittest subjects, and 
 follow them with a holy mixture of seriousness, and 
 terror, and love, and meekness !" 
 
 " [And we have many difficulties to grapple with in our people. 
 " 1. Too many of them will be unwilling- to be taught, till we 
 conquer their perverseness by the force of reason and the power 
 of love. 
 
 11 2. And many are so dull that they will shun being taught 
 for fear of showing their dulness. And indeed you will find it ex- 
 tremely hard to make them understand the very plainest points. 
 " 3. And it is still harder to fix things on their hearts, without 
 which all our labour is lost. If you have not, therefore, great 
 seriousness and fervency, what good can you expect? And, 
 after all, it is grace alone that must do the work. 
 
32 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, CI 784. 
 
 " 4. And when we have made some impressions on their 
 hearts, if we look not after them, they will soon die away. 
 
 " But as great as this labour of private instruction is, it is ab- 
 solutely necessary. For, after all our preaching, many of our 
 people are almost as ignorant as if they had never heard the 
 gospel. I speak as plain as I can, yet I frequently meet with 
 those who have been my hearers many years, who know not 
 whether Christ be God or man. And how few are there that 
 know the nature of repentance, faith, and holiness! Most of 
 them have a sort of confidence that God will save them, while 
 the world has their hearts. I have found by experience, that 
 one of these has learned more from one hour's close discourse, 
 than from ten years' public preaching.] 
 
 " But 1 undoubtedly this private application is implied 
 in those solemn words of the apostle : ' I charge thee, 
 before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge 
 the quick and dead at his appearing, preach the word, 
 be instant in season, out of season ; reprove, rebuke, 
 exhort, with all long suffering.' 
 
 " O brethren, if we could but set this work on foot in 
 all our societies, and prosecute it zealously, what glory 
 would redound to God ! If the common lukeivarm- 
 ness 2 were banished, and every shop and every house 
 busied in speaking of the word and works of God, 
 surely God would dwell in our habitations, and make 
 us his delight. 
 
 " And this is absolutely necessary to the welfare of 
 our people, many of w 7 hom neither believe nor repent 
 to this day. Look round and see how many of them 
 are still in apparent danger of damnation. And how 
 can you walk, and talk, and be merry with such people, 
 when you know their case ? Methinks, when you 
 look them in the face, you should break forth into tears, 
 as the prophet did when he looked upon Hazael ; and 
 then set on them with the most vehement and importu- 
 nate exhortations. 0, for God's sake, and for the sake 
 of poor souls, bestir yourselves, and spare no pains that 
 may conduce to their salvation ! 
 
 " What cause have w r e to bleed before the Lord this 
 
 1 " And."— Large Minutes. 2 " ignorance."— 1 b. 
 
1784. J Compared with the Large Minutes. 33 
 
 day, that we have so long neglected this good work ! 
 If we had but set upon it sooner, how many more 
 might have been brought to Christ ! And how much 
 holier and happier might we have made our societies 
 before now ! And why might we not have done it 
 sooner ? There were many hinderances ; and so there 
 always will be. But the greatest hinderance was in 
 ourselves, in our littleness of faith and love. 
 
 " But it is objected, 1. ' This will take up so much 
 time, that we shall not have leisure 1 to follow our 
 studies.' 
 
 " We 2 answer, 1 . Gaining knowledge is a good thing ; 
 but saving souls is a better. 2. By this very thing you 
 will gain the most excellent knowledge, that of God 
 and eternity. 3. You will have time for gaining other 
 knowledge too, [if you spend all your mornings therein.] 
 Only sleep not more than you need ; and never be idle, 
 or triflingly employed. But, 4. If you can do but one, 
 let y«nr studies alone. We 3 would throw by all the 
 libraries in the world, rather than be guilty of the loss 
 of one soul. 
 
 [" I allow, in some of the country circuits, where you have 
 only a day to spend in each place, you have not time for this 
 excellent work. But you have, wherever you spend several 
 days together in one town.] 
 
 " It is objected, 2. ' The people will not submit to 
 it.' If some will not, others will. And the success 
 with them will repay all your labour. O let us herein 
 follow the example of St. Paul ! 
 
 "1. For our general business, 'Serving the Lord 
 with all humility of mind.' 2. Our special work, 
 1 Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock.' 3. Our 
 doctrine, ' Repentance toward God, and faith in our 
 Lord Jesus Christ.' 4. The place, ' I have taught you 
 publicly, and from house to house.' 5. The object and 
 manner of teaching, ' I ceased not to warn every one, 
 night and day, with tears.' 6. His innocence and self- 
 denial herein, ' I have coveted no man's silver or gold.' 
 
 1 " time."— Large Minutes. 8 " I."— lb. * » I."— lb. 
 
 2* 
 
34 First Discipline of the M. E. Churchy [1784. 
 
 7. His patience, ' Neither count I my life dear unto 
 myself.' And among all our motives, let these be ever 
 before our eyes: 1. 'The church of God, which he 
 hath purchased with his own blood.' 2. ' Grievous 
 wolves shall enter in ; yea, of yourselves shall men 
 arise, speaking perverse things.' Write this upon your 
 hearts, and it will do you more good than twenty years' 
 study. 
 
 " Let every preacher, having a catalogue of those in 
 each society, go to each house ; and deal gently with 
 them, that the report of it may move others to desire 
 your coming. 
 
 [" Give the children the ' Instructions for Children,' and encour- 
 age them to get them by heart. Indeed, you will find it no easy 
 matter to teach the ignorant the principles of religion. So true 
 is the remark of Archbishop Usher : ' Great scholars may think 
 this work beneath them. But they should consider, the laying 
 the foundation skilfully, as it is of the greatest importance, so it 
 is the masterpiece of the wisest builder. And let the wisest of 
 us all try, whenever we please, we shall find, that to lay this 
 groundwork rightly, to make the ignorant understand the grounds 
 of religion, will put us to the trial of all our skill.' 
 
 " Perhaps in doing this it may be well, 1. After a few loving 
 words spoken to all in the house, to take each person singly into 
 another room, where you may deal closely with him, about his 
 sin, and misery, and duty. Set these home, or you lose all your 
 labour. (At least, let none be present but those who are famil- 
 iar with each other.) 
 
 " 2. Hear what the children have learned by heart. 
 
 " 3. Choose some of the weightiest points, and try if they under- 
 stand them. As, ' Do you believe you have sin in you 1 What 
 does sin deserve ? What remedy has God provided for guilty, 
 helpless sinners V 
 
 " 4. Often with the question suggest the answer. As, ' What 
 is repentance 1 Sorrow for sin, or a conviction that we are guilty, 
 helpless sinners.' 'What is faith] A divine conviction of 
 things not seen.' 
 
 " 5. Where you perceive they do not understand the stress 
 of your question, lead them into it by other questions. For in- 
 stance, you ask, ' How do you think your sins will be pardoned V 
 They answer, ' By repenting and amending my life.' You ask 
 farther, ' But will your amendment make satisfaction for your 
 past sins V They will answer, ' I hope so, or I know not what 
 will.' One would think, these had no knowledge of Christ at 
 all. And some have not. But others have ; and give such 
 
1784.3 Compared with the Large Minutes. 35 
 
 answers, only because they do not understand the scope of the 
 question. Ask them farther, ' Can you be saved without the 
 death of Christ V They immediately say, ' No.' And if you 
 ask, ' What has he suffered for you V they will say, ' He shed 
 his blood for us.' But many cannot express even what they 
 have some conception of; no, not even when expressions are 
 put into their mouths. With these you are to deal exceeding 
 tenderly, lest they be discouraged. 
 
 " 6. If you perceive them troubled, that they cannot answer, 
 step in yourself, and take the burden off them ; answering the 
 question yourself. And do it thoroughly and plainly, making a 
 full explication of the whole business to them. 
 
 " 7. When you have tried their knowledge, proceed to in- 
 struct them, according to their several capacities. If a man 
 understand the fundamentals, speak what you perceive he most 
 needs, either explaining farther some doctrines, or some duty, or 
 showing him the necessity of something which he neglects. If 
 he still understands not, go over it again till he does. 
 
 " 8. Next inquire into his state, whether convinced or uncon- 
 vinced, converted or unconverted. Tell him, if need be, what 
 conversion is ; and then renew and enforce the inquiry. 
 
 " 9. If unconverted, labour with all your power to bring his 
 heart to a sense of his condition. Set this home with a more 
 earnest voice than you spoke before. Get to the heart, or you 
 do nothing. 
 
 " 10. Conclude all with a strong exhortation, which should 
 enforce, 1. The duty of the heart, in order to receive Christ. 
 2. The avoiding former sins, and constantly using the outward 
 means. And be sure, if you can, to get their promise, to for- 
 sake sin, change their company, and use the means. And do 
 this solemnly, reminding them of the presence of God, who 
 hears their promises, and expects the performance. 
 
 "11. Before you leave them, engage the head of each family to 
 call all his family together every Sunday before they go to bed, 
 and hear what they can repeat, and so continue, till they have 
 learned the ' Instructions' perfectly ; and afterward let him take 
 care that they do not forget what they have learned.] 
 
 " Do this in earnest, and you will soon find what a 
 work you take in hand, in undertaking to be a travelling 
 preacher ! 
 
 " Quest. 16. (14.) How shall we prevent improper 
 persons from insinuating into the society ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Give tickets to none till they are recom- 
 mended by a leader, with whom they have met at least 
 two months on trial. 
 
36 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 " 2. Give notes to none but those who are recommend- 
 ed by one you know, or till they have met three or four 
 times in a class. 
 
 "3. Give them the rules the first time they meet. 
 [See that this be never neglected.] 
 
 " Quest. 17. (15.) When shall we admit new 
 members ? 
 
 " Ans. In large towns, admit them into the bands at 
 the quarterly love-feast following the quarterly meeting : l 
 into the society, on the Sunday following the quarterly 
 meeting. 1 Then also read the names of them that are 
 excluded. 
 
 " Quest. 18. (16.) Should we insist on the rules 
 concerning dress ? 2 
 
 " Ans. By all means. This is no time to give any 
 encouragement to superfluity of apparel. Therefore 
 give no [band] tickets to any till they have left off super- 
 fluous ornaments. In order to this, 1. Let every 
 assistant read the ' Thoughts upon Dress' at least once 
 a year, in every large society. 2. In visiting the classes, 
 be very mild, but very strict. 3. Allow no exempt case, 
 not even of a married woman. Better one suffer than 
 many. 4. Give no ticket to any that wear [calashes,] 
 high heads, [or] enormous bonnets, ruffles or rings. 
 
 " Quest. 19. What can be done to encourage meeting 
 in band ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. In every large society have a love-feast 
 quarterly for the bands only. 2. Never fail to meet 
 them once a week. 3. Exhort every believer to 
 embrace the advantage. 4. Give a band ticket to none 
 till they have met a quarter on trial. 
 
 [" Observe ! You give none a band ticket before he meets, 
 but after he has met. 
 
 " Quest. (17.) Have those in band left off snuff and drams'? 
 "Ans. No. Many are still enslaved to one or the other. In 
 order to redress this, 1. Let no preacher touch either on any 
 account. 2. Strongly dissuade our people from them. 3. An- 
 swer their pretences, particularly curing the colic] 
 
 1 " visitation." — Large Minutes. 
 ' the band rules, particularly with regard to dress ?" — lb 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 37 
 
 " Quest. 20. (18.) Do we observe any evil which 
 has lately prevailed among our societies ? 
 
 " Ans. Many of our members have married [with un- 
 believers, yea,] with unawakened persons. This has 
 had fatal effects. They had either a cross for life, or 
 turned back to perdition. 
 
 " Quest. 21. (19.) What can be done to put a stop to 
 this? 
 
 "Ans. 1. Let every preacher publicly enforce the 
 apostle's caution, ' Be not unequally yoked with un- 
 believers.' 2. Let him openly declare, whoever does 
 this will be expelled the society. 3. When any such 
 is expelled, let a suitable exhortation be subjoined. 
 And, 4. Let all be exhorted to take no step in so 
 weighty a matter without advising with the most serious 
 of their brethren. 
 
 " Quest. 22. (20.) Ought any woman to marry with- 
 out the consent of her parents ? 
 
 " Ans. In general, she ought not. Yet there maybe 
 an exception. For if, 1 . A woman be under the 1 neces- 
 sity of marrying ; if, 2. Her parents absolutely refuse 
 to let her marry any Christian ; then she may, nay, 
 ought to, marry without their consent. Yet, even then, 
 a Methodist preacher ought not to marry her. 
 
 " Quest. 23. May our ministers or travelling 
 preachers drink spirituous liquors ? 
 
 " Ans. By no means, unless it be medicinally. 
 
 " Quest. 24. (21.) Do not sabbath breaking, [dram 
 drinking,] evil speaking, unprofitable conversation, 
 lightness, expensiveness, or gayety of apparel, and con- 
 tracting debts without due care to discharge them, still 
 prevail in several places ? How may these evils be 
 remedied ? 
 
 "Ans. 1. Let us preach expressly on each of these 
 heads. 2. Read in every society the ' Sermon on Evil 
 Speaking.' 3. Let the leaders closely examine and 
 exhort every person to put away the accursed thing. 
 
 "a." — Large Minutes. 
 
38 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 4. Let the preacher warn every society, that none who 
 is guilty herein can remain with us. 5. Extirpate 
 smuggling, buying or selling uncustomed goods, out of 
 every society. 
 
 " Let none remain with us, who will not totally 
 abstain from every kind and degree of it. 
 
 [" Speak tenderly, but earnestly, and frequently of it, in every 
 society near the coasts ; and read to them, and diligently dis- 
 perse among them, the 'Word to a Smuggler.'] 
 
 " 6. Extirpate bribery, receiving any thing, directly 
 or indirectly, for voting in any election. Show no 
 respect of persons herein, but expel all that touch the 
 accursed thing. 
 
 [" Largely show, both in public and private, the wickedness of 
 thus selling our country. And everywhere read the ' Word to 
 a Freeholder,' and disperse it with both hands.] 
 
 " Quest. 25. (22.) What shall we do to prevent 
 scandal, when any of our members becomes a bankrupt ? 
 
 " Ans. Let the assistant talk with him at large ; and 
 if he has not kept fair accounts, [or has been concern- 
 ed in that base practice of raising money by coining 
 notes, (commonly called the bill trade,)] let him be ex- 
 pelled immediately." 
 
 " Quest. 26. What is the office of a superintendent ? 
 
 " Ans. To ordain superintendents, elders, and dea- 
 cons ; to preside as a moderator in our conferences ; to 
 fix the appointments of the preachers for the several cir- 
 cuits ; and, in the intervals of the conference, to change, 
 receive or suspend preachers, as necessity may inquire ; 
 and to receive appeals from the preachers and people, 
 and decide them. 
 
 " N. B. No person shall be ordained a superintend- 
 ent, elder, or deacon, without the consent of a majority 
 of the conference, and the consent and imposition of 
 hands of a superintendent ; except in the instance pro- 
 vided for in the 29th minute. 
 
 " Quest. 27. To ivhomis the superintendent amena- 
 ble for his conduct ? 
 
 " Ans. To the conference : ivho have power to ex- 
 pel him for improper conduct, if they see it necessary. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 3S 
 
 " Quest. 28. If the superintendent ceases from tra- 
 velling at large among the people, shall he still exer- 
 cise his office in any degree ? 
 
 " Ans. If he ceases from travelling without the con- 
 sent of the conference, he shall not thereafter exercise 
 any ministerial f miction whatsoever in our church. 
 
 " Quest. 29. If by death, expulsion or otherwise, 
 there be no superintendent remaining in our church, 
 what shall we do ? 
 
 "Ans. The conference shall elect a superintendent, 
 and the elders, or any three of them, shall ordain him 
 according to our Liturgy. 
 
 " Quest. 30. What is the office of an elder ? 
 
 " Ans. To administer the sacraments of baptism 
 and the Lord's supper, and to perform all the other rites 
 prescribed by our Liturgy. 
 
 " Quest. 31. What is the office of a deacon ? 
 
 " Ans. To baptize in the absence of an elder, to 
 assist the elder in the administration of the Lord's sap- 
 per, to marry, bury the dead, and read the Liturgy to 
 the people as prescribed, except what relates to the ad- 
 ministration of the Lords supper. 
 
 [" Quest. (23.) What is the office of a Christian minister 1 
 
 " Ans. To watch over souls, as he that must give account. 
 
 " Quest. (24.) In what view may we and our helpers be con- 
 sidered ] 
 
 " Ans. Perhaps as extraordinary messengers, (that is, out of 
 the ordinary way,) designed, 1. To provoke the regular minis- 
 ters to jealousy. 2. To supply their lack of service toward 
 those who are perishing for want of knowledge. But how hard 
 is it to abide here ! Who does not wish to be a little higher 1 
 suppose, to be ordained !*] 
 
 " Quest. 32. (25.) What is the office of a helper ? 
 
 [" Ans. In the absence of a minister, to feed and guide the 
 flock ; in particular,] 
 
 " 1. To preach. 
 
 [" Morning and evening. (But he is never to begin later in 
 the evening than seven o'clock, unless in particular cases.)] 
 
 * This and similar passages in other parts of Mr. Wesley's writ- 
 ings refer to the Methodists in England, whom he desired still to re- 
 main as societies within the Church of England. See pp. 22-24. 
 
40 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 " 2. To meet the society and the bands weekly. 
 
 "3. To visit the sick. 
 
 " 4. (3.) To meet the leaders weekly. 
 
 " Let every preacher be particularly exact in this, 
 and in morning preaching. If he has twenty hear- 
 ers, let him preach. [If not, let him sing and pray.] 
 
 "N. B. We are fully determined never to drop 
 morning preaching; and to preach 1 at five, wherever it 
 is practicable, [particularly in London and Bristol.] 
 
 " Quest. 33. (26.) What are the rules of a helper? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Be diligent. Never be unemployed [a 
 moment.] Never be triflingly employed. Never while 
 away time ; neither spend any more time at any place 
 than is strictly necessary. 
 
 " 2. Be serious. Let your motto be, c Holiness to 
 the Lord.' Avoid all lightness, jesting, and foolish 
 talking. 
 
 " 3. Converse sparingly and cautiously with women ; 
 particularly with young women. 
 
 " 4. Take no step toward marriage, without first 
 consulting with your brethren. 
 
 " 5. Believe evil of no one ; unless you see it done, 
 take heed how you credit it. Put the best construction 
 on every thing. You know the judge is always sup- 
 posed to be on the prisoner's side. 
 
 " 6. Speak evil of no one ; else your word especially 
 would eat as doth a canker. Keep your thoughts 
 within your own breast till you come to the person 
 concerned. 
 
 " 7. Tell every one ivho is under your care, what 
 you think wrong in his conduct and tempers, 2 and that 
 plainly, as soon as may be ; else it will fester in your 
 heart. Make all haste to cast the fire out of your bosom. 
 
 " 8. Do not affect the gentleman. You have no 
 more to do with this character than with that of a 
 dancing master. A preacher of the gospel is the ser- 
 vant of all. 
 
 1 " continue preaching." — Large Minutes. * " him." — lb. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 41 
 
 " 9. Be ashamed of nothing but sin : not of fetching 
 wood (if time permit) or drawing water ; not of clean 
 ing your own shoes, or your neighbour's. 
 
 " 10. Be punctual. Do every thing exactly at the 
 time. And [in general] do not mend our rules, but keep 
 them ; not for wrath, but for conscience' sake. 
 
 "11. You have nothing to do but to save souls. 
 Therefore spend and be spent in this work. And go 
 always, not only to those that want you, but to those 
 that want you most. 
 
 " Observe : It is not your business to preach so 
 many times, and to take care of this or that society ; 
 but to save as many souls as you can ; to bring as 
 many sinners as you possibly can to repentance, and 
 with all your power to build them up in that holiness 
 without which they cannot see the Lord. And remem- 
 ber ! A Methodist preacher is to mind every point, 
 great and small, in the Methodist discipline ! Therefore 
 you will need all the sense you have, and to have all 
 your wits about you ! 
 
 " 12. Act in all things, not according to your own 
 will, but as a son in the gospel. As such, it is your 
 part to employ your time in the manner which we 
 direct ; partly in preaching and visiting from house to 
 house ; partly in reading, meditation, and prayer. 
 Above all, if you labour with us in our Lord's vineyard, 
 it is needful that you should do that part of the work 
 which we advise, at those times and places which 
 we judge most for his glory. 
 
 " N. B. No helper, or even deacon, shall on any 
 pretence at any time whatsoever administer the Lord's 
 supper. 
 
 " Quest. 34. Will it be eocpedient to appoint some 
 of our helpers to read the morning and evening service 
 out of our Liturgy on the Lord's day. 
 
 " Ans. It vjill. And every helper zuho receives a 
 written direction under the hand of a superintendent y 
 may regularly read the morning and evening service 
 on the Lord's day. 
 
42 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784 
 
 " Quest. 35. How are we to proceed with those 
 elders or deacons wjio cease from travelling ? 
 
 " Ans. Unless they have the permission of the con- 
 ference declared under the hand of a superintendent, 
 they are on no account to exercise any of the peculiar 
 functions of those offices among us. And if they do, 
 they are to be expelled immediately. 
 
 " Quest. 36. What method shall we take to prevent 
 improper persons from preaching among us as travel- 
 ling preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. Let no person be employed as a travelling 
 preacher, uidess his name be printed in the Minutes of 
 the conference preceding, or a certificate be given him 
 under the hand of one or other of the superintendents, 
 or, in their absence, of three assistants, as is hei*eafter 
 provided. And, for this purpose, let the Minutes of 
 the conference be always printed. 
 
 " Quest. 37. What shall be the regular annual 
 salary of the elders, deacons, and helpers ? 
 
 "Ans. Twenty -four pounds, (Pennsylvania curren- 
 cy^) and no more. 
 
 " Quest. 38. What shall be annually allowed the 
 wives of the married preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. Tiventy-four pounds (Pennsylvania cur- 
 rency) if they need it, and no more. 
 
 " Quest. 39. How is this to be provided ? 
 
 11 Ans. By the circuits proportionably . 
 
 " Quest. 40. What shall be alloioed the married 
 'preachers for the support of their children ? 
 
 " Ans. For each of their children under the age of 
 six years, let them be allowed six pounds, (Pennsylva- 
 nia currency :) and for each child of the age of six 
 and under the age of eleven, eight pounds. 
 
 " Quest. 41. Are there any directions to be given 
 concerning the negroes ? 
 
 " Ans. Let every preacher, as often as possible, 
 meet them in class. And let the assistant always ap- 
 point a proper white person as their leader, Let the 
 assistants also make a regular return to the conference 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 43 
 
 of the number of negroes in society in their respective 
 circuits. 
 
 " Quest. 42. What methods can we take to extir 
 pate slavery ? 
 
 " Ans. We are deeply conscious of the impropriety 
 of making new terms of communion for a religious so- 
 ciety already established, excepting on the most press- 
 ing occasion : and such we esteem the practice of hold- 
 ing our fellow-creatures in slavery* We view it as 
 contrary to the golden law of God on which hang all 
 the law and the prophets, and the unalienable rights of 
 mankind, as well as every principle of the revolution, 
 to hold in the deepest debasement, in a more abject 
 slavery than is perhaps to be found in any part of the 
 world except America, so many souls that are all 
 capable of the image of God. 
 
 " We therefore think it our most bounden duty to 
 take immediately some effectual method to extirpate 
 this abomination from among us : and for that purpose 
 we add the following to the rides of our society, viz. : 
 
 " 1. Eve?y member of our society who has slaves in 
 his possession, shall, tvithin twelve months after notice 
 given to him by the assistant, (ivhich notice the assist- 
 ants are required immediately, and without any delay, 
 to give in their respective circuits,") legally execute and 
 record an instrument, whereby he emancipates and sets 
 free every slave in his possession who is between the 
 ages of forty and forty -five immediately, or at farthest 
 when they arrive at the age offoi~ty : five. 
 
 " And every slave who is between the ages of twenty- 
 five and forty immediately, or at farthest at the expi- 
 ration of five years from the date of the said instru- 
 ment. 
 
 " And every slave who is between the ages of twenty 
 and twenty-five immediately, or at farthest when they 
 arrive at the age of thirty. 
 
 " And every slave under the age of twenty, as soon 
 as they arrive at the age of twenty-five at farthest. 
 
 " And every infant born in slavery after the above- 
 
44 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 mentioned fides are complied with, immediately on its 
 birth. 
 
 " 2. Every assistant shall keep a journal, in which 
 he shall regularly minute down the names and ages of 
 all the slaves belonging to all the masters in his re- 
 spective circuit, and also the date of every instrument 
 executed and recorded for the manumission of the 
 slaves, with the name of the court, book, and folio, 
 in which the said instruments respectively shall have 
 been recorded : which journal shall be handed down 
 in each circuit to the succeeding assistants. 
 
 "3. In consideration that these rules form a new 
 term of communion, every person concerned, who will 
 not comply with them, shall have liberty quietly to 
 withdraw himself from our society within the twelve 
 months succeeding the notice given as aforesaid: 
 otherwise the assistant shall exclude him in the society. 
 
 " 4. No person so voluntarily withdrawn, or so ex- 
 cluded, shall ever partake of the supper of the Lord 
 with the Methodists, till he complies with the above re- 
 quisitions. 
 
 "5. No person holding slaves shall, in future, be 
 admitted into society or to the Lord's supper, till he 
 previously complies with these rides concerning slavery. 
 
 " N. B. These rules are to affect the members of 
 our society no farther than as they are consistent with 
 the laws of the states in which they reside. 
 
 "And respecting our brethren in Virginia that are 
 concerned, and after due consideration of their pecu- 
 liar circumstances, we allow them two years from the 
 notice given, to consider the expedience of compliance 
 or non-compliance with these rules. 
 
 " Quest. 43. What shall be done with those who 
 buy or sell slaves, or give them away ? 
 
 " Ans. They are immediately to be expelled : unless 
 they buy them on purpose to free them. 
 
 " Quest. 44. Are there any directions to be given 
 concerning the administration of the Lords supper ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Let it be recommended to the people to 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 45 
 
 receive it kneeling : but let them at the same time be 
 informed that they may receive it either standing or 
 sitting. 
 
 " 2. Let no person who is not a member of the society 
 be admitted to the communion without a sacrament 
 ticket, which ticket must be changed every quarter. 
 And we empower the elder or assistant, and no others, 
 to deliver these tickets. 
 
 " Quest. 45. Is there any direction to be given con- 
 cerning the administration of baptism ? 
 
 " Ans. Let every adult pe?*son, and the parents of 
 every child, to be baptized, have their choice either of 
 immersion or sprinkling, and let the elder or deacon 
 conduct himself accordingly. 
 
 " Quest. 46. What shall be done with those who were 
 baptized in their infancy, but have now scruples con- 
 cerning the validity of infant baptism ? 
 
 " Ans. Remove their sci'uples by argument, if you 
 can ; if not, the office may be performed by immersion 
 or sprinkling, as the person desires. 
 
 " Quest. 47. Shall persons who continue to attend 
 divine service and partake of the Lord's supper with 
 other churches, have liberty at the same time to be 
 members of our society ? 
 
 " Ans. They shall have full liberty, if they comply 
 with our rules. 
 
 " Quest. 48. Are there any directions to be given 
 concerning the fees of office ? 
 
 " Ans. We will on no account whatsoever suffer any 
 elder or deacon among us to receive a fee or present 
 for administering the ordinance of marriage, bap- 
 tism, or the burial of the dead. Freely we have 
 received, and freely we will give. 
 
 [" Quest. (27.) What power is this which you exercise over 
 both the preachers and the societies 1 
 
 " Ans. Count Zinzendorf loved to keep all things close : I love 
 to do all things openly. I will therefore tell you all I know of 
 the matter, taking it from the very beginning. 
 
 " 1. In November, 1738, two or three persons who desired ' to 
 flee from the wrath to come,' and then a few more, came to me 
 
46 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784, 
 
 in London, and desired me to advise and pray with them. I said, 
 ' If you will meet me on Thursday night, I will help you as well 
 as I can.' More and more then desired to meet with them, till 
 they were increased to many hundreds. The case was after- 
 ward the same at Bristol, Kingswood, Newcastle, and many 
 other parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It may be ob- 
 served, the desire was on their part, not mine. My desire was, 
 to live and die in retirement. But I did not see that I could re- 
 fuse them my help, and be guiltless before God. 
 
 " Here commenced my power ; namely, a power to appoint 
 when, and where, and how they should meet ; and to remove 
 those whose lives showed that they had not a desire ' to flee from 
 the wrath to come.' And this power remained the same, w r hether 
 the people meeting together were twelve, or twelve hundred, or 
 tw r elve thousand. 
 
 " 2. In a few days some of them said, ' Sir, we will not sit 
 under you for nothing ; we will subscribe quarterly.' I said, ' I 
 will have nothing ; for I w T ant nothing. My fellowship supplies me 
 with all I want.' One replied, ' Nay, but you want a hundred 
 and fifteen pounds to pay for the lease of the Foundry ; and like- 
 wise a large sum of money to put it into repair.' On this conside- 
 ration, I suffered them to subscribe. And when the society met, 
 I asked, ' Who will take the trouble of receiving this money, and 
 paying it w 7 here it is needful ?' One said, ' I will do it, and keep 
 the account for you.' So here was the first steward. After- 
 ward, I desired one or two more to help me, as stewards, and, in 
 process of time, a greater number. 
 
 " Let it be remarked, it was I myself, not the people, who 
 chose these stewards, and appointed to each the distinct work 
 wherein he w T as to help me, as long as I desired. And herein I 
 began to exercise another sort of power ; namely, that of appoint- 
 ing and removing stewards. 
 
 " 3. After a time a young man, named Thomas Maxfield, 
 came and desired to help me as a son in the gospel. Soon after 
 came a second, Thomas Richards ; and then a third, Thomas 
 Westell. These severally desired to serve me as sons, and to 
 labour when and where I should direct. Observe : these like- 
 wise desired me, not I them. But I durst not refuse their 
 assistance. And here commenced my power, to appoint each of 
 these when, and where, and how to labour ; that is, while he 
 chose to continue. with me. For each had a power to go away 
 when he pleased ; as I had also, to go away from them, or any 
 of them, if I saw sufficient cause. The case continued the same 
 when the number of preachers increased. I had just the same 
 power still, to appoint when, and where, and how each should 
 help me ; and to tell any, (if I saw cause,) ' I do not desire your 
 help any longer.' On these terms, and no other, we joined at 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 47 
 
 first : on these we continue joined. But they do me no favour 
 in being directed by me. It is true, my ' reward is with the 
 Lord :' but at present I have nothing from it but trouble and care : 
 and often a burden I scarce know how to bear. 
 
 "4. In 1744 I wrote to several clergymen, and to all who 
 then served me as sons in the gospel, desiring them to meet me 
 in London, and to give me their advice concerning the best 
 method of carrying on the work of God. And when their num- 
 ber increased, so that it was not convenient to invite them all, 
 for several years I wrote to those with whom I desired to confer, 
 and they only met me at London, or elsewhere ; till at length I 
 gave a general permission, which I afterward saw cause to 
 retract 
 
 " Observe : 1 myself sent for these of my own free choice. 
 And I sent for them to advise, not govern, me. Neither did I 
 at any time divest myself of any part of the power above de- 
 scribed, which the providence of God had cast upon me, without 
 any design or choice of mine. 
 
 " 5. What is that power ] It is a power of admitting into, and 
 excluding from, the societies under my care ; of choosing and 
 removing stewards ; of receiving or not receiving helpers ; of 
 appointing them when, where, and how to help me, and of de- 
 siring any of them to confer with me when I see good. And as 
 it was merely in obedience to the providence of God, and for the 
 good of the people, that I at first accepted this power, which I 
 never sought ; so it is on the same consideration, not for profit, 
 honour, or pleasure, that I use it at this day. 
 
 " 6. But ' several gentlemen are offended at your having so 
 much power.' I did not seek any part of it. But when it was 
 come unawares, not daring to ' bury that talent,' I used it to the 
 best of my judgment. Yet I never was fond of it. I always 
 did, and do now, bear it as my burden ; — the burden which God 
 lays upon me, and therefore I dare not lay it down. 
 
 " But if you can tell me any one, or any five men, to whom I 
 may transfer this burden, who can and will do just what I do 
 now, I will heartily thank both them and you. 
 
 " 7. But some of our helpers say, ' This is shackling freeborn 
 Englishmen ;' and demand a free conference, that is, a meeting 
 of all the preachers, wherein all things shall be determined by 
 most votes. I answer, It is possible, after my death, something 
 of this kind may take place ; but not while I live. To me the 
 preachers have engaged themselves to submit, to serve me as 
 sons in the gospel ; but they are not thus engaged to any man 
 or number of men besides. To me the people' in general will 
 submit ; but they will not thus submit to any other. 
 
 ' : It is nonsense, then, to call my using this power, ' shack- 
 ling freeborn Englishmen.' None needs to submit to it unless 
 
48 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 he will ; so that there is no shackling in the case. E very- 
 preacher and every member may leave me when he pleases. 
 But w r hile he chooses to stay, it is on the same terms that he 
 joined me at first. 
 
 " ' But this is making yourself a pope.' This carries no face 
 of truth. The pope affirms that every Christian must do all he 
 bids, and believe all he says, under pain of damnation. I never 
 affirmed any thing that bears any the most distant resemblance to 
 this. All I affirm is, the preachers who choose to labour with 
 me, choose to serve me as sons in the gospel. And the people 
 who choose to be under my care, choose to be so on the same 
 terms they were at first. 
 
 " Therefore all talk of this kind is highly injurious to me, who 
 bear the burden merely for your sake. And it is exceeding 
 mischievous to the people, tending to confound their understand- 
 ing, and to fill their hearts with evil surmisings and unkind tem- 
 pers toward me ; to whom they really owe more, for taking all 
 this load upon me, for exercising this very power, for shackling 
 myself in this manner, than for all my preaching put together ; 
 because preaching twice or thrice a day is no burden to me at 
 all ; but the care of all the preachers and all the people is a bur- 
 den indeed ! 
 
 " Quest. (28.) What reason can be assigned why so many of 
 our preachers contract nervous disorders T 
 
 " Ans. The chief reason, on Dr. Cadogan's principles, is 
 either indolence or intemperance. 1. Indolence. Several of 
 them use too little exercise, far less than when they wrought at 
 their trade. And this will naturally pave the way for many, 
 especially nervous, disorders. 2. Intemperance, — though not in 
 the vulgar sense. They take more food than they did when they 
 laboured more : and let any man of reflection judge how long this 
 will consist with health. Or they use more sleep than when 
 they laboured more : and this alone will destroy the firmness of 
 the nerves. If, then, our preachers would avoid nervous disor- 
 ders, let them, 1. Take as little meat, drink, and sleep as na- 
 ture will bear ; and, 2. Use full as much exercise daily as they 
 did before they were preachers.] 
 
 " Quest. 49. (29.) What general method of employ- 
 ing our time would you advise us to ? 
 
 " Ans. We advise you, 1. As often as possible to 
 rise at four. 2. From four to five in the morning, 
 and from five to six in the evening, to meditate, pray, 
 and read, partly the Scriptures with Mr. Wesley's 
 Notes, 1 partly the closely practical parts of what he 
 
 1 " the Notes." — Large Minutes. 
 
1784.3 Compared with the Large Minutes. 49 
 
 has 1 published. 3. From six in the morning till 
 twelve, (allowing an hour for breakfast,) to read in 
 order, with much prayer, [first,] 'The Christian Li- 
 brary,' and other pious books? 
 
 [" Quest. (30.) Should our helpers follow trades \ 
 
 " Ans. The question is not, whether they may occasionally 
 work with their hands, as St. Paul did, but whether it be proper 
 for them to keep shop or follow merchandise. After long consi- 
 deration, it was agreed by all our brethren, that no preacher who 
 will not relinquish his trade of buying and selling, (though it were 
 only pills, drops, or balsams,) shall be considered as a travelling 
 preacher any longer.] 
 
 " Quest. 50. (31.) Why is it that the people under 
 our care are no better ? 
 
 " Ans. Other reasons may concur ; but the chief is, 
 because we are not more knowing and more holy. 
 
 " Quest. 51. (32.) But why are we not more know- 
 ing? 
 
 "Ans. Because we are idle. We forget our very first 
 rule, ' Be diligent. Never be unemployed [a moment.] 
 Never be triflingly employed. Never while away 
 time ; neither spend any more time at any place than 
 is strictly necessary.' 
 
 " I fear there is altogether a fault in this matter, and 
 that few of us are clear. Which of you spends as 
 many hours a day in God's work, as you did formerly 
 in man's work ? We talk, — or read history, or what 
 comes next to hand. We must, absolutely must, cure 
 this evil, or betray the cause of God. 
 
 " But how ? 1 . Read the most useful books, and 
 that regularly and constantly. Steadily spend all the 
 morning in this employ, or, at least, five hours in four 
 and twenty. 
 
 [•• • But I read only the Bible.' Then you ought to teach 
 others to read only the Bible, and, by parity of reason, to hear 
 only the Bible : but if so, you need preach no more. Just so 
 said George Bell. And what is the fruit ? Why, now he nei- 
 
 1 " we have." — Large Minutes. 
 
 2 " the other books which we have published in prose and verse, 
 and then those which we recommended in our rules of Kingswood 
 school." — Ibid. 
 
 3 
 
50 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 ther reads the Bible, nor any thing else. This is rank enthusi- 
 asm. If you need no book but the Bible, you are got above St. 
 Paul. He wanted others too. ' Bring the books,' says he, 'but 
 especially the parchments,' those wrote on parchment.] 
 
 " ' But I have no taste for reading.' Contract a 
 taste for it by use, or return to your trade. 
 
 " ' But I have no books.' [I will give each of you, 
 as fast as you will read them, books to the value of five 
 pounds.] And we 1 desire the assistants vjilP take 
 care that all the large societies provide Mr. Wesley's 3 
 Works, [or at least the Notes,] for the use of the 
 preachers. 
 
 " 2. In the afternoon follow Mr. Baxter's plan. 
 Then you will have no time to spare : you will have 
 work enough for all your time. Then, likewise, no 
 preacher will stay with us who is as salt that has lost 
 its savour. For to such this employment would be 
 mere drudgery. And in order to it, you will have need 
 of all the knowledge you [have, or] can procure. 
 
 " The sum is, Go into every house in course, and 
 teach every one therein, young and old, if they belong 
 to us, to be Christians inwardly and outwardly. 
 
 " Make every particular plain to their understanding ; 
 fix it in their memory ; write it on their heart. In or- 
 der to this, there must be ' line upon line, precept upon 
 precept.' What patience, what love, what knowledge 
 is requisite for this ! 
 
 ['• Quest. (33.) In what particular method should we instruct 
 them? 
 
 " Ans. You may, as you have time, read, explain, enforce, 
 1. 'The Rules of the Society.' 2. ' Instructions for Child- 
 ren.' 3. The fourth volume of ' Sermons.' And, 4. Philip 
 Henry's 'Method of Family Prayer.'] 
 
 " We must needs do this, were it only to avoid idle- 
 ness. Do we not loiter away many hours in every 
 week? Each try himself: no idleness is consistent 
 with growth in grace. Nay, without exactness in re- 
 
 1 " I."— Large Minutes. 2 " would."— Ibid. 3 " our."— Ibid. 
 * " can consist." — Ibid. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 51 
 
 deeming time, you cannot retain the grace you received 
 in justification. 
 
 " But what shall we do for the rising generation ? 
 [Unless we take care of this, the present revival will be 
 res unius cetatis ; it will last only the age of a man.] 
 Who will labour for them . ?1 Let him who is zealous 
 for God and the souls of men begin now. 
 
 " 1. Where there are ten children, whose parents 
 ore in society, 2 meet them at least an hour every week. 
 
 " 2. Talk with them every time you see any at 
 home. 
 
 " 3. Pray in earnest for them. 
 
 "4. Diligently instruct and vehemently exhort all 
 parents at their own houses. 
 
 " 5. Preach expressly on education, [particularly at 
 midsummer, when you speak of Kingsvvood.] ■ But I 
 have no gift for this.' Gift or no gift, you are to do it; 
 else you are not called to be a Methodist preacher. Do 
 it as you can, till you can do it as you would. Pray 
 earnestly for the gift, and use the means for it. [Par- 
 ticularly, study the ' Instructions' and ' Lessons for 
 Children.'] 
 
 "Quest, 52. (34.) Why are not we more holy? 
 W T hy do not we live in eternity ; walk with God all 
 the day long ? Why are we not all devoted to God ; 
 breathing the whole spirit of missionaries ? 
 
 " Ans. Chiefly because we are enthusiasts ; looking 
 for the end without using the means. To touch only 
 upon two or three instances : Who of you rises at four 
 [in summer;] or even at five, when he does not preach ? 
 Do you recommend to all our societies the five o'clock 
 hour for private prayer ? Do you observe it, or any 
 other fixed time ? Do not you find, by experience, that 
 any time is no time ? Do you know the obligation and 
 the benefit of fasting ? How often do you practise it ? 
 The neglect of this alone is sufficient to account for 
 our feebleness and faintness of spirit. We are con- 
 
 " herein." — Large Minutes. s " in a society." — Ibid, 
 
52 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 tinually grieving the Holy Spirit of God by the habit- 
 ual neglect of a plain duty ! Let us amend from this 
 hour. 
 
 " Quest. 53. (35.) But how can I fast, since it hurts 
 my health ? 
 
 " Arts. There are several degrees of fasting which 
 cannot hurt your health. We 1 will instance in one : Let 
 us 2 every Friday (beginning on the next) avow this 
 duty throughout the continent* by touching no tea, 
 coffee, or chocolate in the morning ; but (if we want it) 
 half a pint of milk or water gruel. Let us dine on ve- 
 getables^ and (if we need it) eat three or four ounces 
 of flesh in the evening. At other times let us eat no 
 flesh suppers : these exceedingly tend to breed nervous 
 disorders. 
 
 " Quest. 54. (36.) What is the best general method 
 of preaching ? 
 
 " Ans. [1. To invite.] 1. (2.) To convince. 
 2. (3.) To offer Christ. 3. (4.) To build up ; and to 
 do this in some measure in every sermon. 
 
 " Quest. 55. (37.) Are there any smaller advices re- 
 lative to preaching which might be of use to us ? 
 
 " Ans. Perhaps these : 1. Be sure never to disap- 
 point a congregation, unless in case of life or death. 
 
 " 2. Begin [and end] precisely at the time appointed. 
 
 " 3. Let your whole deportment before the congre- 
 gation be serious, weighty, and solemn. 
 
 "4. Always suit your subject to your audience. 
 
 "5. Choose the plainest texts you can. 
 
 "6. Take care not to ramble ; but keep to your text, 
 and make out what you take in hand. 
 
 [" (7.) Be sparing in allegorizing or spiritualizing.] 
 
 " 7. (8.) Take care of any thing awkward or affect- 
 ed, either in your gesture, phrase, or pronunciation. 
 
 " 8. (9.) Sing no hymns of your own composing. 
 
 "9. (10.) Print nothing without the approbation of 
 one or other of the superintendents. 5 
 
 1 " 1."— Large Minutes. 2 " you and I."— lb. 3 " nation."- -lb. 
 4 " potatoes." — lb. 8 " my approbation." — lb. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 53 
 
 " 10, (11.) Do not usually pray ex tempore above 
 eight or ten minutes (at most) without intermission. 
 
 "11. (12.) Frequently read and enlarge upon a por- 
 tion of the Notes. And let young preachers often ex- 
 hort, without taking a text. 
 
 [" (13.) In repeating the Lord's prayer, remember to say 
 ' hallowed,' not hollowed ; ' trespass against us ;' ' amen.' 
 
 " (14.) Repeat this prayer aloud after the minister, as often 
 as he repeats it. (15.) Repeat after him aloud every confes- 
 sion, and both the doxologies in the communion service.] 
 
 " 12. (16.) Always kneel during public prayer. 
 
 " 13. (17.) Everywhere avail yourself of the great 
 festivals, by preaching on the occasion, 
 
 [" And sing the hymns, which you should take care to have 
 in readiness. 
 
 " (18.) Avoid quaint words, however in fashion, as object, ori- 
 ginate, very, high, &c. 
 
 " (19.) Avoid the fashionable impropriety of leaving out the u 
 in many words, as honor, vigor, &c. This is mere childish af- 
 fectation.] 
 
 " 14. (20.) Beware of clownishness, [either in speech 
 or dress. Wear no slouched hat.] Be courteous to all. 
 
 " 15. (21 .) Be merciful to your beast. Not only ride 
 moderately, but see with your own eyes that your horse 
 be rubbed, and fed. 1 
 
 " Quest. 56. (38.) Have not some of us been led off 
 from practical preaching by what was called preaching 
 Christ? 
 
 " Ans. Indeed we have. The most effectual way 
 of preaching Christ, is to preach him in all his offices, 
 and to declare his law as well as his gospel, both to 
 believers and unbelievers. Let us strongly and closely 
 insist upon inward and outward holiness in all its 
 branches. 
 
 " Quest. 57. (39.) How shall we guard against for- 
 mality [in public worship ; particularly] in singing ? 
 
 "Ans. [1. By preaching frequently on the head. 
 2. By taking care to speak only what we feel.] 1 . (3.) By 
 
 1 " fed and bedded." — Large Minutes. The American preachers 
 of that day could not always find beds for themselves, much less for 
 their horses. 
 
54 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 choosing such hymns as are proper for the congrega- 
 tion. 2. (4.) By not singing too much at once ; sel- 
 dom more than five or six verses. 3. (5.) By suiting 
 the tune to the words. 4. (6.) By often stopping short 
 and asking the people, ' Now, do you know what you 
 said last ? Did you speak no more than you felt V 
 
 [" Is not this formality creeping in already by those complex 
 tunes, which it is scarcely possible to sing with devotion ? Such 
 is, ' Praise the Lord, ye blessed ones :' such the long quavering 
 hallelujah annexed to the morning song tune, which I defy any 
 man living to sing devoutly. The repeating the same words so 
 often, (but especially while another repeats different words, the 
 horrid abuse which runs through the modern church music,) as 
 it shocks all common sense, so it necessarily brings in dead 
 formality, and has no more of religion in it than a Lancashire 
 hornpipe. Besides, it is a flat contradiction to our Lord's com- 
 mand, ' Use not vain repetitions.' For what is a vain repetition, 
 if this is not 1 What end of devotion does it serve 1 Sing no 
 anthems.] 
 
 " 5. (7.) Do not suffer the people to sing too slow. 
 This naturally tends to formality, and is brought in by 
 them who have either very strong or very weak voices. 
 6. (8.) In every large society let them learn to sing ; and 
 let them always learn our own tunes first. 7. (9.) Let 
 the women constantly sing their parts alone. Let no 
 man sing with them, unless he understands the notes, 
 and sings the bass, as it is pricked down in the tune- 
 book. 8. (10.) Introduce no new tunes, till they are 
 perfect in the old. [(11.) Let no organ be placed any- 
 where, till proposed in the conference.] 9. (12.) Re- 
 commend our tune-book everywhere ; and if you can- 
 not sing yourself, choose a person or two in each place 
 to pitch the tune for you. 10. (13.) Exhort every 
 one in the congregation to sing, not one in ten only. 
 11. (14.) If a preacher be present, let no singer give 
 out the words. 12. (15.) When they would teach a 
 tune to the congregation, they must sing only the tenor. 
 
 [" After preaching, take a little lemonade, mild ale, or can- 
 died orange-peel. All spirituous liquors, at that time especially, 
 are deadly poison.] 
 
 " Quest. 58. (40.) Who is the assistant ? 
 
 u Ans. That preacher in each circuit who is appoint- 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 55 
 
 ed, from time to time, to assist the superintendents in 
 the 1 charge of the societies and the other preachers 
 therein. 
 
 " Quest. 59. (41.) How should an assistant be qua- 
 lified for his charge ? 
 
 " Ans. By walking closely with God, and having 
 his work greatly at heart ; and by understanding and 
 loving discipline, ours in particular ; 
 
 [" And by loving the Church of England, and resolving not 
 to separate from it. Let this be well observed. I fear, when 
 the Methodists leave the Church, God will leave them. But if 
 they are thrust out of it, they will be guiltless.*] 
 
 " Quest. 60. (42.) What is the business of an as- 
 sistant ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. To see that the other preachers in his cir- 
 cuit behave well, and want nothing. 2. To renew the 
 tickets quarterly, and regulate the bands. 2 3. To take 
 in or put out of the society or the bands. 4. To appoint 
 all the stewards and leaders, and change them when 
 he sees it necessary. 5. (4.) To keep watch-nights 
 and love-feasts. 6. (5.) To hold quarterly meetings, and 
 therein diligently to inquire both into the temporal and 
 spiritual state of each society. 7. (6.) To take care that 
 every society be duly supplied with books ; particularly 
 with ' Kempis,' ' Instructions for Children,' and the 
 • Primitive Physic,' which ought to be in every house. 
 [O why is not this regarded ! (7.) To send from every 
 quarterly meeting a circumstantial account to London 
 of every remarkable conversion and remarkable death.] 
 8. To take exact lists of his societies, and, bring them 
 to the conference. 3 9. To send an account of his cir- 
 
 1 " to take." — Large Minutes. 
 
 * This passage is found in the original Minutes for 1749. The fact 
 that it was continued in an edition of the Large Minutes, which was 
 revised four years after the organization of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church, affords conclusive evidence that Mr. Wesley did not consider 
 that the Methodists in America had separated from or left the Church 
 of England ; but that the connection between them was providen- 
 tially dissolved. (See above, pp. 22-25.) 
 
 a " To visit the classes quarterly, regulate the bands, and deliver 
 tickets." — lb. 3 " every quarter, and send them up to London." — lb. 
 
56 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 cuit every half year to one of the superintendents. 
 10. (9.) To meet the married men and women, and 
 the single men and women, in the large societies once 
 a quarter. 11. (10.) To overlook the accounts of all 
 the stewards. 
 
 [" Quest. (43.) Has the office of an assistant been well exe- 
 cuted 1 
 
 " Ans. No, not by half the assistants. 1. Who has sent me 
 word, whether the other preachers behave well or ill 1 2. Who 
 has visited all the classes, and regulated the bands quarterly 1 
 3. Love-feasts for the bands have been neglected : neither have 
 persons been duly taken in and put out of the bands. 4. The 
 societies are not half supplied with books ; not even with those 
 above mentioned. O exert yourselves in this ! Be not weary ! 
 Leave no stone unturned ! 5. How few accounts have I had, 
 either of remarkable deaths, or remarkable conversions ! 
 6. How few exact lists of the societies ! 7. How few have met 
 the married and single persons once a quarter !] 
 
 " Quest. 61. (44.) Are there any other directions 1 
 which you would give the assistants ? 
 
 "Ans. Several. 1. Take a regular catalogue of 
 your societies, as they live in house-row. 2. Leave 
 your successor a particular account of the state of the 
 circuit. 3. See that every band leader has the rules 
 of the bands. 4. Vigorously, but calmly, enforce the 
 rules concerning needless ornaments, and drams? 
 [Give no band ticket to any man or woman who does 
 not promise to leave them off.] 5. As soon as there are 
 four men or women believers in any place, put them into 
 a band. 6. Suffer no love-feast to last above an hour and 
 a half; [and instantly stop all breaking the cake with 
 one another.] 7. Warn all, from time to time, that 
 none are to remove from one society to another with- 
 out a certificate from the assistant in these words : (else 
 he will not be received in other societies :) ' A. B., the 
 bearer, is a member of our society in C. : I believe he 
 has sufficient cause for removing.' [I beg every as- 
 sistant to remember this.] 8. Everywhere recom- 
 mend decency and cleanliness : [cleanliness is next to 
 
 1 " advices." — Large Minutes. 
 
 8 " drams, snuff, and tobacco." — Ibid. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 57 
 
 godliness.] 9. Read the rules of the society, with the 
 aid of your helpers, once a year in every congrega- 
 tion, and once a quarter in every society. 
 
 [" (9.) Exhort all that were brought up in the Church, to 
 continue therein. Set the example yourself; and immediately 
 change every plan that would hinder their being at church at 
 least two Sundays in four. Carefully avoid whatever has a 
 tendency to separate men from the Church ; and let all the 
 servants in our preaching houses go to church once on Sunday 
 at least. 
 
 " Is there not a cause ? Are we not unawares, by little and 
 little, sliding into a separation from the Church ? O use every 
 means to prevent this ! 1. Exhort all our people to keep close 
 to the Church and sacrament. 2. Warn them all against nice- 
 ness in hearing — a prevailing evil. 3. Warn them also against 
 despising the prayers of the Church. 4. Against calling our 
 society, 'the Church.' 5. Against calling our preachers, 
 ' ministers ;' our houses, ' meeting houses :' call them plain 
 preaching houses or chapels. 6. Do not license them as 
 dissenters. The proper paper to be sent in at the assizes, 
 sessions, or bishop's court, is this : ' A. B. has set apart his 
 house in C. for public worship, of which he desires a certificate.' 
 N. B. The justice does not license the house, but the act of 
 parliament. 7. Do not license yourself till you are constrained ; 
 and then, not as a dissenter, but a Methodist. It is time enough 
 when you are prosecuted to take the oaths. And by so doing 
 you are licensed. 
 
 " Quest. (45.) But are we not dissenters'? 
 
 " Ans. No : although we call sinners to repentance in all 
 places of God's dominion ; and although we frequently use ex- 
 temporary prayer, and unite together in a religious society ; yet 
 we are not dissenters in the only sense which our law acknow- 
 ledges, namely, those who renounce the service of the Church. 
 We do not, we dare not, separate from it. We are not seced- 
 ers, nor do we bear any resemblance to them. We set out upon 
 quite opposite principles. The seceders laid the very founda- 
 tion of their work in judging and condemning others : we laid 
 the foundation of our work in judging and condemning ourselves. 
 They begin everywhere with showing their hearers how fallen the 
 Church and ministers are : we begin everywhere with showing 
 our hearers how fallen they are themselves. What they do in 
 America, or what their Minutes say on this subject, is nothing 
 to us.* We will keep in the good old way. 
 
 * This sentence was obviously introduced into the Large Minutes 
 subsequently to 1784, and seems to refer to the Minutes, or Discipline 
 
 3* 
 
58 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 " And never let us make light of going to church, either by 
 word or deed. Remember Mr. Hook, a very eminent and a 
 zealous Papist. When I asked him, ' Sir, what do you do for 
 public worship here, where you have no Romish service ?' he 
 answered, ' Sir, I am so fully convinced it is the duty of every 
 man to worship God in public, that I go to church every Sunday. 
 If I cannot have such worship as I w T ould, I will have such wor- 
 ship as I can.' 
 
 " But some may say, ' Our own service is public worship.' 
 Yes ; but not such as supersedes the Church service ; it pre- 
 supposes public prayer, like the sermons at the university. If 
 it were designed to be instead of the Church service, it would 
 be essentially defective ; for it seldom has the four grand parts 
 of public prayer, deprecation, petition, intercession, and thanks- 
 giving. 
 
 " If the people put ours in the room of the Church service, 
 we hurt them that stay with us, and ruin them that leave u* ; 
 for then they will go nowhere, but lounge the sabbath away 
 without any public worship at all. 
 
 " Quest. (46.) Nay, but is it not our duty to separate from the 
 Church, considering the wickedness both of the clergy and the 
 people 1 
 
 "Ans. We conceive not : 1. Because both the priests and the 
 people were full as wicked in the Jewish Church ; and yet it 
 was not tbe duty of the holy Israelites to separate from them. 
 2. Neither did our Lord command his disciples to separate from 
 them ; he rather commanded the contrary. 3. Hence it is 
 clear that could not be the meaning of St. Paul's words : ' Come 
 out from among tbem, and be ye separate.' 
 
 " Quest. (47.) But what reasons are there w^hy we should 
 not separate from the Church 1 
 
 " Ans. Among others, those which were printed above twenty 
 years ago, entitled, ' Reasons against a Separation from the 
 Church of England.' 
 
 "We allow two exceptions: 1. If the parish minister be a 
 notoriously wicked man. 2. If he preach Socinianism, Arian- 
 ism, or any other essentially false doctrine.*] 
 
 " Quest. 62. Are there any directions to be given 
 the assistant concerning the decision of disputes among 
 the people ? 
 
 " Ans. On any dispute of importance, or difficult 
 
 of 1789, (1787?) in which very strong language was used with re- 
 ference to the condition of the Church of England. (See below, 
 part i, chap, i, sec. 1 ; and above, pp. 22-25.) 
 * See note, p. 39. 
 
1 784 3 Compared with the Large Minutes. 59 
 
 to be settled, let the assistant inquire into the circum- 
 stances, and, having consulted the stewards and lead- 
 ers, appoint referees, whose decision shall be final, and 
 the party expelled that refuses to abide by it : unless 
 there appear to the assistant some fraud or gross mis- 
 take in the decision, in which case he shall appoint 
 new referees, for a rehearing of the cause, whose de- 
 cision shall be absolutely final. 
 
 " Quest. 63. Are there any further directions need- 
 ful for the preservation of good order among the 
 preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. In the absence of a superintendent, a tra- 
 velling preacher or three leaders shall have power to 
 lodge a complaint against any preacher in their cir- 
 cuit, whether elder, assistant, deacon, or helper, before 
 three neighbouring assistants ; who shall meet at an 
 appointed time, {proper notice being given to the par- 
 ties,) hear, and decide the cause. And authority is 
 given them to change or suspend a preacher, if they 
 see it necessary, and to appoint another in his place, 
 during the absence of the superintendents. 
 
 " Quest. 64. If there happen to be a vacancy in a 
 circuit by the death of a preacher, by his withdraw- 
 ing himself from the work, or otherwise, in the 
 absence of a superintendent, who are to fill up the 
 vacancy ? 
 
 " Ans. Three neighbouring assistants, called and 
 assembled according to the preceding minute. 
 
 " Quest. 65. What shall we do with those members 
 of our society who wilfully and repeatedly neglect to 
 meet their class ? 
 
 "Ans. 1. Let the assistant or one of his helpers 
 visit them, wherever it is practicable, and explain to 
 them the consequence, if they continue to neglect, 
 namely, exclusion. 
 
 "2. If they do not amend, let the assistant exclude 
 them in the society, informing it that they are laid 
 aside for a breach of our rules of Discipline, and not 
 for immoral conduct. 
 
60 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 " Quest. 66. (48.) Do we sufficiently watch over 
 each other ? l 
 
 " Ans. We do not. 2 Should we not frequently ask 
 each other, Do you walk closely with God ? Have 
 you now fellowship with the Father and the Son ? 
 At what hour do you rise ? Do you punctually ob- 
 serve the morning and evening hour of retirement ? 
 Do you spend the day in the manner which the con- 
 ference advises ? 3 Do you converse seriously, use- 
 fully, and closely ? To be more particular : Do you 
 use all the means of grace yourself, and enforce the 
 use of them on all other persons ? 
 
 " They are either instituted or prudential : — 
 
 " I. The instituted are, 
 
 " 1. Prayer; private, family, public; consisting of 
 deprecation, petition, intercession, and thanksgiving. 
 Do you use each of these ? Do you use private 
 prayer every morning and evening ? if you can, at five 
 in the evening ; and the hour before or after morning 
 preaching ? Do you forecast daily, wherever you are, 
 how to secure these hours ? Do you avow it every- 
 where ? Do you ask everywhere, ' Have you family 
 prayer?' Do you retire at five o'clock ? 
 
 " 2. Searching the Scriptures by, 
 
 " i. Reading : constantly, some part of every day ; 
 regularly, all the Bible in order ; carefully, with Mr. 
 Wesley's^ Notes ; seriously, with prayer before and 
 after ; fruitfully, immediately practising what you 
 learn there ? 
 
 " ii. Meditating : At set times ? by any rule ? 
 
 " iii. Hearing : Every morning ? carefully ; with 
 prayer before, at, after ; immediately putting in prac- 
 tice ? Have you a New Testament always about 
 you? 
 
 " 3. The Lord's supper : Do you use this at every 
 
 1 " our helpers." — Large Minutes. 
 
 2 " We might consider those that are with us as our pupils ; into 
 whose behaviour and studies we should inquire every day." — lb. 
 
 s " we advise."— lb. 4 " the."— lb. 
 
1784.] Compared wth the Large Minutes. 61 
 
 opportunity ? with solemn prayer before ; with earnest 
 and deliberate self-devotion ? 
 
 " 4. Fasting : How do you fast every Friday ? 
 
 " 5. Christian conference : Are you convinced how 
 important and how difficult it is to * order your conver- 
 sation aright V Is it ' always in grace ? seasoned with 
 salt ? meet to minister grace to the hearers ? Do not 
 you converse too long at a time ? Is not an hour com- 
 monly enough ? Would it not be well always to have 
 a determinate end in view ; and to pray before and 
 after it? 
 
 " II. Prudential means we may use either as com- 
 mon Christians, as Methodists, as preachers, or as 
 assistants. 
 
 "1. As common Christians. What particular rules 
 have you in order to grow in grace ? What arts of 
 holy living ? 
 
 " 2. As Methodists.- Do you never miss your class, 
 or band ? 
 
 " 3. As preachers. Do you meet every society ; 
 also the leaders and bands, if any ? 
 
 "4. As assistants. Have you throughly considered 
 your office ; and do you make a conscience of exe- 
 cuting every part of it ? 
 
 " These means may be used without fruit : but 
 there are some means which cannot ; namely, watch- 
 ing, denying ourselves, taking up our cross, exercise 
 of the presence of God. 
 
 "1. Do you steadily watch against the world, the 
 devil, yourselves, your besetting sin ? 
 
 " 2. Do you deny yourself every useless pleasure 
 of sense, imagination, honour ? Are you temperate in 
 all things ? instance in food : do you use only that kind 
 and that degree which is best both for your body and 
 soul ? Do you see the necessity of this ? Do you eat 
 no flesh suppers ? no late suppers ? Do you eat no 
 more at each meal than is necessary? Are you not 
 heavy or drowsy after dinner ? Do you use only that 
 kind and that degree of drink which is best both for 
 
62 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 your body and soul ? Do you drink water ? Why 
 not ? Did you ever ? Why did you leave it off ? If 
 not for health, when will you begin again ? to-day ? 
 How often do you drink wine [or ale ?] every day ? 
 Do you want it ? 
 
 " 3. Wherein do you ' take up your cross daily V 
 Do you cheerfully bear your cross (whatever is griev- 
 ous to nature) as a gift of God, and labour to profit 
 thereby ? 
 
 "4. Do you endeavour to set God always before 
 you ; to see his eye continually fixed upon you ? 
 Never can you use these means but a blessing will 
 ensue. And the more you use them, the more will 
 you grow in grace. 
 
 " Quest. 67. (49.) What can be done, in order to a 
 closer union of our helpers with each other ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Let them be deeply convinced of [the 
 want there is of it at present, and] the absolute neces- 
 sity of it. 
 
 " 2. Let them pray for a desire of union. 
 
 " 3. Let them speak freely to each other. 
 
 "4. When they meet let them never part without 
 prayer. • 
 
 " 5. Let them beware how they despise each other's 
 gifts. 
 
 "6. Let them never speak slightingly of each other 
 in any kind. 
 
 " 7. Let them defend one another's characters in 
 every thing, so far as consists with truth : and, 
 
 " 8. Let them labour in honour each to prefer the 
 other before himself. 
 
 " Quest. 68. (50.) How shall we try those who 
 think they are moved by the Holy Ghost to preach ? 
 
 " Ans. Inquire, 1. Do they know God as a pardon- 
 ing God ? Have they the love of God abiding in 
 them ? Do they desire and seek nothing but God ? 
 And are they holy in all manner of conversation ? 
 2. Have they gifts (as well as grace) for the work? 
 Have they (in some tolerable degree) a clear, sound 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 63 
 
 understanding? Have they a right judgment in the 
 things of God ? Have they a just conception of sal- 
 vation by faith ? And has God given them any degree 
 of utterance ? Do they speak justly, readily, clearly ? 
 3. Have they fruit? Are any truly convinced of sin, 
 and converted to God, by their preaching ? 
 
 " As long as these three marks concur in any one, 
 we believe he is called of God to preach. These we 
 receive as sufficient proof that he is 'moved thereto 
 by the Holy Ghost.' 
 
 " Quest. 69. (51.) What method may we use in 
 receiving a new helper ? 
 
 " Ans. A proper time for doing this is at a confer- 
 ence, after solemn fasting and prayer. 
 
 " Every person proposed shall then be asked {with 
 any other questions which may be thought necessary by 
 the conference) the following, 1 namely, Have you faith 
 in Christ ? Are you ' going on to perfection V Do you 
 expect to be ' perfected in love' in this life ? Are you 
 groaning after it ? Are you resolved to devote your- 
 self wholly to God and to his work ? Do you know 
 the Methodist plan ? [Have you read the ' Plain Ac- 
 count V the ' Appeals ?'] Do you know the rules of 
 the society ? of the bands ? Do you keep them ? Do 
 you take no [snuff, tobacco,] drams ? Do you con- 
 stantly attend the [church and] sacrament ? Have you 
 read the ' Minutes of the Conference ?' Are you will- 
 ing to conform to them ? Have you considered the 
 rules of a helper ; especially the first, tenth, and 
 twelfth ? Will you keep them for conscience' sake ? 
 Are you determined to employ all your time in the work 
 of God ? Will you preach every morning at five o'clock 
 wherever you can have twenty hearers ? Will you 
 endeavour 2 not to speak too long or too loud ? Will 
 you diligently instruct the children in every place ? 
 Will you visit from house to house ? Will you recom 
 
 1 " is then to be present ; and each of them may be asked."- 
 Large Minutes. 
 
 2 " and evening ; endeavouring." — lb. 
 
64 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 mend fasting, both by precept and example ? Are you 
 in debt? 
 
 [" Are you engaged to marry % 
 
 " N. B. A preacher who marries while on trial is thereby 
 set aside.] 
 
 " We may then, if he gives satisfaction, receive him 
 as a probationer, by giving him the ' Minutes of the 
 Conference,' inscribed thus : — 
 
 "♦TO A. B. 
 
 " ' You think it your duty to call sinners to repent- 
 ance. Make full proof hereof, and we shall rejoice to 
 receive you as a fellow-labourer.' 
 
 " Let him then read and carefully weigh what is 
 contained therein, that if he has any doubt it may be 
 removed. 
 
 " Observe : taking on trial is entirely different from 
 admitting a preacher. One on trial may be either ad- 
 mitted or rejected, without doing him any wrong ; 
 otherwise it would be no trial at all. Let every assist- 
 ant explain this to them that are on trial. 
 
 " After two years 1 probation, being reco7iimended 
 by the assistant, and examined by the conference, 1 he 
 may be received into full- connection, by giving him 
 the ' Minutes,' inscribed thus : — c As long as you freely 
 consent to, and earnestly endeavour to walk by, these 
 rules, we shall rejoice to acknowledge you as a fellow- 
 labourer .' Meantime, let none preach or exhort in any 
 of our societies, without a note of permission from the 
 assistant. Let every preacher or exhorter take care 
 to have this renewed yearly ; and let every assistant 
 insist upon it. 
 
 " Quest. 70. (52.) What is the method w r herein we 
 usually proceed in our conferences ? 
 
 " Ans. We inquire, 1. What preachers are admitted? 
 Who remain on trial ? Who are admitted on trial ? 
 Who desist from travelling ? 
 
 1 "When he has been on trial four years, if recommended by the 
 assistant." — Large Minutes. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 65 
 
 " 2. Are there any objections to any of the preach- 
 ers ? who are named one by one. 
 
 "3. How are the preachers stationed this year ? 
 
 " 4. What numbers are in the society ? 
 
 [" (5.) What is the Kingswood collection'? 
 
 " (6.) What boys are received this year ! 
 
 " (7.) What girls are assisted !] 
 
 "5. (8.) What was contributed for the contingent 
 expenses? 
 
 "6. (9.) How was this expended? 
 
 "7. (10.) What is contributed toward the fund for 
 the superannuated preachers and the widows and 
 orphans of the preachers ? L 
 
 " 8. (11.) What demands are there upon it? 
 
 " 9. (12.) How many preachers' wives are to be pro- 
 vided for ? By what circuits and in what proportion ? 2 
 
 " 10. (13.) Where and when may our next confer- 
 ence begin ? 
 
 " Quest. 71. What provision can we make for a 
 proper supply of preachers in the circuits during the 
 sitting of the conference ? 
 
 " Ans. Let as many local preachers as are necessary 
 be provided by the assistant in every circuit, as far as 
 possible ; and let them be paid in proportion to their 
 work as travelling preachers out of the yearly col- 
 lection. 
 
 " Quest. 72. (53.) How can we provide for super- 
 annuated preachers and the widows and orphans of 
 preachers ? 3 
 
 " Ans. [Those who can preach four or five times a week are 
 supernumerary preachers. As for those who cannot,] 
 
 " 1 . Let every travelling preacher contribute two 
 dollars* yearly at the conference. 
 
 " 2. Let every one when first admitted as a travelling 
 preacher pay twenty shillings {Pennsylvania cur- 
 rency.'') 
 
 1 " superannuated and supernumerary preachers." — Large Minutes. 
 a " societies." — lb. 
 
 * "superannuated and supernumerary preachers." — 76. 
 
 * " half a guinea." — lb. s " a guinea." — lb. 
 
66 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 " 3. Let tins money be lodged in the hands of the 
 treasurers} 
 
 [" 4. The present stewards are John Murlin and John Paw- 
 son.] 
 
 "4. Let there be three treasurers ; three clerks, each 
 of whom shall keep a separate account ; and three in- 
 spectors, who shall annually lay before the conference 
 an exact state of the fund. 
 
 "5. Let these nine form a committee for the ma- 
 nagement of the fund. Three of whom shall be com- 
 petent to proceed on any business, provided one be a 
 treasurer, another an inspector, and a third a clerk. 
 
 " 6. (5.) Out of this fund let provision be made, 
 first for the worn-out preachers, and then for the wid- 
 ows and children of those that are dead. 
 
 " 7. (6.) Every worn-out preacher shall receive, if 
 he wants it, twenty-four pounds a year, {Pennsylvania 
 currency. 2 ) 
 
 " 8. (7.) Every widow of a preacher shall receive, 
 yearly, if she wants it, during her widowhood, twenty 
 pounds? 
 
 " 9. (8.) Every child of 4 a preacher shall receive, 
 once for all, if he wants it, tiventy pounds. 5 
 
 " 10. (9.) But none shall be 6 entitled to any thing 
 from this fund, till he has paid fifty shillings. 1 
 
 "11. (10.) Nor any who neglects paying his sub- 
 scription for th?~ee 8 years together, unless he be sent by 
 the conference out of these United States. 
 
 [" (11.) Let every preacher who does not bring or send his 
 subscription to the conference, be fined two shillings and six- 
 pence.] 
 
 " 12. Let the fund never be reduced to less than a 
 hundred pounds. 
 
 [" (13.) Let a committee be named to see these rules duly exe- 
 cuted. The present committee are, — Christopher Hopper, 
 
 1 " stewards." — Large Minutes. 
 
 2 " at least ten pounds a year." — lb. 
 
 3 " a sum not usually exceeding ten pounds." — lb. 
 
 * " left by." — lb. 6 " a sum not usually exceeding ten pounds."-/6. 
 « " is." — lb. 7 " subscribed two guineas." — lb. 
 
 8 " four."-— lb. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 67 
 
 Thomas Coke, Thomas Hanby, John Allen, Robert Roberts, 
 Henry Moore, Thomas Taylor, William Thompson,Andrew Blair. 
 "(14.) Let an exact account of all receipts and disbursements 
 be produced at the conference.] 
 
 "13. (15.) Let every assistant as far as possible 
 bring to the conference the contribution of every preacher 
 left behind in his circuit. 
 
 [" Quest. (54.) Are not many of the preachers' wives still strait- 
 ened for the necessaries of life ? 
 
 " Ans. Some certainly have been. To prevent this for the 
 time to come, 1. Let every circuit either provide each with a 
 lodging, coals, and candles, or allow her fifteen pounds a year. 
 
 2. Let the assistant take this money at the quarterly meeting, 
 before any thing else be paid out of it. Fail not to do this. 
 
 " Quest. (55.) How can we account for the decrease of the 
 work of God in some circuits, both this year and the last 1 
 
 "Ans. It may be owing either, 1. To the want of zeal and 
 exactness in the assistant, occasioning want of discipline through- 
 out : or 2. To want of life and diligence in the preachers : or 
 
 3. To our people's losing the life of God, and sinking into the 
 spirit of the world. 
 
 " It may be owing, farther, to the want of more field preaching, 
 and of trying more new places.] 
 
 " Quest. 73. (56.) What can be done in order to re- 
 vive the work of God where it is decayed ? 
 
 " Ans. ("1. Let every preacher read carefully over the 'Life 
 of David Brainerd.' Let us be followers of him, as he was of 
 Christ, in absolute self-devotion, in total deadness to the world, 
 and in fervent love to God and man. Let us but secure this 
 point, and the world and the devil must fall under our feet.] 
 
 " 1. (2.) Let both assistants and preachers be consci- 
 entiously exact in the whole Methodist discipline. 
 
 " 2. (3.) See that no circuit be at any time without 
 preachers. Therefore let no preacher, who does not 
 attend the conference, leave the circuit, at that time, 
 on any pretence whatever. This is the most improper 
 time in the w 7 hole year. Let every assistant see to 
 this, and require each of these to remain in the circuit 
 till the new preachers come. 
 
 " Let not all the preachers in any circuit come to 
 the conference. 
 
 " Let those who do come, set out as late and return 
 as soon as possible. 
 
68 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784 
 
 " 3. (4.) Wherever you can, appoint prayer meetings, 
 and particularly on Friday. 
 
 "4. (5.) Let a fast be 'published at every quarterly 
 meeting for the Friday following. And let a memo- 
 randum of it be written on all the class papers. 1 
 
 " 5. (6.) Be [more] active in dispersing Mr. Wes- 
 ley's 1 books, [particularly the sermon on ' The Good 
 Steward,' on * Indwelling Sin,' ' The Repentance 
 of Believers,' and ' The Scripture Way of Salvation.'] 
 Every assistant [may give away small tracts : and he] 
 may beg money of the rich to buy books for the 
 poor. 
 
 " 6. (7.) Strongly and explicitly exhort all believers 
 to - go on to perfection.' That we may ' all speak the 
 same thing,' we 3 ask, once for all, Shall we defend 
 this perfection, or give it up ? we 4 " all agree to defend 
 it, meaning thereby, (as we did from the beginning,) 
 salvation from all sin, by the love of God and man 
 filling our heart. The Papists say, ' This cannot be 
 attained, till we have been refined by the fire of purga- 
 tory.' The Calvinists say, ' Nay, it will be attained as 
 soon as the soul and body part.' The old Methodists say, 
 * It may be attained before we die : a moment after is 
 too late.' Is it so or not ? We 5 are all agreed, we may 
 be saved from all sin before death. The substance 
 then is settled ; but, as to the circumstance, is the 
 change gradual or instantaneous ? It is both the one 
 and the other. 
 
 [" From the moment we are justified, there may be a gradual 
 sanctification, a growing in grace, a daily advance in the know- 
 ledge and love of God. And if sin cease before death, there 
 must, in the nature of the thing, be an instantaneous change ; 
 there must be a last moment wherein it does exist, and a first 
 moment wherein it does not.] 
 
 " ' But should we in preaching insist both on one and 
 the other ?' Certainly we must insist on the gradual 
 * 
 
 1 " observed in all our societies, tbe last Friday in August, Novem- 
 ber, February, and May." — Large Minutes. 
 a m the.''— lb. 
 3 « I."— lb. * » You.''— lb. 5 " You."— lb. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 69 
 
 change ; and that earnestly and continually. And are 
 there not reasons why we should insist on the instan- 
 taneous also ? If there be such a blessed change be- 
 fore death, should we not encourage all believers to 
 expect it ? and the rather, because constant experience 
 shows, the more earnestly they expect this, the more 
 swiftly and steadily does the gradual work of God go 
 on in their souls ; the more watchful they are against all 
 sin, the more careful to grow in grace, the more zeal- 
 ous of good works, and the more punctual in their at- 
 tendance on all the ordinances of God. Whereas, just 
 the contrary effects are observed whenever this expect- 
 ation ceases. They are ' saved by hope,' by this hope 
 of a total change, with a gradually increasing salvation. 
 Destroy this hope, and that salvation stands still, or 
 rather, decreases daily. Therefore whoever would ad- 
 vance the gradual change in believers, should strongly 
 insist on the instantaneous. 
 
 [" Quest. (57.) What can be done to increase the work of God 
 in Scotland 1 
 
 " Ans. 1. Preach abroad as much as possible. 2. Try every 
 town and village. 3. Visit every member of the society at 
 home. 
 
 " Quest. (58.) How many circuits are there now 1 
 
 " Ans. Of America we have no late account. There are 
 seventy-four circuits in England, Wales, and the Isle of Man , 
 seven in Scotland, and twenty-eight in Ireland. 
 
 " Quest (59.) Are our preaching houses safe 1 
 
 " Ans. Not all ; for some of them are not settled on trustees. 
 Several of the trustees for others are dead. 
 
 " Quest. (60.) What then is to be done 1 
 
 " Ans. 1. Let those who have debts on any of the houses 
 give a bond, to settle them as soon as they are indemnified. 
 2. Let the surviving trustees choose others without delay, by 
 endorsing their deed thus : — 
 
 " ' We, the remaining trustees of the Methodist preaching 
 
 house in , do, according to the power vested in us by this 
 
 deed, choose to be trustees of the said house, in the place 
 
 of . 
 
 ' Witness our hands .' 
 
 " N. B. The deed must have three new stamps, and must be 
 enrolled in chancery within six months. 
 
 " Quest. (61.) In what form may a house be settled % 
 
70 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 "Ans> In the following, which was drawn by three of the 
 most eminent lawyers in London. Whoever therefore objects 
 to it only betrays his own ignorance. 
 
 " ' The Indenture made , between Benjamin Heap 
 
 of , in the county of , on the one part, and Thomas 
 
 Philips, hatter, &c, on the other part, witnesseth, That in 
 consideration of five shillings, lawful money of Great Britain, 
 by the said T. P., &c, to the said B. H., truly paid, before the 
 sealing and delivering hereof, (the receipt whereof the said B. H. 
 doth hereby acknowledge,) and for divers other considerations 
 him thereunto moving, the said B. H. hath granted, bargained, 
 and sold, and by these presents doth bargain and sell unto the 
 said T. P., &c, their heirs and assigns for ever, all that lately 
 erected house or tenement, with the yard thereunto adjoining, 
 
 situate , in , aforesaid, now in the tenure or occupation 
 
 of , together with all the ways, drains, and privileges to the 
 
 said premises appertaining, and all the profits thereof, with all 
 the right, title, and interest in law and equity : To have and to 
 hold, the said house, yard, and other premises, to the said T. P., 
 &c, their heirs and assigns for ever. Nevertheless, upon 
 special trust'and confidence, and to the intent that they and the 
 survivors of them, and the trustees for the time being, do, and 
 shall permit John Wesley, of the City Road, London, clerk, and 
 such other persons as he shall from time to time appoint, at all 
 times, during his natural life, and no other persons, to have and 
 enjoy the free use and benefit of the said premises ; that the said 
 John Wesley, and such other persons as he appoints, may therein 
 preach and expound God's holy word. And after his decease, 
 upon farther trust and confidence, and to the intent, that the said 
 T. P., &c, or the major part of them, or the survivors of them, 
 and the major part of the trustees of the said premises for the 
 time being, shall, from time to time, and at all times for ever, 
 permit such persons as shall be appointed at the yearly confer- 
 ence of the people called Methodists, in London, Bristol, Leeds, 
 Manchester, or elsewhere, specified by name in a deed enrolled 
 in chancery, under the hand and seal of the said John Wesley, 
 and bearing date the 28th day of February, 1784, and no others, 
 to have and to enjoy the said premises, for the purposes afore- 
 said : provided always, that the persons preach no other doctrine 
 than is contained in Mr. Wesley's ' Notes upon the New Tes- 
 tament,' and four volumes of ' Sermons.' And upon farther 
 trust and confidence, that, as often as any of these trustees, or 
 the trustees for the time being, shall die, or cease to be a mem- 
 ber of the society commonly called Methodists, the rest of the 
 said trustees, or of the trustees for the time being, as soon as 
 conveniently may be, shall and may choose another trustee or 
 trustees, in order to keep up the number of trustees for ever. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 71 
 
 In witness whereof the said B. H. hath hereunto set his hand 
 and sea], the day and year above written.' 
 
 " In this form the proprietors of the house are to make it over 
 to five, seven, or nine trustees. 
 
 " Quest. (62.) But is this form asafe one ? Should we not have 
 the opinion of counsel upon it ? 
 
 " Ans. I think this would be throwing money away ; 1. Be- 
 cause this form was drawn up by three eminent counsellors : 
 But, 2. It is the way of almost every lawyer to blarne what an- 
 other has done. Therefore, you cannot at all infer, that they 
 think a thing wrong, because they say so. 3. If they did in 
 reality think it wrong, this would not prove it was so. 4. If 
 there was (which I do not believe) some defect therein, who 
 would go to law with the body of Methodists 1 But, 5. If they 
 did, would any court in England put them out of possession ; 
 especially when the intent of the deed was plain and undeniable ? 
 
 " Quest. 74. (63.) Is any thing [farther] advisable 
 with regard to building ? 
 
 " Ans. [1. Build all preaching houses, where the ground 
 will permit, in the octagon form. It is best for the voice, and, on 
 many accounts, more commodious than any other. 2. Why 
 should not any octagon house be built after the model of Yarm? 
 any square house after the model of Bath or Scarborough ? Can 
 we find any better model ? 3. Let the roof rise only one-third 
 of its breadth : this is the true proportion. 4. Have doors 
 and windows enough ; and let all the windows be sashes, opening 
 downward. 5. Let there be no Chinese paling, and no tub 
 pulpit, but a square projection with a long seat behind. 6. 
 Let there be no pews, and no backs to the seats, which should 
 have aisles on each side, and be parted in the middle by a rail 
 running all along, to divide the men from the women ; just as at 
 Bath.] 
 
 " (7.) Let all our chapels 1 be built plain and decent ; 
 but not more expensive than is absolutely unavoidable : 
 otherwise the necessity of raising money will make 
 rich men necessary to us. But if so, we must be de- 
 pendant upon them, yea, and governed by them. And 
 then farewell to the Methodist discipline, if not doctrine 
 too. 
 
 f" (8.) Wherever a preaching house is built, see that lodgings 
 for the preachers be built also.] 
 
 " Quest. 75. (64.) Is there any exception to the rule, 
 ' Let the men and women sit apart V 
 
 "the preaching houses." — Large Minutes. 
 
72 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 " Ans. There is no exception. Let them sit apart 
 in all our chapels. 1 
 
 [" Quest. (65.) But how can we secure their sitting apart there 1 
 
 " Ans. I must do it myself. If I come into any new house, 
 and see the men and women together, I will immediately go out. 
 I hereby give public notice of this : pray let it be observed.] 
 
 " Quest. 76. (66.) But there is not a worse indecency 
 than this [creeping in among us] — talking in the chapels 2 
 before and after service. How shall this be cured? 
 
 "Ans. Let all the ministers and preachers join as 
 one man, and [the very next Sunday they preach in 
 any place] enlarge on the impropriety of talking before 
 or after service, and strongly exhort them to do it no 
 more. In three months, if we are in earnest, this vile 
 practice will be banished out of every Methodist con- 
 gregation. Let none stop till he has carried his point. 
 
 [" Quest. (67.) Is there not another shocking indecency fre- 
 quently practised by filthy men against the wall of a preaching 
 house ; enough to make any modest woman blush 7 ? 
 
 " Ans. There is : but I beg any one who sees another do this 
 will give him a hearty clap on the back. 
 
 " Quest. (68.) Complaint has been made that sluts spoil our 
 houses. How may we prevent this 1 
 
 " Ans. Let none that has spoiled one, ever live in another. But 
 what a shame is this ! A preacher's wife should be a pattern of 
 cleanliness, in her person, clothes, and habitation. Let nothing 
 slatternly be seen about her ; no rags, no dirt, no litter. And she 
 should be a pattern of industry ; always at work, either for her- 
 self, her husband, or the poor. I am not willing any should live 
 in the orphan house at Newcastle, or any preaching house, who 
 does not conform to this rule. 
 
 " Quest. (69.) It has been complained also, that people crowd 
 into the preachers' houses, as into coffee houses, without any in- 
 vitation. Is this right ? 
 
 " Ans. It is utterly wrong. Stop it at once. Let no person 
 come into the preacher's house, unless he wants to ask a ques- 
 tion'? 
 
 " Quest. (70.) May any new preaching houses be built 1 
 
 11 Ans. Not unless, 1. They are proposed at the conference. 
 No, nor 2. Unless two-thirds of the expense be subscribed, 
 
 1 " In those galleries where they have always sat together, they 
 may do so still. But let them sit apart everywhere below, and in all 
 new erected galleries." — Large Minutes. 
 
 * " preaching houses." — lb. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 73 
 
 And if any collection be made for them, it must be made between 
 the conference and the beginning of February. 
 
 " Quest. (71.) What can be done to make the Methodists 
 sensible of the excellency of Kingswood school 1 
 
 " Ans. Let every assistant read the following account of it 
 yearly in every congregation : — 
 
 " 1. The wisdom and love of God have now thrust out a large 
 number of labourers into his harvest ; men who desire nothing 
 on earth but to promote the glory of God, by saving their own 
 souls and those that hear them. And those to whom they minis- 
 ter spiritual things are willing to minister to them of their carnal 
 things ; so that they ' have food to eat, and raiment to put on,' 
 and are content therewith. 
 
 " 2. A competent provision is likewise made for the wives 
 of married preachers. These also lack nothing, having a 
 weekly allowance over and above for their little children ; 
 so that neither they nor their husbands need to be 'careful 
 about many things,' but may ' wait upon the Lord without dis- 
 traction.' 
 
 ; ' 3. Yet one considerable difficulty lies on those that have 
 boys, when they grow too big to be under their mother's direc- 
 tion. Having no father to govern and instruct them, they are 
 exposed to a thousand temptations. To remedy this we have a 
 school on purpose for them, wherein they have all the instruc- 
 tion they are capable of, together with all things necessary for 
 the body, clothes only excepted. And it may be, if God prosper 
 this labour of love, they will have these too, shortly. 
 
 " 4. In whatever view we look upon this, it is one of the 
 noblest charities that can be conceived. How reasonable is the 
 institution ! Is it fit that the children of those who leave wife, 
 and all that is dear, to save souls from death, should want what 
 is needful either for soul or body 1 Ought not we to supply 
 what the parent cannot, because of his labours in the gospel ? 
 How excellent are the effects of this institution ! The preacher, 
 eased of this weight, can the more cheerfully go on in his labour. 
 And perhaps many of these children may hereafter fill up the 
 place of those that shall ' rest from their labours.' 
 
 " 5. It is not strange, therefore, considering the excellence of 
 this design, that Satan should have taken much pains to defeat 
 it, particularly by lies of every kind, which were plentifully in- 
 vented and handed about for several years. But truth now ge- 
 nerally prevails, and its adversaries are put to silence. It is 
 well known that the children want nothing ; that they scarce 
 know what sickness means ; that they are well instructed in 
 whatever they are capable of learning ; that they are carefully 
 and tenderly governed ; and that the behaviour of all in the house, 
 elder and vounger, is ' as becometh the gospel of Christ.' 
 
 4 
 
74 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784 
 
 " 6. But the expense of such an undertaking is very large, so 
 that we are ill able to defray it. The best means we could 
 think of at our conference to supply the deficiency, is, once a 
 year to desire the assistance of all those in every place who wish 
 well to the work of God ; who long to see sinners converted to 
 God, and the kingdom of Christ set up in all the earth. 
 
 " 7. All of you who are thus minded have an opportunity now 
 of showing your love to the gospel. Now promote, as far as in 
 you lies, one of the noblest charities in the world. Now forward, 
 as you are able, one of the most excellent designs that ever was 
 set on foot in this kingdom. Do what you can to comfort the 
 parents who give up their all for you, and to give their children 
 cause to bless you. You will be no poorer for what you do on 
 such an occasion. God is a good paymaster. And you know, 
 in doing this, you lend unto the Lord. In due time he shall pay 
 you again. 
 
 " Quest. (72.) But how can we keep out of debt ? 
 
 " Ans. Let a collection be made for this school, the Sunday 
 before or after midsummer, in every preaching house, great and 
 small, throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland.] 
 
 " Quest. 77. (73.) How may we raise a general fund 
 for carrying on the whole work of God ? 
 
 " Aiis. By a yearly collection, and if need be a 
 quarterly one, to be raised by every assistant in every 
 principal congregation in his circuit. 1 
 
 " To this end he may then read and enlarge upon the 
 following hints in every such congregation : 2 — 
 
 " (1.) How shall we send labourers into those parts 
 where they are most of all wanted ? [suppose the north- 
 west of Ireland, and the north of Scotland.] Many are 
 willing to hear, but not to bear the expense. Nor can 
 it as yet be expected of them : stay till the word of 
 God has touched their hearts, and then they will gladly 
 provide for them that preach it. Does it not lie upon 
 us, in the mean time, to supply their lack of service ? 
 to raise a general fund, out of which, from time to time, 
 that expense may be defrayed ? By this means, those 
 who willingly offer themselves may travel through every 
 
 1 " By a yearly subscription to be proposed by every assistant when 
 he visits the classes at Christmas, and received at the visitation fol. 
 lowing." — Large Minutes. 
 
 2 " society." — lb. 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 75 
 
 part, whether there are societies or not, 1 and stay 
 wherever there is a call, without being burdensome to 
 any. Thus may the gospel, in the life and power 
 thereof, be spread from sea to sea. Which of you will 
 not rejoice to throw in your mite to promote this glori- 
 ous work ? 
 
 " (2.) Besides this, in carrying on so large a work 
 through the continent, 2 there are calls for money in va- 
 rious ways, and we must frequently be at conside- 
 rable expense, or the work must be at a full stop. 
 Many too are the occasional distresses of our preachers 
 or their families, which require an immediate supply. 
 Otherwise their hands would hang down, if they were 
 not constrained to depart from the work. 
 
 [" (3.) Let then every member of our society once a year set 
 his shoulder to the work ; contributing more or less, as God hath 
 prospered him, at the Lady-day visitation of the classes. Let 
 none be excluded from giving something, — be it a penny, a half- 
 penny, a farthing. Remember the widow's two mites ! And let 
 those who are able to give shillings, crowns, and pounds, do it 
 willingly.] 
 
 " The money contributed will be brought to the en- 
 suing conference. 
 
 "(4.) Men and brethren, help ! Was there ever a call 
 like this, since you first heard the gospel sound ? Help 
 to relieve your companions in the kingdom of Jesus, 
 who are pressed above measure. 
 
 " ' Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the 
 law of Christ.' Help to send forth able, willing la- 
 bourers into your Lord's harvest : so shall ye be assist- 
 ant in saving souls from death, and hiding a multitude 
 of sins. Help to spread the gospel of your salvation 
 into the remotest corners of the earth, 2 till * the 
 knowledge of our Lord shall cover the land, as the 
 waters cover the sea.' So shall it appear to ourselves, 
 and all men, that we are indeed one body, united by one 
 
 1 This clause is in the original Minutes of 1749, but not in the 
 Large Minutes. 
 
 2 " three kingdoms." — Large Minutes. 
 
 3 "kinjrdom." — Jb. 
 
76 First Discipline of the M. E. Church, [1784. 
 
 spirit ; so shall the baptized heathens be yet again 
 constrained to say, ■ See how these Christians love one 
 another !' 
 
 [" In this, may not even the Romanists provoke us to jealousy ? 
 They have a general fund at Rome, and another at Paris, which 
 bears all the expenses of their missionaries throughout the world.] 
 
 " Quest. 78. What can be done towards erecting 
 new chapels, and discharging the debts on those 
 already built 1 
 
 " Ans. Let every assistant raise a yearly subsc?ip- 
 tion through his circuit : and let every member who is 
 not supported by charity, give something. Let them 
 subscribe the first quarter, and pay the second. And 
 let the money be applied where it is most wanted, by a 
 committee of lay-members annually appointed by the 
 assistant, one of whom shall be chosen out of each so- 
 ciety concerned. 
 
 " Quest. 79. Is it not right that the assistant, and 
 not the stewards or leaders, should receive the quar- 
 terly collections in the classes ? 
 
 " Ans. Certainly it is. This has been the general 
 'practice among the Methodists in Europe. And 
 therefore let every assistant look to it, and ask every 
 person, who can afford it, for his quarterly subscrip- 
 tion, when he changes the tickets ; and in due time let 
 Jiim deliver the whole into the hands of the steivards, to 
 carry on the work of God in the circuit. 
 
 [" Quest. (74.) What is the direct antidote to Methodism, the 
 doctrine of heart holiness 1 
 
 " Ans. Calvinism : all the devices of Satan, for these fifty 
 years, have done far less toward stopping this work of God, 
 than that single doctrine. It strikes at the root of salvation from 
 sin, previous to glory, putting the matter on quite another issue. 
 
 " Quest. (75.) But wherein lie the charms of this doctrine '! 
 What makes men swallow it so greedily ? 
 
 "Ans. 1. It seems to magnify Christ; although in reality it 
 supposes him to have died in vain. For the absolutely elect 
 must have been saved without him ; and the non-elect cannot be 
 saved by him. 
 
 " 2. It is highly pleasing to flesh and blood, final perseve- 
 rance in particular.] 
 
1784.] Compared with the Large Minutes. 77 
 
 " Quest. 80. (76.) What can be done to guard against 
 Antinomianism ? l 
 
 " Ans. 1. Let all our preachers carefully read over 
 Mr. Wesley's 2 and Mr. Fletcher's tracts. 
 
 " 2. Let them frequently and explicitly preach the 
 truth, though not in a controversial way. But let them 
 take care to do it in love and gentleness ; not in bitter- 
 ness, not returning railing for railing. 
 
 [" Let those who preach it have all this to themselves. 
 
 "3. Do not imitate them in screaming, allegorizing, boasting : 
 rather mildly expose these things when time serves. 
 
 " 4. Imitate them in this : they readily seize upon any one 
 that is newly convinced or converted. Be diligent to prevent 
 them, and to guard those tender minds against the predestinari- 
 an poison.] 
 
 " 3. (5.) Answer all the objections of our people, 3 as 
 occasion offers, [both in public and private.] But take 
 care to do this with all possible sweetness both of look 
 and of accent. 
 
 [" (6.) Very frequently, both in public and private, advise our 
 people not to hear them. 
 
 " (7.) Make it a matter of constant and earnest prayer, that 
 God would stop the plague.] 
 
 " Quest. 81. (77.) Wherein lies our danger of it. 4 
 
 " Ans. 1. With regard to man's faithfulness. Our 
 Lord himself taught us to use the expression : there- 
 fore we ought never to be ashamed of it. We ought 
 steadily to assert upon his authority, that if a man is 
 not ' faithful in the unrighteous mammon, God will not 
 give him the true riches.' 
 
 " 2. With regard to - working for life,' which our 
 Lord expressly commands us to do. ' Labour,' eoya- 
 &ode, literally, ' work, for the meat that endureth to 
 everlasting life.' And in fact, every believer, till he 
 comes to glory, works for as well as from life. 
 
 " 3. We have received it as a maxim, that ' a man 
 is to do nothing in order to justification.' Nothing can 
 
 1 " it." — Large Minutes. 3 " ours." — lb. 
 
 3 u their objections." — lb. 
 
 4 " Quest. (77.) We said in 1744, 4 We have leaned too much to 
 ward Calvinism.' Wherein ?" — lb. 
 
78 First Discipline of the M. E. Church. [1784. 
 
 be more false. Whoever desires to find favour with 
 God should ' cease from evil, and learn to do well.' 
 So God himself teaches by the prophet Isaiah. Who- 
 ever repents, should ' do works meet for repentance.' 
 And if this is not in order to find favour, what does he 
 do them for ? 
 
 " Once more review the whole affair : 
 
 " 1. Who of us is now accepted of God ? 
 
 " He that now believes in Christ with a loving, obe- 
 dient heart. 
 
 " 2. But who among those that never heard of 
 Christ ? 
 
 " He that, according to the light he has, ' feareth 
 God and worketh righteousness.' 
 
 " 3. Is this the same with ' he that is sincere ?' 
 
 " Nearly, if not quite. 
 
 " 4. Is not this salvation by works ? 
 
 " Not by the merit of works, but by works as a 
 condition. 
 
 [" (5.) What have we then been disputing about for these 
 thirty years ? 
 
 "lam afraid about words, namely, in some of the foregoing 
 instances. 
 
 " (6.) As to merit itself, of which we have been so dreadfully 
 afraid : we are rewarded according to our works, yea, because 
 of our works. How does this differ from, ' for the sake of our 
 works V And how differs this from secundum merita operum ? 
 which is no more than, ' as our works deserve.' Can you split 
 this hair 1 I doubt I cannot.] 
 
 " 5. (7.) The grand objection to one of the preceding 
 propositions is drawn from matter of fact. God does 
 in fact justify those who, by their own confession, 
 neither ' feared God' nor ' wrought righteousness.' Is 
 this an exception to the general rule ? 
 
 " It is a doubt whether God makes any exception 
 at all. But how are we sure that the person in ques- 
 tion never did fear God and work righteousness ? His 
 own thinking so is no proof. For we know how all 
 that are convinced of sin undervalue themselves in 
 every respect. 
 
 " 6. (8.) Does not talking, without proper caution, of 
 
1784.] Different Editions of the Discipline. 79 
 
 a justified or sanctified state, tend to mislead men ; al- 
 most naturally leading them to trust in what was done 
 in one moment '? Whereas we are every moment 
 pleasing or displeasing to God, according to our works ; 
 according to the whole of our present inward tempers 
 and outward behaviour." 
 
 While the number of preachers in America was 
 small, there was but one conference held in the year. 
 By 1779, however, they had increased so as to render 
 it inconvenient to meet in one place. From that time, 
 therefore, till 1784, two conferences, in reality, were 
 held annually, though the second was considered as an 
 adjournment of the first. Their respective powers are 
 thus stated by the Rev. Jesse Lee : — " As the confer- 
 ence in the north w T as of the longest standing, and 
 withal composed of the oldest preachers, it was allowed 
 greater privileges than that in the south ; especially in 
 making rules, and forming regulations for the societies. 
 Accordingly, when any thing was agreed to in the *\ ir- 
 ginia Conference, and afterward disapproved of in the 
 Baltimore Conference, it was dropped. But if any 
 rule was fixed and determined on at the Baltimore 
 Conference, the preachers in the south were under the 
 necessity of abiding by it. The southern conference 
 was considered at that time as a convenience, and 
 designed to accommodate the preachers in that part of 
 the work, and to do all the business of a regular con- 
 ference, except that of making or altering particular 
 rules."* 
 
 The Christmas Conference, at which the church 
 was organized, was, as already stated, a General Con- 
 ference. None such was held again until November, 
 1792. The alterations of the Discipline, therefore, 
 during that interval, seem to have been made in the 
 same informal manner as prior to 1784 : — Bishop Asbury 
 submitting the proposed amendments to the annual 
 
 * History of the Methodists, pp. 78, 79. 
 
80 Different Editions of the Discipline. [1785-6. 
 
 conferences, in succession ; and, when adopted, pub- 
 lishing them, either in the Annual Minutes, (which 
 were printed regularly after 1784,) or in new editions 
 of the General Minutes or Discipline. 
 
 s/ 1785. At the annual conferences for 1785, it 
 'was concluded that the rule on slavery, adopted at the 
 Christmas Conference, would do harm. It was, there- 
 fore, resolved to suspend its execution for the present,* 
 and a note to that effect! was added to the Annual 
 Minutes for that year. The conferences, however, 
 still expressed " the deepest abhorrence" of " the 
 practice," and a determination " to seek its destruction 
 by all wise and prudent means." 
 
 1786. The first edition of the Discipline was 
 printed in Philadelphia, in 1785, and is found bound 
 up with " the Sunday Service," and " the Collection 
 of Psalms and Hymns" which had been sent over to 
 America in sheets. "J In 1786 a new edition of the 
 whole, in one book, was printed in London. In this the 
 following questions of the first edition, with their an- 
 swers, are omitted, namely : Quest. 23. (Of preachers' 
 drinking spirituous liquors ;) Quest. 42. (Of extirpating 
 slavery;) Quest. 63. (Of the trial of travelling preach- 
 ers ;) and Quest. 64. (Of supplying vacancies on cir- 
 cuits.) 
 
 This appears to have been the last edition of " the 
 Sunday Service" for the use of the Methodists in 
 America. The General Minutes, or Discipline proper, 
 were published, the next year, in a separate pamphlet ; 
 the Articles of Religion, and the Forms for adminis- 
 tering the sacraments, for solemnizing matrimony, for 
 burying the dead, and for ordinations, were subse- 
 quently incorporated into the Discipline ; and " the 
 
 * See Lee's History of the Methodists, p. 102. 
 t For the note, see below, part ii, sec. 10. 
 t " Defence of our Fathers," sec. 8. 
 
1787.] Different Editions of the Discipline. 81 
 
 Collection of Psalms and Hymns" has been trans- 
 formed into the present Hymn-book ; but the Sunday 
 Service proper was laid aside soon after its introduc- 
 tion, forms of prayer for public worship not being 
 popular with the church in America. 
 
 1787. In 1787 the Discipline underwent an entire 
 change in its form. It will have been perceived, that 
 the first and second editions consisted of a series of 
 questions and answers, arranged with very little me- 
 thod. The book was now divided into sections, with 
 appropriate heads. This appears to have been done, 
 almost entirely, by Bishop Asbury, with the aid of the 
 Rev. John Dickins ; though the work was, no doubt, 
 revised, before publication, by Dr. Coke. In the latter 
 part of the year 17^5, while Bishop Asbury was con- 
 fined, with a swollen foot, at James' City, in Vii 
 ginia, he writes, und^r date of November 27: "For 
 some time past I had not been quite satisfied with the 
 order and arrangement of our Form of Discipline ; and, 
 persuaded that it migh be improved without difficulty, 
 we accordingly set about it, and, during my confine- 
 ment in James' City, completed the work, arranging 
 the subject matter thereof under their proper heads, 
 divisions, and sections."* That the " we," in this ex- 
 tract, refers to the Rev. John Dickins, may be infer- 
 red from the fact that he was then stationed in that 
 part of the country, and from the following entry in 
 Bishop Asbury's Journal, under date of April 25, 
 1786 : " Read our Form of Discipline in manuscript, 
 which brother Dickins has been preparing for the 
 press."t 
 
 The publication of this revised Discipline was delayed 
 until May, 1787, probably with a view of obtaining 
 the concurrence of Dr. Coke, who made his second 
 visit to America in March of that year. 
 
 The author has not been able to obtain a copy of 
 
 * Journal, vol. i, p. 391. t Ibid., p. 396. 
 
82 Different Editions of the Discipline. [1787. 
 
 this edition, and, as it was published in pamphlet form, 
 it is likely that none is extant. Its loss, however, is 
 the less to be regretted, since by the aid of Lee's His- 
 tory of the Methodists, and the Discipline of 1789, we 
 are enabled to arrive at a pretty accurate knowledge of 
 its contents. We learn, from the former,* that it con- 
 tained thirty-one sections, embracing sixty-three ques- 
 tions ; and that its last, or thirty-first section, corres- 
 ponded with the thirty-first section of the Discipline of 
 1789.f It is also known that the latter contained four 
 additional sections, embracing six questions ; and that 
 two of these were the thirty-first section, (Of the trial 
 of members,) and the thirty-second, (Of the trial of min- 
 isters.)^: It is probable, therefore, that the other two 
 were the thirty-fourth (Of stewards) and the thirty-fifth, 
 (The General Rules) : — a conclusion which is further 
 confirmed by the fact, that these four sections embrace 
 precisely six questions. If these inferences be correct, 
 then the Discipline of 1787 was substantially the same 
 as the first thirty-one sections of that of 1789, and all 
 the alterations in those sections which are assigned in 
 this work to the latter year, may have been made in 
 the former, but they are not referred to 1787, because 
 the author is unwilling to rely on any mere presump- 
 tion, however strong. 
 
 It was in the Discipline of 1787 that the superin- 
 tendents were first called bishops. § 
 
 It was the leaving out, in this year, the second ques- 
 tion and answer of the former Discipline, that is called, 
 in Methodist history, " leaving Mr. Wesley's name off 
 the Minutes." 
 
 In the Annual Minutes for the same year we find 
 several regulations relating to discipline, namely, Quest. 
 17. (Of the spiritual welfare of the coloured people. )|| 
 Quest. 18. (Of the salaries of married preachers. )H 
 
 * Lee's History of the Methodists, pp. 127, 128. + Ibid., p. 129. 
 
 X See Asbury's Journal, vol. ii, pp. 29, 30. 
 
 § Lee's Hist, of the Methodists, p. 128. 
 
 |] See below, book ii, part ii,sec. 10. V Ibid., sec. 4. 
 
1788-9.] Different Editions of the Discipline. 83 
 
 Quest. 19. (Of register books ;)* and Quest. 20. (Of the 
 rising generation.)! 
 
 1788. No edition of the Discipline for 1788 has 
 been found. That no material alterations, however, 
 were made in that year, may be reasonably inferred 
 from the silence of contemporary writers, especially 
 of Lee, who says that he " inserted all the Minutes of 
 importance," and who mentions, in his History, altera- 
 tions in 1787 and 1789, but none in 1788. 
 
 1789. In March, 1789, the fifth edition of the 
 Discipline was published. The correspondence be- 
 tween it and the edition of 1787 has already been no- 
 ticed under the latter date. Two of the new sections 
 (thirty-first and thirty-second) appear to have been pre- 
 pared by Bishop Asbury nearly a year previously. 
 Under date of April 2, 1788, he writes: "I rested, 
 and compiled two sections, which I shall recommend 
 to be put into our Form of Discipline, in order to re- 
 move from society, by regular steps, either preachers 
 or people that are disorderly ."J 
 
 To this Discipline was prefixed an Address, by the 
 bishops, *' to the members of the Methodist Societies 
 in the United States." There were also appended the 
 Articles of Religion, and certain Doctrinal Tracts, both 
 printed as distinct parts. The former were entitled, 
 " The Articles of Religion as received and taught in 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church throughout the United 
 States of America. ' If any man will do his ivill, he 
 shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God,' 
 John vii, 17. ' Prove all things : holdfast that which 
 is good? 1 Thess. v. 21." The Doctrinal Tracts were 
 severally entitled, " The Scripture Doctrine of Predes- 
 tination, Election, and Reprobation, by the Rev. John 
 Wesley, &c." " Serious Thoughts on the Infallible 
 
 * See below, book ii, part ii, sec. 3. t Ibid., part i, chap, i, sec. 16. 
 t Journal, vol. ii, p. 29. 
 
84 Different Editions of the Discipline. [1790-6 
 
 Unconditional Perseverance of all that have once expe- 
 rienced Faith in Christ ;" and " A Plain Account of 
 Christian Perfection, as believed and taught by the 
 Rev. John Wesley, from the Year 1725 to the Year 
 1765." These tracts were inserted in the subsequent 
 editions of the Discipline, (except that of 1796,) until 
 1812, when they were omitted. They may now be 
 found in the volume entitled, " Doctrinal Tracts," and 
 in Wesley's Works, vol. vi, pp. 81, 483.* 
 
 1790. In the edition of 1790 the Articles of Re 
 ligion and the Doctrinal Tracts, instead of being pub 
 lished as an appendix to the Discipline, were inserted 
 in the body of it, and a new tract was added, " On 
 the Nature and Subjects of Christian Baptism." These 
 constituted, in the order they have been cited, sections 
 thirty-five to thirty-nine of this edition. 
 
 1791. In the Discipline of 1791 was inserted a 
 new section, namely, " § 9. Of Band Societies." 
 
 1799. Another General Conference having been 
 convened in 1792, the Discipline of the church was 
 revised and somewhat altered. The sections were 
 now distributed into three chapters, of which the first, 
 containing twenty-six sections, related to the ministry ; 
 the second, containing eight sections, to the member- 
 ship ; and the third, containing ten sections, embraced 
 the temporal economy of the church, the Doctrinal 
 Tracts, and the Forms. 
 
 A General Conference having been held regularly, 
 every four years from this time, no alterations were 
 made in the Discipline, except at its successive sessions. 
 
 1796. The Discipline of 1796 is distinguished 
 from all others, by containing notes on the respective 
 
 * In Dr. Bangs's History of the Methodist Episcopal Church, vol. i, 
 pp. 175-215, the Discipline of 1789 is published entire, excepting the 
 first section, for which see below, book ii, " The Bi9hop9' Address." 
 
1800-8.] Different Editions of the Discipline. 85 
 
 sections, prepared by the bishops. The origin and 
 design of these are thus stated in the " Advertisement to 
 the Reader :" — " The last General Conference desired 
 the bishops to draw up Annotations on the Form of Dis- 
 cipline, and to publish them with the present edition. 
 The bishops have accordingly complied, and have 
 proved or illustrated every thing by quotations from the 
 word of God, agreeably also to the advice of the con- 
 ference : and they sincerely pray that their labour of 
 love may be made a blessing to many. 1797." 
 
 In this edition we find, in the first chapter, two new 
 sections ; the one, Section 21. " Of the Local Preach- 
 ers;" the other, Section 28. " Of the Chartered Fund." 
 In the second chapter there are also two additional 
 sections ; the one, Section 9. " Of Slavery ;" the other, 
 Section 1 0. " Of the Sale and Use of Spirituous Liquors." 
 The Doctrinal.Tracts and the Forms are omitted. 
 
 1800. The Discipline of 1800 omits the bish- 
 ops' Notes, w r hich were ordered to be printed " by 
 themselves, but in such a manner that the Notes may 
 be conveniently bound up with the Form of Disci- 
 pline."* In this edition the section on " The Plan of 
 Education recommended to all our Seminaries of 
 Learning" is omitted ; and the Doctrinal Tracts (ex- 
 cept that on baptism) and the Forms are restored. 
 
 1804, In 1804 the Discipline was divided into 
 two parts, as now, the second relating to the " tempo- 
 ral economy" of the church. There has been no 
 change in the order of the sections from that time. 
 
 1808. In 1808 an important change was made 
 in the constitution of the church, by the establishment 
 of a delegated General Conference. In this year the 
 word " salary" was changed throughout to " allow- 
 ance." 
 
 * See below, book ii, part 2, sec. 8. 
 
86 Different Editions of the Discipline 
 
 1813. Since 1812 the Doctrinal Tracts have 
 been omitted. 
 
 1816. In 1816 the Forms, instead of being em- 
 braced, as before, in one chapter, (the third,) were di- 
 vided into two, of which one (the third) contained the 
 order for administering the sacraments, and the forms 
 for solemnizing matrimony and burying the dead ; and 
 the other (the fourth) contained the forms of ordination. 
 In this year the word " society" was very generally 
 changed to " church," the latter term having occurred 
 occasionally before. 
 
 1833. In 1832 a new section was added to part 
 ii, namely, " Section 6. Of the Support of Missions." 
 
 1840. In 1840 a new section wag added to part 
 i, chap. 1, namely, "Section 8. Of the reception of 
 Preachers from the Wesleyan Connection, and from 
 other Denominations ;" and the eighth section of chap- 
 ter 2, "Of the Sale and Use of Spirituous Liquors," 
 was omitted.* 
 
 * Some of the first copies of the 24mo. edition of the Discipline of 
 1840 were imperfect. (See below, book ii, part i, chap, i, sec. 4 and 
 16.) The correct copies may be known by having pp. 61-4 in smaller 
 type than the others. 
 
The Title of the Discipline. 87 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE SEVERAL SECTIONS. 
 
 In this book it is proposed to trace the modifications 
 which the respective sections of the Discipline have 
 undergone from time to time. Every material altera- 
 tion is noticed ; ar.d, in the Articles of Religion and 
 the Forms, even the most minute verbal changes. 
 When a section is long and complicated, its parts are 
 considered separately. To avoid unnecessary repeti- 
 tion, it will be understood that the first date under any 
 head indicates when a rule on the subject was first in- 
 troduced ; and the others, in succession, show the 
 changes which it subsequently underwent, until it as- 
 sumed its present form. The title of the Discipline 
 and the Bishops' Address will first be considered. 
 
 The Title. 
 
 1784. The original title was, as already stated, 
 " Minutes of several Conversations between the Rev. 
 Thomas Coke, LL.D., the Rev. Francis Asbury, and 
 others, at a Conference, begun in Baltimore, in the 
 State of Maryland, on Monday the 27th of December, 
 in the Year 1784. Composing a Form of Discipline 
 for the Ministers, Preachers, and other Members of the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church in America." 
 
 1786. The title was altered to the following: — 
 " The General Minutes of the Conferences of the Me- 
 thodist Episcopal Church in America, forming the Con- 
 stitution of the said Church." 
 
 1787. The following was the title : — " A Form 
 of Discipline for the Ministers, Preachers, and Mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America ; 
 
88 The Bishops* Address. 
 
 considered and approved at a Conference held in Bal 
 timore, in the State of Maryland, on Monday, the 27th 
 day of December, 1784. In which the Reverend 
 Thomas Coke, LL.D., and the Reverend Francis 
 Asbury presided. Arranged under proper Heads, 
 and methodized in a more acceptable and easy 
 Manner." 
 
 1789. The names were printed simply, — " Tho- 
 mas Coke and Francis Asbury." 
 
 1790. The Articles of Religion and the Doc- 
 trinal Tracts having been incorporated into the Disci- 
 pline, the following clause was inserted before the 
 words " of the Methodist Episcopal Church," namely, 
 (" now comprehending the Principles and Doctrines.") 
 
 1793. The title was altered so as to read, — 
 " The Doctrine and Discipline of the M. E. Church 
 in America, revised and approved at the General Con- 
 ference held at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, in 
 November, 1792: in which Thomas Coke and Fran- 
 cis Asbury presided." 
 
 1796. All after "America" was struck out, and 
 the following substituted : — " with Explanatory Notes, 
 by Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury." 
 
 1 804. The present title was adopted, namely : 
 " The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church." 
 
 The Bishojis' Address. 
 
 1789. This appears first in the Discipline of 
 1789 * as follows : — 
 
 * All references to the edition of 1789 are made, in view of what 
 has been stated, p. 82. 
 
The Bishops' Address. 89 
 
 " To the Members of the Methodist Societies in the 
 United States. 
 
 " Dearly Beloved Brethren, — We esteem it our duty 
 and privilege most earnestly to recommend to you, as 
 members of our church, our Form of Discipline, which 
 has been founded on the experience of fifty years in 
 Europe, and of twenty years in America ; as also on 
 the observations and remarks we have made on ancient 
 and modern churches. We have made some little al- 
 terations in the present edition, yet such as affect not 
 in any degree the essentials of our doctrines and disci- 
 pline. We think ourselves obliged to view and review 
 annually the whole order of our church, always aiming 
 at perfection, standing on the shoulders of those who 
 have lived before us, and taking the advantage of our 
 former selves. 
 
 " We wish to see this little publication in the house 
 of every Methodist, and the more so as it contains our 
 plan of collegiate and Christian education, and the Ar- 
 ticles of Religion maintained more or less, in part or in 
 the whole, by every reformed church in the world. 
 We would likewise declare our real sentiments con- 
 cerning the Scripture doctrine of election and repro- 
 bation ; as also on the infallible, unconditional per- 
 severance of all that ever have believed, or ever 
 shall ; and, lastly, on the doctrine of Christian per- 
 fection. 
 
 " Far from wishing you to be ignorant of any of our 
 doctrines, or any part of our Discipline, we desire you 
 to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the whole. 
 We know you are not, in general, able to purchase 
 many books ; but you ought, next to the word of God, 
 to procure the Articles and Canons of the church to 
 which you belong. This present, edition is small and 
 cheap, and we can assure you that the profits of the 
 sale of it shall be applied to charitable purposes. 
 
 " We remain your very affectionate brethren and 
 
90 The Bishops' Address. 
 
 pastors, who labour night and day, both in public and 
 
 private, for your good, 
 
 " Thomas Coke, 
 "Francis Asbury. 
 
 " Charlestown, [S. C.,] March 20, 1789." 
 
 1790. In the Discipline of 1790 the following 
 additional paragraphs are inserted at the beginning 
 of the Address : — 
 
 " We think it expedient to give you a brief account 
 of the rise of Methodism, (so called,) both in Europe 
 and America. In 1729 two young men in England, 
 reading the Bible, saw they could not be saved without 
 holiness, followed after it, and incited others so to do. 
 In 1737 they saw, likewise, that men are justified be- 
 fore they are sanctified : but still holiness was their 
 object. God then thrust them out to raise a holy 
 people. 
 
 " And during the space of thirty years past certain 
 persons, members of the society, emigrated from Eng- 
 land and Ireland, and settled in various parts of this 
 country. About twenty years ago Philip Embury, a 
 local preacher from Ireland, began to preach in the 
 city of New-York, and formed a society of his own 
 countrymen and the citizens. About the same time 
 Robert Strawbridge, a local preacher from Ireland, set- 
 tled in Frederic county, in the state of Maryland, and, 
 preaching there, formed some societies. In 1769 
 Richard Boardman and Joseph Pilmoor came to New- 
 York, who were the first regular Methodist preachers 
 on the continent. In the latter end of the year 1771 
 Francis Asbury and Richard Wright, of the same or- 
 der, came over. 
 
 " And we humbly believe that God's design, in rais- 
 ing up the preachers called Methodists in America, was 
 to reform the continent, and spread Scripture holiness 
 over these lands. As a proof hereof we have seen, in 
 the course of twenty-two years, a great and glorious 
 work of God, from New-York, through the Jerseys 
 
The Bishops' Address. 91 
 
 Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North and South 
 Carolina, and Georgia ; as also the extremities of the 
 western settlements." 
 
 These paragraphs were taken, with but little altera- 
 tion, from the Discipline of 1789, where they consti- 
 tuted the first section. A portion of them may also be 
 found in the Discipline of 1784, in the answer to ques- 
 tions four and five. 
 
 1 79 1 . The following alterations were made : — 
 In the second paragraph, second sentence, (1790,) for 
 " About twenty years ago," we have, " In the latter end 
 of the year 1766." The following was inserted as the 
 next sentence : — " In the same year Thomas Webb 
 preached in a hired room near the barracks ; and in 
 the year 1767 the rigging-house was occupied." The 
 following was also inserted : — " The first Methodist 
 church in New-York was built in 1768 or 1769." 
 
 1 792. The clause relating to " the rigging-house" 
 is omitted. And, in the last paragraph but one, (1789,) 
 reference is made to a tract " On the Nature and Sub- 
 jects of Christian Baptism," which was inserted in 
 this edition, as it had been in those of 1790 and 1791. 
 
 The Address is dated, " Baltimore, Nov. 16, 1792." 
 
 1790. The following alterations appear: — In 
 the first paragraph (1790) the sentences from "In 
 1729" to " a holy people" are marked with quotations, 
 and this note added at the foot of the page, " These 
 are the words of the Messrs. Wesley themselves." In 
 the second paragraph the first sentence is omitted, and 
 the next begins, "In the year 1766, &c." In the 
 third paragraph, "Delaware," and "the extremities of 
 the western and eastern states," are included among the 
 subjects of the work of God. In the fourth paragraph 
 (1st of 1789) all after "modern churches" is struck 
 out. In the fifth paragraph (2d of 1789) the words 
 "collegiate and" are struck out; the college (Cokes- 
 
92 The Origin of the M. E. Church. TCh. 1. 
 
 bury) having then been destroyed. The clause refer- 
 ring to the extract on baptism is struck out. The 
 reference to the other tracts, however, is retained, 
 though they were not published in the Discipline of 
 1796. 
 
 18 1^. In 1812 the reference to the plan of edu- 
 cation and the Doctrinal Tracts was omitted, the former 
 having been struck from the Discipline, and the latter 
 no longer published in connection with it. 
 
 1 840. In the last line of the last paragraph (1789) 
 the words " and religious" were inserted after " cha- 
 ritable." 
 
 The signatures to the Address have, of course, va- 
 ried from time to time with the changes in the episco- 
 pacy. Until 1S00 it was signed by "Thomas Coke" and 
 " Francis Asbury." In 1 800 and 1 804 the name of " Rich- 
 ard Whatcoat" was added. In 1808 and 1812 it was 
 signed by "Francis Asbury" and " William M'Kendree." 
 In 1816 and 1820 by "William M'Kendree, Enoch 
 George," and "Robert R. Roberts." In 1824 and 
 1828, "Joshua Soule" and "Elijah Hedding" are 
 added. In 1832 " Enoch George" omitted, and "James 
 O. Andrew" and "John Emory" added. In 1836 
 " William M'Kendree" and " John Emory" omitted, 
 and " Beverly Waugh" and " Thomas A. Morris" 
 added. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Of the Origin of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
 
 The only notice of the subject in 1784 is contained 
 in the answer to question 3, p. 27. The title is first 
 found in 1792, but the substance of the section is con- 
 tained in the Discipline of 1789, sections three and 
 four, as follows : — 
 
Sec. 1.3 The Origin of the M. E. Church. 93 
 
 1789. " Sec. 3. On the Nature and Constitu- 
 tion of our Church. 
 
 "We are thoroughly convinced that the Church of 
 England, to which we have been united, is deficient 
 in several of the most important parts of Christian 
 discipline ; and that (a few ministers and members 
 excepted) it has lost the life and power of religion. 
 We are not ignorant of the spirit and design it has ever 
 discovered in Europe, of rising to pre-eminence and 
 worldly dignities by virtue of a national establishment, 
 and by the most servile devotion to the will of tem- 
 poral governors : and we fear the same spirit will 
 lead the same Church in these United States (though 
 altered in its name) to similar designs and attempts, if 
 the number and strength of its members will ever afford 
 a probability of success ; and particularly to obtain a 
 national establishment, which we cordially abhor as the 
 great bane of truth and holiness, and consequently a 
 great impediment to the progress of vital Christianity. 
 
 " For these reasons we have thought it our duty to 
 form ourselves into an independent church. And as 
 the most excellent mode of church government, accord- 
 ing to our maturest judgment, is that of a moderate 
 episcopacy, and as we are persuaded that the uninter- 
 rupted succession of bishops from the apostles can be 
 proved neither from Scripture nor antiquity, we there- 
 fore have constituted ourselves into an Episcopal 
 Church, under the direction of bishops, elders, dea- 
 cons, and preachers, according to the forms of ordina- 
 tion annexed to our Prayer-book, and the regulations 
 laid down in this Form of Discipline." 
 
 " Sec 4. On constituting of Bishops, and their Duty. 
 
 " Quest. 1. What is the proper origin of the Epis- 
 copal authority in our church ? 
 
 " Ans. In the year 1784 the Rev. John Wesley, 
 who, under God, has been the father of the great re- 
 vival of religion now extending over the earth by the 
 means of the Methodists, determined, at the interces- 
 sion of multitudes of his spiritual children on this con- 
 
94 The Origin of the M. E. Church. tCh. \ 
 
 tinent, to ordain ministers for America, and for this 
 purpose sent over three regularly-ordained clergy ; but 
 preferring the Episcopal mode of church government 
 to any other, he solemnly set apart, by the imposition 
 of his hands and prayer, one of them, namely, Thomas 
 Coke, doctor of civil law, late of Jesus College, in the 
 University of Oxford, for the episcopal office ; and 
 having delivered to him letters of episcopal orders, 
 commissioned and directed him to set apart Francis 
 Asbury, then general assistant of the Methodist Soci- 
 ety in America, for the same Episcopal office, he, the 
 said Francis Asbury, being first ordained deacon and 
 elder. In consequence of which, the said Francis 
 Asbury was solemnly set apart for the said Episcopal 
 office by prayer and the imposition of the hands of the 
 said Thomas Coke, other regularly-ordained ministers 
 assisting in the sacred ceremony. At which time the 
 General Conference held at Baltimore did unanimously 
 receive the said Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury as 
 their bishops, being fully satisfied of the validity of 
 their Episcopal ordination." 
 
 179SI. These sections were condensed into one, 
 with the present title and number. Section 3, of 1789, 
 was struck out, and the following paragraph substituted : 
 
 " The preachers and members of our society, in 
 general, being convinced that there was a great defi- 
 ciency of vital religion in the Church of England in 
 America, and being in many places destitute of the 
 Christian sacraments, as several of the clergy had for- 
 saken their churches, requested the late Rev. John 
 Wesley to take such measures, in his wisdom and 
 prudence, as would afford them suitable relief in their 
 distress." 
 
 The remainder of the section reads as in the answer 
 of section 4, 1789, except that the first sentence be- 
 gins : — " In consequence of this our venerable friend, 
 who, under God, had been the father of the great revival 
 of religion now extending over the earth, by the means 
 
Sec. 2.] Tlie Articles of Religion. OS 
 
 of the Methodists, determined to ordain ministers for 
 America; and for this purpose, in the year 1784, 
 sent over, &c. ;" and after the other titles of Dr. 
 Coke it is added " and a presbyter of the Church of 
 England." 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Articles of Religion. 
 
 The Articles of Religion were originally prepared 
 by Mr. Wesley, and printed in " the Sunday Service" 
 which he sent over to America. They were not in- 
 corporated into the body of the Discipline until 1790, 
 when they constituted the thirty-fifth section. In 
 1791 they were the thirty-sixth section, and in 1792 
 they took their present place as the second section. 
 
 1784. The original articles are here compared 
 with the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England, 
 on the same plan that the first Discipline was compared 
 with the Large Minutes.* 
 
 "I. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. 
 
 " There is but one living and true God, everlasting, 
 without body, parts, or passions ; of infinite power, 
 wisdom, and goodness ; the Maker and Preserver of 
 all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of 
 this Godhead there are 1 three Persons of one substance, 
 power, and eternity ; the Father, the Son, and the 
 Holy Ghost. 
 
 " II. Of the Word, or Son of God, who 2 was made 
 very Man. 
 
 " The Son, who 2 is the Word of the Father, be- 
 gotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and 
 eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took 
 
 * See page 25. l " be." — Thirty. nine Articles. 
 
 ' " which."— lb. 3 " which."— lb 
 
96 The Articles of Religion, and CCh. 1. 
 
 man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, [of 
 her substance ;] so that two whole and perfect natures, 
 that is to say, the Godhead and manhood, were joined 
 together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is 
 one Christ, very God, and very man, who truly suf- 
 fered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his 
 Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original 
 guilt, but also for actual sins of men. 
 
 [" (III.) Of the going down of Christ into Hell. 
 
 " As Christ died for us, and was buried ; so also is it to be 
 believed that he went down into hell.] 
 
 " III. (IV.) Of the Resurrection of Christ. 
 
 " Christ did truly rise again from the dead, and took 
 again his body, with [flesh, bones, and] all things 
 appertaining to the perfection of man's nature, where- 
 with he ascended into heaven, and there sitteth until 
 he return to judge all men at the last day. 
 
 " IV. (V.) Of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 " The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and 
 the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with 
 the Father and the Son, very and eternal God. 
 
 "V. (VI.) Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures 
 for Salvation. 
 
 " Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to 
 salvation : so that whatsoever is not read therein, or 1 
 may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any 
 man, that it should be believed as an Article of the 
 Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. 
 In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand 
 those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, 
 of whose authority was never any doubt in the church. 
 
 nor." — Thirty-nine Articles. 
 
Sec. 2.] The Thirty-nine Articles. 97 
 
 "Of the Names [and Number] of the Canonical 
 Books. 
 
 " Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuterono- 
 my, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, The First Book of Samuel, 
 The Second Book of Samuel, The First Book of Kings, 
 The Second Book of Kings, The First Book of Chron- 
 icles, The Second Book of Chronicles, The Book of 
 Ezra, 1 The Book of Nehemiah, 2 The Book of Hester, 
 The Book of Job, The Psalms, The Proverbs, Ecclesi- 
 astes, or the Preacher, Cantica, or Songs of Solomon, 
 Four Prophets the greater, Twelve Prophets the less. 
 
 [" And the other books (as Hierome saith) the Church doth 
 read for example of life and instruction of manners ; but yet 
 doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine : such are these 
 following : — 
 
 " The Third Book of Esdras, The Fourth Book of Esdras, 
 The Book of Tobias, The Book of Judith, The rest of the Book 
 of Esther, The Book of Wisdom, Jesus the Son of Sirach, 
 Baruch the Prophet, The Song of the three Children, The 
 'Story of Susanna, Of Bel and the Dragon, The Prayer of 
 Manasses, The First Book of Maccabees, The Second Book of 
 Maccabees.] 
 
 " All the books of the New Testament, as they 
 are commonly received, we do receive and account 
 [them] canonical. 
 
 " VI. (VII.) Of the Old Testament. 
 
 " The Old Testament is not contrary to the New ; 
 for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting 
 life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only 
 Mediator between God and man, being both God and 
 man. Wherefore they are not to be heard, who 2 feign 
 that the old fathers did look only for transitory pro- 
 mises. Although the law given from God by Moses, 
 as touching ceremonies and rites, doth* not bind Chris- 
 
 1 "The First Book of Esdras." — Thirty.nine Articles. 
 
 * " The Second Book of Esdras."— lb. 
 
 • " which."— 76. * " do."— lb. 
 
 5 
 
98 The Articles of Religion, and [Ch. 1. 
 
 tians, 1 nor ought the civil precepts thereof 2 of neces- 
 sity to be received in any commonwealth : yet not- 
 withstanding, no Christian [man] whatsoever is free 
 from the obedience of the commandments which are 
 called moral. 
 
 [" (VIII.) Of the three Creeds. 
 
 " The three creeds, Nicene Creed, Athanasius' Creed, and 
 that which is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, ought 
 thoroughly to be received and believed : for they may be proved 
 by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture.] 
 
 "VII. (IX.) Of Original or Birth Sin. 
 
 " Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, 
 (as the Pelagians do vainly talk,) but it is the [fault 
 and] corruption of the nature of every man, that natu- 
 rally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby 
 man is very far gone from original righteousness, and 
 [is] of his own nature inclined to evil, and that con- 
 tinually > 3 
 
 [" and therefore in every person born into this world, it de- 
 serveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of 
 nature doth remain ; yea, in them that are regenerated ; whereby 
 the lust of the flesh, called in Greek, §povr}(ia oapnoc , which some 
 do expound the wisdom, some sensuality, some the affection, 
 some the desire of the flesh, is not subject to the law of God. 
 And although there is no condemnation for them that believe 
 and are baptized, yet the apostle doth confess, that concupiscence 
 and lust hath of itself the nature of sin.] 
 
 " VIII. (X.) Of Free Will 
 
 " The condition of man after the fall of Adam is 
 such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself by his 
 own natural strength and [good] works, to faith, and 
 calling upon God : wherefore we have no power to do 
 good works pleasant and acceptable to God, without 
 the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we n.ay 
 
 1 "Christian men.' 1 '' —Thirty. nine Articles. 
 
 8 " nor the civil precepts thereof ought." — lb. 
 
 9 "so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit." — lb. 
 
Sec. 2.] The Thirty-nine Articles. 99 
 
 have a good will, and working with us, when we have 
 that good will. 
 
 " IX. (XI.) Of the Justification of Man. 
 " We are accounted righteous before God, only for 
 the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by- 
 faith, and not for our own works or deservings : 
 wherefore, that we are justified by faith only, is a 
 most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort, [as 
 more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justi- 
 fication.] 
 
 "X. (XII.) Of good Works. 
 
 " Although 1 good works, which are the fruits of 
 faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away 
 our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgment ; 
 yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, 
 and [do] spring out [necessarily] of a true and lively 
 faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as 
 evidently known, as a tree discerned by its 2 fruit. 
 
 [" (XIII.) Of Works before Justification. 
 
 " Works done before the grace of Christ, and the inspiration 
 of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God ; forasmuch as they spring 
 not of faith in Jesus Christ, neither do they make men meet to 
 receive grace, or (as the school authors say) deserve grace of 
 congruity ; yea, rather, for that they are not done as God hath 
 willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they 
 have the nature of sin.] 
 
 " XL (XIV.) Of Works of Supererogation. 
 
 " Voluntary works, besides, over and above God's 
 commandments, which they call works of supereroga- 
 tion, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety. 
 For by them men do declare, that they do not only 
 render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but 
 that they do more for his sake than of bounden duty is 
 required : whereas Christ saith plainly, When ye have 
 
 1 " Albeit that."— Thirty. nine Articles. a " the."— lb. 
 
100 The Articles of Religion, and CCh. 1. 
 
 done all that is 1 commanded [to] you, say, We are un- 
 profitable servants. 
 
 [" (XV.) Of Christ alone without Sin. 
 
 " Christ, in the truth of our nature, was made like unto us in 
 all things, sin only except, from which he was clearly void, both 
 in his flesh and in his spirit. He came to be the Lamb without 
 spot, who, by sacrifice of himself once made, should take away 
 the sins of the world ; and sin (as St. John saith) was not in 
 him. But all we the rest (although baptized and born again in 
 Christ) yet offend in many things ; and if we say we have no 
 sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.] 
 
 " XII. (XVI.) Of Sin after Justification. 2 
 
 " Not every sin willingly committed after justifica- 
 tion is the 3 sin against the Holy Ghost, and unpar- 
 donable. Wherefore the grant of repentance is not to 
 be denied to such as fall into sin, after justification : 4 
 after we have received the Holy Ghost, we may de- 
 part from grace given, and fall into sin, and by the 
 grace of God [we may] rise again, and amend our 
 lives. And therefore they are to be condemned who 5 
 say they can no more sin as long as they live here, or 
 deny the place of forgiveness to such as truly repent. 
 
 [" (XVII.) Of Predestination and Election. 
 
 " Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God, 
 whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath 
 constantly decreed by his counsel, secret to us, to deliver from 
 curse and damnation those, whom he hath chosen in Christ out 
 of mankind, and to bring them by Christ to everlasting salvation, 
 as vessels made to honour. Wherefore they which be endued 
 with so excellent a benefit of God, be called according to God's 
 purpose by his Spirit working in due season : they through grace 
 obey the callmg : they be justified freely : they be made sons of 
 God by adoption : they be made like the image of his only-be- 
 gotten Son Jesus Christ : they walk religiously in good works, 
 and, at length, by God's mercy, they attain to everlasting 
 felicity. 
 
 x " are." — Thirty-nine Articles. a " Baptism." — 76. 
 
 * «♦ deadly sin willingly committed after baptism is." — lb. 
 
 ♦ " baptism."— 7&. 5 " which."— lb. 
 
Sec. 2.] The Thtrty-ninc Articles. 101 
 
 " As the godly consideration of predestination and our election 
 in Christ is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to 
 godly persons, and such as feel in themselves the working of 
 the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the flesh, and their 
 earthly members, and drawing up their mind to high and hea- 
 venly things ; as well because it doth greatly establish and con- 
 firm their faith of eternal salvation, to be enjoyed through Christ, 
 as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God : 
 so for curious and carnal persons, lacking the Spirit of Christ, 
 to have continually before their eyes the sentence of God's pre- 
 destination, is a most dangerous downfall, whereby the devil 
 dost thrust them either into desperation, or into wretchlessness 
 of most unclean living, no less perilous than desperation. 
 
 "Furthermore, we must receive God's promises in such wise 
 as they be generally set forth to us in Holy Scripture : and in 
 our doings, that will of God is to be followed, which we have 
 expressly declared unto us in the word of God. 
 
 " (XVIII.) Of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of 
 Christ. 
 
 " They also are to be had accursed, that presume to say, that 
 every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he pro- 
 fesseth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that 
 law, and the light of nature. For Holy Scripture doth set out 
 unto us only the name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be 
 saved.] 
 
 " XIII. (XIX.) Of the Church. 
 
 " The visible church of Christ is a congregation of 
 faithful men, in the which the pure word of God is 
 preached, and the sacraments [be] duly administered 
 according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that 
 of necessity are requisite to the same. 
 
 [" As the Church of Hierusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, 
 have erred ; so also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only 
 in their living and manner of ceremonies, but also in matters 
 of faith. 
 
 " (XX.) Of the Authority of the Church. 
 
 " The Church hath power to decree rites or ceremonies, and 
 authority in controversies of faith ; and yet it is not lawful for 
 the Church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God's word, 
 written ; neither may it so expound one place of Scripture, that 
 it be repugnant to another. Wherefore, although the Church 
 be a witness and a keeper of holy writ, yet, as it ought not to 
 
102 The Articles of Religion, and [Ch. 1. 
 
 decree any thing against the same, so besides the same ought 
 it not Jo enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of sal- 
 vation. 
 
 " (XXI.) Of the Authority of General Councils. 
 
 " General councils may not be gathered together without the 
 commandment and will of princes. And when they be gathered 
 together (forasmuch as they be an assembly of men, whereof all 
 be not governed with the Spirit and word of God) they may err, 
 and sometimes have erred, even in things pertaining unto God. 
 Wherefore things ordained by them as necessary to salvation, 
 have neither strength nor authority, unless it may be declared 
 that they be taken out of Holy Scripture.] 
 
 "XIV. (XXII.) Of Purgatory. 
 
 "The Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, par- 
 dons, worshipping, and adoration, as well of images, 
 as of reliques, and also invocation of saints, is a fond 
 thing vainly invented, and grounded upon no warrant[y] 
 of Scripture, but [rather] repugnant to the word of 
 God. 
 
 [" (XXIII.) Of Ministering in the Congregation. 
 
 " It is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of 
 public preaching, or ministering the sacraments in the congre- 
 gation, before he be lawfully called, and sent to execute the 
 same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent, 
 which be chosen and called to this work by men who have public 
 authority given unto them in the congregation to call and send 
 ministers into the Lord's vineyard.] 
 
 " XV. (XXIV.) Of speaking in the Congregation in 
 such a tongue as the people under stana\eth.\ 
 
 " It is a thing plainly repugnant to the word of God, 
 and the custom of the primitive church, to have public 
 prayer in the church, or to minister the sacraments in 
 a tongue not understood by 1 the people. 
 
 " XVI. (XXV.) Of the Sacraments. 
 
 " Sacraments ordained of Christ, are 2 not only badges 
 or tokens of Christian men's profession ; but rather they 
 
 1 " understanded of." — Thirty-nine Articles. 2 " be." — lb. 
 
Sec. 2.] The Thirty-nine Articles. 103 
 
 are 1 certain [sure witnesses and effectual] signs of 
 grace, and God's good will toward us, by the which 
 he doth work invisibly in us, and doth not only quicken, 
 but also strengthen and confirm our faith in him. 
 
 " There are two sacraments ordained of Christ our 
 Lord in the gospel ; that is to say, baptism, and the 
 supper of the Lord. 
 
 " Those five commonly called sacraments ; that is 
 to say, confirmation, penance, orders, matrimony, and 
 extreme unction, are not to be counted for sacraments 
 of the gospel, being such as have grown, partly of the 
 corrupt following of the apostles, partly are states of 
 life allowed in the Scriptures : but yet have not the 
 like nature of [sacraments with] baptism and the Lord's 
 supper, because 2 they have not any visible sign or 
 ceremony ordained of God. 
 
 " The sacraments were not ordained of Christ to be 
 gazed upon, or to be carried about ; but that we should 
 duly use them. And in such only as worthily receive 
 the same, they have a wholesome effect or operation : 
 but they that receive them unworthily, purchase to 
 themselves condemnation, 2 as St. Paul saith. 
 
 [" (XXVI.) Of the Unworthiness of the Ministers, which hinders 
 not the Effect of the Sacrament. 
 
 " Although in the visible church the evil be ever mingled with 
 the good, and sometimes the evil have chief authority in the 
 ministration of the word and sacraments : yet forasmuch as they 
 do not the same in their own name, but in Christ's, and do minis- 
 ter by his commission and authority, we may use their ministry, 
 both in hearing the word of God, and in the receiving of the 
 sacraments. Neither is the effect of Christ's ordinance taken 
 away by their wickedness, nor the grace of God's gifts diminished 
 from such, as by faith, and rightly, do receive the sacraments 
 ministered unto them, which be effectual, because of Christ's 
 institution and promise, although they be ministered by evil men. 
 
 " Nevertheless, it appertaineth to the discipline of the Church, 
 that inquiry be made of evil ministers, and that they be accused 
 by those that have knowledge of their offences : and finally, 
 being found guilty, by just judgment, be deposed.] 
 
 » "be." — Thirty-nine Articles. 2 " for that." — lb. 
 
 9 " damnation." — lb. 
 
104 The Articles of Religion, and [Ch. 1 
 
 * XVII. (XXVII.) Of Baptism. 
 
 "Baptism is not only a sign of profession, and mark of 
 difference, whereby Christians 1 are distinguished 2 from 
 others that are 3 not baptized ; 4 but it is also a sign of 
 regeneration, or the new birth, [whereby, as by an 
 instrument, they that receive baptism rightly are grafted 
 into the Church : the promises of the forgiveness of 
 sin, and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the 
 Holy Ghost, are visibly signed and sealed : faith is 
 confirmed, and grace increased by virtue of prayer 
 unto God.] The baptism of young children is [in any 
 wise] to be retained in the Church [as most agreeable 
 with the institution of Christ.] 
 
 " XVIII. (XXVIII.) Of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 " The supper of the Lord is not only a sign of the 
 love that Christians ought to have among themselves 
 one to another, but rather is a sacrament of our re- 
 demption by Christ's death : insomuch, that to such as 
 rightly, worthily, and with faith receive the same, the 
 bread which we break is a partaking of the body of 
 Christ ; and likewise the cup of blessing is a partaking 
 of the blood of Christ. 
 
 " Transubstantiation, or the change of the substance 
 of bread and wine in the supper of the Lord, cannot be 
 proved by holy writ ; but is repugnant to the plain 
 words of Scripture, overthroweth the nature of a sacra- 
 ment, and hath given occasion to many superstitions. 
 
 "The body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in 
 the supper, only after an heavenly and spiritual manner. 
 And the mean whereby the body of Christ is received 
 and eaten in the supper, is faith. 
 
 " The sacrament of the Lord's supper was not by 
 Christ's ordinance reserved, carried about, lifted up, or 
 worshipped. 
 
 1 " Christian men." — Thirty-nine Articles. a " discerned." — lb. 
 » " be."— lb. « " christened."— lb. 
 
Sec. 2.] The Thirty-nine Articles. 105 
 
 [" (XXIX.) Of the wicked, tvhich eat not the Body of Christ 
 in the Use of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 " The wicked, and such as be void of a lively faith, although 
 they do carnally and visibly press with their teeth (as St. Au- 
 gustine saith) the sacrament of the body and blood of Christ ; 
 yet in no wise are they partakers of Christ ; but rather to their 
 condemnation do eat and drink the sign or sacrament of so great 
 a thing.] 
 
 " XIX. (XXX.) Of both Kinds. 
 
 " The cup of the Lord is not to be denied to the lay- 
 people ; for both the parts of the Lord's supper 1 by- 
 Christ's ordinance and commandment, ought to be 
 ministered to all Christians 2 alike. 
 
 "XX. (XXXI.) Of the one Oblation of Christ, finished 
 upon the Cross. 
 
 " The offering of Christ once made, is that perfect 
 redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the 
 sins of the whole world, both original and actual ; and 
 there is none other satisfaction for sin but that alone. 
 Wherefore the sacrifice of masses, in the which it is 3 
 commonly said that the priest doth 4 offer Christ for the 
 quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, 
 is a blasphemous fable, and dangerous deceit. 5 
 
 "XXI. (XXXII.) Of the Marriage of Ministers. 6 
 
 " The ministers of Christ 1 are not commanded by 
 God's law either to vow the estate of single life, or to 
 abstain from marriage ; therefore it is lawful for them, 
 as for all other Christians* to marry at their own dis- 
 cretion, as they shall judge the same to serve best* to 
 godliness. 
 
 1 " sacrament." — Thirty-nine Articles. a " Christian men." — lb. 
 3 " was."— lb. * " did."— lb. 
 
 8 " were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits." — lb. 
 • u Priests." — lb. 7 " Bishops, priests, and deacons." — lb. 
 
 s " Christian men."— lb. 9 " better."— lb. 
 
 5* 
 
106 The Articles of Religion, and [Ch. 1 
 
 [" (XXXIII.) Of excommunicate Persons, hoiv they are to be 
 avoided. 
 
 " That person which by open denunciation of the Church is 
 lightly cut off from the unity of the Church, and excommuni- 
 cated, ought to be taken of the whole multitude of the faithful 
 as a heathen and publican, until he be openly reconciled by pen- 
 ance, and received into the Church by a judge that hath autho- 
 rity thereunto.] 
 
 " XXII. (XXXIV.) Of the Rites and Ceremonies of 
 Churches. 1 
 
 " It is not necessary that rites and ceremonies should 
 in all places be the same, or exactly alike ; for they 
 have been always different, 2 and may be changed ac- 
 cording to the diversity of countries, times, and men's 
 manners, so that nothing be ordained against God's 
 word. Whosoever, through his private judgment, will- 
 ingly and purposely doth openly break the rites 2 and 
 ceremonies of the church to which he belongs, which 
 ere 4 not repugnant to the word of God, and are 5 or- 
 dained and approved by common authority, ought to 
 be rebuked openly, that others may fear to do the 
 like, as one 6 that orTendeth against the common order 
 of the church, [and hurteth the authority of the magis- 
 trate,] and woundeth the consciences of [the] weak 
 brethren. 
 
 " Every particular [or national] church may 1 ordain, 
 change, or 6 abolish rites and ceremonies, so that all 
 things may be done to edification. 9 
 
 ["(XXXV.) Of the Homilies. 
 
 " The second Book of Homilies, the several titles whereof we 
 have joined, under this article, doth contain a godly and whole- 
 
 1 "Of the Traditions of the Church." — Thirty-nine Articles. 
 
 2 " traditions and ceremonies be in all places one, or utterly like ; 
 for at all times they have been divers." — lb. 
 
 8 " traditions."— lb. * » be."— lb. 5 " be."— lb. 6 " he."— lb. 
 7 " hath authority to ordain." — lb. 8 " and." — lb. 
 
 9 " ceremonies, or rites of the church, ordained only by man's au. 
 thority, so that all things be done to edifying." — lb. 
 
Sec. 2J The Thirty-nine Articles. 107 
 
 some doctrine, and necessary for these times, as doth the former 
 Book of Homilies, which were set forth in the time of Edward 
 the Sixth, and therefore we judge them to be read in churches 
 by the ministers diligently and distinctly, that they may be un- 
 derstated of the people. 
 
 Of the Names of the Homilies. 
 
 " 1. Of the Right Use of the Church. 2. Against Peril of 
 Idolatry. 3. Of repairing and keeping clean of Churches. 4. Of 
 Good Works : first of Fasting. 5. Against Gluttony and Drunk- 
 enness. 6. Against excess of Apparel. 7. Of Prayer. 8. Of 
 the Place and Time of Prayer. 9. That Common Prayers and 
 Sacraments ought to be ministered in a known Tongue. 10. Of 
 the reverent Estimation of God's Word. 11. Of Alms-doing. 
 12. Of the Nativity of Christ. 13. Of the Passion of Christ. 
 14. Of the Resurrection of Christ. 15. Of the worthy receiv- 
 ing of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. 16. Of 
 the Gifts of the Holy Ghost. 17. For the Rogation-days. 
 18. Of the State of Matrimony. 19. Of Repentance. 20. Against 
 Idleness. 21. Against Rebellion. 
 
 " (XXXVI.) Of Consecration of Bishops and Ministers. 
 
 " The Book of Consecration of Archbishops and Bishops, and 
 Ordering of Priests and Deacons, lately set forth in the time of 
 Edward the Sixth, and confirmed at the same time by authority 
 of parliament, doth contain all things necessary to such conse- 
 cration and ordering : neither hath it any thing that of itself is 
 superstitious and ungodly. And therefore whosoever are con- 
 secrated or ordered according to the rites of that book, since the 
 second year of the forenamed King Edward, unto this time, or 
 hereafter shall be consecrated or ordered according to the same 
 rites ; we decree all such to be rightly, orderly, and lawfully 
 consecrated and ordered. 
 
 ("XXXVII.) Of the Civil Magistrates. 
 
 " The king's majesty hath the chief power in this realm of 
 England, and other his dominions, unto whom the chief govern- 
 ment of all estates of this realm, whether they be ecclesiastical 
 or civil, in all causes doth appertain, and is not, nor ought to be, 
 subject to any foreign jurisdiction. 
 
 " Where we attribute to the king's majesty the chief govern- 
 ment, by which titles we understand the minds of some slander- 
 ous folks to be offended ; we give not to our princes the minis- 
 tering either of God's word, or of the sacraments, the which 
 thing the injunctions also lately set forth by Elizabeth our queen 
 do most plainly testify ; but that only prerogative, which we see 
 
108 Articles of Religion, and [Ch. 1. 
 
 to have been given always to all godly princes in Holy Scrip- 
 tures by God himself; that is, that they should rule all estates 
 and degrees committed to their charge by God, whether they be 
 ecclesiastical or temporal, and restrain with the civil sword the 
 stubborn and evil doers. 
 
 " The bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this realm of 
 England. 
 
 " The laws of the realm may punish Christian men with 
 death, for heinous and grievous offences. 
 
 " It is lawful for Christian men, at the commandment of the 
 magistrate, to wear weapons, and serve in the wars.]* 
 
 " XXIII. [XXIV.] (XXXVIII.) Of Christian men's 
 Goods, [which are not common.] 
 
 " The riches and goods of Christians are not com- 
 mon as touching the right, title, and possession of the 
 same, as some 1 do falsely boast. Notwithstanding, 
 every man ought, of such things as he possesseth, 
 liberally to give alms to the poor according to his 
 ability. 
 
 " XXIV. [XXV.] (XXXIX.) Of a Christian Man's 
 Oath. 
 
 " As we confess that vain and rash swearing is for- 
 bidden Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 James his apostle ; so we judge that the Christian reli- 
 
 * Although Mr. Wesley inserted, in the Liturgy which he prepared 
 for the American Methodists, a prayer for " the supreme rulers of the 
 United States," yet he probably did not think himself sufficiently 
 familiar with the subject to draw up an article respecting " the civil 
 magistrates." Such an article was framed, however, at the Christmas 
 Conference, when the church was organized. It could not be printed 
 with the others, because they had been previously printed in England. 
 It was inserted, however, in the next edition of the Prayer-book, in 
 1786, (see " Defence of our Fathers," sec. 8,) and read as follows : — 
 
 " XXIII. Of the Rulers of the United States of America. 
 
 " The congress, the general assemblies, the governors, and the 
 councils of state, as the delegates of the people, are the rulers of the 
 United States of America, according to the division of power made 
 to them by the general Act of Confederation, and by the Constitu. 
 tions of their respective states. And the said states ought not to be 
 subject to any foreign jurisdiction." 
 
 1 " certain Anabaptists." — Thirty.nine Articles. 
 
Sec. 2.) The Thirty-nine Articles. 109 
 
 gion doth not prohibit, but that a man may swear when 
 the magistrate requireth, in a cause of faith and cha- 
 rity, so it be done according to the prophet's teaching, 
 in justice, judgment, and truth." 
 
 The following alterations have been made in the 
 Articles, from time to time. It will be perceived that 
 they are almost all typographical errors, or substitutions 
 of modern forms of expression ; but, on account of the 
 importance of the subject, it has been thought best to 
 notice them all. 
 
 1786. Article I, 1. 2. For " without body, parts, 
 or passions," read " without body or parts." 
 
 Article II, 11. 1, 2, "begotten from everlasting of 
 the Father," omitted. 
 
 Article XIII, 1. 2. For " in the which"—" in which." 
 
 "Article XVI, 1. 15. For "grown partly" — "partly 
 grown." 
 
 1789. Article V, 1. 4, " the" omitted. 
 Article XIV, 1. 2. For " pardons"—" pardon." 
 
 1790. Article V, 1. 9. For "Of the names"— 
 " The names." 
 
 Article XXIII, (in the note,) 1. 1. Before "The 
 Congress," insert " The President." 
 
 1791. Article XIX, 1. 4. For "ministered"— 
 " administered." 
 
 1796. Article XVIII, 1. 10. For "the Lord"— 
 " our Lord." 
 
 1804. Article XXIII, (in the note.) For " the 
 general Act of Confederation" — "the Constitution of the 
 United States." After " said states," the following in- 
 serted — " are a sovereign and independent nation, and." 
 
 1 808. Article V, 1. 3. For " or"—" nor." 
 
 Article XVIII, 1. 15. For " spiritual"—" scriptural," 
 a misprint which has been continued in every sub- 
 sequent edition. 
 
 1813. Article VI, 1. 10, " to" omitted. 
 
 Article X, 1. 7, " is" inserted after " tree." 
 
 Article XVIII, 11. 1, 2. The words, "of the love," 
 
110 f Of the General and Annual Conferences. [Ch. 1. 
 
 omitted — a misprint which was not corrected until 
 1840. 
 
 1816. Article V, 1. 1 . For " Holy Scripture con 
 taineth" — " The Holy Scriptures contain." 
 
 Article XI, 1. 2. For " they call"—" are called." 
 
 Article XVI, end. "1 Cor. xi, 29" added. 
 
 1820. Article I, 1. 4, " both" omitted. 
 
 Article XVIII. 1. 16. For " mean"—" means." 
 
 Article XXIII, end The following note was added : 
 "As far as it respects civil affairs, we believe it the duty 
 of Christians, and especially all Christian ministers, to be 
 subject to the supreme authority of the country where 
 they may reside, and to use all laudable means to en- 
 join obedience to the 'powers that be ; and therefore it 
 is expected that all our preachers and people, who may 
 be under the British or any other government, will be- 
 have themselves as peaceable and orderly subjects."* 
 
 1 824. Article VI, 1. 8. For " rites"—" rights," a 
 misprint which was continued until 1836. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of the General and Annual Conferences. 
 
 The section corresponding to this in 1789 was the 
 second, entitled — " On the Method of holding a Con- 
 ference, and the Business to be done therein." In 
 1792 it was made the third section, with the title, 
 "Of the General and District Conferences," and in 1796, 
 " District"! was changed to " Yearly" and that, in 1 816, 
 to " Annual." 
 
 * This note was added especially to meet the peculiar case of the 
 brethren in Canada, against whom unfounded suspicions had been 
 created, because the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which they were 
 then a part, was regarded as a foreign ecclesiastical authority. 
 
 t To avoid repetition it is here stated, once for all, that throughout 
 the Discipline of 1792 the annual conferences are called " District 
 Conferences," there being then one held for every presiding elder's dis- 
 trict. But the term was never afterward thus employed ; though it 
 was subsequently (1820-1836) applied to the conferences of local 
 preaobers appointed for each presiding elder's district. 
 
Sec. 3.] Of the General Conference. Ill 
 
 The introductory part of this section is found in the 
 first Discipline, (Question l,)and as it has undergone 
 no material alteration since, it will be sufficient to refer 
 to it.* The remainder of the section was not divided 
 until 1808, but for convenience, the whole will be 
 treated under the heads then adopted, namely, " Of 
 the General Conference" and " Of the Annual Con- 
 ference." 
 
 Ofthe General Conference. 
 
 Nothing appears, on this subject, until 1792, when 
 the first General Conference, after the organization ofthe 
 church, was held. We then find the following : — 
 
 1 792. " Quest. 2. Who shall compose the Gen- 
 eral Conference ? 
 
 " Ans. All the travelling preachers who shall be in 
 full connection at the time of holding the conference. 
 
 " Quest. 3. When and where shall the next General 
 Conference be held ? 
 
 " Ans. On the first day of November, in the year 
 1796, in the town of Baltimore." 
 
 1796. Question 3, struck out. 
 
 1 800. An additional qualification for member- 
 ship was added, namely : — to " have travelled four 
 years." 
 
 1804. It was provided that the "four years" 
 should date " from the time that they were received on 
 trial by an annual conference." 
 
 1808. This was the last meeting of a General 
 Conference, composed of all the preachers who had 
 travelled four years. It was then resolved to have, in 
 future, a delegated General Conference, and the fol- 
 lowing was adopted as its constitution, in lieu of the 
 former. 
 
 11 Quest. 2. Who shall compose the General Confer- 
 ence, and what are the regulations and powers belonging 
 to it? 
 
 " Ans. 1. The General Conference shall be com- 
 
 * See above, p. 26. 
 
112 Of the General Conference. [Ch. 1. 
 
 posed of one member for every five members of each 
 annual conference, to be appointed either by seniority 
 or choice, at the discretion of such annual conference : 
 yet so that such representatives shall have travelled at 
 least four full calendar years from the time that they 
 were received on trial by an annual conference, and 
 are in full connection at the time of holding the con- 
 ference. 
 
 " 2. The General Conference shall meet on the first 
 day of May, in the year of our Lord 1812, in the city 
 of New-York, and thenceforward on the first day of 
 May, once in four years perpetually, in such place or 
 places as shall be fixed on by the General Conference 
 from time to time : but the general superintendents, 
 with or by the advice of all the annual conferences, or 
 if there be no general superintendent, all the annual 
 conferences respectively shall have power to call a 
 General Conference, if they judge it necessary at any 
 time. 
 
 " 3. At all times when the General Conference is 
 met, it shall take two-thirds of the representatives of all 
 the annual conferences to make a quorum for transact- 
 ing business. 
 
 " 4. One of the general superintendents shall preside 
 in the General Conference ; but in case no general su- 
 perintendent be present, the General Conference shall 
 choose a president pro tern. 
 
 " 5. The General .Conference shall have full powers 
 to make rules and regulations for our church, under the 
 following limitations and restrictions, namely : — 
 
 " 1. The General Conference shall not revoke, alter, 
 or change our Articles of Religion, nor establish any 
 .new standards or rules of doctrine contrary to our pre- 
 sent existing and established standards of doctrine. 
 
 " 2. They shall not allow of more than one represent- 
 ative for every five members of the annual conference, 
 nor allow of a less number than one for every seven. 
 
 "3. They shall not change or alter any part or rule 
 of our government, so as to do away episcopacy, or 
 
Sec. 3.] Of the General Conference. 113 
 
 destroy the plan of our itinerant general superintend 
 ency. 
 
 "4. They shall not revoke or change the general rules 
 of the United Societies. 
 
 "5. They shall not do away the privileges of our 
 ministers or preachers of trial by a committee, and 
 of an appeal : neither shall they do away the privi- 
 leges of our members of trial before the society, or by 
 a committee, and of an appeal. 
 
 " 6. They shall not appropriate the produce of the 
 Book Concern, nor of the Chartered Fund, to any 
 purpose other than for the benefit of the travelling, 
 supernumerary, superannuated and worn-out preachers, 
 their wives, widows, and children. 
 
 " Provided, nevertheless, that upon the joint recom 
 mendation of all the annual conferences, then a majority 
 of two-thirds of the General Conference succeeding, 
 shall suffice to alter any of the above restrictions." 
 
 1816. The ratio of representation, in Ans. 1, 
 was altered to oi>e lor every seven. 
 
 1 832. The former proviso, at the c\ose of the 
 restrictive rules, was struck out, and the following sub- 
 stituted : " Provided, nevertheless, that upon the con- 
 current recommendation of three-fourths of all the 
 members of the several annual conferences, who shall 
 be present and vote on such recommendation, then a 
 majority of two-thirds of the General Conference suc- 
 ceeding shall suffice to alter any of the above restric- 
 tions excepting the first article : and also, whenever such 
 alteration or alterations shall have been first recom- 
 mended by two-thirds of the General Conference, so 
 soon as three-fourths of the members of all the annual 
 conferences shall have concurred as aforesaid, such 
 alteration or alterations shall take effect." 
 
 1 836. The ratio of representation was altered 
 to one for every twenty-one ; and to allow this, the 
 second of the restrictive rules was changed to the 
 following : — 
 
 "2. They shall not allow of more than one repre- 
 
114 Of the Annual Conferences. CCh. 1. 
 
 sentative for every fourteen members of the annual 
 conference, nor allow of a less number than one for 
 every thirty : provided, nevertheless, that when there 
 shall be in any annual conference a fraction of two- 
 thirds the number which shall be fixed for the ratio of 
 representation, such annual conference shall be entitled 
 to an additional delegate for such fraction ; and pro- 
 vided, also, that no conference shall be denied the 
 privilege of two delegates." 
 
 Of the Annual Conferences. 
 
 First, as to who compose them, when and where held. 
 
 There was nothing in relation to these points in the 
 Discipline of 1784, or 1789 ; but in 1792 we have the 
 following : — 
 
 1 792, " Quest. 4. Who are the members of the 
 district conference? \ 
 
 " Ans. All the travelling preachers of the district or 
 districts respectively who are in full connection. 
 
 " Quest. 5 How often are the district conferences 
 to be held ? • 
 
 " Ans. Annually. 
 
 " Quesc. 6. How many circuits shall send preachers 
 in order to form a district conference ? 
 
 " Ans. Not fewer than three, nor more than twelve. 
 
 " Quest. 7. Shall the bishop be authorized to unite 
 two or more districts together, where he judges it ex- 
 pedient, in order to form a district conference ? 
 
 " Ans. He shall, as far as is consistent with the rule 
 immediately preceding. 
 
 " Quest. 8. Who shall appoint the times of holding 
 the district conferences ? 
 
 " Ans. The bishop." 
 
 1796. Instead of question 4, above, we have 
 
 " Quest. 3. Who shall attend the yearly conferences? 
 
 " Ans. All the travelling preachers who are in full 
 connection, and those who are to be received into full 
 connection." 
 
 The 5th, 6th, and 7th questions struck out. 
 
 1 804. The answer to Question 4 (Question 8, 
 
Sec. 3.] Of the Annual Conferences. 115 
 
 1792) reads : — " The bishops ; but they shall allow the 
 annual conference to sit a week at least." 
 
 The following added : — " Quest. 5. Who shall ap- 
 point the place of holding the annual conference. 
 Ans. Each annual conference shall appoint the place 
 of its own sitting." 
 
 Second, as to the order of business. 
 
 1784. The following order was adopted.* 
 " Quest. 70. What is the method wherein we usually 
 proceed in our conferences ? 
 
 "Ans. We inquire, 1. What preachers are admit- 
 ted ? Who remain on trial ? Who are admitted on trial? 
 Who desist from travelling 1 2. Are there any objec- 
 tions to any of the preachers ? — who are named one by 
 one. 3. How are the preachers stationed this year? 
 4. What numbers are in the society ? What was con- 
 tributed for the contingent expenses ? 6. How was 
 this expended? 7. What is contributed toward the 
 fund for the superannuated preachers and the widows 
 and orphans of the preachers ? 8. What demands are 
 there upon it ? 9. How many preachers' wives are to 
 be provided for ? By what circuits and in what propor- 
 tion ? 10. Where and when may our next conference 
 begin ?" 
 
 1789. Item 9 was omitted. 
 
 * According to the Annual Minutes, the order of business, prior to 
 the organization of the church, was as follows : — 
 
 1773. "1. How are the preachers stationed 1 ? 
 " 2. What numbers are there in the society ?" 
 
 The following questions were subsequently added, at the dates 
 prefixed to them respectively : — 
 
 1774. " 1. Who are admitted this year ? 
 "2. Who are admitted on trial ? 
 
 " 3. Who are assistants this year? 
 
 " 4. Are there any objections to any of the preachers ?" 
 
 1779. "Who desist from travelling?" 
 
 1780. "What preachers are admitted into full connection ?" 
 
 1782. " What is the yearly collection ?" " How was it expended V* 
 ■ Where and when shall our next conferences be held ?" 
 
 1783. "What sum is to be raised for the support of the preach- 
 ers' wives ?" 
 
 1784. " What preachers have died this year ?" 
 
116 Of the Annual Conferences. LCh. 1. 
 
 1 792. The order of business was thus modified : — 
 
 " Quest. 9. What is the method wherein we usually 
 proceed in the district conferences ? 
 
 " Ans. We inquire, — 
 
 " 1 . What preachers are admitted on trial ? 
 
 " 2. Who remain on trial ? 
 
 " 3. W r ho are admitted into full connection ? 
 
 " 4. Who are the deacons ? 
 
 " 5. Who are the elders ? 
 
 " 6. Who have been elected by the unanimous suf- 
 frages of the General Conference to exercise the Epis- 
 copal office, and superintend the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church in America ? 
 
 " 7. Who are under a location, through weakness of 
 body, or family concerns ? 
 
 " 8. Who are the supernumeraries ?* 
 
 " 9, Who have died this year? 
 
 "10. Are all the preachers blameless in life and 
 conversation ? 
 
 "11. W r ho are expelled from the connection ? 
 
 " 12. Where are the preachers stationed this year? 
 
 " 13. W 7 hat numbers are in society? 
 
 "14. What has been collected for the contingent 
 expenses ? 
 
 " 15. How has this been expended? 
 
 " 16. What is contributed toward the fund for the 
 superannuated preachers, and the widows and orphans 
 of the preachers ? 
 
 " 17. What demands are there upon it? 
 
 " 18. Where and when shall our next conference be 
 held ?" 
 
 1 800. The fourteenth item reads, " What has been 
 collected for the contingent expenses, for the making 
 up the allowance of the preachers, &c." The sixteenth 
 and seventeenth items are omitted. 
 
 * " A supernumerary preacher is one so worn out in the itinerant 
 service, as to be rendered incapable of preaching constantly : but at 
 the same time is willing to do any work in the ministry which the 
 conference may direct, and his strength enable him to perform." 
 
Sec. 3.] Of the Annual Conferences. 117 
 
 1804. The eighth item reads, "Who are the 
 supernumerary, superannuated, and worn-out preach- 
 ers ?" 
 
 18 1^. The seventh item reads, " Who have lo- 
 cated this year?" The eighth item of 1804 is divided 
 so as to read, — " 8. Who are the supernumeraries 1 
 9. Who are the superannuated or worn-out preachers ?" 
 The following item was added : — " 11. Who have with- 
 drawn from the connection this year ?" 
 
 1 83£. After the ninth item, (1812,) the following 
 was added : — " Every superannuated preacher, who 
 may reside without the bounds of the conference of 
 which he is a member, shall annually forward to his 
 conference a certificate of his Christian and ministerial 
 conduct, together with an account of the number and 
 circumstances of his family, signed by the presiding 
 elder of the district, or the preacher in charge of the 
 circuit or station within whose bounds he may reside ; 
 without which the conference shall not be required to 
 allow his claim." 
 
 The fifteenth item (fourteenth, 1800) was thus ex- 
 pressed : — " What amounts are necessary for the super- 
 annuated preachers, and the widows and orphans of 
 preachers, and to make up the deficiencies of those who 
 have not obtained their regular allowance on the cir- 
 cuits ?" The sixteenth (fifteenth, 1792) thus :— " What 
 has been collected on the foregoing accounts, and how 
 has it been applied ?" A new item was also inserted, 
 namely, " 17. What has been contributed for the sup- 
 port of missions, and what for the publication of Bibles, 
 tracts, and Sunday-school books ?" 
 
 1840. After the eighth item, (1812,) the follow- 
 ing was added : — " A supernumerary preacher, who 
 refuses to attend to the work assigned him, unless in 
 case of sickness, or other unavoidable cause or causes, 
 shall not be allowed to exercise the functions of his 
 office, nor even to preach among us ; nevertheless, the 
 final determination of the case shall be with the annual 
 conference of which he is a member, who shall have 
 
118 Of the Annual Conferences. [Ch. 1. 
 
 power to acquit, suspend, locate, or expel him, as the 
 case may be." 
 
 Third, Miscellaneous Questions, 
 1787. The following was added : — 
 " Quest, 3. Is there any other business to be done 
 in the conference ? 
 
 " Ans. The electing and ordaining of bishops,* el- 
 ders, and deacons." 
 
 1792. The following was added : — 
 "Quest. 11. How are the districts to be formed? 
 " Ans. According to the judgment of the bishop. 
 " N. B. In case that there be no bishop to travel 
 through the district, and exercise the Episcopal office, 
 on account of death, the districts shall be regulated in 
 every respect by the district conferences and the pre- 
 siding elders till the ensuing General Conference, 
 (ordinations only excepted.")! 
 
 1796. The following question was inserted : — 
 " QuesL 7. Are there any other directions to be 
 given concerning the yearly conferences ? 
 
 " Ans. There shall be six conferences in the year, 
 as follows, namely :" [The boundaries of the annual 
 conferences are given, in this and in subsequent 
 editions until 1804, in this connection ; but as this 
 
 * It will be remembered that this was prior to the distinction be- 
 tween general and annual conferences. When that took place, (in 
 1792,) the word "bishops" was struck out of this answer. This was 
 the first time that the title "bishop" was applied to the "superin- 
 tendents" in the Discipline. Afterward it was generally substituted 
 for the latter. 
 
 t It will be perceived that in 1792 the Discipline contemplated the 
 holding of an annual conference in each presiding elder's district. 
 And such was the practice of that day, as many as four such confer- 
 ences being held in a month, and twenty of them in a year, by a sin- 
 gle bishop. In 1796 the yearly conferences, as they were now called, 
 were reduced in number to six, each including a number of districts, 
 and their boundaries were fixed by the General Conference. Never- 
 theless, the above question and note were still retained, only chang- 
 ing the name " district conferences," in the note, to " yearly confer- 
 ences." But as a presiding elder's district was now but a fraction of 
 a conference, the provisions of this clause were, of course, more limit- 
 ed in their application. 
 
Sec. 4.] Bishops, and their Duty. 119 
 
 portion of the Discipline was afterward transferred 
 to Part ii, Sec. 1, we shall there present a connected 
 view of the whole.] 
 
 1 800. The following was added at the close of 
 the section : — " A record of the proceedings of each 
 annual conference shall be kept by a secretary, chosen 
 for that purpose ; and let a copy of the said record 
 be sent to the General Conference. 
 
 " Each annual conference is to pay its proportiona- 
 ble part toward the allowances of the bishops." 
 
 1804. The following portions of this section 
 were transferred to Part ii, and constituted its first sec- 
 tion, namely, the boundaries of the annual conferences, 
 (1796) Question 11 and the note (1792,) and the 
 last sentence added in 1800. These have been the 
 subjects of Section 1, Part ii, from that time to the 
 present. 
 
 The number and order of the questions relating to 
 the annual conferences have not been altered since 
 1804. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Of the Election and Consecration of Bishops, and of 
 their Duty* 
 
 1784. At the organization of the church the fol- 
 lowing provisions were introduced respecting the super- 
 intendency : — 
 
 " Quest. 26. What is the office of a superintendent ? 
 
 " Ans. To ordain superintendents, elders, and dea- 
 cons ; to preside as a moderator in our conferences ; 
 to fix the appointments of the preachers for the several 
 circuits ; and, in the intervals of the conference, to 
 
 * Prior to the organization of the church, the superintendence of 
 the societies was committed to the general assistant. In 1779 we 
 find the following minute as to his authority : — 
 
 " Quest. 13. How far shall his power extend ? 
 
 " Ans. On hearing every preacher for and against what is in debate, 
 the right of determination shall rest with him according to the Mi- 
 nutes." 
 
120 Bishops, and their Duty. [Ch. 1. 
 
 change, receive, or suspend preachers, as necessity may- 
 require ; and to receive appeals from the preachers and 
 people, and decide them. 
 
 "N. B. No person shall be ordained a superintend- 
 ent, elder, or deacon, without the consent of a majority 
 of the conference, and the consent and imposition of 
 hands of a superintendent ; except in the instance pro- 
 vided for in the twenty-ninth minute. 
 
 " Quest. 27. To whom is the superintendent amena- 
 ble for his conduct ? 
 
 " Ans. To the conference ; who have power to ex- 
 pel him for improper conduct, if they see it necessary. 
 
 " Quest. 28. If the superintendent ceases from tra- 
 velling at large among the people, shall he exercise his 
 office in any degree ? 
 
 " Ans. If he ceases from travelling without the con- 
 sent of the conference, he shall not thereafter exercise 
 any ministerial function whatsoever in our church. 
 
 " Quest. 29. If by death, expulsion, or otherwise, 
 there be no superintendent remaining in our church, 
 what shall we do ? 
 
 " Ans. The conference shall elect a superintendent, 
 and the elders or any three of them shall ordain him, 
 according to our Liturgy." 
 
 1789. This subject was treated in the fourth 
 section, entitled, " On the constituting of Bishops, and 
 their Duty." 
 
 The following was substituted for the " N. B.," 
 1784:— 
 
 " Quest. 2. How is a bishop to be constituted in 
 future ? 
 
 " Ans. By the election of a majority of the confer- 
 ence, and the laying on of the hands of a bishop." 
 
 The following is added to the duties of a bishop, 
 (Question 26, 1784 ): — " To travel through as many cir- 
 cuits as he can, and to direct in the spiritual business 
 of the societies ;" and he was now deprived of the power 
 " to receive appeals from the preachers and people, and 
 to decide them." 
 
Sec. 4J Bishops, and their Duty. 121 
 
 Question 29, (1784,) struck out. 
 
 179*1. The section took the place and the title 
 which it now holds, and read as follows : — 
 
 " Quest. 1. How is a bishop to be constituted in 
 future ? 
 
 " Ans. By the election of the General Conference, 
 and the laying on of the hands of three bishops, or at 
 least of one bishop and two elders. 
 
 " Quest. 2. If by death, expulsion, or otherwise, 
 there be no bishop remaining in our church, what shall 
 we do ? 
 
 " Ans. The General Conference shall elect a bishop ; 
 and the elders, or any three of them, that shall be ap- 
 pointed by the General Conference for that purpose, 
 shall ordain him according to our office of ordination. 
 
 " Quest. 3. What is the bishop's duty ? 
 
 "Ans. 1. To preside in our conferences. 
 
 " 2. To fix the appointments of the preachers for the 
 several circuits. 
 
 " 3. In the intervals of the conferences to change, 
 receive, or suspend preachers, as necessity may re- 
 quire. 
 
 " 4. To travel through the connection at large. 
 
 "5. To oversee the spiritual and temporal business 
 of the societies. 
 
 " 6. To ordain bishops, elders, and deacons. 
 
 " Quest. 4. To whom is the bishop amenable for 
 his conduct ? 
 
 " Ans. To the General Conference, who have power 
 to expel him for improper conduct, if they see it ne- 
 cessary. 
 
 " Quest. 5. What provision shall be made for the 
 trial of an immoral bishop, in the interval of the Gene- 
 ral Conference ? 
 
 " Ans. If a bishop be guilty of immorality, three tra- 
 velling elders shall call upon him, and examine him on 
 the subject : and if the three elders verily believe that 
 the bishop is guilty of the crime, they shall call to their 
 aid two presiding elders from two districts in the neigh- 
 
 6 
 
122 Bishops, and their Duty. CCh. 1. 
 
 bourhood of that where the crime was committed, each 
 of which presiding elders shall bring with him two elders, 
 or an elder and a deacon. The above-mentioned nine 
 persons shall form a conference, to examine into the 
 charge brought against the bishop ; and if two-thirds 
 of them verily believe him to be guilty of the crime 
 laid to his charge, they shall have authority to suspend 
 the bishop till the ensuing General Conference, and 
 the districts shall be regulated in the mean time as is 
 provided in the case of the death of a bishop. 
 
 " Quest. 6. If the bishop cease from travelling at 
 large among the people, shall he still exercise his office 
 among us in any degree ? 
 
 " Ans. If he cease from travelling without the consent 
 of the General Conference, he shall not thereafter exer- 
 cise any ministerial function whatsoever in our church." 
 
 [Here follows a note about ordaining local preachers 
 to the office of deacons, for which see Section 21.] 
 
 1804. To the second of the bishop's duties 
 (Question 3) is added this clause : " Provided he shall 
 not allow any preacher to remain in the same station 
 more than two years successively ;* excepting the pre- 
 siding elders, the editor and general book steward, the 
 assistant editor and general book steward, the super- 
 numerary, superannuated, and worn-out preachers." 
 To the third is added, " and as the Discipline directs." 
 
 In the answer to Question 5 the word " guilty," in 
 the first line, is changed to " accused," and the follow- 
 ing clause is added at the close : — " But no accusation 
 shall be received against a bishop except it be delivered 
 in writing, signed by those who are to prove the crime : 
 and a copy of the accusation shall be given to the accused 
 bishop." 
 
 In Question 6 "office" changed to "Episcopal office," 
 
 * Originally the preachers changed, sometimes every quarter, and at 
 all events every six months, (see p. 11,) and, as late as 1794, we find, 
 in the Annual Minutes, this note : " N. B. The bishop and conferences 
 desire that the preachers would generally change every six months, by 
 the order of the presiding elder, whenever it can be made convenient." 
 
Sec. 4.] Bishops, and their Duty. 123 
 
 and " any ministerial function whatsoever," to " the 
 Episcopal office." 
 
 The exceptions to the rule (1804,) requiring a bishop 
 not to appoint a preacher to the same station more than 
 two years successively, have been enlarged and modi- 
 fied from time to time, as follows : — 
 
 1 830. The following were added to the excepted 
 cases : — 
 
 " Missionaries among the Indians, and the presi- 
 dents, principals, or teachers of seminaries of learning, 
 which are or may be under our superintendence." 
 
 1838. The following :— " The editor of the 
 Christian Advocate and Journal," " those preachers that 
 may be appointed to labour for the special benefit of 
 seamen ; also the preacher or preachers that may be 
 stationed in the city of New-Orleans." 
 
 1833. The following :— " The general editor, 
 the assistant editor of the Christian Advocate and 
 Journal," " missionaries to our people of colour and on 
 foreign stations," "and also when requested by an annual 
 conference to appoint a preacher for more than two 
 years to any seminary of learning not under our care." 
 
 1836. The following: — "The resident corres- 
 ponding secretary, editors and agents at Cincinnati ;" 
 and, at the close, is added, " He shall have authority, 
 when requested by an annual conference, to appoint an 
 agent, whose duty it shall be to travel throughout the 
 bounds of such conference, for the purpose of establish- 
 ing and aiding sabbath schools, and distributing tracts." 
 
 1 840. The following : — " The corresponding 
 secretaries ;" those appointed to labour for the special 
 benefit " of prisoners in public prisons, military posts, 
 and the American Bible Society."* 
 
 * The awkward form of expression in this clause may be explained 
 by the fact, that the first 24mo. edition for 1840 omitted to notice the 
 provision for the appointment of agents for the American Bible Society, 
 and simply inserted, " chaplains to state prisons and military posts." ' 
 The mistake was not discovered until the plates for the entire work 
 had been cast, and the correction was made as above, in order not to 
 overrun the page. 
 
124 Presiding Elders, and their Duty. [Ch. 1 
 
 At the close is added, " And also to appoint an agent 
 or agents for the benefit of our literary institutions." 
 
 In 1840, also, the two following were added to the 
 duties of a bishop, (Question 3.) 
 
 " 7. To decide all questions of law in an annual 
 conference, subject to an appeal to the General Con- 
 ference ; but in all cases the application of law shall 
 be with the conference. 
 
 " 8. The bishops may, when they judge it neces- 
 sary, unite two or more circuits or stations together, 
 without affecting their separate financial interests or 
 pastoral duties/' 
 
 section v. 
 Of the Presiding Elders, and of their Duty. 
 
 The origin of this office is thus explained by the 
 bishops in their Notes to the Discipline of 1796 : — 
 
 " When Mr. "Wesley drew up a plan of government 
 for our church in America, he desired that no more 
 elders should be ordained, in the first instance, than 
 were absolutely necessary, and that the work on the 
 continent should be divided between them, in respect 
 to the duties of their office. The General Conference 
 accordingly elected twelve elders for the above pur- 
 poses. Bishop Asbury and the district conferences 
 afterward found that this order of men was so neces- 
 sary, that they agreed to enlarge the number, and give 
 them the name* by which they are at present called, 
 and which is perfectly Scriptural, though not the ivord 
 used in our translation : and this proceeding afterward 
 received the approbation of Mr. Wesley. 
 
 "In 1792 the General Conference, equally conscious 
 of the necessity of having such an office among us, not 
 only confirmed every thing that Bishop Asbury and the 
 district conferences had done, but also drew up or 
 
 * The title does not occur in the Annual Minutes, however, till 
 1797. 
 
Sec. 5.] Presiding Elders, and their Duty. 125 
 
 agreed to the present section for the explanation of the 
 nature and duties of the office." 
 
 As then all elders were, at first, presiding elders, we 
 shall notice, under this head, all the rules in reference 
 to them prior to 1792, when the distinction was intro- 
 duced into the Discipline between " presiding elders" 
 and " travelling elders" — a distinction, not of order, but 
 of office. 
 
 1784. " Quest. 30. What is the office of an 
 elder ? 
 
 " Ans. To administer the sacraments of baptism and 
 the Lord's supper, and to perform all the other rites 
 prescribed by our Liturgy." 
 
 " Quest. 35. How are we to proceed with those 
 elders or deacons who cease from travelling ? 
 
 " Ans. Unless they have the permission of the con- 
 ference declared under the hand of a superintendent, 
 they are on no account to exercise any of the peculiar 
 functions of those offices among us. And if they do, 
 they are to be expelled immediately." 
 
 1786. The following added to the duties of an 
 elder : — 
 
 " 2. To exercise within his own district, during the 
 absence of the superintendents, all the powers invested 
 in them for the government of our church. Provided, 
 that he never act contrary to an express order of the 
 superintendents." 
 
 1789. The following section on the subject was 
 substituted for the previous provisions : — 
 
 " Sec. V. On the constituting of Elders, and their 
 Duty. 
 
 " Quest. 1. How is an elder constituted? 
 
 " Ans. By the election of a majority of the confer- 
 ence, and by the laying on of the hands of a bishop 
 and of the elders that are present. 
 
 " Quest. 2. What is his duty ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. To travel through his appointed district. 
 
 " 2. To administer baptism and the Lord's supper, 
 and to perform all parts of divine service. 
 
126 Presiding Elders, and their Duty. [Ch. 1. 
 
 " 3. In the absence of a bishop to take charge of all 
 the deacons, travelling and local preachers, and ex- 
 porters. 
 
 " 4. To change, receive, or suspend preachers. 
 
 " 5. To direct in the transaction of the spiritual busi- 
 ness of his circuit. 
 
 "6. To take care that every part of our Discipline 
 be enforced. 
 
 " 7. To aid in the public collections. 
 
 " 8. To attend his bishop, when present, and give 
 him, when absent, all necessary information, by letter, 
 of the state of his district.* 
 
 " N. B. No elder that ceases to travel, without the 
 consent of the conference, certified under the hand of a 
 bishop, shall, on any account, exercise the peculiar 
 functions of his office among us." 
 
 1 793. The rules relating to the eldership as an 
 order in the church were transferred to a distinct sec- 
 tion, and the following section, with its present title, 
 was framed, respecting the presiding elders. 
 
 " Quest. 1. By whom are the presiding elders to be 
 chosen ? 
 
 "Ans. By the bishop. 
 
 " Quest. 2. "What are the duties of the presiding elder? 
 
 "Ans. 1. To travel through his appointed district. 
 
 " 2. In the absence of a bishop to take charge of all 
 the elders, deacons, travelling and local preachers, and 
 exhorters in his district. 
 
 " 3. To change, receive, or suspend preachers in his 
 district during the intervals of the conferences, and in 
 the absence of the bishop. 
 
 "4. In the absence of a bishop to preside in the 
 conference of his district. 
 
 " 5. To be present, as far as practicable, at all the 
 quarterly meetings ; and to call together, at each quar- 
 
 * In 1773 it was ordered, " Every preacher who acts as an assistant 
 to send an account of the work once in six months to the general 
 assistant." — Annual Minutes. 
 
Sec. 5.] Presiding Elders, and their Duty. 127 
 
 terly meeting, all the travelling and local preachers, 
 exhorters, stewards, and leaders of the circuit, to hear 
 complaints, and to receive appeals. 
 
 " 6. To oversee the spiritual and temporal business 
 of the societies in his district. 
 
 " 7. To take care that every part of our Discipline 
 be enforced in his district. 
 
 " 8. To attend the bishop when present in his dis- 
 trict ; and to give him when absent all necessary in- 
 formation, by letter, of the state of his district. 
 
 " Quest. 3. By whom are the presiding elders to be 
 stationed and changed ? 
 
 " Arts. By the bishop. 
 
 " Quest. 4. How long may the bishops allow an 
 elder to preside in the same district ? 
 
 " Ans. For any term not exceeding four years succes- 
 sively.* 
 
 " Quest. 5. How shall the presiding elders be sup- 
 ported ? 
 
 " Ans. If there be a surplus of the public money in 
 one or more circuits in his district, he shall receive 
 such surplus, provided he do not receive more than his 
 annual salary. In case of a deficiency in his salary, 
 after such surplus is paid him, or if there be no sur- 
 plus, he shall share with the preachers of his district, 
 in proportion with what they have respectively received, 
 so that he receive no more than the amount of his 
 salary upon the whole." 
 
 1804. To the third item of the presiding elder's 
 duties (Quest. 2) is added, "as the Discipline directs." 
 In the fourth item,, the words, " of his district," struck 
 out, and the following added, " but in case there are 
 two or more presiding elders belonging to one confer- 
 
 * This restriction (for originally there was none) is said to have 
 been introduced in consequence of the evil results of a more protract- 
 ed term, in the case of James O'Kelly, who had been presiding 
 elder in the southern part of Virginia, ever since the organization of 
 the church, besides having been stationed there several years before ; 
 and who thus acquired a power to injure the church by his secession, 
 which otherwise he would not have possessed. 
 
128 Presiding Elders, and their Duty. [Ch. 1 . 
 
 ence, the bishop or bishops may, by letter or otherwise, 
 appoint the president ; but if no appointment be made, 
 or if the presiding elder appointed do not attend, the 
 conference shall, in either of these cases, elect the pre- 
 sident by ballot, without debate, from among the pre- 
 siding elders." 
 
 In the fifth item, after " quarterly meeting," is in- 
 serted, " a quarterly meeting conference,* consisting 
 of;" after " circuit," the words " and none else ;" and 
 after " receive," the words " and try." At the close is 
 added, " The quarterly meeting conference shall 
 appoint a secretary to take down the proceedings of 
 the quarterly meeting conference, in a book kept by 
 one of the stewards of the circuit for that purpose." 
 
 The following new question was inserted : — 
 
 " Quest. 5. Shall the presiding elder have power to 
 employ a preacher who has been rejected at the pre- 
 vious annual conference ? 
 
 "Am. He shall not, unless the conference should 
 give him liberty under certain conditions." 
 
 At the close of the answer to Quest. 6, (Quest. 5, 
 1792,) is added the following: " he shall be accounta- 
 ble to the annual conference for what he receives as his 
 salary." 
 
 1832. To the sixth item of the presiding elder's 
 duties (Quest. 2, 1792) is added, "and to promote, by 
 all proper means, the cause of missions and Sunday 
 schools, and the publication, at our own press, of Bibles, 
 tracts, and Sunday-school books." 
 
 1 840. To the same item is added, " and care- 
 fully to inquire, at each quarterly meeting conference, 
 whether the rules respecting the instruction of children 
 have been faithfully observed." 
 
 To the seventh item is added, " And to decide all 
 questions of law in a quarterly meeting conference, 
 subject to an appeal to the president of the next annual 
 
 * The terms " quarterly meeting," " quarterly conference," and 
 " quarterly meeting conference," are frequently used as synonymous. 
 
Sec. 6.] Travelling Elders, and their Duty. 129 
 
 conference ; but in all cases the application of law shall 
 be with the conference." 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Of the Election and Ordination of Travelling Elders, 
 and of their Duty* 
 
 1792. " Quest. 1. How is an elder constituted ? 
 
 " Ans. By the election of a majority of the district 
 conference, and by the laying on of the hands of a 
 bishop, and of the elders that are present. 
 
 " Quest. 2. What is the duty of a travelling elder ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. To administer baptism and the Lord's 
 supper, and to perform the office of matrimony and all 
 parts of divine worship. 
 
 " 2. To do all the duties of a travelling preacher. 
 
 " N. B. No elder, that ceases to travel, without the 
 consent of the district conference, certified under the 
 hand of the president of the conference, shall, on any 
 account, exercise the peculiar functions of his office 
 among us." 
 
 1804. In the note, after "president of the con- 
 ference," is inserted, " except in case of sickness, de- 
 bility, or other unavoidable circumstance ;" and, at the 
 close, is added, " or even be allowed to preach among 
 us ; nevertheless, the final determination in all such 
 cases is with the yearly conference." 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Of the Election and Ordination of Travelling Dea- 
 cons, and of their Duty. 
 
 1784. " Owes*. 31. What is the office of a deacon? 
 
 " Ans. To baptize in the absence of an elder, to assist 
 the elder in the administration of the Lord's supper, to 
 marry, bury the dead, and read the Liturgy to the peo- 
 
 * For the rules on this subject prior to 1792, see Sec. 5. 
 6* 
 
130 Travelling Deacons, and their Duty. [Ch. 1. 
 
 pie as prescribed, except what relates to the administra- 
 tion of the Lord's supper." 
 
 1 7 89. In the place of the above we have the fol- 
 lowing : — 
 
 " Section 6. On the constituting of Deacons, and 
 their Duty. 
 
 " Quest. 1. How is a deacon constituted? 
 
 " Arts. By the election of a majority of the confer- 
 ence, and the laying on of the hands of a bishop. 
 
 " Quest. 2. What is the duty of a deacon ? 
 
 " Ans. 1 . To baptize, and perform the office of matri- 
 mony, in the absence of the elder. 
 
 " 2. To assist the elder in administering the Lord's 
 supper. 
 
 [Here follows a long list of other duties, which were 
 afterward transferred to a new section on the duties of 
 those who have the charge of circuits. See Sec. 10.] 
 
 The following note was added, being a modification 
 of the rule of 1784, Quest. 35. (See p. 125.) 
 
 " N. B. No deacon that ceases to travel without the 
 consent of the conference, certified under the hand of 
 a bishop, shall on any account exercise the peculiar 
 functions of his office." 
 
 1792. This was made the seventh section, with 
 the present title. The epithet " travelling" is prefixed 
 to " deacon," throughout : and at the close of the sec- 
 tion the following is added to the duties of a deacon : — 
 
 " 3. To do all the duties of a travelling preacher." 
 
 1796. The following new question was inserted: 
 
 " Quest. 3. What shall be the time of probation of a 
 travelling deacon for the office of an elder ? 
 
 " Ans. Every travelling deacon shall exercise that 
 office for two years, before he be eligible to the office 
 of an elder ; except in the case of missions, when the 
 yearly conferences shall have authority to elect for the 
 elder's office sooner, if they judge it expedient." 
 
 1 804. The same changes made in the note re- 
 specting deacons who cease to travel, as in the case of 
 elders (p. 129.) 
 
Sec. 8.] Preachers, from other Denominations. 131 
 
 1 833. The following was added at the close of 
 this section : — 
 
 " Provided always, that when a preacher shall have 
 passed his examination, and been admitted into full con- 
 nection, and elected to deacon's office, but fails of his 
 ordination through the absence of the bishop, his eligi- 
 bility to the office of elder shall run from the time of 
 his election to the office of a deacon." 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 Of the Reception of Preachers from the Wesley an 
 Connection, and from other Denominations. 
 
 This section was inserted in 1840, and is as follows : 
 
 " Quest. 1. In what manner shall we receive those 
 ministers who may come to us from the "Wesley an 
 connection in Europe or Canada 1 
 
 " Ans. If they come to us properly accredited from 
 either the British, Irish, or Canada Conference, they 
 may be received according to such credentials, provided 
 they give satisfaction to an annual conference of their 
 willingness to conform to our church government and 
 usages. 
 
 " Quest. 2. How shall we receive those ministers 
 who may offer to unite with us from other Christian 
 churches ? 
 
 " Ans. Those ministers of other evangelical churches, 
 who may desire to unite with our church, whether as 
 local or itinerant, may be received according to our 
 usages, on condition of their taking upon them our or- 
 dination vows, without the reimposition of hands, giv- 
 ing satisfaction to an annual conference of their being 
 in orders, and of their agreement with us in doctrine, 
 discipline, government, and usages ; provided the con- 
 ference is also satisfied with their gifts, grace, and use- 
 fulness. Whenever any such minister is received, he 
 shall be furnished with a certificate, signed by one of 
 our bishops, in the following words, namely : — 
 
132 Receiving Preachers, and their Duty. [Ch. 1. 
 
 " This is to certify, that has been admitted 
 
 into conference as a travelling preacher, [or 
 
 has been admitted as a local preacher on cir- 
 
 cuit,] he having been ordained to the office of a deacon, 
 (or an elder, as the case may be,) according to the 
 usages of the church, of which he has been 
 
 a member and minister ; and he is hereby authorized 
 to exercise the functions pertaining to his office in the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, so long as his life and 
 conversation are such as become the gospel of Christ. 
 
 " Given under my hand and seal, at this 
 
 day of in the year of our Lord, 
 
 " Quest. 3. How shall we receive preachers of other 
 denominations who are not in orders ? 
 
 " Ans. They may be received as licentiates, provided 
 they give satisfaction to a quarterly, or an annual con- 
 ference, that they are suitable persons to exercise the 
 office, and of their agreement with the doctrines, 
 discipline, government, and usages of our church." 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 
 Of the Method of receiving Travelling Preachers, and 
 of their Duty. 
 
 Quest. 1. How is a preacher to be received'? 
 
 1784. " Quest. 36. What method shall we take 
 to prevent improper persons from preaching among us 
 as travelling preachers ?* 
 
 " Ans. Let no person be employed as a travelling 
 preacher, unless his name be printed in the Minutes of 
 the conference preceding, or a certificate be given him 
 under the hand of one or other of the superintendents, 
 or, in their absence, of three assistants, as is hereafter 
 
 * In 1780 it was required that all the travelling preachers should 
 take a license from every conference, signed by Mr. Asbury. 
 
 In 1782, the more effectually to "guard against disorderly tra- 
 velling preachers," it was ordered — " Write at the bottom of every 
 certificate : — 4 The authority this conveys is limited to next confer, 
 ence.' " 
 
Sec. 9.] Receiving PreacJiers, mid their Duty. 133 
 
 provided. And for this purpose, let the Minutes of 
 the conference be always printed."* 
 
 1786. For " three assistants, as is hereafter pro- 
 vided," we have " the elder of his district." 
 
 IT 89. The following was substituted : — 
 
 " Quest. 1 . How is a preacher to be received ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. By the conference. 
 
 " 2. In the interval of the conference by the bishop, 
 or an elder, until the sitting of the conference. 
 
 11 3. When his name is not printed in the Minutes, 
 he must receive a written license from his elder or 
 bishop." 
 
 1792. "Presiding elder of the district" substi- 
 tuted for " elder." 
 
 1816. A new paragraph was inserted as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 "3. It shall be the duty of the bishops or of a 
 committee which they may appoint, at each annual 
 conference, to point out a course of reading and study 
 proper to be pursued by candidates for the ministry ; 
 and the presiding elder, whenever such are presented 
 to him, shall direct them to those studies which have 
 been thus recommended. — And before any such can- 
 didate is received into full connection, he shall give 
 satisfactory evidence respecting his knowledge of those 
 particular subjects which have been recommended to 
 his consideration." 
 
 Quest. 2. What is the duty of a preacher 1 
 
 1784. " Quest. 32. What is the office of a 
 helper ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. To preach. 
 
 " 2. To meet the society and the bands weekly.! 
 
 " 3. To visit the sick. 
 
 " 4. To meet the leaders weekly. 
 
 * They had not been printed previously. — See Lee's Hist, of the 
 Methodists, p. 45. 
 
 t In the Annual Minutes for 1779 we find the following question : 
 " Ought not every travelling preacher to meet the class wherever he 
 preaches ? Ana. Yes, if possible." 
 
134 Receiving Preachers, and their Duty. [Ch. 1. 
 
 " Let every preacher be particularly exact in this, 
 and in morning preaching. If he has twenty hearers, 
 let him preach. N. B. We are fully determined 
 never to drop morning preaching, and to preach at five 
 wherever it is practicable." 
 
 1786. The morning preaching ordered to be " at 
 five in the summer, and at six in the winter, wherever 
 it is practicable." 
 
 1 7 89. The second item of a preacher's duty reads : 
 " To meet the societies or classes and bands." In the 
 fourth, the word " weekly" was struck out, and the fol- 
 lowing was added: 5. To preach in the morning, where 
 he can get hearers." 
 
 179SJ. Item 4, struck out. 
 
 1 804. In item 2, before " bands" was inserted 
 "general." The hours of morning preaching were 
 now only " recommended."* 
 
 Quest. 3. What are the directions given to a preacher 1 
 
 The rules on this subject are found under Quest. 33, 
 1784, and, as there has been little alteration in them 
 since, it will be sufficient to refer to them. (See pp. 
 40-1.) 
 
 1786. The following sentences were struck out 
 of the answer ; namely, (item 8.) " You have no more 
 to do with this character [that of a gentleman] than 
 with that of a dancing master." (9.) " Not of cleaning 
 your own shoes or your neighbour's." 
 
 1789. The question reads as now. The follow- 
 ing clauses struck out : (3.) " particularly with young 
 
 * In 1784 the following was included among the duties of helpers : 
 
 " Quest. 34. Will it be expedient to appoint some of our helpers 
 to read the morning and evening service out of our Liturgy on the 
 Lord's day ? 
 
 " Ans. It will. And every helper who receives a written direction 
 under the hand of a superintendent, may regularly read the morning 
 and evening service on the Lord's day. 
 
 " In 1789 this was modified so as to read — Quest. 3. Are the preach- 
 ers to read our Liturgy ? Ans. All that have received a written direc 
 tion for that purpose, under the hand of a bishop or elder, may read 
 the Liturgy as often as they think it expedient." 
 
 In 1792 the whole was Btruck out. 
 
Sec. 9.] Receiving Preachers, and their Duty. 135 
 
 women." — (9.) " Not of fetching wood, (if time permit,) 
 or drawing water ;" and the note at the end of the an- 
 swer was also omitted. 
 
 1 79*2. In item 5, after, " Believe evil of no one," 
 was inserted " without good evidence." In item 8, 
 the first sentence was modified so as to read, " Avoid 
 all affectation." 
 
 Quest- 4. What method do we use in receiving a preacher at 
 the conference]* 
 
 17 84. The original provisions on this subject 
 may be found in the Discipline of 1784, under Ques- 
 tion 69. (See pp. 63-4.) By reference to them, the 
 alterations they have undergone will be understood 
 without quoting them here. 
 
 1789. The question assumed its present form ; 
 and the following were left out of the interrogatories to 
 be proposed to the candidate, namely : — " Do you 
 know the Methodist plan ?" " Do you take no drams ?" 
 and, " Will you preach every morning at five o'clock, 
 wherever you can have twenty hearers ?" It was now- 
 provided that a preacher may be received into full con- 
 nection, "after two years' probation, being recommended 
 by the elders and deacons present, and examined by the 
 bishop." The " note of permission from the assistant" 
 was now required only in the case of local preachers 
 or exhorters. 
 
 1 799. In regard to receiving on trial, it w r as pro- 
 vided, " But no one shall be received unless he first 
 procure a recommendation from the quarterly meeting 
 of his circuit." 
 
 It was now provided that the candidates for admission 
 into full connection should be " approved by the district 
 [annual] conference, and examined by the president of 
 the conference." 
 
 The rule about licensing local preachers and exhort- 
 ers was transferred to the close of the section " On the 
 
 * This portion of the Discipline has reference, in all the editions, 
 to receiving on trial ; but in practice, it is believed, it is always applied 
 to admission into full connection. 
 
136 Receiving Preachers, and their Duty. [Ch. 1. 
 
 Duties of those who have the Charge of Circuits," and 
 the following introduced : — 
 
 " N. B. If any preacher absent himself from his 
 circuit without the leave of the presiding elder, the 
 presiding elder shall, as far as possible, fill his place 
 with another preacher who shall be paid for his labours 
 out of the salary of the absent preacher, in proportion 
 to the usual allowance." 
 
 1 804. It was provided that the two years' proba- 
 tion of a preacher " is to commence from his being re- 
 ceived on trial at the yearly conference." 
 
 1 836. The following note was added to the sec- 
 tion : — 
 
 " N. B. Whenever a preacher on trial is selected by 
 the bishop for a mission, he may, if elected by an an- 
 nual conference, ordain him a deacon before his proba- 
 tion ends, and a missionary employed on a foreign 
 mission may be admitted into full connection, if recom- 
 mended by the superintendent of the mission where he 
 labours, without being present at the annual conference 
 for examination. 
 
 " At each annual conference, those who are received 
 on trial, or are admitted into full connection, shall be 
 asked whether they are willing to devote themselves to 
 the missionary work ; and a list of the names of all those 
 who are willing to do so shall be taken and reported to 
 the corresponding secretary of the Missionary Society ; 
 and all such shall be considered as ready and willing to 
 be employed as missionaries whenever called for by 
 either of the bishops. 
 
 " It shall be the duty of all our missionaries, except 
 those who are appointed to labour for the benefit of the 
 slaves, to form their circuits into auxiliary missionary 
 societies, and to make regular quarterly and class col- 
 lections wherever practicable, and report the amount 
 collected every three months, either by endorsing it on 
 their drafts, or by transmitting the money to the trea- 
 surer of the parent society. 
 
 " It shall be the duty of each annual conference to 
 
Sec. 10.] Of those who have Charge of Circuits. 137 
 
 examine strictly into the state of the domestic missions 
 within its bounds, and to allow none to remain on the 
 list of its missions which, in the judgment of the con- 
 ference, is able to support itself." 
 
 1840. It was now provided that a candidate, 
 instead of being received into full connection, " after 
 two years' probation, &c," should only be received 
 " after he has been employed two successive years in 
 the regular itinerant work, &c." In the " N. B.," 1792, 
 the words, " without the leave of the presiding elder," 
 struck out. 
 
 SECTION X. 
 
 Of the Duties of those who have the Charge of Circuits. 
 
 This subject was treated, in 1784, under the Ques- 
 tions 60, 61 and 62 : and, in 1789, under the duties of 
 a deacon. In 1792 it was made a distinct section with 
 its present title and number. The duties will be taken 
 up one by one. 
 
 Quest. 1. What are the duties of the elder, deacon, or 
 preacher, who has the special charge of a circuit 1 
 
 1. 1784. " To see that the other preachers in 
 his circuit behave well and want nothing." 
 
 2. 1784. " To renew the tickets quarterly and 
 regulate the bands." 
 
 1830. After "tickets" was inserted "for the 
 admission of members into love-feast." 
 
 3. 1793. "To meet the stewards and leaders 
 as often as possible." 
 
 4. 1784. "To appoint all the stewards and 
 leaders, and change them when he sees it necessary." 
 
 1813. The power to appoint stewards taken away. 
 
 5. 1 793. " To receive, try, and expel members, 
 according to the form of Discipline." * 
 
 * This was a substitute for the original rule, which was struck out 
 in 1789, namely : — " To take in or put out of the society or the 
 bands." 
 
138 Of the Duties of those who have the [Ch. 1. 
 
 6. 1784. "To keep watch-nights and love 
 feasts." 
 
 7. 1784. "To hold quarterly meetings, and 
 therein diligently to inquire both into the temporal and 
 spiritual state of each society." 
 
 1792. It was changed so as to read, " To hold 
 quarterly meetings in the absence of the presiding 
 elder." 
 
 8. 1784. "To take care that every society be 
 duly supplied with books : particularly with Kempis, 
 the Instructions for Children, and the Primitive Physic, 
 which ought to be in every house." 
 
 1792. All after " with books," struck out. 
 
 9. 1784. " To take exact lists of his societies, 
 and bring them to the conference." 
 
 1 7 89. It reads, " To take an exact account of the 
 numbers in society, and bring it to the conference." 
 
 1 800. It was, " To take an exact account of the 
 numbers in society, and a regular account of all the 
 deaths in the societies, in their respective circuits, and 
 deliver in such accounts to the annual conference, that 
 they may be printed in the Minutes." 
 
 1 836. It was altered so as to read, " To take an 
 exact account of the members in society in their re- 
 spective circuits and stations, keeping the names of all 
 local elders, deacons, and preachers, properly distin- 
 guished, and deliver in such account to the annual 
 conference, that their number may be printed in the 
 Minutes." 
 
 10. 1784. "To send an account of his circuit 
 every half year to one of the superintendents." 
 
 1789. It was to be done "every quarter to his 
 elder." 
 
 11. 1784. " To meet the married men and wo- 
 men, and the single men and women, in the large socie- 
 ties, once a quarter." 
 
 1789. It reads, "To meet the men and women 
 apart, in the large societies, once a quarter." 
 
 1792. " wherever it is practicable," is added. 
 
Sec. 10.] Charge of Circuits. 139 
 
 12. 1784. " To overlook the accounts of all the 
 stewards." 
 
 13. 1789. "To appoint a person to receive the 
 quarterly collection in the classes, and to be present at 
 the time of receiving it."* 
 
 1 793. All after " classes" struck out. 
 
 14. 1789. "To see that public collections be 
 made quarterly, if need be." 
 
 15. 1833. "To encourage the support of mis- 
 sions and Sunday schools, and the publication and dis- 
 tribution of Bibles, tracts, and Sunday-school books, by 
 forming societies and making collections for these ob- 
 jects, in such way and manner as the annual conference 
 to which he belongs shall from time to time direct." 
 
 16. 1 833. " To lay before the quarterly confer- 
 ence, at its last meeting annually, to be entered on its 
 journal, a written statement of the number and state of 
 the Sunday schools in the circuit or station, and to 
 report the same, together with the amount raised for 
 the support of missions, and for the publication of Bi- 
 bles, tracts, and Sunday-school books, to his annual 
 conference." 
 
 1 840. For " at its last meeting annually," we 
 have " at each quarterly meeting, as far as practicable." 
 
 17. 1789. "To move a yearly subscription 
 through those circuits that can bear it, for building 
 churches." 
 
 1793. It is added, "and paying the debts of 
 those which have been already erected." 
 
 18. 1789. " To choose a committee of lay mem- 
 bers to make a just application of the money where it is 
 most needed." 
 
 Quest. 2. What other directions shall we give him 1 
 
 1 . 17 84. " Several, 1 . Take a regular catalogue 
 
 of your societies as they live in house-row." 
 
 1789. This was to be done in " the societies m 
 
 towns and cities." 
 
 * For the previous usage see Quest. 79, 1784, p. 76. 
 
140 Of the Duty of those who have the [Ch. 1. 
 
 1 793. This, as well as the subsequent answers, 
 put into the infinitive form instead of the imperative. 
 
 2. 1784. "Leave your successor a particular 
 account of the state of the circuit." 
 
 1833. It is added, " including an account of the 
 subscribers for our periodicals." 
 
 3. 17 84. "See that every band leader have the 
 rules of the bands." 
 
 4. 1784. "Vigorously but calmly enforce the 
 rules concerning needless ornaments and drams." 
 
 1 793. This was to be done in reference to " all 
 the rules of the society." 
 
 5. 1784. "As soon as there are four men or 
 women believers in any place, put them into a band." 
 
 6. 1784. " Suffer no love-feast to last above an 
 hour and a half." 
 
 7. 1784. "Warn all from time to time, that 
 none are to remove from one society to another, with- 
 out a certificate from the assistant, in these words, (else 
 he will not be received in other societies,) ' A. B., the 
 bearer, is a member of our society in C. I believe he 
 has sufficient cause for removing.' "* 
 
 1789. It reads, "Warn all from time to time, 
 that none are to remove from one circuit to another 
 without a note of recommendation from the elder or 
 deacon, in these words : — { A. B., the bearer, has been 
 an acceptable member of our society in C.,'and inform 
 them, that without such a certificate, they will not be 
 received into other societies." 
 
 1793. The note was to be " from a preacher of 
 the circuit." 
 
 8. 1784. "Everywhere recommend decency 
 and cleanliness." 
 
 9. 1784. " Read the rules of the society, with 
 the aid of your helpers, once a year in every congrega- 
 tion, and once a quarter in every society." 
 
 * It had been ordered by the annual conference in 1782, " Let no 
 person remove from north to south without a certificate from the as- 
 sistant preacher ; and let no one be received into society without." 
 
Sec. 10.] Charge of Circuits. 141 
 
 10. This contains several provisions : first, about 
 arbitrations. 
 
 1784. " Quest. 62. Are there any directions to 
 be given the assistant concerning the decision of dis- 
 putes among the people ? 
 
 " Ans. On any dispute of importance, or difficult to 
 be settled, let the assistant inquire into the circum- 
 stances, and having consulted the stewards and leaders, 
 appoint referees, whose decision shall be final, and the 
 party expelled that refuses to abide by it ; unless there 
 appear to the assistant some fraud or gross mistake in 
 the decision, in which case he shall appoint new referees, 
 for a rehearing of the cause, whose decision shall be 
 absolutely final."* 
 
 1789. The following was substituted : — 
 
 " On any dispute between two or more of the 
 members of our society, which cannot be settled by the 
 parties concerned, the deacon shall inquire into the 
 circumstances of the case, and having consulted the 
 stewards and leaders, shall, if agreeable to their advice, 
 recommend to the contending parties a reference, con- 
 sisting of one arbiter chosen by the plaintiff, and an- 
 other by the defendant ; which two arbiters, so chosen, 
 shall nominate a third, (the three arbiters being members 
 of our society,) and the decision of any two of them 
 shall be final. But if either of the parties refuse to 
 abide by such decision, he shall be immediately expelled. 
 
 " N. B. If any member of our society enter into a 
 lawsuit with another member before these measures 
 are taken, he shall be expelled." 
 
 1799. The dispute in question is stated to be 
 " concerning the payment of debts or otherwise ;" and 
 the subject is committed to " the preacher who has the 
 charge of the circuit," instead of " the deacon." For 
 the note the following paragraph was substituted : — 
 " And if any member of our society shall refuse, in 
 cases of debt or other disputes, to refer the matter to 
 
 * A similar rule had been adopted in 1781. See pp. 17, 18. 
 
142 Of the Duty of those who have the [Ch. 1. 
 
 arbitration, when recommended by him who has the 
 charge of the circuit, with the approbation of the stew- 
 ards and leaders, or shall enter into a lawsuit with 
 another member before these measures are taken, he 
 shall be expelled." 
 
 1796. It was provided that the decision of the 
 arbiters should not be final, as before ; " But if one 
 of the parties be dissatisfied with the judgment given, 
 such party may apply to the ensuing quarterly meet- 
 ing of the circuit, for allowance to have a second 
 arbitration appointed ; and if the quarterly meet- 
 ing see sufficient reason, they shall grant a second 
 arbitration ; in which case each party shall choose two 
 arbiters, and the four arbiters shall choose a fifth, the 
 judgment of the majority of whom shall be final ; and 
 any party refusing to abide by such judgment, shall be 
 excluded the society." 
 
 1898. The clauses directing the preacher to 
 consult the stewards and leaders about the arbitration, 
 struck out. To the paragraph (1792) relating to those 
 who enter into a lawsuit before arbitration, the following 
 clause was added : " excepting the case be of such a 
 nature as to require and justify a process at law." 
 
 The second part of Answer 10 relates to insolvencies, 
 &c, and was originally as follows : — 
 
 1784. " Quest. 25. What shall we do to prevent 
 scandal, when any of our members becomes a bankrupt ? 
 
 " Ans. Let the assistant talk with him at large. 
 And if he has not kept fair accounts, let him be expelled 
 immediately." 
 
 It has since undergone the following changes : — 
 
 1789. The provision on this subject was placed 
 in the section about " Visiting from House to House, 
 &c," and was as follows : — 
 
 " Quest. 4. What shall we do to prevent scandal, 
 when any of our members fail in business, or contract 
 debts which they are not able to pay ? 
 
 " Ans. Let the elder or deacon desire two or three 
 judicious members of the society to inspect the ac- 
 
Sec. 10.] Charge of Circuits. 143 
 
 counts of the supposed delinquents ; and if they have 
 behaved dishonestly, or borrowed money without a pro- 
 bability of paying, let them be suspended until their 
 credit is restored." 
 
 1796. The following additional provision on the 
 subject was introduced into the section on " The Duties 
 of those who have Charge of Circuits." 
 
 " The preachers who have the oversight of circuits 
 are required to execute all our rules fully and strenu- 
 ously against all frauds, and particularly agaii st dis- 
 honest insolvencies ; suffering none to remain in our 
 society, on any account, who are found guilty of any 
 fraud." 
 
 1800. The question and answer, which had 
 been inserted in the section on " Visiting, &c," were 
 combined into one paragraph and transferred to this sec- 
 tion, as follows : — " To prevent scandal, when any of 
 our members fail in business, or contract debts which 
 they are not able to pay, let two or three judicious mem- 
 bers of the society inspect the accounts of the supposed 
 delinquent, and if he have behaved dishonestly, or bor- 
 rowed money without a probability of paying, let him 
 be expelled." 
 
 1 832. After " inspect accounts," in the preceding 
 paragraph, was added, " contracts and circumstances 
 of the case." 
 
 The third part of Answer 10 relates to the non-pay- 
 ment of debts. It was added in 
 
 1812. "Whenever a complaint is made against 
 any member of our church for non-payment of debt ; 
 when the accounts are adjusted, and the amount ascer- 
 tained, the preacher having the charge shall call the 
 debtor before a committee of at least three, to show 
 cause why he does not make payment. The committee 
 shall determine what further time shall be granted him 
 for payment, and what security, if any, shall be given 
 for payment, and in case the debtor refuse to comply, 
 he shall be expelled ; but in such case he may appeal 
 to the quarterly meeting conference, and their decision 
 
144 Of those who have Charge of Circuits. [Ch. 1. 
 
 shall be final. And in case the creditor complains that 
 justice is not done him, he may lay his grievance be- 
 fore the quarterly meeting conference, and their decision 
 shall be final ; and if the creditor refuse to comply he 
 shall be expelled." 
 
 11. 1789. (Sec. 17.) "Wherever you can, in 
 large societies, appoint prayer meetings." 
 
 1792. " The preacher who has the charge of a 
 circuit, shall appoint prayer meetings wherever he can, 
 in his circuit." 
 
 12. 1789. (Sec. 17.) " Let a fast be published at 
 every quarterly meeting, for the Friday following ; and 
 a memorandum of it be written on all the class papers."* 
 
 1792. The fast to be " on the Friday preceding 
 every quarterly meeting." 
 
 13. 1784. " Meantime let none preach or exhort 
 in any of our societies without a note of permission 
 from the assistant. Let every preacher or exhorter 
 take care to have this renewed yearly ; and let every 
 assistant insist upon it."t 
 
 1789. For "none," we have, "none who are 
 local ;" for "preacher," " local preacher;" and for "as- 
 sistant," where it first occurs, " deacon," and in the 
 second, " elder." 
 P y 1792. The whole was remodelled thus,— " He 
 shall also take care, that no ordained local preacher or 
 exhorter in his circuit shall officiate in public, without 
 first obtaining a license from the presiding elder or him- 
 self. Let every unordained local preacher and exhorter 
 take care to have this renewed yearly ; and let him who 
 has the charge of the circuit insist upon it." 
 
 1816. It was altered as follows : — " To license 
 such persons as he may judge proper to officiate as 
 exhorters in the church, provided no person shall be so 
 licensed without the consent of the leaders' meeting, or 
 
 * A similar rule found in 1780. See p. 15. 
 
 t For the provisions on this subject prior to 1784, see pp. 12, 14, 18. 
 
Sec. 12.] Of the Method of Preaching. 145 
 
 of the class of which he is a member, where no leaders' 
 meeting is held ; and the exhorters so authorized shall 
 be subject to the annual examination of character, in the 
 quarterly meeting conference, and have their license an- 
 nually renewed by the presiding elder, or the preacher 
 having the charge, if approved by the quarterly meeting 
 conference." 
 
 SECTION XI. 
 
 Of the Trial of those who think they are moved by the 
 Holy Ghost to preach. 
 
 This section remains substantially as it was in 1784, 
 and therefore it will be sufficient to refer to it under 
 question 68, pp. 62-3. 
 
 SECTION XII. 
 
 Of the Matter and Manner of Preaching, and of 
 other public Exercises. 
 
 The original of this section may be seen under 
 Questions 54, 56, and 55, of 1784. The alterations 
 can be understood by referring to them, (pp. 52-3.) 
 
 1789. This was the fifteenth section, with the 
 same title as now. Of the " smaller "advices," (Quest. 
 55,) item 8 was transferred to another section (see Sec. 
 25,) and items 12, 14, and 15, were struck out. But 
 the principal alterations have been in item 9, namely, 
 " Print nothing without the approbation of one or other 
 of the superintendents." In 1789 it was, "Print 
 nothing without the approbation of the conference and 
 one of the bishops." Its subsequent, modifications have 
 been as follows : — 
 
 1792. "Print nothing without the approbation 
 of the conference, or of one of the bishops." 
 
 1 800. " Do not print or circulate any books or 
 pamphlets, without the consent of the conference ; ex- 
 
 7 
 
146 Of the Duty of Preachers. CCh. 1 . 
 
 cepting as an agent or assistant to the superintendent 
 of the Book Concern." 
 
 1 804. " It is recommended to the yearly con- 
 ferences to caution and restrict our preachers from 
 improper publications." 
 
 1819. This direction was transferred to Part ii. 
 (See Sec. 8.) 
 
 SECTION XIII. 
 
 Of the Duty of Preachers to God, themselves, and 
 one another. 
 
 The original of this section may be found in the 
 Discipline of 1784, under Questions 59 and 66. (See 
 pp. 55, 60-2.) It has undergone no material altera- 
 tion since then ; and none of any kind since 1792. 
 
 SECTION XIV. 
 
 Rules by which ice should continue or desist from 
 Preaching at any Place. 
 
 The original of this section may be found in the 
 first Discipline, under Questions 6, 7, and 10. The 
 intervening questions, 8 and 9, about field preaching, 
 were left out in 1789. 
 
 SECTION xv. 
 
 Of visiting from House to House, guarding against 
 those Things that are so common to Professors, and 
 enforcing practical Religion. 
 
 The original of this section may be found in the 
 Discipline of 1784, in the answer to Quest. 15, part 
 of the answer to Quest. 51 (from, " Then you will 
 have, &c.," to " in justification,") and the answers to 
 Questions 52 and 24. (See pp. 30, 50-2, 37-8.) The 
 only material alterations which have been made in it 
 are the following : — 
 
 1789. The first item (p. 30) of the answer to 
 
Sec. 16.] Of the Instruction of Children. 147 
 
 Quest. 15 (Quest. 1, 1840) omitted, as also, from the 
 same answer, the following clause : — " Particularly in 
 selling horses ? Write him knave that does not. And 
 the Methodist knave is the worst of all knaves." In 
 the paragraph beginning, "The sum is, &c.," (p. 50,) 
 the words, " if they belong to us," struck out. 
 
 From the answer to Quest. 52 (p. 51) the questions 
 relating to the hour of private prayer were struck out. 
 
 From the answer (p. 38) to Quest. 24 (Quest. 3, 
 1840) "smuggling" struck out. 
 
 1793. The following clause was added to this 
 last answer : — " And strongly advise our people to 
 discountenance all treats given by candidates before or 
 at elections, and not to be partakers in any respect of 
 such iniquitous practices." 
 
 SECTION XVI. 
 
 Of the Instruction of Children. 
 
 The original of this section was as follows : — 
 1784. "(Quest. 51.) But what shall we do for 
 the rising generation ?* Who will labour for them ? 
 Let him who is zealous for God and the souls of men 
 begin now. 1. Where there are ten children whose 
 parents are in society, meet them at least an hour every 
 week : 2. Talk with them every time you see any at 
 home : 3. Pray in earnest for them : 4. Diligently in- 
 struct and vehemently exhort all parents at their own 
 houses : 5. Preach expressly on education. ' But I 
 have no gift for this.' Gift or no gift, you are to do 
 it ; else you are not called to be a Methodist preacher : 
 do it as you can, till you can do it as you would. Pray 
 earnestly for the gift, and use the means for it." 
 
 1780. The following alterations and additions 
 were made : — In regard to meeting the children, " at 
 
 * In the Annual Minutes for 1779 we find the following provision 
 on the same subject: — "Quest. 11. What shall be done with the 
 children? Ans. Meet them once a fortnight, and examine the 
 parents with regard to their conduct toward them." 
 
148 Of the Instruction of Children. [Ch. 1. 
 
 least an hour every week," was altered to " an hour 
 once a week ; but where this is impracticable, meet 
 them once in two weeks." The following new items 
 were inserted : — " Procure our ' Instructions' for them, 
 and let all who can, read and commit them to memory. 
 Explain and impress them upon their hearts." " Let 
 the elders, deacons, and preachers take a list of the 
 names of the children : and if any of them be truly 
 awakened, let them be admitted into society."* The 
 following clause omitted : — " Gift or no gift, you are 
 to do it ; else you are not called to be a Methodist 
 preacher. Do it as you can, till you can do it as you 
 would." 
 
 1796. No alterations were made in the section, 
 but the bishops, in their Notes, earnestly urge the 
 " people in the cities, towns, and villages," to " esta- 
 blish sabbath schools, w T herever practicable, for the 
 benefit of the children of the poor." 
 
 1834. For the former rule, (1789,) beginning, 
 " Let the elders, &c," the following was substi- 
 tuted : — 
 
 u As far as practicable, it shall be the duty of every 
 preacher of a circuit or station to obtain the names of 
 the children belonging to his congregations, to form 
 them into classes, for the purpose of giving them reli- 
 gious instruction, to instruct them regularly himself, as 
 much as his other duties will allow, to appoint a suit- 
 able leader for each class, who shall instruct them in 
 his absence, and to leave his successor a correct ac- 
 count of each class thus formed, with the name of its 
 leader." 
 
 1828. In the above rule of 1824, the following 
 
 * A fuller provision on the same subject had been made in the 
 Annual Minutes for 1787, as follows : — " Quest. 20. What can we 
 do for the rising generation ? Ans. Let the elders, deacons, and 
 helpers class the children of our friends in proper classes, as far as 
 it is practicable ; meet them as often as possible, and commit them, 
 during their absence, into the care of proper persons, who may meet 
 them at least weekly; and if any of them be truly awakened, let 
 them be admitted into society." 
 
Sec. 16.] Of the Instruction of Children. 149 
 
 was inserted as the first duty of the preacher, on this 
 subject, " to form Sunday schools." 
 
 1836. In the same rule the following was in- 
 serted, respecting the course of instruction : — " The 
 course of instruction shall not only embrace the nature 
 of experimental religion, but also the nature, design, 
 privileges, and obligations of their baptism." And it 
 was made the duty of the leader of the children to 
 " recommend to the preacher such among them as 
 he may think suitable to be received among us on 
 trial." 
 
 1 840.* The whole was remodelled as follows : — 
 
 " Quest. What shall we do for the rising genera- 
 tion ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Let Sunday schools be formed in all our 
 congregations where ten children can be collected for 
 that purpose. And it shall be the special duty of 
 preachers having charge of circuits and stations, with 
 the aid of the other preachers, to see that this be done ; 
 to engage the co-operation of as many of our members 
 as they can ; to visit the schools as often as practi- 
 cable ; to preach on the subject of Sunday schools and 
 religious instruction in each congregation at least once 
 in six months ; to lay before the quarterly conference 
 at each quarterly meeting, to be entered on its journal, 
 a written statement of the number and state of the 
 Sunday schools within their respective circuits and 
 stations, and to make a report of the same to their 
 several annual conferences. Each quarterly confer- 
 ence shall be deemed a board of managers, having 
 supervision of all the Sunday schools and Sunday- 
 school societies within its limits, and shall be auxiliary 
 to the Sunday-School Union of the Methodist Epis- 
 copal Church ; and each annual conference shall report 
 to said Union the number of auxiliaries within its bounds, 
 
 * The first copies of the 24mo. edition of the Discipline for this 
 year were incorrect in this section. The correct copies may be 
 known by having pp. 61-4 in smaller type than the others. 
 
150 Of the Instruction of Children. [Ch. 1. 
 
 together with other facts presented in the annual re- 
 ports of the preachers, as above directed. 
 
 " 2. It is recommended that each annual conference, 
 where the general state of the work will allow, request 
 the appointment of a special agent, to travel through- 
 out its bounds, for the purpose of promoting the inte- 
 rests of Sunday-schools ; and his expenses shall be paid 
 out of collections which he shall be directed to make, 
 or otherwise, as shall be ordered by the conference. 
 
 " 3. Let our catechisms be used as extensively as 
 possible, both in our Sunday schools and families ; 
 and let the preachers faithfully enforce upon parents 
 and Sunday-school teachers the great importance of 
 instructing children in the doctrines and duties of our 
 holy religion. 
 
 " 4. It shall be the special duty of the preachers to 
 form Bible classes wherever they can, for the instruc- 
 tion of larger children and youth ; and where they 
 cannot superintend them personally, to appoint suitable 
 leaders for that purpose. 
 
 "5. It shall be the duty of every preacher of a cir- 
 cuit or station to obtain the names of the children be- 
 longing to his congregations, and leave a list of such 
 names for his successor ; and in his pastoral visits he 
 shall pay special attention to the children, speak to 
 them personally, and kindly, on experimental and prac- 
 tical godliness, according to their capacity, pray ear- 
 nestly for them, and diligently instruct and exhort all 
 parents to dedicate their children to the Lord in bap- 
 tism as early as convenient ; and let all baptized chil- 
 dren be faithfully instructed in the nature, design, pri- 
 vileges, and obligations of their baptism. Those of 
 them who are well disposed may be admitted to our 
 class meetings and love-feasts, and such as are truly 
 serious, and manifest a desire to flee the wrath to come, 
 shall be advised to join society as probationers."* 
 
 * It may be proper here to notice " the Plan of Education" which 
 was inserted in the Discipline, from 1789 to 1796 inclusive. As 
 found in the Discipline of 1789 it is as follows: — 
 
Sec. 16.] " The Plan of Education." 151 
 
 "Section XXX. On the Plan of Education established in Cokesbury 
 College. 
 
 44 The college is built at Abingdon, in Maryland, on a healthy spot, 
 enjoying a fine air, and very extensive prospect. It is to receive for 
 education and board the sons of the elders and preachers of the Me- 
 thodist Church, poor orphans, and the sons of the subscribers, and of 
 other friends. It will be expected that all our friends who send their 
 children to the college will, if they be able, pay a moderate sum for 
 their education and board : the rest will be taught and boarded, and, 
 if our finances will allow of it, clothed gratis. The institution is also 
 intended for the benefit of our young men who are called to preach, 
 that they may receive a measure of that improvement which is highly 
 expedient as a preparative for public service. A teacher of the lan- 
 guages, with an assistant, will be provided, as also an English master, 
 to teach, with the utmost propriety, both to read and speak the Eng- 
 lish language : nor shall any other branch of literature be omitted, 
 which may be thought necessary for any of the students. Above all, 
 especial care shall be taken that due attention be paid to the religion 
 and morals of the children, and to the exclusion of all such as con- 
 tinue of an ungovernable temper. The college will be under the 
 presidentship of the bishops of our church for the time being : and is 
 to be supported by yearly collections throughout our circuits, and any 
 endowments which our friends may think proper to give and be- 
 queath. 
 
 44 Three objects of considerable magnitude we have in view in the 
 instituting of this college. 
 
 44 The first is a provision for the sons of our married ministers and 
 preachers. 
 
 44 The wisdom and love of God hath now thrust out a large number 
 of labourers into his harvest : men who desire nothing on earth but to 
 promote the glory of God, by saving their own souls and those that 
 hear them. And those to whom they minister spiritual things are 
 willing to minister to them of their temporal things ; so that they have 
 food to eat, and raiment to put on, and are content therewith. 
 
 44 A competent provision is likewise made for the wives of married 
 preachers. 
 
 44 Yet one considerable difficulty lies on those that have boys, when 
 they grow too big to be under their mother's direction. Having no 
 father to govern and instruct them, they are exposed to a thousand 
 temptations. To remedy this is one motive that induces us to lay 
 before our friends the intent of the college, that these little ones may 
 have all the instruction they are capable of, together with all things 
 necessary for the body. 
 
 44 In this view our college will become one of the noblest charities 
 that can be conceived. How reasonable is the institution 1 Is it fit 
 that the children of those who leave wife and all that is dear, to save 
 souls from death, should want what is needful either for soul or body ? 
 Ought not we to supply what the parent cannot, because of his labours 
 in the gospel ? How excellent will be the effect of this institution ? 
 The preacher, eased of this weight, can the more cheerfully go on in 
 
152 " The Plan of Education." tCh. 1. 
 
 his labour. And perhaps many of these children may hereafter fill 
 up the place of those that shall rest from their labours. 
 
 " The second object we have in view is the education and support 
 of poor orphans ; and surely we need not enumerate the many happy 
 consequences arising from such a charity. Innumerable blessings 
 concenter in it ; not only the immediate relief of the objects of our 
 charity, but the ability given them, under the providence of God, to 
 provide for themselves through the remainder of their lives. 
 
 " The last, though not perhaps the least, object in view is the esta- 
 blishment of a seminary for the children of our competent friends, 
 where learning and religion may go hand in hand : where every ad- 
 vantage may be obtained which may promote the prosperity of the 
 present life, without endangering the morals and religion of the chil- 
 dren through those temptations to which they are too much exposed 
 in most of the public schools. This is an object of importance indeed : 
 and here all the tenderest feelings of a parent's heart range on our 
 side. 
 
 " But the expense of such an undertaking will be very large : and 
 the best means we could think of at our late conference to accom- 
 plish our design was, to desire the assistance of all those in every 
 place who wish well to the work of God : who long to see sinners 
 converted to God, and the kingdom of Christ set up in all the earth. 
 
 " All who are thus minded, and more especially our own friends 
 who form our congregations, have an opportunity now of showing 
 their love to the gospel. Now promote, as far as in you lies, one of 
 the noblest charities in the world. Now forward, as you are able, 
 one of the most excellent designs that ever was set on foot in this 
 country. Do what you can to comfort the parents, who give up their 
 all for you, and to give their children cause to bless you. You will 
 be no poorer for what you do on such an occasion. God is a good 
 paymaster. And you know in doing this you lend unto the Lord : 
 in due time he shall repay you. 
 
 " The students will be instructed in English, Latin, Greek, logic, 
 rhetoric, history, geography, natural philosophy, and astronomy. To 
 these languages and sciences shall be added, when the finances of 
 our college will admit of it, the Hebrew, French, and German lan- 
 guages. 
 
 " But our first object shall be, to answer the design of Christian edu- 
 cation, by forming the minds of the youth, through divine aid, to wisdom 
 and holiness, by instilling into their tender minds the principles of true 
 religion, speculative, experimental, and practical, and training them 
 in the ancient way, that they may be rational, Scriptural Christians. 
 For this purpose we shall expect and enjoin it, not only on the presi- 
 dent and tutors, but also upon our elders, deacons, and preachers, to 
 embrace every opportunity of instructing the students in the great 
 branches of the Christian religion. 
 
 " And this is one principal reason why we do not admit students 
 indiscriminately into our college. For we are persuaded that the pro- 
 miscuous admission of all sorts of youth into a seminary of learning is 
 pregnant with many bad consequences. For are the students likely 
 (suppose they possessed it) to retain much religion in a college where 
 
Sec. 16.] " The Plan of Education:' 153 
 
 all that offer are admitted, however corrupted already in principle as 
 well as practice ? And what wonder, when (as too frequently it hap- 
 pens) the parents themselves have no more religion than their off. 
 spring. 
 
 " For the same reason we have consented to receive children of 
 seven years of age, as we wish to have the opportunity of ' teaching 
 their young ideas how to shoot,' and gradually forming their minds 
 through the divine blessing, almost from their infancy, to holiness and 
 heavenly wisdom, as well as human learning. And we may add, 
 that we are thoroughly convinced, with the great Milton, (to whose 
 admirable treatise on education we refer you,) that it is highly expe- 
 dient for every youth to begin and finish his education at the same 
 place : that nothing can be more irrational and absurd than to break, 
 this off in the middle, and to begin it again at a different place, and 
 perhaps in a quite different manner. And on this account we earn- 
 estly desire that the parents, and others who may be concerned, will 
 maturely consider the last observation, and not send their children to 
 our seminary if they are not to complete their education there, or at 
 least make some considerable proficiency in the languages, and in the 
 arts and sciences. 
 
 "It is also our particular desire that all who shall be educated in 
 our college, may be kept at the utmost distance as from vice in gene- 
 ral, so in particular from softness and effeminacy of manners. 
 
 44 We shall therefore inflexibly insist on their rising early in the 
 morning ; and we are convinced, by constant observation and expe- 
 rience, that this is of vast importance both to body and mind. It is 
 of admirable use either for preserving a good, or improving a bad, 
 constitution. It is of peculiar service in all nervous complaints, both 
 in preventing and in removing them. And by thus strengthening the 
 various organs of the body, it enables the mind to put forth its utmost 
 exertions. 
 
 " On the same principle we prohibit play in the strongest terms : and 
 in this we have the two greatest writers on the subject that perhaps 
 any age has produced (Mr. Locke and Mr. Rousseau) of our senti- 
 ments : for though the latter was essentially mistaken in his religious 
 system, yet his wisdom in other respects, and extensive genius, are 
 indisputably acknowledged. The employments, therefore, which we 
 have chosen for the recreation of the students are such as are of the 
 greatest public utility, agriculture and architecture — studies more espe- 
 cially necessary for a new-settled country; and of consequence the 
 instructing of our youth, in all the practical branches of those import- 
 ant arts, will be an effectual method of rendering them more useful to 
 their country. Agreeably to this idea, the greatest statesman that 
 perhaps ever shone in the annals of history, Peter, the Russian em- 
 peror, who was deservedly styled the Great, disdained not to stoop to 
 the employment of a ship carpenter. Nor was it rare, during the 
 purest times of the Roman republic, to see the conquerors of nations 
 and deliverers of their country return with all simplicity and cheerful- 
 ness to the exercise of the plough. In conformity to this sentiment 
 one of the completest poetic pieces of antiquity (the Georgics of Virgil) 
 is written on the subject of husbandry ; by the perusal of which, and 
 
 7* 
 
154 " The Plan of Education." [Ch. 1. 
 
 submission to the above regulations, the students may delightfully 
 unite the theory and the practice together. We say delightfully, for we 
 do not entertain the most distant thought of turning these employ, 
 ments into drudgery or slavery, but into pleasing recreations for the 
 mind and body. 
 
 "In teaching the languages, care shall be taken to read those au- 
 thors, and those only, who join together the purity, the strength, and 
 the elegance of their several tongues. And the utmost caution shall 
 be used, that nothing immodest be found in any of our books. 
 
 " But this is not all. We shall take care that our books be not 
 only inoffensive, but useful : that they contain as much strong sense 
 and as much genuine morality as possible. As far therefore as is con- 
 sistent with the foregoing observations, a choice and universal library 
 shall be provided for the use of the students. 
 
 " Our annual subscription is intended for the support of the chari- 
 table part of the institution. We have in the former part of this ad- 
 dress enlarged so fully on the nature and excellency of the charity, 
 that no more need be said. The relieving our travelling ministers 
 and preachers, by educating, boarding, and clothing their sons, is a cha- 
 rity of the most noble and extensive kind, not only toward the imme- 
 diate subjects of it, but also toward the public in general; enabling 
 those ' flames of fire,' who might otherwise be obliged to confine 
 themselves to an exceedingly contracted sphere of action for the sup- 
 port of their families, to carry the savour of the gospel to the remotest 
 corners of these United States. 
 
 " The four guineas a year for tuition, we are persuaded, cannot be 
 lowered, if we give the students that finished education which we are 
 determined they shall have. And though our principal object is to 
 instruct them in the doctrine, spirit, and practice of Christianity, yet 
 we trust that our college will in time send forth men that will be 
 blessings to their country in every laudable office and employment of 
 life, thereby uniting the two greatest ornaments of intelligent beings, 
 which are too often separated, deep learning and genuine religion. 
 
 " The rules and regulations with which you are here presented have 
 been weighed and digested in our conference : but we also submit 
 them to your judgment, as we shall be truly thankful for your advice, 
 as well as your prayers for the success of the college, even where the 
 circumstances of things will not render it expedient to you to favour 
 us with your charity. And we shall esteem ourselves happy if we 
 be favoured with any new light, whether from the members of our 
 own church or any other, whereby they may be abridged, enlarged, 
 or in any other way improved, that the institution may be as near 
 perfection as possible. 
 
 " General Rules concerning the College. 
 
 " I. A president and two tutors shall be provided for the present. 
 
 " II. The students shall consist of 
 
 "First. The sons of travelling preachers. 
 
 " Secondly. The sons of annual subscribers, the children recom- 
 mended by those annual subscribers who have none of their own, and 
 the sons of members of our society. 
 
Sec. 16.] " The Plan of Education:' 155 
 
 "Thirdly. Orphans. But, 
 
 " 1. The sons of the annual subscribers shall have the preference 
 to any others, except those of the travelling preachers. 
 
 " 2. An annual subscriber who has no sons of his own shall have. 
 a right to recommend a child ; and such child so recommended shall 
 have the preference to any other, except the sons of travelling 
 preachers and annual subscribers. 
 
 "3. As many of the students as possible shall be lodged and 
 boarded in the town of Abingdon, among our pious friends ; but those 
 who cannot be so lodged and boarded, shall be provided for in the 
 college. 
 
 " 4. The price of education shall be four guineas. 
 
 44 5. The sons of the travelling preachers shall be boarded, educated, 
 and clothed gratis, except those whose parents, according to the judg- 
 ment of the conference, are of ability to defray the expense. 
 
 " 6. The orphans shall be boarded, educated, and clothed gratis. 
 
 " 7. No travelling preacher shall have the liberty of keeping his son 
 on the foundation any longer than he travels, unless he be superan- 
 nuated, or disabled by want of health. 
 
 " 8. No travelling preacher, till he has been received into full con- 
 nection, shall have a right to place his son on the foundation of this 
 institution. 
 
 " 9. No student shall be received into the college under the age of 
 seven years. 
 
 44 Rules for the Economy of the College and Students. 
 
 44 1. The students shall rise at five o'clock in the morning, summer 
 and winter, at the ringing of the college bell. 
 
 44 2. All the students, whether they lodge in or out of the college, 
 shall assemble together in the college at six o'clock, for public prayer, 
 except in cases of sickness ; and on any omission shall be responsible 
 to the president. 
 
 44 3. From morning prayer till seven they shall be allowed to recre- 
 ate themselves, as is hereafter directed. 
 
 44 4. At seven they shall breakfast. 
 
 44 5. From eight to twelve they are to be closely kept to their re- 
 spective studies. 
 
 " 6. From twelve to three they are to employ themselves in recrea- 
 tion and dining — dinner to be ready at one o'clock. 
 
 44 7. From three to six they are again to be kept closely to their 
 studies. 
 
 44 8. At six they shall sup. 
 
 44 9. At seven there shall be public prayer. 
 
 44 10. From evening prayer till bed-time they shall be allowed re- 
 creation. 
 
 44 11. They shall all be in bed at nine o'clock, without fail. 
 
 44 12. Their recreations shall be gardening, walking, riding, and 
 bathing, without doors ; and the carpenter's, joiner's, cabinet maker's, 
 or turner's business, within doors. 
 
 44 13. A large plot of land, of at least three acres, shall be appropri- 
 
156 " The Plan of Education." [Ch. 1- 
 
 ated for a garden, and a person skilled in gardening be appointed to 
 overlook the students when employed in that recreation. 
 
 " 14. A convenient bath shall be made for bathing. 
 
 "15. A master, or some proper person by him appointed, shall be 
 always present at the time of bathing. Only one shall bathe at a 
 time ; and no one shall remain in the water above a minute. 
 
 " 16. No student shall be allowed to bathe in the river. 
 
 "17. A Taberna Lignaria* shall be provided on the premises, 
 with all proper instruments and materials, and a skilful person be 
 employed to overlook the students at this recreation. 
 
 " 18. The students shall be indulged with nothing which the world 
 calls play. Let this rule be observed with the strictest nicety ; for 
 those who play when they are young, will play when they are old. 
 
 " 19. Each student shall have a bed to himself, whether he boards 
 in or out of the college. 
 
 " 20. The students shall lie on mattresses, not on feather beds, 
 because we believe the mattresses to be more healthy. 
 
 "21. The president and tutors shall strictly examine, from time to 
 time, whether our friends who board the students comply with those 
 rules as far as concern them. 
 
 " 22. A skilful physician shall be engaged to attend the students 
 on every emergency, that the parents may be fully assured that pro- 
 per care shall be taken of the health of their children, without any 
 expense to them. 
 
 " 23. The bishops shall examine by themselves, or their delegates, 
 into the progress of all the students in learning, every half year, or 
 oftener, if possible. 
 
 " 24. The elders, deacons, and preachers, as often as they visit 
 Abingdon, shall examine the students concerning their knowledge of 
 God and religion. 
 
 " 25. The students shall be divided into proper classes for that 
 purpose. 
 
 " 26. A pupil who has a total incapacity to attain learning, shall, 
 after sufficient trial, be returned to his parents. 
 
 " 27. If a student be convicted of any open sin, he shall, for the 
 first offence, be reproved in private; for the second offence he shall 
 be reproved in public ; and for the third offence he shall be punished 
 at the discretion of the president: if incorrigible, he shall be expelled. 
 
 "28. But if the sin be exceedingly gross, and a bishop see it neces- 
 sary, he may be expelled for the first, second, or third offence. 
 
 " 29. Idleness, or any other fault, may be punished with confine- 
 ment, according to the discretion of the president. 
 
 " 30. A convenient room shall be set apart as a place of confine- 
 ment. 
 
 "31. The president shall be the judge of all crimes and punish- 
 ments, in the absence of the bishops. 
 
 " 32. But the president shall have no power to expel a student 
 without the advice and consent of three of the trustees : but a bishop 
 shall have that power." 
 
 It is explained, in 1796, as " a place for working in wood." 
 
Sec. 17.] Of employing our Time, etc. 157 
 
 In 1792 the following changes were made : — The price of tuition, 
 which had been before four guineas for the year, was altered to eigh- 
 teen dollars and two-thirds. The rate of boarding in the college was 
 6xed at sixty dollars per annum, which was an increase on what it 
 had been before. 
 
 In the " Rules for the Economy of the College and Students," the 
 thirty-first and thirty-second were altered to the following : — 
 
 "31. The president shall be the judge of all crimes and punish- 
 ments, in the absence of the bishops and the presiding elder : and, 
 with the concurrence of two of the tutors, shall have power to dismiss 
 a student, if he judge it highly necessary, for any criminal conduct, or 
 for refusing to submit to the discipline of the college, or to such pun- 
 ishment as the president and tutors judge he deserves. 
 
 " 32. A committee of five respectable friends, entitled, The Com. 
 mittee of Safety, shall be appointed, who shall meet once in every 
 fortnight. Three of these meeting at the appointed time shall be 
 sufficient to enter upon business, and shall have full powers to inspect 
 and regulate the whole economy of the college, and to examine the 
 characters and conduct of all the servants, and to fix their wages, and 
 change them as they may think, proper. The committee shall deter- 
 mine every thing by a majority." 
 
 In 1796, Cokesbury College having been previously burnt down, the 
 section was considerably modified. It was then entitled, " The Plan of 
 Education recommended to all our Seminaries of Learning." The Ad- 
 dress to the public was greatly abridged. The " General Rules con- 
 cerning the College" are omitted ; as also the twenty-eighth, thirty- 
 first, and thirty-second of the "Rules for the Economy of the College 
 and Students." The other alterations are not material. 
 
 From this time the interest of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 
 the cause of liberal education, seems for a number of years to have 
 gradually declined ; and after 1796 no notice is taken of it in the 
 Discipline. As the church has since taken nold of this work with 
 greater zeal than ever, it may be a question, whether some provisions 
 on the subject might not again, with propriety, be introduced. 
 
 SECTION XVII. 
 
 Of employing our Time profitably, when we are not 
 travelling or engaged in public Exercises. 
 
 The original of this section may be fonnd in the Dis- 
 cipline of 1784, in the answers to Questions 49 and 50, 
 and the first part of the answer to Question 51 — to the 
 words, " use of the preachers." (See pp. 48-9.) It 
 has undergone no material alteration. 
 
158 Of Union among ourselves. [Ch. 1. 
 
 SECTION XVIII. 
 
 Of the Necessity of Union among ourselves. 
 
 The original of this section may be found in the Disci- 
 pline of 1784, in the answer to Question 67. (See p. 62.) 
 The only material alterations have been the following: — 
 
 1789. This paragraph was prefixed to the section : 
 " Let us be deeply sensible (from what we have known) 
 of the evil of a division in principle, spirit, or practice, 
 and the dreadful consequences to ourselves and others. 
 If we are united, what can stand before us ? If we 
 divide, we shall destroy ourselves, the work of God, and 
 the souls of our people." 
 
 1 7952. The following was added at the close : — 
 " We recommend a serious perusal of ' The Causes, 
 Evils, and Cures of Heart and Church Divisions.'" 
 
 SECTION XIX. 
 
 Of the Method by which immoral Travelling Ministers 
 or Preachers shall be brought to Trial, found guilty, 
 and reproved or suspended in the Intervals of the 
 Conferences. 
 
 The only provision on the subject in the first Disci- 
 pline was the following : — 
 
 1784. " Quest. 63. Are there any further direc- 
 tions needful for the preservation of good order among 
 the preachers ? 
 
 " Ans. In the absence of a superintendent, a travel- 
 ling preacher or three leaders shall have power to lodge 
 a complaint against any preacher in their circuit, 
 whether elder, assistant, deacon, or helper, before 
 three neighbouring assistants ; who shall meet at an ap- 
 pointed time, (proper notice being given to the parties,) 
 hear and decide the cause. And authority is given 
 them to change or suspend a preacher, if they see it 
 necessary, and to appoint another in his place, during 
 the absence of the superintendents."* 
 
 * A previous provision on the same subject is found in the Annual 
 Minutes for 1784. (See p. 20.) 
 
Sec. 19.] Of the Trial of Ministers. 159 
 
 The original of the present section was prepared by- 
 Bishop Asbury,* and introduced in 1789. It then 
 constituted the thirty-third section, with the same title as 
 now, except the words "reproved and suspended" instead 
 of " and reproved or suspended." The questions will 
 be taken up in order. 
 
 Quest. 1. What shall be done when an elder, deacon, or 
 preacher is under report of being guilty of some crime, expressly- 
 forbidden in the word of God, as an unchristian practice, suffi- 
 cient to exclude a person from the kingdom of grace and glory ! 
 
 1789. The original was as follows : — 
 
 " Quest. 1. What shall be done when an elder, 
 deacon, or preacher, is under the report of being guilty 
 of some capital crime, expressly forbidden in the word 
 of God, as an unchristian practice, sufficient to exclude 
 a person from the kingdom of grace and glory, and to 
 make him a subject of wrath and hell ? 
 
 " Am. Let the presiding elder call as many minis- 
 ters to the trial as he shall think fit, at least three, and 
 if possible bring the accused and accuser face to face. 
 If the person is clearly convicted, he shall be suspend- 
 ed from official services in the church, and not be al- 
 lowed the privileges of a member. But if the accused 
 be a presiding elder, the preachers must call in the 
 presiding elder of the neighbouring district, who is re- 
 quired to attend and act as judge. 
 
 " If the persons cannot be brought face to face, but 
 the supposed delinquent flees from trial, it shall be re- 
 ceived as a presumptive proof of guilt, and out of the 
 mouth of two or three witnesses he shall be condemned. 
 Nevertheless, he may then demand a trial face to face, 
 or he may appeal to the next conference in that district." 
 
 1799. The section took its present title and 
 number. In the question, the word " capital" before 
 " crime," omitted. It was now provided that only " in 
 the absence of a bishop," the presiding elder was to 
 summon the committee of trial. The punishment, in 
 case of conviction, was now, " he shall be suspended 
 
 * Journal, vol.ii, p. 29. 
 
160 Of the Trial of Ministers. [Ch. 1 . 
 
 from all official services in the church till the ensuing 
 district conference, at which his case shall be fully con- 
 sidered and determined." " Act as judge," changed to 
 "preside at the trial." In the next paragraph, "per- 
 sons" changed to " accused and accuser." And for the 
 last sentence, the following is substituted : — "Neverthe- 
 less, even in that case the district conference shall 
 reconsider the whole matter, and determine." 
 
 1 836. The following provision was added : — 
 " And if the accused be a superannuated preacher, 
 living out of the bounds of the conference of which he 
 is a member, the presiding elder, in whose district he 
 may reside, shall bring him to trial, and in case of sus- 
 pension, shall forward to the ensuing annual conference, 
 of which the accused is a member, exact minutes of 
 the charges, testimony, and decision of the committee 
 in the case." 
 
 1 840. All the foregoing clause, after " of which 
 he is a member," was struck out, and the following 
 substituted, — " he shall be held responsible to the an- 
 nual conference w T ithin whose bounds he may reside, 
 who shall have power to try, acquit, suspend, locate, or 
 expel him, in the same manner as if he were a member 
 of said conference." 
 
 Quest. 2. What shall be done in cases of improper tempers, 
 words, or actions 1 
 
 Quest. 3. What shall be done with those ministers or 
 preachers who hold and disseminate, publicly or privately, doc- 
 trines which are contrary to our Articles of Religion 1 
 
 These questions were originally embraced under one 
 head, as follows : — 
 
 1789. " Quest. 2. What shall be done in cases 
 of improper tempers, words, or actions, or a breach of 
 the Articles and Discipline of the church ? 
 
 " Arts. The person so offending shall be reprehended 
 by his bishop, elder, deacon, or preacher that has the 
 charge of the circuit ; or if he be a bishop, he shall be 
 reprehended by the conference. Should a second 
 transgression take place, one, two, or three preachers 
 
Sec. 19.] Of the Trial of Ministers. 161 
 
 may be called in ; if not cured then, he shall be tried 
 at the quarterly meeting by the elder and preachers 
 present ; if still incurable, he shall be brought before 
 the conference, and if found guilty and impenitent, he 
 shall be expelled from the connection, and his name so 
 returned in the Minutes. 
 
 " N. B. Any preacher suspended at a quarterly 
 meeting from preaching, shall not resume that employ- 
 ment again, but by the order of the conference. But it 
 is to be observed, that a preacher shall be tried by a 
 deacon, a deacon by an elder, an elder by a presiding 
 elder, and a presiding elder by the presiding elder of a 
 neighbouring district." 
 
 1 792. These cases were divided thus : — 
 
 " Quest. 2. What shall be done in case of improper 
 tempers, words, or actions ? 
 
 " Ans. The person so offending shall be reprehended 
 by his senior in office. Should a second transgression 
 take place, one, two, or three ministers or preachers 
 are to be taken as witnesses. If he be not then cured, 
 he shall be tried at the conference of his district, [annu- 
 al conference] and, if found guilty and impenitent, shall 
 be expelled from the connection, and his name so 
 returned in the Minutes of the conference. 
 
 " Quest. 3. What shall be done with those ministers 
 or preachers who hold and preach doctrines which are 
 contrary to our Articles of Religion ? 
 
 " Ans. Let the same process be observed as in cases 
 of gross immorality : but if the minister or preacher 
 so offending do solemnly engage neither to preach nor 
 defend such erroneous doctrines in public or in private, 
 he shall be borne with till his case be laid before the next 
 district conference, which shall determine the matter." 
 
 1816. The question reads as now. "Neither 
 to preach nor defend," altered to " not to disseminate." 
 
 Quest. 4. What shall be done with a member of an annual 
 conference who conducts himself in a manner which renders 
 him unacceptable to the people as a travelling preacher ? 
 
 This question and answer remain as first introduced in 
 
1 62 Of the Trial of Ministers. [Ch. 1 . 
 
 1830. " Ans. When any member of an annual 
 conference shall be charged with having so conducted 
 himself as to render him unacceptable to the people as 
 a travelling preacher, it shall be the duty of the confer- 
 ence to which he belongs to investigate the case; and 
 if it appear that the complaint is well founded, and he 
 do not give the conference satisfaction that he will 
 amend or voluntarily retire, they may locate him with- 
 out his consent : provided that he shall be at liberty to 
 defend himself before the conference in person or by 
 his representative ; and if he be located in his absence 
 without having been previously notified of an intention 
 thus to proceed against him, he may apply to the con- 
 ference, at its next session, to be heard in his defence, 
 in which case they shall reconsider the matter for that 
 purpose." 
 
 Appeal to the General Conference. 
 
 The following provision was introduced in 
 
 1799. "Provided nevertheless, that in all the 
 above-mentioned cases of trial and conviction, an appeal 
 to the ensuing General Conference shall be allowed." 
 
 18SO. The following clauses added: — "If the 
 condemned person signify his intention to appeal, at the 
 time of his condemnation, or at any time thereafter, 
 when he is informed thereof. 
 
 " In all the above-mentioned cases, it shall be the 
 duty of the secretary of the annual conference to keep 
 regular minutes of the trial, including all the questions 
 proposed to the witnesses, and their answers, together 
 with the crime with which the accused is charged, the 
 specification or specifications, and also preserve all the 
 documents relating to the case ; which minutes and 
 documents only, in case of an appeal from the decision 
 of an annual conference, shall be presented to the Ge- 
 neral Conference, in evidence on the case. And in all 
 cases, when an appeal is made, and admitted by the 
 General Conference, the appellant shall either state per- 
 sonally, or by his representative, (who shall be a mem- 
 ber of the conference,) the grounds of his appeal, show- 
 
Sec. 19.] Of the Trial of Ministers. 163 
 
 ing cause why he appeals, and he shall be allowed to 
 make his defence without interruption. After which 
 the representatives of the annual conference from whose 
 decision the appeal is made, shall be permitted to 
 respond in presence of the appellant, who shall have 
 the privilege of replying to such representatives, which 
 shall close the pleadings on both sides. This done, the 
 appellant shall withdraw, and the conference shall 
 decide." 
 
 1836. To which, in 1836, the following clause 
 added: "And after such form of trial and expulsion, the 
 person so expelled shall have no privileges of society or 
 sacraments in our church, without confession, contri- 
 tion, and proper trial." 
 
 Trial of a preacher on probation. 
 
 1 836. " A preacher on trial who may be accused 
 of crime shall be accountable to the quarterly conference 
 of the circuit on which he travels. The presiding 
 elder shall call a committee of three local preachers, 
 who may suspend him. And the quarterly conference 
 may expel him. Nevertheless, he shall have a right to 
 an appeal to the next annual conference." 
 Restoring credentials. 
 
 1 836. " When any travelling elder or deacon is 
 deprived of his credentials, by expulsion or otherwise, 
 they shall be filed with the papers of the annual confer- 
 ence of which he was a member ; and should he at any 
 future time give satisfactory evidence to said conference 
 of his amendment, and procure a certificate of the quar- 
 terly conference of the circuit or station where he 
 resides, or of an annual conference who may have ad- 
 mitted him on trial, recommending to the annual con- 
 ference of which he ivas a member formerly the resto- 
 ration of his credentials, the said conference may restore 
 them." 
 
164 Provision for Circuits in time of Conference. LCh. 1 
 SECTION xx. 
 
 How to provide for the Circuits in time of Conference, 
 and to preserve and increase the Work of God. 
 
 The original provision on this subject may be found 
 in the answer to Question 71.* (See p. 65.) The fol- 
 lowing was substituted for it in 
 
 1789. " Quest. What can be done to supply the 
 circuits during the sitting of the conference ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Let all the appointments stand according to 
 the plan of the circuit. 
 
 " 2. Engage as many local preachers and exhorters 
 as will supply them ; and let them be paid for their 
 time in proportion to the salary of the travelling 
 preachers. 
 
 "3. If preachers and exhorters cannot attend, let 
 some person of ability be appointed in every society, to 
 sing, pray, and read one of Mr. Wesley's sermons. 
 
 "4. And if that cannot be done, let there be prayer 
 meetings. 
 
 " 5. Wherever you can, in large societies, appoint 
 prayer meetings. 
 
 " Lastly, let a fast be published at every quarterly 
 meeting for the Friday following ; and a memorandum 
 of it be written on all the class papers. Also be active 
 in dispersing the books among the people." 
 
 17951. The last two paragraphs were struck out, 
 the same duties being prescribed elsewhere. (See Sec. 
 10.) But the clause in the title, (" and to preserve and 
 increase the work of God,") which seems to refer to 
 them, has been retained. 
 
 SECTION XXI. 
 
 Of Local Preachers. 
 
 l^ This subject was not treated in a distinct section 
 until 1796. 
 
 A similar provision was made in 1783. (See p. 20.) 
 
Sec. 21.] Of Local Preachers. 165 
 
 Quest. 1. What directions shall be given concerning local 
 preachers 1 
 
 Until 1816 this question read, "What directions 
 shall be given concerning our brethren the local 
 preachers, in respect to their being received as 
 preachers, or admitted into the order of deacons ?" 
 As a variety of provisions have been embraced under 
 it, they will be treated separately under the following 
 heads: — 1. Licensing; 2. Election to deacon's or- 
 ders ; 3. Election to elders oi'ders ; 4. Sundry re- 
 quisitions. 
 
 1. Licensing. — For the original provisions on this 
 subject, see under the thirteenth direction to those who 
 have charge of circuits, (p. 144.) Those of 1796 
 were as follows : — 
 
 1796. "1. No local preacher shall receive a 
 license to preach till he has been examined and 
 approved at the quarterly meeting of his circuit ; 
 which license shall be drawn up in the following 
 words, signed by the .president of the meeting, 
 namely : — ' N. M. has applied to us for liberty to 
 preach as a local preacher in our circuit : and after 
 due inquiry concerning his gifts, grace, and usefulness, 
 we judge he is a proper person to be licensed for this 
 purpose ; and we accordingly authorize him to preach.' 
 
 " 2. Before any person shall be licensed as a local 
 preacher by a quarterly meeting, he shall bring a re- 
 commendation from the society of which he is a 
 member." 
 
 1816. Answers 1 and 2 were combined into one, 
 and modified so as to read as follows : — 
 
 " ] . Before any person shall be licensed to preach 
 as a local preacher among us, he shall bring a recom- 
 mendation from the society or class of which he is a 
 member, and be personally examined before the quar- 
 terly meeting conference, by the presiding elder, or, in 
 his absence, by the preacher having the charge, touch- 
 ing his acquaintance with the doctrines of our church, 
 (to which he shall declare his assent,) together with his 
 
166 Of Local Preachers. CCh. 1. 
 
 gifts and grace for preaching ; and if he be approved 
 by the quarterly meeting conference in these respects, 
 and they believe that he will be generally acceptable 
 and useful as a preacher, he shall then receive a license, 
 signed by the presiding elder, or, in his absence, by 
 the preacher having the charge, in these words, namely : 
 — ' N. M. has applied to us for liberty to preach as a 
 local preacher in our circuit ; and after due inquiry 
 concerning his gifts, grace, and usefulness, we judge 
 he is a proper person to be licensed for this purpose ; 
 and we accordingly authorize him to preach,' which 
 license it shall be the duty of such local preacher to 
 have annually renewed." 
 
 1 8SO. In consequence of the controversies which 
 were then agitating the church, as to the rights of the 
 laity and the local preachers, new regulations were 
 made respecting the latter, by the organization of dis- 
 trict conferences. 
 
 Answer 1 (1816) was struck out, and the following 
 substituted : — 
 
 " 1. There shall be held annually, in each presiding 
 elder's district, a district conference, of which all the 
 local preachers in the district, who shall have been 
 licensed two years, shall be members ; and of which 
 the presiding elder of the district for the time being 
 shall be president ; or, in case of his absence, the con- 
 ference shall have authority to elect a president pro 
 tern. It shall be the duty of the presiding elder of 
 each district to appoint the time and place of the first 
 conference, after which the presiding elder shall ap- 
 point the time, and the conference the place of its 
 own sitting. 
 
 " 2. The said district conference shall have autho- 
 rity to license proper persons to preach, and renew 
 their license ; to recommend suitable candidates to the 
 annual conference for deacon's or elder's orders, in the 
 local connection, for admission on trial in the travelling 
 connection ; and to try, suspend, expel, or acquit any 
 local preacher in the district, against whom charges 
 
Sec. 21.] Of Local Preachers. 167 
 
 may be brought, provided, that no person shall be 
 licensed without being first recommended by the 
 quarterly conference of the circuit or station to which 
 he belongs, nor shall any one be licensed to preach, or 
 recommended to the annual conference for ordination, 
 without first being examined in the district conference 
 on the subjects of doctrine and discipline. 
 
 "3. The district conference shall take cognizance 
 of all the local preachers in the district, and shall in- 
 quire into the gifts, labours, and usefulness of each 
 preacher by name." 
 
 In these provisions the following alterations were 
 afterward made : — 
 
 1824. At the end of Answer 1, was added the 
 following: — "Provided, that if any district conference 
 shall refuse or neglect to hold its regular sessions, then 
 the quarterly meeting conferences of the circuits and 
 stations respectively, shall have authority to transact 
 the business of the district conference." 
 
 The renewal of licenses in the district conference 
 was to be " annually, when, in the judgment of the said 
 conference, their gifts, grace, and usefulness will war- 
 rant such renewal." 
 
 In the proviso to Answer 2, a clause was inserted, 
 which provided that no person should be "recom- 
 mended for admission into the travelling connection 
 without being first recommended by the quarterly con- 
 ference." 
 
 1828. It was provided that a majority of the 
 members of a district conference should " be a quorum 
 to do business." The words " refuse or neglect to," 
 in the proviso of 1824, were changed to " not." 
 
 At the end of Answer 1 the following sentence was 
 added : — " Provided that no person shall be licensed 
 to preach without the recommendation of the society 
 of which he is a member, or of a leaders' meeting." 
 
 1836. The plan of district conferences had 
 proved an entire failure, the local preachers them- 
 selves, for whose sake it was adopted, not approving 
 
1 68 Of Local Preachers. [Ch. 1 , 
 
 of it. It was therefore abolished, and matters re- 
 stored, for the most part, to the condition in which 
 they were prior to 1820. 
 
 The provisions of 1820, and all the subsequent 
 modifications of them, were struck out, and the follow- 
 ing substituted : — 
 
 " 1 . The quarterly meeting conference shall take 
 cognizance of all the local preachers in the circuit or 
 station, and shall inquire into the gifts, labours, and 
 usefulness of each preacher by name. 
 
 " 2. The quarterly conference shall have authority 
 to license proper persons to preach, and renew their 
 license annually, when in the judgment of said confer- 
 ence their gifts, grace, and usefulness will warrant such 
 renewal ; to recommend suitable candidates to the an- 
 nual conference for deacons' or elders' orders in the 
 local connection, for admission on trial in the travelling 
 connection, and to try, suspend, expel, or acquit any 
 local preacher in the circuit or station against whom 
 charges may be brought. Provided, that no person 
 shall be licensed to preach without the recommenda- 
 tion of the society of which he is a member, or of a 
 leaders' meeting. Nor shall any one be licensed to 
 preach, or recommended to the annual conference to 
 travel, or for ordination, without first being examined 
 in the quarterly conference on the subject of doctrines 
 and discipline." 
 
 2. Election to deacon's orders. 
 
 1789. The following provision on this subject 
 was inserted under the duty of a bishop : — • 
 
 " The bishop has obtained liberty, by the suffrages 
 of the conference, to ordain local preachers to the 
 office of deacons, provided they obtain a testimonial 
 from the society to which they belong, and from the 
 stewards of the circuit, signed by three travelling 
 preachers, three deacons, and three elders, (one of 
 them being a presiding elder;) the names of those 
 nominated being read in the conference previous to 
 their ordination." 
 
Sec. 21.] Of Local Preachers. 169 
 
 1 793. The clause about reading the names was 
 struck out, and it was only required that the testimonial 
 should be signed " by three elders, three deacons, and 
 three travelling preachers." 
 
 1796. The following paragraph on the subject 
 was inserted in this section : — 
 
 " 3. A local preacher shall be eligible to the office 
 of a deacon after he has preached for four years from 
 the time he has received a regular license, and has 
 obtained the testimonial" [specified above.] 
 
 1 804. It was required that the testimonial should 
 be " from the society to which he belongs, and from 
 the stewards of the circuit, signed also by nine travel- 
 ling preachers ; three of whom shall be elders, three 
 others elders or deacons ; and the other three elders, 
 deacons, or preachers." 
 
 1808. The testimonial was to be "from the 
 quarterly meeting of the circuit to which he belongs, 
 after proper examination, signed by the president, and 
 countersigned by the secretary." It was also re- 
 quired, for ordination, that " his character has passed 
 in examination before, and he has obtained the appro- 
 bation of the yearly conference." 
 
 1816. The word "licensed" was inserted before 
 "local preacher," (1796.) 
 
 1 836. The words " to which he belongs" (of 
 1808) omitted. 
 
 3. Election to elder's orders. 
 
 1813. We find the first provision on this subject 
 as follows : — 
 
 " A local deacon shall be eligible to the office of an 
 elder after he has preached four years from the time 
 he was ordained a deacon, and has obtained a recom- 
 mendation from two-thirds of the quarterly meeting 
 conference of which he is a member, certifying his 
 qualifications in doctrine, discipline, talents, and use- 
 fulness, and the necessity of his official services as an 
 elder in the circuit where he resides ; signed by the 
 president, and countersigned bv the secretary. He 
 
 8 
 
] 70 Of Local Preachers. £Ch. 1 . 
 
 shall, if he cannot attend, send to the annual confer- 
 ence such recommendation, and a note certifying his 
 belief in the doctrine and discipline of our church : — 
 the whole being examined by the annual conference, 
 and, if approved, he may be ordained ; provided, 
 nevertheless, that no slaveholder shall be eligible to 
 the office of an elder, where the laws will admit of 
 emancipation, and permit the liberated slave to enjoy 
 freedom ." 
 
 1816. "or deacon" inserted after "elder," in 
 the clause respecting the eligibility of a slaveholder. 
 
 1 85$©. The recommendation for orders no longer 
 required to be by " two-thirds" of the conference. 
 
 1 834. The clause requiring the recommendation 
 to certify " the necessity of his official services as an 
 elder in the circuit where he resides," omitted. 
 
 4. Sundry requisitions. 
 
 1 800. It was required that 
 
 " Every local preacher shall have his name enrolled 
 on a class paper, and meet in class, if the distance of 
 his place of residence from any class be not too great ; 
 or, in neglect thereof, shall forfeit his license." 
 
 1813. The penalty for neglecting to meet in 
 class was changed to the following : " The quarterly 
 meeting conference, if they judge it proper, may de- 
 prive him of his ministerial office." 
 
 It was further required, that " every local elder, dea- 
 /^con, and preacher, shall have his name recorded on the 
 journal of the quarterly meeting conference of which he 
 is a member." 
 
 1 830. The following paragraphs were added : — 
 
 " Whenever a local preacher shall remove from one 
 circuit to another, he shall procure from the presiding 
 elder of the district, or the preacher having the charge 
 of the circuit, a certificate of his official standing in the 
 church at the time of his removal, without which he 
 shall not be received as a local preacher in other places. 
 
 " No preacher among us shall distil or retail spirituous 
 liquors, without forfeiting his official standing." 
 
Sec. 21J Of Local Preachers. 171 
 
 1 8&4. The requisition for meeting in class was 
 restricted to " licensed" local preachers. 
 
 1 836. The words " retail spirituous liquors" 
 changed to "vend spirituous liquors;" and the requisi- 
 tions to meet in class, to obtain a certificate on removal, 
 and to abstain from distilling or vending spirituous 
 liquors, extended to every " elder, deacon, or preacher." 
 
 Quest. 2. What shall be done when a local elder, deacon, 
 or preacher, is reported to be guilty of some crime expressly 
 forbidden in the word of God, sufficient to exclude a person 
 from the kingdom of grace and glory \ 
 
 Quest. 3. What shall be done in cases of improper tempers, 
 words, or actions ? 
 
 A distinct provision for the trial of local preachers 
 was first introduced in 1796, as follows : — 
 
 1 796. Quest. 3. " What directions shall be given 
 concerning the trial of local preachers, local deacons, 
 or local elders ? 
 
 " Ans. If a charge be brought against a local preach- 
 er, or local deacon, or elder, the preacher who has the 
 oversight of the circuit shall summon three or more 
 local preachers of the neighbourhood, or, for want of 
 local preachers, so many leaders, or exhorters. And 
 if they, or a majority of them, on due examination, 
 judge that the local preacher, deacon, or elder, afore- 
 said, has been guilty of such a crime, or has preached 
 such false doctrines, as require his suspension from all 
 public offices in our church till the ensuing quarterly 
 meeting, the preacher who has the oversight of the cir- 
 cuit shall accordingly suspend him from all public 
 offices till the ensuing quarterly meeting. 
 
 " And in such case, and in every case where a meet- 
 ing, assembled as above described, shall deem the said 
 local preacher, deacon, or elder, culpable, the next 
 quarterly meeting shall proceed upon his trial, and shall 
 have authority to clear, censure, suspend, or expel him, 
 according to their judgment. And the presiding elder, 
 or the preacher who has the oversight of the circuit, 
 shall, at the commencement of the trial, appoint a se- 
 cretary, who shall take down regular minutes of the 
 
172 Of Local Preachers. [Ch. 1 . 
 
 evidence and proceedings of the trial, which minutes, 
 when read and approved, shall be signed by the said 
 presiding elder, or preacher, and also by the members 
 of the said quarterly meeting, or by the majority of 
 them. 
 
 " And in case of condemnation, the local preacher, 
 deacon, or elder condemned, shall be allowed an appeal 
 to the next yearly conference, provided that he signify 
 to the said quarterly meeting his determination to ap- 
 peal ; in which case the said presiding elder, or the 
 preacher who has the oversight of the circuit, shall lay 
 the minutes of the trial above-mentioned before the said 
 yearly conference, at which the local preacher, deacon, 
 or elder so appealing, may appear ; and the said yearly 
 conference shall judge, and finally determine, from the 
 minutes of the said trial so laid before them." 
 
 18 15. After "all public offices" was inserted 
 " and privileges." 
 
 1816. The word " licensed" inserted before " lo- 
 cal preachers," in the first paragraph, to distinguish 
 such from deacons and elders. For " has preached 
 such false doctrine," we have, "has publicly or pri- 
 vately disseminated such false doctrine." 
 
 1 890. The mode of trial was remodelled as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 "When charges are preferred against any local 
 preacher, it shall be the duty of the preacher in charge 
 to call a committee, consisting of three or more local 
 preachers within the station, circuit, or district, before 
 whom it shall be the duty of the accused to appear, 
 and by whom he shall be acquitted, or, if found guilty, 
 be suspended until the meeting of the next district con- 
 ference. And the president of the said district confer- 
 ence shall, at the commencement of the trial, appoint a 
 secretary, who shall take down regular minutes of the 
 evidence and proceedings of the trial ; which minutes, 
 when read and approved, shall be signed by the said 
 president, and also by the members of the said district 
 conference, or by a majority of them. 
 
Sec. 21.] Of Local Preachers. 173 
 
 " And in case of condemnation, the local preacher, 
 deacon, or elder condemned, shall be allowed an appeal 
 to the next annual conference, provided that he signify 
 to the said district conference his determination to ap- 
 peal ; in which case the said president shall lay the 
 minutes of the trial above-mentioned before the said 
 annual conference, at which the local preacher, deacon, 
 or elder so appealing, may appear ; and the said annual 
 conference shall judge, and finally determine, from the 
 minutes of the said trial so laid before them." 
 
 1 834. The following clause inserted after the 
 first sentence, (1820) : — 
 
 " And the preacher in charge shall cause exact mi- 
 nutes of the charges, testimony, and examination, to- 
 gether with the decision of the committee, to be laid 
 before the district conference, where it shall be the 
 duty of the accused to appear." 
 
 The following new paragraph inserted : — 
 
 "When a local elder or deacon shall be expelled, 
 the president of the conference shall require of him the 
 credentials of his ordination, to be filed with the 
 papers of the annual conference within the limits of 
 which the expulsion has taken place. And should he, 
 at any future time, produce to the annual conference 
 a certificate of his restoration, signed by the president, 
 and countersigned by the secretary of the district con- 
 ference, his credentials shall be restored to him." 
 
 1 830. Prior to this time no distinction had been 
 made in the mode of procedure, according to the na- 
 ture of the offence. Now, however, instead of one ge- 
 neral course for all kinds of charges, the subject was 
 treated under two questions, one relating to " crimes," 
 and the other to " improper tempers, w r ords, or actions." 
 
 The introductory w r ords, (1820,) namely, "When 
 charges are preferred against any local preacher, it 
 shall be the duty of the preacher in charge to call," 
 were struck out, and the following substituted : — 
 
 " Quest. 2. What shall be done when a local elder, 
 deacon, or preacher, is reported to be guilty of some 
 
174 Of Baptism. [Ch. 1. 
 
 crime expressly forbidden in the word of God, suffi- 
 cient to exclude a person from the kingdom of grace 
 and glory ? 
 
 "Ans. 1. The preacher having charge shall call." 
 The local preachers on the committee were no longer 
 required to be of "the station, circuit, or district." The 
 minutes of the trial are to be signed by the members 
 "who are present," or a majority of them. " District 
 conference," here, as in other parts of the section, 
 changed to " quarterly conference." 
 
 The following was added at the close of the section : 
 " Quest. 3. What shall be done in cases of improper 
 tempers, words, or actions ? 
 
 " Ans. The person so offending shall be reprehended 
 by the preacher having charge. Should a second trans- 
 gression take place, one, two, or three faithful friends 
 are to be taken as witnesses. If he be not then cured, 
 he shall be tried at the next quarterly conference, and 
 if found guilty, and impenitent, he shall be expelled 
 from the church."* 
 
 1 840. Instead of " his credentials shall be re- 
 stored to him," (1824,) we have, "his credentials may 
 be restored to him." 
 
 SECTION XXII. 
 
 Of B ap tism. 
 
 The original provisions on this subject may be found 
 under Questions 45, 46, and 48, (p. 45.) The pro- 
 vision under Question 46, about re-baptizing, was 
 omitted after 1786. The others have been modified 
 as follows : — 
 
 1786. "Pouring" was admitted as a mode of 
 baptism, in addition to " immersion and sprinkling." 
 
 1 780. The form of question and answer was laid 
 
 * From 1796 to 1804 there was comprised in this section a question 
 (2.) relating to the compensation oflocal preachers, in certain cases ; 
 but as this was, in the latter year, transferred to Part II, we shall 
 consider it there. (See Sec. 9.) 
 
Sec. 23, 24.] Lord's Supper and Public Worship. 1 75 
 
 aside, and the following was added in place of Question 
 48, (1784):— 
 
 " N. B. We will on no account whatever receive a 
 present for administering baptism, or the burial of the 
 dead." 
 
 1838. The words "receive a present" changed 
 to " make a charge." 
 
 SECTION XXIII. 
 
 Of the Lord's Supper 
 
 The original provisions on this subject may be found 
 in the Discipline of 1784, under Questions 44 and 47. 
 (See pp. 44-5.) 
 
 1789. The answer read as follows : — 
 
 " 1. Let those who choose, receive it kneeling, and 
 let those who do not, either standing or sitting. 
 
 " 2. Let no person that is not a member of our so- 
 ciety be admitted to the communion, without examina- 
 tion, and some token given by an elder or deacon." 
 
 1793. As follows:— 
 
 "1. Let those who have scruples concerning the 
 receiving of it kneeling, be permitted to receive it either 
 standing or sitting. 
 
 "2. [As in 1789.] 
 
 [3.] "N. B. No person shall be admitted to the 
 Lord's supper among us who is guilty of any practice 
 for which we would exclude a member of our society." 
 
 SECTION XXIV. 
 
 Of Public Worship. 
 
 This section was introduced in 1792, as follows : — 
 1 793. " Quest. What directions shall be given 
 for the establishment of uniformity in public worship 
 among us, on the Lord's day ? 
 
 u Arts. 1. Let the morning service consist of sing- 
 ing, prayer, the reading of a chapter out of the Old 
 
176 Of the Spirit and Truth of Singing. [Ch. 1. 
 
 Testament, and another out of the New, and preach- 
 ing. 
 
 " 2. Let the afternoon service consist of singing, 
 prayer, the reading of one chapter out of the Bible, and 
 preaching. 
 
 " 3. Let the evening service consist of singing, 
 prayer, and preaching. 
 
 "4. But on the days of administering the Lord's 
 supper, the two chapters in the morning service may 
 be omitted. 
 
 " 5. Let the society be met, wherever it is practica- 
 ble, on the sabbath day." 
 
 1 804L It was provided that " one or two chap- 
 ters" should be read in the afternoon service. 
 
 1 8£4. The following clause was inserted : — " In 
 administering the ordinances, and in the burial of the 
 dead, let the form of Discipline invariably be used. 
 Let the Lord's prayer also be used on all occasions of 
 public worship in concluding the first prayer, and the 
 apostolic benediction in dismissing the congregation." 
 
 section xxv. 
 Of the Spirit and Truth of Singing. 
 
 The original provision on this subject may be found 
 in the first Discipline, under Question 57, pp. 53-4. 
 
 179£. The following clauses added : — 
 
 " The preachers are desired not to encourage the 
 singing of fugue tunes in our congregations. 
 
 " Let it be recommended to our people, not to at- 
 tend the singing schools which are not under our 
 direction. 
 
 " N. B. We do not think that fugue tunes are sinful, 
 or improper to be used in private companies ; but we 
 do not approve of their being used in our public con 
 gregations, because public singing is a part of divine 
 worship, in which all the congregation ought to join." 
 
Sec 1 1 Of the General Rules. 177 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 The Nature, Design, and General Rules of our United 
 Societies. 
 
 The General Rules, as published by Mr. Wesley, 
 were as follows : — 
 
 M 1. In the latter end of the year 1739, eight or ten 
 persons came to me in London, who appeared to be 
 deeply convinced of sin, and earnestly groaning for re- 
 demption. They desired (as did two or three more 
 the next day) that I would spend some time with them 
 in prayer, and advise them how to flee from the wrath 
 to come ; which they saw continually hanging over 
 their heads. That we might have more time for this 
 great work, I appointed a day when they might all 
 come together, which from thenceforward they did 
 every week, namely, on Thursday in the evening. To 
 these, and as many more as desired to join with them, 
 (for their number increased daily,) I gave those advices, 
 from time to time, which I judged most needful for 
 them ; and we always concluded our meeting with 
 prayer suited to their several necessities. 
 
 " 2. This was the rise of the United Society, first in 
 London, and then in other places. Such a society is 
 no other than ' a company of men having the form and 
 seeking the power of godliness, united in order to pray 
 together, to receive the word of exhortation, and to 
 watch over one another in love, that they may help 
 each other to work out their salvation.' 
 
 11 3. That it may the more easily be discerned, 
 whether they are indeed working out their own salva- 
 tion, each society is divided into smaller companies, 
 called classes, according to their respective places of 
 abode. There are about twelve persons in every class : 
 one of whom is styled the leader. It is his business, 
 
 8* 
 
178 Of the General Rules. LCh. 2. 
 
 (1.) To see each person in his class once a week at 
 least, in order to inquire how their souls prosper ; to 
 advise, reprove, comfort, or exhort, as occasion may- 
 require ; to receive what they are willing to give to- 
 ward the relief of the poor. (2.) To meet the minister 
 and the stewards of the society once a week ; in order 
 to inform the minister of any that are sick, or of any 
 that walk disorderly, and will not be reproved ; to pay 
 to the stewards what they have received of their several 
 classes in the week preceding ; and to show their ac- 
 count of what each person has contributed. 
 
 " 4. There is one only condition previously required 
 in those who desire admission into these societies, — a 
 desire ' to flee from the wrath to come, to be saved 
 from their sins :' but, wherever this is really fixed in 
 the soul, it will be shown by its fruits. It is therefore 
 expected of all who continue therein, that they should 
 continue to evidence their desire of salvation, 
 
 " First, by doing no harm, by avoiding evil in every 
 kind ; especially that which is most generally prac- 
 tised : such is, the taking the name of God id vain ; 
 the profaning the day of the Lord, either by doing 
 ordinary work thereon, or by buying or selling ; drunk- 
 enness, buying or selling spirituous liquors, or drink- 
 ing them, unless in cases of extreme necessity; fighting, 
 quarrelling, brawling ; brother going to law with brother ; 
 returning evil for evil, or railing for railing ; the using 
 many words in buying or selling ; the buying or selling 
 uncustomed goods ; the giving or taking things on 
 usury, that is, unlawful interest ; uncharitable or un- 
 profitable conversation, particularly speaking evil of 
 magistrates or of ministers ; doing to others as we 
 would not they should do unto us ; doing what we 
 know is not for the glory of God, as the ' putting on 
 of gold or costly apparel ;' the taking such diversions 
 as cannot be used in the name of the Lord Jesus ; the 
 singing those songs, or reading those books, which do 
 not tend to the knowledge or love of God ; softness, 
 and needless self-indulgence ; laying up treasures upon 
 
Sec. l.j Of the General Rules. 179 
 
 earth ; borrowing without a probability of paying ; or 
 taking up goods without a probability of paying for 
 them. 
 
 " 5. It is expected of all who continue in these socie- 
 ties, that they should continue to evidence their desire 
 of salvation, 
 
 " Secondly, by doing good, by being, in every kind, 
 merciful after their power ; as they have opportunity, 
 doing good of every possible sort, and as far as is pos- 
 sible, to all men ; — to their bodies, of the ability which 
 God giveth, by giving food to the hungry, by clothing 
 the naked, by visiting or helping them that are sick, or 
 in prison ; — to their souls, by instructing, reproving, or 
 exhorting all they have any intercourse with ; trampling 
 under foot that enthusiastic doctrine of devils, that ' we 
 are not to do good unless our heart be free to it :' by 
 doing good especially to them that are of the household 
 of faith, or groaning so to be ; employing them prefera- 
 bly to others, buying one of another ; helping each 
 other in business ; and so much the more, because the 
 world will love its own, and them only : by all possi- 
 ble diligence and frugality, that the gospel be not 
 blamed : by running with patience the race that is set 
 before them, ' denying themselves, and taking up their 
 cross daily ;' submitting to bear the reproach of Christ, 
 to be as the filth and offscouring of the world ; and 
 looking that men should ' say all manner of evil of 
 them falsely for the Lord's sake.' 
 
 " 6. It is expected of all who desire to continue in 
 these societies, that they should continue to evidence 
 their desire of salvation, 
 
 " Thirdly, by attending upon all the ordinances of 
 God. Such are, the public worship of God ; the min- 
 istry of the word, either read or expounded ; the sup- 
 per of the Lord ; family and private prayer ; searching 
 the Scriptures ; and fasting, or abstinence. 
 
 " 7. These are the General Rules of our societies; all 
 which we are taught of God to observe, even in his 
 written word, the only rule, and the sufficient rule, both 
 
180 Of the General Rules. [Ch. 2. 
 
 of our faith and practice. And all these, we know, his 
 Spirit writes on every truly awakened heart. If there 
 be any among us who observe them not, who habitu- 
 ally break any of them, let it be made known unto 
 them who watch over that soul as they that must give 
 an account. We w r ill admonish him of the error of his 
 ways ; we will bear with him for a season : but then 
 if he repent not, he hath no more place among us. 
 We have delivered our own souls. 
 
 " John Wesley, 
 " May 1, 1743." " Charles Wesley."* 
 
 These Rules, as thus drawn up by the Wesleys, 
 were adopted without, alteration by the first Methodist 
 societies in America.! They do not seem, however, to 
 have been published in any edition of the Discipline 
 until 1789, J when we find the following alterations : — 
 
 The historical introduction, which precedes the defi- 
 nition of the United Society, is omitted, and the section 
 begins, " Our society is nothing more than 'a company, 
 &c."' Under the duty of a leader, for "relief of the 
 poor," it reads, " relief of the preachers, church, and 
 poor," and it is added in a note, " This part refers 
 wholly to town and cities, where the poor are generally 
 numerous, and church expenses considerable." It 
 omits the requisition that the leaders shall " show their 
 account of what each person has contributed." Under 
 the rule about drunkenness, it omits the clause, " unless 
 in cases of extreme necessity." It is in this Discipline 
 that we find, for the first time, among the General Rules, 
 one respecting slaves. It reads, " The buying or sell- 
 ing the bodies and souls of men, women, or children, 
 with an intention to enslave them." 
 
 In the expression of the original rules, — " that en- 
 thusiastic doctrine of devils," the w T ords "of devils" are 
 omitted. After the direction about " buying one of 
 
 * Wesley's Works, vol. v, pp. 190-2. 
 
 t See Lee's Hist, of tho Meth., pp. 29-33. t See above, p. 82 
 
Sec . 2 .] Of Class Meetings. 1 8 1 
 
 another," it is added, (" unless you can be served better 
 elsewhere,") but this clause was omitted in 1792. The 
 only rules that have since undergone any change are 
 those which relate to spirituous liquors and slavery. 
 The various alterations in them are presented below. 
 Spirituous liquors. 
 
 The rule on this subject has been at different times 
 as follows : — 
 
 17-1*1. Mr. Wesley's original rule, — "Drunken 
 ness, buying or selling spirituous liquors, or drinking 
 them, unless in cases of extreme necessitv." 
 
 1789. "Drunkenness, buying or selling spiritu- 
 ous liquors, or drinking them." 
 
 1 790. " Drunkenness, or drinking spirituous 
 liquors, unless cases of necessity." 
 
 1791. "Drunkenness, or drinking spirituous 
 liquors, unless in cases of necessity." 
 
 Slaves. 
 
 There is nothing on this subject in the General Rules 
 of Mr. Wesley. But we find the following in 
 
 1789. "The buying or selling the bodies and 
 souls of men, women, or children, with an intention to 
 enslave them." 
 
 1792. It reads, "The buying or selling of men, 
 women, or children, with an intention to enslave them." 
 
 1808. It reads, " The buying and selling of men, 
 women, and children, with an intention to enslave them."* 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of Class Meetings. 
 
 This section contains five questions, the changes in 
 which will be noticed in order. 
 
 Quest. 1. How may the leaders of classes be rendered 
 more useful ? 
 
 The answer to this question remains substantially the 
 same as in 1784. (See Quest. 13, p. 29.) 
 
 * For this alteration (if indeed it be not a purely typographical 
 error) no authority is found in the journal of the General Conference. 
 
 A 
 
182 Of Class Meetings. [Ch. 2. 
 
 Quest. 2. Can any thing more be done in order to make the 
 class meetings lively and profitable ! 
 
 The answer to this remains precisely the same as in 
 1784. (See Quest. 14, p. 29.) 
 
 Quest. 3. How shall we prevent improper persons from in- 
 sinuating themselves into the church 1 
 
 1784. " Quest. 16. How shall we prevent im- 
 proper persons from insinuating into the society ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Give tickets to none till they are recom- 
 mended by a leader, with whom they have met at least 
 two months on trial. 
 
 " 2. Give notes to none but those who are recom- 
 mended by one you know, or till they have met three or 
 four times in a class. 
 
 " 3. Give them the rules the first time they meet." 
 
 1789. The probation was extended to "six 
 months." 
 
 1836. "Give tickets to none," was changed to, 
 " Let none be received into the church ;" and, " Give 
 notes to none," into, " Let none be admitted on trial." 
 It was now made a requisite for admission into the 
 church, that the candidates " have been baptized." For 
 admission on trial, it was now made sufficient to have 
 met "twice or thrice" in a class, instead of "three or 
 four times." 
 
 1 840. The following was added to the requisites 
 for admission into the church: — 
 
 "And shall on examination by the minister in charge, 
 before the church, give satisfactory assurances both of 
 the correctness of their faith, and their willingness to 
 observe and keep the rules of the church. Nevertheless, 
 if a member in good standing in any other orthodox 
 church shall desire to unite with us, such applicant may, 
 by giving satisfactory answers to the usual inquiries, 
 be received at once into full fellowship." 
 
 Quest. 4. How shall we be more exact in receiving and ex- 
 cluding members 1 
 
 1784. " Quest. 17. When shall we admit new 
 members ? 
 
Sec. 3.] Of the Band Societies. 183 
 
 " Ans. In large towns, admit them into the bands at 
 the quarterly love-feast following the quarterly meeting : 
 into the society, on the Sunday following the quarterly 
 meeting. Then also read the names of them that are 
 excluded." 
 
 1789. The following was substituted : — 
 
 " How shall we be more strict in receiving and 
 excluding members ? 
 
 " Ans. In large societies, we may read the names 
 of those that are received and excluded, once a quarter." 
 
 1 79£. The answer is, " The official minister or 
 preacher shall, at every quarterly meeting, read the 
 names of those that are received and excluded." 
 
 1 836. The last clause of the answer reads, 
 " those that are received into the church and also those 
 that are excluded therefrom." 
 
 Quest. 5. "What shall we do with those members of our 
 church who wilfully and repeatedly neglect to meet their class. 
 
 The answer to this question remained substantially 
 the same as in 1784, (see Quest. 65, p. 59,) until 
 
 1836, when the second answer was changed so 
 as to read, " If they do not amend, let him who has the 
 charge of the circuit or station bring their case before 
 the society or a select number, before whom they shall 
 have been cited to appear ; and if they be found guilty 
 of wilful neglect by the decision of a majority of the 
 members before whom their case is brought, let them 
 be laid aside, and let the preacher show that they are 
 excluded for a breach of our rules, and not for immoral 
 conduct." 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of the Band Societies. 
 
 TLe rules for the bands were drawn up by Mr. Wes- 
 ley at the dates prefixed to them severally. But they 
 were not introduced into our Discipline until 1791.* 
 The original rules were as follows : — 
 
 * Wesley's Works, vol. v, pp. 192-4. 
 
184 Of the Band Societies. [Ch.2. 
 
 Rules of the Band Societies, drawn up Dec. 25, 1738. 
 
 " The design of our meeting is, to obey that com- 
 mand of God, ' Confess your faults one to another, and 
 pray one for another, that ye may be healed.' 
 
 " To this end, we intend, — 
 
 " 1. To meet once a week, at the least. 
 
 " To come punctually at the hour appointed, without 
 some extraordinary reason. 
 
 "3. To begin (those of us who are present) exactly 
 at the hour, with singing or prayer. 
 
 " 4. To speak each of us in order, freely and plainly, 
 the true state of our souls, with the faults we have com- 
 mitted in thought, word, or deed, and the temptations 
 we have felt, since our last meeting. 
 
 " 5. To end every meeting with prayer, suited to the 
 state of each person present. 
 
 " 6. To desire some person among us to speak his 
 own state first, and then to ask the rest, in order, as 
 many and as searching questions as may be, concern- 
 ing their state, sins, and temptations. 
 
 " Some of the questious proposed to every one before 
 he is admitted among us may be to this effect : — 
 
 " 1. Have you the forgiveness of your sins? 
 
 " 2. Have you peace with God, through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ ? 
 
 " 3. Have you the witness of God's Spirit with your 
 spirit, that you are a child of God ? 
 
 "4. Is the love of God shed abroad in your heart? 
 
 " 5. Has no sin, inward or outward, dominion over 
 you ? 
 
 " 6. Do you desire to be told your faults ? 
 
 " 7. Do you desire to be told all your faults, and that 
 plain and home ? 
 
 " 8. Do you desire that every one of us should tell 
 you, from time to time, whatsoever is in his heart con- 
 cerning vou ? 
 
 " 9. Consider ! Do you desire we should tell you 
 whatsoever we think, whatsoever we fear, whatsoever 
 we hear, concerning vou ? 
 
Sec. 3.] Of the Band Societies. 185 
 
 " 10. Do you desire that, in doing this we should 
 come as close as possible, that we should cut to the 
 quick, and search your heart to the bottom ? 
 
 111. Is it your desire and design to be on this, and 
 all other occasions, entirely open, so as to speak every 
 thing that is in your heart without exception, without 
 disguise, and without reserve ? 
 
 " Any of the preceding questions may be asked as 
 often as occasion offers ; the four following at every 
 meeting : — 
 
 " 1. What known sins have you committed since our 
 last meeting ? 
 
 " 2. What temptations have you met with? 
 
 " 3. How were you delivered ? 
 
 "4. What have you thought, said, or done, of which 
 you doubt whether it be sin or not ? 
 
 " Directions given to the Band Societies, Dec. 25, 1744. 
 
 " You are supposed to have the faith that ' overcom- 
 eth the world.' To you, therefore, it is not grievous, — 
 
 " I. Carefully to abstain from doing evil ; in particular, 
 
 "1. Neither to buy nor sell any thing at all on the 
 Lord's day. 
 
 " 2. To taste no spirituous liquor, no dram of any 
 kind, unless prescribed by a physician. 
 
 " 3. To be at a word both in buying and selling. 
 
 " 4. To pawn nothing, no, not to save life.* 
 
 " 5. Not to mention the fault of any behind his back, 
 and to stop those short that do. 
 
 " 6. To wear no needless ornaments, such as rings, 
 earrings, necklaces, lace, ruffles. 
 
 " 7. To use no needless self-indulgence, such as tak- 
 ing snuff or tobacco, unless prescribed by a physician. 
 
 " II. Zealously to maintain good works ; in particular, 
 
 " 1. To give alms of such things as you possess, and 
 that to the uttermost of your power. 
 
 * In publishing this rule, Mr. Crowther adds the following note : — 
 " There was a fund at that time established to assist the poor, either 
 by loan or donation, which accounts for the rigour of the rule." — Por- 
 traiture of Methodism, p. 256. 
 
186 Of the Band Societies. [Ch.2. 
 
 "2. To reprove all that sin in your sight, and that in 
 love and meekness of wisdom. 
 
 " 3. To be patterns of diligence and frugality, of self- 
 denial, and taking up the cross daily. 
 
 "III. Constantly to attend on all the ordinances of 
 God ; in particular, — 
 
 "1. To be at church and at the Lord's table every 
 week, and at every public meeting of the bands. 
 
 " 2. To attend the ministry of the word every morn- 
 ing, unless distance, business, or sickness prevent. 
 
 " 3. To use private prayer every day ; and family 
 prayer, if you are at the head of a family. 
 
 " 4. To read the Scriptures, and meditate therein, 
 at every vacant hour. And, — 
 
 " 5. To observe, as days of fasting or abstinence, all 
 Fridays in the year."* 
 
 1 79 1 . The section was introduced, as now, by a 
 definition of a band, namely, 
 
 " Two, three, or four true believers, who have full 
 confidence in each other, form a band. Only it is to 
 be observed, that in one of these bands all must be 
 men, or all women ; and all married, or all single." 
 
 The following was added to the questions at the close 
 of the Rules, namely, " 5. Have you nothing you de- 
 sire to keep secret?" which was omitted in 1792. In 
 Direction I, 6, " earrings" included among the need- 
 less ornaments. 
 
 Under the " Directions, &c.," I, 4, the rule is simply, 
 " To pawn nothing," omitting the clause, " no, not to 
 save life." 
 
 1799. In Question 11, the words, "every thing 
 that is in your heart, without exception," are omitted. 
 
 Under the " Directions, &c," that about " pawning" 
 is omitted. The last under that head reads, " To use 
 no needless self-indulgence," omitting the words "such 
 as taking snuff or tobacco, unless prescribed by a phy- 
 
 * In 1784, some directions were given, "how to encourage meet- 
 ing in band." (See Quest. 19, p. 36.) 
 
Sec. 5.] Of Marriage. 187 
 
 sician." Direction III, 1, was altered to the follow- 
 ing : — " To be at church, and at the Lord's table, and 
 at every public meeting of the bands, at every oppor- 
 tunity." Direction III, 2, was omitted ; and III, 4, (3) 
 changed to the following : — " Frequently to read the 
 Scriptures, and meditate thereon." 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Of the Privileges granted to Serious Persons ivho 
 are not of our Church. 
 
 The only material alterations in the Rules on this 
 subject since 1784 (see Questions 11 and 12, p. 29) 
 are the following : — 
 
 1789. In the answer to the first question, the 
 last two sentences struck out ; and in the second, after 
 " twice," was inserted " or thrice."* 
 
 1808. The first question reads, "How often 
 shall we permit those who are not of our society to 
 meet in class or society ?" 
 
 1816. The rule was made to refer only to meet- 
 ing in class. 
 
 section v. 
 
 Of Marriage. 
 
 The title in 1789 was, " On unlawful Marriages," 
 which was changed for the present in 1804. 
 
 Quest. 1. Do we observe any evil which has prevailed in 
 our church with respect to marriage ? 
 
 There has been no material change in the answer to 
 this question since 1784. (See Question 20, p. 37.) 
 The question assumed its present form in 1796. 
 
 Quest 2. What can be done to discourage this ? 
 
 The original provisions on the subject may be seen 
 under Question 21, p. 37. 
 
 1 804. The words, " put a stop to," in the ques- 
 tion, were changed to " discourage ;" and the punish- 
 
 * The rule had been thus in 1773. (See p. 10.) 
 
188 Of Marriage. [Ch. 2. 
 
 ment for violating the rule was changed from expulsion 
 to " putting back on trial for six months." 
 
 1 836. The penalty was done away with, by 
 striking out entirely Answers 2 and 3. 
 
 Quest. 3. Ought any woman to marry without the consent 
 of her parents 1 
 
 The original answer may be found under Question 
 22, p. 37. The alterations in it have been as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 1789. The last three words, "to marry her," 
 were changed to "to be married to her." 
 
 1 800. The words, " if a woman be under the 
 necessity of marrying," were changed to, " if a woman 
 believe it to be her duty to marry." 
 
 1 79£. The following note was added : — 
 
 " N. B. By the word ' unawakened,' as used above, 
 we mean one whom we could not in conscience admit 
 into society." To this, in 
 
 1796, the following sentence was added: — 
 " We do not prohibit our people from marrying persons 
 who are not of our society, provided such persons have 
 the form, and are seeking the power, of godliness ; but 
 if they marry persons who do not come up to this 
 description, we shall be obliged to purge our society 
 of them ; and even in a doubtful case the member of 
 our society shall be put back upon trial." 
 
 1800. The definition of an "unawakened" per- 
 son was omitted. 
 
 1 804:. For " but if they marry persons who do 
 not come up to this description, we shall be obliged to 
 purge our society of them," it reads, ' out we are 
 determined to discourage their marrying persons who 
 do not come up to this description." 
 
 1830. The last clause, (1796,) "And even in a 
 doubtful case the member shall be put back on trial," 
 omitted. 
 
Sec. 6.1 Of Dress. 189 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Of Dress. 
 
 The original provision on this subject* may be found 
 under Question 18, p. 36. 
 
 1 792. The words, "not even of a married woman" 
 struck out. 
 
 1 &36. The words, " give no tickets," where they 
 first occur, were changed to " receive none into the 
 church ;" but they were retained in the last sentence. 
 The word " any," before " encouragement," and the 
 word "large," before "society," were omitted. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Of bringing to Trial, finding guilty, and reproving, 
 suspending, or excluding disorderly Persons from 
 Society and Church Privileges. 
 
 The original draft of this section was prepared by 
 Bishop Asbury in 1788,t and introduced into the Dis- 
 cipline of 1789. It was as follows : — 
 
 " On bringing to Trial, finding guilty, reproving, 
 suspending, and excluding disorderly Persons from 
 Society and Church Privileges. 
 
 " Quest. How shall a suspected member be brought 
 to trial ? 
 
 " Ans. Before the society of which he is a member, 
 or a select number of them, in the presence of a bishop, 
 elder, deacon, or preacher, in the following manner : — 
 Let the accused and accuser be brought face to face : 
 if this cannot be done, let the next best evidence be 
 procured. If the accused person be found guilty, and 
 the crime be such as is expressly forbidden by the word 
 of God, sufficient to exclude a person from the king- 
 dom of grace and glory, and to make him a subject of 
 
 * The subject is also noticed in the Annual Minutes for 1784. (See 
 above, page 21, Question 11. 1 
 + Pee p. R3. 
 
190 Of the Trial of Members. [Ch. 2 . 
 
 wrath and hell, let him be expelled. If he evade a 
 trial by absenting himself, after sufficient notice given 
 him, and the circumstances of the accusation be strong 
 and presumptive, let him be esteemed as guilty, and 
 accordingly excluded. x4.nd without evident marks and 
 fruits of repentance, such offenders shall be solemnly 
 disowned before the church. Witnesses from without 
 shall not be rejected, if a majority believe them to be 
 honest men. 
 
 " But in cases of neglect of duties of any kind, im- 
 prudent conduct, indulging sinful tempers or words, 
 disobedience to the order and Discipline of the church, 
 first, let private reproof be given by a leader or 
 preacher : if there be an acknowledgment of the fault, 
 and proper humiliation, the person may remain on trial. 
 On a second offence, a preacher may take one or two 
 faithful friends. On a third failure, if the transgression 
 be increased or continued, let it be brought before the 
 society, or a select number : if there be no sign of hu- 
 miliation, and the church is dishonoured, the offender 
 must be cut off. If there be a murmur or complaint 
 that justice is not done, the person shall be allowed an 
 appeal to the quarterly meeting, and have his case 
 reconsidered before a bishop, presiding elder, or dea- 
 con, with the preachers, stewards, and leaders who 
 may be present. After such forms of trial and expul- 
 sion, such persons as are thus excommunicated shall 
 have no privileges of society and sacrament in our 
 church, without contrition, confession, and proper trial.* 
 
 " N. B. From this time forward, no person shall be 
 owned as a member of our church without six months' 
 trial."! 
 
 * For a provision on this point in 1781, see p. 17. 
 
 t In the same year the following explanation of this section was 
 published in the Minutes : — 
 
 " As a very few persons have in some respect mistaken our mean- 
 ing, in the thirty-second section of our Form of Discipline, on bring- 
 ing to trial disorderly persons, &c, we think it necessary to explain it. 
 
 " When a member of our society is to be tried for any offence, the 
 officiating minister or preacher is to call together all the members, if 
 
Sec. 7.1 Of the Trial of Members. 1 91 
 
 1793. The title was changed to its present form. 
 The words, " let him be expelled," changed to " let 
 the minister or preacher who has charge of the circuit 
 expel him." The last sentence but one of the first 
 paragraph, beginning, " And without, &c," omitted. 
 The last sentence made to read as now, " witnesses 
 from without shall not be rejected." 
 
 The latter part of the second paragraph read as fol- 
 lows : — " On a second offence, the preacher or leader 
 may take one or two faithful friends. On a third 
 offence, let the case be brought before the society, or a 
 select number ; and if there be no sign of real humilia- 
 tion, the offender must be cut off. 
 
 " If there be a murmur or complaint from any ex- 
 cluded person in any of the above-mentioned instances, 
 that justice has not been done, he shall be allowed an 
 appeal to the next quarterly meeting ; and the majority 
 of the ministers, travelling and local preachers, exhort- 
 ers, stewards, and leaders present shall finally deter- 
 mine the case." The words, " as are thus excommu- 
 nicated," in the last sentence, are omitted, as also the 
 note. 
 
 The following new note was added : — 
 
 "N. B. If a member of our church shall be clearly 
 convicted of endeavouring to sow dissensions in any of 
 our societies, by inveighing against either our doctrines 
 or discipline, such person so offending shall be first 
 reproved by the senior minister or preacher of his cir- 
 cuit, and, if he afterward persist in such pernicious 
 practices, he shall be expelled the society." 
 
 1800. The word " suspected," in the question, 
 changed to " accused." 
 
 In Answer 1, (1789,) after the words " found guilty," 
 
 the society be small, or a select number if it be large, to take know, 
 ledge and give advice, and bear witness to the justice of the whole 
 process ; that improper and private expulsions may be prevented for 
 the future." 
 
 This note is not found in the reprint of the Minutes, but it is pub- 
 lished in Lee's History of the Methodists, p. 143. 
 
1 92 Of the Trial of Members. [Ch. 2 
 
 the following inserted : — " by the decision of a majority 
 of the members before whom he is brought to trial." 
 The words, " and to make him a subject of wrath and 
 hell," omitted. 
 
 The following new provision added : — 
 
 " Nevertheless, if in any of the above-mentioned 
 cases the minister or preacher differ in judgment from 
 the majority of the society, or the select number, con- 
 cerning the innocence or guilt of the accused person, 
 the trial, in such case, may be referred by the minister 
 or preacher to the ensuing quarterly meeting." 
 
 1808. The following inserted with reference to 
 those who may appeal to the quarterly conferences 
 (1792) : — " except such as exempt [absent] themselves 
 from trial, after sufficient notice is given them." 
 
 1 8S8. The words in the second paragraph, 1789, 
 "the person may remain on trial," changed to "the 
 person may be borne with."* 
 
 * In 1796 the following section was introduced on the sale and use 
 of spirituous liquors. It was continued until 1840, when it was struck 
 out, as seeming to sanction the practices for which it made regula- 
 tions. 
 
 44 Section 10. Of the Sale and Use of Spirituous Liquors. 
 
 44 Quest. What directions shall be given concerning the sale and 
 use of spirituous liquors 1 
 
 44 Arts. If any member of our society retail or give spirituous liquors, 
 and any thing disorderly be transacted under his roof on this account, 
 the preacher who has the oversight of the circuit shall proceed against 
 him as in the case of other immoralities : and the person accused 
 shall be cleared, censured, suspended, or excluded, according to his 
 conduct, as on other charges of immorality." 
 
 For the provisions on the subject prior to 1784, see pp. 15, 19. 
 
Sec. 1J Administration of the Lord's Supper. 193 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 SACRAMENTAL SERVICES, &C 
 
 As the Forms for the various services have under- 
 gone little alteration for many years, and can easily be 
 referred to, it will be sufficient here to show wherein 
 the present Forms differ from those recommended by 
 Mr. Wesley, and wherein the latter differed from those 
 of the Church of England, of which they were an 
 abridgment. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 T7ie Order for the Administration of the Lord's 
 Supper. 
 
 The original order, as recommended by Mr. Wes- 
 ley, differed from that of the Church of England in the 
 following particulars : — It omitted the rubric requiring 
 communicants to signify their intention previously to 
 the curate, and those requiring the curate to repel im- 
 proper persons from the table, the first prayer for 
 rulers ; the creed, the rubric respecting the publication 
 of notices, the verse in the offertory, taken from Tobit 
 iv, 7; the three exhortations preparatory to communion, 
 that part of the rubric directing the people to kneel 
 while communing, (as well as the note in explanation 
 of the rule,) the third prayer after the communion, all 
 the collects at the close, and the rubrics, at the close 
 (of which the first prescribed how much of the order 
 was to be said when there was no communion, the 
 second and third, when there was to be no communion, 
 the fourth regulated the communicating of priests and 
 deacons in cathedral and collegiate churches and col- 
 leges ; the fifth prescribed the kind of bread ; the sixth, 
 what was to be done with the bread and wine that re- 
 mained ; the seventh, how the bread and wine were 
 to be provided ; the eighth, how often parishes should 
 communicate and pay their ecclesiastical dues ; the 
 
 9 
 
194 Administration of the Lord's Supper. [Ch. 3. 
 
 ninth, what was to be done with the money given at 
 the offertory.) 
 
 Throughout, the title " elder" is substituted for 
 " priest," and " the supreme rulers of the United 
 States" for " the king," and " to all the ministers of 
 thy gospel" for " to all bishops and curates." 
 
 The " absolution," after the Confession, in the order 
 of the Church of England, is an address by the priest 
 to the people, while, in the Methodist form, it is a 
 prayer to God. 
 
 A provision was made, which is not found in the 
 Church of England order, for extempore prayer at the 
 close of the communion. 
 
 The order as prepared by Mr. Wesley contains the 
 following portions that were afterward omitted : — 
 
 " The Table at the Communion time, having a fair white Linen 
 Cloth upon it, shall stand where morning and evening prayers 
 are appointed to be said. And the Elder, standing at the Table, 
 shall say the Lord's Prayer., with the Collect following, the 
 People kneeling." 
 
 Then follows the Lord's Prayer. The Collect is 
 the same that, in the present order, follows the prayer 
 for absolution. After the Collect is inserted the fol- 
 lowing : — 
 
 " Then shall the Elder, turning to the People, rehearse distinctly 
 all the Ten Commandments : and the People still kneeling 
 shall, after every Commandment, ask God Mercy for their 
 Transgression thereof for the Time past, and Grace to keep 
 the same for the Time to come, as follow eth : 
 
 " Minister. 
 
 " God spake these words, and said, I am the Lord thy God : 
 thou shalt have none other gods but me. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Minist. Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, 
 nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the 
 earth beneath, or in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not 
 bow down to them, nor worship them : for I the Lord thy God 
 am a jealous God, and visit the sins of the fathers upon the 
 children, unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate 
 
Sec. 1.] Administration of the Lord's Supper. 195 
 
 me, and show mercy unto thousands in them that love me, and 
 keep my commandments. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Mmist. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God 
 in vain : for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his 
 name in vain. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Minist. Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day. 
 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast to do : but 
 the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God : in it thou 
 shalt do no manner of work, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, 
 thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, thy cattle, and the 
 stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord 
 made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and 
 rested the seventh day ; wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh 
 day, and hallowed it. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Minist. Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy days 
 may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Minist. Thou shalt do no murder. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Minist. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Minist. Thou shalt not steal. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Minist. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
 neighbour. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts 
 to keep this law. 
 
 " Minist. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou 
 shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his servant, nor his 
 maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his. 
 
 " People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and write all these thy 
 laws in our hearts, we beseech thee. 
 
 " Then shall follow this Collect. 
 
 " Almighty and everlasting God, we are taught by thy holy 
 word, that the hearts of the princes of the earth are in thy rule 
 and governance, and that thou dost dispose and turn them as it 
 
196 Administration of the Lord's Supper. [Ch. 3. 
 
 seemeth best to thy godly wisdom ; we humbly beseech thee so 
 to dispose and govern the hearts of the supreme rulers of these 
 United States, our governors, that in all their thoughts, words, 
 and works, they may ever seek thy honour and glory, and study 
 to preserve thy people committed to their charge, in wealth, 
 peace, and godliness. Grant this, O merciful Father, for thy 
 dear Son's sake, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 " Then shall be said the Collect of the Day. And immediately 
 after the Collect, the Elder shall read the Epistle, saying, 
 The Epistle [or, The Portion of Scripture appointed for the 
 
 Epistle] is written in the Chapter of , beginning at 
 
 the Verse. And the Epistle ended, he shall say, Here 
 
 endeth the Epistle. Then shall be read the Gospel, {the 
 People all standing up,) saying, The holy Gospel is written 
 in the Chapter of , beginning at the Verse. 
 
 " Then shall follow the Sermon." 
 
 The offertory contains the following passages of 
 Scripture, which were afterward omitted, namely : — 
 1 Cor. ix, 7, 11, 13, 14 ; Gal. vi, 6, 7 ; Tobit iv, 8, 9. 
 
 After the offertory was the following prayer : — 
 
 "Let us pray for the whole state of Christ's church militant here on earth. 
 
 " Almighty and ever-living God, who by thy holy apostle hast 
 taught us to make prayers and supplications, and to give thanks 
 for all men ; we humbly beseech thee most 
 mercifully [*to accept our alms and oblations, * If there be no alms 
 and] to receive these our prayers, which we °[ oblations, then 
 offer unto thy divine Majesty; beseeching shaU the words [o/ 
 . . J . ii i • li ? accepting our alms 
 
 thee to inspire continually the universal church an j oblations] be left 
 with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord ; unsaid, 
 and grant that all they that do confess thy 
 holy name may agree in the truth of thy holy word, and live in 
 unity and godly love. We beseech thee also to save and defend 
 all Christian kings, princes, and governors ; and especially thy 
 servants the supreme rulers of these United States ; that under 
 them we may be godly and quietly governed : and grant unto all 
 that are put in authority under them, that they may truly and indif- 
 ferently administer justice, to the punishment of wickedness and 
 vice, and to the maintenance of thy true religion and virtue. Give 
 grace, O heavenly Father, to all the ministers of thy gospel, that 
 they may both by their life and doctrine set forth thy true and 
 lively word, and rightly and duly administer thy holy sacraments. 
 And to all thy people give thy heavenly grace ; and especially 
 to this congregation here present ; that with meek heart and due 
 reverence they may hear and receive thy holy word, truly serv- 
 
Sec. 1.] Administration of the Lord's Supper. 197 
 
 ing thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life. 
 And we most humbly beseech thee of thy goodness, O Lord, to 
 comfort and succour all them, who in this transitory life are in 
 trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity. And 
 we also bless thy holy name for all thy servants departed this 
 life in thy faith and fear ; beseeching thee to give us grace so 
 to follow their good examples, that with them we may be par- 
 takers of thy heavenly kingdom. Grant this, O Father, for 
 Jesus Christ's sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen." 
 
 After the prayer for absolution the following was 
 inserted : — 
 
 " Then all standing, the Elder shall say, 
 
 " Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto 
 all that truly turn to him : 
 
 "Come unto me, all ye that are burdened and heavy-laden, 
 and I will refresh you. Matt, xi, 28. 
 
 " So God loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, 
 to the end that all that believe in him, should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life. John iii, 16. • 
 
 " Hear also what St. Paul saith : 
 
 " This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, 
 That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Tim. 
 i, 15. 
 
 " Hear also what St. John saith : 
 
 " If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus 
 Christ the righteous : and he is the propitiation for our sins. 
 1 John ii, 1, 2. 
 
 " After which the Elder shall proceed, saying, 
 
 " Lift up your hearts. 
 
 " Ans. We lift them up unto the Lord. 
 
 " Elder. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God. 
 
 " Ans. It is meet and right so to do." 
 
 Before the passage beginning — " Therefore with 
 angels, &c," was inserted this rubric : — 
 
 " Here shall follow the proper Preface, according to the Time, 
 if there be any especially appointed ; or else immediately shall 
 follow : 
 
 The prefaces were inserted as follows : — 
 
 " Upon Christmas-Day . 
 " Because thou didst give Jesus Christ thine only Son to be 
 born as at this time for us, who, by the operation of the Holy 
 
198 Administration of the Lord's Supper. [Ch.-3, 
 
 Ghost, was made very man, and that without spot of sin, to make 
 us clean from all sin. Therefore with angels, &c. 
 
 " Upon Easter-Day. 
 
 " But chiefly we are bound to praise thee for the glorious 
 resurrection of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord : for he is the 
 very Paschal Lamb, which was offered for us, and hath taken 
 away the sin of the world ; who by his death hath destroyed 
 death, and by his rising to life again, hath restored to us ever- 
 lasting life. Therefore with angels, &c. 
 
 " Upon Ascension- Day. 
 
 " Through thy most dearly beloved Son, Jesus Christ our 
 Lord ; who, after his most glorious resurrection, manifestly ap- 
 peared to all his apostles, and in their sight ascended up into 
 heaven, to prepare a place for us ; that where he is, thither we 
 might also ascend, and reign with him in glory. Therefore with 
 angels, &c. 
 
 " Upon Whitsunday. 
 
 " Through Jesus Christ our Lord ; according to whose most 
 true promise the Holy Ghost came down, as at this time, from 
 heaven with a sudden great sound, as it had been a mighty wind, 
 in the likeness of fiery tongues, lighting upon the apostles, to 
 teach them, and to lead them into all truth ; giving them both the 
 gift of divers languages, and also boldness, with fervent zeal, con- 
 stantly to preach the gospel unto all nations, whereby we have 
 been brought out of darkness and error into the clear light and 
 true knowledge of thee, and of thy Son Jesus Christ. There- 
 fore with angels, &c. 
 
 " Upon the Feast of Trinity. 
 
 " Who art one God, one Lord ; not one only person, but three 
 persons in one substance. For that which we believe of the 
 glory of the Father, the same we believe of the Son, and of the 
 Holy Ghost, without any difference or inequality. Therefore 
 with angels, &c." 
 
 The forms immediately following the prayer of ab- 
 solution being said standing, the rubric prefixed to the 
 prayer before that of consecration was as follows : — 
 
 " Then shall the Elder, kneeling down at the Table, say in the 
 Name of all them that shall receive the Communion, this Prayer 
 following; the People also kneeling: 
 
 The original order in the Sunday service has since 
 undergone the following alterations : — 
 
Sec.U Administration of the Lord's Supper. 199 
 
 1786. The first rubric, instead of directing that 
 the table should " stand where morning and evening 
 prayers are appointed to be said," directed that it should 
 " stand in some convenient place." In the collect after 
 the commandments, " princes of the earth" was changed 
 to " rulers of the earth," and "supreme" omitted before 
 " rulers of the United States." In the offertory the verses 
 from Tobit iv, 8, 9, were omitted. In the prayer after 
 the offertory, the words " kings, princes, and" before 
 " governors," and " supreme" before " rulers," struck 
 out. 
 
 1799. In this year the Forms were first incor- 
 porated in the book of Discipline. The order for the 
 communion as prepared by Mr. Wesley was abridged by 
 the omission of all the parts quoted above in small type, 
 and the passages of the offertory from 1 Cor. and Gal. 
 
 The following changes were also made. The first 
 collect was transferred so as to follow the prayer for 
 absolution. In the addresses to the communicants, on 
 delivering the elements, the words " body" and "soul" 
 were transposed, and the words " thee" and " thy soul" 
 and " body" were printed in italics, (as they have been 
 ever since,) indicating that if there be more than one 
 communicant, the plural form is to be used ; — which 
 is a departure from the original usage. 
 
 In the prayer immediately preceding the prayer of 
 consecration, the original words, "that our sinful bodies 
 may be made clean by his body, and our souls washed 
 through his most precious blood," were changed to "that 
 our sinful souls and bodies may be made clean by his 
 death, and washed through his most precious blood." 
 
 At the close of the order, the following note was 
 added : — 
 
 " N. B. If the elder be straitened for time, he may 
 omit any part of the service except the prayer of conse- 
 cration." 
 
 The order has undergone no alteration since 1792. 
 
°00 Ministration of Baptism of Infants. [Ch. 3 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 The Ministration of Baptism of Infants. 
 
 The order recommended by Mr. Wesley differed 
 from that of the Church of England, in the following 
 particulars. It omits the four introductory rubrics, (the 
 first of which relates to the periods at which baptism 
 should be administered ; the second, to godfathers and 
 godmothers ; the third, to the preparatory arrangements 
 for baptism ; and the fourth, to ascertaining whether the 
 child has been baptized before.) It also omits the ex- 
 hortation after the Gospel, all the addresses to the god- 
 fathers and godmothers, and the two concluding notes, 
 (the first of which declares that baptized children, dying 
 before they commit actual sin, are undoubtedly saved, 
 and the second relates to the use of the sign of the 
 cross in baptism.) 
 
 The whole service for " the ministration of baptism 
 of children in private houses" is omitted. 
 
 In regard to the mode of baptizing, the English ru- 
 bric directed — " (if they shall certify him that the child 
 may well endure it) he shall dip it in the water discreetly 
 and warily," — " But, if they certify that the child is 
 weak, it shall suffice to pour water upon it." The 
 Sunday service directed, " He shall dip it in the water, 
 or spinkle it therewith." The English form declared 
 of the child, after baptism — " this child is regenerate," 
 — " it hath pleased thee to regenerate this infant with 
 thy Holy Spirit." These expressions, with the cor- 
 responding ones in the baptism of adults, were omitted. 
 
 The following parts of the original order have been 
 subsequently omitted. * 
 
 This prayer was to be said before reading the 
 Gospel : — 
 
 " Almighty and immortal God, the aid of all that need, the 
 helper of all that flee to thee for succour, the life of them that 
 believe, and the resurrection of the dead ; we call upon thee for 
 this infant ; that he, coming to thy holy baptism, may receive 
 remission of his sins by spiritual regeneration. Receive him, 
 
Sec. 2.] Ministration of Baptism of Infants. 201 
 
 O Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well-beloved Son, saying-, 
 ask, and ye shall have ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it 
 shall be opened unto you : so give now unto us that ask ; let us 
 that seek find ; open the gate unto us that knock ; that this in- 
 fant may enjoy the everlasting benediction of thy heavenly 
 washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom which thou hast 
 promised by Christ our Lord. Amen." 
 
 And immediately after the Gospel, the following : — 
 
 " Almighty and everlasting God, heavenly Father, we give 
 thee humble thanks, that thou hast vouchsafed to call us to 
 the knowledge of thy grace and faith in thee : increase this 
 knowledge, and confirm this faith in us evermore. Give thy 
 Holy Spirit to this infant ; that he may be born again, and be 
 made an heir of everlasting salvation, through our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, 
 now and for ever. Amen.''' 
 
 After baptizing the child, the minister was to say : — 
 
 " We receive this child into the congregation 
 
 of Christ's flock, and do* sign him with the * Here the priest 
 
 sign of the cross ; in token that hereafter he ^ l g ™* e th * 
 
 shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of ^Id's forehead. 
 Christ crucified, and manlully to fight under 
 
 his banner against sin, the world, and the devil ; and to continue 
 Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto his life's end. Amen. 
 
 " Then shall the Minister say, 
 
 " Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child is 
 grafted into the body of Christ's church ; let us give thanks 
 unto Almighty God for these benefits, and with one accord make 
 our prayers unto him, that this child may lead the rest of his life 
 according to this beginning." 
 
 And at the close of the service, this prayer : — 
 
 " We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that 
 it hath pleased thee to receive this infant for thine own child 
 by adoption, and to incorporate him into thy holy church. And 
 humbly we beseech thee to grant, that he, being dead unto sin, 
 and living unto righteousness, and being buried with Christ in 
 his death, may crucify the old man, and utterly abolish the 
 whole body of sin ; and that as he is made partaker of the death 
 of thy Son, he may also be partaker of his resurrection ; so 
 that finally, with the residue of thy holy church, he may be an 
 inheritor of thine everlasting kingdom, through Christ our 
 Lord. Amen." 
 
 9* 
 
202 Ministration of Baptism of Adults. [Ch. 3. 
 
 The changes in the original order have been as 
 follows : — 
 
 1786. The first three forms quoted above in 
 small type were omitted. In the first prayer, the 
 words, " didst sanctify water to the mystical washing 
 away of sin," were altered to "didst sanctify water for 
 this holy sacrament." And in the prayer immediately 
 before baptizing, the clause in the original — " sanctify 
 this water to the mystical washing away of sin" was 
 left out. The rubric of 1784 directed, as to the mode 
 of baptizing, " he shall dip it in the water or sprinkle it 
 therewith." That of 1786 directed — " he shall dip it 
 in the water or pour water upon it, or sprinkle it there- 
 with." At the close was now added a new rubric, 
 namely, " The minister, if he see it expedient, may 
 conclude with a prayer extempore." 
 
 1792. The following rubric was inserted at the 
 beginning : — " The minister coming to the font shall 
 use the following or some other exhortation suitable to 
 this sacred office." The rubric respecting the mode 
 of baptizing now read — " he shall sprinkle or pour 
 water upon it, or if desired, immerse it in water." The 
 Gospel was transposed so as immediately to precede 
 the baptizing ; and in the prayer before the Gospel, the 
 words " sanctify this water for this holy sacrament" 
 were inserted in place of " sanctify this water to the 
 mystical washing away of sin," which had been left out 
 altogether in 1786. The last two of the forms quoted 
 above in small type were now omitted. 
 
 There has been no alteration in the order since 1792. 
 
 The Ministration of Baptism to such as are of Riper 
 Years. 
 
 The order of the Church of England contains the 
 following parts, which are not in that recommended by 
 Mr. "Wesley, namely : — Three introductory rubrics 
 respecting the preparations for baptism, and inquiring 
 whether the person has been baptized before ; an ad- 
 dress connected with the use of the sign of the cross, 
 
Sec. 2.] Ministration of Baptism of Adults. 203 
 
 corresponding with that in the case of infants, (see p. 
 201 ;) an exhortation to the godfathers and godmoth- 
 ers, and one to the new baptized persons ; and two 
 concluding rubrics, one respecting confirmation and 
 the other respecting the baptism of those who have 
 passed infancy but have not arrived at years of dis- 
 cretion. 
 
 The order prepared by Mr. Wesley contained the 
 following parts, which are omitted in later editions, 
 namely : 
 
 The first prayer was : — 
 
 " Almighty and everlasting God, who of thy great mercy didst 
 save Noah and his family in the ark from perishing by water ; and 
 also didst safely lead the children of Israel thy people through 
 the Red Sea, figuring thereby thy holy baptism ; and by the bap- 
 tism of thy well-beloved Son Jesus Christ in the river Jordan, 
 didst sanctify the element of water, to the mystical washing 
 away of sin ; we beseech thee for thine infinite mercies, that 
 thou wilt mercifully look upon these thy servants ; wash them 
 and sanctify them with the Holy Ghost ; that they being deli- 
 vered from thy wrath, may be received into the ark of Christ's 
 church ; and being steadfast in faith, joyful through hope, and 
 rooted in charity, may so pass the waves of this troublesome 
 world, that finally they may come to the land of everlasting life ; 
 there to reign with thee world without end, through Jesus Christ 
 our Lord. Amen." 
 
 After baptizing, the minister was to say, — 
 
 "Seeing now, dearly beloved brethren, that these persons are 
 grafted into the body of Christ's church ; let us give thanks unto 
 Almighty God for these benefits, and with one accord make our 
 prayers unto him, that they may lead the rest of their life accord- 
 ing to this beginning." 
 
 And at the close of the service this prayer, — 
 
 " We yield thee humble thanks, heavenly Father, that thou 
 hast vouchsafed to call us to the knowledge of thy grace and 
 faith in thee : increase this knowledge, and confirm this faith in 
 us evermore. Give thy Holy Spirit to these persons ; that being 
 born again, and made heirs of everlasting salvation, through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, they may continue thy servants, and at- 
 tain thy promises, through the same Lord Jesus Christ thy Son; 
 who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy 
 Spirit, everlastingly. Amen." 
 
204 Ministration of Baptism of Adults. [Ch. 3 
 
 The alterations in this order have been as follows : — ■ 
 
 1786. The prayer which now immediately pre- 
 cedes the Gospel was omitted. 
 
 There was now prefixed to the prayers this rubric: 
 "Then shall the minister use as many of the following 
 prayers as the time will permit." And immediately 
 before the ceremony of baptizing was inserted this 
 rubric, " The congregation may here sing a hymn suit- 
 able to the occasion." In the first prayer, the words, 
 " didst sanctify the element of water to the mystical 
 washing away of sin," are changed to "didst sanctify 
 the element of water for this holy sacrament." In the 
 creed, " that he went down into hell," omitted. In the 
 prayer just before baptizing, the w r ords, " sanctify this 
 water to the mystical washing away of sin," are left 
 out. 
 
 The rubric of 1784, respecting the mode of baptizing, 
 was, " shall dip him in the water, or pour water upon 
 him." That of 1786 was, "shall dip him in the 
 water, or pour water upon him, or sprinkle him there- 
 with." 
 
 1792. The following rubric was prefixed to the 
 service : " The minister shall use the following, or some 
 other exhortation, suitable to this holy office." The 
 forms quoted above, in small type, were left out ; 
 and the prayer which now precedes the Gospel, and 
 which was left out in 1786, was restored and placed in 
 its present position. It originally followed the Gospel. 
 The rubric respecting the mode of baptizing now read, 
 " shall sprinkle or pour water upon him, (or if he shall 
 desire it, shall immerse him in water.") The following 
 rubric was added at the close : " Then let the minister 
 conclude with extemporary prayer." 
 
 The only alteration in the order since 1792 was in 
 
 1 836. A note was added to the creed, defining 
 " holy catholic church" to be " the church of God in 
 general." 
 
Sec. 3.] Form of Solemnization of Matrimony. 205 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 The Form of Solemnization of Matrimony. 
 
 The form recommended by Mr. Wesley omits the 
 following portions of that of the Church of England, 
 namely, the rubric directing what is to be done in case 
 an impediment be alleged ; the ceremony of giving the 
 woman to the man,, and of putting on the ring, as also 
 all allusion to it in other parts of the service ; the 
 psalms after the blessing ; the address on the duties of 
 husbands and wives, and the rubric at the close about 
 the new married persons receiving the holy communion. 
 
 The original form contains the following portions, 
 which were subsequently omitted, namely, in the intro- 
 ductory address, after the word " unadvisedly," it reads, 
 
 " Lightly or wantonly to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appe- 
 tites, like brute beasts that have no understanding," &c. 
 
 And after the words, " fear of God," was the follow- 
 ing passage : — 
 
 " Duly considering the causes for which matrimony was or- 
 dained. 
 
 " First. It was ordained for the procreation of children, to be 
 brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise 
 of his holy name. 
 
 " Secondly. It was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to 
 avoid fornication ; that such persons as have not the gift of con- 
 tinency, might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members 
 of Christ's body. 
 
 " Thirdly. It was ordained for the mutual society, help, and 
 comfort that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity 
 and adversity." 
 
 The following was to be said before the Lord's 
 prayer : — 
 
 " Then shall the minister say, Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 " Ans. Christ, have mercy upon us. 
 " Minister. Lord, have mercy upon us. 
 
 And the following after it : — 
 
 " Minister. O Lord, save thy servant and thy handmaid. 
 
 " Answer. And let them put their trust in thee. 
 
 " Minister. Lord, send them help from thy holy place. 
 
206 The Communion of the Sick. [Ch. 3 
 
 "Answer. And evermore defend them. 
 
 " Minister. Be unto them a tower of strength. 
 
 "Answer. From the face of their enemy. 
 
 " Minister. O Lord, hear our prayer. 
 
 " Answer. And let our cry come unto thee.' 1 
 
 The following was included among the closing pray- 
 ers : — 
 
 " This Prayer next following shall be omitted, where the Woman 
 is past child-bearing. 
 
 " O merciful Lord and heavenly Father, by whose gracious 
 gift mankind is increased ; we beseech thee assist with thy bless- 
 ing these two persons, that they may both be fruitful in the pro- 
 creation of children, and also live together so long in godly love 
 and honesty, that they may see their children Christianly and 
 virtuously brought up, to thy praise and honour, through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen." 
 
 The only alterations in this form have been the fol- 
 lowing : — 
 
 1786. The following qualifying clause was in- 
 serted in the rubric, requiring the publication of the 
 banns : — " (unless a license be procured from the pro- 
 per authority.)" 
 
 1 70S. The preceding clause was changed to the 
 following : — " (unless they be otherwise qualified ac- 
 cording to law.)" 
 
 In the introductory address the original had these 
 words, " in the face of this congregation." They were 
 now changed to, " in the presence of these witnesses." 
 The passages in the original form, quoted above in small 
 type, were now left out. 
 
 There have been no alterations since. 
 
 " The Communion of the Sick." 
 
 The next form in the Sunday service was, "The 
 Communion of the Sick." It was the same with that 
 of the Church of England, omitting only the first and 
 the three last rubrics. It was as follows : — 
 
 " The Collect. 
 " Almighty, ever-living God, maker of mankind, who dost cor- 
 rect those whom thou dost love, and chastise every one whom 
 
Sec. 4. J The Order of the Burial of the Dead. 207 
 
 thou dost receive ; we beseech thee to have mercy upon this thy 
 servant visited with thine hand ; and to grant that he may take 
 his sickness patiently, and recover his bodily health, if it be thy 
 gracious will ; and that whenever his soul shall depart from the 
 body, it may be without spot presented unto thee, through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 " The Epistle. Heb. xii, 5, 6. 
 " My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor 
 faint when thou art rebuked of him : for whom the Lord loveth 
 he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
 
 " The Gospel. John v, 24. 
 
 " "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and 
 believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not 
 come into condemnation ; but is passed from death unto life. 
 
 " After which, the elder shall proceed according to the form 
 before prescribed for the holy communion, beginning at these 
 words [Ye that do truly, &c] 
 
 " At the time of the distribution of the holy sacrament, the 
 elder shall first receive the communion himself, and after minis- 
 ter unto them that are appointed to communicate with the sick> 
 and last of all to the sick person." 
 
 1 792. This form was left out altogether. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 The Order of the Burial of the Bead. 
 
 The order in the Sunday service omits the following 
 portions found in that of the Church of England, 
 namely, — the first rubric, forbidding the office "to be 
 used for any that die unbaptized, or excommunicate, 
 or have laid violent hands on themselves ;" one of the 
 Psalms, (thirty-ninth ;) the words to be spoken while 
 the earth is cast upon the body ; and the prayer fol- 
 lowing the Lord's Prayer. 
 
 It contains the following parts, which were omitted 
 in 1792, namely, the Psalm (nineteeth) and the Lesson, 
 (1 Cor. xi, 20, to end.) 
 
 1792. This note was prefixed to the order: — 
 " N. B. The following or some other solemn service 
 shall be used." 
 
 There have been no alterations since 1792. 
 
208 Form and Manner of making of Deacons. CCh. 4. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE FORM AND MANNER OF MAKING AND ORDAINING 
 BISHOPS, ELDERS, AND DEACONS. 
 
 The title in the form of the Church of England is, 
 — " The Form and Manner of making, ordaining, and 
 consecrating of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons." In 
 the Sunday service it was, — " The Form and Manner 
 of making and ordaining of Superintendents, Elders, 
 and Deacons ;" and throughout, " superintendents" 
 was used for " bishops," and " elders" for " priests." 
 In the ordering of deacons and priests, the English 
 rubric directed the bishop to surcease ordaining, " if 
 any great crime or impediment" was objected ; the 
 Sunday service, " if any crime or impediment." 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 The Form and Manner of making of Deaco?is. 
 
 The form recommended by Mr. Wesley omitted 
 the following portions of that of the Church of England, 
 namely, — the preface, the address of the bishop to the 
 archdeacon, and the reply ; the passage from Acts vi, 
 2-7 ; the oath of the king's supremacy ; and the 
 closing rubric, respecting the qualifications for the 
 priesthood. 
 
 The English form directs the bishop to deliver to 
 the ordained deacon " the New Testament ;" the Sun- 
 day service, " the Holy Bible." 
 
 1786. The rubric in this edition directs the 
 superintendent, in saying the litany, to insert a 
 petition for the candidates, when he prays for the 
 ministers of the gospel ; and to omit the last prayer 
 and the blessing. This was to be done also in ordain- 
 ing elders and superintendents. 
 
 179S. The rubric, with reference to saying the 
 litanv and the service for the communion, was omitted 
 
Sec. 2.] Form and Manner of ordaining Elders. 209 
 
 in all the forms. In the first question proposed to the 
 candidate, the words " this office and ministration" 
 changed to " the office of the ministry." The follow- 
 ing question and answer were also omitted : — 
 11 The Superintendent. 
 
 " Do you think that you are truly called, according to the 
 will of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the ministry of the church ? 
 
 " Ans. I think so." 
 
 In the third question, the words " or expound" in- 
 serted after " read." 
 
 There have been no changes since 1792. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 The Form and Manner of ordaining Elders. 
 
 The form recommended by Mr. Wesley omitted 
 the following portions of the form of the Church of 
 England, namely, — the address of the archdeacon to 
 the bishop, and his reply ; one of the Gospels ; (Matt, 
 ix, 36 ;) the oath of the king's supremacy ; the second 
 form, — " Come, Holy Ghost, eternal God, &c. ;" and 
 the Nicene Creed. 
 
 1799. The original address to the congregation 
 began, — " Good people ;" it now began, — "Brethren." 
 The original form for the ordination began, — " Receive 
 the Holy Ghost for the office, &c." It was now 
 changed to, — " The Lord pour upon thee the Holy 
 Ghost for the office, &c. ;" though the original form 
 has been retained in ordaining a bishop. The rubric 
 directing the persons ordained to receive the com- 
 munion was omitted here, although it has been re- 
 tained in the ordination of deacons. 
 
 There have been no changes in this form since 
 1792. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 The Form of ordaining a Bishop. 
 
 The title in the form of the Church of England is, 
 — "The Form of ordaining or consecrating of an 
 
210 Form of ordaining a Bishop. [Ch. 4. 
 
 Archbishop or Bishop ;" in Mr. Wesley's it is, — "The 
 Form of ordaining of a Superintendent." The latter 
 omits the following portions of the former, namely, — 
 the Epistle, (1 Tim. hi, 1-7;) one of the Gospels, 
 (John xx, 19-23 ;) the Nicene Creed ; the oath of the 
 king's supremacy, and the oath of obedience to the 
 archbishop ; the form, " Come, Holy Ghost, eternal 
 God, &c." 
 
 1799. The rubric respecting the communion 
 service was omitted. 
 
 1808. When the elders presented the elected 
 person for ordination, the original form was, — " We 
 present unto you this godly man to be ordained a 
 bishop." In 1808 " godly" was changed to " holy." 
 
Sec. 1.] Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 211 
 
 PART II. 
 
 THE TEMPORAL ECONOMY OF THE METHODIST 
 EPISCOPAL CHURCH.* 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Of the Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 
 
 The first question of this section originally belonged 
 to Part i, Sec. 3, " Of the General and Yearly Con- 
 ferences," where the boundaries of the conferences 
 were given in 
 
 1796, as follows:—! 
 
 "1. The New-England Conference, under the di- 
 rection of which shall be the affairs of our church in 
 New-England, and in that part of the state of New- 
 York which lies on the east side of Hudson's River : 
 Provided, that if the bishops see it necessary, a con- 
 ference may be held in the province of Maine. 
 
 " 2. The Philadelphia Conference, for the direction 
 of our concerns in the remainder of the state of New- 
 York, in New-Jersey, in all that part of Pennsylvania 
 which lies on the east side of the Susquehannah River, 
 the state of Delaware, and all the rest of the peninsula. 
 
 " 3. The Baltimore Conference, for the remainder of 
 Pennsylvania, the remainder of Maryland, and the 
 Northern Neck of Virginia. 
 
 "4. The Virginia Conference, for all that part of 
 Virginia which lies on the south side of the Rappahan- 
 nock River, and for all that part of North Carolina 
 which lies on the north side of Cape Fear River, in- 
 cluding also the circuits which are situated on the 
 branches of the Yadkin. 
 
 * The title of Part i, according to the division ordered in 1804, 
 was, "The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal 
 Church," but in publishing, this has been applied to the whole book. 
 
 t For the previous arrangement respecting the conferences, see 
 p. 118. 
 
212 Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. [Part 2. 
 
 " 5. The South Carolina Conference, for South Ca- 
 rolina, Georgia, and the remainder of North Carolina. 
 
 " 6. The Western Conference, for the states of 
 Kentucky and Tennessee : Provided, that the bishops 
 shall have authority to appoint other yearly conferences 
 in the interval of the General Conference, if a sufficiency 
 of new circuits be anywhere formed for that purpose." 
 
 1800. The boundaries w r ere fixed as follows : — 
 
 " 1. The New-England Conference shall include the 
 district of Maine, and all the circuits eastward and 
 northward from the bounds of the New-York Confer- 
 ence. 
 
 " 2. The New- York Conference shall include that 
 part of the state of New-York east of the Hudson Ri- 
 ver, all Connecticut, and those parts of Massachusetts, 
 New-Hampshire, and Vermont, which are included 
 in the New-York and New-London districts. 
 
 " 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. Philadelphia, Baltimore, Virgi- 
 nia, South Carolina, and Western Conferences" — as 
 before. 
 
 The proviso added as before. 
 
 1 804. This subject was transferred to Part ii, 
 Sec. 1, as follows : — 
 
 " 1. The New-England Conference shall include the 
 district of Maine, and the Boston, New-London, and 
 Vermont districts. 
 
 " 2. The New-York Conference comprehending the 
 New-York, Pittsfield, Albany, and Upper Canada dis- 
 tricts. 
 
 "3. The Philadelphia Conference" — as before, only 
 insert, after " Susquehannah River," " except what be- 
 longs to the Susquehannah district." 
 
 " 4. The Baltimore Conference" — as before, except 
 the addition of " the Green Briar district." 
 
 " 5. The Virginia Conference" — as before, except, 
 after " Rappahannock River" insert, " east of the Blue 
 Ridge," after "Cape Fear River" insert, "except Wil- 
 mington." 
 
 " 6. The South Carolina Conference" — as before. 
 
Sec. 1.] Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 213 
 
 " 7. The Western Conference shall include the 
 states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio, and that 
 part of Virginia which lies west of the great river Ken- 
 hawa, with the Illinois and the Natchez." 
 
 The proviso added as before. 
 
 1 808. The description of the boundaries was the 
 same, with the following exceptions : — 
 
 In the New-York Conference, " Cayuga" is named 
 as one of the districts. 
 
 The Susquehannah district is included in the Phila- 
 delphia Conference. 
 
 In the Baltimore Conference, " Carlisle district" is 
 named. 
 
 The proviso added as before. 
 
 1 8 1 SI. The boundaries were altered as follows : — 
 
 " 1. The Ohio Conference shall include Ohio, Mus- 
 kingum, Miami, Kentucky, and Salt River districts. 
 
 " 2. The Tennessee Conference shall include Hol- 
 ston, Nashville, Cumberland, Wabash, Illinois, and 
 Mississippi districts. 
 
 " 3. The South Carolina Conference shall include 
 Georgia, South Carolina, and that part of North Caro- 
 lina not included in the Virginia and Tennessee Con- 
 ferences. 
 
 " 4. The Virginia Conference shall include the cir- 
 cuits situated on the branches of the Yadkin, and that 
 part of North Carolina on the north side of Cape Fear 
 River, (except Wilmington,) and that part of Virginia 
 on the south side of the Rappahannock, and east of 
 the Blue Ridge. 
 
 " 5. The Baltimore Conference shall include the re- 
 maining part of Virginia not included in the Tennessee 
 and Virginia Conferences, the Western Shore of Ma- 
 ryland, and that part of Pennsylvania east of the Ohio 
 River, and west of the Susquehannah, not included in 
 the Genesee Conference. 
 
 " 6. The Philadelphia Conference shall include the 
 whole of the peninsula between the Chesapeake and 
 Delaware Bays, and all that part of Pennsylvania lying 
 
214 Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. [Part 2. 
 
 between the Delaware and Susquehannah Rivers, (ex- 
 cept what is included in the Genesee Conference,) and 
 all the state of New-Jersey, with Staten Island. 
 
 " 7. The New- York Conference shall include all 
 the state of New-York not included in the Genesee and 
 Philadelphia Conferences, that part of Connecticut and 
 Massachusetts west of the Connecticut River, and that 
 part of Vermont lying west of the Green Mountain. 
 
 " 8. The New-England Conference shall include 
 the remaining part of Vermont, and all the New-Eng- 
 land states east of Connecticut River. 
 
 " 9. The Genesee Conference shall include the 
 bounds of the Susquehannah, Cayuga, and Upper and 
 Lower Canada districts. Provided, nevertheless, the 
 bishops have authority, in the interval of the General 
 Conference, to appoint another annual conference down 
 the Mississippi, if they judge it necessary. Provided, 
 also, that they have authority to appoint another annual 
 conference, in the interval of the General Confer- 
 ence, if a sufficient number of new circuits be any- 
 where formed ; but no district or circuit shall be added 
 to such new conference, without the consent of the old 
 conference to which it belongs." 
 
 1816. The Ohio Conference — as before, except 
 that part of Scioto district is substituted for Salt River. 
 
 " 2. The Missouri Conference shall be bounded by 
 the Ohio Conference on the north, by the Ohio and 
 Mississippi Rivers on the east, and by the Arkansas 
 River on the south. 
 
 " 3. /The Tennessee Conference" — as before, except 
 that u Wabash, Illinois, and Mississippi districts" are 
 struck out, and " Salt River and Green River" inserted. 
 
 " 4. The Mississippi Conference shall include all the 
 state of Louisiana south of the Arkansas, and all the 
 Mississippi Territory south of Tennessee River. 
 
 " 5. The South Carolina Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 6. The Virginia Conference" — as before, with the 
 addition of these words at the end, " except Fredericks- 
 burg." 
 
Sec. 1.] Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 215 
 
 " 7. The Baltimore Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 8. The Philadelphia Conference" — as before, with 
 the addition of these words, " And so much of the 
 state of New-York as now is, or at any time may be, 
 attached to the Bergen and Hamburg districts." 
 
 " 9. The New-York Conference" — as before, with the 
 addition of these words, " With that part of Lower Ca- 
 nada between Lake Champlain and Magog." 
 
 " 10. The New-England Conference" — as before, 
 with the addition of the following words, " And that 
 part of Lower Canada east of Lake Magog." 
 
 " 11. The Genesee Conference" — as before, except 
 that " Oneida, Genesee, and Chenango" districts are 
 substituted for " Cayuga." 
 
 The first proviso is struck out, and the other reads, 
 "Pi'Ovided,Xnal the bishops shall have authority to ap- 
 point other annual conferences, in the interval of the 
 General Conference, if the number of circuits should 
 increase so as, in their judgment, to require it." 
 
 1830. "1. The Ohio Conference shall com- 
 mence at the town of Madison, on the Ohio River, state 
 of Indiana, thence, running due north to the nearest 
 point on Lake Michigan, shall include the whole of the 
 Michigan Territory. Thence running down Lake Erie 
 to the town of Erie, thence to Waterford, on French 
 Creek, thence down French Creek to the Alleghany 
 River, thence down the Alleghany and Ohio Rivers to 
 the place of beginning. 
 
 " 2. The Missouri Conference shall include that 
 part of the state of Indiana not included in the Ohio 
 Conference, the states of Illinois and Missouri, and the 
 Territory of Arkansas. 
 
 " 3. The Kentucky Conference shall include the 
 Kentucky, Salt River, Green River, and Cumberland 
 districts, and that part of the state of Virginia included 
 in the Green Briar and Munroe circuits, heretofore be- 
 longing to the Baltimore Conference, and the little Ken- 
 hawa and Middle Island circuits, heretofore belonging 
 to the Ohio Conference. 
 
216 Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. [Part 2. 
 
 " 4. The Tennessee Conference shall include the 
 Nashville, French Broad, and Holston districts, toge- 
 ther with the New River circuit, heretofore belonging 
 to the Baltimore Conference, and that part of Tennes- 
 see district north of Tennessee River. 
 
 " 5. The Mississippi Conference shall include the 
 states of Mississippi and Louisiana, and all that part of 
 the state of Alabama south of Tennessee River. 
 
 " 6. The South Carolina Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 7. The Virginia Conference" — as before. 
 
 "8. The Baltimore Conference shall include the re- 
 maining part of Virginia, not included in the Virginia, 
 Philadelphia, Kentucky, and Tennessee Conferences, 
 the Western Shore of Maryland, and that part of Penn- 
 sylvania east of the Ohio River, and west of the Sus- 
 quehannah, together with the Bald Eagle, Lycoming, 
 Northumberland, and Shamokin circuits, heretofore 
 belonging to the Genesee Conference. 
 
 " 9. The Philadelphia Conference" — as before, ex- 
 cept that "Baltimore and" is inserted before " Genesee." 
 
 " 10. The New-York Conference" — as before. 
 
 "11. The New-England Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 12. The Genesee Conference shall include the 
 Oneida, Genesee, Chenango, Seneca, and Upper and 
 Lower Canada districts, the Chautauque and Lake 
 circuits, heretofore belonging to the Ohio Conference, 
 and that part of Susquehannah district not included in 
 the Baltimore Conference." 
 
 The following provisos were added to the previous 
 one : — 
 
 " Provided, 2d, that the bishops be, and are hereby 
 authorized, by and with the advice and consent of the 
 New-England Conference, to form a new conference 
 in the eastern part of the New-England Conference, 
 in the interval between this and the next General Con- 
 ference, if they shall judge it to be expedient. 
 
 " Provided, 3d, that the episcopacy, by and with 
 the advice and consent of the Genesee Conference, if 
 they judge it expedient, previous to the sitting of the 
 
Sec. 1.] Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 217 
 
 next General Conference, shall have authority to esta- 
 blish a conference in Canada." 
 
 1 8£4. " 1 . The Maine Conference shall include 
 all the state of Maine, and that part of the state of 
 New-Hampshire lying east of the White Hills, and 
 north of the waters of the Ossipie Lake. 
 
 " 2. The New-England Conference shall include 
 the remaining part of the state of New-Hampshire, 
 that part of Vermont lying east of the Green Moun- 
 tains, those parts of the states of Massachusetts and 
 Connecticut lying east of Connecticut River, and all the 
 state of Rhode Island. 
 
 " 3. The New-York Conference" — as before, except 
 the omission of these words, " And that part of Lower 
 Canada between Lakes Champlain and Magog." 
 
 " 4. The Genesee Conference shall include the 
 Oneida, Black River, Chenango, Susquehannah, On- 
 tario, Genesee, and Erie districts, and Sharon circuit, 
 from New-York, except that part of Erie district south 
 west of Cattaraugus Creek. 
 
 " 5. The Canada Conference shall include all the 
 upper province of Canada. 
 
 " 6. The Pittsburgh Conference shall commence at 
 the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek, on Lake Erie, thence 
 to Olean Point, on Alleghany River, thence eastward 
 to the top of the Alleghany Mountains, thence along 
 the said mountains southward to the head of Tygert's 
 Valley, thence to the Ohio River, so as to include the 
 Middle Island and Little Kenhawa circuits, thence up 
 said river to the mouth of Little Muskingum, thence 
 to the mouth of White Woman, so as to include Mon- 
 roe, Barnesville, and Duck Creek circuits, thence 
 north-eastward between the waters of Tuscarawas and 
 Mohicken to Lake Erie, near the mouth of Kuyahauga, 
 so as to include Tuscarawas and Canton circuits, thence 
 down the lake to the mouth of Cattaraugus. 
 
 " 7. The Ohio Conference shall include the remain- 
 ing part of the state of Ohio, the territory of Michigan, 
 and the Kenhawa. 
 
 10 
 
218 Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. [Part 2. 
 
 " 8. The Illinois Conference shall include the states 
 of Indiana and Illinois. 
 
 " 9. The Missouri Conference shall include the 
 state of Missouri and Arkansas Territory. 
 
 " 10. The Kentucky Conference shall include the 
 state of Kentucky, and that part of the state of Ten- 
 nessee lying north of the Cumberland River. 
 
 "11. The Tennessee Conference shall include all 
 that part of the state of Tennessee lying south of Cum- 
 berland River, and west of the Cumberland Mountains, 
 and that part of the state of Alabama lying north of the 
 mountains which divide the waters of Mobile Bay from 
 the Tennessee River. 
 
 " 12. The Holston Conference shall include the re- 
 maining part of the state of Tennessee lying east of 
 the Cumberland Mountains, and that part of Virginia 
 and North Carolina embraced in the Holston district, 
 and the Black Mountain and French Broad circuits, 
 formerly belonging to the South Carolina Conference. 
 
 " 13. The Mississippi Conference shall include the 
 states of Mississippi and Louisiana, that part of Ala- 
 bama not included in Tennessee Conference, and all 
 West Florida. 
 
 " 14. The South Carolina Conference shall include 
 all South Carolina, Georgia, East Florida, and that part 
 of North Carolina not included in the Virginia and 
 Holston Conferences. 
 
 " 15. The Virginia Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 16. The Baltimore Conference shall include the 
 remaining part of Virginia not included in the Virginia, 
 Holston, Ohio, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia Confer- 
 ences, the Western Shore of Maryland, and that part 
 of Pennsylvania lying east of the Alleghany Moun- 
 tains, and west of Susquehannah River, including Nor- 
 thumberland district. 
 
 " 17. The Philadelphia Conference" — as before. 
 
 The provisos now read as follows : — 
 
 " Provided, that the bishops be, and they are here- 
 by authorized, with the advice and consent of the South 
 
Sec. 1J Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 219 
 
 Carolina and Mississippi Conferences, to form a new 
 conference of such sections of country as may be in- 
 cluded in those conferences. 
 
 " Provided, also, that the bishops shall have autho- 
 rity to appoint other annual conferences, if the number 
 of circuits should so increase as, in their judgment, to 
 require it." 
 
 1838. The boundaries remained the same as in 
 1824, with the following exceptions : — 
 
 " 10. The Kentucky Conference shall include the 
 state of Kentucky, except so much of said state as lies 
 west of the Tennessee River. 
 
 "11. The Tennessee Conference shall include all 
 that part of the state of Tennessee lying west of the 
 Cumberland Mountains, and that part of the state of 
 Kentucky lying west of the Tennessee River, and that 
 part of the state of Alabama" — &c, as before. 
 
 " 15. Virginia Conference," Port Royal is men- 
 tioned, with Fredericksburg, as not included. 
 
 The following proviso was substituted for those of 
 1824:— 
 
 " Provided, that the bishops or bishop attending 
 the following conferences, with the advice and consent 
 of the said conferences respectively, be, and hereby 
 are authorized to form new conferences, as follows, 
 namely : — 
 
 " From the South Carolina Conference, of any sec- 
 tion of country included in said conference : from the 
 Mississippi Conference, of any section of country in- 
 cluded in said conference : or, on the joint recommend- 
 ation of the South Carolina and Mississippi Confer- 
 ences, to form one new conference, from any section of 
 country within the bounds of the said conferences : also, 
 at the joint request of the New-York and New-Eng- 
 land Conferences, to form a new conference within 
 the bounds of said conferences : and, with the advice 
 and consent of the Genesee Conference, to form a new 
 conference in any section of country now within the 
 bounds of said conference." 
 
220 Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. [Part 2. 
 
 1 839. The boundaries were fixed as follows : — 
 
 " 1. The New-York Conference shall include the 
 New-York, New-Haven, Rhinebeck, and Hudson River 
 districts, Hudson station, and Ghent and Lee circuits. 
 
 " 2. The New-England Conference shall include 
 all the state of Massachusetts lying east of the Green 
 Mountains not included in the New-Hampshire Con- 
 ference, and that part of Connecticut lying east of Con- 
 necticut River, and all the state of Rhode Island. 
 
 " 3. Maine Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 4. New-Hampshire Conference shall include all 
 the state of New-Hampshire not included in the Maine 
 Conference, that part of the state of Vermont east of 
 the Green Mountains, and that part of the state of 
 Massachusetts north-east of the Merrimack River. 
 
 "5. Troy Conference shall include the Saratoga, 
 Middlebury, and Plattsburg districts, and that part of 
 Troy district not included in the New- York Confer- 
 ence. 
 
 " 6. Oneida Conference shall include that part of the 
 state of New- York east of Cayuga Lake not included 
 in the New-York and Troy Conferences, and the Sus- 
 quehannah district in the state of Pennsylvania. 
 
 " 7. Genesee Conference shall include that part of 
 the state of New-York west of Cayuga Lake not in- 
 cluded in the Pittsburg, and the Tioga, Loyalsock and 
 Wellsborough circuits, in the state of Pennsylvania. 
 
 " 8. Pittsburg Conference" — as before, with the fol- 
 lowing exceptions, namely : — 
 
 For " the Middle Island and Little Kenhawa cir- 
 cuits," read " Middleburn circuit." For " Monroe, 
 Barnesville, and Duck Creek circuits," read " Wood- 
 field, Summerfield, and Freeport circuits." For " Tus- 
 carawas," read " Leesburg." 
 
 " 9. Ohio Conference shall include the remainder of 
 the state of Ohio, except Elizabethtown, that part of 
 Virginia contained in the Kenhawa district, and the 
 Territory of Michigan, except St. Joseph's and Kala- 
 mazoo missions. 
 
Sec. l.J Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 221 
 
 "10. Indiana Conference shall include the state of 
 Indiana, (except so much as is included in the Illinois 
 Conference,) Elizabethtown, in the state of Ohio, and 
 the St. Joseph's and Kalamazoo missions in Michigan 
 Territory. 
 
 "11. Illinois Conference shall include the state of 
 Illinois, the Paris and Eugene circuits, in the state of 
 Indiana, and the North Western Territory. 
 
 " 12. Missouri Conference shall include the state of 
 Missouri, the Missouri and Arkansas Territories. 
 
 " 13. Kentucky Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 14. Tennessee Conference shall include West 
 Tennessee, and that part of Kentucky lying west of 
 Tennessee River, and North Alabama. 
 
 "15. Holston Conference shall include East Ten- 
 nessee, and that part of the state of Georgia lying north 
 of the Blue Ridge, and also what is now embraced in 
 the Tugulo and Pickens circuits, and those parts of 
 South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia included 
 in the Ashville and Abingdon districts. 
 
 " 16. Mississippi Conference shall include the state 
 of Louisiana, and that part of Mississippi lying west of 
 the dividing ridge between Pearl and Leaf Rivers, and 
 thence with the said ridge between Mississippi and 
 Tombeckbee to the Tennessee line. 
 
 " 17. Alabama Conference shall include South Ala- 
 bama, that part of Mississippi not included in Missis- 
 sippi Conference, and West Florida. 
 
 " 18. Georgia Conference shall include the state of 
 Georgia, (except what is embraced in the Holston 
 Conference,) East and Middle Florida. 
 
 " 19. South Carolina Conference shall include the 
 state of South Carolina, (except so much as is included 
 in the Tugulo, Greenville, and Pickens circuits,) and 
 that part of North Carolina not included in the Virgi- 
 nia and Holston Conferences. 
 
 " 20. Virginia Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 21. Baltimore Conference" — as before, except that 
 after the words "Western Shore of Maryland," is added, 
 
222 Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. [Part 2. 
 
 "except a small portion included in the Pittsburgh 
 Conference." 
 
 " 22. Philadelphia Conference" — as before, except 
 for " Genesee," read " Oneida," and for " Bergen," 
 read " Haverstraw." 
 
 The usual proviso is omitted from this time forward 
 
 1 836. The boundaries were fixed as follows . — 
 
 " 1. The New-York Conference- shall embrace all 
 that territory now included in the New-York, White- 
 Plains, New-Haven, Poughkeepsie, Rhinebeck, Dela- 
 ware, and Newburgh districts." 
 
 " 2, 3, 4, New-England, Maine, and New-Hamp- 
 shire Conferences" — as before. 
 
 " 5. Troy Conference shall include the Albany, 
 Middlebury, Plattsburgh, and Troy districts. 
 
 " 6. Black River Conference shall include that part 
 of the state of New-York west of the Troy Confer- 
 ence, not included in the Genesee Conference as far 
 south as the Erie Canal, and all the societies on the 
 immediate banks of said canal except Utica. 
 
 " 7. Oneida Conference" — as before, except the in- 
 sertion of " Black River" after " Troy." 
 
 " 8. Genesee Conference" — as before, except that 
 " Pittsburgh" is changed to " Erie." " Tioga" is struck 
 out, and " Sugar Creek" and " Smethport" inserted. 
 
 "9. Erie Conference shall be bounded on the north 
 by Lake Erie, on the east by a line commencing at the 
 mouth of Cattaraugus Creek, thence to the Alleghany 
 River at the mouth of Tunanquant Creek, thence up 
 said creek eastward to the ridge dividing between the 
 waters of Clarion and Sinnamahoning Creeks, thence 
 east to the head of Mahoning Creek, thence down said 
 creek to the Alleghany River, thence across said river 
 in a north-westerly direction to the western reserve 
 line, including the north part of Butler and New-Cas- 
 tle circuits, thence west to the Ohio Canal, thence along 
 said canal to Lake Erie, including Ohio city. 
 
 " 10. Pittsburgh Conference shall be bounded on 
 the north by the Erie Conference, on the east by the 
 
Seel.] Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 223 
 
 Alleghany Mountains, on the south by a line stretch- 
 ing from the head of Tygert's Valley to the Ohio River 
 at the mouth of the Little Muskingum, embracing Mid- 
 dleburn circuit and Hughes' River mission, thence to 
 the Muskingum River, embracing Woodfield and 
 M'Connelsville circuits, thence on the west to the 
 mouth of White Woman Creek, embracing Summer- 
 field and Freeport circuits, thence north-east to the 
 Ohio Canal, embracing Dover circuit, and thence to the 
 line of Erie Conference. 
 
 "11. Michigan Conference shall embrace all that 
 part of the state of Ohio not included in the Pittsburg, 
 Erie, Ohio, and Indiana Conferences, and all the Terri- 
 tory of Michigan, except so much as is included in the 
 Laporte district, Indiana Conference. 
 
 " 12. Ohio Conference shall commence at the mouth 
 of the Great Miami River, thence running north with 
 the state line, as far as the north line of Darke county, 
 excluding Elizabethtown ?> thence eastwardly, so as to 
 include Lebanon, Urbana, Columbus, and Zanesville 
 districts ; thence down the Muskingum River so as to 
 include Marietta circuit, and Kenhawa district in Vir- 
 ginia, thence down the Ohio River to the place of be- 
 ginning. 
 
 " 13. Indiana Conference shall include the state of 
 Indiana, except so much as is included in the Illinois 
 Conference, Elizabethtown in the state of Ohio, and 
 that part of Michigan Territory now included in the 
 Laporte district. 
 
 11 14. Illinois Conference shall include the state of 
 Illinois, and that part of Indiana included in the Dan- 
 ville and Eugene circuits, the Wisconsin Territory 
 north of the state west of Lake Michigan, and also that 
 part of said territory west of Mississippi, commonly 
 called the Black Hawk Purchase. 
 
 " 15. Missouri Conference shall include the state of 
 Missouri, and that part of Missouri Territory which 
 lies north of the Cherokee line. 
 
 "16. Arkansas Conference shall include the Arkan- 
 
224 Boundaries of the Annuul Conferences . [Part 2. 
 
 sas Territory, that part of Missouri Territory lying 
 south of the Cherokee line ; also so much of the state 
 of Louisiana as is now included in the Louisiana dis- 
 trict." 
 
 " 17, 18. Kentucky and Tennessee Conferences" — as 
 before. 
 
 " 19. Holston Conference" — as before, except for 
 " lying north of the Blue Ridge," read, " now embraced 
 in the Newtown district." " North Carolina" is struck 
 out. 
 
 " 20. Mississippi Conference shall include all the 
 state of Mississippi, except what is embraced in the 
 range of counties on the east boundary of the state, 
 namely, Jackson, Greene, Wayne, Clarke, Lauderdale, 
 Kemper, Noxaber, Lownds, and Munroe, and that part 
 of the state of Louisiana not included in the Arkansas 
 Conference." 
 
 "21, 22. Alabama and Georgia Conferences" — as 
 before. 
 
 " 23. South Carolina Conference" — as before, except 
 for last clause read, " that part of North Carolina now 
 included in the Wilmington and Lincolnton districts." 
 
 " 24. North Carolina Conference shall be bounded 
 on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the north by 
 Albemarle Sound, Roanoke and Staunton Rivers, on 
 the west by the top of the Blue Ridge, including the 
 counties of Wilks and Iredell, on the south by the south 
 lines of Iredell, Rowan, Davidson, Randolph, and 
 Chatham, thence by Cape Fear River, except those 
 appointments now included in the Wilmington and Lin- 
 colnton districts. 
 
 " 25. Virginia Conference shall be bounded on the 
 east by Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, on 
 the south by Albemarle Sound, Roanoke and Staunton 
 Rivers, on the west by the Blue Ridge, on the north by 
 the Rappahannock River, except Fredericksburg and 
 Port Royal. 
 
 "26. Baltimore Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 27. Philadelphia Conference" — as before, except 
 
Sec. l.J Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 225 
 
 that all after " conferences" is struck out, and " New- 
 Jersey" inserted before it. 
 
 " 28. New-Jersey Conference shall include the 
 whole state of New-Jersey, Staten Island, and so 
 much of the states of New-York and Pennsylvania as 
 is now included in the Asbury district. 
 
 " 29. There shall be an annual conference on the 
 western coast of Africa, to be denominated The Libe- 
 ria Mission Annual Conference, possessing all the 
 rights, powers, and privileges of other annual confer 
 ences, except that of sending delegates to the General 
 Conference, and of drawing its annual dividend from 
 the avails of the Book Concern and of the Chartered 
 Fund." 
 
 1 8-AO. The boundaries were fixed as follows : — 
 
 " 1. The New- York Conference" — as before, except 
 " Hartford" district inserted. 
 
 " 2. Providence Conference shall include that part 
 of the state of Connecticut lying east of the Connecti- 
 cut River, all the state of Rhode Island, and that part 
 of the state of Massachusetts lying south-east of a line 
 drawn from the north-east corner of the state of Rhode 
 Island to the mouth of the Neponset River, which line 
 shall so run as to leave the Walpole station within the 
 bounds of the Providence Conference. 
 
 " 3. New-England Conference shall include all the 
 state of Massachusetts lying east of the Green Mount- 
 ains not embraced in the New- York, New-Hampshire, 
 and Providence Conferences." 
 
 4, 5. Maine and New-Hampshire Conferences — as 
 before. 
 
 " 6. Troy Conference shall include the Albany, 
 Troy, Poultney, Burlington, and Plattsburg districts. 
 
 " 7. Black River Conference" — as before, except the 
 addition, at the end, of the words, " and Canistota." 
 
 " 8. Oneida Conference" — as before. 
 
 " 9. Genesee Conference shall include that part of 
 the state of New-York lying west of a line running 
 south frorn Lake Ontario,* by way of Cayuga Lake, to 
 
 10* 
 
226 Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. [Part 2. 
 
 Pennsylvania, not embraced in the Erie Conference, 
 and so much of the north part of the state of Pennsyl- 
 vania as is included in Seneca Lake, Dansville, and 
 Cattaraugus districts. 
 
 " 10. Erie Conference" — as before, except " Ohio 
 city" changed to " Cleveland city." 
 
 "11. Pittsburg Conference shall be bounded on the 
 north by the Erie Conference, on the east by the Alle- 
 ghany Mountains, on the south by a line stretching 
 from the head of Tygert's Valley to the Ohio River, so 
 as to embrace Middleburn circuit and Kenhawa mis- 
 sion, thence to the mouth of the Muskingum River, 
 and up said river, exclusive of the towns of Marietta 
 and Zanesville, to the Tuscarawas River, and thence 
 up said river to the line of the Erie Conference. 
 
 " 12. Ohio Conference shall commence at the mouth 
 of the Great Miami River, running north with the state 
 line to the line of Dark county, excluding Elizabeth- 
 town, thence eastwardly along the line of the North 
 Ohio Conference, so as to exclude the circuits of 
 Greenville, Sidney, (except Westville and M'Farlands,) 
 Belfontaine, Allen mission, Richwood, Marion, Dela- 
 ware, and Roscow, to the Muskingum River, thence 
 down said river so as to include the towns of Zanes- 
 ville and Marietta, and Kenhawa district, in Virginia, 
 thence down the Ohio River to the place of beginning. 
 
 " 13. North Ohio Conference shall embrace all that 
 part of the state of Ohio not included in the Ohio, Pitts- 
 burg, and Erie Conferences. 
 
 " 14. Michigan Conference shall include the state of 
 Michigan. 
 
 " 15. Indiana Conference shall include all the state 
 of Indiana, and Elizabethtown in Ohio. 
 
 " 16. Rock River Conference shall include that part 
 of the state of Illinois not embraced in the Illinois Con- 
 ference, and the Wisconsin and Iowa Territories. 
 
 " 17. Illinois Conference shall include the state of 
 Illinois, except that part north of the following line, 
 namely — Beginning at the mouth of Rock River, 
 
Sec. 1.] Boundaries of the Annual Conferences. 227 
 
 thence up said river to the mouth of Green River, 
 thence up said river to the Winnebago Swamp, thence 
 down the south branch of the Bureau River to the 
 Illinois River, thence up said river to the mouth of the 
 Kankakee, thence up the Kankakee River to the east 
 line of the state of Illinois." 
 
 18, 19. Missouri and Kentucky Conferences — as 
 before. 
 
 ; ' 20. Holston Conference shall include East Ten- 
 nessee and that part of the states of Georgia, South 
 Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia, now embraced 
 in the Newtown, Ashville, Wytheville, Abingdon, and 
 Greenville districts. 
 
 "21. Tennessee Conference shall include Middle 
 Tennessee and North Alabama. 
 
 " 22. Memphis Conference shall be bounded on the 
 east by the Tombigbee River, Alabama state line, and 
 Tennessee River, on the north by the Ohio and Mis- 
 sissippi Rivers, west by the Mississippi River, and 
 south by a line running due east from the Mississippi 
 River to the south-west corner of Tallahatchie county, 
 thence due east to the south-eastern corner of Yalla- 
 busha county, thence in a straight line to the north- 
 western corner of Oktibaha county, thence due east to 
 the Tombigbee River. 
 
 " 23. Arkansas Conference shall include the state of 
 Arkansas, that part of Missouri Territory south of the 
 Cherokee line, and so much of Texas as is now em- 
 braced in the Red River district. 
 
 " 24. Texas Conference shall include the republic 
 of Texas, except what is embraced in the Red River 
 district, Arkansas Conference. 
 
 " 25. Mississippi Conference shall include all that 
 part of the state of Mississippi not embraced in the 
 Alabama and Memphis Conferences, and all the state 
 of Louisiana. 
 
 " 26. Alabama Conference shall include South Ala- 
 bama, West Florida, and the counties of Jackson, 
 Greene, Wayne, Clarke, Lauderdale, Kemper, Noxu- 
 
228 Of building Churches. [Part 2. 
 
 bee, Lowndes, and that part of Monroe east of the 
 Tombigbee River, in the state of Mississippi." 
 
 27, 28. Georgia and South Carolina Conferences — 
 as before, the phraseology only being slightly altered. 
 
 29, 30, 31, and 32. North Carolina, Virginia, Balti- 
 more, and Philadelphia Conferences — as before. 
 
 33. New-Jersey Conference — as before, except 
 " Asbury district" changed to " Paterson district." 
 
 34. Liberia Mission Annual Conference — as before. 
 Quest. 2. How are the districts to be formed ? 
 
 The original answer to this question may be found 
 on p. 118. It was transferred to its present position 
 in 1804. The words, "or otherwise," were inserted 
 after " death" in 1800 ; and " district conferences" 
 changed to "yearly conference," in 1796. 
 
 The concluding note to this section about the allow- 
 ance of the bishops may be found on p. 119. It was 
 transferred to its present position in 1804, and the fol- 
 lowing words were added in 1836 : " their widows and 
 orphans." 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of building Churches, and the Order to be observed 
 therein* 
 Quest. 1. Is any thing advisable in regard to building 1 
 1784. "( Quest. 74.) Ans. Let all our chapels be 
 built plain and decent ; but not more expensive than is 
 absolutely unavoidable: otherwise the necessity of 
 raising money will make rich men necessary to us. 
 But if so, we must be dependant upon them, yea, and 
 governed by them. And then farewell to the Methodist 
 discipline, if not doctrine too." 
 
 1789. The following clauses added : — 
 "(5.) That no person shall be eligible as a trustee 
 to any of our churches or colleges, nor act as a steward 
 or leader, that is not in constant church communion, 
 and a regular leader or member of a class. 
 
 * For the provisions on this subject prior to 1784 see pp. 11, 13. 
 
Sec. 2.] Of building Churches. 229 
 
 "(6.) That no person that is a trustee shall be 
 ejected while he is in joint security for money, unless 
 such relief be given him as is demanded, or the person 
 who makes the loan will accept." 
 
 1 792. " Schools" substituted for " colleges ;" and 
 the qualification for a trustee is that he be " a regular 
 member of our society." 
 
 1SOO. " Houses" inserted before ''churches." 
 
 1 820. The words " and with free seats," inserted 
 in Answer 1, after "decent;" and the following new 
 clauses added : — 
 
 " 2. In order more effectually to prevent our people 
 from contracting debts which they are not able to dis- 
 charge, it shall be the duty of the quarterly conference, 
 of every circuit and station, where it is contemplated to 
 build a house or houses of worship, to secure the 
 ground or lot on which such house or houses are to be 
 built, according to our deed of settlement, w r hich deed 
 must be legally executed ; and also said quarterly con- 
 ference shall appoint a judicious committee of at least 
 three members of our church, who shall form an esti- 
 mate of the amount necessary to build ; and three- 
 fourths of the money, according to such estimate, shall 
 be secured or subscribed before any such building shall 
 be commenced. 
 
 " 3. In future we will admit no charter, deed, or 
 conveyance, for any house of worship to be used by us, 
 unless it be provided in such charter, deed, or convey- 
 ance, that the trustees of said house shall at all times 
 permit such ministers and preachers belonging to the 
 Methodist Episcopal Church as shall from time to time 
 be duly authorized by the General Conference of the 
 ministers of our church, or by the annual conferences, 
 to preach and expound God's holy word, and to execute 
 the discipline of the church, and to administer the sa- 
 craments therein, according to the true meaning and 
 purport of our deed of settlement- 
 
 " 4. As it is contrary to our economy to build houses 
 with pews to sell or rent, it shall be the duty of the 
 
Deed of Settlement. [Part 2. 
 
 several annual conferences to use their influence to 
 prevent houses from being so built in future ; and as 
 far as possible to make those houses free which have 
 already been built with pews." 
 
 Quest. 2. Is there any exception to the rule, " Let the men 
 and women sit apart V 
 
 The answer remains the same as in 1784, (see 
 Quest. 75, p. 72,) except that " chapels" was changed 
 in 1789 to "churches." 
 
 Quest. 3. Is there not a great indecency sometimes practised 
 among us, namely, talking in the congregation before and after 
 service ] 
 
 The answer remains substantially the same as in 
 1784. (See Quest. 76, p. 72.) 
 
 Quest. 4. What shall be done for the security of our preach- 
 ing houses, and the premises belonging thereto 1 
 
 1796. As follows:— 
 
 " Quest. 4. What shall be done for the security of 
 our preaching houses, and the premises belonging 
 thereto ? 
 
 " Ans. Let the following plan of a deed of settlement 
 be brought into effect in all possible cases, and as far 
 as the laws of the states respectively will admit of it, 
 namely : 
 
 " ' This Indenture, made this day 
 
 of in the year of our Lord one thousand 
 
 hundred and between 
 
 of the in the state of (if the 
 
 grantor be married, insert the name of his wife) of the 
 one part, and trustees, in trust for the 
 
 uses and purposes hereinafter mentioned, all of the 
 in the state of aforesaid, of 
 
 the other part, Witnesseth, that the said 
 (if married, insert the name of his wife) for and in con- 
 sideration of the sum of pounds, specie, 
 to in hand paid, at and upon the sealing 
 and delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof is 
 hereby acknowledged, hath (or have) given, granted, 
 bargained, sold, released, confirmed, and conveyed, and 
 
Sec. 2.] Deed of Settlement. 231 
 
 by these presents doth (or do) give, grant, bargain, sell, 
 release, confirm, and convey unto them, the said 
 
 and their successors, 
 (trustees, in trust for the uses and purposes herein- 
 after mentioned and declared,) all the estate, right, title, 
 interest, property, claim, and demand whatsoever, either 
 in law or equity, which he the said 
 (if married, here insert the name of his wife) hath (or 
 have) in, to, or upon all and singular a certain lot, or 
 piece of land, situate, lying, and being in the 
 and state aforesaid, bounded and butted as follows, to 
 wit, (here insert the several courses and distances of 
 the ground to the place of beginning,) containing and laid 
 out for acres of ground, together with 
 
 all and singular the houses, woods, waters, ways, pri- 
 vileges, and appurtenances thereto belonging, or in any 
 wise appertaining : to have and to hold all and singu- 
 lar, the above-mentioned and described lot or piece of 
 ground, situate, lying, and being as aforesaid, together 
 with all and singular the houses, woods, waters, ways, 
 and privileges thereto belonging, or in any wise apper- 
 taining unto them the said and their suc- 
 cessors in office for ever in trust, that they shall erect 
 and build, or cause to be erected and built thereon, a 
 house or place of worship for the use of the members 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States 
 of America, according to the rules and discipline which 
 from time to time may be agreed upon and adopted by 
 the ministers and preachers of the said church at their 
 General Conferences in the United States of America; 
 and in further trust and confidence that they shall at all 
 times, for ever hereafter, permit such ministers and 
 preachers belonging to the said church, as shall from 
 time to time be duly authorized by the General Con 
 ferences of the ministers and preachers of the said 
 Methodist Episcopal Church, or by the yearly confer- 
 ences authorized by the said General Conference, and 
 none others, to preach and expound God's holy word 
 therein ; and in further trust and confidence, that as 
 
232 Deed of Settlement. [Part 2. 
 
 often as any one or more of the trustees herein before 
 mentioned shall die, or cease to be a member or mem- 
 bers of the said church according to the rules and dis- 
 cipline as aforesaid, then and in such case it shall be 
 the dnty of the stationed minister or preacher (author- 
 ized as aforesaid) who shall have the pastoral charge 
 of the members of the said church, to call a meeting 
 of the remaining trustees as soon as conveniently may 
 be ; and when so met, the said minister or preacher 
 shall proceed to nominate one or more persons to fill 
 the place or places of him or them whose office or 
 offices has (or have) been vacated as aforesaid. Pro- 
 vided, the person or persons so nominated shall have 
 been one year a member or members of the said church 
 immediately preceding such nomination, and of at least 
 twenty-one years of age ; and the said trustees, so as- 
 sembled, shall proceed to elect, and by a majority of 
 votes appoint, the person or persons so nominated to 
 fill such vacancy or vacancies, in order to keep up the 
 number of nine trustees for ever ; and in case of an 
 equal number of votes for and against the said nomina- 
 tion, the stationed minister or preacher shall have the 
 casting vote. 
 
 " ' Provided nevertheless, That if the said trustees, or 
 any of them, or their successors, have advanced, or 
 shall advance, any sum or sums of money, or are or 
 shall be responsible for any sum or sums of money, on 
 account of the said premises, and they the said trustees, 
 or their successors, be obliged to pay the said sum or 
 sums of money, they, or a majority of them, shall be au- 
 thorized to raise the said sum or sums of money, by a 
 mortgage on the said premises, or by selling the said 
 premises, after notice given to the pastor or preacher who 
 has the oversight of the congregation attending divine 
 service on the said premises, if the money due be not 
 paid to the said trustees, or their successors, within one 
 year after such notice given : and if such sale take 
 place, the said trustees, or their successors, after pay- 
 ing the debt and all other expenses which are due from 
 
Sec. 2.] Deed of Settlement. 233 
 
 the money arising from such sale, shall deposite the 
 remainder of the money produced by the said sale in 
 the hands of the steward or stewards of the society 
 belonging to or attending divine service on the said pre- 
 mises ; which surplus of the produce of such sale so 
 deposited in the hands of the said steward or stewards, 
 shall be at the disposal of the next yearly conference 
 authorized as aforesaid ; which said yearly conference 
 shall dispose of the said money, according to the best 
 of their judgment, for the use of the said society. And 
 the said doth by these presents warrant, 
 
 and for ever defend, all and singular the before men- 
 tioned and described lot or piece of ground, with the 
 appurtenances thereto belonging unto them the said 
 
 and their successors, chosen and appointed 
 as aforesaid, from the claim or claims of him the said 
 his heirs and assigns, and from the claim 
 or claims of all persons whatever. In testimony where- 
 of, the said (if married, insert the name 
 of his wife) have hereto set their hands and seals, the 
 day and year aforesaid. 
 Sealed and delivered in \ 
 
 the presence of us > 
 (Two witnesses.) ) 
 
 Grantor's (L. S.) 
 his wife's (L. S.) 
 Received the day of the date n 
 
 of the above-written in- r 
 
 denture, the consideration i 
 
 therein mentioned in full. * 
 Witnesses.] Grantor's (L S.) 
 
 County, ss. 
 
 Be it remembered, that on the day 
 
 of in the year of our Lord one thousand 
 
 personally appeared before me, one of the 
 justices of the peace, in and for the county of 
 
 and state of the within named 
 
 the grantor (if married, insert the name of his wife) and 
 
234 Deed of Settlement. [Part 2. 
 
 acknowledged the within deed of trust to be their act 
 and deed, for the uses and purposes therein men- 
 tioned and declared ; and she the said 
 wife of the said being separate and 
 
 apart' from her said husband, by me examined, de- 
 clared that she made the same acknowledgment, 
 freely and with her own consent, without being in- 
 duced thereto through fear or threats of her said 
 husband. In testimony whereof I have hereto set 
 my hand and seal, the day and year first above 
 written. 
 Here the justice's name. (L. S.)' 
 
 " N. B. It is necessary that all our deeds should be 
 recorded after execution, for prudential as well as legal 
 reasons. 
 
 " 2. Let nine trustees be appointed for preaching 
 houses, where proper persons can be procured ; other- 
 wise seven or five." 
 
 18 IS. The following sentence was inserted just 
 before the deed : — 
 
 " But each annual conference is authorized to make 
 such modification in the deeds as they may find the 
 different usages and customs of law require in the dif- 
 ferent states and territories, so as to secure the premi- 
 ses firmly by deed, and permanently to the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church, according to the true intent and 
 meaning of the following form of a deed of settlement ; 
 any thing in the said form to the contrary notwithstand- 
 ing." 
 
 In the same year the words " and none others" 
 were struck out of the deed, (p. 231 , 11. 3, 2 from bottom.) 
 
 1 820. The note about recording the deed was 
 struck out. 
 
 1828. The following paragraph was added at 
 the close of the section : — 
 
 " The board of trustees of every circuit or station 
 shall be responsible to the quarterly meeting confer- 
 ence of said circuit or station, and shall be required to 
 
Sec. 3.] Of the Stewards of Circuits. 235 
 
 present a report of its acts during the preceding year ; 
 provided that in all cases, when a new board of trus- 
 tees is to be created, it shall be done (except in those 
 states and territories where the statutes provide dif- 
 ferently) by the appointment of the preacher in charge, 
 or the presiding elder of the district." 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of the Qualifications, Appointment, and Duty of the 
 Stewards of Circuits. 
 
 Quest. 1. What are the qualifications necessary for stewards? 
 
 1789. " Ans. Let them be men of solid piety, 
 who both know and love the Methodist doctrine and 
 discipline, and of good natural and acquired abilities to 
 transact the temporal business." 
 
 Quest. 2. How are the stewards to be appointed ? 
 
 1813. " Ans. The preacher having the charge 
 of the circuit shall have the right of nomination ; but 
 the quarterly meeting conference shall confirm or reject 
 such nomination." 
 
 Quest. 3. What are the duties of stewards 1* 
 
 1789. " What is the duty of stewards ? 
 
 " Ans. To take an exact account of all the money 
 or other provision made for and received by any tra- 
 velling or local preacher in the circuit ; to make an 
 accurate return of every expenditure of money, whe- 
 ther to the preacher, the sick, or the poor ; to seek 
 the needy and distressed in order to relieve and com- 
 fort them ; to inform the preachers of any sick or dis- 
 
 * In the Annual Minutes for 1787 we find the following: — 
 " Quest. 19. Shall any directions be given concerning register 
 books ? 
 
 "Ans. Let register books be provided by all the societies, that the 
 elders and deacons may enter the marriages and baptisms regularly 
 in them ; and let every such register book be kept in the hands of the 
 steward, or any other proper person of each society respectively. 
 Let one general register book be also kept in the hands of the general 
 steward of every circuit, in which the contents of all the private re- 
 gister books in the circuit may be inserted at convenient times." 
 
236 Of the Allowance of Ministers. [Part 2. 
 
 orderly persons ; to tell the preachers what they think 
 wrong in them ; to attend the quarterly meetings of their 
 circuit ; to give advice, if asked, in planning the cir- 
 cuit ; to attend committees for the application of money 
 to churches ; to give counsel in matters of arbitration ; 
 to provide elements for the Lord's supper ; to write cir- 
 cular letters to the societies in the circuit to be more 
 liberal, if need be ; as also to let them know the state 
 of the temporalities at the last quarterly meeting ; to 
 register the marriages and baptisms, and to be subject 
 to the bishops, the presiding elder of their district, and 
 the elder, deacon, and travelling preachers of their 
 circuit." 
 
 1 792. Instead of " made for and received by any 
 travelling or local preacher," we have " collected for 
 the support of preachers." The words " when occa- 
 sion requires" inserted before " the state of the tem- 
 poralities." 
 
 Quest. 4. To whom are the stewards accountable for the 
 faithful performance of their duties 1 
 
 1810. " Ans. To the quarterly meeting confer- 
 ence of the circuit or station." 
 
 1828. The following clause was added to the 
 preceding : — " which shall have power to dismiss or 
 change them at pleasure." 
 
 Quest. 5. "What number of stewards are necessary in each 
 circuit ] 
 
 1780. "Ans. Not less than two, or more than 
 four." 
 
 1 820. The answer was altered to the following : 
 — " Not less than three, or more than seven, one of 
 whom shall be the recording steward." 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Of the Allowance to the Ministers and Preachers, and 
 to their Wives, Widows, and Children. 
 
 For the provisions on this subject prior to 1784, see 
 pp. 11-14, 18. The provisions of 1784 may be found 
 
Sec. 4.] Of the Allowance of Ministers. 237 
 
 under Questions 37-40, (p. 42.*) The subsequent 
 changes have been as follows : — 
 
 1789, The word "bishops" was inserted in the 
 first question (37) before " elders." 
 
 The words " and no more," at the close of the first 
 two answers, struck out ; as also the last two questions 
 and answers. 
 
 The following note was added : — 
 
 " N. B. That no ministers or preachers, travelling 
 or local, shall receive any support either in money or 
 other provision for their services without the knowledge 
 of the stewards of the circuits, and its being properly 
 entered quarterly on the books." 
 
 1 792. The section was entitled, " Of the Sala- 
 ries of the Ministers and Preachers," and the answers 
 were as follows. To the first question, (37th, of 1 784,) — 
 
 " Ans. Sixty-four dollars, and their travelling ex- 
 penses." 
 
 To the second question, (38th, of 1784,) — "Sixty- 
 four dollars, if they be in want of it." 
 
 The following was added : — 
 
 " Quest. 3. What plan shall we pursue in appro- 
 priating the money received by our travelling ministers 
 tor marriage fees ? 
 
 " Ans. In all the circuits where the preachers do 
 not receive their full quarterage, let all such money be 
 given into the hands of the stewards, and be equally 
 divided between the travelling preachers of the circuit. 
 In all other cases, the money shall be disposed of at 
 the discretion of the district conference." 
 
 The note was also modified so as to read, — 
 
 " N. B. No minister or preacher whatsoever shall 
 receive any money for deficiencies, or on any other 
 
 * In the Minutes for 1787 (see vol. i, pp. 28, 29) we find the fol- 
 lowing : — 
 
 " Quest. Are not many of our preachers and people dissatisfied 
 with the salaries allowed our married preachers who have children ? 
 Ans. They are. Therefore, for the future, no married preacher shall 
 demand more than jC48, P. C." 
 
238 Of the Allowance of Ministers. [Part 2 
 
 account, out of any of our funds or collections, without 
 first giving an exact account of all the money, clothes, 
 and other presents of every kind, which he has received 
 the preceding year." 
 
 1796. The allowance to a preacher's wife is 
 made absolute, without the condition, " if she want it." 
 
 1800. The mode of questions and answers was 
 laid aside, and the section assumed its present form, 
 namely, — 
 
 " 1. The annual salary of the travelling preachers 
 shall be eighty dollars and their travelling expenses. 
 
 " 2. The annual allowance of the wives of travelling 
 preachers shall be eighty dollars. 
 
 " 3. Each child of a travelling preacher shall be 
 allowed sixteen dollars annually, to the age of seven 
 years, and twenty-four dollars annually from the age 
 of seven to fourteen years ; nevertheless, this rule shall 
 not apply to the children of preachers whose families 
 are provided for by other means in their circuits re- 
 
 4. The salary of the superannuated, worn-out, and 
 supernumerary preachers shall be eighty dollars an- 
 nually. 
 
 " 5. The annual allowance of the wives of superan- 
 nuated, worn-out, and supernumerary preachers shall 
 be eighty dollars. 
 
 " 6. The annual allowance of the widows of travel- 
 ling, superannuated, worn-out, and supernumerary 
 preachers shall be eighty dollars. 
 
 " 7. The orphans of travelling, superannuated, 
 worn-out, and supernumerary preachers shall be 
 allowed by the annual conferences, if possible, by 
 such means as they can devise, sixteen dollars an 
 nually." 
 
 1 804. The following inserted in clause 3, before 
 •' nevertheless" " and those preachers whose wives are 
 dead shall be allowed for each child annually a sum 
 sufficient to pay the board of such child or children 
 during the above term of years." 
 
Sec. 4.] Of the Allowance of Ministers. 239 
 
 The following added at the close of the section : — 
 
 " 8. Local preachers shall be allowed a salary in 
 certain cases, as mentioned, p. 44." [Sec. 9.] 
 
 1 8 1-6. The allowance of all preachers and their 
 wives raised to one hundred dollars. 
 
 1 8554:. Under clause 2, (allowance to wives,) it is 
 added, " But this provision shall not apply to the 
 wives of those preachers who were single when they 
 were received on trial, and marry under four years, 
 until the expiration of said four years." 
 
 1 8£8. The seventh clause (relating to orphans) 
 was altered so as to read as follows : — 
 
 " 7. The orphans of travelling, supernumerary, su- 
 perannuated and worn-out preachers, shall be allowed 
 by the annual conferences the same sums respectively 
 which are allowed to the children of living preachers. 
 And on the death of a preacher leaving a child or chil- 
 dren, without so much of worldly goods as should be 
 necessary to his, her, or their support, the annual con- 
 ference, of which he was a member, shall raise, in such 
 manner as may be deemed best, a yearly sum for the 
 subsistence and education of such orphan child or 
 children, until he, she, or they shall have arrived at 
 fourteen years of age, the amount of which yearly sum 
 shall be fixed by a committee of the conference at each 
 session in advance." 
 
 1 83^. The following new clause was inserted : — 
 " 8. The more effectually to raise the amount necessary 
 to meet the above-mentioned allowances, let. there be 
 made weekly class collections in all our societies where 
 it is practicable ; and also for the support of missions 
 and missionary schools under our care." 
 
 1 836. The regulation respecting those who marry 
 " under four years," struck out ; and bishops mention- 
 ed by name, as standing on the same footing with 
 other travelling preachers. Clauses 1, 2, 4, and 5, 
 thrown into two, as follows : — 
 
 " 1. The annual allowance of the married travelling, 
 supernumerary, and superannuated preachers, and the 
 
240 Of raising annual Supplies. [Part 2. 
 
 bishops, shall be two hundred dollars, and their travel- 
 ling expenses. 
 
 " 2. The annual allowance of the unmarried travel- 
 ling, supernumerary, and superannuated preachers and 
 bishops, shall be one hundred dollars, and their travel- 
 ling expenses."* 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 Of raising annual Supplies for the Propagation of 
 the Gospel, making up the Allowance of the 
 Preachers, §c. 
 
 The original provisions on this subject may be found 
 under Question 77, (pp. 74-5. )t 
 
 From 1789 to 1800 the title of the section was, " Of 
 raising a General Fund for the Propagation of the Gos- 
 pel," and its provisions were the same as in 1784. 
 
 1 800. The title was changed to the following : — 
 " Of raising annual Supplies for the Propagation of the 
 
 * In 1789 the title of this section was, " Of the Collections that are 
 to be made, and how the Money is to be expended ;" and there was 
 another question connected with it, which was continued until 1792. 
 It was as follows : — 
 
 " How many collections are to be made in a year ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. A quarterly collection from the members of the society, 
 to supply the preachers : and when that is deficient, a public quarter, 
 ly collection : if there be any overplus, let one-third of it be reserved 
 for future deficiencies ; one-third be given to the poor in general : and 
 one-third applied to the building or improving of our churches. If 
 there is money left in the hands of the stewards at the close of the 
 year, let it be sent to the conference. 
 
 "2. A yearly collection from all our members that are of ability, for 
 the building of convenient churches.* 
 
 "3. A collection at love-feasts, and on sacramental occasions, for 
 the poor of our own society. 
 
 11 4. An annual collection or subscription for the college. 
 
 " 5. An annual public collection for the contingencies of the con- 
 ference ; which shall be applied, 
 
 " 1. To discharge the deficiencies of those preachers who shall not 
 have received their full salary in their circuits. And 
 
 " 2. To defray the expenses of our missions to distant parts of the 
 continent." 
 
 t For provisions on this subject prior to 1784, see pp. 11, 21. 
 
 * A provision for building new churches, &c , had been made in 1784. See 
 Quest. 78, p. 76. 
 
Sec. 5.] Of raising annual Supplies. 241 
 
 Gospel, for the making up the Salaries of the Preachers 
 and Allowances lo the Wives, Widows, and Children of 
 Preachers." The first sentence of the former answer 
 was struck out, and the following clauses were sub- 
 stituted : — 
 
 " 1. Every preacher, when first admitted into full 
 connection, is to pay two dollars and sixty-seven cents 
 at the annual conference. 
 
 " 2. Every other preacher, in full connection, is to 
 contribute two dollars every year at the conference. 
 
 " 3. The moneys, which are accounted for to the 
 annual conferences for marriages, are also to begivenin.* 
 
 " 4. Every preacher who has the charge of a circuit 
 
 * These three paragraphs, which were struck out in 1804, took the 
 place of what was previously an entire section, under the title — " Of 
 the Method of raising a Fund for the superannuated Preachers, and the 
 Widows and Orphans of Preachers." It may be found in substance 
 under Question 72, (1784, pp. 65-7.) 
 
 1789. The following changes were made : — 
 
 In Answer 1, " travelling" omitted before " preacher." In Answer 
 3, for " treasurers," read " presiding elder, or lent to the college ; 
 and an account thereof kept by the deacon." Answers 4 and 5, 
 struck out, and the following note inserted : " N. B. The application 
 of the money shall rest with the conference." In Answer 7, after 
 " wants it," read " not usually more than." Answer 12, struck out. 
 
 1792. The answers were modified, as follows: — 
 
 " 1 . Let every preacher when first admitted into full connection pay 
 two dollars and two-thirds at the conference of his district. 
 
 " 2. Let every other preacher in full connection contribute two dol- 
 lars every year; except the conference dispense with the payment in 
 cases of distress: in which instances, the preachers so indulged shall 
 be entitled to all the privileges of the fund, in the same manner a= if 
 they had paid their subscription. 
 
 "3. Let the money be lodged in the book fund, and for this pur- 
 pose be sent as soon as may be, from time to time, to the general 
 book steward : and the book fund shall pav interest for the same." 
 
 "4." Same as 6, 1784. 
 
 u 5." Same as 7, 1784, except, "sixty-four dollars" for "twenty- 
 four pounds, Pennsylvania currency." 
 
 " 6." Same as 8, 1784, except, "fifty-three dollars and one-third" 
 for " twenty pounds." 
 
 "7." Same as 9, 1784, except, "orphan" for "child," and "fifty- 
 three dollars and one-third" for " twenty pounds." 
 
 "8." Same as 10, 1784, except, "six dollars and two-thirds" for 
 " fifty shillings." 
 
 " 9. Nor any one who neglects to pav his subscription and arrears 
 
 n 
 
k i42 Of raising aimual Supplies. tPart 2. 
 
 shall earnestly recommend to every class or society in 
 his circuit to raise a quarterly or annual collection by 
 voluntary contribution, or in such other way or manner as 
 they may judge most expedient from time to time ; and 
 the moneys so collected shall be lodged with the stew- 
 ard or stewards of the circuit, to be brought or sent to 
 the annual conferences, with a regular account of the 
 sums raised for this purpose in the classes or societies 
 respectively. 
 
 " 5. Wherever there remains in the hands of the 
 stewards a surplus of the moneys raised for the use of 
 the circuit preachers, after paying the allowances of the 
 preachers in the circuit, let such surplus be brought or 
 sent to the annual conference. 
 
 " 6. Every preacher who has the charge of a circuit 
 
 for three years together, unless he be employed on foreign missions, 
 or has received a dispensation as above mentioned. 
 
 " 10. Let every preacher, who has the care of a circuit, bring, &c," 
 as before. 
 
 The following new paragraphs were added : — 
 
 "11. Every person, who desires support from the fund, shall first 
 make his case known to the district conference, which shall determine 
 how far he is a proper subject of relief. 
 
 " 12. The president of the district conference shall give an order 
 on the general steward of the book fund, or any of his agents, for any 
 sum of money allowed by the conference, agreeably to these rules. 
 
 " 13. The receipts and disbursements of the fund shall be printed 
 annually in the Minutes of the conference. 
 
 " 14. The presiding elder of each district shall keep a regular ac- 
 count of all the concerns of the fund, as far as they relate to his dis- 
 trict, in a proper book, which he shall hand down to his successor. 
 
 " 15. The next district conferences shall give certificates to all 
 their members respectively for all the money which each preacher 
 has already advanced to the fund, as far as it can be ascertained : 
 and, in future, each member of the fund shall receive a certificate 
 from his district conference for the payment of his subscription. 
 
 " 16. The fund shall never be reduced to less than six hundred 
 dollars." 
 
 1796. The following changes made: — Paragraph 3, about invest, 
 ing the money, struck out. In Answer 12, for " book fund," we have 
 "fund." In Answer 15, the first clause, to the word " ascertained," 
 struck out. The following new paragraph was inserted : — 
 
 " 15. This fund shall be reserved for extraordinary cases, which the 
 chartered fund may not. reach. And no travelling preacher shall have 
 a vote in the disposal of the travelling preachers' annual subscription, 
 unless he be himself an annual subscriber." 
 
Sec. 5.] Of raising annual Supplies. 243 
 
 shall make a yearly collection, and, if expedient, a 
 quarterly one, in every congregation where there is a 
 probability that the people will be willing to contribute : 
 and the money so collected shall be lodged in the hands 
 of the steward or stewards, and brought or sent to the 
 ensuing annual conference. To this end, he may read 
 and enlarge upon the following hints." (See pp. 74-6.) 
 
 The following clauses were also added : — 
 
 " 7. A public collection shall be made at every 
 annual and every General Conference, for the above 
 purposes. 
 
 " 8. Let the annual produce of the chartered fund, 
 as divided among the several conferences, be applied 
 with the above contributions ; but so as not to militate 
 against the rules of the chartered fund. Out of the 
 moneys so collected, and brought to the respective an- 
 nual conferences, let the various allowances agreed 
 upon in the 10th section, be made up : and if at any 
 conference there remain a surplus, after making up all 
 such allowances, such surplus shall be carried forward 
 to the next conference that shall meet." 
 
 1804. The first three paragraphs of 1800 were 
 struck out. In paragraph 8, (5,) the following clauses 
 were inserted, namely : — After " rules of the chartered 
 fund," — " and also the annual dividend arising from the 
 profits of the Book Concern." And after "be made up," 
 the following, " but in no case shall an allowance be 
 made to any travelling preacher who has travelled in 
 any circuit where he might in the judgment of the an- 
 nual conference have obtained his full quarterage if he 
 had applied for it." 
 
 1 808. The following paragraphs were added : — 
 
 "6. Every annual conference has full liberty to adopt 
 and recommend such plans and rules as to them may 
 appear necessary the more effectually to raise supplies 
 for the respective allowances. 
 
 " 7. If the respective allowances are not raised as 
 provided for, the connection shall not be accountable for 
 the deficiency, as in a case of debt." 
 
244 Of raising annual Supplies. [Part 2. 
 
 18 15. The following sentence added to para- 
 graph 6, of 1808 : — "Each annual conference is author- 
 ized to raise a fund, if they judge.it proper, and under 
 such regulations as their wisdom may direct, for the 
 relief of the distressed travelling, superannuated, and 
 supernumerary preachers, their wives, widows, and 
 children, as also for missionary purposes." 
 
 1816. At the end of paragraph 8, (5,) of 1800, 
 for " to the next conference that shall meet" read " to 
 that conference they judge to be the most necessitous." 
 In paragraph 6, (1812,) after the words "judge it pro- 
 per," was inserted, " subject to its own control." 
 
 1 8S4. The following new paragraph was added : — 
 " 8. To defray the expenses of the delegates com- 
 posing the General Conference, a collection shall be 
 taken up in each circuit and station some time previ- 
 ously to the sitting of the conference, and the sums so 
 collected shall be brought up to the General Confer- 
 ence, and applied to the object herein contemplated in 
 proportion to the expenses of the several delegates." 
 1 833* The following new paragraph inserted : — 
 " 7. It shall be the duty of each annual conference 
 to take measures, from year to year, to raise moneys 
 in every circuit and station within its bounds, for 
 the relief of its necessitous superannuated and su- 
 pernumerary ministers, widows, and orphans. — And 
 the conference shall annually appoint a committee to 
 estimate the several sums necessary to be allowed for 
 the extra expenses of such necessitous claimants, who 
 shall be paid in proportion to the estimates made and 
 the moneys in hand." 
 
 Quest. What advice or direction shall be given concerning 
 the building or renting of dwelling houses for the use of the 
 married travelling preachers ! 
 
 1 800. " Ans. 1 . It is recommended by the General 
 Conference to the travelling preachers, to advise our 
 friends in general to purchase a lot of ground in each 
 circuit, and to build a preacher's house thereon, and to 
 furnish it with, at least, heavy furniture, and to settle 
 
Sec. 5.] Of raising mnual Supplies. 245 
 
 the same on trustees appointed by the official mem- 
 bers of the quarter meeting, according to the deed 
 of settlement published in our Form of Discipline. 
 
 " 2. The General Conference recommend to the 
 country circuits, in cases where they are not able to 
 comply with the above request, to rent a house for the 
 married preacher and his family, (when such are sta- 
 tioned upon their circuits respectively,) and that the 
 annual conferences do assist to make up the rents of 
 such houses as far as they can, when the circuit cannot 
 do it." 
 
 1816. The following new paragraphs were added, 
 namely : — 
 
 "3. It shall be the duty of the presiding elders and 
 preachers to use their influence to carry the above rules 
 respecting building and renting houses for the accom- 
 modation of preachers and their families into effect. 
 In order to this, each quarterly meeting conference 
 shall appoint a committee, (unless other measures have 
 been adopted,) who, with the advice and aid of the 
 preachers and presiding elders, shall devise such means 
 as may seem fit to raise moneys for that purpose. And 
 it is recommended to the annual conferences to make 
 special inquiry of their members resp'ectin^ this part 
 of their duty. 
 
 " 4. Those preachers who refuse to occupy the 
 houses which may be provided for them on the stations 
 and circuits where they are from time to time appoint- 
 ed, shall be allowed nothing for house rent, nor receive 
 any thing more than quarterage for themselves, their 
 wives, and children, and their travelling expenses. 
 Nevertheless, this rule shall not apply to those preach- 
 ers whose families are either established within the 
 bounds of their circuits, or are so situated that in the 
 judgment of the stewards, or the above-mentioned com- 
 mittee, it is not necessary, for the benefit of the circuit, 
 to remove them. 
 
 " 5. It shall be the duty of the said committee, or 
 one appointed for that purpose, who shall be members 
 
246 Of raising annual Supplies. [Part 2. 
 
 of our church, to make an estimate of the amount ne- 
 cessary to furnish fuel and table expenses for the family 
 or families of preachers stationed with them, and the 
 stewards shall provide, by such means as they may 
 devise, to meet such expenses, in money or otherwise : 
 provided the stewards shall not appropriate the moneys 
 collected for the regular quarterly allowance of the 
 preachers to the payment of family expenses. 
 
 " 6. There shall be a meeting in every district, of 
 one steward from each station and circuit, to be select- 
 ed from among the stewards by the quarterly meeting 
 conference, whose duty it shall be, by and with the 
 advice of the presiding elder, (who shall preside in 
 such meeting,) to take into consideration the general 
 state of the district in regard to temporalities, and to 
 furnish a house, fuel, and table expenses for the pre- 
 siding elder." 
 
 1834. The following new paragraphs were 
 added : — 
 
 " 7. The book agents and the book committee in 
 New-York shall be a committee to estimate the amount 
 necessary to meet the family expenses of the bishops, 
 which shall be annually paid by the book agents out of 
 the funds of the* Book Concern. 
 
 " 8." [A paragraph relating to the appointment of a 
 committee on missions, at each conference, for which, 
 with the subsequent changes in it, see Section 6, On 
 Missions.] 
 
 1838. The following added to paragraph 2, 
 (1800) :— 
 
 " The stewards of each circuit and station shall be 
 a standing committee, (where no trustees are consti- 
 tuted for that purpose,) to provide houses for the fami- 
 lies of our married preachers, or to assist the preachers 
 to obtain houses for themselves when they are appointed 
 to labour among them." 
 
 1833. Paragraph 7, of 1824, struck out, and 
 the part about missions made a separate section. (See 
 Section 6.) 
 
Sec. 6.] Support of Missions. 247 
 
 1 836. The following clause added to paragraph 
 6 : — " and to apportion his entire claim among the 
 different circuits and stations in the district according 
 to their several ability." 
 
 The following provision made for estimating the 
 allowance of a bishop, in lieu of the one struck out in 
 832:— 
 
 " 7. Each annual conference, in which a bishop or 
 bishops may reside, shall annually appoint a committee 
 of three or more, whose duty it shall be to estimate 
 the amount necessary to furnish a house, fuel, and table 
 expenses for said bishop or bishops, and that they be 
 authorized to draw on the funds of the Book Concern 
 for said amount." 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Support of Missions. 
 
 This first appears as a separate section in 1832, but 
 provisions on the subject existed before. 
 
 1 834. The following paragraph was appended to 
 the section on " Raising annual Supplies, &c." 
 
 "8. (1.) It shall be the duty of each annual conference, 
 where missionaries are to be employed, to appoint a 
 committee, whose duty it shall be, in conjunction with 
 the president of the conference, to determine on the 
 amount which may be necessary for the support of 
 each missionary, (agreeably to the regulations of the 
 Discipline,) from year to year, for which amount the 
 president of the conference for the time shall have au- 
 thority to draw on the treasurer of the society in quar- 
 terly instalments in behalf of the missions." 
 
 1838. The following paragraphs added: — 
 
 " (3.) It is recommended that within the bounds of 
 each annual conference there be established a confer- 
 ence missionary society, auxiliary to the Missionary 
 Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with 
 branches, under such regulations as the conferences 
 respectively shall prescribe. Each conference mis- 
 
248 Support of Missions. [Part 2. 
 
 sionary society shall annually transmit to the corres 
 ponding secretary of the parent society a copy of its 
 annual report, embracing the operations of its branches, 
 and shall also notify the treasurer of the amount col 
 lected in aid of the missionary cause, which amount 
 shall be subject to the order of the treasurer of the 
 parent society. 
 
 " (4.) The treasurer of the parent society, under the 
 direction of the board of managers, shall give informa- 
 tion to the bishops annually, or oftener, if the board 
 judge it expedient, of the state of the funds and the 
 sums which may be drawn by them for the missionary 
 purposes contemplated by the constitution. Agreeably 
 to which information the bishops shall have authority 
 to draw upon the treasurer for any sum within the 
 amount designated, which the missionary committee of 
 the annual conferences respectively shall judge neces- 
 sary for the support of the missionaries and of the mis- 
 sion schools under their care. Provided always, that 
 the sums so allowed for the support of a missionary 
 shall not exceed the usual allowance of other itinerant 
 preachers. The bishops shall always promptly notify 
 the treasurer of all drafts made by them, and shall 
 require regular quarterly communications to be made 
 by each of the missionaries to the corresponding secre- 
 tary of the parent society, giving information of the 
 state and prospects of the several missions in which 
 they are employed. No one shall be acknowledged a 
 missionary, or receive support out of the funds of the 
 society, who has not some definite field assigned to 
 him, or who could not be an effective labourer on a 
 circuit. 
 
 " (5.) In all cases of the appointment of a missionary, 
 the name of such missionary and the district in which 
 he is to labour, together with the probable expenses 
 of the mission, shall be communicated by the bishop 
 or the mission committee of each annual conference to 
 the treasurer of the parent society, that a proper record 
 of the same may be preserved. 
 
Sec. 6.] Support of Missions. 249 
 
 " (6.) In all places where drafts are drawn in favour 
 of any mission if there be funds in the possession of 
 any auxiliary conference missionary society, where 
 such mission is established, the drafts for the support 
 of the mission shall be paid from said funds : if there 
 be no auxiliary society, and there be money belonging 
 to the Book Concern, the book committee or presiding 
 elders, or preachers, shall pay the missionary drafts 
 from the book money which may be in their posses- 
 sion ; which drafts, when paid, shall be transmitted to 
 the treasurer at New-York; and in no case, where any 
 such moneys are at command, shall the drafts be sent 
 to the treasurer in New-York to be paid." 
 
 1 83S. A distinct section was framed on this sub- 
 ject, and the following alterations were made in the 
 previous provisions : — 
 
 Some change was made in the phraseology of para- 
 graph 1, (1824,) but none in substance, except these : 
 It required the mission committee to " keep a record 
 of its doings, and report the same to its conference." 
 And instead of saying that they are to estimate the 
 amount " necessary for the support of the missionary, 
 agreeably to the regulations of the Discipline," it says, 
 " necessary for the support of each mission and mission 
 school, in addition to the regular allowance of the Dis- 
 cipline to preachers and their families." 
 
 The following was inserted as the second para- 
 graph : — 
 
 " 2. Whenever a mission is to be established in any 
 new place, or in any place beyond the bounds of an 
 annual conference, either among the aborigines of our 
 country or elsewhere, it shall be the duty of the bishop 
 making such appointment immediately to notify the 
 treasurer of the Missionary Society of the place, the 
 number of missionaries to "be employed, together with 
 the probable amount necessary for the support of any 
 such mission, which information shall be laid before 
 the managers of the society ; and they shall make an 
 appropriation according to their judgment, from year to 
 11* 
 
250 Support of Missions. [Part 2. 
 
 year, of the amount called for to sustain and prosecute 
 the mission or missions designated ; for which amount 
 the missionary, or the superintendent of the mission or 
 missions, shall have authority to draw on the treasurer 
 of the society in quarterly or half-yearly instalments." 
 
 1836. The following paragraphs were added : — 
 
 " 7. The corresponding secretary shall, by virtue 
 of his office, be a member of the New-York Con- 
 ference, to which, in the interval of the General Con- 
 ference, he shall be held responsible for his conduct, 
 and the New- York Conference shall have power, 
 by and with the advice of the managers of the Mis- 
 sionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
 and consent of the bishop presiding, to remove him 
 from office ; and in case of removal, death, or resigna- 
 tion, the New-York Conference, with the concurrence 
 of the presiding bishop, shall fill the vacancy until the 
 next ensuing General Conference. 
 
 " 8. (10.) It shall be the duty of the bishops to in- 
 struct all our foreign missionaries, that whenever they 
 come in contact with any of the missionaries belonging 
 to the Wesleyan Methodist Conference, they shall not 
 interfere in their respective charges any further than to 
 help them in their work when requested ; but shall, on 
 all occasions, cultivate a spirit of friendship and bro- 
 therly affection, as brethren engaged in the same com- 
 mon cause, namely, the salvation of the world, by grace 
 through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 184©. In paragraph 7, the word "resident" 
 is left out of the secretary's title, and the following new 
 paragraphs are inserted : — 
 
 " 8. There shall also be a secretary for the south 
 and south-west, to labour in connection with the mis- 
 sions to the slaves, and to attend to the interests of the 
 Missionary Society in such way and manner as the 
 board of managers may direct. "'Should his office be- 
 come vacant by death or otherwise, the board may fill 
 the place until the next sitting of the annual "con- 
 ference to which he belongs, who shall then fill the 
 
Sec. 7.] Of the Chartered Fund. 251 
 
 vacancy until the next session of the General Confer- 
 ence. 
 
 " 9. There shall be another secretary, to reside in 
 the west, to labour in connection with the Indian mis- 
 sions, and to attend to the interests of the Missionary 
 Society in such way and manner as the board of mana- 
 gers may direct. Should his office become vacant by 
 death or otherwise, the board may fill the place until 
 the next sitting of the annual conference to which he 
 belongs, who shall then fill the vacancy until the next 
 session of the General Conference." 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Of the Chartered Fund. 
 
 This section was first introduced in 1796. It was 
 as follows : — 
 
 1790. " Quest. 1. What further provision shall 
 be made for the distressed travelling preachers, for the 
 families of travelling preachers, and for the superannu- 
 ated and worn-out preachers, and the widows and or- 
 phans of preachers ? 
 
 " Arts. There shall be a chartered fund, to be sup- 
 ported by the voluntary contributions of our friends . the 
 principal stock of which shall be funded under the di- 
 rection of trustees, and the interest applied under the 
 direction of the General Conference, according to the 
 following regulations :" — 
 
 1. That no sum exceeding sixty-four dollars shall in 
 any one year be applied to the use of an itinerant, su- 
 perannuated, or worn-out single preacher. 
 
 2. That no sum exceeding one hundred and twenty- 
 eight dollars in any one year shall be applied to the 
 use of any itinerant, superannuated, or worn-out mar- 
 ried preacher. 
 
 3. That no sum exceeding sixty-four dollars in any 
 one year shall be applied for the use of each widow of 
 itinerant, superannuated, or worn-out preachers. 
 
 4. That no sum exceeding sixteen dollars shall be 
 
252 Of the Chartered Fund. [Part 2. 
 
 applied in any one year for the use of each child 
 or orphan of itinerant, superannuated, or worn-out 
 preachers. 
 
 5. That the elders, and those who have the oversight 
 of circuits, shall be collectors and receivers of subscrip- 
 tions, &c, for this fund. 
 
 6. The money shall, if possible, be conveyed by 
 bills of exchange, through the means of the post, to 
 John Dickins, our general book steward in Philadel- 
 phia, who shall pay it to the trustees of the fund : other- 
 wise it shall be brought to the ensuing yearly confer- 
 ence. 
 
 7. There shall be no money drawn out of the fund 
 till the first day of August, 1798. 
 
 8. The interest shall be divided into six* parts, and 
 each of the yearly conferences shall have authority to 
 draw that sixth part out of the fund, according to the 
 regulations before prescribed : and if in one or more 
 conferences a part less than one-sixth be drawn 
 out of the fund in any given year, then in such case or 
 cases the other yearly conferences, held in the same 
 year, shall have authority, if they judge it necessary, 
 to draw out of the fund, according to the above regu- 
 lation, such surplus of the interest which has not been 
 applied by the former conferences: and the bishops 
 shall bring the necessary information of the state of 
 the interest of the fund, respecting the year in question, 
 from conference to conference. 
 
 9. The present stock of the preachers' fund shall be 
 thrown into the chartered fund. 
 
 10. The produce of the sale of our books, after the 
 book debts are paid, and a sufficient capital is provided 
 for carrying on the business, shall be regularly paid 
 into the chartered fund. 
 
 11. The money subscribed for the chartered fund 
 may be lodged on proper securities in the states re- 
 spectively in which it has been subscribed, under the 
 
 * The number varies, from time to time, according to the number 
 of conferences. 
 
See. 7.] Of the Chartered Fund. 253 
 
 direction of deputies living in such states respectively ; 
 provided such securities and such deputies be proposed 
 as shall be approved of by the trustees in Philadelphia ; 
 and the stock in which it is proposed to lodge the mo- 
 ney be sufficiently productive to give satisfaction to the 
 trustees. 
 
 1 800. The following changes were made, 
 namely : — The first four paragraphs were struck out. 
 
 In paragraph 6 (2) it is provided that the money 
 may be conveyed " by bills of exchange or otherwise," 
 and the name of the book steward is left out. Para- 
 graph 7 was omitted, and the following new paragraph 
 was inserted : — 
 
 " 4. All drafts on the chartered fund shall be made on 
 the president of the said fund, by order of the annual 
 conference, signed by the president, and countersigned 
 by the secretary of the said conference." 
 
 In paragraph 9, (5,) for "present stock," we have 
 " old stock." At the end of paragraph 10, (6,) the fol- 
 lowing clause was added : — " to be applied, with the 
 annual interest of the funded stock, to the support of 
 the itinerant ministry, &c, agreeably to the design and 
 rules of the chartered fund, and the twenty-sixth sec- 
 tion of this Discipline." [Sec. 5, Part ii.] 
 
 The following new paragraph was inserted : — 
 
 " 7. In case of the death, expulsion from society, or 
 resignation of one or more of the trustees of the char- 
 tered fund, during the recess of the General Confer- 
 ence, the Philadelphia Annual Conference is authorized, 
 in such case, to elect one or more trustees to fill the 
 place or places, so vacated, till the next General Con- 
 ference." 
 
 1804. Paragraph 10 of 1796, and paragraph 
 7 of 1800, were left out. 
 
 18 IS. Paragraph 9 of 1796 struck out. 
 
254 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2. 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 Of the 'printing and circulating of Books, and of 
 the Profits arising therefrom. 
 
 This subject was first introduced into the Dis- 
 cipline in 
 
 1787,* as follows:— 
 
 " As it has been frequently recommended by the 
 preachers and people, that such books as are wanted 
 be printed in this country, we therefore propose, 
 
 " 1. That the advice of the conference shall be de- 
 sired concerning any valuable impression, and their 
 consent be obtained before any steps be taken for the 
 printing thereof. 
 
 " 2. That the profits of the books, after all the ne- 
 cessary expenses are defrayed, shall be applied, ac- 
 cording to the discretion of the conference, toward the 
 college, the preachers' fund, the deficiencies of the 
 preachers, the distant missions, or the debts on our 
 churches." 
 
 1790. The last clause was altered, so as to pro- 
 vide that the profits " be applied, as the bishop and 
 Council! shall direct." 
 
 1 793. The following was substituted as the en- 
 tire section : — 
 
 " Quest. 1. Who is employed to manage the print- 
 ing business ? 
 
 " Ans. John Dickins. 
 
 " Quest. 2. What allowances shall be paid him an- 
 nually for his services ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Two hundred dollars for a dwelling house 
 and for a book room. 
 
 " 2. Eighty dollars for a boy. 
 
 " 3. Fifty-three dollars and one-third for firewood ; 
 and, 
 
 * See Lee's Hist, of the Meth., p. 129. 
 
 t " The Council" was a body that had a brief existence at that 
 time. (See Lee's History of the Methodists, pp. 149-159.) 
 
Sec. 8.] Printing and circulating of Books. 255 
 
 " 4. Three hundred and thirty-three dollar? to clothe 
 and feed himself, his wife, and his children. In all, 
 six hundred and sixty-six dollars and one-third. 
 
 " Quest. 3. What powers shall be granted him ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. To regulate the publications according to 
 the state of the finances. 
 
 " 2. To determine, with the approbation of the book 
 committee, on the amount of the drafts which may be 
 drawn from time to time on the book fund. 
 
 " 3. To complain to the district conferences if any 
 preachers shall neglect to make due payment for 
 books. 
 
 " 4. To publish from time to time such books or 
 treatises, as he and the other members of the book 
 committee shall unanimously judge proper. 
 
 " Quest. 4. Who shall form the book committee ? 
 
 " Ans. John Dickins, Henry Willis, Thomas Has- 
 kins, and the preacher who is stationed in Philadelphia 
 from time to time. 
 
 " Quest. 5. How much shall be annually allowed 
 out of the book fund for Cokesbury College till the 
 next General Conference ? 
 
 " Ans. Eight hundred dollars for the ensuing year ; 
 and one thousand sixty-six dollars and two-thirds for 
 each of the remaining three years. 
 
 " Quest. 6. What directions shall be given concern- 
 ing the application of the money allowed as above for 
 Cokesbury College 1 
 
 " Ans. The money shall be applied as follows : — 
 
 " 1. For the education and board of the boys that 
 are now o« the charitable part of the foundation. But 
 no boy shall be again placed on the charity till the next 
 General Conference. 
 
 "2. The surplus of the money, after the charity is 
 supplied, shall be, from time to time appropriated to the 
 payment of the debt of the college, and to the finishing 
 of the building, under the direction of the bishop and 
 the committee of safety. 
 
 " N. B. The present debt of the college is about 
 
206 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2. 
 
 eleven hundred dollars. The present expense of the 
 charity is about nine hundred and sixty-three dollars 
 annually ; but this will probably sink into less than 
 one-half before the next General Conference. 
 
 " Quest. 7. What sum of money shall be allowed 
 distressed preachers out of the book fund, till the next 
 General Conference 1 
 
 " Ans. Two hundred and sixty-six dollars and one- 
 third per annum. 
 
 " Quest. 8. How is the money mentioned above, for 
 the benefit of distressed preachers, to be drawn out of 
 the book fund ? 
 
 " Ans. By the bishop, according to the united judg- 
 ment of himself and the district conferences. 
 
 " Quest. 9. What shall be allowed the bishop out 
 of the book fund, for the benefit of district schools, till 
 the next General Conference ? 
 
 " Ans. Sixty-four dollars per annum. 
 
 " Quest. 10. How shall the surplus of the book fund 
 be applied till the next General Conference, after the 
 provisions above mentioned are made ? 
 
 " Ans. To the forming of a capital stock for the 
 carrying on of the concerns of the books." 
 
 17f>6. The following alterations were made: — 
 
 Under Question 3, Answers 2 and 4 were struck 
 out. Question 4 was struck out. Also all that relates 
 to the college, (Questions 5 and 6,) it having been de- 
 stroyed by fire the preceding year. 
 
 Questions 9 and 10 struck out, and the following 
 added : — 
 
 " Quest. 6. In what manner shall the accounts of 
 the general book steward be examined ? 
 
 " Ans. The Philadelphia Conference shall from year 
 to year appoint a committee, who shall examine quar- 
 terly his receipts and disbursements and other ac- 
 counts. 
 
 " Quest. 7. What mode shall be struck out for the 
 recovery of bad or suspected book debts ? 
 
 " Ans. 1 . Let every yearly conference appoint a 
 
Sec. 8.] Printing and circulating of Books. 257 
 
 committee or committees for the examination of the 
 accounts of the travelling book stewards in their re- 
 spective districts. 
 
 " 2. Let every presiding elder, and every preacher 
 who has the oversight of a circuit, do every thing in 
 their power to recover all the debts in their circuit or 
 district, and also all books which may remain in the 
 hands of persons who shall have resigned, or been 
 withdrawn from the office of a travelling book steward. 
 
 " Quest. 8. Shall any drafts be made on the book 
 fund before all its debts are discharged ? 
 
 M Ans. There shall be none till the debts are dis- 
 charged, except in the case of distressed travelling 
 preachers. 
 
 " Quest. 9. What directions shall be given concern- 
 ing the regulation of our press ? 
 
 " Ans. The general book steward shall print no 
 books or tracts of any kind without the consent of a 
 bishop and two-thirds of the Philadelphia Conference.* 
 
 " Quest. 10. Will the conference recommend and 
 engage to promote the publication of a magazine, en- 
 titled, The Methodist Magazine, which shall consist 
 of compilations from the British magazines, and of 
 original accounts of the experience of pious persons, 
 and shall be published in monthly numbers ? 
 
 " Ans. The conference will recommend such a 
 magazine, and desire that it may be printed." 
 
 * In accordance with the direction of the General Conference, 
 (Quest. 6,) the Philadelphia Conference, in 1797, appointed a book 
 committee, and ihe following note was entered on the Annual Minutes 
 for that year : — 
 
 " The above committee are to meet at Philadelphia on the 2d of 
 January, 1798, and once a quarter afterward, or oftener if necessary, 
 to consider and determine what manuscripts, books, or pamphlets 
 shall be printed. ^ 
 
 "Four of the said committee, when met as above, shall proceed to 
 business, provided that the chairman and one of the presiding elders 
 be present. And the general book steward shall lay before the com- 
 mittee all manuscripts, books, and pamphlets which are designed for 
 publication, except such as the General Conference has authorized 
 him to publish." 
 
258 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2 
 
 1800. The form of questions and answers laid 
 aside, and the whole section remodelled as follows : — 
 
 " 1. Ezekiel Cooper is appointed the superintendent 
 of the Book Concern, who shall have authority to regu- 
 late the publications, and all other parts of the business, 
 according to the state of the finances from time to time. 
 It shall be his duty to inform the annual conferences 
 if any of the preachers or private members of the so- 
 ciety neglect to make due payment. He may publish 
 any books or tracts which, at any time, may be ap- 
 proved of or recommended by the majority of an annual 
 conference, provided such books or tracts be also ap- 
 proved of by the book committee, which shall be ap- 
 pointed by the Philadelphia Annual Conference. He 
 may reprint any book or tract w^hich has once been 
 approved and published by us, when, in his judgment, 
 the same ought to be reprinted. Let his accounts and 
 books be examined by the Philadelphia Conference at 
 the time of the sitting of the said conference. 
 
 " 2. It shall be the duty of every presiding elder, 
 where no book steward is appointed, to see that his 
 district be fully supplied with books. He is to order 
 such books as are wanted, and to give direction to 
 whose care the same are to be sent ; and he is to take 
 the oversight of all our books sent into his district, and 
 to account with the superintendent for the same. He 
 is to have the books distributed among the several cir- 
 cuits in his district, and is to keep an account with 
 each preacher who receives or sells the books ; and is 
 to receive the money, and to forward, it to the super- 
 intendent. When a presiding elder is removed, he is 
 to make a full settlement for all the books sold or re- 
 maining in his district ; and is also to make a transfer 
 to his successor of all the books and accounts left with 
 the preachers in the district, the amftint of which shall 
 go to his credit, and pass to the debit of his successor. 
 
 "3. It shall be the duty of every preacher, who has 
 the charge of a circuit, to see that his circuit be duly 
 supplied with books, and to take charge of all the 
 
Sec. 8.] Pi inting and circulating of Books. 259 
 
 books which are sent to him, from time to time, or 
 which may be in his circuit ; and he is to account with 
 the presiding elder for the same. When a preacher 
 leaves his circuit, he must settle with the presiding 
 elder for all the books he has disposed of ; he is also 
 to make out an inventory of all that are remaining un- 
 sold, which shall be collected at one place ; the amount 
 of which shall go to his credit, and be transferred to 
 his successor, who is to take charge of the same. If 
 the preacher who has the charge of the circuit be 
 negligent in dispersing the books, the presiding elder 
 shall commit the charge of the books to another. 
 
 " 4. The superintendent of the book business may, 
 from time to time, supply the preachers with books in 
 those circuits which are adjacent or convenient to 
 Philadelphia, and settle with them for the same : in 
 such cases the regulations respecting the presiding 
 elders are not to apply. 
 
 "5. In all cases where books are sent to distant places, 
 the presiding elders or preachers shall be allowed to 
 put a small additional price on such books as will best 
 bear it, in order to pay the expense of freight or 
 carriage : but the addition must not be more than what 
 is necessary to defray such expenses. 
 
 " 6. Every annual conference shall appoint a commit- 
 tee or committees to examine the accounts of the presid- 
 ing elders, preachers, and book stewards, in their respec- 
 tive districts or circuits. Every presiding elder, minister, 
 and preacher, shall do every thing in their power to re- 
 cover all debts due to the Concern, and also all the books 
 belonging to the Concern, which may remain in the 
 hands of any person within their districts or circuits. 
 If any preacher or member be indebted to the Book 
 Concern, and refuse to make payment, or to come to a 
 just settlement, let him be dealt with for a breach of 
 trust, and such effectual measures be adopted for the 
 recovery of such debts as shall be agreeable to the di- 
 rection of the annual conferences respectively. 
 
 " 7. There shall be no drafts made upon the Book 
 
260 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2. 
 
 Concern till its debts are discharged, and a sufficient 
 capital provided for carrying on the business ; after 
 which, the profits arising from the books shall be regu- 
 larly paid to the chartered fund, and be applied, with the 
 annual income of the funded stock, to the support of 
 the distressed travelling preachers and their families, 
 the widows and orphans of preachers, &c* 
 
 " 8. It shall be the duty of the preacher or preachers 
 who travel with any of the bishops, if he or they be au- 
 thorized by the superintendent of the Book Concern, to 
 act as an agent in the settlement of accounts, collecting 
 money, or in transacting any business belonging to the 
 Book Concern. 
 
 " 9. In case of the death, dismission, or resignation of 
 the superintendent, during the recess of the General Con- 
 ference, the Philadelphia Conference shall have power 
 to appoint another superintendent, till the next General 
 Conference. 
 
 " 10. No travelling preacher shall print or circulate 
 any books or pamphlets, without the consent of the 
 annual conference to which he belongs, except as an 
 agent of the superintendent of the Book Concern. 
 
 "11. The Form of Discipline shall be printed by itself, 
 and the bishops' explanatory notes by themselves ; but 
 in such a manner that the notes may be conveniently 
 bound up with the Form of Discipline. And every 
 presiding elder, preacher, or other person, who has the 
 charge of the books, may send for as many copies of 
 the Form as he pleases, with or without the notes." 
 
 1 8®4iL The following alterations were made : — 
 
 The title, " superintendent of the Book Concern," 
 which was adopted in 1800, was now dropped, and 
 the old title, " general book steward," restored. 
 
 Paragraph 1, begins, "The book business shall be 
 removed to and carried on in the city of New-York. 
 Ezekiel Cooper is reappointed general book steward, 
 
 * This " &c," so singularly inappropriate in such a connection, has 
 been perpetuated in every subsequent edition. 
 
Sec. 8.] Printing and circulating of Books. 261 
 
 who shall have authority, &c." It is further provided, 
 that the publications shall be regulated not only by " the 
 state of the finances," but also by "the demands of the 
 connection." For the rest of the paragraph, after the 
 word " payment," the following is substituted : " He 
 shall publish such books and tracts as are recommend- 
 ed by the General Conference, and such as may be 
 approved of and recommended by an annual conference, 
 and none other. But he may reprint any book or tract, 
 which has once been approved of and published by us, 
 when in his judgment, and the judgment of the book 
 committee, the same ought to be reprinted. The 
 book committee, consisting of five, shall be annually 
 appointed by the New-York Conference, who shall, 
 previous to each annual sitting, examine into the ac- 
 counts of the general book steward, and report to the 
 conference the state of the Concern. John Wilson is 
 appointed assistant editor and general book steward ; 
 and in case of the death or resignation of the editor and 
 general book steward, the assistant shall carry on the 
 Concern till the sitting of the next New-York Confer- 
 ence." 
 
 In paragraphs 4 and 9, " Philadelphia" changed to 
 " New- York." 
 
 Paragraph 7 struck out, and the following substi- 
 tuted : — 
 
 " 7. The profits arising from the Book Concern, after 
 a sufficient capital to carry on the business is retained, 
 shall be regularly applied to the support of the distress- 
 ed travelling preachers and their families, the widows 
 and orphans of preachers, &c. The general book 
 steward shall every year send forward to each annual 
 conference an account of the dividend which the seve- 
 ral annual conferences may draw that year ; and each 
 conference may draw for their proportionate part, on 
 any person who has book money in hand, and the 
 drafts, with the receipt of the conference thereon, shall 
 be sent to the general book steward, and be placed to 
 the credit of the person who paid the same. But each 
 
262 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2. 
 
 annual conference is authorized, at all events, to draw 
 on the general book steward for one hundred dollars." 
 
 Paragraphs 8, 10, and 11, of 1800, were struck out. 
 
 I 80S. The following alterations were made : — 
 
 The names of the general book steward and his as- 
 sistant are omitted. 
 
 Paragraph 4 is struck out ; also paragraph 5, and the 
 following substituted for it : — 
 
 "4. The Book Concern shall pay all the expense of 
 the conveyance of books to presiding elders, until they 
 are within the bounds of their districts." 
 
 The last sentence of paragraph 7, of 1804, struck 
 out. 
 
 To paragraph 9, of 1S00, (7,) the following sentence 
 added : — " But no general book steward or editor in the 
 Book Concern shall serve in that department for more 
 than eight years successively." 
 
 A paragraph corresponding to No. 10, of 1800, 
 (which was struck out in 1804,) restored as follows : — 
 " S. No travelling preacher is permitted to publish any 
 book or pamphlet, without the approbation of the an- 
 nual conference to which he belongs, or of a committee 
 chosen by them." 
 
 IS 12. The following sentence, transferred from 
 Part i, Sec. 12, (p. 146,) was added at the end of the 
 section : — 
 
 " It is recommended to the annual conferences to 
 caution and restrict our preachers from improper pub- 
 lications." 
 
 1816. In paragraph 1, (1804,) after the first sen- 
 tence, the following was inserted : — 
 
 " There shall be one editor and general book stew- 
 ard, and an assistant to act under his direction, both of 
 whom shall be chosen from among the travelling 
 preachers, and by virtue of their appointment shall be 
 members of the New-York Annual Conference, to whom, 
 in the interval of the General Conference, they shall be 
 responsible for their conduct in the book business. 
 And the New-York Conference, in the interval of the 
 
Sec. 8.1 Printing and circulating of Books. 263 
 
 General Conference, shall have power, if they deem it 
 necessary, by and with the advice and consent of the 
 bishops and book committee, to remove either of them ; 
 and, in case of removal, death, or resignation, to appoint 
 a successor to act until the next ensuing General Con- 
 ference." . 
 
 It was now ordered (paragraph 1) that the publica- 
 tions should be regulated " as the state of the finances 
 will admit, and the demands may require." 
 
 1 830. The following alterations were made : — 
 The general book steward, instead of being restricted 
 from publishing any books but such " as are recom- 
 mended by the General Conference," or " approved 
 and recommended by an annual conference," was au- 
 thorized to " publish any new work not before published 
 by us, which shall be approved and recommended." by 
 the book committee. 
 
 The following new paragraphs were inserted : — 
 " 2. There shall be a book agent who shall reside in 
 Cincinnati, and manage the Concern in the western 
 country, under the direction of the editor at New-York ; 
 and who, by virtue of his appointment, shall be a mem- 
 ber of the Ohio Annual Conference, under the same 
 regulations by which the agents at New- York are 
 members of the New-York Annual Conference. And 
 the Ohio Conference shall appoint a committee of three, 
 whose duty it shall be to examine the accounts of said 
 agent and report to the said conference annually ; and 
 in case of the death or resignation of the agent, the 
 Ohio Conference shall have authority to appoint a suc- 
 cessor until the sitting of the ensuing General Con- 
 ference." 
 
 "4. It shall be the duty of all presiding elders having 
 accounts open with the Concern, to pay over to the 
 agents annually, or oftener, all the money in their hands, 
 or which may be due from them ; rendering, at the 
 same time, an account of all the books remaining in 
 their districts unsold; and it shall be the duty of 
 preachers in circuits and stations, having accounts with 
 
264 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2. 
 
 the presiding elder, to make settlements and render 
 payments in a similar way." 
 
 18S4. The paragraph prohibiting travelling 
 preachers from publishing without the approbation of 
 conference (see 1808 and 1812) was struck out, and the 
 following substituted : — 
 
 "9. Any travelling preacher who may publish any 
 work or book of his own shall be responsible to his 
 conference for any obnoxious matter or doctrine there- 
 in contained." 
 
 18518. The following alterations were made : — 
 
 It is made the duty of the general book steward "also 
 to send a copy of the annual exhibit to each of the 
 several annual conferences, so as that such exhibit may 
 be laid before said conferences, if possible, at their 
 sessions next succeeding the making thereof." 
 
 It is provided that the assistant shall carry on the 
 Concern in case of the death or resignation of the gene- 
 ral book steward, " or of the editor of the Christian Ad- 
 vocate and Journal." 
 
 The following new paragraph was inserted : — 
 
 " 2. There shall be also an editor of the Christian Ad- 
 vocate and Journal, (elected in the same way and for the 
 same time as the editor and general book steward,) 
 who shall have power, if need be, with the advice and 
 consent of the book committee and book agents at New- 
 York, to employ an assistant. He shall have charge 
 of the clerks in that department, and of all business 
 connected with it, and shall be responsible for its due 
 and efficient management. He shall also edit and pub- 
 lish the Child's Magazine, Sunday school books and 
 tracts, and be ex officio a member of the New-York 
 Book Committee." It was provided that only four of 
 the book committee should be chosen by the New- 
 York Conference, the fifth being the editor of the Chris- 
 tian Advocate and Journal. 
 
 But the most important of all the alterations was the 
 striking out of all the paragraphs relating to the old sys- 
 tem of selling books on commission, (see 2, 3, of 1800, 
 
Sec. 8.] Printing and circulating of Books. 265 
 
 4 of 1808, and 4 of 1820,) in place of which the fol- 
 lowing were substituted : — 
 
 " 5. No books shall hereafter be issued on commis- 
 sion, either from New- York or Cincinnati." 
 
 11 7. At each annual conference next ensuing the 
 passage of this resolution, the presiding elders shall de- 
 liver into the hands of the book agents, (or book com- 
 mittee of such conference,) for all the books in the seve- 
 ral circuits and stations in their districts, the receipts of 
 those persons in whose care such books shall have 
 been left. After the appointments for the year ensuing 
 have been announced, the agents or book committee 
 shall give to each preacher the receipts belonging to 
 his circuit or station, retaining an exact account of the 
 amount called for by such receipts, which shall be 
 charged against said preacher, and accounted for by 
 him at the next annual conference ; provided, that the 
 several presiding elders shall be at equal liberty to sell any 
 such books on the same terms and principles with other 
 preachers, and shall account therefor with the preachers 
 to whom they have been charged, or with the agents or 
 the book committees of their respective conferences." 
 
 1 833. The first part of the section was remo- 
 delled as follows : — 
 
 "1. The principal establishment of the book busi- 
 ness shall be in the city of New-York ; and there shall 
 be such subordinate establishments in other places as 
 the General Conference may deem expedient. 
 
 " 2. There shall be one editor appointed to lake 
 charge of the Methodist Magazine and Quarterly Re- 
 view, and all the editorial business of the Book Con- 
 cern, not included in the department of our other peri- 
 odical works. 
 
 " There shall be another editor, to whose superin- 
 tendency shall be assigned the Christian Advocate and 
 Journal and Zion's Herald, Youth's Instructor and Sab- 
 bath School and Bible Class Assistant, Child's Maga- 
 zine, Sunday-school books and tracts ; and in this de- 
 partment there shall be an assistant editor. 
 
 12 
 
266 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2. 
 
 " 3. There shall be an agent, or general book stew- 
 ard, and an assistant, who shall act as chief clerk, both 
 of whom, together with the editors and assistant 
 editor, shall be chosen from among the travelling 
 preachers, &c." 
 
 The other provisions in regard to the jurisdiction of 
 the New- York Conference, the term of office, and the 
 duties and powers of the general book steward, remain- 
 ed substantially the same, except that " what belongs 
 to editorial departments" is exempted from being regu- 
 lated by him, and for the republication of a work before 
 published at the Book Room, it was sufficient that it 
 meet the judgment of the agent and of the editors, and 
 for the publication of a new work he must have the 
 approbation both of the editors and of the book com- 
 mittee. 
 
 The annual exhibit was now required to be sent to the 
 conferences, " as early as possible after it shall have 
 been prepared." 
 
 The following new organization of a book committee 
 was adopted : — 
 
 " 5. The book committee shall consist of seven mem- 
 bers, to be chosen annually by the New-York Annual 
 Conference, and the three editors as herein before pro- 
 vided for. It shall be their duty to examine annually 
 into the state of the Book Concern, to inspect the ac- 
 counts of the agents, to make a report thereof annually 
 to the New- York Conference, and to the General Con- 
 ference at its regular sessions. They shall also attend 
 to such matters as may be referred to them by the 
 editors or agents in reference to editing, printing, or 
 publishing, and also to co-operate with the editor of 
 the Christian Advocate in the selection of Sunday- 
 school books and tracts." 
 
 In the paragraph respecting the Western Book Con- 
 cern, such changes are made in the phraseology as the 
 changes at New-York required ; and the following sub- 
 stantial ones, namely : — an assistant is appointed to the 
 book agent there ; the book committee was to consist 
 
Sec. 8.] Printing and circulating of Books. 267 
 
 of five, and it is made their duty to report also " to the 
 General Conference at its session," " and to give advice 
 in any matters in reference to the branch in the west." 
 
 The following new paragraph was inserted : — 
 
 " 7. There shall also be a general depository for our 
 books, Sunday-school books, and tracts, at New-Orleans, 
 under the charge of an agent elected by the General 
 Conference, which shall bear the same relation to the 
 general agency in New-York as the branch establish- 
 ment at Cincinnati does, and be under the same respon- 
 sibilities ; and the same to the Mississippi Conference, 
 which that at Cincinnati does to the Ohio Conference." 
 
 In the sentence relating to those who refuse to make 
 payment to the Book Concern, the word " person" is 
 inserted before " preacher, or member," and it is di- 
 rected that they shall be " dealt with in the same man- 
 ner as is directed in other cases of debt and disputed 
 accounts." 
 
 The following new paragraphs were added : — 
 
 " 13. No editor, agent, or clerk, employed in the Book 
 Concern, or in any department belonging to it, shall be 
 allowed in any case to publish or sell books as his own 
 private property. 
 
 " 14. The editors, the general book steward, and book 
 committee at New-York, shall be authorized to adopt 
 such measures as they may deem expedient, and as 
 shall be found practicable, to secure the premises on 
 Mulberry-street for the uses and purposes for which 
 the purchase was made, and the buildings erected." 
 
 1 830. The following alterations were made : — 
 The branches of the Book Concern are no longer 
 spoken of as " subordinate." 
 
 The entire editorial department at New-York is 
 committed to one editor and an assistant. 
 
 The provision that the officers of the Book Concern 
 should not continue in office longer than eight years, 
 struck out. 
 
 Still another organization of the book committee was 
 adopted, as follows : — 
 
268 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2 
 
 "5. The book committee in New-York shall consist 
 of all the preachers stationed for the time being in that 
 city by the New-York Annual Conference, including 
 the editors, the resident corresponding secretary of the 
 Missionary Society, and the presiding elder of the dis- 
 trict." Their duties remain the same. 
 
 Some changes were made in the establishment at 
 Cincinnati. The agents in the west were to manage 
 the Concern so " as to co-operate with the agents at 
 New- York." The following clause, increasing the busi- 
 ness of the establishment, was inserted : — " They shall 
 have authority to publish any book in our catalogue, 
 when in their judgment and that of the book committee 
 it shall be advantageous to the interests of the church ; 
 provided, that they shall not publish type editions of 
 such books as are stereotyped in New-York. And 
 there shall be an editor and an assistant editor, who 
 shall have charge of the Western Christian Advocate, 
 and all the editorial business of this establishment ; 
 and who, together with the agent and assistant agent, 
 shall be chosen from among the travelling preach- 
 ers, &c." 
 
 The book committee was to " consist of seven mem- 
 bers, including the editors." It was provided that "the 
 proceeds of this establishment, with the exception of 
 what may be necessary to conduct the business, shall 
 be paid annually to the agents at New-York, to be 
 added to the profits arising -from that Concern, and 
 appropriated for the same purposes." 
 
 The following provision was made for the erection 
 of a building at Cincinnati : — 
 
 " The agents at Cincinnati shall be authorized, with 
 the advice and consent of the book committee, to pro- 
 cure ground, and erect a suitable building for a print- 
 ing office, book room, and bindery ; and for this end 
 they shall be allowed to appropriate such moneys in 
 their hands as can be spared, together with any dona- 
 tions that may be made to the Concern in the west for 
 that purpose." 
 
Sec. 8.] Printing and circulating of Books. 269 
 
 Paragraph 7 of 1832 was struck out, and the follow- 
 ing new paragraphs were inserted : — 
 
 " 7. In addition to the Christian Advocate and Jour- 
 nal, and the Western Christian Advocate, there shall 
 be a similar paper established in the following places, 
 namely, Charleston, S. C, Richmond, Va., and Nash- 
 ville, Tenn., to be conducted under the direction and 
 patronage of this conference ; provided, that before any 
 such paper shall be commenced, three thousand sub- 
 scribers shall be obtained, or subscriptions amounting 
 to six thousand dollars. And the annual conference, 
 within whose bounds such paper shall be established, 
 shall appoint from their own members a publishing 
 committee, consisting of three, whose duties shall be 
 similar to those of the book committees of New-York 
 and Cincinnati, so far as they may be applicable to 
 those establishments. 
 
 " 8. The editors for the papers at Charleston and 
 Nashville shall be elected by this conference, and the 
 Virginia Conference is authorized to elect an editor for 
 the paper at Richmond, until the next General Confer- 
 ence. And in case of vacancy by death, resignation, 
 or otherwise, in either of the other establishments, the 
 annual conference, where it is located, shall have au- 
 thority to fill such vacancy as above provided. 
 
 "9. The publishing committee in each of these 
 establishments shall keep an account of the receipts 
 and expenditures for the paper, correspond with the 
 agents at New- York, hold all moneys, after defraying 
 current expenses, subject to their order, and shall re- 
 port annually on the state of the establishment to their 
 conference, and to the agents at New-York. And 
 whenever it shall be found that such papers do not fully 
 support themselves, it shall be the duty of the annual 
 conferences, within whose bounds they are established, 
 to discontinue them. 
 
 " 10. The annual conferences are affectionately and 
 earnestly requested not to establish any more confer- 
 ence papers ; and where such papers exist, they may 
 
270 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2. 
 
 be discontinued when it can be done consistently with 
 existing obligations. 
 
 "11. It is inexpedient to establish any new deposi- 
 tories of books at present ; but if, in the interval of the 
 General Conference, the presiding bishop of any an- 
 nual conference shall concur with said conference in 
 opinion, that it is expedient to establish a book store 
 within their bounds, in such case the agents, both at 
 New-York and Cincinnati, shall have authority to sell 
 books to such conference book store, at a discount of 
 forty per centum, without involving any pecuniary re- 
 sponsibility on the part of the Book Concern. 
 
 " 12. The salaries for the support of editors and 
 agents in all our book and periodical establishments 
 shall be fixed by the book or publishing committees in 
 the several places for which such editors and agents 
 are appointed." 
 
 1 84rO. The following alterations were made : — 
 
 In the establishment at Neiu-York, 
 
 A change was made in the editorial department, as 
 follows : — 
 
 " 2. There shall be an editor of the Methodist Quar- 
 terly Review, general books, and tracts ; and an editor 
 and an assistant editor for the Christian Advocate and 
 Journal, the Youth's Magazine, and the sabbath-school 
 books, who, if chosen from among the travelling preach- 
 ers, shall, by virtue of their appointment, be members 
 of the New- York Conference, to which, in the interval 
 of the General Conference, they shall be responsible 
 for their conduct in office." 
 
 The clause requiring the assistant agent to act as 
 chief clerk was struck out. 
 
 The advice and consent of the book committee (see 
 1816) no longer required for the removal of agents and 
 editors from office. 
 
 The agent is not required to publish books recom- 
 mended by an annual conference, unless also <l ap- 
 proved by the editors and book committee." 
 
Sec. 8.] Printing and circulating of Books. 271 
 
 In the establishment at Cincinnati, 
 
 The powers and duties of the agents were thus de- 
 fined : — 
 
 " 7. They shall have authority to publish any book 
 or tract which has been previously published by the 
 agents at New- York, when in their judgment, and in 
 the judgment of the book committee, the demand for 
 such publication will justify, and the interest of the 
 church require it. Provided they shall not reprint our 
 large works, such as the Commentaries, quarto Bible, 
 Wesley's and Fletcher's Works, or any other work 
 containing more than seven hundred pages. 
 
 " 8. They shall publish such books and tracts as 
 are recommended to them for publication by the 
 General Conference ; and they may publish any new 
 work which shall be approved by the editors, and re- 
 commended by the book committee at Cincinnati, or 
 by an annual conference." 
 
 The editors there, as well as those at New-York, 
 allowed to be other than travelling preachers. A Ger- 
 man department was established there, as follows : — 
 
 " 10. There shall be an editor in the German de- 
 partment, who shall have charge of the Christian 
 Apologist, and perform all the editorial duties neces- 
 sary in the printing of such books and tracts as may 
 be recommended to the agents as above, for publica- 
 tion in the German language." 
 
 The following new paragraphs were inserted, re- 
 specting this establishment : — 
 
 "11. The Ohio Conference shall exercise the same 
 jurisdiction over said agents and editors that the New- 
 York Conference does over the agents and editors at 
 New-York." 
 
 " 13. All books or printed sheets ordered by the 
 agents of the Concern from New-York shall be charged 
 at cost prices. 
 
 " 14. It shall be the duty of the agents to report the 
 state of the western division of the Book Concern to 
 
272 Printing and circulating of Books. [Part 2. 
 
 all the annual conferences yearly, and to inform the 
 respective conferences of any within their bounds who 
 fail to make payment, that measures may be taken to 
 collect, or secure such debts." 
 
 The number of the book committee then was in- 
 creased to nine. 
 
 The disposition of their funds was thus arranged : — 
 
 " 16. The agents of this establishment shall remit 
 to the agents at New-York during the current year as 
 largely and frequently as their funds will allow, and to 
 the full amount of stock furnished, if practicable. They 
 shall also remit any surplus funds that may be in their 
 hands after defraying the expense of conducting their 
 business, which shall be added to the profits of the 
 Concern at New-York, and appropriated to the same 
 purposes." 
 
 The former paragraph respecting the erection of 
 buildings, struck out. 
 
 In regard to periodicals, an additional paper was 
 taken under the patronage of the conference, at Pitts- 
 burgh. "A periodical for females and the Christian 
 Apologist" are to be published at Cincinnati. The 
 editors of all the branch " Advocates" are to be elected 
 by the General Conference. 
 
 In regard to depositories, the following new pro- 
 visions were made : — 
 
 "21. There shall be a depository of our books at 
 Charleston, S. C, at Pittsburgh, Pa., and at Boston, 
 Mass., furnished by the agents at New-York with full 
 supplies of the books of our General Catalogue, Sun- 
 day-school books and tracts, to be sold for the Concern 
 on the same terms as at New-York. Provided, that 
 there shall not be more than twenty-five thousand 
 dollars' worth of books at any one time at Charleston, 
 nor more than fifteen thousand dollars' worth at Pitts 
 burgh, nor more than ten thousand dollars' worth at 
 Boston. 
 
 " 22. The expenses incident to the transportation, 
 management, and sale of our books at these deposito- 
 
Sec. 9.] Allowance to Local Preachers. 273 
 
 ries, having been met out of the sales according to an 
 arrangement with the agents at New-York, the nett 
 proceeds shall be forwarded to said agents as fast as 
 possible. 
 
 " 23. Full statements shall be made to the agents at 
 New- York semi-annually, at dates fixed by them, of 
 the amount of sales, and of expenses ; distinguishing 
 cash sales from those on credit. And also, annual 
 statements shall be made of the amount of slock. 
 
 " 24. If it shall appear to the agents at New-York 
 that the business at either of the depositories is not well 
 managed, or that remittances are not duly made, they 
 shall give notice thereof to the committee or commis- 
 sioners acting for the annual conference, or to the an- 
 nual conference, who shall immediately correct the 
 error complained of, or cause the affairs of the deposi- 
 tory to be wound up." 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 
 Local Preachers to have an Allowance in given 
 Cases. 
 
 For the provisions on this subject prior to 1784, see 
 pp. 17, 20. For the rule in 1784, see under Question 
 71, p. 65. The subsequent regulations have been as 
 follows : — 
 
 1789. It was provided, — " Let them be paid for 
 their time in proportion to the salary of the travelling 
 preachers." 
 
 1790. The following provisions on the subject 
 are found in Section 21, " Of the Local Preachers." 
 
 " Quest. 2. Shall any regulations be made in respect 
 to allowing a recompense to local preachers for their 
 work in given cases ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. Whenever a local preacher fills the place 
 of a travelling preacher, he shall be paid for his trouble 
 a sum proportionable to the salary of a travelling 
 preacher; which sum shall be paid by the circuit at 
 the next quarterly meet' ig, if the travelling preacher 
 
 12* 
 
274 Of Slavery. [Part 2. 
 
 whose place he filled up was either sick or neces- 
 sarily absent ; or, in other cases, out of the salary of 
 the travelling preacher himself. 
 
 " 2. If a local preacher be distressed in his temporal 
 circumstances, on account of his service in the circuit, 
 he may apply to the quarterly meeting, who may give 
 him what relief they judge proper, after the salaries of 
 the travelling preachers and of their wives, and all other 
 regular allowances to the travelling preachers be dis- 
 charged." 
 
 1 800. The word " trouble" changed to " time." 
 
 1 804:. This subject was transferred to its present 
 place. 
 
 1816. The words "by the approbation of the 
 presiding elder" inserted after " travelling preacher," 
 where the term first occurs, (1796.) 
 
 section x. 
 Of Slavery* 
 
 For the provisions on this subject prior to 1784, see 
 pp. 14, 15, 19, 21, 22. For the rules adopted at the 
 Christmas Conference, see pp. 43, 44. Not more than 
 six months had elapsed after the adoption of these last 
 rules before it was thought necessary to suspend them 
 Accordingly, in the Annual Minutes for 1785 the fol- 
 lowing notice was inserted : — 
 
 " It is recommended to all our brethren to suspend 
 
 * The Methodists in America have from the first taken an active 
 part in promoting the welfare of the coloured people. See pp. 16, 
 42, 43. In the Annual Minutes for 1787 we find the following: — 
 
 " Quest. 17. What directions shall we give for the promotion of 
 the spiritual welfare of the coloured people ? 
 
 "We conjure all our ministers and preachers, by the love of God, 
 and the salvation of souls, and do require them, by all the authority 
 that is invested in us, to leave nothing undone for the spiritual benefit 
 and salvation of them, within their respective circuits or districts ; and 
 for this purpose to embrace every opportunity of inquiring into the 
 state of their souls, and to unite in society those who appear to have 
 a real desire of fleeing from the wrath to come ; to meet such in 
 class, and to exercise the whole Methodist discipline among them. 
 
Sec. 10.] Of Slavery. 275 
 
 the execution of the minute on slavery till the delibera- 
 tions of a future conference ; and that an equal space 
 of time be allowed all our members for consideration, 
 when the minute shall be put in force. 
 
 " N. B. We do hold in the deepest abhorrence the 
 practice of slavery ; and shall not cease to seek its 
 destruction by all wise and prudent means." 
 
 This note does not seem to refer to Question 43, 
 (1784,) as it, with the same answer, was retained in 
 the Discipline of 1786. From this till 1796 no men- 
 tion, it would seem, was made of the subject except in 
 the General Rules. (See p. 181.) 
 
 1796. The following section was introduced on 
 the subject : — 
 
 " Quest. What regulations shall be made for the 
 extirpation of the crying evil of African slavery ? 
 
 " Ans. 1. We declare, that we are more than ever 
 convinced of the great evil of the African slavery which 
 still exists in these United States, and do most ear- 
 nestly recommend to the yearly conferences, quarterly 
 meetings, and to those who have the oversight of dis- 
 tricts and circuits, to be exceedingly cautious what 
 persons they admit to official stations in our church ; 
 and in the case of future admission to official stations, 
 to require such security of those who hold slaves, for 
 the emancipation of them, immediately or gradually, 
 as the laws of the states respectively, and the circum- 
 stances of the case will admit ; and we do fully autho- 
 rize all the yearly conferences to make whatever regu- 
 lations they judge proper, in the present case, respecting 
 the admission of persons to official stations in our 
 church. 
 
 " 2. No slaveholder shall be received into society 
 till the preacher who has the oversight of the circuit 
 has spoken to him freely and faithfully on the subject 
 of slavery. 
 
 " 3. Every member of the society who sells a slave 
 shall immediately, after full proof, be excluded the 
 society. And if any member of our society purchase 
 
276 Of Slavery. [Part 2. 
 
 a slave, the ensuing quarterly meeting shall determine 
 on the number of years in which the slave so purchased 
 would work out the price of his purchase. And the 
 person so purchasing shall, immediately after such 
 determination, execute a legal instrument for the 
 manumission of such slave, at the expiration of the 
 term determined, by the quarterly meeting. And in 
 default of his executing such instrument of manumis- 
 sion, or on his refusal to submit his case to the judg- 
 ment of the quarterly meeting, such member shall be 
 excluded the society. Provided also, that in the case 
 of a female slave, it shall be inserted in the aforesaid 
 instrument of manumission, that all her children who 
 shall be born during the years of her servitude, shall 
 be free at the following times, namely : every female 
 child at the age of twenty-one, and every male child 
 at the age of twenty-five. Nevertheless, if the member 
 of our society, executing the said instrument of manu- 
 mission, judge it proper, he may fix the times of manu- 
 mission of the children of the female slaves before 
 mentioned, at an earlier age than that which is pre- 
 scribed above. 
 
 "4. The preachers and other members of our so- 
 ciety are requested to consider the subject of negro 
 slavery with deep attention till the ensuing General 
 Conference : and that they impart to the General Con- 
 ference, through the medium of the yearly conferences, 
 or otherwise, any important thoughts upon the subject, 
 that the conference may have full light, in order to 
 take further steps toward the eradicating this enormous 
 evil from that part of the church of God to which they 
 are united."* 
 
 1 800. The following new paragraphs were in- 
 serted : — 
 
 " 2. When any travelling preacher becomes an 
 owner of a slave or slaves, by any means, he shall 
 
 * It may be worthy of remark that this is almost the only section 
 upon which the bishops make no notes. 
 
Sec. 10.] Of Slavery. 277 
 
 forfeit his ministerial character in our church, unless 
 he execute, if it be practicable, a legal emancipation 
 of such slaves, conformably to the laws of the state in 
 which he lives." 
 
 " 6. The annual conferences are directed to draw 
 up addresses for the gradual emancipation of the slaves, 
 to the legislatures of those states in which no general 
 laws have been passed for that purpose. These ad- 
 dresses shall urge, in the most respectful, but pointed 
 manner, the necessity of a law for the gradual emanci- 
 pation of the slaves ; proper committees shall be ap- 
 pointed, by the annual conferences, out of the most 
 respectable of our friends, for the conducting of the 
 business ; and the presiding elders, elders, deacons, 
 and travelling preachers, shall procure as many proper 
 signatures as possible to the addresses, and give all the 
 assistance in their power in every respect to aid the 
 committees, and to further this blessed undertaking. 
 Let this be continued from year to year, till the desired 
 end be accomplished." 
 
 1 804. The following alterations were made : — 
 
 The question reads, — " What shall be done for the 
 extirpation of the evil of slavery ?" 
 
 In paragraph 1 (1796) instead of "more than ever 
 convinced," we have, " as much as ever convinced," 
 and instead of " the African slavery which still exists 
 in these United States," we have " slavery." 
 
 In paragraph 4, (3 of 1796,) respecting the 
 selling of a slave, before the words " shall imme- 
 diately," the following clause is inserted : — " except 
 at the request of the slave, in cases of mercy and 
 humanity, agreeably to the judgment of a committee 
 of the male members of the society, appointed by the 
 preacher who has the charge of the circuit." 
 
 The following new proviso was inserted in this 
 paragraph : — " Provided also, that if a member of 
 our society shall buy a slave with a certificate of 
 future emancipation, the terms of emancipation shall, 
 notwithstanding, be subject to the decision of the 
 
278 Of Slavery. [Part 2. 
 
 quarterly meeting conference." All after " neverthe- 
 less" was struck out, and the following substituted : — 
 " The members of our societies in the states of North 
 Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, 
 shall be exempted from the operation of the above 
 rules." The paragraphs about considering the subject 
 of slavery and petitions to legislatures, (namely, No. 
 4 of 1796, and No. 6 of 1800,) were struck out, 
 and the following added : — 
 
 " 5. Let our preachers, from time to time, as occa- 
 sion serves, admonish and exhort all slaves to render 
 due respect and obedience to the commands and inte- 
 rests of their respective masters." 
 
 1808. All that related to slaveholding among 
 private members (see 2 and 3 of 1796) struck out, and 
 the following substituted : — 
 
 " 3. The General Conference authorizes each annual 
 conference to form their own regulations relative to 
 buying and selling slaves." 
 
 Paragraph 5 of 1804 was also struck out. 
 
 18 15. Paragraph 3 of 1808 was altered so as 
 to read, — 
 
 " 3. Whereas the laws of some of the states do not 
 admit of emancipating of slaves, without a special act 
 of the legislature ; the General Conference authorizes 
 each annual conference to form their own regulations 
 relative to buying and selling slaves." 
 
 1816. Paragraph 1 (see 1796) was altered so as 
 to read, — 
 
 " 1. We declare that we are as much as ever con- 
 vinced of the great evil of slavery : therefore no slave- 
 holder shall be eligible to any official station in our 
 church hereafter, where the laws of the state in which 
 he lives will admit of emancipation, and permit the 
 liberated slave to enjoy freedom." 
 
 1820. Paragraph 3, (see 1812,) leaving it to 
 the annual conferences " to form their own regulations 
 about buying and selling slaves," was struck out. 
 
 1 S£4. The following paragraphs added : — 
 
Sec. 10.] Of Slavery. 279 
 
 " 3. All our preachers shall prudently enforce upon 
 our members the necessity of teaching their slaves to 
 read the word of God ; and to allow them time to 
 attend upon the public worship of God on our regular 
 days of divine service. 
 
 "4. Our coloured preachers and official members 
 shall have all the privileges which are usual to others 
 in the district and quarterly conferences, where the 
 usages of the country do not forbid it. And the pre- 
 siding elder may hold for them a separate district con- 
 ference, where the number of coloured local preachers 
 will justify it.* 
 
 " 5. The annual conferences may employ coloured 
 preachers to travel and preach where their services 
 are judged necessary ; provided that no one shall be so 
 employed without having been recommended according 
 to the Form of Discipline." 
 
 * These provisions respecting district conferences have been re- 
 tained ever since, although district conferences were abolished 
 in 1&3&. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM THE NOTES TO THE DISCIPLINE, BY 
 DR. COKE AND BISHOP AS BURY. 
 
 The fact has already been noticed, that Dr. Coke and Bishop 
 Asbury appended explanatory notes to the Discipline of 1796. 
 These consisted partly of Scripture proofs of the doctrines and 
 rules of the church, and partly of expositions of the Discipline. 
 The latter, constituting about two-thirds of the whole, are inserted 
 in this Appendix, under their respective heads. The bishops 
 themselves disclaimed having any authority " to make laws or 
 regulations," much less can their notes be regarded in that light, 
 now that the Discipline has been considerably modified. Bu* 
 they are still interesting and important, as containing the views 
 of the first bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church respecting 
 its discipline at that time, and also, as having been prepared at the 
 request of the General Conference of 1796, and having received 
 the implied sanction of the General Conference of 1800, which 
 directed that they should be printed in such a manner that they 
 could be conveniently bound up with the Form of Discipline. 
 
 " section I. 
 
 " Of the Origin of the Methodist Episcopal Church." 
 
 " It cannot be needful in this country to vindicate the right of 
 every Christian society to possess, within itself, all the privileges 
 necessary or expedient for the comfort, instruction, or good go- 
 vernment of the members thereof. The two sacraments of 
 baptism and the Lord's supper have been allowed to be essential to 
 the formation of a Christian church, by every party and denomi- 
 nation in every age and country of Christendom, with the excep- 
 tion only of a single modern society : and ordination by the 
 imposition of hands has been allowed to be highly expedient, and 
 has been practised as universally as the former. And these two 
 points as above described, might, if need were, be confirmed by 
 the Scriptures, and by the unanimous testimony of all the primi- 
 tive fathers of the church for the three first centuries ; and, in- 
 deed, by all the able divines who have written on the subject in 
 the different languages of the world down to the present times. 
 
282 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 " The only point which can be disputed by any sensible person, 
 is the episcopal form which we have adopted ; and this can be con- 
 tested by candid men, only from their want of acquaintance with 
 the history of the church. The most bigoted devotees to reli- 
 gious establishments (the clergy of the Church of Rome excepted) 
 are now ashamed to support the doctrine of the apostolic, uninter- 
 rupted succession of bishops. Dr. Hoadley, bishop of Winchester, 
 who was, we believe, the greatest advocate for episcopacy whom 
 the Protestant churches ever produced, has been so completely 
 overcome by Dr. Calamy, in respect to the uninterrupted succes- 
 sion, that the point has been entirely given up. Nor do we re- 
 collect that any writer of the Protestant churches has since 
 attempted to defend what all the learned world at present know 
 to be utterly indefensible. 
 
 " And yet nothing but an apostolic, uninterrupted succession, 
 can possibly confine the right of episcopacy to any particular 
 church. The idea, that the supreme magistrate, or legislature 
 of a country, ought to be the head of the church in that nation, is 
 a position, which, we think, no one here will presume to assert. 
 It follows, therefore, indubitably, that every church has a right 
 to choose, if it please, the episcopal plan. 
 
 " The late Rev. John Wesley recommended the episcopal form 
 to his societies in America ; and the General Conference, which 
 is the chief synod of our church, unanimously accepted of it. Mr. 
 Wesley did more. He first consecrated one for the office of a 
 bishop, that our episcopacy might descend from himself. The 
 General Conference unanimously accepted of the person so con- 
 secrated, as well as of Francis Asbury, who had for many years 
 before exercised every branch of the episcopal office, excepting 
 that of ordination. Now, the idea of an apostolic succession be- 
 ing exploded, it follows, that the Methodist Church has every 
 thing which is Scriptural and essential to justify its episcopacy. Is 
 the unanimous approbation of the chief synod of a church neces- 
 sary 1 This it has had. Is the ready compliance of the members 
 of the church with its decision, in this respect, necessary 1 This 
 it has had, and continues to have. Is it highly expedient, that 
 the fountain of the episcopacy should be respectable 1 This has 
 been the case. The most respectable divine since the primitive 
 ages, if not since the time of the apostles, was Mr. Wesley. His 
 knowledge of the sciences was very extensive. He was a general 
 scholar : and for any to call his learning in question, would be to 
 call their own. On his death the literati of England bore testi- 
 mony to his great character. And where has been the individual 
 so useful in the spread of religion 1 But in this we can appeal 
 only to the lovers of vital godliness. By his long and incessant 
 labours he raised a multitude of societies, who looked up to him 
 for direction ; and certainly his directions in things lawful, with 
 the full approbation of the people, were sufficient to give authen- 
 
Sec. 3.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 283 
 
 ticity to what was accordingly done. He was peculiarly attached 
 to the laws and customs of the church in the primitive times 
 of Christianity. He knew, that the primitive churches univer- 
 sally followed the episcopal plan : and indeed Bishop Hoadley has 
 demonstrated that the episcopal plan was universal till the time 
 of the Reformation. Mr. Wesley therefore preferred the episcopal 
 form of church government ; and God has (glory be to his name !) 
 wonderfully blessed it among us." 
 
 " But in all we have observed on this subject, we by no means 
 intend to speak disrespectfully of the Presbyterian Church, or of 
 any other : we only desire to defend our own from the unjust 
 calumnies of its opponents." 
 
 " SECTION III. 
 
 " Of the General and Yearly Conferences." 
 
 " Our societies are scattered over a vast country, extending 
 about fourteen hundred miles from north to south, and from five 
 to eight hundred from east to west. We could not, therefore, in 
 justice to the work of God, nor from the state of our finances, 
 hold our General Conferences oftener than once in four years. 
 If they were more frequent, the long absence of so many minis- 
 ters from their respective circuits and districts would be an irre- 
 parable loss to the societies and congregations. Nor do we think, 
 that the nature of a religious constitution renders it necessary to 
 revise more frequently the regulations by which it is governed. 
 But there are various particulars, which do not come under the 
 name of laws, which require more frequent assemblies or confer- 
 ences for their consideration. The admission of preachers on 
 trial and into full connection, the ordination of elders and deacons, 
 the examination of the characters of the ministers and preachers, 
 and the stationing of them all, as well as the management of the 
 fund for the superannuated preachers, &c, are points of the first 
 moment, and call for frequent meetings. On this account, the 
 General Conference has appointed yearly conferences, divided 
 in the best manner they were able ; to be composed, as far as 
 possible, of at least one bishop — the president elder of each dis- 
 trict within the control of those conferences, respectively — the 
 elders, deacons, and the preachers in full connection. These men, 
 who have been travelling the preceding year among all the soci- 
 eties in those districts and circuits, respectively, can gixe the 
 fullest, the completest information on all the subjects which 
 come under the cognizance of the yearly conferences. 
 
 " But it may be asked, Why are not delegates sent to these 
 conferences from each of the circuits ? We answer, It would 
 utterly destroy our itinerant plan. They would be concerned 
 chiefly, if not only, for the interests of their own constituents. 
 
284 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1 . 
 
 They could not be expected, from the nature of things, to make 
 the necessary sacrifices, and to enter impartially into the good of 
 the whole. They would necessarily endeavour to obtain the most 
 able and lively preachers for their respective circuits, without 
 entering, perhaps at all, into that enlarged, apostolic spirit, which 
 would endeavour, whatever might be the sacrifice, to make all 
 things tally. The difference of gifts in the ministers, and the 
 opposing interests of the delegates, would produce conflicts of a 
 pernicious tendency ; and, in many instances, improper means 
 would be used for obtaining the desired point. Frequently the 
 delegates, if unsuccessful in their application for their favourite 
 preacher, would probably make him secret offers to settle among 
 them ; and if unsuccessful in every point, and the preacher, ap- 
 pointed for them and their constituents, was not agreeable to their 
 wishes, they might grow indignant, and, through resentment, 
 and by their unfavourable reports, on their return, might cause 
 a separation from the general body. And those who imagine this 
 to be a mere chimera, show, we think, but little knowledge of 
 human nature : they do not consider how easily and powerfully 
 the heated passions would plead in favour of a settled ministry — 
 how easily disappointment and jealousy would present the purest 
 and most disinterested conduct in the most unfavourable light : 
 to say nothing of the labour and expense of such a plan. While, 
 on the other hand, the present members who compose our con- 
 ferences, who know not, when they meet, what may be their 
 next sphere of action, and are willing to run anywhere on the 
 errands of their Lord, are not nearly as much exposed to the 
 temptations mentioned above.* 
 
 " The following portions of the word of God are pointed in 
 support of the itinerant plan for the propagation of the gospel ; 
 which plan renders most of the regulations contained in this sec- 
 tion essential to the existence of our united society : Matt, x, 
 5-11, ' These twelve [apostles] Jesus sent forth, and command- 
 ed them, saying, Go — to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 
 And as ye go, 'preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire,' &c. 
 
 it * We are very far from making these remarks out of any disre- 
 spect to our located brethren. On the contrary, we are very conscious 
 that many of them equal any of us, and perhaps much exceed us in 
 grace and wisdom. We have made these observations only on ac- 
 count of their located situation, well knowing that our people would 
 on no occasion choose any for their delegates who were not wise and 
 good men. But such is the nature of man, and perhaps such is the 
 duty of man, that he will always prefer the people for whom he acts, 
 and to whom he is responsible, before all others. We should, proba- 
 bly, act in the same manner ourselves, if we were delegates for a 
 single circuit or district." 
 
Sec. 3.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 285 
 
 Matt, xxii, 8-10, 'Then saith he to his servants, The wedding i3 
 ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye, 
 therefore, into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid 
 to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, 1 
 &c. Matt, xxviii, 19, ' Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, 1 be 
 as extensively useful as possible. Mark vi, 7-12, ' And he calleth 
 unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and 
 two, — and commanded them that they should take nothing 
 for their journey, save a staff only. — And he said unto them, 
 In what place soever ye enter into a house, there abide, till ye 
 depart from that place. — And they went out, and preached that 
 men should repent.' Luke x, 1-9, ' After these things, the Lord 
 appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before 
 his face into every city and place, whither he himself would 
 come. — And into whatsoever house ye enter,' says our Lord to 
 them, ' first say, Peace be to this house. — And into whatsoever 
 city ye enter, and they receive you, — say unto them, The king- 
 dom of God is come nigh unto you.' Luke xiv, 23, ' And the Lord 
 said unto the servant, Go out into the higliways and hedges, and 
 compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.' Acts 
 viii, 4, 'They that were scattered abroad went everywhere 
 preaching the word.' Acts viii, 40, 'Philip — preached in all the 
 cities, till he came to Cesarea.' Acts xvi, 36, ' Paul said unto 
 Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city 
 where we have preached the word of the Lord,' &c. 
 
 M We have already shown, that Timothy and Titus were travel- 
 ling bishops. In short, every candid person, who is thoroughly 
 acquainted with the New Testament, must allow, that whatever 
 excellences other plans may have, this is the primitive and apos- 
 tolic plan. But we would by no means speak with disrespect of 
 the faithful located ministers of any church. We doubt not, 
 but, from the nature and circumstances of things, there must 
 have been many located ministers in the primitive churches : and 
 we must acknowledge, with gratitude to God, that the located 
 brethren in our church are truly useful and of considerable con- 
 sequence, in their respective stations. But, on the other hand, 
 we are so conscious of the vast importance of the travelling plan, 
 that we are determined, through the grace of God, to support it 
 to the utmost of our power : nor will any plea which can possibly 
 be urged, however plausible it may appear, or under whatever 
 name proposed, induce us to make the least sacrifice in this re- 
 spect, or, by the introduction of any novelty, to run the least 
 hazard of wounding that plan, which God has so wonderfully- 
 owned, and which is so perfectly consistent with the apostolic 
 and primitive practice. 
 
 " We will now humbly beg leave to drop a few hints (for laws 
 or regulations we have no authority to make) as explanatory of 
 those words in the introduction to this section, 'It is desired, 
 
286 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 that every person speak freely whatever is in his heart :' and we 
 propose them the more readily, as they are extracted from the 
 Minutes drawn up by our elder brethren, the members of the 
 British Conference : — 
 
 " 1. Be tender of the character of every brother ; but keep at 
 the utmost distance from countenancing sin. 
 
 " 2. Say nothing in the conference but what is strictly neces- 
 sary, and to the point. 
 
 "3. If accused by any one, remember recrimination is no 
 acquittance ; therefore avoid it. 
 
 " 4. Beware of impatience of contradiction : be firm ; but be 
 open to conviction. The cause is God's, and he needs not the 
 hands of an Uzzah to support his ark. The being too tenacious 
 of a point, because you brought it forward, may be only feeding 
 self. Be quite easy, if a majority decide against you. 
 
 " 5. Use no craft or guile to gain any point. Genuine simpli- 
 city will always support itself. But there is no need always to 
 say all you know or think. 
 
 "6. Beware of too much confidence in your own abilities ; and 
 never despise an opponent. 
 
 " 7. Avoid all lightness of spirit, even what would be innocent 
 anywhere else. — Thou, God, seest me. 
 
 " The appointment of the times for holding the yearly confer- 
 ences must necessarily be invested in the bishops, otherwise 
 they cannot possibly form their plans for travelling through the 
 continent, so that they may be enabled to attend each of the 
 conferences. But the right of fixing the places rests with the 
 conferences. 
 
 " We cannot omit noticing, before we conclude this section, 
 the strict examination which the characters of the preachers pass 
 through, in the yearly conferences. When that eminent saint 
 of God, and great writer, John Fletcher, was once present, in 
 the British Conference, at the examination of the characters, he 
 seemed astonished, and expressed his surprise and approbation in 
 very strong terms. The examination is equally strict in all the 
 conferences throughout the connection. And we know of no 
 church where the purity of the morals, the orthodoxy of the doc- 
 trines, and the usefulness of the lives and labours of the minis- 
 ters, (for all these are included in the examination,) are more 
 strictly attended to than in ours. 
 
 " In respect to the division of the continent, for the purpose 
 of holding the yearly conferences, we may observe, that for several 
 years the annual conferences were very small, consisting only of 
 the preachers of a single district, or of two or three very small 
 ones. This w r as attended with many inconveniences : — 1 . There 
 were but few 7 of the senior preachers, whose years and experience 
 had matured their judgments, who could be present at any one 
 conference. 2. The conferences wanted that dignity which every 
 
Sec. 4.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 287 
 
 religious synod should possess, and which always accompanies a 
 large assembly of gospel ministers. 3. The itinerant plan was 
 exceedingly cramped, from the difficulty of removing preachers 
 from one district to another. All these inconveniences will, we 
 trust, be removed on the present plan ; and at the same time the 
 conferences are so arranged, that all the members, respectively, 
 may attend with little difficulty. 
 
 " To all which may be added, that the active, zealous, unmar- 
 ried preachers, may move on a larger scale, and preach the ever- 
 blessed gospel far more extensively through the sixteen states, 
 and other parts of the continent ; while the married preachers, 
 whose circumstances require them, in many instances, to be 
 more located than the single men, will have a considerable field 
 of action opened to them ; and also the bishops will be able to 
 attend the conferences with greater ease, and without injury to 
 their health. 
 
 " The regulation concerning those who are to attend the con- 
 ferences is made, that our societies and congregations may be 
 supplied with preaching during the conferences. We would, 
 therefore, wish to have a few of the travelling preachers among 
 our dear flocks at those times. But as we desire to make the 
 conferences as respectable and weighty as possible, we can spare 
 none at those important seasons, except the preachers upon trial. 
 They, also, will be absent from the yearly conferences only for 
 one year, as they must be present on the second to be admitted 
 into full connection." 
 
 "SECTION IV. 
 
 " Of the Election and Consecration of Bishops, and of their 
 Duty." 
 
 " In considering the present subject, we must observe, that no- 
 thing has been introduced into Methodism by the present episco- 
 pal form of government, which was not before fully exercised 
 by Mr. Wesley. He presided in the conferences ; fixed the 
 appointments of the preachers for their several circuits ; changed, 
 received, or suspended preachers wherever he judged that 
 necessity required it ; travelled through the European connection 
 at large ; superintended the spiritual and temporal business : and 
 consecrated two bishops, Thomas Coke and Alexander Mather, 
 one before the present episcopal plan took place in America, and 
 the other afterward, besides ordaining elders and deacons. But 
 the authority of Mr. Wesley and that of the bishops in America 
 differ in the following important points : — 
 
 " 1. Mr. Wesley was the patron of all the Methodist pulpits in 
 Great Britain and Ireland for life, the sole right of nomination 
 being invested in him by all the deeds of settlement, which gave 
 
288 NoUs on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 him exceeding great power. But the bishops in America possess 
 no such power. The property of the preaching-houses is invested 
 in the trustees ; and the right of nomination to the pulpits, in 
 the General Conference — and in such as the General Conference 
 shall, from time to time, appoint. This division of power in 
 favour of the General Conference was absolutely necessary. 
 'Without it the itinerant plan could not exist for any long continu- 
 ance. The trustees would probably, in many instances, from 
 their located situation, insist upon having their favourite preachers 
 stationed in their circuits, or endeavour to prevail on the preach- 
 ers themselves to locate among them, or choose some other set- 
 tled minister for their chapels. In other cases, the trustees of 
 preaching-houses in different circuits would probably insist upon 
 having the same popular or favourite preachers.* Here, then, 
 lies the grand difference between Mr. Wesley's authority, in the 
 present instance, and that of our American bishops. The former, 
 as (under God) the father of the connection, was allowed to 
 have the sole, legal, independent nomination of preachers to all 
 the chapels : the latter are entirely dependent on the General 
 Conference. 
 
 " But why, may it be asked, does the General Conference lodge 
 the power of stationing the preachers in the episcopacy ! We 
 answer, On account of their entire confidence in it. If ever, 
 through improper conduct, it loses that confidence in any consi- 
 derable degree, the General Conference will, upon evidence given, 
 in a proportionable degree, take from it this branch of its authority. 
 But if ever it evidently betrays a spirit of tyranny or partiality, 
 and this can be proved before the General Conference, the 
 whole will be taken from it : and we pray God, that in such case 
 the power may be invested in other hands ! And alas ! who 
 would envy any one the power 1 There is no situation in which 
 a bishop can be placed, no branch of duty he can possibly 
 exercise, so delicate, or which so exposes him to the jealousies 
 
 " * We must repeat nearly the same observations concerning trustees, 
 which we have in our notes on the last section, concerning the sending 
 of delegates to our conferences. We have a great respect for our 
 trustees. We consider them as men to whom the connection is 
 greatly obliged. They fill up an important province in our church, 
 and have a claim to a high rank among us. Humanly speaking, the 
 work could not be carried on without them to any extent in the cities 
 and towns. Their responsibility for the debts of our buildings, and 
 the disinterestedness which must necessarily influence them when they 
 make themselves responsible, lay our societies under very great obli- 
 gations. We both love and honour them. But still they are located 
 men. They cannot be expected to act impartially for the whole. 
 They will think it their duty, and perhaps it is their duty, to prefer the 
 interests of their own congregations to any other. We should pro. 
 bably act in the same manner in their situation." 
 
Sec. 4.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 289 
 
 not only of false but of true brethren, as this. The removal of 
 preachers from district to district, and from circuit to circuit, 
 very nearly concerns them, and touches their tenderest feelings : 
 and it requires no small portion of grace for a preacher to be 
 perfectly contented with his appointment, when he is stationed 
 in a circuit where the societies are small, the rides long, and the 
 fare coarse. Any one, therefore, may easily see, from the na- 
 ture of man, that though the bishop has to deal with some of the 
 best of men, he will sometimes raise himself opposers, who, by 
 rather overrating their own abilities, may judge him to be par- 
 tial in respect to their appointments: and these circumstances 
 would weigh down his mind to such a degree, as those who are 
 not well acquainted with the difficulties which necessarily 
 accompany public and important stations among mankind, can 
 hardly conceive. 
 
 " May we not add a few observations concerning the high ex- 
 pediency, if not necessity, of the present plan. How could an 
 itinerant ministry be preserved through this extensive continent, 
 if the yearly conferences were to station the preachers 1 They 
 would, of course, be taken up with th» sole consideration of the 
 spiritual and temporal interests of that part of the connection, 
 the direction of which was intrusted to them. The necessary 
 consequence of this mode of proceeding would probably, in less 
 than an age, be the division of the body and the independence of 
 each yearly conference. The conferences would be more and 
 more estranged from each other for want of a mutual exchange of 
 preachers ; and that grand spring, the union of the body at large, 
 by which, under divine grace, the work is more and more ex- 
 tended through this vast country, would be gradually weakened, till 
 at last it might be entirely destroyed. The connection would no 
 more be enabled to send missionaries to the western states and 
 territories, in proportion to their rapid population. The grand 
 circulation of ministers would be at an end, and a mortal stab 
 given to the itinerant plan. The surplus of preachers in one 
 conference could not be drawn out to supply the deficiencies of 
 others, through declensions, locations, deaths, &c, and the revi- 
 vals in one part of the continent could not be rendered beneficial 
 to the others. Our grand plan, in all its parts, leads to an 
 itinerant ministry. Our bishops are travelling bishops. All the 
 different orders which compose our conferences are employed in 
 the travelling line ; and our local preachers are, in some degree, 
 travelling preachers. Every thing is kept moving as far as 
 possible ; and we will be bold to say, that, next to the grace of 
 God, there is nothing like this for keeping the whole body alive 
 from the centre to the circumference, and for the continual ex- 
 tension of that circumference on every hand. And we verily 
 believe, that if our episcopacy should, at any time, through ty- 
 rannical or immoral conduct, come under the severe censure of 
 
 13 
 
290 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1 . 
 
 the General Conference, the members thereof would see it high* 
 ly for the glory of God to preserve the present form, and only to 
 change the men. 
 
 " 2. Mr. Wesley, as the venerable founder (under God) of the 
 whole Methodist society, governed without any responsibility 
 whatever ; and the universal respect and veneration of both the 
 preachers and people for him made them cheerfully submit to 
 this : nor was there ever, perhaps, a mere human being who 
 used so much power better, or with a purer eye to the Redeem- 
 er's glory, than that blessed man of God. But the American 
 bishops are as responsible as any of the preachers. They are 
 perfectly subject to the General Conference They are indeed 
 conscious that the conference would neither degrade nor censure 
 them, unless they deserved it. They have, on the one hand, the 
 fullest confidence in their brethren ; and, on the other, esteem the 
 confidence which their brethren place in them, as the highest 
 earthly honour they can receive. 
 
 " But this is not all. They are subject to be tried by seven 
 elders and two deacons, as prescribed above, for any immorality, or 
 supposed immorality; and may be suspended by two-thirds of 
 these, not only from all public offices, but -even from being 
 private members of the society, till the ensuing General Confer- 
 ence. This mode subjects the bishops to a trial before a court 
 of judicature, considerably inferior to that of a yearly conference. 
 For there is not one of the yearly conferences which will not, 
 probably, be attended by more presiding elders, elders and deacons, 
 than the conference which is authorized to try a bishop, the 
 yearly conferences consisting of from thirty to sixty members. 
 And we can, without scruple, assert, that there are no bishops of 
 any other episcopal church upon earth who are subject to so strict 
 a trial as the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 
 America. We trust, they will never need to be influenced by 
 motives drawn from the fear of temporal or ecclesiastical punish- 
 ments, in order to keep from vice : but if they do, may the rod 
 which hangs over them have its due effect : or may they be ex- 
 pelled the church, as ' salt which hath lost its savour, and is 
 thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and trodden under 
 foot of men.' 
 
 " 3. Mr. Wesley had the entire management of all the confer- 
 ence funds and the produce of the books. It is true, he expend- 
 ed all upon the work of God, and for charitable purposes ; and 
 rather than appropriate the least of it to his own use, refused, 
 even when he was about seventy years of age, to travel in a car- 
 riage, till his friends in London and Bristol entered into a private 
 subscription for the extraordinary expense. That great man of 
 God might have heaped up thousands upon thousands, if he had 
 been so inclined ; and yet he died worth nothing but a little pocket 
 money, 'he horses and the carriage in which he travelled, and 
 
Sec. 4.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 291 
 
 the clothes he wore. But our American bishops have no proba- 
 bility of being rich. For not a cent of the public money is at 
 their disposal : the conferences have the entire direction of the 
 whole. Their salary is sixty-four dollars a year ; and their 
 travelling expenses are also defrayed. And with this salary they 
 are to travel about six thousand miles a year, ' in much patience,' 
 and sometimes ' in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in la- 
 bours, in watchings, in fastings,' through ' honour and dishonour, 
 evil report and good report : as deceivers, and yet true ; as un- 
 known, and yet well known ; as dying, and, behold,' they ' live ; 
 as chastened, and not killed ; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing ; 
 as poor, yet making many rich ; as having nothing, and yet 
 possessing all things ;' and, we trust, they can each of them 
 through grace say, in their small measure, with the great 
 apostle, that '.they are determined not to know any thing, save 
 Jesus Christ, and him crucified ; yea, doubtless, and count all 
 things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
 Jesus their Lord : for whom they have suffered the loss of all 
 things, and do count them but dung that they may win Christ.' 
 
 "We have drawn this comparison between our venerable father 
 and the American bishops, to show to the world that they possess 
 not, and, we may add, they aim not to possess that power which 
 he exercised and had a right to exercise, as the father of 
 the connection ; that, on the contrary, they are perfectly de- 
 pendent ; that their power, their usefulness, themselves, are en- 
 tirely at the mercy of the General Conference, and, on the 
 charge of immorality, at the mercy of two-thirds of the little con- 
 ference of nine. 
 
 11 To these observations we may add, 1. That a branch of the 
 episcopal office, which, in every episcopal church upon earth, 
 since the first introduction of Christianity, has been considered as 
 essential to it, namely, the power of ordination, is singularly 
 limited in our bishops. For they not only have no power to or- 
 dain a person for the episcopal office till he be first elected by the 
 General Conference, but they possess no authority to ordain an 
 elder or a travelling deacon till he be first elected by a yearly 
 conference ; or a local deacon, till he obtain a testimonial, signi- 
 fying the approbation of the society to which he belongs, coun- 
 tersigned by the general stewards of the circuit, three elders, 
 three deacons, and three travelling preachers. They are, there- 
 fore, not under the temptation of ordaining through interest, affec- 
 tion, or any other improper motive ; because it is not in their 
 power so to do. They have, indeed, authority to suspend the 
 ordination of an elected person, because they are answerable to 
 God for the abuse of their office, and the command of the apostle, 
 ' Lay hands suddenly on no man,' is absolute : and we trust, 
 where conscience was really concerned, and they had sufficient 
 reason to exercise their power of suspension, they would do it 
 
292 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 even to the loss of the esteem of their brethren, which is more 
 dear to them than life ; yea, even to the loss of their usefulness 
 in the church, which is more precious to them than all things 
 here below. But every one must be immediately sensible, how 
 cautious they will necessarily be, as men of wisdom, in the ex- 
 ercise of this suspending power. For unless they had such 
 weighty reasons for the exercise of it, as would give some de- 
 gree of satisfaction to the conference which had made the elec- 
 tion, they would throw T themselves into difficulties, out of which 
 they would not be able to extricate themselves, but by the meek- 
 est and wisest conduct, and by reparation to the injured person. 
 
 " 2. The bishops are obliged to travel till the General Confer- 
 ence pronounces them worn out or superannuated : for that cer- 
 tainly is the meaning of the answer to the sixth question of this 
 section. What a restriction ! Where is the like in any other epis- 
 copal church 1 It would be a disgrace to our episcopacy to have 
 bishops settled on their plantations here and there, evidencing to 
 all the world, that instead of breathing the spirit of their office, 
 they could, without remorse, lay down their crown, and bury the 
 most important talents God has given to men ! We would 
 rather choose that our episcopacy should be blotted out from the 
 face of the earth, than be spotted with such disgraceful conduct ! 
 All the episcopal churches in the world are conscious of the 
 dignity of the episcopal office. The greatest part of them endea- 
 vour to preserve this dignity by large salaries, splendid dresses, 
 and other appendages of pomp and splendour. But if an episco- 
 pacy has neither the dignity which arises from these worldly trap- 
 pings, nor that infinitely superior dignity which is the attendant 
 of labour, of suffering and enduring hardship for the cause of 
 Christ, and of a venerable old age, the concluding scene of a 
 life devoted to the service of God, it instantly becomes the 
 disgrace of a church and the just ridicule of the world ! 
 
 " Some may think, that the mode of travelling which the 
 bishops are obliged to pursue, is attended with little difficulty, 
 and much pleasure. Much pleasure they certainly do experience, 
 because they know that they move in the will of God, and that 
 the Lord is pleased to own their feeble labours. But if to travel 
 through the heat and the cold, the rain and the snow, the swamps 
 and the rivers, over the mountains and through the wilderness, 
 lying for nights together on the bare ground and in log-houses, 
 open to the wind on every side, fulfilling their appointments, as 
 far as possible, whatever be the hinderance, — if these be little dif- 
 ficulties, then our bishops have but little to endure. 
 
 " We have already quoted so many texts of Scripture in de- 
 fence of episcopacy and the itinerant plan, that we need only 
 refer our reader to the notes on the first and third sections. The 
 whole tenor of St. Paul's epistles to Timothy and Titus clearly 
 evidences, that they were invested, on the whole, with abundantly 
 
Sec. 5.] By Bishops Coke and Asburt,. 293 
 
 more power than our bishops ; nor does it appear that they were 
 responsible to any but God and the apostle. The texts quoted in 
 the notes on the third section, in defence of the itinerant plan, we 
 would particularly recommend to the reader's attention ; as we 
 must insist upon it, that the general itinerancy would not proba- 
 bly exist for any length of time on this extensive continent, if the 
 bishops were not invested with that authority which they now 
 possess. They alone travel through the whole connection, and 
 therefore have such a view of the whole, as no yearly conference 
 can possibly have. 
 
 " One bishop, with the elders present, may consecrate a bishop 
 who has been previously elected by the General Conference. 
 This is agreeable to the Scriptures. We read, 2 Tim. i, 6, ' I 
 put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God which 
 is in thee, by the putting on of my hands :' here we have the 
 imposition of the hands of the apostle. Again, we read, 1 Tim. 
 iv, 14, 'Neglect not the gift thai is in thee, which was given 
 thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presby- 
 tery :' here we have the laying on of the hands of the elders. 
 And by comparing both passages, it is evident that the imposition 
 of hands was, both in respect to the apostle and the elders, for 
 the same gift. Nor is the idea, that three bishops are necessary 
 to consecrate a bishop, grounded on any authority whatever, 
 drawn from the Scriptures, or the practice of the apostolic age. 
 
 " The authority given to, or rather declared to exist in, the 
 General Conference, that in case there shall be no bishop re- 
 maining in the church, they shall elect a bishop, and authorize 
 the elders to consecrate him, will not admit of an objection, ex- 
 cept on the supposition that the fable of an uninterrupted apostolic 
 succession be allowed to be true. St. Jerome, who was as 
 strong an advocate for episcopacy as perhaps any in the primi- 
 tive church, informs us, that in the church of Alexandria, (which 
 was, in ancient times, one of the most respectable of the church- 
 es,) the college of presbyters not only elected a bishop on the 
 decease of the former, but consecrated him by the imposition of 
 their own hands solely, from the time of St. Mark, their first 
 bishop, to the time of Dionysius, which was a space of about two 
 hundred years : and the college of presbyters in ancient times 
 answered to our General Conference." 
 
 "section v. 
 
 " Of the Presiding Elders, and of their Duty." 
 
 After citing sundry scriptures in favour of having " presiding, 
 superintending, or ruling elders," the bishops proceed, — 
 
 " On the principles or data above mentioned, all the episcopal 
 churches in the world have, in some measure, formed their 
 
294 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 church government. And we believe we can venture to assert, 
 that there never has been an episcopal church of any great ex- 
 tent which has not had ruling or presiding elders, either ex- 
 pressly by name, as in the apostolic churches, or otherwise in 
 effect. On this account it is, that all the modern episcopal 
 churches have had their presiding or ruling elders under the 
 names of grand vicars, archdeacons, rural deans, &c. The 
 Moravians have presiding elders, who are invested with very 
 considerable authority, though we believe they are simply termed 
 elders. And we beg leave to repeat, that we are confident, we 
 could, if need were, show that all the episcopal churches, ancient 
 and modern, of any great extent, have had an order or set of 
 ministers corresponding,, more or less, to our presiding or ruling 
 elders, all of whom were, more or less, invested with the super- 
 intendence of other ministers. 
 
 " Mr. Wesley informs us in his Works, that the whole plan 
 of Methodism was introduced, step by step, by the interference 
 and openings of divine Providence. This was the case in the 
 present instance. When Mr. Wesley drew up a plan of govern- 
 ment for our church in America, he desired that no more elders 
 should be ordained in the first instance than were absolutely 
 necessary, and that the work on the continent should be divided 
 between them, in respect to the duties of their office. The 
 General Conference accordingly elected twelve elders for the 
 above purposes. Bishop Asbury and the district conferences 
 afterward found that this order of men was so necessary that 
 they agreed to enlarge the number, and give them the name by 
 which they are at present called, and which is perfectly Scrip- 
 tural, though not the word used in our translation : and this pro- 
 ceeding afterward received the approbation of Mr. Wesley. 
 
 " In 1792 the General Conference, equally conscious of the 
 necessity of having such an office among us, not only confirmed 
 every thing that Bishop Asbury and the district conferences had 
 done, but also drew up or agreed to the present section for the 
 explanation of the nature and duties of the office. The confer- 
 ence clearly saw that the bishops wanted assistants ; that it was 
 impossible for one or two bishops so to superintend the vast 
 work on this continent as to keep every thing in order in the 
 intervals of the conference, without other official men to act 
 under them and assist them : and as these would be only the 
 agents of the bishops in every respect, the authority of appoint- 
 ing them, and of changing them, ought, from the nature of 
 things, to be in the episcopacy. If the presiding or ruling elders 
 were not men in whom the bishops could fully confide, or on the 
 loss of confidence, could exchange for others, the utmost con- 
 fusion would ensue. This also renders the authority invested 
 in the bishops of fixing the extent of each district, highly expe- 
 dient. They must be supposed to be the best judges of the 
 
Sec. 5.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 295 
 
 abilities of the presiding elders whom they themselves choose : 
 and it is a grand part of their duty to make the districts and the 
 talents of the presiding elders who act for them, suit and agree 
 with each other, as far as possible : for it cannot be expected, 
 that a sufficient number of them can at any time be found, of 
 equal talents, and, therefore, the extent of their field of action 
 must be proportioned to their gifts. 
 
 " From all that has been advanced, and from those other ideas 
 which will present themselves to the reader's mind on this sub- 
 ject, it will appear that the presiding elders must, of course, be 
 appointed, directed, and changed by the episcopacy. And yet 
 their power is so considerable that it would by no means be suf- 
 ficient for them to be responsible to the bishops only for their 
 conduct in their office. They are as responsible in this respect, 
 and in every other, to the yearly conference to which they be- 
 long, as any other preacher ; and may be censured, suspended, 
 or expelled from the connection, if the conference see it proper : 
 nor have the bishops any authority to overrule, suspend, or 
 meliorate in any degree the censures, suspensions, or expulsions 
 of the conference. 
 
 " Many and great are the advantages arising from this insti- 
 tution. 1. It is a great help and blessing to the quarterly meet- 
 ings respectively, through the connection, to have a man at 
 their head, who is experienced not only in the ways of God, but 
 in men and manners, and in all things appertaining to the order 
 of our church. Appeals may be brought before the quarterly 
 meeting from the judgment of the preacher who has the over- 
 sight of the circuit, who certainly would not be, in such cases, 
 so proper to preside as the ruling elder. Nor would any local 
 preacher, leader, or steward be a suitable president of the meet- 
 ing, as his parent, his child, his brother, sister, or friend, might 
 be more or less interested in the appeals which came before 
 him : besides, his local situation would lead him almost unavoid- 
 ably to prejudge the case, and, perhaps, to enter warmly into 
 the interests of one or other of the parties, previously to the 
 appeal. It is, therefore, indisputably evident, that the ruling 
 elder is most likely to be impartial, and, consequently, the most 
 proper person to preside. 
 
 " 2. Another advantage of this office arises from the neces- 
 sity of changing preachers from circuit to circuit in the intervals 
 of the yearly conferences. Many of the preachers are young 
 in years and gifts ; and this must always be the case, more or 
 less, or a fresh supply of travelling preachers in proportion to 
 the necessities of the work could not be procured. These 
 young men, in general, are exceedingly zealous. Their grand 
 forte is to awaken souls ; and in this view they are highly ne- 
 cessary for the spreading of the gospel. But for some time 
 their gifts cannot be expected to be various ; and, therefore, 
 
296 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 half a year at a time, or sometimes even a quarter, may be suf- 
 ficient for them to labour in one circuit : to change them, there- 
 fore, from circuit to circuit, in the intervals of the yearly con 
 ferences, is highly necessary in many instances. Again, the 
 preachers themselves, for family reasons, or on other accounts, 
 may desire, and have reason to expect, a change But who 
 can make it in the absence of the bishops, unless there be a pre- 
 siding elder appointed for the district 1 A recent instance proves 
 the justice of this remark. A large district was lately without 
 a presiding elder for a year. Many of the preachers, sensible 
 of the necessity of a change in the course of the year, met to- 
 gether, and settled every preliminary for the purpose. Accord- 
 ingly, when the time fixed upon for the change arrived, several 
 of them came to their new appointments according to agreement, 
 but, behold, the others had changed their minds, and the former 
 were obliged to return to their old circuits, feeling not a little 
 disgrace on account of their treatment. And this would be 
 continually the case, and all would be confusion, if there were 
 no persons invested with the powers of ruling elders, by what- 
 ever name they might be called ; as it would be impossible for 
 the bishops to be present everywhere, and enter into the details 
 of all the circuits. 
 
 " 3. Who is able properly to supply the vacancies in circuits 
 on the deaths of preachers, or on their withdrawing from the 
 travelling connection 1 Who can have a thorough knowledge 
 of the state of the district, and of its resources for the filling up 
 such vacancies, except the presiding elder who travels through 
 the whole district 1 And shall circuits be often neglected for 
 months together, and the flocks, during those times, be, more or 
 less, without shepherds, and many of them, perhaps, perish for 
 want of food, merely that one of the most Scriptural and useful 
 offices among us may be abolished T Shall we not rather sup- 
 port it, notwithstanding every thing which may be subtilly urged 
 by our enemies under the cry of tyranny, which is the common 
 cry of restless spirits, even against the best governments, in 
 order that they may throw every thing into confusion, and then 
 ride in the whirlwind and direct the storm ? 
 
 " 4. When a bishop visits a district, he ought to have one to 
 accompany him, in whom he can fully confide ; one who can 
 inform him of the whole work in a complete and comprehensive 
 view ; and, therefore, one who has travelled through the whole, 
 and, by being present at all the quarterly meetings, can give all 
 the information concerning every circuit in particular, and the 
 district in general, which the bishop can desire. Nor is the ad- 
 vantage small that the bishops, when at the greatest distance, 
 may receive from the presiding elders a full account of th^ir 
 respective districts, and may thereby be continually in possession 
 
Sec. 5.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 297 
 
 of a more comprehensive knowledge of the whole work than they 
 could possibly procure by any other means. 
 
 " 5. The only branch of the presiding elder's office, the im- 
 portance and usefulness of which is not so obvious to some per- 
 sons, but which is, at the same time, perhaps the most expedient 
 of all, is the suspending power, for the preservation of the purity 
 of our ministry, and that our people may never be burdened with 
 preachers of insufficient gifts. Here we must not forget that 
 the presiding elder acts as agent to the bishops ; and that the 
 bishops are, the greatest part of their time, at a vast distance 
 from him : he must, therefore, exercise episcopal authority, (or- 
 dination excepted,) or he cannot act as their agent. All power 
 may be abused. The only way which can be devised to pre- 
 vent the abuse of it, if we will have a good and effective govern- 
 ment, is to make the executive governors completely responsible, 
 and their responsibility within the reach of the aggrieved. And, 
 in the present instance, not only the General Conference may 
 expel the presiding elder — not only the episcopacy may sus- 
 pend him from the exercise of his office — but the yearly confer- 
 ence may also impeach him, try him, and expel him : and such 
 a threefold guard must be allowed, by every candid mind, to be 
 as full a check to the abuse of his power, as, perhaps, human 
 wisdom can devise. 
 
 " But is it not strange that any of the people should complain 
 either of this or of the episcopal office 1 These offices in the 
 church are peculiarly designed to meliorate the severity of 
 Christian discipline, as far as they respect the people. In them 
 the people have a refuge, an asylum to which they may fly upon 
 all occasions. To them they may appeal, and before them they 
 may lay all their complaints and grievances. The persons who 
 bear these offices are their fathers in the gospel, ever open of 
 access, ever ready to relieve them under every oppression. 
 And we believe we can venture to assert, that the people have 
 never had even a plausible pretence to complain of the authority 
 either of the bishops or the presiding elders. 
 
 " 6. We may add, as was just hinted above, that the bishops 
 ought not to enter into small details. It is not their calling. 
 To select the proper men who are to act as their agents — to 
 preserve in order and in motion the wheels of the vast machine 
 — to keep a constant and watchful eye upon the whole — and to 
 think deeply for the general good — form their peculiar and im- 
 portant avocation. All of which shows the necessity of the 
 office now under consideration. 
 
 " The objection brought by some that many of the most useful 
 
 preachers are taken out of the circuits for this purpose, whose 
 
 preaching talents are thereby lost to the connection, will by no 
 
 means bear examination. Even if this was the case, the vast 
 
 13* 
 
298 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 advantage arising from a complete and effective superintendence 
 of the work would, we believe, far over-balance this considera- 
 tion. But the objection is destitute of weight. Their preaching 
 abilities are, we believe, abundantly more useful. Though all 
 the preachers of matured talents and experience cannot be em- 
 ployed as presiding elders, yet those who are employed as such 
 generally answer this character. They are qualified to build 
 up believers on their most holy faith, and to remove scruples, 
 and answer cases of conscience, more than the younger preachers 
 in general. In many circuits some parts of the society might 
 suffer much in respect to the divine life, for want of those gifts 
 peculiarly necessary for them, were it not for this additional 
 help ; while the junction of the talents of the presiding elder 
 with those of the circuit preachers, will, in general, make the 
 whole complete. And as the presiding elder is, or ought to be, 
 always present at the quarterly meetings, he will have oppor- 
 tunities of delivering his whole mind to a very considerable part 
 of the people : nor is there any reasonable ground to fear that 
 he will ever wear out his talents, if we consider the extent of a 
 district, and the obligation the episcopacy is under to remove 
 him, at furthest, on the expiration of four years. 
 
 " To these observations we may add, that the calling of dis- 
 trict conferences, on the immorality of travelling preachers, on 
 their deaths, the necessity of removals, &c, would be attended 
 with the most pernicious consequences to the circuits on this 
 vast continent, where the districts are so large, and the absence 
 of the preachers would be necessarily so long upon every such 
 occasion. And we will venture to assert, that if any effective 
 government ought to exist at all in the connection, during the 
 intervals of the yearly and general conferences, there is no 
 alternative between the authority of the bishops and their agents, 
 the presiding elders, on the one hand, and the holding of district 
 conferences on the other hand. 
 
 " We will conclude our notes on this section with observing, 
 that there is no ground to believe that the work of God has been 
 injured, or the numbers of the society diminished, by the insti- 
 tution of this order, but just the contrary. In the year 1784, 
 when the presiding eldership did, in fact, though not in name, 
 commence, there w T ere about fourteen thousand in society on 
 this continent ; and now the numbers amount to upward of fifty- 
 six thousand : so that the society is, at present, four times as 
 large as it was twelve or thirteen years ago. We do not be- 
 lieve that the office now under consideration was the principal 
 cause of this great revival, but the Spirit and grace of God, 
 and the consequent zeal of the preachers in general. Yet 
 we have no doubt but the full organization of our body, and 
 giving to the whole a complete and effective executive govern- 
 ment, of which the presiding eldership makes a very capital 
 
Sec. 7.1 By Bishops Coke and Ashury. 299 
 
 branch, has, under God, been a grand means of preserving the 
 peace and union of our connection, and the purity of our minis- 
 try, and, therefore, in its consequences, has been a chief instru- 
 ment, under the grace of God, of this great revival." 
 
 " SECTION VI. 
 
 " Of the Election and Ordination of Travelling Elders, and of 
 their Duly:' 
 
 " We need not enlarge upon the necessity of an office, which 
 every organized Christian church in the world, in all ages, has 
 adopted. We would only remark, that the restriction respect- 
 ing the elders withdrawing themselves from the travelling line, 
 wfthout the consent of the yearly conference, shows the con- 
 firmed regard our church has for the itinerant plan, and its de- 
 termination to support it by every method in its power, consistent 
 with justice and truth. And no elder has a right to complain, 
 as he cannot but be previously acquainted with the conditions on 
 which he accepts of ordination." 
 
 " SECTION VII. 
 
 " Of the Election and Ordination of Travelling Deacons, and of 
 their Duty:' 
 
 " As we find from the first-quoted text (Acts vi, 1-6,) that the 
 deacons were set apart for their office by the imposition of hands, 
 but not by the imposition of the hands of the elders, as in other 
 cases ; so we endeavour to come as near to the Scripture mode 
 as we can, by confining the ceremony of the imposition of 
 hands to the episcopacy only, in the present instance, without 
 daring to compare ourselves, as some of our enemies would most 
 maliciously assert, to the holy apostles ; but simply, and in the 
 fear of God, coming up to the written word as nearly as in our 
 power. 
 
 " This office serves as an excellent probation for that of an 
 elder. No preacher can be eligible to the office of an elder till 
 he has exercised the office of a deacon for two years, except 
 in tne case of missions. For we would wish to show the utmost 
 attention to the order of elders, and to have the fullest proof of 
 the abilities, grace, and usefulness of those, who shall be, from 
 time to time, proposed for so important an office as that of a 
 presbyter in the church of God. And we judge, that the man 
 who has proved himself a worthy member of our society, and 
 a useful class-leader, exhorter, and local preacher, who has been 
 approved of for two years as a travelling preacher on trial, and 
 has faithfully served in the office of a travelling deacon for at least 
 two years more — has offered such proofs of fidelity and piety, as 
 
300 Notes on the Discipline, fCh. 1. 
 
 must satisfy every reasonable mind. But as this continent is ex- 
 ceedingly large, and will continually open to our conferences new 
 missions for the spread of the gospel (perhaps for ages to come) 
 we have, in the case of missions, given a discretionary power to 
 the yearly conferences. We have thus been able, through the 
 grace and providence of God, to constitute such a regular gra- 
 dation in our ministry as, we trust, will contribute highly to its 
 purity, to the dignity of the ministerial office, and to the advan- 
 tage of our people. 
 
 " We have here also made the same restriction for the preser- 
 vation of our important itinerant plan, in respect to the deacons 
 withdrawing themselves from the general work, without the 
 consent of the yearly conference, which was made before in the 
 case of the elders, and which has been spoken to in the notes on 
 the former section." 
 
 V SECTION VIII. 
 
 " Of the Method of receiving Preachers, and of their Duty." 
 
 " To preach almost every day, and to meet societies or classes 
 several times in the week, and to visit the sick, not only in the 
 towns, but as far as practicable on the plantations, is a work which 
 requires no small degree of diligence and zeal : and no person is 
 fit to be a travelling preacher who cannot fill up these duties in- 
 cessantly all the year round, except occasional indispositions 
 incapacitate him for a season ; or some reasonable and urgent 
 necessity call him away for a little time." 
 
 " Punctuality is of vast importance in every circumstance 
 of life. Without it, no confidence can exist : and the want of it 
 is productive of innumerable evils to society. But how much 
 stronger are these observations, when applied to our situation ? 
 The itinerant plan, which we so much and so justly venerate, 
 would be the most pernicious in the world, without punctuality. 
 It would be almost sufficient to make mankind hate religion. 
 The man who will disappoint a congregation through any world- 
 ly motive is highly criminal, and answerable for all the evil 
 which his negligence has caused — answerable for all the souls 
 which through disgust do afterward despise or neglect the or- 
 dinances of God. When an appointment is fixed, and cannot be 
 revoked in time, it should be considered as an engagement made 
 to God. ' Lord,' says the psalmist, ' who shall abide in thy 
 tabernacle, and who shall dwell in thy holy hill? — He that 
 sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not.' See Psalm xv. 
 And the word of a preacher of the gospel, indeed of every Chris- 
 tian, should be the same as his oath, or he is not even an honest 
 man. Alas ! the good which the best of us do is but little, and, 
 therefore, should not suffer any subtraction. But when the itine- 
 
Sec. 8.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 301 
 
 rant preacher frequently proves himself destitute of punctuality, 
 his life and labours become more hurtful than profitable. He not 
 only prevents a faithful man from filling- up the office which he 
 himself abuses, but gives continual offence, and imperceptibly 
 drives numbers from the ordinances of God, and thereby out of 
 the way of salvation." 
 
 " The command given by the apostle, Heb. xiii, 17, ' Obey 
 them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves,' is as 
 binding on ministers as on the people. Among us there is no 
 exception. Our bishops are bound to obey and submit to the 
 General Conference ; and the preachers are bound to obey and 
 submit to the General Conference, and also to the yearly confer- 
 ences, in every thing except the stationing of them for their re- 
 spective districts and circuits ; and in this respect they are bound 
 to obey and submit to the episcopacy. This is the order of our 
 church : and as the New Testament is silent as to the constitu- 
 tions of states, so is it, in a great measure, in respect to the 
 constitutions of churches. It only requires obedience or submis- 
 sion to the powers that are, without which no order could possi- 
 bly exist. This does not, in any degree, prevent the due 
 reformation of the constitutions of churches, any more than of 
 those of states. We may add to these considerations the 
 command of St. Peter, 1st Epis. v, 5, ' Ye younger, submit 
 yourselves unto the elder. 1 
 
 " The due examination of candidates for the ministry is of the 
 utmost importance. The questions proposed for this purpose, in 
 the present section, may be drawn out and enlarged upon by the 
 bishops, as they judge necessary ; and, if duly considered, will be 
 found to contain in them the whole of Christian and ministerial 
 experience and practice. In respect to doctrines, experience, and 
 practice, the preachers will have passed already through various 
 examinations, before they are received into the travelling con- 
 nection. Let us take a view of the whole, remembering that 
 our societies form our grand nurseries or universities for minis- 
 ters of the gospel. 
 
 "1. On application for admission into the society, they must be 
 duly recommended to the preacher who has the oversight of the 
 circuit, by one in whom he can place sufficient confidence, or 
 must have met three or four times in a class, and must be truly 
 awakened to a sense of their fallen condition. Then the preacher 
 who has the oversight of the circuit gives them notes of admis- 
 sion, and they remain on trial for six months. 2. When the six 
 months are expired, they receive tickets, if recommended by 
 their leader, and become full members of the society. And to 
 prevent any future complaint on the ground of ignorance, the 
 rules of the society must be read to them the first time they meet 
 in class. 3. Out of these are chosen, from time to time, the lead- 
 ers of classes, who should not only be deeply experienced in di- 
 
302 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 vine things, but have a measure of the gift of preaching, so as to 
 feed the flock of Christ under their care, in due season. 4. Out 
 of these, when they discover in public prayer meetings an ex- 
 traordinary gift of prayer and some gift for exhortation, are 
 chosen the exhorters. 5. Out of the exhorters, who are em- 
 ployed in the places of least consequence, or to fill up the place 
 of a preacher, in cases of necessity, are chosen the local preach- 
 ers. These are first to receive a license signed by the presiding 
 elder, and by the quarterly meeting,* which is composed of the 
 local preachers, stewards, and leaders of the circuit. Without 
 the consent of the presiding elder, and of the majority of this 
 meeting, which is the most proper and respectable representation 
 of the circuit that perhaps can possibly be devised, no one can 
 be admitted as a local preacher. And the license above men- 
 tioned must be annually renewed, till the local preacher be ad- 
 mitted into the deacon's office. 6. Out of the local preachers 
 are chosen the travelling preachers, of whom those in full con- 
 nection form the members of our conferences. These must be 
 on trial for two years before they can be received into full con- 
 nection with the conference, their characters being examined at 
 each conference (whether they be present or absent) in respect 
 to morals, grace, gifts, and fruit. Nor can they be received 
 upon trial as travelling preachers, till they have obtained a re- 
 commendation from the quarterly meetings of their respective 
 circuits. The bishops indeed, and the presiding elders, have 
 authority to call them to travel, in the intervals of the confer- 
 ences, when they have received the above recommendation, 
 otherwise the circuits would be frequently destitute of preachers. 
 But their call to travel must afterward be confirmed by the 
 yearly conference. 
 
 " From all that has been observed, it must be clear to every 
 candid reader, that it is not the yearly conference only, or the 
 bishops or presiding elders only, in the intervals of the confer- 
 ences, who choose the local or travelling preachers. On the 
 contrary, they have no authority to choose at all, till the people, 
 through their leaders, stewards, &c, recommend. And those 
 who will not be satisfied with this whole process of probation, 
 considered in all its parts, must be rigid indeed. But we bless 
 God for the whole of this economy, and do attribute to it, under 
 his grace and providence, the purity of our ministry. When we 
 consider the importance of the gospel ministry, this severe pro- 
 cess is by no means excessive." 
 
 " * See the twenty-first section of this chapter." 
 
Sec. 9.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 303 
 
 "section IX. 
 " Of the Salaries of the Ministers and Preachers." 
 
 " Those who read this section attentively will see the impos- 
 sibility of our ministers becoming rich by the gospel, except in 
 grace. And here there is no difference between bishops, elders, 
 deacons, or preachers, except in their travelling expenses, and 
 consequently in the greater labours of one than the other. The 
 gifts they have to impart are not silver and gold, but, through the 
 divine blessing on their labours, and the operations of the Holy 
 Spirit accompanying their word, 'love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 
 gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.' And we 
 may add, that the impossibility of our enriching ourselves by our 
 ministry, is another great preservation of its purity. The lovers 
 of this world will not long continue travelling preachers. Indeed, 
 we may add, that a great many of the preachers do not receive 
 the whole of their annual pittance ; generally, we believe, through 
 the poverty, but sometimes perhaps through the inattention of 
 our friends. 
 
 " The clause concerning the allowance for a preacher's wife 
 may need some explanation. The wife is to have the same claim 
 in respect to salary as the travelling preacher : so that if there 
 be a married and a single preacher in the same circuit, and the 
 money for the support of the ministry be not sufficient to make 
 up all the salaries, the whole is to be divided into three parts, 
 one part of which belongs to the wife." 
 
 " section x. 
 " Of the Duties of those who have the Charge of Circuits." 
 
 u When we consider the duties of the office described in this 
 section, we shall feel no difficulty in allowing that it is an office 
 of no small importance. 
 
 " 1. The person who holds it, is to watch over the other travel- 
 ling preachers in his circuit, not with the eye of a severe judge, 
 but with that of a tender elder brother. He should indeed be 
 faithful to his colleagues, and tell them all their faults : but he has 
 no power to correct them. He is to bear an equal share with 
 them in the toils of a travelling preacher, besides having upon 
 him the care of all the churches in his circuit. But if his col- 
 leagues will not observe his reasonable directions, or behave gross- 
 ly amiss, he must inform his presiding elder, whose duty it is, as 
 soon as possible, to judge of and rectify every thing. He is also 
 to use his influence with the people, that his fellow-labourers 
 may stand in need of nothing for the simple convenience, or at 
 least necessities of this transitory life. They want but little, 
 
304 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 and that little they ought to have. This also implies, that if his 
 colleague be married, he should take care that neither he nor his 
 family stand in need of any of the necessaries of life. For his 
 performance of this duty, as well as all the rest, he is bounden to 
 God, as well as to the church of which he is a member." 
 
 " 2. He is to deliver tickets quarterly to each member of the 
 society, with a portion of the word of God printed on them. This 
 is of no small moment for the preservation of our discipline and 
 the purity of our church. To admit frequently unawakened per- 
 sons to our society meetings and love-feasts, would be to throw a 
 damp on those profitable assemblies, and cramp, if not entirely 
 destroy, thai liberty of speech, which is always made a peculiar 
 blessing to earnest believers and sincere seekers of salvation. 
 Besides, this regulation affords the preacher who holds the office 
 now under consideration an opportunity of speaking closely to 
 every person under his care on the state of their souls." 
 
 " 3. He is to watch over the stewards and leaders of his circuit. 
 He should meet them weekly, when in the towns, and as often 
 as may be in the country. He is to recommend to the stewards 
 the poor of their societies, to lay before them, if necessary, the 
 wants of his colleagues, and to stir them up to fidelity and ac- 
 tivity in their office : but above all, he is to exhort the leaders, 
 to instruct them in the best mode of addressing their classes, and 
 to set before them the inestimable value of the precious souls 
 respectively intrusted to their care." 
 
 " 4. As he is the least likely to be influenced by the various cir- 
 cumstances arising from neighbourhood, long acquaintance, af- 
 fection, consanguinity, or any other motives distinct from official 
 talents, he is to appoint the stewards. And as he is, or should 
 be the best judge of the gifts and experience of the members of 
 society, he also is to select the men, from time to time, who are 
 to fill up the weighty office of leader. And again, as he is the 
 only person in the circuit who is responsible to the yearly con- 
 ference for the decline of the work of God in his circuit, and the 
 only one the conference can make responsible, he has the autho- 
 rity invested in him of changing leaders, when they have lost the 
 life of God, or are incapacitated for or negligent of their duty. 
 But if he ever use this power in a capricious or tyrannical man- 
 ner, the people may lay their grievances before the bishops or 
 presiding elders, who have authority to suspend him for ill con- 
 duct ; or, before the yearly conference, which may proceed even 
 to his expulsion, if he grossly offend against that wisdom which 
 is from above, ' and which is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, 
 and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without 
 partiality, and without hypocrisy? James iii, 17. 
 
 " 5. He is also to receive members upon trial, and into society, 
 according to the Form of Discipline. If this authority were in- 
 vested in the society, or any part of it, the great work of revival 
 
Sec. 10.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 305 
 
 would soon be at an end. A very remarkable proof of this was 
 given several years ago by a society in Europe. Many of the 
 leading members of that society were exceedingly importunate 
 to have the whole government of their society invested in a 
 meeting composed of the principal preacher, and a number of lay 
 elders and lay deacons, as they termed them. At last, the preacher 
 who had the oversight of the circuit was prevailed upon, through 
 their incessant importunity, to comply with their request. He 
 accordingly nominated all the leaders and steivards as lay elders 
 and lay deacons, with the desired powers. But alas ! what was 
 the consequence 1 The great revival which was then in that 
 society and congregation was soon extinguished. Poor sinners, 
 newly awakened, were flocking into the church of God as doves 
 to their windows. But now, the wisdom and prudence of the new 
 court kept them at a distance, till they had given full proof of their 
 repentance : ' If their convictions be sincere,' said they, ' they 
 will not withdraw themselves from the preaching of the word on 
 account of our caution ; they themselves will see the propriety 
 of our conduct.' Thus, while the fervent preacher was one 
 hour declaring the willingness of Christ immediately to receive 
 the returning sinners, the wisdom of the lay elders and lay dea- 
 cons would the next hour reject them even from being received 
 upon trial, unless they had been before painted sepulchres, imcard- 
 ly full of dead men's bones and rottenness. The preacher who 
 had the charge of the circuit nearly broke his heart, to see the 
 precious souls which God had given him kept at a distance from 
 him, and thrown back again upon the wide world by the prudent 
 lay elders and deacons. However, at his earnest entreaty, he 
 was removed into another circuit by the conference, under whose 
 control he acted, to enjoy the blessings of the Methodist economy. 
 The revival of the work of God was soon extinguished ; and the 
 society, from being one of the most lively, became one of the 
 most languid in Europe. 
 
 " Glory be to God, all our societies throughout the world, now 
 amounting to upward of one hundred and sixty thousand, have 
 been raised, under grace, by our ministers and preachers. They, 
 and they only, are their spiritual fathers under God ; and none 
 others can feel for them as they do. It is true, that on great 
 revivals, the spiritually halt, and blind, and lame, will press in 
 crowds into the church of God ; and they are welcome to all 
 that we can do for their invaluable souls, till they prove unfaith- 
 ful to convincing or converting grace. And we will not throw 
 back their souls on the wicked world, while groaning under the 
 burden of sin, because many on the trial quench their convictions, 
 or perhaps were hypocritical from the beginning. We would 
 sooner go again into the highways and hedges, and form new socie- 
 ties, as at first, than we would give up a privilege so essential 
 to the ministerial office and to the revival of the work of God. 
 
306 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 " The master of the house [God] said to his servant, Go out 
 quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither 
 the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the 
 servant said, ' Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet 
 there is room.' He obeys his God without asking permission 
 of any society, whether he should obey him or not. ' And the 
 Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and 
 hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled,' 
 Luke xiv, 21-23. The servant answers not to his God, ' I will 
 comply with thy command as far as my society, or my leaders 
 and stewards, will permit me.' Again, the Lord says to Ezekiel, 
 chap, xxxiv, 1-10, ' Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds 
 of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord 
 God unto the shepherds, Wo be to the shepherds of Israel — the 
 diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that 
 which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, 
 neither have ye brought again that which loas driven away, nei- 
 ther have ye sought that which was lost. And they were scat- 
 tered, because there is no shepherd : and they became meat to 
 all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. Therefore, 
 ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord : As I live, saith the 
 Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock 
 became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no 
 shepherd, neither did my shepherd search for my flock — there- 
 fore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord, Thus saith the 
 Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will re- 
 quire my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease 
 from feeding the flock,' &c. Now, what pastors, called and 
 owned of God, would take upon themselves this awful responsi- 
 bility, if others could refuse to their spiritual children the grand 
 external privilege of the gospel, or admit among them the most 
 improper persons to mix with and corrupt them ? Truly, what- 
 ever the pastors of other churches may do, we trust that ours 
 will never put themselves under so dreadful a bondage. It is 
 in vain to say, that others may be as tender and cautious as the 
 pastors : for the pastors are the persons responsible to God, 
 and, therefore, should by no means be thus fettered in their pas- 
 toral care. And those who are desirous to wrest out of the hands 
 of ministers this important part of their duty, should rather go 
 out themselves to the highways and hedges, and preach the 
 everlasting gospel, or be contented with their present providen- 
 tial situation. 
 
 " Besides, the command of our Lord, Matt, xxviii, 19, ' Go ye 
 — and teach all nations, baptizing them,' &c, is addressed to 
 pastors only — to his disciples, and through them to all his minis- 
 tering servants to the end of the world. But if ministers are to 
 be the judges of the proper subjects otbaptisyn, which is the grand 
 initiatory ordinance into the visible church, how much more 
 
Sec. 10.3 By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 307 
 
 should they have a right to determine whom they will take 
 under their own care, or whom God has given them out of the 
 world by the preaching of his word ! For ministers to spend their 
 strength, their tears, their prayers, their lives for the salvation 
 of souls, and to have both themselves and theirs under the con- 
 trol of those who never travailed in birth for them, and, there- 
 fore, can never feel for them as their spiritual parents do, is a 
 burden we cannot bear. Thus it is evident that both reason and 
 Scripture do, in the clearest manner, make the privilege or 
 power now under consideration essential to the gospel ministry." 
 
 " 7. Though the presiding elder is far more proper to preside 
 at the quarterly meetings than any other who regularly attends, 
 yet the preacher who has the oversight of the circuit is, next 
 to him, the most likely to be impartial.* It is on this principle, 
 that the twelve judges of England make it a rule, that no one of 
 them shall take that circuit which includes the place where he 
 was born. Besides, every thing is finally determined by a ma 
 jority of votes. On those extraordinary occasions, therefore, 
 when, through sickness, or any other unavoidable hinderance, the 
 presiding elder is absent, the next to him in office must be the 
 moderator of the meeting. See the notes on the fifth section of 
 this chapter. Let us all be willing to submit to that due sub- 
 jection which is necessary to the good order of the whole, ' yea, 
 all of you be subject one to another,' 1 Pet. v, 5. 
 
 " 8. Next to the preaching of the gospel, the spreading of 
 religious knowledge by the press is of the greatest moment to the 
 people. The soul, while united to the body, must be daily fed 
 with pious ideas, otherwise it will lose ground in the divine life. 
 Though the Lord is wonderfully kind to those of his children 
 who are so unfortunate as not to be able to read, yet we are to 
 use all the means in our power. And though the Bible be infi- 
 nitely preferable to all other books, yet we are, even on that very 
 account, to study the writings of those spiritual and great divines, 
 who have by their comments, essays, sermons, or other labours, 
 explained the Bible : otherwise, we ought not to attend the 
 preaching of the gospel ; for what is that but an explanation and 
 application of the great truths contained in the Bible. He, there- 
 fore, who has the charge of the circuit, is to be diligent in the 
 sale of those books, which, according to the judgment of our con- 
 ferences and bishops, are deemed profitable for the souls of our 
 people. St. Paul had need of books, otherwise he would not 
 
 M * We do not mean that he is likely to have more grace or more 
 integr'y than the other members of the quarterly meeting-, but only that 
 he is not so much exposed to the temptations of prejudging a cause 
 through consanguinity, affection, or a variety of other interests, as the 
 other members are. We have a high esteem for all our official mem- 
 bers, and would not intentionally offend them on any account." 
 
308 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 have carried them with him in his extensive travels. ' The 
 cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring 
 with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments,''* 2 Tim. 
 iv, 13. And to minds which are influenced by the love of God 
 and man, the consideration that the profit of these books is 
 wholly applied to the work of God, will be a further inducement 
 to them to purchase our books. 
 
 " 9. It is necessary that the yearly conference should have 
 an exact account of the numbers in society, and of every thing 
 material relating to each circuit under its control, otherwise it 
 could not possibly judge of the progress of the work, and the 
 fidelity of the preachers ; nor could the episcopacy have other- 
 wise such complete knowledge of every thing for the stationing 
 of the preachers. ' Let all things be done,' says St. Paul, 
 -* decently, and in order.' 
 
 " 10. It is also necessary, that the presiding elder should receive 
 regular details of the proceedings of those who have the over- 
 sight of circuits, that he himself may have such a clear know- 
 ledge of the state of the district, as may enable him to fill up his 
 important trust, and to give such information of his district to 
 the bishops, as may afford them a complete view of the whole. 
 Thus are many eyes opened upon the great work, and the wis- 
 dom of many united for the good of the whole. ' In the multi- 
 tude of counsellors,' says the wise man, ' there is safety.' 
 
 "11. The people of our special charge want all the advice we can 
 give them : and their stations and circumstances are so different, 
 that the rule of meeting the men and women apart, and, when 
 the society is large, and the time will admit of it, the married 
 and single men apart, and the married and single women apart, has 
 been attended with many blessings. Mr. Wesley, from happy 
 experience, considered this as a very profitable means of grace. 
 Ministers of the gospel should think no labour lost, or means in 
 vain, by which they may be enabled to give their whole flock 
 their due spiritual portion. ' The Lord said, Who then is that 
 faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over 
 his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 
 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord, when he cometh, shall 
 find so doing. Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him 
 ruler over all that he hath.' Luke xii, 42-44. 
 
 " 12. As the public money should be applied with the greatest 
 fidelity, the accounts should be examined with the strictest 
 scrutiny : and, therefore, the preacher who has the charge of the 
 circuit is to examine the stewards' accounts, as a preparative to 
 their being laid before the quarterly meeting ; and this not out of 
 disrespect to the stewards, whom we highly esteem for their dis- 
 
 " * That is, the books written on parchment, the art of printing not 
 being known in those days." 
 
Sec. 10.] By Bishops Coke and Ashury. 309 
 
 interested labours of love, but to prevent, as far as possible, even 
 any plausible pretence for suspicion. ' It is required in stewards,' 
 says the apostle, 'that a man be found faithful.' No per- 
 son of integrity (and such we have reason to believe all our 
 stewards are, without exception) will object to this rule." 
 
 " 7. We are but one body of people, one grand society, whether 
 in Europe or America ; united in the closest spiritual bonds, and 
 in external bonds as far as the circumstances of things will admit. 
 And as our numbers have increased exceedingly both in Europe 
 and America, it is necessary we should be particularly cautious 
 in receiving strangers into our society, under the pretext of their 
 having been members in other places ; as the one end of our 
 whole plan is to raise a holy people. On this account, all our 
 conferences throughout the world mutually require that every 
 member of our society who changes his place of abode, shall 
 previously obtain a certificate from the preacher who has the 
 charge of his circuit, who is most likely to be acquainted with 
 his character, his own relations excepted : and that without such 
 certificate he shall not be received into any other society." 
 
 "11. The authority of appointing prayer meetings will not, we 
 think, be disputed by any. Many of our greatest revivals have 
 been begun and chiefly carried on in our prayer meetings. We 
 wish that the utmost zeal might be manifested by those who have 
 the charge of circuits in the execution of this direction. The 
 sacred writer, describing the effects of the day of Pentecost, ob- 
 serves, ' Then they that gladly received his word were baptized : 
 and the same day there were added unto them about three thou- 
 sand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apotles' doc- 
 trine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.'' 
 Acts ii, 41, 42. There is no doubt but those words refer to so- 
 cial worship. O that every family in our connection had occa- 
 sionally a prayer meeting at stated times for the benefit of their 
 neighbours ! There would be no danger of wanting persons to 
 pray : God would pour forth the spirit of grace and supplication ; 
 and soon the flame of divine love would glow through every 
 civilized part of this vast continent. The Lord hasten the day ! 
 
 " 12. Public fasts are to be appointed by him at the regular 
 times, and he is of course to take care, that himself and his 
 helpers not only set the example, but also render those days 
 peculiarly profitable by public meetings for the service of God." 
 
 " 13. The whole organization of our church depends on an exact 
 attention to all its distinctions and orders. — It has been, we doubt 
 not, the close order and organization of our church, under the 
 grace and providence of God, which has enabled us to resist all 
 the shocks we have lately felt from the fanatical spirit of division, 
 and to remain firm as a rock. 
 
 "We may just add, that it is customary for the presiding elders, 
 or in their absence the preachers who have the charge of circuits, 
 
310 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 to hold quarterly, or half-yearly conferences with the local 
 preachers and exporters respectively under their care, to exa- 
 mine into their grace, gifts, and usefulness, and into the state of 
 the work of God — a custom of exceeding great utility, and there- 
 fore, such as we trust will never be neglected." 
 
 " SECTION XI. 
 
 " Of the Trial of those who think they are moved by the Holy 
 Ghost to preach." 
 
 " "We have enlarged on the present subject in our notes on 
 the eighth section of this chapter. Every reader may from hence 
 perceive the care we take in receiving our preachers and minis- 
 ters. As the presiding elders, or those who have the charge 
 of circuits, are attentive to the examination of the local preachers 
 and exhorters, so the yearly conferences are attentive to the 
 gifts, grace, and usefulness of all the travelling preachers and 
 ministers. Nothing will do for us without the life of God. 
 Brilliant parts, fine address, &c, are to us but tinkling cymbals, 
 when destitute of the power of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 " At the same time we are far from despising talents which 
 may be rendered useful to the church of Christ. We know the 
 worth of improved abilities : and nothing can equal our itinerant 
 plan, in the opportunity it affords of suiting our various so- 
 cieties with men of God who are endued with gifts agreeable 
 to their respective wants." 
 
 " SECTION XII. 
 
 " Of the Matter and Manner of Preaching, and of other public 
 Exercises." 
 
 " The preaching of the gospel is of the first importance to 
 the welfare of mankind ; and, consequently, the mode of preach- 
 ing must be of considerable moment. It is not the fine meta- 
 physical reasoning ; it is not the philosophical disquisitions of 
 the works of nature under the pretext of raising up our minds 
 to the great Creator, which regenerate the heart, and stamp the 
 image of God upon the soul. No. The preacher must, 
 
 " 1. Convince the sinner of his dangerous condition. He 
 must ' break up the fallow ground,' Jer. iv, 3 ; Hos. x, 12 
 ' Cry aloud, spare not,' says the Lord to his prophet, ' lift up 
 thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgres 
 sion, and the house of Jacob their sins,' Isa. Iviii, 1. He must 
 set forth the depth of original sin, and show the sinner how far 
 he is gone from original righteousness ; he must describe the 
 vices of the world in their just and most striking colours, and 
 enter into all the sinner's pleas and excuses for sin, and drive 
 
Sec. 12.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 311 
 
 him from all his subterfuges and strong-holds. He must labour 
 to convince the formalist of the impossibility of being justified 
 before God by his ceremonial or moral righteousness. Myriads 
 are continually perishing, yea, thousands of those who acknow- 
 ledge in speculation the great truths of the gospel, through their 
 dependence upon ordinances or upon an outwardly moral life. 
 ' In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor 
 uncircumcision, but a new creature J Gal. vi, 15. 
 
 " 2. He must set forth the virtue of the atoning blood. He 
 must bring the mourner to a present Saviour ; he must show 
 the willingness of Christ this moment to bless him, and bring a 
 present salvation home to his soul. Here he must be indeed a 
 son of consolation. He must say nothing which can keep the 
 trembling mourner at a distance ; he must not provide for him a 
 rich feast, and hand it up to him in dishes too hot to be touched. 
 There must be nothing now held forth to the view of the peni- 
 tent but the everlasting arms, and the mercy which is ready to 
 embrace him on every side. • Come unto me,' says our Lord, 
 
 1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you 
 rest,' Matt, xi, 28. ' Him that cometh to me, I will in no 
 wise cast out,' John vi, 37. ' Having, therefore, brethren, 
 boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, — let us 
 draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith,' &c, 
 Heb. x, 19-22. 
 
 " 3. He must, like a true shepherd, feed the lambs and sheep 
 of Christ. He must point out to the newly justified the wiles 
 of Satan, and strengthen them if they stagger through unbelief. 
 He must set before them the glorious privileges offered to them 
 in the gospel. He must nourish them with the pure milk of the 
 word. Those who are more adult in grace, he must feed with 
 strong meat. He must show them the necessity of being cruci- 
 fied to the world, and of dying daily ; that ' if they mortify not 
 the deeds of the flesh, they shall die.' He must not spare the 
 remaining man of sin ; he must anatomize the human heart, 
 and follow self-will and self-love through all their windings. 
 And all this being addressed to the children of God, he must 
 do it with great tenderness. ' I protest by your rejoicing 
 which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, i" die daily? says the 
 apostle. 1 Cor. xv, 31. ' If ye live after the flesh ye shall 
 die : but if ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of 
 the body, ye shall live,' Rom. viii, 13. ' Grow in grace, and 
 in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,' 
 
 2 Pet. iii, 18. 
 
 " And now he must again turn the son of consolation. He 
 must hold forth Christ as an all-sufficient Saviour, as ' able to 
 save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing 
 he ever liveth to make intercession for them,' Heb. vii, 25. 
 He must describe to them, in all its richest views, the blessing 
 
312 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 of perfect love. He must now declare how our great Ze- 
 rubbabel is this moment able and willing to reduce the mountain 
 into a plain. And all the above he must endeavour more or 
 less to introduce into every sermon which he delivers to a 
 mixed congregation. ' The very God of peace sanctify you 
 wholly, and I pray God your whole spirit, soul, and body be 
 preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it, 1 Thess. 
 v, 23. ' This is the will of God, even your sanctification,' 
 1 Thess. iv, 3. 
 
 " He must preach the law as well as the gospel. He must 
 hold forth our adorable Redeemer as a Prophet to teach, a Priest 
 to atone, and a King to reign in us and over us. He must 
 break the stony heart, as well as bind up the broken. But still 
 holiness, inward and outward, must be his end : holiness must 
 be his aim : and Antinomianism, and every doctrine which op- 
 poses holiness, he must contend with, till he gain the victory, 
 or render his hearers utterly inexcusable. Who is fit for these 
 things 1 O Lord God, help us all ! Let us do our utmost, and 
 leave the blessing to the Lord. 
 
 " Acts iii, 22, ' A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up 
 unto you of your brethren.' Heb. v, 6, ' Thou art a Priest for 
 ever.' Isa. xxxii, 1, 'Behold a King shall reign in righteous- 
 ness.' O let us never be wearied of exalting Christ, as living 
 in us, as well as dying for us. 
 
 " Some useful smaller advices are now given : 
 
 " 1. Never break an engagement. This we have enlarged 
 upon under the eighth section of this chapter. 
 
 " 2. The second advice belongs only to town congregations, 
 where they have clocks and watches to direct them. In such 
 cases, if they attend not exactly at the appointed time, they will 
 be equally tardy, if the preacher habitually wait for them ever 
 so long. But everywhere let him be always at the time. It is 
 inexcusable in one to make a thousand, or even a hundred, wait 
 for him. Let ' no man put a stumbling block, or an occasion 
 to fall, in his brother's way,' Rom. xiv, 13. 
 
 " 3. The deepest seriousness at all times becomes the minis- 
 ter of the gospel : but in the pulpit there should not be even 
 the appearance of a deviation from it. An ambassador of an 
 earthly government, when immediately engaged in the duties 
 of his embassy, would be far from trifling : how much more 
 should an ambassador of God 1 ' Do the work,' therefore, ' of 
 an evangelist, make fidl proof of thy ministry,' 2 Tim. iv, 5. 
 
 " 4. A preacher who seeks the honour which comes from 
 God, and not that which comes from man, will consider the spi- 
 ritual wants of his audience, and choose his text and subject 
 accordingly. He will not preach to show his own abilities, but 
 merely to do good. And, indeed, if he preach not from this 
 
Sec. 12.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 313 
 
 pure motive alone, he has no right to expect the blessing of God 
 upon his labours. See Luke xii, 42-44. 
 
 " 5. Be cautious of allegorizing. It seldom informs the 
 judgment, and still seldomer warms the heart. It may be 
 called a pretty way of talking. The preacher may be admired, 
 but the hearer will be little edified. And what is applause, or 
 any thing but the salvation of souls, to the faithful minister of 
 Christ ? The genuine language of his heart is, ' I ask not 
 riches, honours, or pleasures, gain or applause ; I ask only for 
 the salvation of souls !' ' And I, brethren, when I came to you, 
 came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring 
 unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know 
 any thing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified.' 
 1 Cor. ii, 1, 2. 
 
 " 6. When the preacher has fixed upon the subject which he 
 judges most suitable to the states of the souls he is going to 
 address, he must keep to his point. He must labour to arrange 
 his ideas, and to speak to the understanding as well as the 
 heart. He must first endeavour fully to explain, and then to 
 apply, to ' show' himself ' a workman that needeth not to be 
 ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,' 2 Tim. ii, 15. 
 
 " 7. He must take care that his good be not evil spoken of, 
 or laughed at, if possible, through any awkward or unmeaning 
 gestures in the pulpit. When the instruction of immortal 
 spirits is his employment, he should mind every thing, little 
 and great, which can assist him in this glorious work, in 
 which angels would envy him, if it were possible for them to 
 indulge so base a passion. ' These things speak and exhort, 
 and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.' 
 Tit. ii, 15. 
 
 " 8. Be not too forward in writing for the press. Nothing 
 disgraces a cause so much as to attempt to defend it in a 
 feeble manner. Let not a few friends who are attached to you, 
 and are not in the least degree judges of composition, prevail 
 upon you to become an author. To write w r ell requires a life 
 devoted in a great measure to close and severe study. Preach- 
 ing the everlasting gospel and spiritual instruction, in season 
 and out of season, are your grand objects. There are so many 
 excellent publications already in the world, which by the means 
 of the press may be put into every hand, that there are fewer 
 necessary to be written than many imagine. A few good 
 writers in one church are quite sufficient, especially in ours, 
 which has already been honoured with a Wesley and a Fletcher. 
 But particularly comply with our express rules on this subject. 
 1 Of making many books there is no end,' says the wise man. 
 Eccles. xii, 12. 
 
 " 9. Scarcely any thing tends to damp divine service more 
 than to be praying too long, and in a languid manner. Few 
 14 
 
314 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 things more tend to bring a congregation into a formal spirit. 
 Sometimes, indeed, the minister is led within the veil in an 
 unusual way, and may then justly give full vent to the holy 
 flame. But on other occasions let the prayer be very fervent, 
 and of a moderate length. ' When ye pray,' says our Lord, 
 ' use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do : for they think that 
 they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye there- 
 fore like unto them.' Matt, vi, 7, 8. 
 
 " 10. A comment on a portion of Scripture is sometimes very 
 profitable to the congregation, especially when a warm applica- 
 tion is adjoined. And it is exceedingly useful for young preach- 
 ers to habituate themselves to the giving of warm exhortations, 
 otherwise they may get into a formal way of preaching without 
 a due application of the subject. A fervent exhortation is pre- 
 ferable to a sermon without application. ' Till I come,' says 
 St. Paul to Timothy, ' give attendance to reading, to exhorta- 
 tion, to doctrine,' 1 Tim. iv, 13. 
 
 " 11. Souls are of so much value that we should improve 
 every opportunity for their good. Shall the men of the world 
 have carnal festivals on their birth-days, and shall we not com- 
 memorate the birth-day of our Lord ? The primitive fathers 
 of the church observed the day, which is now kept sacred by 
 most of the churches of Christendom. Irenaeus, who was one 
 of the fathers, was a disciple of St. John ; and the mother of 
 Jesus lived with that apostle from the crucifixion of our Lord. 
 There cannot, therefore, be a doubt but St. John knew, and, of 
 course, his disciples, Irenaeus, Ignatius, and Polycarp, the day 
 of our Lord's nativity ; and from them all the fathei*s of the 
 church. Again, shall states and nations celebrate the day of 
 liberation from slavery or oppression, or some other glorious 
 event, from year to year 1 And shall we not celebrate by a holy 
 festival the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord, and the 
 mission of the Holy Spirit, to which we are indebted for bless- 
 ings infinitely more valuable than any which the revolution of 
 states can possibly afford'?" 
 
 " SECTION XIII. 
 
 " Of the Duty of Preachers to God, themselves, and one 
 another." 
 
 " 1. A minister of the gospel, who has consecrated all he is 
 and has, and all he can do and suffer, to the service of his God, 
 should consider himself as eminently called to walk with God. 
 His peculiar calling is of the most public nature. It is a public 
 profession, that he is a reformer of mankind : it says more 
 loudly than any words, ' I am, or ought to be, one of the best 
 of men ; follow me as I follow Christ.' It is the very depth of 
 hypocrisy to preach and not live the gospel. Of all hypocrites 
 
Sec. 13.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 315 
 
 such a one is the greatest. Nay, it is in vain to preach, it is in 
 vain to show forth the most shining talents, if the life of the 
 preacher correspond not with his doctrines. He may possibly 
 have the reward he seeks for here below : but the approbation 
 of God he never will receive. ■ Many will say to me in that 
 day,' observes our Lord, ' Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied 
 in thy name 1 and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy 
 name done many wonderful works ? And then will I profess 
 unto them. I never knew you : depart from me, ye that work 
 iniquity.' Matt, vii, 22, 23. 
 
 " The work of God must also lie near his heart : yea, his 
 very soul must enter into it. Nor must he be contented to 
 preach, and then leave the souls he has been blessed to at the 
 mercy of the world. He must seek out the awakened. He 
 must fence in the flock. He must not only love, but, according 
 to his sphere of action, recommend and enforce Christian dis- 
 cipline, especially the discipline of that church of which he is a 
 member ; without which there would be nothing but anarchy 
 and confusion ; and the word of God would in general become 
 Mike water spilt upon the ground.' 'Neither count I my life 
 dear unto myself,' says St. Paul, ' so that I might finish my 
 course w T ith joy, and the ministry which I have received of 
 the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God,' 
 Acts xx, 24. 
 
 "2. The preachers should tell each other in the spirit of love 
 and meekness, and, at the same time, with humble boldness, 
 all they think and all they fear of each other, in respect to 
 every thing of consequence, particularly in regard to the spi- 
 ritual life, the practice of devotion, and spiritual conversation. 
 1 Faithful are the wounds of a friend,' says Solomon. Prov. 
 xxvii, 6. 
 
 "3. Ministers of the gospel should be eminently attentive to 
 all the means of grace, particularly private prayer. We do 
 rejoice that our ministers are examples to the flock in this re- 
 spect. When in the mountains and wildernesses they have no 
 chamber to themselves, they will retire into the woods and other 
 solitary places, and spend much of their time in that most useful 
 exercise. O that we may continue to preserve this spirit and 
 practice ! ' Thou, when thou prayest,' says Christ, ' enter into 
 thy closet : and, when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy 
 Father which is in secret ; and thy Father which seeth in 
 secret, shall reward thee openly,' Matt, vi, 6. We should also 
 in the families, where we from time to time reside, be examples 
 to all. The whole world is composed of families. A travelling 
 preacher may bring as many souls to glory by his fidelity in the 
 families which he visits <±s by his public preaching. See the 
 fifteenth section of this chapter. 
 
 11 4. Preachers of the gospel should be much conversant in 
 
316 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 the Scriptures. They should never be without a Bible. That 
 invaluable book is like the starry heavens on a clear night : 
 cast your eyes on any given part, and some bright stars will 
 immediately strike your sight ; but the more you gaze, the more 
 stars will appear to your view. It is an inexhaustible mine of 
 the richest treasures. The more infidels despise and oppose 
 it, the more should we love, study, and defend it. It is reproach- 
 ful to see a minister of God lounging away his time, when the 
 word of truth and salvation is within his reach." 
 
 " SECTION XIV. 
 
 " Rules by which we should continue, or desist from, preaching 
 at any Place.'''' 
 
 In the notes to this section we find the following mention of a 
 usage no longer known : — 
 
 " The stationing of the preachers is in the episcopacy, but 
 the determination of the number of preachers to be sent to a cir- 
 cuit is in the yearly conference: with powers invested in the 
 episcopacy and presiding eldership to meet the openings of grace 
 and providence in the intervals of the conference." 
 
 " SECTION xv. 
 
 " Of visiting from House to House, guarding against those 
 Sins that are so common to Professors, and enforcing prac- 
 tical Religion.'''' 
 
 " In the plantations, which make the chief part of these 
 states, and in which, of course, the chief part of our societies 
 reside, the preachers cannot visit many of our competent, families 
 in a day. But they may almost daily visit many of the poor — 
 many of those who most want their help. Various disagreeable 
 circumstances, arising from the inattention of the poor to clean- 
 liness, &c, may attend our zealous observance of the directions 
 given in this section on the present subject, as far as it respects 
 them. But where is our zeal for God, where our crucifixion to 
 the world, where our regard for souls, if such considerations 
 move us in the least "? Our Lord gives it as one grand proof of 
 his being the Messiah, that ' the poor have the gospel preached 
 to them,' Matt, xi, 5. O then, if we love Christ, if we wish to 
 be his ministers and disciples, let us not forget the poor ! We 
 have but little silver or gold to offer them ; but we have what is 
 infinitely more precious, even grace, pardon, holiness, Christ, 
 heaven. Let us, therefore, labour at least as much in the 
 houses of the poor as of the rich or competent : and this we 
 certainly shall, if we be not interested by carnal or temporal 
 motives — if we breathe the true spirit of missionaries." 
 
Sec. 16. j By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 317 
 
 M SECTION XVI. 
 
 " Of the Instruction of Children." 
 
 " The proper education of children is of exceeding great mo- 
 ment to the welfare of mankind. About one half of the human 
 race are under the age of sixteen, and may be considered, the in- 
 fants excepted, as capable of instruction. The welfare of the 
 states and countries in which they live, and, what is infinitely 
 more, the salvation of their souls, do, under the grace and provi- 
 dence of God, depend in a considerable degree upon their educa- 
 tion. But, alas ! the great difficulty lies in finding men and 
 women of genuine piety as instructers. Let us, however, en- 
 deavour to supply these spiritual defects. Let us follow the 
 directions of this section, and we shall meet many on the day of 
 judgment, who will acknowledge before the great Judge, and an 
 assembled universe, that their first desires after Christ and salva- 
 tion were received in their younger years by our instrumentality. 
 In towns we may, without difficulty, meet the children weekly, 
 and in the plantations advise and pray with them every time we 
 visit their houses : nay, in the country, if we give notice that 
 at such a time we shall spend an hour or two in such a house 
 with those children who shall attend, many of the neighbours 
 will esteem it a privilege to send their children to us at the time 
 appointed. But we must exercise much patience, as well as 
 zeal, for the successful accomplishment of this work. And if 
 we can with love and delight condescend to their ignorance and 
 childishness, and yet endeavour continually to raise up their 
 little minds to the once dying but now exalted Saviour, we shall 
 be made a blessing to thousands of them. 
 
 " But let us labour among the poor in this respect, as well as 
 among the competent. O if our people in the cities, towns, and 
 villages were but sufficiently sensible of the magnitude of this duty, 
 and its acceptableness to God — if they would establish sabbath 
 schools, wherever practicable, for the benefit of the children of 
 the poor, and sacrifice a few public ordinances every Lord's day 
 to this charitable and useful exercise, God would be to them in- 
 stead of all the means they lose ; yea, they would find, to their 
 present comfort and the increase of their eternal glory, the truth 
 and sweetness of those words, ' Mercy is better than sacrifice,' 
 Matt, ix, 13 ; xii, 7 ; Hos. vi, 6. But there is so much of the 
 cross in all this ! when shall we be the true followers of a 
 crucified Saviour !" 
 
318 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 " SECTION XVII. 
 
 " Of employing our Time profitably, c$-c." 
 
 " We have already enlarged so much on the public and private 
 duties of ministers, that on the limited plan and laconic mode we 
 have adopted in these annotations, it may not be necessary to 
 say much more on this subject. We would just recommend to 
 our ministers and preachers, agreeably to the directions given in 
 this section, much reading and study. We have various ranks 
 of men to deal with, and as far as possible should be prepared for 
 them all ; that as scribes instructed unto the kingdom of heaven, 
 we may, like unto a man that is a householder, bring forth out 
 of our treasures things new and old. See Matt, xiii, 52. A taste 
 for reading profitable books is an inestimable gift. It adds to the 
 comfort of life far beyond what many conceive, and qualifies us, 
 if properly directed, for very extensive usefulness in the church 
 of God. It takes off all the miserable listlessness of a sluggish 
 life ; and gives to the mind a strength and activity it could not 
 otherwise acquire. But to obtain and preserve this taste for, this 
 delight in, profitable reading, we must daily resist the natural 
 tendency of man to indolence and idleness. And when we con- 
 sider the astonishing activity of the enemies of revealed truth, to 
 disseminate their pernicious doctrines, we must allow that it be- 
 hooves every minister of Jesus Christ, not only to be able to 
 1 give an answer to every man that asketh him a reason of the 
 hope that is in him, with meekness and fear,' (1 Pet. iii, 15,) 
 but to answer and silence the most subtle arguments of the pro- 
 fessed enemies of our adorable Lord. ' Till I come,' says St. 
 
 Paul, ' GIVE ATTENDANCE TO READING,' 1 Tim. iv, 13. Heb. 
 
 vi, 11, 12, 'We desire — that ye be not slothful.' See also 
 Ephes. v, 16 ; Col. iv, 5 ; 2 Tim. ii, 15, and iv, 13." 
 
 " SECTION XIX. 
 
 " Of the Method by which immoral Travelling Ministers or 
 Preachers shall be brought to Trial, 6fc." 
 
 " The section now under consideration is of very great mo- 
 ment. Let us take a view of it under the three heads into which 
 it divides itself. 
 
 " 1. The answer to the first question serves to remove every 
 reasonable objection to the suspending power of the presiding el- 
 der. See section fifth of this chapter. The trial of a minis- 
 ter or preacher for gross immorality shall be in the presence of 
 at least three ministers. These ministers have, of course, full 
 liberty to speak their sentiments either in favour or disfavour of 
 
Sec. 19. J By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 319 
 
 the person accused. This must always serve as a strong check 
 on the presiding elder, respecting the abuse of his power. An 
 act of tyranny would be so opposed by the ministers present, and 
 so represented afterward in favour of the oppressed, that the pre- 
 siding elder who would venture upon an arbitrary step would 
 find himself dreadfully embarrassed. Besides, those ministers 
 could lay the whole affair before the General Conference, if near 
 at hand ; or before the ensuing yearly conference ; or, as soon as 
 possible, before a bishop : in which cases, the injured person might 
 have complete redress, and the presiding elder censured or 
 punished according to his deserts : and those ministers could 
 give all possible information, having been present at the whole 
 of the trial. 
 
 " The passage in St. Matthew, ch. xviii, 15-17, 'If thy bro- 
 ther shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between 
 thee and him alone,' &c, has nothing to do with the present 
 subject. We are now speaking of gross immoralities committed 
 by preachers of the gospel. This does not concern the trespass 
 of a private person, but the gross offence of a minister against 
 the church of God. Undoubtedly, a minister so offending should 
 not be suffered to remain in his office till the next yearly confer- 
 ence, as many souls might be ruined thereby in the interval. 
 There is certainly as much mercy due to the people as to the mi- 
 nister ; and in the present instance more, as he is but one, and 
 they are many ; and he is invested with his office, not for their 
 destruction, but for their edification. See 2 Cor. x, 8, and xiii, 10. 
 But scarcely any thing can be more destructive to the cause of 
 God than the immoral life of a minister. Such an Achan in the 
 camp must, more or less, bring down a curse upon the cause. 
 1 Sam. ii, 27-59, ' There came a man of God unto Eli, and 
 said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, — Wherefore kick ye at my 
 sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my 
 habitation ; and honourest thy sons above me,' &c. 2 Sam. xi, 12, 
 ' Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial ; they knew not the 
 Lord.' 2 Sam. iii, 11-14, 'The Lord said to Samuel, Behold, 
 I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one 
 that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform against 
 Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house : when 
 I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him, that I 
 will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knoweth ; 
 because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not,'' 
 &c. See that whole history. Matt, vii, 22, 23, ' Many will say 
 to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy 
 name ] and in thy name have cast out devils ] and in thy name 
 done many wonderful works 1 And then will I profess unto 
 them, I never knew you : depart from me, ye that work iniquity? 
 Rom. ii, 3, ' Thinkest thou this, man, that judgest them 
 which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape 
 
320 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 the judgment of God V 1 Tim. v, 19, ' Against an elder receive 
 not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.'' 
 
 " 2. The mode of process directed in the answer to the second 
 question, is nearly according to our Lord's directions, concern- 
 ing the offences of the private members of a church, in Matt, 
 xviii, 15-17, 'If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and 
 tell him his fault between thee and him alone : if he shall hear 
 thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, 
 then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two 
 or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he 
 shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church : but if he 
 neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen 
 man and a publican.' First the preacher is to be reproved by 
 his senior in office. On a second offence, the minister reprehend- 
 ing, is to take with him one, two, or three witnesses : and if 
 still incurable, the offender is to be brought before that part of 
 the church to which he is particularly responsible, namely, the 
 yearly conference. He is not to be tried by the members of his 
 circuit or district, for they are the complainants — the persons sup- 
 posed to be aggrieved — but by his elders and equals. There 
 is, however, a considerable difference between the persons con- 
 cerned in the directions given by our Lord in the portion of 
 Scripture quoted above, and those who are adverted to in the 
 present section. That scripture evidently refers to the private 
 members of a church ; and the minister himself, after private re- 
 proof and public reprehension, first before two or three witnesses, 
 and then before the church, is to exclude the person, if impeni- 
 tent. But of this we shall treat largely, when we come to con- 
 sider the eighth section of the second chapter. Improper 
 tempers, manifested in the conversation or conduct of a minister 
 of the gospel, may be productive of more evil than all his public 
 labours can possibly compensate. But, at the same time, he may 
 not be so criminal, but that he may be borne with for a time, in 
 hope of reformation. 
 
 " N. B. The reason why the expression, one, two, or three 
 witnesses is mentioned in the section under this head, is, because 
 it may, in some instances, be impossible to have more than one 
 besides the reprehending minister, without sending to a neigh- 
 bouring circuit ; and as no public censure can pass upon the 
 offending preacher in this case till the sitting of the yearly con- 
 ference, it would not be proper to take a minister of the gospel 
 from his labours in another circuit, for two or three days, to an- 
 swer the present purpose. 
 
 " ' The servant of the Lord,' says St. Paul, 'must not strive ; 
 but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient ; in meekness 
 instructing those that oppose themselves,' 2 Tim. ii, 24, 25. 
 ' He [Christ] turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not 
 what manner of spirit ye are of,' Luke ix, 55. 
 
Sec. 20.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 321 
 
 " 3. It will, we believe, be allowed by all who love the truth as 
 it is in Jesus, that the heretical doctrines are as dangerous, at 
 least to the hearers, as the immoral life of a preacher ; and, there- 
 fore, the same process is provided for both cases. Those must 
 indeed be blind, who can sit for any time under the ministry of 
 an Arian, Socinian, Universalian, or any other heretical minister : 
 ' and if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch,' 
 Matt, xv, 14, and Luke vi, 39. But as we would guard against 
 a hasty and arbitrary measure in a matter which sometimes, 
 perhaps, it may be difficult to determine, the case alluded to at 
 present shall lie over to the yearly conference, if the preacher 
 be perfectly silent, in public and private, on the subjects objected 
 to. But if he will go on to dishonour Christ, or to oppose the 
 doctrines of holiness, or to introduce novel sentiments or ' vain 
 jangling,' (1 Tim. i, 6,) to draw our people from the one thing 
 needful, — CHRIST dying for and living in us, — an immediate 
 stop must be put to such dangerous, such pernicious proceedings. 
 
 " Matt, vii, 15, 16, ' Beware of false prophets, which come to 
 you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.' 
 Tit. iii, 10, 11, 'A man that is a heretic, after the first and 
 second admonition, reject;' (here the authority of judging and 
 rejecting is invested in Timothy ;) ' knowing that he that is such 
 is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.' 2 Pet. 
 ii, 1-3, ' But there were false prophets also among the people, 
 even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall 
 bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought 
 them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. . And many 
 shall follow their pernicious ways ; by reason of whom the way 
 of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness 
 shall they, with feigned words, make merchandise of you : whose 
 judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation 
 slumbereth not.' Rev. ii, 2, ' I know thy works, and thy labour, 
 and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are 
 evil : and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and 
 are not, and hast found them liars.' Rev. ii, 20, ' Notwith- 
 standing I have a few things against thee, because thou [the 
 angel of the church in Thyatira] sufferest that woman, Jezebel, 
 which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my 
 servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto 
 idols.' 
 
 " Before we conclude our notes on this section, we must entreat 
 our reader to notice, not only here, but throughout the whole 
 of our economy, the appeals which are allowed upon all occasions, 
 as far as the nature and circumstances of things will possibly 
 allow of them, without making our economy intricate and bur- 
 densome." 
 
 14* 
 
322 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 " SECTION XXI. 
 
 " Of the Local Preachers." 
 
 " By this mode of trial we are desirous of showing the most 
 tender regard toward our local brethren. We are all but men. 
 The best of us may fall into sin, or be drawn into dangerous and 
 pernicious errors; and it is sometimes necessary to stop the 
 plague by an immediate stroke of discipline. But we would not 
 have so important a character as that of one of our local breth- 
 ren even touched to its disadvantage by only one preacher, 
 who possibly might be younger than the accused. We have, 
 therefore, provided that a small meeting of respectable persons 
 shall be held, before a single step be taken in the business. 
 The trial will then come before the most weighty assembly in 
 the circuit. 
 
 " We have directed the yearly conference, upon an appeal, to 
 determine upon the merits of the cause from the memorial of 
 the quarterly meeting, on account of the difficulty, if not impos- 
 sibility, of bringing the necessary witnesses, perhaps thirty, fifty, 
 or a hundred miles from their home : nor have we any right or 
 authority to lay such a burden on any of our people. In short, 
 we have done the best we can, according to the nature of the 
 circumstances in which we are placed." 
 
 " SECTION XXII. 
 
 " Of Baptism." 
 
 We need only observe here, that we are conscious that sprink- 
 ling, pouring, and immersing have been practised by different 
 churches, in each of which the pure gospel was preached, and 
 the life of God, more or less, experienced ; and that all these 
 modes are, more or less, acceptable to God, when adminis- 
 tered with sincerity. At the same time, we know well, that as 
 much or more may be said in favour of sprinkling than of 
 immersion, from the account given us in Scripture of the bap- 
 tism of John himself: and the primitive churches in general, 
 we believe, favoured the practice of sprinkling. However, we 
 would meet the tender mind, and in matters unessential conde- 
 scend, as far as we conscientiously can, to the feelings and 
 sentiments of all." 
 
 " As we have before observed, our aim is to save souls, and 
 not to enrich ourselves : therefore, Mr. Wesley and our General 
 Conference placed our whole economy as far distant as possible 
 from that of a lucrative ministry. We are determined not to sell 
 the ordinances of God : in this no man shall make our glorying 
 
Sec. 24.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 323 
 
 void. Matt, x, 8, ' Freely ye have received,' says, our Lord, 
 4 freely give.' 1 Cor. ix, 11-18, * If we have sown unto you 
 spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal 
 things 1 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not 
 we rather 1 Nevertheless, we have not used this power ; but 
 suffer all things lest we should hinder- the gospel of Christ. — I 
 have used none of these things ; neither have I written these 
 things that it should be so done unto me ; for it were better for 
 me to die than that any man should make my glorying void.' " 
 
 " SECTION XXIII. 
 
 " Of the Lord's Supper." 
 
 " As the Scripture is silent about the posture of the communi- 
 cants, we prefer the most humble, whatever our Saviour might 
 have permitted when he instituted the sacred ordinance. Be- 
 sides, as we always receive the elements in prayer, we for that 
 reason also prefer the kneeling posture. We must also observe, 
 that our elders should be very cautious how they admit to the 
 communion persons who are not in our society. It would be 
 highly injurious to our brethren, if we suffered any to partake of 
 the Lord's supper with them, whom we would not readily admit 
 into our society on application made to us. Those whom we 
 judge unfit to partake of our profitable, prudential means of grace, 
 we should most certainly think improper to be partakers of an 
 ordinance which has been expressly instituted by Christ himself." 
 
 " SECTION XXIV. 
 
 " Of Public Worship:' 
 
 " Our church insists on the reading of the Scriptures in the 
 congregation, and gives directions accordingly. This is of the 
 utmost consequence, and we trust will be most sacredly observed 
 by all our ministers and preachers. A peculiar blessing accom- 
 panies the public reading as well as preaching the word of God 
 to attentive, believing souls. And in these days of infidelity no- 
 thing should be omitted which may lead the people to the love of 
 the Holy Bible. 
 
 " The meeting of the society also, wherever practicable, is of 
 considerable moment. There are various weighty subjects, pe- 
 culiarly suitable to religious societies, which cannot be so well 
 enlarged upon to a mixed congregation. Brotherly union and 
 fellowship, Christian discipline in all its branches, and various 
 other particulars may be enlarged upon and enforced with great 
 propriety and success on such occasions. At these times also we 
 may enter more minutely into the different parts of the relative 
 
324 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 1. 
 
 duties, than we can to unawakened souls, whose whole life is 
 sin, and who are at the best only ' like unto whited sepulchres, 
 which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of 
 dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.' " 
 
 " section xxv. 
 " Of the Spirit and Truth of Singing.'''' 
 
 " The singing of psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, in the 
 congregation, has been allowed by all the churches of God in all 
 ages (one modern society excepted) to be a part o£divine wor- 
 ship ; and, from its very nature, it evidently belongs to the whole 
 congregation. It would be unseemly for the minister alone to 
 sing : but if this be the duty of one member of the congregation, 
 it must be the duty of all who have voices for singing ; and there 
 are very few who may not join in the tenor part, all the defects 
 of their voices being swallowed up in the general sound. Few 
 things can be more pleasing to the Lord than a congregation 
 with one heart and one voice, praising his holy name. It is in- 
 deed to be feared, that there is seldom a large congregation, 
 where every individual is sincere. However, all who do in sin- 
 cerity desire a blessing, should strive to join in the general cho- 
 rus — we mean, in every part of the hymn. If one part of it be 
 above the experience of the singer, he should adjoin a silent 
 prayer, that the Lord may give him the grace he needs ; for the 
 Lord listens to hear what the heart speaks, and takes all as no- 
 thing, if the heart be silent. Again, when his experience rises 
 above the hymn, his secret prayer should be in behalf of that 
 part of the congregation which it suits : but in the proper hymns 
 of praise he may throw off all reserve, for we are all infinitely 
 indebted to our good God. From these remarks we surely must 
 be sensible of the necessity of confining ourselves to simple tunes, 
 as the fugue-tunes have an unavoidable tendency to confine to a 
 few this part of divine worship, which belongs to the whole. 
 And those, we think, have made few remarks on public worship, 
 who have not observed, on the one hand, how naturally the fugue- 
 tunes puff up with vanity those who excel in them ; and on the 
 other hand, how it deadens devotion, and only at the best raises 
 an admiration of the singers, and not of Christ. 
 
 " When it is recommended in this section to the preacher 
 sometimes to stop and address the people in the course of singing, 
 the substance only of what he should say is mentioned there. It 
 is not intended, that he should speak abruptly on such occasions, 
 but with softness and due respect on the necessity of singing and 
 of performing every act of devotion from the heart." 
 
Sec. 28.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 325 
 
 " SECTION XXVIII. 
 
 " Of the Chartered Fund:' 
 
 " We need not be urgent on our benevolent friends to promote 
 this great charity. Their own feelings, we well know, will suf- 
 ficiently prevail, when proper light is given to them on the sub- 
 ject. Our brethren who have laboured on the mountains, on the 
 western waters, and in the poorer circuits in general, have suf- 
 fered unspeakable hardships, merely for the want of some esta- 
 blished fund, in which the competent members of our society 
 might safely lodge what their benevolent hearts would rejoice to 
 give, for the spread of the gospel. On the same account, many 
 of our worn-out preachers, some of whom quickly consumed 
 their strength by their great exertions for the salvation of souls, 
 have been brought into deep distress ; and the widows and or- 
 phans of our preachers have been sometimes reduced to extreme 
 necessity, who might have lived in comfort, if not in affluence, 
 enjoying the sweets of domestic life, if the preachers who were 
 the husbands on one hand, and the fathers on the other, had not 
 loved their Redeemer better than wife or children, or life itself. 
 And it is to be lamented, if possible, with tears of blood, that we 
 have lost scores of our most able married ministers — men who, 
 like good householders, could upon all occasions bring things 
 new and old out of their treasury, but were obliged to retire from 
 the general work, because they saw nothing before them for their 
 wives and children, if they continued itinerants, but misery and 
 ruin. But the present institution will, we trust, under the bless- 
 ing of God, greatly relieve us in, if not entirely deliver us from, 
 these mighty evils. For we have full confidence, that the hearts 
 of our friends will be engaged, and their hands stretched forth on 
 this important occasion ; and a provision will be made, sufficient 
 to preserve the objects of the charity from want, which is all that 
 is aimed at or desired." 
 
 " CHAPTER II 
 
 " SECTION I. 
 
 " The Nature, Design, and General Rules of the United 
 Societies." 
 
 " The present section forms, perhaps, one of the completest 
 systems of Christian ethics or morals, for its size, which ever 
 was published by an uninspired writer. We speak this the more 
 readily, because it was the work of the first divine, we believe, 
 since the time of the apostles, the late Mr. Wesley, after matured 
 
326 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 2. 
 
 experience, with only a small addition, which the circumstances 
 of these states required. The rules are so clear, and so obviously 
 approve themselves to every candid mind, that we need only 
 touch briefly upon them, proving them by quotations from the 
 sacred writings. 
 
 " 1. Of class meeting we shall speak hereafter : we would here 
 only explain a few particulars concerning the office of a leader. 
 We have found it necessary in innumerable instances to enlarge 
 the number of the class, from the impossibility of providing a 
 sufficiency of class-leaders, if the number were always limited to 
 twelve. The office is of vast consequence. The revival of the 
 work of God does perhaps depend as much upon the whole body 
 of leaders, as it does upon the whole body of preachers. We 
 have almost constantly observed, that when a leader is dull, or 
 careless, or inactive — when he has not abilities or zeal sufficient 
 to reprove with courage though with gentleness, and to press a 
 present salvation upon the hearts of the sincere — the class is, in 
 general, languid : but, on the contrary, when the leader is much 
 alive to God and faithful in his office, the class is also, in general, 
 lively and spiritual. This arises from the nature of the Chris- 
 tian plan of salvation. It is the same, in general, with a minis- 
 ter and his flock ; and every leader, as we have before intimated, 
 is, in some degree, a gospel minister : though we may add, that 
 among us a spiritual body of leaders may counteract the other- 
 wise pernicious consequences of a languid ministry. 
 
 " At the beginning of Methodism, the leader called weekly 
 upon each of his class, in which case twelve were quite sufficient 
 for his inspection. But very soon it was found abundantly pre- 
 ferable for the whole class to meet the leader together, not only 
 for the sake of the leader, but for the good of the people, who 
 by that means enjoy the unspeakable advantage of Christian fel- 
 lowship. At the same time the leader is expected to visit the 
 members of his class at their own houses, especially when they 
 are sick or confined, as often as his circumstances will admit." 
 
 " 4. The buying and selling the souls and bodies of men (for 
 what is the body without the soul but a dead carcass]) is a compli- 
 cated crime.* It was indeed, in some measure, overlooked in the 
 Jews by reason of the wonderful hardness of their hearts, as was 
 the keeping of concubines and the divorcing of wives at pleasure, 
 but it is totally opposite to the whole spirit of the gospel. It 
 
 "* Are there not many proprietors to be found on this continent, who 
 restrain their slaves from enjoying the privileges of the gospel, and 
 thereby invade the rights of the souls and consciences of their slaves, 
 as well as their bodies? At the same time we must give the credit 
 due to multitudes who do not thus enslave the minds of their servants, 
 but allow them full liberty to attend the preaching of the gospel, 
 wherever they think they are most profited." 
 
Sec. 2.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 327 
 
 has an immediate tendency to fill the mind with pride and 
 tyranny, and is frequently productive of almost every act of 
 lust and cruelty which can disgrace the human species. Even 
 the moral philosopher will candidly confess, that if there be a 
 God, every perfection he possesses must be opposed to a 
 practice so contrary to every moral idea which can influence 
 the human mind." 
 
 "6. We are debtors to the constitution under which we live 
 (toe, especially in these United States) for all the blessings of law 
 and liberty which we enjoy : and without a government to support 
 that constitution, all would be anarchy and confusion. It is, 
 therefore, our duty to support it by bearing, with our fellow-citi- 
 zens, an equal proportion of its expenses ; and it is as great a 
 crime to rob our country, as to rob a private individual ; and the 
 blindness of too many to this truth, injures not in the least the 
 veracity of it." 
 
 " SECTION II. 
 
 " Of Class Meeting: 1 
 
 " So much has been already spoken concerning the office ol 
 a leader in the notes on the preceding section, and on the tenth 
 of the first chapter, that we have hardly room to enlarge with- 
 out tautology. But from the whole we may observe, how 
 careful our ministers should be in their choice of leaders. For 
 our leaders, under God, are the sinews of our society, and our 
 revivals will ever, in a great measure, rise or fall with them. 
 Our ministers and preachers should therefore consider no time 
 better employed than that which they bestow on the leaders, in 
 examining them, directing them, and stirring them up to their 
 holy and momentous duty. 
 
 " We have made many remarks in the course of our work on 
 the necessity of Christian fellowship : but this cannot be carried 
 on to any considerable advantage without stated solemn times 
 of assembling. The meetings held for this purpose must have 
 a name to distinguish them. We call ours class meetings, and 
 band meetings ; but of the former we are to speak at present. 
 Here we must notice, that it is the thing itself , Christian fellow- 
 ship, and not the name, which we contend for. The experience 
 of about sixty years has fully convinced us of its necessity ; and 
 we ourselves can say that in the course of an extensive acquaint- 
 ance with men and things, and the church of God, for about 
 twenty or thirty years, we have rarely met with one who has 
 been much devoted to God, and at the same time not united in 
 close Christian fellowship to some religious society or other. 
 Far be it from us to suppose that no fellowship meetings, except 
 ours, are owned of God : so illiberal a sentiment never entered 
 our minds. But we must say, that those who entirely neglect 
 
328 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 2 
 
 this divinely-instituted ordinance (however various the names 
 given to it, or the modes of conducting it, may be) manifest that 
 they are either ashamed to acknowledge as their brethren the 
 true children of God, or ' are enemies of the cross of Christ,' 
 Phil, iii, 18. They wish to keep up a correspondence with 
 the world, which Christian discipline could not long tolerate ; 
 or they cannot bear to have their wounds probed to the bottom, 
 that the balm of Gilead, the healing wine and oil of the gospel, 
 may be applied by the divine Physician, ' and the blood of 
 Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanse them from all sin,' 
 1 John i, 7. 
 
 " We have no doubt but meetings of Christian brethren for 
 the exposition of Scripture texts may be attended with their 
 advantages. But the most profitable exercise of any is a free 
 inquiry into the state of the heart. We therefore confine these 
 meetings to Christian experience, only adjoining singing and 
 prayer in the introduction and conclusion. And we praise the 
 Lord they have been made a blessing to scores of thousands. 
 And we must add, with gratitude to the Most High, that after 
 an accurate attention to the point ourselves, and from the im- 
 partial account of several of our oldest and most useful minis- 
 ters in different parts of the globe, we have cause to believe, 
 that out of those who have died members of our society, far the 
 greatest part have entered into glory in the triumph of faith. 
 In short, we can truly say, that through the grace of God our 
 classes form the pillars of our work, and, as we have before 
 observed, are in a considerable degree our universities for the 
 ministry." 
 
 " SECTION III. 
 
 " Of the Band Societies:' 
 
 " Our society may be considered as a spiritual hospital, where 
 souls come to be cured of their spiritual diseases. The mem- 
 bers, therefore, who compose our class meetings vary exceed- 
 ingly in the state of their minds and the degrees of their expe- 
 rience. On this account it was thought necessary by our 
 venerable leader, Mr. Wesley, to establish a society of evan- 
 gelical believers within the society composed of the whole body 
 of Methodists, to which he gave the name of the band society. 
 This institution he borrowed from the practice of the primitive 
 churches, as indeed he did almost every thing he established. 
 
 " The heart of man by nature is such a cage of unclean birds 
 that few are to be found who will lay before their brethren all 
 its secret movements, unless the love of God be the ruling prin- 
 ciple of their souls. And even then they are not called upon 
 to exercise this confidence, except toward a small confidential 
 company of true believers like themselves. When bands can 
 
Sec. 3.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 329 
 
 be formed on this plan (and on no other do we form them) they 
 become one of the most profitable means of grace in the whole 
 compass of Christian discipline. There is nothing we know 
 of which so much quickens the soul to a desire and expectation 
 of the perfect love of God as this. It includes in it all the 
 spiritual benefits of social intercourse. For these little families 
 of love not only mutually weep and rejoice, and in every thing 
 sympathize with each other, as genuine friends, but each of them 
 possesses a measure of that unction of the Holy One,' (1 John 
 ii, 20,) which teaches all spiritual knowledge. And thus are 
 they enabled to ' build up themselves [and each other] on their 
 most holy faith,' (Jude 20,) and to ' consider one another^ to 
 provoke unto love and good works,' Heb. x, 24. 
 
 " The regularity and order which should be observed in 
 every solemn meeting, requires that one of the band should be 
 the leader, to open and close the ordinance with singing and 
 prayer, though all may be here considered nearly upon an 
 equality. Each must be at full liberty to follow the leader in 
 prayer, whenever they kneel down together before God. 
 
 " In large societies all the members of those little bands are 
 to meet together once a week with the preacher, and to spend 
 an hour in speaking their experience one after another, as in 
 our love-feasts : and these meetings have been rendered a great 
 blessing to many. 
 
 " In very large societies there should be a quarterly love- 
 feast for the bands, as well as for the whole society, (which 
 always includes the members of the bands.) 
 
 " Wherever also it is practicable, there should be formed a 
 select society chosen out of the members of the bands. This 
 should be composed of believers who enjoy the perfect love of 
 God, or who are earnestly seeking that great blessing. In 
 London, Bristol, &c, in Europe, and in New- York, &c. r on 
 this continent, these select societies have been very profitable. 
 They also meet once a week for an hour, and the preacher pre- 
 sides among them. Each member is at liberty to speak his or 
 her experience, the preacher giving such advice respecting the 
 grand point their souls are aiming at, as he sees expedient. 
 
 " Thus does our economy, by its prudential ordinances, under 
 the grace of God, tend to raise the members of our society 
 from one degree of grace to another. And we have invariably 
 observed, that where these meetings of the bands have been 
 kept up in their life and power, the revival of the work of God 
 has been manifest both in the addition of members to the society 
 and in the deepening of the life of God in general. 
 
 " We earnestly wish that our elders, deacons, and preachers 
 
 be peculiarly attentive to these blessed ordinances in their 
 
 respective spheres of action. They probably may find earnest 
 
 ' evers in almost every circuit, who will be willing to meet 
 
330 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 2. 
 
 in band, if properly advised and encouraged. And when many 
 of these bands are formed, the other meetings may easily be 
 established and regulated. And we believe hardly any thing 
 will promote the general work more than this. 
 
 " The propriety of separating the men and women in these 
 bands must be evident to every one who considers the account 
 here given of this means of grace. The separating of the 
 married and single arises from the peculiar circumstances in 
 which they are situated, and from the closer union which is 
 likely to subsist between those who are circumstanced alike. 
 Widowers or widows may have their choice of meeting either 
 with the married or the single, unless a band can be formed of 
 them alone respectively. 
 
 " The social principle is one of the grand springs in the soul 
 of man. It was not the design of Christianity to annihilate this 
 principle, but the very contrary — to improve it, to spiritualize 
 it, and strengthen it. then let us exercise it in spiritual in- 
 tercourse, as we well know that one part of our heavenly felicity 
 will flow from friendship and union with our brethren, the re- 
 deemed of the Lord, to all eternity ! Gal. vi, 2, ' Bear ye one 
 another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.' 1 Cor. xii, 
 26, 27, ' Whether one member suffer, all the members suffer 
 with it : or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice 
 with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in par- 
 ticular.' Phil, ii, 1, 2, 'If there be therefore any consolation in 
 Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, 
 if any bowels and mercies : fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like- 
 minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one 
 mind.' We have perhaps one hundred thousand believers in 
 our church throughout the world ; and if all were thus of one 
 accord, ' walking by the same rule, minding the same thing,' 
 (Phil, iii, 16,) what a glorious church should we make ; and 
 God would hear our prayers, and look down upon us with the 
 same delight, as if we were all assembled in the same room, or 
 in the same temple. 
 
 " Observe, here is nothing of auricular confession or priestly 
 absolution : the whole is the fruit of holy confidence and Chris- 
 tian love." 
 
 " SECTION IV. 
 
 " Of the Privileges granted to serious Persons who are not of 
 the Society." 
 
 " It is manifestly our duty to fence in our society, and to pre- 
 serve it from intruders ; otherwise we should soon become a 
 desolate waste. God would write Ichabod upon us, and the 
 glory would be departed from Israel. At the same time we 
 should suffer those who are apparently sincere, if they request 
 
Sec. 5.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 331 
 
 it, to see our order and discipline twice or thrice, that they 
 themselves may judge whether it will be for their spiritual 
 advantage to cast in their lot among us. But we should by 
 no means exceed the indulgence here allowed ; otherwise we 
 should make our valuable meetings for Christian fellowship 
 cheap and contemptible, and bring a heavy burden on the minds 
 of our brethren." 
 
 "section v. 
 
 " Of the Qualification and Duty of the Stewards of Circuits.'''' 
 
 " In each large society there are generally two or four 
 stewards of that particular society for the management of its 
 temporal concerns. These are appointed, as well as the circuit 
 stewards, by the preacher who has the charge of the circuit. 
 He is himself to have as little as possible to do with temporal 
 affairs, but has the appointment of the officers of the society 
 invested in him, as being likely to be the best judge of the 
 society at large, and of each member in particular. Neverthe- 
 less, he is to advise with the quarterly meeting on the appoint- 
 ment of circuit stewards, and with the leaders of each society 
 respectively on the appointment of society stewards." 
 
 " SECTION VIII. 
 
 " Of bringing to Trial, finding guilty, and reproving, suspend- 
 ing, or excluding disorderly Persons from Society and Church 
 Privileges. 
 
 " The present section requires a very full explication ; not 
 because Scripture and reason do not fully discover to us the 
 truth on the present subject, but because many have objected to 
 our Discipline in the instance before us. 
 
 " The grand point to be determined is this : whether the final 
 judgment of an offender in respect to both the guilt and the cen- 
 sure should be invested in the minister or the people. We shall 
 therefore take a view of this part of our economy, first, in the 
 light of Scripture, and, secondly, in that of reason. 
 
 " First, in the light of Scripture. Here we must confine our- 
 selves of course to the New Testament, as living under the 
 Christian dispensation. 1. The first scripture we shall consider 
 is the declaration of our Saviour in Matt, xviii, 15-17, 'More- 
 over, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him 
 his fault between thee and him alone : if he shall hear thee, thou 
 hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then 
 take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three 
 witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall 
 neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church ; but if he neglect 
 
332 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 2. 
 
 to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a 
 publican.' These words were addressed to the apostles, and 
 through them to all the ministers of Christ to the end of the 
 world. This is evident from the words immediately following 
 the quotation, and which are a continuation of the same para- 
 graph, and could not belong to the private members of a church. 
 
 " The first step then which is to be taken, is to tell the offender 
 of his fault in private without any witness. Here is the secret 
 reproof of the minister himself. But if he will not hear and 
 amend, the second step is, that the minister take with him two 
 or three witnesses. Here is the reproof of the minister before 
 witnesses. ' And if he shall neglect to hear them,' shall these 
 two or three witnesses proceed to exclude him 1 No : they have 
 no such authority : but ' tell it unto the church.' This is the 
 third step. Has the church then any authority to punish him ? No : 
 their whole authority lies in advising and reproving him. ' But 
 if,' after such advice and reproof, ' he neglect to hear the church, 
 let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.'' Can 
 any one imagine that the minister only is to treat the offender 
 thus ; and that the rest of the church are to give him the right hand 
 of fellowship ? This cannot be. The minister is undoubtedly to 
 exclude him from the communion of the church. This is the 
 last step. Then follow immediately those words of our Lord, 
 1 Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven : 
 and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven :' 
 which words, as we before observed, confine the power to 
 ministers, whose church censures, as far as they are consistent 
 with the word of God, (for we cannot suppose the authority goes 
 further,) shall be confirmed and supported in heaven : and the 
 faithful ministers of God, who have been more or less invested 
 with the superintendency of the church, have found this promise 
 verified. The latter words cannot be supposed to relate to an 
 external exclusion from glory, for that would preclude the neces- 
 sity of the day of judgment in respect to those so excommunicated. 
 But we repeat, here is not a word said of the church's authority 
 either to judge or to censure. On the contrary, the whole au- 
 thority is expressly delivered into the hands of the minister. 
 
 " But we may add, that this passage speaks of offences which 
 have not yet brought a public disgrace on the church of God. 
 The church or society of which the offender is a member is not 
 even supposed to be generally acquainted with the fault till after 
 the failure of the first and second attempt for his reformation. 
 Surely, if the offence be of a scandalous nature, and has already 
 disgraced the cause of God by its public notoriety, the offender 
 ought to be immediately removed, after clear conviction, for the 
 honour of God and his cause : much more so still, if the offender 
 has been found guilty of some gross crime. For could any one 
 think of having communion with a murderer, adulterer, or thief, 
 
Sec. 8.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 333 
 
 even for a moment, though the crime was not known to any but the 
 offender and himself: and so we may observe of many other crimes. 
 
 " But it may be urged that the offence must be first mentioned 
 to the church, before the offender can be scripturally excluded. 
 ' Tell it to the church,' says our Lord. And so we do. It is 
 merely for the sake of convenience, that in large societies we tell 
 it only to a committee or representation of the society, or do 
 abundantly more, even make them the witnesses of the whole 
 trial. But if such societies were to desire it, we would tell the 
 whole unto the church at large. But still we must declare, from 
 the plain sense of the word of God, that our Lord invests the 
 minister with the whole authority both of judgment and censure. 
 
 " 2. Another scripture worthy of consideration on this subject 
 is 1 Cor. v, 1-5, ' It is reported commonly that there is for- 
 nication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as 
 named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's 
 wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that 
 he that hath done this deed, might be taken away from among 
 you. For I verily as absent in body, but present in spirit, have 
 judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that 
 hath so done this deed : in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a one unto Satan for 
 the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day 
 of our Lord Jesus.' It is evident, beyond the possibility of a 
 doubt, that the apostle, being fully persuaded of the truth of the 
 fact, took upon himself the whole business of deciding on the 
 guilt and punishment of the incestuous Corinthian. ' I, as pre- 
 sent in spirit,'' says he, 'have judged already.'' He here acts 
 as their chief minister, and requires them to consider his spirit 
 present with them, as he could not be so personally. They 
 were not to meet, in order to consult whether the offender should 
 be put away or not, but merely to put him from among them, 
 because the apostle was absent. 
 
 " It may here be asked, Why did not the chief resident minis- 
 ter of the church of Corinth put away the incestuous person, if 
 he possessed the authority 1 We answer, Because he was un- 
 faithful. He connived at this enormous crime, either because 
 he did not love the cause of holiness, which is the cause of God, 
 or because he gave way to the evil solicitations of the people. 
 This is evident from those words in the passage before us, ' Ye 
 are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath 
 done this deed, might be taken aicay from amongyou.' He does 
 not say, Ye have not mourned that you did not put away this 
 great offender, but ' that he might be taken aicay from among you.' 
 But as the person who had the immediate authority did not take 
 the offender away from among them, St. Paul, as the apostle of 
 he Gentiles, steps in to the minister's place, and cuts him off. 
 
334 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 2. 
 
 " It might also be urged, that it was an apostle who thus acted : 
 and we should be ready to admit this as an exempt case, if it 
 were not agreeable to the authority given by Christ himself to 
 his ministers — an authority, the due exercise of which by his 
 ministers our Lord highly approves of, and the neglect of which 
 he strongly condemns, as we shall now proceed to show. 
 
 " 3. Rev. ii, 1,2,' Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus 
 write, These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his 
 right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candle- 
 sticks ; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and 
 how thou canst not bear them which are evil.'' With what high 
 approbation does our Lord here express himself concerning the de- 
 termined opposition of the chief minister of the church of Ephesus 
 to all immoral professors ! ' Thou canst not bear them which are 
 evil.' But if this minister had only a single vote against immoral 
 practices in the church, or was only chairman in the meetings of 
 the church, to examine into the conduct of offenders or supposed 
 offenders, is it likely that our Lord would have given so high an 
 encomium, so strong a commendation of the conduct of the mi- 
 nister in this respect ? Would he not at least have said some- 
 thing in commendation of the church itself, without whom in this 
 instance, if the power of censure lay in them, the minister would 
 oe almost a cipher ? For the minister, in such case, would have 
 little to do in the business, unless as a complainant or informer. 
 Besides, our Lord adds in the second verse, ' And thou hast tried 
 them which say they are apostles, and are not ; and hast found 
 them liars.' And again, verse 6, ' But this thou hast, that thou 
 hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.' From 
 the whole of which it appears, that the minister was the sole 
 judge both of the morals and doctrines of the church which he 
 superintended, the church not being at all mentioned by our Lord 
 as having any authority in these matters. 
 
 " 4. Rev. ii, 12-15, ' And to the angel of the church in Per- 
 gamos write, These things saith he which hath the sharp 
 sword with two edges ; — I have a few things against thee, because 
 thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who 
 taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of 
 Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornica- 
 tion. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nico- 
 laitans, which thing I hate.' But why should our Lord cast all 
 this blame on the minister alone, without taking the least notice 
 of the church, if the power of censure rested in the church, and 
 not in the minister ; or no further in the minister, than as having 
 a single vote in the church 1 Is it, we must repeat, at all proba- 
 ble, is it morally possible, that our Lord would have written thus 
 to the angel of the church, if that angel, or chief minister, had not 
 possessed authority to cleanse it from the followers of the doc- 
 trine of Balaam, and of the Nicolaitans 1 
 
Sec. 8.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 335 
 
 11 5. Rev. ii, 18-20, ' And unto the angel of the church in Thy- 
 atira write, These things saith the Son of God, who hath 
 his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass ; 
 — I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that 
 woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and 
 to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things 
 sacrificed unto idols.' But how could he possibly avoid suffering 
 her to remain in the church, if the church possessed the power 
 of censure and excommunication, and was determined to keep 
 her in 1 Or, how could he possibly have prevented her being 
 turned out, if the church had in it the power of expulsion, and 
 had expelled her 1 
 
 "We may here just observe that most of the churches of Asia 
 Minor, mentioned in the second and third chapters of the Revela- 
 tion, if not all of them, were founded by St. Paul. 
 
 " 6. We shall instance in only two more portions of the word 
 of God on this subject. (1.) Heb. xiii, 7, ' Remember them 
 which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word 
 of God : whose faith follow, considering the end of their conver- 
 sation.' And (2.) Verse 17, ' Obey them that have the rule over 
 you, and submit yourselves : for they watch for your souls, as 
 they that must give account : that they may do it with joy, and 
 not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.' Observe, [1.] The 
 persons here described as having the rule, and a right to obedience 
 and submission, were persons who had spoken the word of God to 
 the people, and watched over their souls, and consequently were 
 their preachers and pastors. But, [2.] To suppose that they 
 ruled in the church, and had a claim to obedience and submission, 
 and yet had not the authority of cleansing the church from im- 
 moral and heretical persons, would be exceedingly absurd. 
 These last-quoted texts are collateral and inferential proofs, the 
 former are expressly so. 
 
 " 2dly. Let us consider the subject in the light of reason. 1. Is 
 there any propriety in constituting a husband the judge of the 
 guilt or innocence of his wife, or the wife of her husband ; the 
 parent of his child, or the child of his parent ; the brother of his 
 sister, or the sister of her brother, &cA Would not natural af- 
 fection almost unavoidably move them in such cases to be partial 
 to each other 1 Might not resentment move a master to be par- 
 tial in his judgment against his servant 1 Might not fear, on the 
 contrary, influence the servant in favour of his master 1 A long 
 acquaintance also, perhaps even from childhood, has a powerful 
 effect upon the minds of men, and would strongly tempt them to 
 cover sin, to the destruction, not intentionally but eventually, 
 of the work of God. The intermixture of temporal interests 
 would also be a strong motive to induce many to make large al- 
 lowances for the offender. ' My income is small, and my family 
 large : such a one is my customer, and also many of his rela- 
 
336 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 2. 
 
 tions ; and shall I vote against him to the injury of my family % 
 Perhaps he may repent, and be better in future. Such a one has 
 obliged me in various respects, and shall I be so ungrateful as to 
 condemn him wholly]' Those who are acquainted with the 
 operations of the human mind, must be very sensible how often 
 these reasonings would warp the minds of the judges, and pro- 
 duce a partiality in their decisions, which would be ruinous in the 
 last degree to the work of God. Additionally to all this, we must 
 recollect that diiferent countries, and different parts of the same 
 country, are addicted to particular vices : and those are but lit- 
 tle acquainted with human nature who do not know that men are 
 strongly tempted to cover those sins which they themselves are 
 inwardly inclined to, or which it is their interest to commit. For 
 instance, in a part of the country where the maple-tree grows 
 abundantly, and there are various manufactures of sugar, would 
 not the church be strongly inclined to make large allowances for 
 those who would labour in their sugar-camps on the Lord's day? 
 Let those answer who are acquainted with the nature of that 
 manufacture. Again, in that part of the country where the buy- 
 ing the souls and bodies of men is a common practice, would not 
 many in the church be tempted to favour those who were guilty 
 of that practice, because they themselves might be the next to fall 
 into the snare ] Yea, we have had proofs of this — of private 
 members of the church, who have attempted to assume the power, 
 not only of judging or rather clearing the offender, but of judg- 
 ing the law itself! 
 
 " To give therefore the authority of judging and censuring 
 offenders to the private members of a church, would be to form 
 a court which in innumerable instances would have the strongest 
 temptations to partiality. We do not mention this to show the 
 least disrespect to the private members of our society : on the 
 contrary, many of them may exceed us in piety and every grace. 
 But it is contrary to all the rules of justice to appoint those to be 
 judges who may in so many instances be strongly tempted to be 
 partial. At the same time we must observe, that the word of 
 God is that which we principally stand upon, knowing well that 
 every passage in the New Testament which relates to the pre- 
 sent subject is wholly on our side. 
 
 " 2. Our original design in forming our religious society renders 
 the existence of this authority in our ministers absolutely necessary. 
 But what was this design 1 To raise a holy people. Our plan of 
 economy shuts us up from the influence of any other motive in 
 respect to our ministerial labours. It is impossible for us to enrich 
 ourselves by Methodist preaching. Again, we bear a constant 
 testimony against the pleasures of the world, and therefore should 
 be esteemed, even by our own people, as the greatest of hypocrites, 
 if we indulged ourselves in them, and would soon be excluded the 
 connection by the various means of trial to which all of us are 
 
Sec. 8.] By Bishops Coke and Asbury. 337 
 
 subject. And as to honour, we are almost the only despised peo- 
 ple in Christendom, as a religious body. The secondary rank of 
 mankind and the poor are the only persons (with a few exceptions) 
 who receive the gospel. The rich and great in general, even 
 those who have not embraced the favourite doctrines of the times, 
 will not submit to the way of the cross, but, on the contrary, look 
 down on the preachers of it as the greatest enthusiasts. And shall 
 we thus sacrifice all that the world holds dear and at the same time 
 lose the only aim of all our public labours, by false complai- 
 sance 1 No. We will have a holy people, or none. In every part 
 of our economy, as well as doctrine, we aim at crucifixion to the 
 world and love to God. This must be the price of our labours. 
 We require not riches, honours, or pleasure, but a holy people. 
 We have a right to dispose of our labours as we please, as 
 far as they respect our fellow-creatures : and we will not bestow 
 them on any other condition. If we labour in any place a suffi- 
 cient time for a trial, and are not able to raise a people devoted 
 to God, we will leave it : we have a right so to do, and none have 
 just ground of complaint. Again, if we have encouragement from 
 any people, but they afterward deceive us, and return to the 
 world ' like the dog to his vomit,' (2 Pet. ii, 22,) they have broken 
 the condition on which we labour among them ; we have nothing 
 more to do with them ; and if we continue in that place, it is for 
 the sake of others, and not of them. But, blessed be God, if we 
 meet sometimes with discouragements in this respect, they are 
 amply compensated by the increase of vital godliness. We love 
 our people ; and they in general amply repay our labours by their 
 holy conversation. They are the joy of our hearts, and will, we 
 trust, be our crown of rejoicing on the great day. But still we 
 must observe, that our immovable support, on which we rest our 
 sentiments upon this subject, is the word of God. And we 
 may add, that the present poiht has been seldom disputed, as far 
 as we know, by any, except those who have been disaffected to 
 us, or have openly separated from us. 
 
 " An appeal is allowed, in all the cases mentioned in this sec- 
 tion, to the following quarterly meeting. For though the power 
 of appeal be not mentioned in the last clause, which relates to the 
 sowing of dissensions, yet it certainly is implied. Our work is at 
 present in its infancy in comparison to what, we trust, it will be 
 through the blessing of God. Our ministers who have the 
 charge of circuits may not be always so aged and experienced as 
 we might wish them to be ; the appeal to the quarterly meeting 
 is therefore allowed to remedy this defect. And this no one can 
 object to. No one, we think, can imagine, that the members of 
 a class, or the members of the largest society, would form so re- 
 spectable or so impartial a court of judicature as the presiding elder, 
 the travelling and local preachers, and the leaders and stewards 
 of the whole circuit. But the point is quite out of the reach of 
 
 15 
 
338 Notes on the Discipline, [Ch. 3 
 
 debate in respect to those who believe the sacred writings, and 
 sincerely reverence them. The New Testament determines, be- 
 yond a doubt, that judgment and censure in the cases before us 
 shall be in the minister : nor could we justify our conduct in in- 
 vesting the quarterly meeting with the authority of receiving and 
 determining appeals, if it were not almost entirely composed of 
 men who are more or less engaged in the ministry of the word, 
 the stewards being the only exceptions. 
 
 " We shall now just add some portions of sacred writ, in rela- 
 tion to the immoralities which are referred to in this section, 
 that our ministers who have the oversight of circuits may have 
 them under their eye." 
 
 M SECTION X. 
 
 " Of the Sale and Use of Spirituous Liquors.'''' 
 
 " Far be it from us to wish or endeavour to intrude upon the 
 proper religious or civil liberty of any of our people. But the 
 retailing of spirituous liquors, and giving drams to customers, 
 when they call at the stores, are such prevalent customs at 
 present, and are productive of so many evils, that we judge it 
 our indispensable duty to form a regulation against them. The 
 cause of God, which we prefer to every other consideration un- 
 der heaven, absolutely requires us to step forth with humble 
 boldness in this respect." 
 
 "CHAPTER III. 
 
 " SECTION I. 
 
 " Of building Churches, and the Order to be observed therein." 
 
 " ' The sitting of men and women apart' was the universal 
 practice in the primitive church. A general mixture of the sexes 
 in places of divine worship is obviously improper. 
 
 " In respect to the deed of settlement, we would observe, that 
 the union of the Methodist society, through the states, requires 
 one general deed, for the settlement of our preaching houses and 
 the premises belonging thereto. In the above plan of settlement 
 we have given to the trustees an authority and security they 
 never possessed by virtue of our former deeds, namely, the power 
 of mortgaging or selling the premises in the cases and manner 
 above mentioned. By which we manifest to the whole world, 
 that the property of the preaching houses will not be invested in 
 the General Conference. But the preservation of our union and 
 the progress of the work of God indispensably require, that the 
 
Sec. 2.] By Bishops Cuke and Anbury. 339 
 
 free and full use of the pulpits should be in the hands of the Ge- 
 neral Conference, and the yearly conferences authorized by them. 
 Of course, the travelling preachers, who are in full connection, 
 assembled in their conferences, are the patrons of the pulpits of 
 our churches. And this was absolutely necessary to give a clear, 
 legal specification in the deed. If the local preachers, stewards, 
 and leaders (who have an undoubted right to preach, meet their 
 classes, &c, in the preaching houses at due time, according to the 
 Form of Discipline) were specified, it would be necessary to add 
 a description of their orders ; which would throw such obscurity 
 upon the whole, that a court of justice would either reject the 
 deed, or be at a loss to determine concerning the little peculiari- 
 ties of our Form of Discipline. But we do hereby publicly de- 
 clare, that we have no design of limiting, in the least degree, 
 the privileges of any of the public officers of our society, but by 
 this deed solely intend to preserve the property of our church 
 by such a clear, simple specification, as shall be fully and easily 
 cognizable by the laws." 
 
 " SECTION II. 
 
 " Of the Printing of Books, and the Application of the Profits 
 arising therefrom." 
 
 " The propagation of religious knowledge, by means of the 
 press, is next in importance to the preaching of the gospel. 
 To supply the people, therefore, with the most pious and useful 
 books, in order that they may fill up their leisure hours in the 
 most profitable ways, is an object worthy of the deepest atten- 
 tion of their pastors. On this account we are determined to 
 move in the most cautious manner in respect to our publications. 
 We have a great esteem for our general book steward, and arc 
 much obliged to him for his fidelity and usefulness in his import- 
 ant office : but we shall in future submit our publications to the 
 judgment of no single person. The books of infidelity and pro- 
 faneness with which the states at present abound, demand our 
 strongest exertions to counteract their pernicious influence : and 
 every step shall be taken, which is consistent with our finances, 
 to furnish our friends, from time to time, with the most useful 
 treatises on every branch of religious knowledge. And the con- 
 sideration that all the profits shall be lodged in our chartered 
 fund for the benefit of the distressed preachers, both travelling 
 and superannuated, will, we trust, prove a considerable additional 
 inducement to our brethren to purchase our books." 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Alabama Conference, boundaries of, 221, 227. 
 
 Annual Conference, (see Conference.) 
 
 Antinomianism, 77. 
 
 Apostolic succession, 282. 
 
 Appeal, right of, 113. 
 
 Arbitrations, (see Members,) 141. 
 
 Arkansas Conference, boundaries of, 223, 227. 
 
 Articles of Religion, 80, 83, 84, 95-110,112, 160. 
 
 Asbury, Francis, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, 81, 83, 281. 
 
 Assistant, duties of, 11, 16, 17, 19, 20, 54, 76, 126. 
 
 General, (see Mr. Wesley, Superintendent, Bishop,) 11, 13, 
 21, 119. 
 
 Baltimore Conference, boundaries of, 211, 212, 213, 216, 218, 221. 
 
 powers of, 79. 
 Bands, 36, 56, 84, 140, 183, 328. 
 
 original rules of, 184. 
 Baptism, 174, 200. 
 
 mode of, 45, 174, 204, 322. 
 a second, 45. 
 Bible classes, 150. 
 Society, 139. 
 
 agents for the American, 123. 
 Bishops, (see Mr. Wesley, General Assistant, Superintendent,) first 
 use of the title, 82, 118. 
 Address of the, 83, 88. 
 
 Notes to the Discipline bv the, 85, 260, 281. 
 ordination of, 38, 120, 209. 
 
 powers of, 114, 115, 118, 212, 214, 216, 219, 256, 257, 287. 
 allowance of, 119, 228, 240, 246, 248. 
 election of, 120, 121. 
 
 duties of, 38, 119, 120, 121, 122, 248, 249, 250. 
 trial of, 38, 120, 121, 122, 290. 
 provision in case of vacancy in the office, 39, 120. 
 American, compared with Mr. Wesley, 287-292. 
 Black River Conference, boundaries of, 222, 225. 
 Books, circulation of, 138, 145, 254, 260, 307, 339. 
 
 publication of, by travelling preachers, 262, 264, 313. 
 
 by editors, agents, or clerks of Book Concern, 
 267. 
 Book Agents, 122, 254, 262, 266. 
 
 allowance of, 254, 270. 
 
342 INDEX. 
 
 Book Agents, from whom chosen, 262, 271. 
 powers of, 255, 258, 261. 
 term of office, 262, 267. 
 at Cincinnati, 263. 
 Committee, 255, 257, 258, 264, 266, 267, 270. 
 Concern, 113, 243, 252, 254. 
 
 publications of, by whom selected, 254, 255, 257, 258, 
 
 261,263,266,270,271. 
 seat of, 260, 265. 
 profits of, 254, 256, 260, 261. 
 annual exhibit of, 264, 266. 
 commission system abolished, 264. 
 Bribery, 38. 
 Burial of the dead, order of, 207. 
 
 Call to preach, evidences of, 62, 145, 310. 
 
 Calvinism, 76. 
 
 Canada Conference, boundaries of, 217. 
 
 Catechisms, 150. 
 
 Charleston, S. C, paper at, 269. 
 
 depository at, 272. 
 Chartered Fund, 85, 113, 243, 251, 254, 325. 
 Children, instruction of, (see Education,) 13, 34, 51, 64, 147, 317. 
 Christian Advocate and Journal, editor of, 264. 
 Christian Advocate, Western, 269. 
 Southern, 269. 
 Richmond, 269. 
 South Western, 269. 
 Pittsburgh, 272. 
 Church of England, condition of, 93, 94. 
 
 connection of Methodists with, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 
 22 55 57. 
 Churches, 11, 13, 20, 69. ' 
 
 building of, 76, 139, 228. 
 deed for, 70, 229, 230. 
 property of, 288, 338. 
 order in, 71, 72. 
 Cincinnati, book establishment at, 263, 266,268, 271. 
 Class leaders, 29, 304, 326. 
 duties of, 177. 
 Class meetings, 133, 150, 177, 181, 326, 327. 
 
 neglect of, 59, 183. 
 Cleanliness, 56, 72, 140. 
 Coke, Dr., 23. 
 
 and Bishop Asbury's Notes, 281. 
 Cokesbury College, plan of education in, 151. 
 students of, 151. 
 objects of, 151. 
 officers of, 151. 
 studies in, 152. 
 tuition fees, 154. 
 
INDEX. 343 
 
 Cokesbmy College, rules and regulations of, 154. 
 collection for, 240. 
 appropriation to, 254, 255. 
 Collections, 240. 
 
 conference, 21. 
 class, 136, 139. 
 quarterly, 136, 139. 
 College, (see Cokesburv.) 
 Coloured people, 16, 42, 274, 279. 
 Conferences, 110. 
 
 mode of spending time at, 26, 286. 
 origin of, 47. 
 General, 111, 283. 
 
 the first, 25. 
 delegated, 111. 
 members of, 111, 112. 
 time of meeting, 111, 112. 
 quorum in, 112. 
 president of, 112. 
 powers of, ] 12, 293. 
 limitations and restrictions of, 112, 113. 
 expenses of delegates to, 244. 
 District (of travelling preachers) 110, 118. 
 
 (of local preachers) 166. 
 Annual, 110, 114, 283. 
 
 members of, 114, 287. 
 time of, 114, 286. 
 place of, 115, 286. 
 order of business in, 64, 115. 
 boundaries of, 118, 211, 286. 
 duties of, 230. 
 
 powers of, 234, 243, 256, 316. 
 journal of, 119. 
 president of, 127. 
 Quarterly, 127, 128, 149, 165, 167, 168, 234, 245. 
 Credentials, restoring (to travelling preachers) 163. 
 (to local preachers) 173, 174. 
 
 Deacon, office of, 39,41, 129, 130. 
 constituting of, 130, 299. 
 probation of, 130, 131, 299. 
 form of ordination, 208. 
 Debts, non-payment of, how treated, 143. 
 Depositories of books, 267, 270, 272. 
 
 Dickins, Rev. John, participation in arranging Discipline, 81. 
 Discipline of the Methodist Societies prior to the organization of the 
 M. E. Church, 9. 
 the first, 25-79. 
 
 mode of altering, prior to 1792, 79. 
 division of, 85, 119. 
 title of, 87 
 
344 INDEX. 
 
 Discioline, modifications of, in 
 1738. 184. 
 
 1743. 177-180, 181. 
 
 1744. 185. 
 
 1773. 10,115. 
 
 1774. 11,115 
 
 1775. 11. 
 
 1777. 12. 
 
 1778. 12. 
 
 1779. 12,115. 
 17§0. 13, 115. 
 
 1781. 16. 
 
 1782. 18, 115. 
 
 1783. 19,115. 
 
 1784. 20-80, 87, 95, 115, 119, 125, 129, 132, 133, 135, 
 
 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 144, 147, 158, 
 182, 193, 200, 202, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 
 210, 228. 
 
 1785. 80,274. 
 
 1786. 80, 87, 109, 125, 133, 134, 174, 199, 202, 204, 
 
 206, 208. 
 
 1787. 81, 118, 148, 235, 237, 254, 274. 
 
 1788. 83. 
 
 1789. 83, 88, 93, 109, 115, 120, 125, 130, 133, 134, 
 
 135, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 144, 145, 146, 
 147, 150, 158, 159, 160, 164, 168, 174, 175, 
 180, 181, 182, 183, 187, 188, 189, 228, 230, 
 235, 236, 237, 240, 241, 273. 
 
 1790. 84, 88, 90, 95, 109. 
 
 1791. 84, 91, 95, 109. 
 
 1792. 84, 91, 94, 95, 109, 111, 114, 116, 118, 121, 126, 
 
 129, 130, 133, 134, 135, 137, 138, 139, 140, 
 141, 144, 145, 147, 157, 158, 159, 161, 162, 
 164, 169, 175, 176, 181, 183, 186, 188, 189, 
 191, 199, 202, 204, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 
 229, 236, 237, 240, 241, 254. 
 
 1796. 84, 91, 109, 111, 114, 118, 130, 142, 143, 148, 
 157, 165, 169, 171, 188, 192, 211, 230, 238, 
 242,251,256,273,275. 
 
 1800. 85, 111, 116, 119, 138, 143, 145, 170, 188, 191, 
 
 212, 228, 229, 238, 240, 244, 253, 258, 274, 
 276. 
 
 1804. 85, 109, 111, 114, 117, 119, 122, 127, 129, 130, 
 134, 136, 146, 169, 176, 187, 188, 191, 212, 
 228, 238, 243, 253, 260, 274, 277. 
 
 1808. 85, 109, 111, 142, 169, 181, 187, 192, 210, 213, 
 243, 262, 278. 
 
 1812. 86, 92, 109, 117, 137, 143, 146, 169, 170, 172, 
 
 213, 234, 235, 244, 253, 262, 278. 
 
 1816. 86, 110, 113, 133, 144, 161, 165, 169, 170, 172, 
 187, 214, 236, 239, 244, 245, 262, 274, 278. 
 
INDEX. 345 
 
 Discipline, modifications of, in 
 
 1820. 110, 123, 137, 162, 166, 170, 172, 215,220, 234, 
 
 236, 244, 263, 278. 
 1824. 110, 148, 167, 170, 171, 173, 176, 217, 239, 246, 
 
 247, 264, 278. 
 1828. 123, 148, 167, 175, 192, 219, 234, 236, 239, 246, 
 
 247, 264. 
 1832. 86, 113, 117, 123, 128, 131, 139, 140, 143, 220, 
 
 239, 244, 246, 249, 265. 
 1836. 113, 123, 136, 138, 149, 160, 162,163, 167, 169, 
 
 171, 173, 182, 183, 188, 189, 204, 222, 228, 
 
 239 247 250 267. 
 1840. 86, 92, 117, 123, 128, 131, 137, 139, 149, 160, 
 
 174, 182, 192, 225, 250, 270. 
 Dress, 21, 36, 140, 185, 189. 
 
 Editors, 122, 123, 265, 267, 270. 
 term of office, 262,267. 
 Education, (see Children,) 51, 73, 92, 123, 124, 256. 
 
 plan of, in Cokesbury College, 151. 
 Elders, the first, of the M. E. C, 24. 
 office of, 39, 125, 129. 
 election of, 125, 129. 
 form of ordination, 209. 
 presiding, term of office, 122, 127. 
 
 origin of the office, 124, 293. 
 by whom chosen, 126, 127. 
 duties of, 126, 127, 128, 245, 257, 258, 263, 265. 
 allowance of, 127, 128, 246, 247. 
 powers of, 128, 166, 235,295,297. 
 advantages of the office, 295. 
 Elections, treats at, 147. 
 Episcopacy, 282, 292. 
 
 itinerant general, 112. 
 Erie Conference, boundaries of, 222, 226. 
 Evil speaking, 37. 
 Exhorters, 12, 14, 135, 144, 310. 
 
 Fasting, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22, 51, 61, 64, 68, 144, 164, 186, 309. 
 Fees, 45, 175, 237. 
 
 Festivals, preaching on, 314. 
 Forms, 80, 85, 86, 176, 193. 
 Frauds, investigation of, 143. 
 Fugue tunes, 176, 324. 
 Funeral sermons, 12. 
 
 General Conference, (see Conference.) 
 
 Genesee Conference, boundaries of, 214, 215, 216,217, 220,222, 225. 
 
 Georgia, exception in favour of slaveholders in, 278. 
 
 Conference, boundaries of, 221. 
 German' publications, 271. 
 
 15* 
 
346 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Helpers, 12, 39, 41, 62, 133. 
 
 following trades, 49. 
 
 mode of receiving, 63. 
 Holston Conference, boundaries of, 218,221,224, 227. 
 Hymn Book, 24, 81. 
 
 Illinois Conference, boundaries of, 218, 221, 223, 226. 
 Indiana Conference, boundaries of, 221, 223, 226. 
 Insolvencies, 38, 142. 
 
 Itinerancy, 39, 42, 120, 122, 125, 126, 129, 130, 283, 289, 292, 299 
 300, 310. 
 
 Kentucky Conference, boundaries of, 215, 218, 219. 
 King's, Lord, Primitive Church, 23. 
 Kingswood school, 173. 
 
 Large Minutes, 25-179. 
 
 Lay delegation, 283. 
 
 Liberia Mission Annual Conference, 225. 
 
 Liturgy, (see Sunday service,) 24, 41, 134. 
 
 Local preachers, (see Preachers.) 
 
 Locating travelling preacher without his consent, 162. 
 
 Lord's Prayer, mode of repeating, 53. 
 
 use of, 176. 
 Supper, 60, 175, 193. 
 
 posture of communicants, 44, 175, 323. 
 
 terms of admission to, 45, 175, 323. 
 Love-feast, 138, 140, 150. 
 
 tickets, 137, 304. 
 
 Magazine, Methodist, 257. 
 Maine Conference, boundaries of, 217. 
 Marriage, 37, 187. 
 
 Matrimony, form of solemnizing:, 205. 
 Members, probation of, 17, 35,^182, 190. 
 admission of, 182, 304. 
 trial of, 113, 137, 189, 331. 
 appeal of, 113, 191, 337. 
 disputes among, 17, 58, 141. 
 Membership, condition of, 178. 
 
 certificates of, 19, 56, 140, 309. 
 Memphis Conference, boundaries of, 227. 
 Methodist Societies, origin of, 46, 177. 
 
 Episcopal Church, organization of, 22, 27, 93, 282. 
 origin of, 92, 281. 
 Methodists, design of, 27. 
 rise of, 27, 90. 
 deficiencies of, 30. 
 Michigan Conference, boundaries of, 223, 226. 
 Military posts, chaplains to, 123. 
 Ministers, office of, 139. 
 
INDEX. 347 
 
 Minutes, printing of, 42, 133, 138. 
 General, (see Discipline.) 
 Missions, 86, 136, 139, 216, 247, 254, 300. 
 Mission committee, 247, 241). 
 Missionary Societies, 247. 
 
 treasurer, 248. 
 
 secretaries, 250. 
 Missionaries, 123, 136. 
 
 Mississippi Conference, boundaries of, 214, 216, 218, 221, 224, 227. 
 Missouri Conference, boundaries of, 214, 215, 218, 221, 223. 
 Mixing of men and women in church, 72, 230, 338. 
 
 Nervous disorders, causes of, 48. 
 
 remedy for, 48. 
 New-England Conference, boundaries of, 211, 212,214,215,217,220, 
 
 225. 
 New-Hampshire Conference, boundaries of, 220. 
 New-Jersey Conference, boundaries of, 225, 228. 
 New-Orleans, preachers in, 123. 
 
 book depository at, 267. 
 New- York Conference, powers of, 250, 261, 262, 266. 
 
 boundaries of, 212, 213, 214, 215, 217, 220, 
 222, 225. 
 North Carolina, exception in favour of slaveholders in, 278. 
 
 Conference, boundaries of, 224. 
 North Ohio Conference, boundaries of, 226. 
 Notes to the Discipline, 85, 260, 281. 
 Numbers in society, 138, 308. 
 
 Obedience to superiors in office, 301. 
 
 Ohio Conference, boundaries of, 213, 214, 215, 217, 220, 223, 226. 
 
 powers of, 263, 271. 
 Oneida Conference, boundaries of, 220, 222. 
 Ordination, forms of, 208. 
 
 power of bishops over, 291. 
 
 Pastoral duties, 30, 50, 63,146, 150, 316. 
 
 People, their part in making preachers, 301. 
 
 Perfection, 68, 329. 
 
 Periodicals, 140, 257, 264, 265, 272. 
 
 Pews, 229. 
 
 Philadelphia Conference, powers of, 253,256, 257, 258, 260. 
 
 boundaries of, 211, 212, 213,215, 216, 222, 
 224. 
 Pittsburgh, paper at, 272. 
 
 depository at, 272. 
 
 Conference, boundaries of, 217, 220, 222, 226. 
 Prayer, 60, 148, 186. 
 Prayer meetings, 68, 144, 164, 309. 
 Preacher in charge, (see Assistant, Deacon.) 
 
 duties of, 137,149, 235, 257, 258, 303. 
 
348 INDEX. 
 
 Preachers, travelling, (see Helpers.) 
 
 slaveholding by, 14, 15, 22, 276. 
 trial of, 18, 20, 59, 113, 158, 318. 
 for crime, 159, 318. 
 for improper tempers, words, or actions, 
 
 160, 320. 
 for disseminating false doctrine, 160, 321. 
 appeal of, 113, 162, 321. 
 interchange of, 11. 
 allowance of, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19,20, 42,237, 
 
 246, 251, 256, 303. 
 licensing of, 14, 18, 42. 
 duties of, 13, 14, 146, 148, 245, 300, 314. 
 probation of, 13, 16, 64, 136, 137. 
 receiving on trial, 132, 135. 
 receiving into full connection, 64, 136. 
 examination of character, 286. 
 following trades, 49. 
 
 method of employing time, 48, 49, 60, 157. 
 power of, 331. 
 studies of, 50, 133, 318. 
 union among, 62, 158. 
 houses for, 244, 246. 
 supernumerary, 122. 
 
 who, 65, 116 
 
 provision for, 65, (see allowance of travelling 
 
 preachers.) 
 neglecting their work, 117. 
 superannuated, 122. 
 
 provision for, 65, 117, 241. (See allowance 
 
 of travelling preachers.) 
 trial of, 160, 251. 
 local, 12, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 65, 85, 135, 144, 164, 310. 
 licensing of, 165. 
 election to deacon's orders, 168. 
 election to elder's orders, 169. 
 to meet in class, 170. 
 
 to be enrolled on the journal of quarterly conf., 170. 
 trial of, 171, 321. 
 appeal of, 113, 172, 321. 
 coloured, 279. * 
 
 of other denominations, reception of, 131. 
 examinations of, 301. 
 how made, 301. 
 Preaching, places for, 27, 28, 146. 
 mode of, 52, 53, 145, 310 
 field, 28. 
 
 morning, 40, 134. 
 evening, 39. 
 Printing books, 10. 
 Prisons, chaplains to, 123. 
 
INDEX. 349 
 
 Privileges of those who are not members of society, 10,29, 187,330. 
 of members of society with reference to other churches, 45. 
 Providence Conference, boundaries of, 225. 
 Punctuality, 300, 312. 
 
 Quarterly Conference, (see Conference.) 
 
 meeting (see Conference, Quarterly) 15, 138, 183. 
 
 Religion, means of promoting, 18, 28, 67, 69, 74, 164, 240. 
 Representation in General Conference, ratio of, 112, 113. 
 Rock River Conference, boundaries of, 226. 
 Rules, General, 113,140,325. 
 
 reading of, 57. 
 
 original form of, 177. 
 
 Sabbath breaking, 37. 
 
 Sacraments, administration of, forbidden to preachers in America 
 
 prior to organization of M. E. C, 10. 
 Sacrarriental services, 193. 
 Scriptures, 60, 186, 316, 323. 
 Seamen, preachers to, 123% 
 Sick, communion of the, 206. 
 Singing, 21, 53, 176, 324. 
 
 Slavery, 15, 19, 21, 22,43, 44, 80, 85, 170, 181, 274-278, 326. 
 Slaves, holding, by members, 15, 43, 275. 
 
 by local preachers, 19, 21, 170. 
 by travelling preachers, 14, 22, 276. 
 buying or selling, 21, 44, 275, 277, 278. 
 
 general rule on, 181, 326. 
 duties of, 278. 
 Smuggling, 38. 
 South Carolina, exception in favour of slaveholders in, 278. 
 
 Conference, boundaries of, 212, 213, 218, 221, 224. 
 Spirituous liquors, manufacture of, 15, 19, 170. 
 
 sale of, 19, 85, 86, 170, 192, 338. 
 
 use of, 19, 36, 37, 56, 63, 185, 192, 338. 
 
 after preaching, 54. 
 general rule respecting, 181. 
 Stationary power, 288. 
 Stewards, origin of the office, 46. 
 duties of, 235, 246. 
 appointment of, 137, 235, 304, 331. 
 supervision of, 139, 236, 308. 
 Sunday service, (see Liturgy,) 24, 80. 
 Sunday schools, 128, 139, 148, 317. 
 
 agents for, 123, 150. 
 Sunday School Union, 149. 
 Superannuated preachers, (see Preachers.) 
 Supernumerary preachers, (see Preachers.) 
 Superintendents, (see Bishops.) 
 
 the first, of M. E. C, 23, 94. 
 
350 INDEX. 
 
 Talking in church, 72, 230. 
 
 Tennessee, exception in favour of slaveholders in, 278. 
 
 Conference, boundaries of, 213,214, 216, 218,219, 221, 227 
 Texas Conference, boundaries of, 227. 
 Thanksgiving, 20. 
 Tobacco, use of, 36, 63, 185, 186. 
 Tracts, doctrinal, 83, 84, 85, 86, 92. 
 
 distribution of, 128, 139. 
 Travelling preachers, (see Preachers.) 
 Troy Conference, boundaries of, 220, 222, 225. 
 Trustees of churches, &c, 228, 234, 288, 338. 
 
 Vacancy on circuit, mode of supplying, 59. 
 
 Vasey, Thomas, 24. 
 
 Virginia, exception in favour of slaveholders in, 44. 
 
 Conference, boundaries of, 211, 212, 213, 214, 219, 224. 
 
 Wa'ch-nights, 138. 
 
 Wesley's, Mr., authority in America, 10, 16, 26. 
 
 over his societies, 45, 287, 290. 
 
 letter to Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury,&c, 23, 24. 
 
 Notes, 70. 
 
 Sermons, 70. 
 Wesleyan Connection, 22, 250. 
 
 reception of preachers from the, 34. 
 Western Conference, boundaries of, 212, 213. 
 Whatcoat, Richard, 24. 
 Worship, public, 175, 323. 
 
 Youth, (see Children, Sunday schools, Bible classes."* 
 
SUPPLEMENT, 
 
 CONTAINING THE ALTERATIONS OF 1787 & 1844. 
 
 Discipline of 1787. 
 
 Since the publication of the first edition of this work, 
 the author has obtained, through the kindness of the 
 Rev. Leroy M. Lee, editor of the Richmond Christian 
 Advocate, a copy of the edition of the Discipline for 
 1787. An examination of this edition confirms the 
 conjecture previously made,* that it " was substantially 
 the same as the first thirty-one sections of that of 1789." 
 As the author desires to present, with perfect accuracy, 
 the precise period of the alterations of the Discipline, 
 he has noted below such as were made in 1787. 
 
 The following alterations, though assigned in the 
 body of the work, for the reason stated, to 1789, were 
 made entirely in 1787, viz.: those on pp. 110, 115, 
 125, 130, 134, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 144, 145, 146, 
 (sec. 14,) 158, 164, 175, 187, 230, 273. 
 
 The following alterations, assigned to 1 789, were made 
 in 1787, so far as specified under each head, viz.: — 
 
 P. 93, Sec. 3. Except line 19, which then read, 
 "the greatest impediment in the world." Section 4 
 was added in 1789. 
 
 P. 119. The clause, "To ordain superintendents, 
 elders, and deacons," was omitted from among the 
 duties of a superintendent in 1787, but was restored in 
 1789. 
 
 P. 120. For the alterations of 1787, to answer to 
 
 * See page 82. 
 
352 Alterations of 1844. 
 
 Question 2, add, " and the elders present." Line 4, 
 from bottom, for " direct in," read, " settle all." 
 
 P. 133, in Answer 2, for "by the bishop or an el- 
 der, until the sitting of the conference," read, " by the 
 elder :" and in Answer 3, strike out "or bishop :" then 
 the answers will stand as in 1787. 
 
 P. 135. In 1787, the recommendation of a pro- 
 bationer was to be by " the elder or deacon," instead 
 of " the elders and deacons present." 
 
 P. 146, Sec. 15. The first part of the alteration, 
 under Question 15, and the alteration under Question 
 52, made in 1787. 
 
 P. 147, Sec. 16. All, except the last, made in 
 1787. 
 
 P. 174, last line. The change of form took place 
 in 1787. 
 
 P. 228. Those paragraphs were added in 1787, 
 except the clause, " nor act as a steward or leader." 
 
 P. 237. All except the note belongs to 1787. 
 
 P. 240, note. All, except the last sentence of Ans. 
 1, belongs to 1787. 
 
 P. 241, note. The alteration in Answer 7, made 
 in 1787. 
 
 Discipline o/'1844. 
 
 The following are the changes made in the Disci* 
 pline by the General Conference of 1844. The refer- 
 ences are to the pages of the History, to which the 
 alterations belong. 
 
 P. 118, line 2, insert: — 
 
 1844. The seventeenth item of the order of 
 business of the annual conferences, altered by striking 
 out the word " Bibles," and adding at the close, " and 
 what to aid the American Bible Society, and its auxi- 
 liaries." 
 
 P. 124. At the close of Sec. 4, add :— 
 
 1 844. The following additional proviso is added 
 respecting the appointing of preachers — " Provided, 
 also, that with the exceptions above named, he shall 
 
Alterations of 1844. 353 
 
 not continue a preacher in the same appointment more 
 than two years in six ; nor in the same city more than 
 four years in succession ; nor return him to it, after 
 such term of service, till he shall have been absent 
 four years." 
 
 P. 129. At the end of Sec. 5, add :— 
 
 1 844. To the sixth item of a presiding elder's 
 duties, is added — "and to report to the annual con- 
 ference the names of all travelling preachers, within 
 his district, who shall neglect to observe these rules." 
 His term of service also still further restricted, so that 
 after the words, " For any term not exceeding four 
 years successively," (answer to Question 4, 1792,) is 
 added — "after which he shall not be appointed to the 
 same district for six years." 
 
 P. 133, line 27, insert: — 
 
 1 844. Paragraph 3, of 1816, so altered, that the 
 course of reading and study is extended to four years, 
 and is to be prescribed by the bishops alone. 
 
 P. 150, bottom, add:— 
 
 1844. To Paragraph 2, (1840,) add— " And 
 it is recommended that, in all cases where it can be 
 done, our Sunday schools contribute to the amount 
 of at least one cent per quarter for each teacher and 
 scholar. One half of the amount so collected in each 
 school shall be appropriated for the purchase of tracts, 
 to be distributed under the direction of the preachers 
 and superintendents, and the other half shall be for- 
 warded to the treasurer of the Sunday-School Union of 
 the Methodist Episcopal Church, for the purposes spe- 
 cified in the Constitution of said Union." 
 
 P. 228, line 9, insert :— 
 
 1844. The boundaries were fixed as follows : — 
 
 1. New-York Conference — as before, except for 
 "White Plains" (district) read "Long Island" (district.) 
 
 2. Providence Conference — as before. 
 
 3. New-England Conference — as before. 
 
 4. Maine Conference — as before. 
 
 5. New-Hampshire Conference — as before, except 
 
354 Alterations of 1844. 
 
 " that part of the state of Vermont east of the Green 
 Mountains," which was erected into a distinct con- 
 ference. 
 
 " 6. Vermont Conference shall include the state of 
 Vermont, except that part lying west of the top of the 
 Green Mountains, embraced in the Troy Conference." 
 
 " 7. Troy Conference shall include Troy, Albany, 
 (including Sharon and Cobleskill circuits, formerly 
 embraced in the Oneida Conference,) Saratoga, Poult- 
 ney, Burlington, and Plattsburg districts." 
 
 8. Black River Conference — as before, with the 
 addition of " Montezuma and Port Byron," at the end. 
 
 9. Oneida Conference — as before, only " Susque- 
 hannah district" altered to " Susquehannah and Wyo- 
 ming districts." 
 
 10. Genesee Conference — as before. 
 
 11. Erie Conference — as before, with the insertion 
 of " Akron and" before " Cleaveland city." 
 
 12. Pittsburgh Conference — as before, only "Middle- 
 burn circuit and Kanawha mission" changed to "Kana- 
 wha circuit." 
 
 13. Ohio Conference — as before, striking out the 
 words, "except Westville and M'Farland," and "Allen 
 mission." 
 
 14. North Ohio Conference — as before. 
 
 " 15. Michigan Conference shall include the state 
 of Michigan, and the Ojibway missions on the waters 
 of Lake Superior, formerly embraced in the Rock 
 River Conference. 
 
 " 16. Indiana Conference shall include that part of 
 the state of Indiana south of the National Road, with 
 Elizabethtown in Ohio, and the western charge in In- 
 dianapolis, with all the towns that are immediately on 
 the road to the state line, except Terre Haute. 
 
 " 17. North Indiana Conference shall include that 
 part of the state of Indiana north of the National Road, 
 the eastern charge in Indianapolis, with all the towns 
 that are immediately on the road to the eastern line of 
 the state, together with Terre Haute in the west. 
 
Alterations of 1844. 355 
 
 " 18. Rock River Conference shall include that part 
 of the state of Illinois not embraced in the Illinois 
 Conference, and the Wisconsin Territory. 
 
 " 19. Ioway Conference shall include all the Ioway 
 Territory. 
 
 " 20. Illinois Conference shall include that part of 
 the state of Illinois south of the following line, namely: 
 beginning at Warsaw on the Mississippi River, and 
 running thence to Augusta, thence to Doddsville, 
 thence to the mouth of Spoon River, thence to Bloom- 
 ington, thence to Danville, thence to the Indiana state 
 line, embracing Warsaw town, Havannah mission, 
 Bloomington station, and Dansville circuit. 
 
 "21. Missouri Conference shall include the state 
 of Missouri. 
 
 " 22. Indian Mission Conference shall be bounded 
 as follows, namely : on the north by the Missouri 
 River, east by the states of Missouri and Arkansas, 
 south by Red River, and west by the Rocky Moun- 
 tains." 
 
 23. Kentucky Conference — as before. 
 
 " 24. Holston Conference shall include East Ten- 
 nessee, that part of the state of North Carolina now 
 embraced in the Ashville and Wytheville districts, and 
 so much of the state of Virginia as is now embraced 
 in the Wytheville district, and the districts lying west 
 of New River. 
 
 " 25. Tennessee Conference shall include Middle 
 Tennessee, and that part of North Alabama watered 
 by those streams flowing into the Tennessee River." 
 
 26. Memphis Conference — as before. 
 
 " 27. Arkansas Conference shall include the state 
 of Arkansas. 
 
 " 28. Eastern Texas Conference shall embrace all 
 that part of the Republic of Texas east of a line be- 
 ginning at the east pass of the Bay of Galveston, 
 thence through said bay to the mouth of Trinity River, 
 thence up said river to the source of the middle fork 
 of the same. 
 
356 Alterations of 1844. 
 
 " 29. Western Texas Conference shall embrace all 
 that part of the Republic of Texas lying west of the 
 Trinity River, including Galveston Island." 
 
 30. Mississippi Conference — as before. 
 
 " 31. Alabama Conference shall include all that part 
 of the state of Alabama not included in the Tennessee 
 Conference, West Florida, and the counties of Jackson, 
 Greene, Wayne, Clark, Lauderdale, Kemper, Noxubee, 
 Lowndes, and that part of Monroe east of the Tombig- 
 bee River, in the state of Mississippi. 
 
 " 32. Georgia Conference shall include all the state 
 of Georgia, except that part which lies south of a line 
 commencing at Fort Gaines on the Chattahoochee 
 River, running thence in a direct line to Albany, on 
 Flint River, thence along the line of Ocmulgee and 
 Flint River Rail Road to the Ocmulgee River, thence 
 down said river to the Altamaha, thence down the Al- 
 tamaha to the Atlantic Ocean, and also that part of 
 North Carolina embraced in Murphy circuit, Lafayette 
 district. 
 
 " 33. Florida Conference shall include all that part 
 of the state of Georgia not included in the Georgia 
 Conference, and East and Middle Florida. 
 
 " 34. South Carolina Conference shall include the 
 state of South Carolina, and so much of North Caro- 
 lina as is included in the Lincolnton and Wilmington 
 districts." 
 
 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40. North Carolina, Virginia, 
 Baltimore, Philadelphia, New- Jersey, and Liberia Mis- 
 sion Annual Conference — all as before. 
 
 In answer to the question, "How are the districts to be 
 formed V after the words, "According to the judgment 
 of the bishops," is added, " provided that no district 
 shall contain more than fifteen appointments." 
 
 P. 230, line 4, insert :— 
 
 1 844. To Paragraph 2, of 1820, is added :— 
 
 " In all cases where debts for building houses of 
 worship have been, or may be, incurred contrary to, 
 or in disregard of, the above recommendation, our mem- 
 
Alterations of 1844. 357 
 
 bers and friends are requested to discountenance, by- 
 declining pecuniary aid to all agents who shall travel 
 abroad beyond their own circuits or districts for the 
 collection of funds for the discharge of such debts ; 
 except in such peculiar cases as may be approved by 
 an annual conference, or such agents as may be ap- 
 pointed by their authority." 
 
 P. 247. At the end of Sec. 5, add: — 
 
 1 844:. In Paragraph 7, of 1836, after the words, 
 " for said bishop or bishops," are inserted the words, 
 " subject to the action of the conference." 
 
 P. 251. At the end of Sec. 6, add: — 
 
 1844:. The following new paragraphs were in- 
 serted : — 
 
 " 4. It shall be the duty of each annual conference 
 to appoint some month within the conference year, in 
 which missionary collections shall be taken up within 
 their respective bounds, and also to make such arrange- 
 ments concerning branch societies as may be deemed 
 expedient. 
 
 " 5. It shall be the duty of the presiding elders to 
 bring the subject of our missions before the quarterly 
 meeting conference of each circuit and station within 
 their districts, as early in the conference year as may 
 be practicable, and the quarterly meeting conference 
 shall proceed to appoint a committee of not less than 
 Jive, nor more than nine, all of whom shall be mem- 
 bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to be called 
 the Committee on Missions, whose duty it shall be to 
 aid the presiding elder and preacher in charge, in rais- 
 ing missionary societies, taking up collections, and in 
 any other way which the quarterly meeting conference 
 may judge necessary for the purpose of raising mis- 
 sionary funds ; such as having sermons preached, or 
 lectures delivered, on the subject of missions, and the 
 establishing of missionary prayer meetings, for the pro- 
 motion of the cause. 
 
 " 6. It shall be the duty of the preachers in charge of 
 circuits and stations to organize one or more missionary 
 
358 Alterations of 1844. 
 
 societies in their respective charges, if it should be 
 practicable ; to bear any name which the societies may 
 choose ; provided always that these societies shall be 
 auxiliary to the missionary society of the annual con- 
 ference to which such charges may belong, and shall 
 be governed by such rules and regulations as the an- 
 nual conference may prescribe. It shall also be their 
 duty to take up, or cause to be taken up, a missionary 
 collection in each and every congregation within their 
 respective charges, at such time as may be fixed on by 
 the annual conference. It shall be their duty, fur- 
 ther, to appoint in every class within their charges 
 a missionary collector, who shall keep a book, in which 
 shall be enrolled the names of all the members of the 
 class, and shall collect from each member who shall 
 feel disposed so to contribute, at the rate of one cent 
 per week, or fifty cents per year, and shall pay over 
 the sums so collected to the preacher in charge, at or 
 before the last quarterly meeting in the conference 
 year; and the preacher in charge shall transmit the 
 same to the annual conference, together with such sums 
 as may have been collected by him from the congre- 
 gations, as well as all sums received from branch 
 societies, or otherwise, all of which shall be reported 
 in writing. 
 
 " 7. It shall be the duty of the quarterly meeting 
 conference, from time to time, to fill up vacancies 
 which may occur in the missionary committee, which 
 committee shall have the right to a seat in the quarterly 
 meeting conference, during its action on the subject of 
 missions, but at no other time. 
 
 " 8. In order to keep up such missionary societies 
 as may be established, it shall be the duty of the mis- 
 sionary committee to use their best efforts to hold at 
 least once a year a meeting of the missionary society 
 within the charge to which they may belong ; in doing 
 which they shall have the aid of the preacher in charge, 
 and also of the quarterly meeting conference, if need be. 
 
 " 9. It will be expected that in the examination in 
 
Alterations of 1844. 359 
 
 the annual conference a reference will be had to the 
 faithful performance of the duty of preachers on this 
 subject, in the passage of character." 
 
 Paragraph 7, of 1836, and Paragraphs 8 and 9, of 
 1840, struck out, and the following substituted: — 
 
 " 13. The corresponding secretary shall be a mem- 
 ber of such annual conference as he may, with the 
 approbation of the bishops, select. 
 
 " 14. For the purpose of more effectually adminis- 
 tering the financial concerns of the Indian Mission 
 Conference, as also promoting its spiritual welfare, 
 there shall be a superintendent appointed by the bishop, 
 who shall be a member of said conference, and reside 
 within its bounds, to be continued in office for any 
 time not exceeding four years. It shall be his duty to 
 overlook all the accounts of the missionaries and the 
 superintendents of schools, to attend to all the interests 
 of our missions and schools within the bounds of said 
 conference, as those interests may be connected with 
 the government of the United States, and with the 
 Indian school fund. 
 
 "He may visit Washington city once a year, oroftener, 
 if it be deemed necessary ; and also, as far as his time 
 and circumstances will permit, and it may be judged 
 necessary for the interests of the mission, visit the 
 interior of the Indian country with a view to the ex- 
 tension of the work within his bounds. His salary 
 shall not exceed the ordinary allowance of other itine- 
 rant preachers ; and his table and other expenses shall 
 be estimated by the mission committee of the conference, 
 for which amount he shall have authority to draw on 
 the treasurer of the Missionary Society, in quarterly 
 instalments." 
 
 P. 273. At the end of Sec. 8, add : — 
 
 1 84:^. The substance of this section, which has 
 been considerably altered, is presented below : — 
 
 1. This paragraph remains as before. 
 
 " 2. There shall be an editor of the Methodist Quar- 
 terly Review and general books ; and an editor and an 
 
360 Alterations of 1844. 
 
 assistant editor for the Christian Advocate and Joui 
 nal, who, if chosen from among the travelling preach- 
 ers, shall be members of such conferences as they 
 may, with the approbation of the bishops, select. 
 There shall be an editor at New-York of Sunday-school 
 books and tracts, whose duty it shall be, in connection 
 with the book agents, to superintend all such publica- 
 tions issued at our Book Room, and to have charge 
 of the Sunday-School Advocate or other Sunday-school 
 periodicals, and he shall be subject to the same regula- 
 tions and restrictions which govern the other editors in 
 New-York. 
 
 " 3. There shall be an agent and an assistant agent, 
 both of whom shall be chosen from among the travel- 
 ling preachers, and shall be members of such confer- 
 ences as they may, with the approbation of the bishops, 
 select. 
 
 " 4. The agents shall have authority to regulate the 
 publications and all other parts of the business of the 
 Concern, except what belongs to the editorial depart- 
 ments, as the state of the finances will admit, and the 
 demands may require. It shall be their duty to send 
 an exhibit of the state of the Book Concern at New- 
 York to each session of the annual conferences, and 
 report quadrennially to the General Conference. They 
 shall also inform the conferences of any within their 
 respective bounds who neglect to make payment, that 
 measures may be taken to collect or secure such debts ; 
 and they shall not allow any claim to run beyond one 
 year from the time it was due without reporting it to 
 the conference. They shall publish such books and 
 tracts as are recommended by the General Conference, 
 and may, if approved by the editors, publish such as 
 are recommended by the book committee at New- 
 York, or recommended by an annual conference ; 
 and they may reprint any book or tract which has 
 been once approved and published by us, when, in 
 their judgment, and in the judgment of the editors, 
 the same ought to be reprinted : or they may pub- 
 
Alterations of 1844. 361 
 
 lish any new work which may be approved by the 
 editors. 
 
 " 5. The book committee at New-York shall consist 
 of six travelling ministers and the editors. The annual 
 election of two by the New-York, two by the Phila- 
 delphia, and two by the New-Jersey Conference, shall 
 constitute the six members of the committee. It shall 
 be the duty of the book committee to examine into the 
 condition of the Book Concern, to inspect the accounts 
 of the agents, and make a report thereof yearly to the 
 three conferences named above, and to the General 
 Conference. They shall also attend to such matters 
 as may be referred to them by the editors or agents for 
 their action or counsel. And they shall have power 
 to suspend an editor or agent from his official relation 
 as such, if they judge it necessary for the interests of 
 the Church and the Concern. And a time shall be fixed, 
 at as early a day as practicable, for the investigation 
 of the official conduct of the said editor or agent, at 
 which two or more of the bishops shall be requested 
 to attend ; and by the concurrence of the bishops pre- 
 sent, and of the majority of the committee, he may be 
 removed from office in the interval of the General 
 Conference. And in case a vacancy occurs in any of 
 the agencies or editorial departments authorized by the 
 General Conference, it shall be the duty of the book 
 committee, and two or more of the general superin- 
 tendents, as soon as practicable, to provide for such 
 vacancy until the next General Conference." 
 
 6. This paragraph, respecting the agents at Cincin- 
 nati, remains as before, except that they are allowed 
 the same choice of a conference as the agents at New- 
 York. 
 
 7, 8, same as corresponding paragraphs of 1840, 
 only strike out the words " and recommended by the 
 book committee at Cincinnati, or bv an annual confer- 
 ence," and substitute, " and may publish any work 
 recommended by the book committee at Cincinnati, 
 or by an annual conference, if approved by the editors." 
 
362 Alterations o/1844. 
 
 " 9. There shall be an editor of the Ladies' Reposi- 
 tory, general books and tracts, except those in the Ger- 
 man language, and an editor of the Western Christian 
 Advocate, who, if chosen from among the travelling 
 preachers, shall be members of such conferences as 
 they may, with the approbation of the bishops, select." 
 
 10. Same as before. 
 
 "11. Printed sheets, ordered by the agents from 
 New-York, shall be sent at fifty per cent., and bound 
 books of the General Catalogue at forty per cent., dis- 
 count from the retail prices ; and those ordered from 
 Cincinnati to New-York to be sent on the same terms, 
 the agency sending the books to be charged with the 
 expense of transportation. 
 
 " 12. It shall be the duty of the agents to send an 
 exhibit of the state of the Book Concern at Cincinnati 
 to each session of all the annual conferences, and report 
 quadrennially to the General Conference. They shall 
 also inform the conferences of any within their respect- 
 ive bounds who neglect to make payment, that mea- 
 sures may be taken to collect o» secure such c 
 and thev shall not allow any claim to run beyond one 
 year from the time it was due without reporting it to 
 the conference. 
 
 " 13. The book committee of this department of the 
 Book Concern shall consist of six members in addition 
 to the' editors, to be chosen annually, two by the Ohio, 
 two by the Kentucky, and two by the Indiana Con- 
 ference, whose powers and duties, in reference to this 
 establishment, shall be the same as those of the book 
 committee at New-York in relation to the Concern 
 there. 
 
 " 14. The agents of this establishment shall remit 
 to the agents at New-York during the current year as 
 largely and frequently as their funds will allow, and to 
 the full amount of stock furnished, if practicable. They 
 shall also remit any surplus funds that may be in their 
 hands after defraying the expense of conducting their 
 business, which shall be added to the profits of the 
 
Alterations of 1844. 363 
 
 Concern at New-York, and appropriated to the same 
 purposes. 
 
 " 15. Every annual conference shall appoint a com- 
 mittee, who, in the absence of the agent, shall attend 
 to the collection of the accounts sent out from the Book 
 Concern, and return an accurate report of the same. 
 They shall also report to the conference any claims 
 which may have been one year due, that they may be 
 collected or secured. Every presiding elder, minister, 
 and preacher, shall do everything in his power to re- 
 cover all debts due to the Concern, for books or peri- 
 odicals, within the bounds of his charge. If any per- 
 son, preacher, or member, be indebted to the Book 
 Concern, and refuse or neglect to make payment, or to 
 come to a just settlement, let him be dealt with in the 
 same manner as is directed in other cases of debt and 
 disputed accounts. See chap, i, sec. 10. 
 
 "16. Whenever a member of an annual conference 
 applies for a location, it shall be asked in all cases, Is 
 he indebted to the Book Concern ? and if it be ascer- 
 tained that he is, the conference shall require him to 
 secure said debt, if they judge it at all necessary or 
 proper, before thev grant him a location. Whenever 
 any claimant on the funds of a conference shall be in 
 debt to the Book Concern, the conference of which he 
 is a member shall have power to appropriate the amount 
 of such claim, or any part thereof, to the payment of 
 said debt." 
 
 17. The weekly papers same as before, with the 
 addition of the Northern Christian Advocate, at Au- 
 burn, N. Y. The following sentence respecting its 
 committee takes the place of the last sentence of this 
 paragraph (as in 1840) respecting periodical for fe- 
 males and Christian Apologist : — " The publishing 
 committee shall be appointed by the Oneida, Genesee, 
 and Black River Conferences, and shall consist of two 
 members from each of these conferences." 
 
 18-24, inclusive, as before. 
 
 " 25. The salaries for the support of editors and 
 
364 Alterations of \MA. 
 
 agents in all our book and periodical establishments 
 shall be fixed by the General Conference, or by com- 
 mittees appointed by that body." 
 
 26. As before. 
 
 27. Merged in Paragraph 15. 
 
 28. 29, 30, (now 27, 28, 29,) same as before. 
 31. Struck out. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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