thoroughly acquainted with the doctrines, usages, and discipline of the church; and that the church may have a reasonable length of time to judge of the correctness of his faith and practice. When he fails to give evidence of a desire to abide by the rules of the church, he may be silently dropped from his probationary connection, by the preacher having charge.

2. An accused member is brought to trial 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; but if this cannot be done, let the next best evidence be procured. If the accused person be found guilty, by the decision of a majority of the members before whom he is brought to trial, and the crime be such as is expressly forbidden in the word of God, sufficient to exclude a person from the kingdom. of grace and glory, let the minister, or preacher, who has the charge of the circuit, expel him. If the accused person evade a trial by absenting himself, after sufficient notice given him, and the circumstances of the accusation afford strong presumption of guilt, let him be esteemed as guilty, and be accordingly excluded. Witnesses from without shall not be rejected.

2. But in cases of neglect of duties of any kind, imprudent conduct, indulging sinful tempers, or words, the buying, selling, or using intoxicating liquors as a beverage, or disobedience to the order and discipline of the church: First, let private reproof be given by a preacher or leader; and if there be an acknowledgment of the fault, and proper humiliation, the person may be borne with. 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 humiliation, the offender shall be cut off.

3. If a member shall be clearly convicted of endeavoring to sow dissensions in the Societies, by inveighing against the doctrines and discipline of the church, such person shall be first

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reproved by the senior minister, or preacher, and if ne persist, he shall be expelled.

4. If a member wilfully and repeatedly neglect to meet in class, the minister or preacher shall visit him whenever practicable, and explain to him the consequence of continued neglect, namely exclusion, and if there be no amendment, the minister or preacher shall bring the case before the Society, or a select number, before whom he shall have been cited to appear, and if found guilty, he shall be laid aside.

5. If, in any case of the trial of a member, the preacher differ in judgment from the Society, or the select number, concerning the guilt or innocence of the accused person, the preacher may refer the whole matter to the next quarterly conference; and if the person excluded complain of injustice having been done in his case, he shall be allowed an appeal to the next quarterly conference, unless he shall have absented himself from trial.

6. If a member who has been excluded complain to an annual conference, after having appealed to a quarterly conference, that there has been incorrect administration of the discipline in his case, and if it shall appear to the annual conference that such complaint is well founded, and the annual conference shall so decide, such decision shall restore the expelled person to membership in the church.

7. On any dispute between two or more members of the church, concerning the payment of debts, or otherwise, which cannot be settled by the parties concerned, the preacher who has the charge of the Society, shall recommend to the parties. a reference to one arbiter chosen by the plaintiff, and another chosen by the defendant, and a third chosen by these two, all being members of the church, which board of arbiters shall decide the question. If either party is dissatisfied with the decision given, such party may apply to the ensuing quarterly conference for a second arbitration, and if the quarterly conference see sufficient reason, they shall grant the same, in which

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case each party shall choose two arbiters, and the four thus chosen shall select a fifth one, the decision of which board shall be final.

8. When a complaint is made against any member of the church for non-payment of debt, if the amount is ascertained, the preacher having charge shall call the debtor before a committee of three or more, to show cause why he does not make payment. The committee shall determine what further time. shall be granted him before making payment, and what security, if any, shall be given for the same.

9. In case of a refusal to comply with the decision of the arbiters, or with the decision of the committee, whether on the part of the plaintiff or defendant, the member so refusing shall be liable to trial for disobedience to the order and discipline of the church; and if they are found guilty of such refusal, and persist in the same, they shall be expelled.

10. When any member fails in business, or contracts debts which he is not able to pay, the preacher shall appoint two or three judicious members of the church to inspect the accounts, contracts, and circumstances of the supposed delinquent, and if he shall have behaved dishonestly, or fraudulently, or borrowed money without a probability of paying, he shall, after proper trial before the Society, or select number, be expelled.—Dis. pp. 54-56.

11. In relation to smuggling, bribery, &c. the following rules are laid down: Extirpate buying or selling goods which have not paid the duty laid on them by government, out of the church. Let none remain with us who will not totally abstain from this evil in every kind and degree. Extirpate bribery, receiving anything directly or indirectly for voting at any election. Show no respect to persons herein, but expel all that touch the accursed thing. 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.-Dis. p. 64.

CHAPTER III.

OF THE MINISTERS, PREACHERS, AND OTHER OFFICERS OF THE CHURCH.

SECTION I.

OF THE BISHOPS AND THEIR DUTY; AND TO WHOM RESPONSIBLE.

1. A BISHOP is constituted by the election of the General Conference, and the laying on of the hands of three bishops; or of one bishop and two elders; or, if there are no bishops, by the laying on of the hands of three elders appointed for that purpose by the General Conference.

2. The duties of the bishop are to preside in the General and Annual Conferences; to fix the appointments of the presiding elders and preachers for the several districts, circuits and stations; to appoint missionaries among the colored people and Indians, and to destitute portions of our own land, and to foreign lands; in the intervals of conference to change, receive and suspend preachers, as necessity may require, and as the Discipline directs; to travel through the connection at large; to ordain bishops, elders, and deacons, when properly elected by the General or Annual Conferences; to decide questions of law, when presiding in an annual conference, subject to an appeal to the General Conference; to prepare a course of reading and study for candidates for the ministry, and to oversee the spiritual and temporal interests of the church.

3. The following limitations are placed upon the power of the bishops: They shall not allow any preacher to remain in the same station more than two years at a time; nor reappoint

them to the same station till after an absence of four years, excepting agents, editors, chaplains, missionaries, and teachers in colleges or seminaries of learning. They shall not allow a preacher to remain in the same city more than four years in succession, nor return him to it till he shall have been absent four years. They shall not appoint a presiding elder to the same district for more than four years in ten.

4. The power with which the bishops are invested was formerly much greater than it is now. In 1784, no person could be ordained to any ministerial office without the consent of the bishop. The preachers were prohibited from printing any book without the approbation of one of the bishops. The bishop was also-as is now the case in the Protestant Episcopal Church-authorized to receive appeals from the preachers and people, and decide them. In these and some other respects, their powers have become very much modified, and the authority originally vested in them has reverted to the General Conference, or been given to the annual and quarterly confer

ences.

5. The bishops have no right to originate a motion in the General or Annual Conferences. Neither have they a right to vote on any question pending before these bodies.

6. They are held rigidly responsible to the body of elders represented in the General Conference, for all their acts, both official and private; and they may be expelled for any conduct which may be improper in a bishop, even though not immoral, and when so expelled they can have no appeal.

6. In the interval of the General Conference a bishop, if accused of crime or immorality, shall be cited to appear before two presiding elders and seven other elders; or before two presiding elders, five travelling elders, and two travelling deacons; these nine shall form a court of inquiry, and if two thirds of the number believe him guilty they shall have authority to suspend him until the next General Conference.

From the above it will be readily perceived that the Epis