persons to supply such vacancy, and the remaining trustees shall proceed to elect and confirm such nomination.

In most states and territories, however, statutes are made by which the election of all trustees is to be governed. They are generally divided into three classes, each class holding office for three years, and alternately going out of office every year. It is also provided that the church, society, or congregation, by a majority of votes of the male members thereof, of twenty-one years of age, shall elect the necessary number of trustees.

The Discipline requires that all trustees shall have been. members of the church for the space of one year previous to their election, and that they shall be at least twenty-one years of age. They are responsible to the quarterly conference for their official acts, and are required to present a report annually to said quarterly conference, of their acts as a board during the preceding year.

It is the duty of trustees to hold sacredly in trust for the purposes specified in the deed of conveyance, all property committed to their charge, and to allow it to be diverted to no other use or purpose whatsoever. In case of official misconduct, a trustee may be removed and restrained by application to the proper civil court.

CHAPTER IV.

OF THE GENERAL, ANNUAL, AND QUARTERLY CONFERENCES, AND OTHER COLLECTIVE BODIES IN THE CHURCH.

SECTION I.

OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE.

1. THE General Conference is composed of one member for every twenty-one members of an annual conference, and if there should be a fraction of two thirds that number-fourteen --such fraction shall entitle the conference to an additional delegate. Provided always that no conference shall be denied the privilege of two delegates.

2. The general conference is required to meet on the first day of May, quadrennially, in such places as it shall at previous conferences fix upon: but the bishops, with the advice of all the annual conferences, may call a special session of the general conference at any time; or if there be no bishop, the annual conferences may call such a session.

3. The bishops shall preside in the general conference, but if there is no bishop the conference shall choose a president, pro tem. No person can be a member of the general conference who has not travelled four full calendar years, and is in full connection in an annual conference at the time of his election. Two thirds of all the members elected shall form a quorum for the transaction of business.

4. The general conference has full power to make rules and

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regulations for the church, under certain restrictions and limitations; (1.) They shall not revoke, alter, or change our Articles of Religion, nor establish any new standards or rules of doctrine contrary to our present existing and established standards of doctrine. (2.) They shall not allow of more than one representative for every fourteen members of an annual conference, nor less than one for every thirty. (3.) They shall not change or alter any part or rule of our government so as to do away Episcopacy, or destroy the plan of our itinerant general superintendency. (4.) They shall not revoke or change the general rules of the Society. (5.) They shall not do away the privileges of our ministers and preachers, of trial by a committee and of an appeal; nor the privileges 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 and 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 when three fourths of all the members of the several annual conferences present and voting shall concur in recommending any change in the above restrictions, then a majority of two thirds of the general conference shall suffice to alter the same, excepting the first Article, relating to doctrine; or when a majority of two thirds of the general conference shall by vote recommend such alteration, as soon as three fourths of the members of all the annual conferences shall have concurred therein, such alteration shall take effect.

5. The general conference, according to the present ratio of representation, consists of about one hundred and sixty mem-' bers. It appoints its own secretaries, elects the book agents, editors, and missionary secretaries; tries appeals from travelling ministers, and examines strictly the character and official acts of the bishops; it examines the journals of the several annual conferences, and either approves or disapproves of the same; it creates new annual conferences, and fixes their bounds, and ap

points the place of its next meeting. After remaining in session for from four to six weeks, it adjourns to the first day of May in four years thereafter.

SECTION II.

OF THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE.

1. The Annual Conference is composed of all the travelling preachers in full connection, within its bounds, each of whom has an equal voice in the transaction of business. A bishop, by virtue of his office, is the president of the conference, but in case of necessary absence, he may appoint a substitute from among the presiding elders, or if he fails to do so, the conference may appoint its own president from among the same.

2. The bishops appoint the time of holding the conferences, and must allow each conference to sit a week, at least; the conference appoints the place of its session, which is usually done by accepting some one of the numerous applications sent up by Societies, and quarterly conferences.

3. The business of an annual conference is, to admit preach ers on trial; receive preachers into full connection; elect travelling and local preachers to deacons' and elders' orders; grant locations; and supernumerary and superannuated relations to those who apply; examine the character of each preacher by calling their names over before the conference, and inquiring if there are any objections to them; to try and expel preachers, if need be, and hear appeals from suspended or expelled local preachers; to receive reports from all the preachers, of the amounts raised for their salaries, and of the amount of money raised for the worn-out preachers, widows, and orphans; for the cause of missions, tracts, the American Bible Society, the Sunday School Union of the Methodist Episcopal Church, or any other purpose for which collections have been ordered by the conference, or for which the Discipline provides.

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4. The session of an annual conference extends from five to ten days, according to the number of members belonging to it, and the amount of business to be transacted. The largest number in any one conference is two hundred and eighty-three, and the smallest number is fifty-one.

SECTION III.

OF THE QUARTERLY CONFERENCE.

1. A Quarterly Conference is composed of all the travelling and local preachers, exhorters, stewards, and leaders on any circuit or station. There are usually one or two travelling preachers, from one to six or eight local preachers, one or more exhorters, seven stewards, and from five to twenty or more classleaders, belonging to each quarterly conference. The presiding elder of the district is the president thereof, or, in case of absence, the preacher in charge is the responsible president.

2. The quarterly conference meets four times in each year, and may adjourn from day to day till its business is finished, but cannot adjourn to a distant day for that purpose. The presiding elder appoints the time of holding the quarterly conference, but the conference appoints the place of its own sittings. The business of the conference is ordinarily despatched in the course of a few hours.

3. It is the business of the quarterly conference to hear complaints against local preachers, and to receive and try appeals from expelled members; to superintend the interests of Sunday Schools within its bounds; to estimate by Committee the amount necessary to be raised for fuel and the table expenses of the travelling preacher or preachers of the circuit or station; to take cognizance of all the local preachers and exhorters; to appoint stewards, the preacher in charge having the right to nominate; to grant licenses to preach; to recommend the re