NO T E .

Th i s is a ve rbat i m e port o f th e t hi rd edi t i on o f

r

t he D i scpl i n e o f t h e Me t ho d i s t Epi scopal ch u rch ,

t h e e d i t i o n o f 1 787 Bu t o n e c opy o f t h e o ri gi n al i s
.

k n own to e x i s t D r Emory w a s u n able to o bt a i n

.

o n e wh en h e w ro t e h i s H is to ry of Me D i s cipl i ne .

Aft erwa rds a s i ngl e co py was fou n d and i s now i n

po ss e s s i o n o f Mr W i l bu r & et ch am o f New Y ork A
.
,
.

few y e ars ag o h e re pu bl i sh ed i n th e o ri gi n al fo rm 50
nu m be re d c opi es a n d s ol d t h e m at e ach The .

present edi ti on i s i n th e ori gi nal form as far a s can

be m ade wi t h mo d e rn ty p e .

W . A. I NG H AM ,
BOO& SELLER ,
T , O
1 3 8 S UP ERI OR S C LEV ELAND .

W M . . BAY NE P RI NTING C 0 .
,

69 73 FRA N& FORT ST , C LEV ELA ND , O

-
. .

Mai le d o n re ce i pt o f to any p art o f U . S .

 FORM OF D IS C IP LINE
FOR TH E

Ministers Preachers and Members

, ,

OF TH E

METHODIS T Ep is co pa l C H URC H
in AMERICA .

C o ns idered and approved at a

CONFERENCE
Held at BALTI MOR E ,
in the State o f MARYLAND ,

On Monda y the 2 7th o f December I 784 : ,

IN WH ICH

The Reverend TH OMAS CO& E L L D and , . .

the Reverend FRANC I S AS BUR Y pres ided ,

.

A rranged under proper HEA D S and METH OD I &ED

,

in a more acceptable and easy Manner .

NEW YOR K :

P r i n t e d b y W ROSS in BROA D STR EET

.
, .

M DCC . L& & & V II .

“
I\

7A FO R M o p D IS C I P LI NE & c ,
_
.

\O
I
Q S EC T I O N 1

Of the Ri se of Met/zodi sm (so ca lled ) in Eu rope

a nd A m er i ca .

Q u es t . 1 H A T w
Wa s the Rise
so called in Europe ?
o f Meth o di s m
,
,

A n sw In 1 72 9 two young Men read ing

.
, ,

the Bible saw they could not be saved without

,

H o lines s follo wed a fter it and incited others

, ,

so to do In 1 73 7 they sa w li kewi s e that Men

.
, ,

are justified be fo re they are s an ctified ; but s t il l

H o liness was their Object God then thrus t .

them out to raise an holy People

,
.

Q u es t 2 What
. w a s the.Ri s e o f Metho di s m ,

s o c alled in A meri ca ? ,

A n sw During the Space o f thirty Years

.

past certain Perso ns Membe rs o f the Society

, , ,

emigrated from England and Ireland and s et ,

tled in various Parts o f this Country A bo ut .

twenty Years ago Phil ip Embury a local , ,

Prea cher fro m Ireland began to preach in the ,

Ci ty o f New Yo rk and fo rmed a Society o f ,

his o wn Co unt ry men and the Citizen s .

A bout the same Time Robert Strawbridge , ,

a local Preacher fro m Ireland settled in ,

Frederi ck
Frederick County in the State o f Mary land and , ,

preaching there formed so me Societies I n .

1 76 9 Ri chard Bo ardman and Jo se ph Pilm o o r

, ,

came to New Y o r k ; who were the first regula r

Methodis t Preachers on the Continent In t he .

latter End o f the Year 1 77 1 Francis Asbury and

Ri chard Wri ght o f the same Order came o ver , ,
.

-
Q ues t 3 What
. m ay w e rea
. s on ably be l ieve
t o be G od s D es i gn in raisin g up the Preache rs
’
,

called Methodi sts ?

A nsw To refo rm the Continent and spread
.
,

sc ripture Ho line ss o ver thes e Lands As a .

Proof hereof we have seen in the Co urse o f

,

fifteen Years a great and glo rious Work o f Go d ,

from New Yo rk throug h t he J ers i es P ennsy l ,

vania M a ryland Virginia N o rt h and South

, , ,

Caro l ina even to G e o rgi a

,
.

SECTION II .

On the Method of holdi ng a Conference,

a nd the Busi ness to be done therei n .

Tis desi red that all Things be co nsidered as in

I the i m m edi ate Presence OfGod That every .

Perso n speak freely whatever is in his Heart .

Q u es t 1 H
. o w may w
. e best impr o ve our
Time at the Con feren ce ?
A nsw While we are co nversing let us have
.
,

an es pe cial Care to s et God always be fo re us .

2 . In the inte rmediate H o urs let us redeem ,

al l the Time we can fo r private Exerci ses .

3 . Therein let us g i v e o u r s elves to Prayer for

o ne a n o ther a nd fo r a Blessi ng on o ur Labo ur

,
.

Q u est .
 5

Q ues t . What
2. i s the M e thod w herein we
usually proceed in a Con ference ?

Answ We enquire
. .

1 What Preachers are admitted ?

2 . Who remain on Trial ?
3 . Who are admitted o n Trial ?
4 . Who de s i st from travellin g ?
5 . A re there any o bje ction s t o any o f the
Preachers ? Who are named o ne by o ne .

6 . H o w are the Preachers statio ned t h i s Year?

7 . What N u mbers are in S o c iety ?
8 . What i s collected fo r the contin gent
Expenses
9 . H o w i s thi s expended ?
IO . What is contributed to war d the Fund fo r
‘

the s uperan nated Preachers an d the Widow s ,

and Orphans o f the Preachers ?

1 1 . What Demands are there upon it ?

1 2 . Where a nd when shall our next C o n

ference be gin ?
Q u es t 3 . I.s the r e any o the r B u sines s t o be
done in Co n ference ?
A n sw .The el ecting and o rdainin g o f
Bishops El ders and Dea co ns
,
.

S E C T I O N III .

On the Na tu re a nd Consti tuti o n of ou r

W E are thorou ghly co nvinced that the

Church o f Englan d to whi ch w e have,
,

be en uni ted i s deficient in several o f the most

,
.

important parts ofChri stian Dis cipline ; and that

(a fe w Mini s ters and Member s ex cepted ) it has
lost the Li fe and Po wer o f Rel i gion We are no t
‘
. .

i gn o rant
 6

igno rant o f the Spirit and Designs it has ever

di scovered in Euro pe of ri sing to Pre eminence ,
-

and wo rl dly Dignities by Vi rtue of a national

Establis hmen t and by the most servile Dev o
,

tion to the Will o f tempo ral Governors ; and we

fear the s ame Spirit wil l lead the same Church
,

in these United States (tho altered i nits Name) ’

to similar Desi gn s and Attempts if the Num ,

ber and Stren gth o f i ts Members will ever ai

ford a Pro babi l ity o f Su ccess ; and particu larly ,

to o btain a national E st abli shment which we

,

c ordi ally abh o r as the G reat Bane o f Truth and

Holiness the greatest Impediment in the World
,

to the Progress o f vita l Christianity .

Fo r these Reas ons we ha ve thought it o ur ,

Duty to fo rm o urselves into an Independent

Ch urch A nd as the most exce llent M o de o f
.

Church G overnment acco rding to o ur m aturi st

ud ment is that f m d a te E i sco al &
J g o a o
,
er p p )
and as we are persuaded tha t the uni nterrupted ,

S uccessi on of Bi shops f rom the A postles can be ,

proved neither from Scripture no r A ntiquity ;

we there fo re have co nstituted o urselves into
an Epi scopa l Chu rch under the Direction o f ,

Bi shops Elders D ea cons and P rea chers ac

, , , ,

cording to the Fo rms o f Ordinati o n an nexed

to o ur Prayer Bo o k and the Regu l atio ns laid ,

do wn in this Fo rm o f Discipl ine .

S E C TI O N IV .

On the Consti tuti ng of Bishops ,

a nd thei r
D uty .

OW i s a Bishop constituted ?
Q uest . 1 .

H
the election o f a
A nsi a By .

Maj o rity of the Conference ,

and the layi ng o n
o f Hand s o f a Bi s hop and the Elders present , ,

Q
u es t .
 Quest . 2 . What is his Duty ?
A nsw To pres ide as a Moderator in our Con
.

ferences ; to fix the Appointments of the Preach

ers fo r the se veral Circuits ; and in the Interval s
o f the Co n ference to change recei ve or sus
, ,

p e nd P reache rs as Nece s sity ,may requir e ; to

t ra vel through as many Circuits as he can and to ,

settle all the spiritual business o f the Societies .

Q ue s t.
3 T o.whom is the Bishop am e nable
fo r his Conduct
A nsw To the Conference : who have Power
.

to ex pe l him for impro per Cond uct i f they see ,

it necessary .

Q ue s t 4 .I f the. Bishop cea s es from trav ellin g

at la rge amon g the Peo p le shal l he sti ll ez er ,

ci s e his Ofi ce amon g us in any De gree ?

A nsw . I f he ceases fro m travelling without
the Consent o f the Conferen ce he shall not ,

hereafter exercise any ministeri al Functio n

whatso ever in our Church .

Q u es t 5 . I f by
. Death Expulsi o n or other ,

wi s e there be no Bisho p remaini ng in our

Ch urch what Metho d s hall be pursued ?
,

A ns w . Let the Con feren ce imm ediately

elec t a Bishop and let the Elders or any three
,

o f them co nsecrate him to h i s Ofli ce

,
.

SECTION V .

On the Consti tu ti ng of Elder s ,

a nd thei r
D u ty .

OW is an Elder
Q uest .

H Answ By the electi o n Of a Ma

L ns tituted ?
.
co

jority Of the Con ference and by the laying o n ,

of Han ds o f a Bishop an d the Elders presen t , .

Q u es t 5 What
. is h i s.Duty ?
A nsw .
 ( 8 )
A ns w . 1 . To t ravel through his appo i nted
District .

.2 To administ er B aptism and the Lord s ’

Supper ; and to perfo rm all Parts o f D i vine

Serv ice .

.
3 In the Ab s ence o f a Bishop t o take ,

Charge o f all Deacons travelling an d loca l ,

Preachers and Exho rters ,

.

4
. T o chan g e re c eive o r suspend Prea c
, her s .

5
. T o dire ct in the T ransaction o f a l l spir
i t ual Business o f his Circuit .

6
. To take Care that every Part o f o u r
Discipline be en fo rced .

7
. T o aid in the pub l ic Collecti o n s .

8
. To attend h i s Bi sho p when present and ,

g i ve him w hen ab s ent al l p o ssible In formatio n ,

by Letter o f the State o f his District

, .

N B No Elder that ceases to travel with

. .
-

o ut the Consent o f the Con ference certified ,

under the Hand o f a Bi s ho p s hall o n any A c ,

co unt exercise the peculiar Functions o f hi s

Omce am o ng us .

SECTION VI .

On the Consti tu ti ng of D ea cons ,

a nd thei r
D u ty .

OW
Q
H A nsi a By the Election of a Ma
co nstituted is a D ea con
uest . 1 ?

j o ri t y o f the C o n feren ce and t h e layin g o n o f ,

the Hands o f a Bisho p .

Q u es t 2 What i
. s the Duty o.f a Dea c on
Answ I To Baptize and per form the Ofi ce
. .
,

o f Matrimony in the Ab sen ce o f the Elder .

2
. To assist the Elder in administerin g th e
Lo rd s Supper
’
.

3 . To
 9

3 . T o s e e that the o the r Prea c her s in his

C ircuit behave well and want nothin g , .

4 . T o rene w the T ickets quarterly and ,

re ulate the Bands

g .

5 . T o appoint al l the S te w ard s and L e aders ,

a n d to change them when he sees it necessary .

6. To ho ld Watch Ni ghts and Love Feasts

-
.

7. T o h o ld Q u arterly Meetin g s and therein

,

dil igently to inqui re bo th into the temporal

,

and s piritual S tate o f each So c iety .

8. To take Care that every Society be d uly

supplied with B o o ks ; particu larly with the
SAI NTS RES T I NSTR UCT IONS FOR CH I LD REN
’
, ,

and the P R I MI TIV E P H YS I C whi ch o u ght to ,

be in every House .

9. T o take an exa c t Account o f the Num

be rs in Society and b rin g it to the C o nference
, .

1 0 . To send an Accou nt o f his Circuit every

Q ua rter , t o his E l der .

1 1 . To meet the Men and Women apart in

the large Societies o nce a Quarter
, .

1 2 . To o ve rlook the Acco unts o f al l the

Stewards .

1 3 . To appo int a Perso n to receive the

Q uarterly C o l l ec tion i n th e C la sses and to,be
present at the Time o f re cei ving it .

1 4 . To see that P u blic Co llecti o ns be made

q uar t erly .

1 5 . To move a yea rly S ubscription through

those Circuits that can be ar it for bui l ding ,

Churches .

1 6 . To ch use a Co mmittee o f lay Members ,

t o mak e a j us t Applicati o n o f the Money ,

where it i s m o st wanted .

Q u est.
3 . What o ther Dire c tion s s hall we
g i v e the Dea c o n s ?

A n sw .
 A nsw Seve ral
. .

1 . Tak e a regular Catalo gue o f the So cieties

in To wns and Cities as they l ive in S tree ts , .

2 . Le ave yo u r Successor a partic ular Ac

cou nt o f the State o f the Circuit .

3 . See that every Band L e ader hav e the

-

Rules o f the Bands .

4 . Vi g o ro u s ly b u t ca l mly in
, for c e the R u le s ,

co ncernin g needless Ornaments and Dram s .

5 . A s soon as the re are f o ur Men or Wome n

Believers in any Place put them into a Band
'
,
.

6 . S ufier no Love Feas t t o last above an

'
-

Ho ur and a H alf .

7 . Warn a l l fr o m T ime t o T ime that n o ne ,

are t o rem o ve from o ne Circu it to another with

out a No te o f Reco m mendati o n from the Elder
o r Deacon in t hes e words : A B the Bea r er . .

ha s been a n a ccepta ble Mem ber of ou r Soci ety i n

C and in fo rm t hem that witho ut su ch a Cer
.
,

ti ficate the y wi l l n o t be received int o o the r

,

So cieties .

8 . Everywhere rec o mmend De ce ncy and

Cleanliness .

9 . Read the R u le s o f the S oc iet y w ith the ,

A i d o f the Preachers o nce a Ye ar in every Co n , ,

g g
r e at i o n and o n c e a quar ter in e v ery S o c iet y .

1 0 . On any Dispute between two or more

o f the Members o f o ur S o ciety whi ch can not be

s ett led by the Parties co ncerned the Deacon ,

sha ll i nquire into the Ci rcumstances o f the

Case and having co nsul ted the Stewards and
,

Leaders shall i f agree able to their Advice

, , ,

recommend to the co ntending Parties a Refer

ence co n sistin g o f o ne A rbiter chosen by the ,

P lai nti fi and ano ther by the D efende nt ; w hich

,

t wo A rbiter s so cho se n
, shal l n o m i n a te a
,
 I I

thi rd ( the three A rbiters bei ng Member s o f o ur

Society ) and the Deci s ion o f any two o f them ,

sha ll be final Bu t i f either o f the Parties t e

.

fuse to abide by such Deci sio n he shall be ,

i m mediately expelled .

N B If any Membe r o f o ur Society ente r

. .

i n to a Lawsuit with another Member before

the se Measures are taken he shall be expelled , .

No Deacon that ceases to travel without the

Con sent o f the Con feren ce certified under the ,

H and of a Bishop shall on any Account exer ,

ci se the pecu liar Fun ctio ns o f hi s Ofi ce .

S E C T I O N VII .

On the Method of recei vi ng P reachers

a nd thei r D u ty .

Q ues t . 1 .
OW i s a Preacher to be receive d ?
A ns w . 1 . By the Co nfe rence .

2 . In the Inte rval of the Co n feren ce by ,

the Elder .

3 When
. h i s n ame is n o t printed in the
Minutes he m ust receive a written Lice n c e
,

from h i s Elder .

Q u es t 2 W hat is
. the D u.ty o f a P rea cher ?

I To preach
. .

2 TO meet the Societies o f Classes and

.
,

Bands .

3 T. o visit the S i ck .

4 T . o meet t h e L e ader s .

5 T. o prea c h in the M o rnin g w here he ca n ,

get H eat ers .

N B We are fully determined never to

. .

drop Morning Preachin g ; and to pre a ch at five -

O cl o ck in the S ummer and at Six in the Win

’
,

t er wherever it i s practi cab l e

,
.
 I2

Q uest Are the Preache rs read

’

.
3 . to o ur

Answ All that have recei ved a writ ten Di

.

rectio n fo r that Purpose under the Hand o f a ,

Bishop o r Elder may rea d the Lit urgy as

, ,

o ften as they th i nk it e xp edient .

Q ues t 4 .What are the Directi o ns given to

.

a Preacher ?
A nsw I . Be diligent
. Never be unem
.

plo yed Never be trifl ingly empl o yed Ne ver

. .

trifle away Time ; neither spend any more

Time at any P lace than is strictly n ecessary .

2. Be serious Let your M otto be H oli

.
,

ness to the Lord A vo id all Li ghtness j es tin g

.
,

and foolish Talking .

3. Converse sparin gly and cautious l y wi th

women .

4 . Take n o Step t o wards Ma r ria ge with o ut

first consulting with yo ur Brethren .

5. B eli e v e E v i l o f no one : Unless y o u s ee

it do ne take Heed how you credit it Put the
,
.

best Construction o n E v ery T hin g You .

k no w the Jud ge is al ways suppos ed t o be on

the Priso ner s Side ’
.

6. Speak E vil o f no o ne : Else yo ur Word

especi ally would eat as d o th a Canker Keep .

yo ur Thou ghts within your own Breast till ,

y o u c o me t o the P er son con c erned .

7. Tell e v ery o ne under y o ur C a re what ,

y o u think wron g in his C o ndu c t and T empers ,

and that plainly as soon as may be : Else it will

fester in your Heart Make all Haste to cast
.

the Fire out o f yo ur Bosom .

8. D o not effect the G entleman Y o u hav e.

no m o re to do with this Character than with

that o f a Dan c in g Master A Preacher o f the
-
. .

Gos pel Is the Servant o f all .

9 Be .
 9 . Be a s hamed o f n othin g b u t Sin .

1 0 . Be pun ctual Do e very Thin g exactl y .

at the Time A nd do no t m end o ur Rules but .

,

keep them ; no t fo r Wrath but Con science sa k e .

1 1 . You have no thin g to do but to save

S o uls The refo re spend and be spe nt in this
.

Wo rk A nd go a lways no t o n ly to th o se that
.

want but to tho se that wa nt y o u m o st

, .

Observe It i s no t y o ur Business to preach

.

s o many Times and t o take ca re o f thi s o r that ,

S ociety But to save as many souls as y o u can ;

.

to brin g as many Sinners as yo u possibly ca n

t o Repe ntance and with a ll yo ur po wer to ,

buil d them up in that ho l iness without which ,

they canno t see the Lord And remember & A .

Methodist Pre acher is to mind every Poin t ,

g reat a n d s mal l in the Meth o d i s t Di s

, cipline &
There fo re y o u wi ll need to exercise al l the
Sense yo u have .

1 2 . Act in al l Thin gs no t accordin g to ,

your o wn Wi ll but as a So n in the Gospe l , .

As such it i s y o u r Part to empl o y yo ur Time

in the Manner whi ch we dire ct : Part ly in
preaching and visitin g fro m H o use to House :
Partl y in reading Meditatio n and Prayer , .

A bo ve all i f yo u l abo r with us in o ur Lord s

,
’

Vi neyard i t i s needful yo u sho uld do that Part

,

o f the Work which we advi s e at those Times ,

and P laces which we j udge m o s t fo r His Glo ry .

Q u es t 5 What . Meth o d do .we u se in t e

c ei v i ng a Preacher at the Con ference ?

A nsw A fter so lemn Fastin g and Praye r

.
,

eve ry Perso n pro po sed shall then be asked ,

before the Con fe ren ce the fo llowing Ques tion s ,

( with any others which may be thou ght neces

sary ) vi z Have yo u Faith in Christ ? A re
.

y o u g o in g o n t o Per fecti o n ? D o y o u exp e c t

C to be
to be made perfe ct i n Love in thi s Li fe ? A re
you groaning after it ? Are you reso lved t o
devo te yo urself W ho lly to G o d and his w o rk
Do you kn o w the Rules o f the Society ? Of
the Bands ? Do you keep them ? Do y o u
c o nstantly attend the Sacrament ? Have y o u
read the F o rm o f Di scipline ? A re you w i lling
to c o n form to it ? Have y o u c o nsidered the
R ules o f a Preacher ; especially the first tenth ,

and twelfth ? Will y o u keep them fo r Co n

scien ce Sak e Are y o u determined to emplo y
all yo ur Ti me in the W o rk o f Go d ? Will
you endeavo r no t to speak too l o n g or too
loud ? Will you dili gently in struct the Chil
dren in every Place ? Wi ll you vis it from
H o use to House ? Will y o u reco mmend Fas t
i ng or Abstinen ce bo th by Precept a nd Ex
,

ample ? Are yo u in Debt ?

We may then i f he gives Sati sfactio n re
, ,

cei ve him as a Pro bati o ner by givin g him the

,

Fo rm o f Discipline i nsc ribed thus : To A B

, . .

Yo u thi nk i t y ou r D u ty to S i nners to Re
ca ll

p en ta nce M
. a ke f u ll P ro f
o hereo , a nd we s ha ll
f
r e oice to r ecei ve
j y o u a s a Fello w L a bou r er -
.

Let h i m then care ful l y read a nd weigh what is

co ntained therein ; that if he h as any D o ubt it

may be rem o ved Observe . Takin g o n Tr1 al

is entirel y di fierent fro m admitting a Preacher .

One o n Tri al may be eithe r admitted o r t e

,

j ec ted w,itho ut d o in g h i m any W ro n g; o ther

wise i t wo u ld be no Trial at a ll Let e very .

Deaco n explain this t o them that are o n Trial .

A fter t wo Years Pro bati o n being reco m ,

mended by the E lder o r Deaco n and examined ,

by the Bisho p he may be re ceived into full

,

Co nnecti o n by g ivi ng him the Fo rm o f Disci

,

pline in s cribed thu s : A s long a s y ou freely

,

co nsent
co n sen t to , a nd
ly
ea rn est endea vo r wa lk b y to
these Rules we sha ll re oi ce
j to acknowledg e y ou
as a Fellow La bourer -
.

N B Let n o ne wh o are loca l preach or ex

. .
,

h ort in any o f o ur So cietie s with o ut a No te o f

Permission fro m the Deacon : Let every local
Pr eache r o r Exho rte r t ake Care to have this
renewed yearly : A nd let every Elder insi st
u po n it .

S E C T I O N VI II .

On the Collecti ons tha t a re ma de ,

a nd how
the Money i s to be expended .

OW many C o llecti o ns are

Q u est . L
H
made in a yea r
to be

A nsw 1 A quarter ly Col l ection from the

.

Members o f the S o ciety to supply t h e Preach ,

e rs ; and w hen that i s deficient a Public Quar ,

te rly Colle cti o n : I f there be any O ve rp lus let ,

one third be rese rved fo r future Deficiencies ;

one third to the Poor in general ; and o ne third
applied to the bui lding o r imp ro ving o f o ur
Churches .

2 . A Yearly Co ll ect io n fro m all o u r Mem

bers that are o f Ability fo r t he building o f ,

convenient Chu rches .

3 . A C o l l e cti o n at L o ve F ea s t s and on ,

sa cramental O ccasio n s for the P o o r o f o u r o w n

S ociety .

4 . A n A nn u a l C o l le c ti o n o r S u bsc ription
for the Col lege .

5 . A n A nn u a l Pub l i c Col l e cti o n fo r the

Co nti ngencies o f the Co n feren ce which shall ,

be applied .

1 . To dis charg e the Deficiencies o f those

Preache rs w ho shall no t have rec eived their
,

full Sa lary in thei r Circu its ; and ,

2 To
 2 . To de fray the Expences o f o ur Missions
to distant Part s o f the Continent .

Q uest 2 What i s the

. re gu lar an
. n u al Salary
o f the Bi s ho ps Elders Deaco ns and Preachers ? , ,

A nsw T wenty fo ur Pounds Pennsylvania

.
-

Currency and their travel l ing Expenses

, .

Q uest 3 What shall

. be annually
. al l o wed
the Wives o f the married Preachers ?
'

A nsw Twenty fo ur Pounds Pennsylvania

.

Currency i f they are in want o f it , .

SECTION IX .

5 On Cla ss -
Meeti ng .

OW may the Leaders Classes

Q uest . L
H
be rendered m o re u s eful ?
of

A nsw I Let each o f them be diligently

. .

ex amined co ncerning his Method o f Mee ti ng a

Clas s Let thi s be do ne with all po ss ible Ex
.

actness at lea s t on ce a Quarter

, In Order to .

this tak e sufi ci ent Ti me

,
.

2 Le t each Leader carefully inquire how

.

every S o ul in his Cl ass prOSpers : Not o nly

ho w each Perso n observes the outward Rules
but ho w he gro ws in the Knowle ge and Love
of God .
d
3 Let
. the Leaders con v erse with the Elder
and Deaco n frequently and freely .

Q u est 2 Can any T hin

.
g more be
. done in
Order to make the Class Meetin gs lively and -

profitable ?
A nsw 1 Chan ge improper Leaders
. . .

2 . Let the Leaders frequently meet each

other s Classes ’
.

3 Let u s obse rv e w hich Le ader s are the

most useful : And let these meet the other

Classes as o ften as pOSS1 ble .

4 . See
 I7

4
. See that a ll L eader s be n o t o nly Men o f
S o und Judgm ent but Men tru ly devoted to God , .

Q ue s t 3 . H o w s hall
. w e prev ent improper
P ers ons from i nsi n uatin g them s el ves into the
S oc iety
A nsw 1 . Give Tick ets to n o ne till they are
.

r ec o mme nded by a Lea der w ith who m they

h ave met at l e as t t wo M o nth s o n Tri al .

2
. G ive no tes to n o ne but those who are
rec o mmended by o n e y o u k n o w o r till they ,

h av e met t hree or fo u r Times in a Clas s .

3.
Read the Rule s to t hem the fi r st time
t h ey meet .

Q u es t 4 . H o w s hal .l w e be m o re s trict in
r eceivin g and ex clu din g Members ?

A nsw In large S o cieties we may read the

.

Nam es o f tho se that are received and excluded ,

o nce a Quart er .

Q u es t 5 . W hat .s h a ll w e do w ith th os e
Mem bers o f Society who wil fully and repeat
e dly ne gl ect t o meet their Class ?
A nsw I Let the Elder Deaco n or one o f
. .
, ,

t h e Preachers visit them w herever it is prac

, ,

t i cable and explain to them the Consequence

,

i f they c o ntinue to ne glect viz Exclu sion , . .

2
. I f they d o no t amend let the Dea con ,

e xclude them in the S ociety ; sh ev i ng that

t h ey are laid aside for a Breach o f o u r Rules
o f Di scipline and not for imm o ral Conduct
,
.

SECTION X .

On the D u ty of P r eache rs ,
to G od ,
them

selves a nd one a no ther .

OW sh al l a Preache r be quali
Q uest . 1 .

H fied fo r h i sCharge ?
A nsw . By w alkin g c lo sely with Go d and ,

hav ing
havin g hi s Wo rk greatly at Heart : And by
unders tanding and l o vin g Discipline o urs i n ,

particular .

Q ues t 2 . D o w. e s u fi ci e n tl y w atc h o v er
each other ?
A nsw W e do n o t
. Should we no t fre
.

quently ask each o ther Do you walk clo sely ,

with Go d ? Have you now Fellowship with

the Father a nd the S o n ? At what ho ur do
you rise ? Do yo u p unctually observe the
Morning and Evenin g Hour o f Retirement ,

viz Fi ve O Cloc k ? D o you spend the D ay in

.
’

the Manner which the Con ference advises ?

Do you co nverse seri o us ly use fu l ly and clo s e ,

ly ? To be m o re particu lar : Do you use all

the Means of G race yoursel f and info rce the ,

Use o f them on all o ther Persons ? They are

either instituted or pru dential .

I The Instituted are

.
,

I Prayer ; Private Family Public co n

.
, , ,

sistin g o f Deprecati o n Petition Intercess ion , .

and Thank sgi vin g Do you use each o f these ?

.

Do you fo reca st daily wherever you are to se .

cure Ti me fo r private D evotion ? D o you

practice it everywhere ? Do you ask every
where Have y o u Family Prayer ? And do
,

you ask Individuals Do you use private Prayer ,

every M o rning and Evenin g ?

2 . Searchin g the Scriptures by ,

( )
1 Readin g ; con s tantly so m e Pa rt o f ,

every Day : re gul arly all the Bible in o rder : ,

care fully with Mr We sley s Notes : seri o usly

, .
’
,

with Prayer be fo re and after : fruitfully i m ,

mediately practicin g what you learn there ?

( )
2 Medi t atin g : At set Times ? B y Rule ?
(3 ) Hear i n g : E y e ry Opp o rtunity ? With
Prayer befo re at after ? Hav e y o u a Bible
, ,

always about you ?

3 T he .
 3. T he Lord s Supper
’
: Do y o u u s e thi s at
e v e ry Oppo rtunity ? With s o lemn Prayer be
fo r e ? With earnes t and deliberate S elf De -

v o t i on z

4. D O y o u u se as m u ch A bstinen c e and
Fas tin g every Wee k , as your Health Stren gth,

a n d Labou r will permit ?

5. Chri s tian Con feren ce : A re y o u co n

v i n c ed ho w impo rtant and ho w d i fi cult it is t o
o rd er yo ur C o nversation ari ght ? Is it al ways
i n G race ? Seas oned with Salt ? Meet to
m i nister G race to the Hearers Do y o u not
,

c o n v ers e too lon g a t a Time ? I s not an Hour

c o m monly en o u gh ? Wo u l d it not be well
a l ways to have a determinate End in Vie w ?
A n d to pray be fore an d a fter it ?
I I Prudenti al Means we may use , either
.

as Christia ns as Me t hodi sts as Preachers or

, , ,

as Ministers .

1
. A s Chri s tians : What partic ular Rules
h a ve you in o rder t o gro w in g race ? What
A rts o f H o l y Livi n g ?
2. A s Meth o dists : D o y o u never mi ss yo u r
Class or Band ?
3
. A s Preacher s : D o y o u meet every S o

c i e ty ? A lso the Leaders and Bands ?

,

4. A s Mini s te rs : Have y o u thoro u g hly

c onsidered yo ur D u ty ? And do you make a
Conscience o f exec uti ng every Part o f it ?
These Means may be us ed witho ut Fruit ?
But there are so me Means which cannot ;
namely Watchin g Denying ourselves tak ing
, , ,

up our Cross Exercise o f the Presence o f God

,
.

1. D o y o u steadily w atch again st the

Wo rld ? Yo urself Your besetting Sin ?
2. Do y o u deny yourself every useles s
Pleas ure of S ense ? Imagination ? Ho nour ?
 20

Are yo u temperate in a ll thin gs ? In s tance i n

F ood ( I ) DO yo u us e o nly that Kind a n d
.
,

that Degree which i s bes t bo th for Bo dy a n d

,

So ul ? Do u y o u see the Ne cess ity o f thi s ? ( 2 )

Do y o u eat no Fl esh Suppers ? ( 3 ) Do y o u
eat no mo re at e ach Meal than is n ecessary
A re y o u no t heavy or d ro wsy a fter Di nne r
( 4) D o y o u u se o n l y that Kind and that D e

g ree o f Drink w hi c h i s be s t b o th f o r your B o d y

and So ul ? (5 ) D o y o u c h u s e and u s e Wa t e r
fo r yo ur co mm o n Dri nk ? A nd only ta k e Wi n e
and othe r Liquo rs medicina lly ?
3. Wherein d o y o u take up yo ur Cr o s s

dail y ? D o y o u cheerfully bear your Cro s s

( whate v er is g riev o u s t o Nat u re ) as a g i ft o f
Go d and labo ur to profit thereby ?
,

4. D o y o u endea v o r t o se t G o d al w ay s b e
fo re y o u ? To see H i s Eye c o ntinually fix e d
u po n y o u ? Never can yo u u se these Mean s ,

but a Blessin g w ill ens ue A nd the m o re y o u

.

use them th e m o re wi ll you gro w in G ra c e

,
.

SECTION XI .

On the necessi ty of Uni on a m ong o u rselves .

ET us be deepl y Sen s ible ( fro m what we

L have k no wn ) o f the Evil o f a Divis io n in
Principle Spi rit o r Practice and the dreadfu l
, ,

Co nsequences to o urselves and o thers I f w e .

are unite what ca stand be ore u

d n f s ? I f we
divide we shall des t ro y o urselves the Work
, ,

o f Go d a nd the S o ul s o f o ur Peo pl e
,
.

Q u e s t 1 Wh a t c a n be
. do ne in o rder t o a
clo s er Uni o n with each o ther

A n sw I Let us be deepl y co nvi nced o f the

.

a b s o l ute Ne ce s sity o f it .

2 . Pray ea rnest ly fo r and spe ak free ly to

,

each o ther .
W h en
3 .
 3 . When we meet let, us never part w ith
out Prayer &
4 .Take g reat Care not t o despise e ach
o t h er s Gi fts
’
.

5 .Never speak li ghtly o f each other .

6 . Let us defend each other s Character in ’

e v e ry Thin g so far as is consis tent w ith Truth

, .

7 . Labor in Honour each to pre fer the

o t h er before him sel f .

S E C T I O N XI I .

Of the Tri a l of those who thi nk they a re

m oved b
y the H oly Gho s t to preach

OW shall we try those who pro

Q uest . 1 .

H fess t o be m o ved by the Holy

G h ost to preach ?
A nsw . 1 . Let them be asked the follo win g
Q uestions v iz Do they
, kno w G o d
. as a par
doning Go d ? Have they the Love o f God
a biding in them ? Do they desire a nd see k
n othin g but God ? And are they holy in all
Manner o f Convers ation ?
2 .
Hav e they Gi fts ( as well as Grace) fo r
th e Work ? Have they ( in so me tolera ble De
g ree ) a clear sound Under s tandin
, g a ri g ht ,

j udgment in the Things o f God a just Co n ,

oepti o n o f Sal vation by Faith ? And has Go d

g i v en them any De gree o f Utter a n c e Do .

t hey speak justly readily clearly ? , ,

3 .Have they Fruit ? A re any truly o o n

vi nced o f Sin and converted to God by their
,

preachin g
A s long as these three Marks c o nc ur in any
one we believe he is called o f Go d to pre ach
, .

These we recei ve as su fficient Proof that he is

moved by the Ho ly Ghost .

D SECT .
 2

S EC TI O N X I I I .

O
f the Spi ri t a n d Tr u th of S i n i
g g n .

O W
Quest 1 .

H
shall we g uard
m al i ty
a g
in sin ging ?
ainst F or

A nsw I By chus ing such Hymns as are

.

prope r fo r the Co ngregation

2. By no t sin gin g too much at once ; sel
dom more than five o r six v erses .

3. By su itin g the T u ne to the W o rds .

4. By o ft en stoppin g sh o rt and as k
, in g the
People Now & Do yo u know what y o u s aid
la s t ? Did y o u speak no more than y o u felt ? &

5. Do n o t s ufi er the People to s in g t o o

slo w This natu rally tends to formality ; and

.

is brought in by those who have either very

st ron g or very weak Voices .

6. In eve ry large So ciety l et them lea rn to

sin g ; and let them always lea rn our Tunes fi rst .

7. L e t the W o men con s tantly sin g their

Parts a lo ne Let no Man sin g with them un
.
,

less he understand s the Notes and sings the ,

Base as it i s pricked down in the Tune Boo k -

.

8. Introd uce no new Tune till they are

perfect in the o ld .

9. Recommend o ur T une B oo k e v ery -

where : And i f yo u cannot s ing yo urself ,

ch use a Pe rso n or two at each Place to pitch

the Tune fo r y o u .

1 0 .Exhort every Person in the C o n grega

tion to sin g not o ne in ten only
, .

I I Sing no Hymns o f your own composing

. .

1 2 .If a Preacher be present let him alone ,

g i v e out the W o rd s .

1 3 .When the Singers would teach a Tune

to the Congregatio n they must sing o nly the
,

Tenor
SECT
.

.
 S E C T I O N X IV .

R u les by whi ch we should con ti nue, or desi s t

f rom P r ea chi ng a t a ny Place , .

Qu es t . S it advisable fo r u s to preach in
1 .

as many places as we can with ,

o u t formin g an y So cieties ?
A nsw By no mean s : We have made the
.

Tr ial in va ri o us Places ; and that for a cons id

c rable Time But all the Seed h as fallen by
.

the Way s ide There is scarcely any Fruit t e

-
.

m ainin g .

Q u es t 2 Where
. s h o uld
. w e e ndeav o r t o

preach m o st ?
A nsw 1 Where there are the greatest
. .

Number quiet and will in g Hearers .

2. Where there i s the m o st Fru it .

Q u es t 3 O u g
.ht we n.o t d ili g ently t o o b
s erve i n what Pla ce s G o d is p l ea s ed at any
,

Time t o po u r o ut H i s Spirit m o re abundantly ?

A ns w We o ug ht : and at that Time to
.
,

send m o re Labo ure rs than us ual int o th at Part

o f the Harve s t .

SECTI ON XV .

On the Ma tter a nd Ma n ner of P rea chi ng ,

a n d o ther P u bli c Ex ercis es .

Q u est . 1HAT is
. the best g
thod of Preachin g ? W
eneral M e

A nsw 1 To in vite : 2 To c o nvince 3

. . . . .

To o fier Christ 4 To build up : And to do . .

thi s in so me Measure in every Serm o n .

Q uest 2 Are there

. any .smaller Advi ces
relative to P reachin g which might be o f Use ,

to us ?
A nsw Perhaps these : I
. Be sure never .

to dis
to disappoint a Cong regation 2 Begin pre . .

ci sely at the Ti me appo in ted 3 Let you r . .

who l e Depo rtment be fo re the Congregatio n be

serious weighty and solemn 4 Alway s sui t
, . .

your subj ect to your A udience 5 Chuse th e . .

plaine st Tex ts you can 6 Take Care no t to . .

ramble but keep to your Text and make o ut

, ,

what you take in Hand 7 Take Care o f.an y .

Thi ng auk ward or affected either in you r ,

Gesture Phrase or Pronun ciati o n

, 8 Pri nt . .

nothing without the A ppro bation o f the C o n

feren ce and one o f the Bish o ps 9 Do n o t . .

u s ually pray ex tempore abo ve eight o r ten

Minutes (at m o st) w itho ut Intermission .

1 0 . Frequently read and enlarge upon a Por

tion o f the No tes : A nd let yo u ng Preache rs
o ften exh o rt without ta k in g a Tex t 1 1 Al . .

ways avail yours el f o f the great Festivals by

preaching o n the Occas ion 1 2 Be co urteous . .

to all.

Q uest
3 Ha v
. e n o t s ome
. o f us bee n led 03
from practi cal Preachin g by (what i s called )
preaching Christ ?
A n sw Indeed we have The mo st efiect
. .

u al Way o f Preach i n g Christ i s to preach hi m ,

in al l hi s O ffices and to declare his Law as

, ,

well as his Go spel b o th t o Believers and Un,

believers Let us stro ngly and closely insist

.

upon inward and o utward H o liness in al l its

Branches .

SECTION XVI .

Ag a i nst A nti no mi a ni sm .

H AT
Q uest . I .

‘ V a gain st Antino mianism ?

be do ne to guard
c an

1 Let al l the Preachers care fully read

Wesley s and Mr Fletcher s Tract s
’
.
’
.

2 . Let
 ( 25 )
2 . Let them frequently and explici tly prea ch
the Truth but not in a c o ntroversial Way
,
.

And let them take Care t o do it in Love and

Gen tl eness ; No t in Bitte rnes s returning Rai l ,

ing fo r Railing 3 An s w er al l. th e O
. b j ec
tions o f our People as Occas io n offers But .

take Care to do this with all possible Sweet

nes s both o f Lo ok and A ccent .

Q u es t 2 Wherein
. lie.s o u r D a n g er o f it ?
A nsw I With Regard to Man s Faithful ’
.

ness Our Lord him self taught us to use the

,

Expression Therefore we o ugh t n ever to be

.

as ha med o f it We ought steadily to asse rt

.

upon h i s Authority tha t i f a man is not faith

ful in the unrighteous Mammon Go d will not ,

g i ve him the true Riches .

2 With regard to workin g fo r Li fe which

.
,

our Lord expressly commands us to do La .

bour ( erg a z esthe) literally work for the Mea t

tha t endu r eth to everla sti ng Life And in Fact .

every Believer till he comes to Glo ry works ,

for as well as from Li fe

, .

3 We. ha v e received i t as a Ma x im that ,

A Man is to do nothin g in order to Justi fica

ti on Nothin g can be more fa l se W hoever .

des ires to find Favour wi th Go d should cease ,

from E vil and learn to do well

. So Go d him .

self teaches by the Prophet I s aiah Whoever .

repe nts should do Works meet fo r Repentance :

,

And i f this is no t in order to find Favour what ,

doe s he do fo r them ?
'

Once m o re review the who le A flai r .

I Who o f us is now accepted o f God .

H e that no w beli eves in Christ w ith a lovi ng ,

obedient Heart .

But who amon g those that never heard

o f Chri st ?
 26

He that according t o the Li ght he has fear ,

eth God and work eth R i ghteo usness

, .

3. Is this the s ame w ith He that i s sinc,e re

Nearly i f no t quite ,
.

4. Is no t thi s Salvati o n by Works ?

Not by the Merit o f Wo rks but by works as ,

a Conditio n .

5. The g ran d Obje cti o n t o one o f the p re

ceedi ng Propo sition s i s drawn from Matter o f
,

Fact God d oes in Fact j usti fy tho se who by

,

th eir o wn Con fessi o n neither feared Go d nor ,

wrou ght R i ghte o usness Is this an exception

.

to the general Ru le ?
It is a Doubt whether Go d makes any Ex
cepti o n at all Bu t h ow are we sure that the
.

Perso n in ques tio n never did fear Go d and ,

work Ri ghteo usness ?

His o wn thinking s o i s no Pro of Fo r we .

k no w h o w al l that are co nvinced o f Si n nu ,

dervalue themselves in every respect .

6
. Does no t talking w ith o ut proper Caution
o f a j ustifie d o r san ctified Sta te tend t o mis ,

le ad Men ? A lmo st natural ly l eading them to

trus t in what wa s d o ne in o ne Moment ?
Whereas we are eve ry Moment pleas in g o r
displeasing Go d according to our Works ; ac
,

co rdin g to the whol e o f o u r p resent in ward

Tempers and o utw ard Behavio ur
,
.

S E C T I O N XV I I .

H ow to pr ovi de for the Ci rcu i ts i n the

Ti m e of Conference, a nd to preserve
a nd i n cr ea se the work o
f God .

H AT can
Q ue st .

‘ V the Circuits d uring the S it

1 . be done to s u pply
,

ting o f the Con ference ?

A nsw .
 A nsw . I
Let all the Appo intments stand
.

a cco rdin g t o the Plan o f the Circuit .

2 Engage as many Lo cal Preachers and

.

Exho rters as will supply them ; an d let them

be paid fo r their Time i n Pro po rti o n to the
S alary o f the Travell i ng Preachers -
.

3 I
. f Prea chers and Exh o rters c a n n o t a t
t e nd let so me Person o f Ability be app o in t ed
,

i n every S o ciety t o si ng pray a nd read o ne o f , , ,

Mr Wes ley s Serm o ns

.
’
.

4 A
. n d i f that ca nno t be d o ne let there be ,

P rayer Meetin gs -
.

5 Wherever
.
y o u c a n in large S o c ietie s , ,

a pp o int Prayer Meetin gs -

.

Las tly let a Fast be published at every

,

quart erly Meeti n g fo r the Friday fo l lo wi ng ;

a n d a Mem o ra nd u m o f it be w ritten o n a l l the

C l a ss Papers A lso be active in dispersing th e

-

Books amon g the Pe o ple .

S E C T I O N XVI I I .

Of employ i ng ou r Ti m e profi ta bly ,

when
we a re not tra velli ng , or no t eng ag ed

i n P u bli c Exerci ses .

Q ues t . 1 .

W H AT
l
g
i
p y g
o
eneral
n o u r T
Meth
i me
o
w
d
o u
o

l
f
d
em
y o u
advise us to ?
A ns w We advise y o u
. I A s o ften as . .

p o ssible to ris e at fo u r 2 Fro m fo ur t o . .

five in the M o rnin g an d fro m five to six i n ,

the Eveni ng to meditate pray and read part , , ,

ly the S c riptu res with Mr Wesley s No tes

’
.
,

partly the clo sely practical Parts o f w hat he

has published 3 From six in the m o rni ng . .

till twelve (all o win g an H o u r fo r Break fast)

read i n Order with much Prayer the Chri s , ,

ti an Librar y and other pi o us B o o k s

. .
 Q uest Why is
. it
2 that
. the People under
o u r Care are n o t better ?
A ns w Other Reasons m ay co ncur ; but the
.

chief i s beca u s e w e are not m o re kn o win g and

,

more h o ly .

Q ues t 3 But w h y
. are w.e n o t m o re kn o wi n g?
A nsw
first Rule Be diligent
.

“
Because we are id le We forget o ur
Never be unem .
.

plo yed Never be tri fli ngly employed ; neither

.

spend any mo re Time at any Place than is

strictl y necessary I fear there i s alto gether
.

a Fa ult in this Matter and that few o f us are ,

c lear .Which o f y o u spend as many Hours a

Day in Co d s Work as you did formerly in
’

—
,

Man s Wo rk
’
? We tal k talk o r read H i s ,

to ry o r what comes next to Hand We must .

,

abso l ute l y must cure th is Evil o r betray the

, ,

Caus e o f Go d But ho w ? 1 . Read the most .

use ful Bo o ks and that regularly and co nstant

,

ly. Steadily s pend all the M o rnin g in this

twenty .
“
Empl o yment or at least five Hours in four and
,

But I have no Tas te fo r readin g .

&

Co ntract a Tas te for it by Use or return to ,

yo ur fo rmer Employment But I have no .

Bo o ks .Be dili gent to spread the B o oks and

&
,

y o u will have the use o f them .

SECTION XIX .

On Bapti sm .

ETe very adult Perso n and the Parents o f

L every Child to be baptized have t he ,
,

Choi ce either o f Immers ion Sprink l ing or ,

Pouring .

N B We w ill o n no Acco unt whatever t e

. .

cei ve a Fee or Present fo r administerin g

Baptism or the B uri al of the Dead : F reely
we ha ve received freely we wi ll gi ve ,
.

SECT .
 SECTIO N XX .

On the Lord ’
s S upper .

RE there any Directi o ns t o be

Q u es t .

A give n c o n cer n in g the A dm i ni s

t ra t i o n o f the
Lord s S upper ? ’

A ns w 1 Let tho se who chuse receive it

. .
,

k neelin g ; and tho se who do no t either stand ,

i ng o r s ittin g .

2 . Let no Pers o n that i s not a Member o f

o u r Soc iety be admitted to the Co mmuni o n
, ,

withou t Exami nati o n and so me Token g ive n ,

by an Elder o r Deaco n .

SE CTI O N XXI .

On
f u nla w ul Ma rr i ag es .

O
Q u es t 1
.

D has lately prevailed among

. we obse rve any Evil w hich

o ur Societie s ?

A nsw Many o f o u r Members have mar

.

ried w ith u na wa kened Perso ns This has had .

fatal E ffe cts They have bee n either hindered

.

for Life o r turned back to Perdition

, .

Q u e s t 2 . What . ca n be d o ne t o put a s to p
t o thi s ?

A nsw I . .

fo rce the A po s tle s Ca uti o n

“
Let every Preacher publ icly i n
’
Be ye not un ,

equally yo ked together with Unbelievers .

2. Let him o penly decl are Whoever d o es .

this will be expelled the Society

, .

3. When any s u c h is expelled l et a s uit ,

able Exho rtatio n be subj o ined

4 . L e t all be ex h o rted t o take n o S tep in so
wei ghty a Matter wi t hout advising with the ,

most serious o f their Brethren .

Q u e s t 3 . O ug ht . any W o man t o marry

wi tho ut the C o nse nt o f her Parents ?
 3 0

A nsw In general s he o ught no t Yet

.
,
.

there may be Excepti o ns Fo r if I A .

, .

Wo man be under the Nece ssity o f marryin g :

If 2
,
. Her Pa ren ts abso l ute ly re fuse to let
her m arry any Christian : Then she may nay , ,

o ug ht t o m arry W i tho ut their Co n sent Yet .

even then a Metho dist Preacher o ught no t to -

marry her .

SE CT I ON XXII .

ETus stron gly an d expl i citly exho rt all Be

L li evers to go on t o Per fecti o n That we .

may all spea k the same Thin g we ask o nce ,

fo r al l Shal l we defend this Perfecti o n or

, ,

g ive it u p ? We all a gree t o de f end it mean ,

i ng thereby (as we did fro m the Begi nnin g)

Sa lvatio n fro m al l S i n by the Lo ve o f God
,

and Man fillin g o u r Hea rt The Papists say .

,

Thi s ca nno t be attained till we have been

refined by the fire o f Purgato ry S o me Pro .
&

fesso rs s ay Nay it will be attained as so on

, ,

as the So ul a nd B o dy part Others s ay

. It ,

may be attai ned befo re we die : A M o ment

a fter is too l ate I s it so o r no t ? We are
.
,

all agreed we may be saved fro m all Sin be

,

fore Dea th The S ubs tance then is s ettled

. .

Bu t as to the Circumstances i s the Chan ge ,

g rad u al or in s t a nta ne o u s ? It i s b o th the o n e

and the o ther But sho uld we in Preachi ng
.

i nsist both o n one and the o ther ? Certainly &

we sho uld insist o n the gradua l Chan ge ; and

that earnestly and co n tin ual l y A nd are .

there not Reasons W hy w e should insi st on

the instant aneo u s also ? I f there be s uch a
blessed
blessed han ge be fo re Dea t h s ho u ld we not
c ,

e nco urage a ll believers to expect i t ? A nd the

r ath er becaus e co n s tant Experien ce shews the
, ,

m o re earnestly they expect thi s the more ,

s w i ftly and s teadily d o es the gradual W o rk o f

Go d go o n in their s o ul s ; the m o re care ful are

they t o gro w i n grace ; the mo re zealo us o f
g ood Works and the more pun ,
c t u al in their
A ttendan ce o n a ll the Ordinances o f Go d ;
(W h ereas ju s t the c ontrary Efiec ts a re o bserved ,

wheneve r thi s Expectatio n cease s ) They are .

saved by H o pe by thi s Hope o f a to tal Chan ge

, ,

with a gradual ly increas ing Sa lvation

'
De .

stro y this Hope and that S alva tio n s tan ds ,

s till , or rather decreases dail y There fo re .

who ever wo uld adva nce the gra d ual Chan ge

in Believers shou ld stro n gly insis t o n the in
,

st antan eo us .

SECTION XXIII .

On D ress .

Q uest . 1 . insi s H OULD we

t o n the Ru l e s

con cernin g Dres s ?

A nsw By all Mean s Thi s is no Time to

. .

g i ve any Enc o ura g ement t o S u p e r fl u i t y o f A p

parel Therefore give no ti ck ets to any till
.
,

they have left o fi s uperfluo us Orname nt s In .

order to this I Let every Deaco n read the

,
.

Tho ughts upo n Dre ss at least o n ce a Year in ,

every large Society 2 I n visi t in g the

. .

Classes be very mild but very st ri ct

, , 3 A l . .

low of no exe m pt Case no t even o f a married ,

Woman
'

Bette r o ne sufl er than many

'
.

4 G i v e n o Tickets t o a n y that w ear Hi g h

Heads en o rm o us B o nnets Ru mes o r Rings
.

, , .

SECT .
 SECTI ON XXIV .

On the P ri vi leg es g ra nted to ser i o us P er

so ns f tha t a re not o the S oci ety .

Q u es t 1. OW . o ften sha l l we pe rmit

Stran gers to be pre s en t at the
Meetin g o f the So ciety ?
A ns w At every o ther meeting o f the SO
.

ci e ty in every Place l et n o Stan ger be admit ,

ted At o ther Times they may ; but the same

.

Perso ns no t above twice o r thri ce .

Q u es t 2 H o w
. o ften s h a ll.w e permit
Stran gers t o be pre s ent at o ur Lo ve Feasts ? -

A ns w Let them be admitted with the ut

.

mo s t Cauti o n ; and the sam e Person on no A c

co unt ab o ve t w ice o r thrice unles s he bec o m es ,

a Member .

SECTION XXV .

On f
vi si ti ng H o use to H o us e g rom
ua r d
i ng a g a i nst those S i ns tha t a re so common
to P rofessors , a nd enforci ng P racti ca l
Relig i o n .

Q uest . 1OW can

. w e further a s s ist tho se
under o ur Care ?
A nsw 1 By in struc tin g them at their own
. .

Houses What un speakable Need i s there o f

.

this ? The Wo rld s ays The Methodists are ,

“
no better tha n o ther Peo pl e This is not .

true But it is nearer the Truth than we are

.

willing to believe Fo r I Perso nal Religion .

either tow ard Go d o r Man is very superficial , ,

among us We can but just to uch on a few

.

Generals H ow l itt l e F aith i s there amon g us ?

.

H ow l ittle Co mmunio n with Go d ? H o w little

liv ing
 living in Heaven w alkin g in Eternity D ead , ,

n e ss to every Creatu re ? H ow m uch Lo ve o f

the Wo rld ? Des ire o f P l easure o f Ease of , ,

g ettin g M o ney ? H o w litt l e b ro therly Lo v e ?

What continu al Judgin g o ne an o ther ? What
Go ssipping Evil speaki n g Ta l e bearing ?
, ,

What Want o f m o ral Hone sty ? To instance

o n l y one Pa rti cular ; Wh o d o e s as he w o uld be
do ne by in buyi ng a nd se ll ing ?
,

2 . F amily Re lig ion i s wantin g in many

Branches And what avails Public Preaching
.

alo ne tho ugh we co uld preach like Angels ?

,

We m ust yea every Travell ing Preacher

, ,
-

mus t in struct them fro m H o use t o H o use T ill .

thi s i s do ne and that i n go od Earnest the Meth

, ,

odists w il l be little better than other Peo ple .

Our religi o n is no t deep universal unifo rm , ,

but s uperficial p artial uneven , It wi ll be so

,
.
,

till w e spend hal f as m uch time in th is Vi sit

i ng as w e now do in tal kin g useless l y
, Can .

we find a better Meth o d o f d o in g thi s than

Mr Baxter s ? I f not let us adopt it witho ut
.
’
,

Delay H is whole Tract entitled Gi ldas S al

.
, ,

vi a na s i s w ell wo rth a care ful Perus al

, Speak .

ing o f thi s vi si t in g from H ouse to Ho u s e he ,

says ( p , .

‘
We shall find many Hindrances bo th i n ,

ourselves and the Peo ple .

I In ourse lves there is much Dulness and

.

Lazines s s o that the re wil l be much ado to

,

g e t us to be fait hful i n the W o rk .

2
. We have a base man pleasing Temper ,
-

so that we let Men pe ri s h rather than lose ,

their Lo v e ; we let them go quiet ly to Hell '

,

lest we sho uld ofiend them .

Some o f us have also a fo olish Bas h fulness .

E We know
We know no t how to begin and blush , to
“
co n
tradi ct the De vil .

4 .But the greatest Hindrance is Weakn ess

o f F aith Our who le M o ti o n i s Weak be
.
,

ca us e the Spring o f it i s weak .

5 La
. s tly w e are un ,
s kill ful i n the Work .

H o w few kn o w h o w to deal with Men so as to ,

g et w ithin them and s u it a ll o,ur D i sc o u rs e to

their several Co nditi o n s and Tempers : To
c huse the fittes t Subje cts and fo llow them w ith ,

a Mixture o f Serio u sness and Terro r and Love ,

and Meekness ? But undoubtedly thi s pri vate

A pplication is implied in tho se s o lemn Wo rds
o f the A postle cha rg e thee b
, efore God a nd the
Lord j esus Chr i st who sha ll j udg e the Qui ck ,

a nd the D ead at hi s appea ri ng p r each the ,

Word be i nsta n t i n Sea son ou t of Season : Re

, ,
'
~

p rove rebuke ex ho rt wi th a ll Long sufl eri ng

, , ,
-
.

O Brethren i f we co uld but set thi s Work

, ,

o n foot in all o ur S o cietie s and pro s ec ute it ,

zealo usly w hat G lo ry wo uld redo und to G o d

,
.

I f the commo n L uke warm ness were b ani s hed ,

an d every S hOp and every H o use b usied in ,

speaking o f the Words and Works o f Go d ;

surely Go d wo u ld dwell in our Habitations ,

and make u s H i s Delight .

And this i s abso l utely necessary to the We l

fare o f the Peo ple so me o f who m neither be ,

lieve nor repent to thi s Day Look round and .

see h o w many o f them are still in apparent

Danger and Damnation A nd ho w can y o u .

w alk and talk and be mer ry with s uch P eo

, ,

ple when y o u k n o w their Case ?

,

Methinks when y o u lo ok them in the Face ,

y o u s h o u l d break fo rth into Tear s a s the P ro ,

phet did when he looked upon Haza el and ,

t hen set o n them with the mos t vehement Ex

hortatio n s .
 35

hortatio ns O for God s Sake and the Sake

.
,
’
,

o f poor S o uls bestir yourse lves and spare no

,

pains that may conduce to the ir Salvation

What ca use have we to bleed be fo re the Lord
this Day that we have so lo ng neglected t hi s
,

g ood W o rk & I f we had but en a

g g ed in it
sooner how many m o re might have been
,

brought to Christ & And ho w much holier and

happ ier might we have made o ur Societies
before no w ? And why might we not have
done it soo ner ? There are many Hindrances :
And s o there always will be But the great .

est Hindran ce was in ours elvss in o ur Little ,

ness o f Fa ith and L o ve .

But it i s o bj ected I This wil l take up so ,

.

much Time we shall no t have Leis ure to fo l

,

lo w o ur Studies ,

We an swer 1 Gaining Kno wledge is a

,
.

g o o d Thin g but savin g S o,ul s i s a better 2 . .

By this very Thin g you will gai n the most

exce llent Kno wledge that o f Go d and Eter ,

ni ty .
3 Y o.u wi l l have T ime for g ainin g
other Kno wledg e too Only sleep no t m o re .

than you n eed ; and never be idle o r t rifli ngly

employed But 4 I f y o u ca n do but o ne
.
, .
,

let y o ur Studies alone I wo ul d throw by all .

the Libraries in the Wo rld rather th an be

g uilty o f the Los
It is o bjected II
s o f o ne So ul

The Peo ple w ill not ,

.
“ .

s ubmit t o it I f s ome w ill no t others will

.
,
.

And the Success with them w ill repay al l ,

yout Labo ur 0 let us herein follo w the Ex

.

ample o f St Paul I Fo r o ur general Busi

. .

ness S ervi ng the Lord wi th a ll H u m i li ty of

,

Mi nd : 2 Our special Wo rk Ta ke H eed to

.
,

ou rselves a nd to a ll the Flock : 3 Our Doc

y .

trin e Repenta nce towa rds God a nd Fa i th i n

, ,

our
 3 6

ou r Lord j Chri st:

esus 4 The P l a. c e , I ha ve
ta ug ht y ou pu bli ckly , a nd from H ouse to H ou se :
5 . The Obje c t a n d Man n er o f T e a c hi n g, 1
cea sed no t to wa rn every one, Nig ht a nd Da
y ,

wi th T ea r s : 6 H i s Inn o cence an d Self De

.
-

nia l herein 1 ha ve covetted n o Ma n s Si lver or

,
’

Gold : 7 H i
. s Patien c e N ei th e r ,co u n t I m y
Life dea r un to my self And amo ng a l l other .

Mo tives , l et the re be ever be fo re our Eyes : I .

The chu rch of God, whi ch he ha th p ur cha sed

wi th hi s ow n Blood : 2 Gr i evo us Wol ves shall
enter i n y ea of y ou rs e l ves s h a ll M e n a ri se ,

spea ki ng perverse T hi ng s .

Write thi s upo n yo ur Hearts , and it will do

m re o d than t w ent Yea Study
’
y o u o g o y r s .

Then y o u wi l l have no Time to spare You

will have Wo rk eno ugh Then likewi se no
.

Preacher wil l stay with us who is as S alt that

h as l os t i t s Savo ur For to s u ch th is empl o y
.

ment wo uld be mere D rudgery And in o r .

der t o it y o u w i ll hav e n eed o f all the Knowl

,

edge yo u can procure .

The S um i s Go into every H o use in co urse

, ,

a nd tea ch every o ne therein yo u ng an d o ld i f , ,

t hey be lo ng to u s t o be Christian s inwardly

,

and o utwardly Make every Particul a r plain

.

to their Unders tandin gs fix it in their Minds ,

write it o n their Hearts In o rder t o this .

,

there mus t be Line upo n Li ne Pre cept upon ,

Pre cept What Patience w h at Lo ve what

.
, .

Knowled ge is requis ite fo r this ? We must

n eeds do this we re it o n l y to avoid Idle ne ss
,
.

Do we no t lo iter away many Hours in every

Week ? Each t ry him s elf: No Idlene ss is
co n si stent w ith G ro wth in Grace Nay with .
,

out Exactness in redeemi ng Time y o u canno t ,

retain the G race y o u received i n J ustificat i o n .

Qu e st .
 37

Q uest Why
. 2 are
. w e n o t m o re h o ly w hy ,

d o n o t we live in Etern ity ? Wal k w ith Go d

all the Day lo ng ? Why are we no t all devoted
t o God ? Breathing the who le Spirit o f Mi s
s i o nari es ?
A ns w . beca use we are Enth u siasts ;
C h i efly
look ing fo r the End witho ut usin g the Mean s .

To to uch o nl y u po n t wo or three i ns tan ces :

W ho o f you rises at fo ur ? Or even at five ,

when he does no t preach ? Do y o u k no w the

Obli gatlo n a nd Be nefit o f Fasting o r Absti
n ence ? H o w o ften do y o u practi ce it ? The
negl ect o f this alo ne i s sufli cient to acco unt fo r
o u r Feeblene ss a nd Fa i nt ne s s o f Spi rit We .

a re co ntinu a lly grie vi ng the Ho l y Spirit o f

Go d by the habi t ual negl ect o f a pla in D uty .

Let us amend fro m this H o ur .

Q u est 3 . H o.w shal l w e gu ard ag ain s t S ab

bath break i ng
-
Ew l speak ing unpro fi table
,
-

C onversatio n Light ness Expen s ivenes s o r

, , ,

Gaiety o f A ppa rel a nd c o nt racti ng Debts w ith

,

o ut due Care to di schar ge them ?

A nsw I . Let u s pre ach expressly o n e ach
.

o f these h eads 2 Read in every So ciety

. .

the Sermon on Evil s pea k ing 3 Let the -

. .

Maders closely exa mine and exho rt every

Person t o put away the accursed Th i n g 4 . .

L a the P reacher warn every Society that ,

n o ne who is guilty he rein can remain with ,

us 5 Exti rpate Sm ugli ng buying o r sell

. .
,

i ng un customed Goods o u t o f every S oc ie ty , .

Let no ne remain with us who will not to tal ly

abstain fro m every Ki nd and Degree o f it 6 . .

Exti rpate B ribery receiving any Thing di , ,

rec tl y o r indi re ctly fo r vo tin g at any Ele ction

, ,

Shew no Respec t o f Pe rso ns herein but expel ,

all that touch the accursed Thing .

 ( 38 )
Q uest
4 Wh a t s
. h all w e do t.o pre v ent
Scandal when any of o ur Members fai l in
,

Business o r co ntract Debts which they are not

,

able to pay ?
A ns w Let the Elder or Deaco n desire two
.

or three j udicio us Members o f the So ciety to

in spec t the A ccounts o f the s uppose d Deli n
que nts ; and i f they have behav ed Disho nestl y ,

o r borro w ed M o ney w ith o u t a Pro bability o f

payin g let them be su spended till their Credit
,

is restored .

S E C T I O N XXV I .

On the Instr ucti on of Chi ldren .

Q u est . HAT shall we do fo r the rising

Generati o n ? Let him who is
zealous fo r G o d and the so u l s o f Men begin
no w .

A nsw Where there are ten Children

. 1 .

who s e Parents are in Society meet them an ,

hour o n ce a Week ; but where thi s i s i mprac

ti cable meet them o n ce in t wo w eeks
, .

2. P ro cure o ur In s tructio n s fo r them and ,

let all who can read and co mmit them to ,

Memory .

3. Exp l ai n and impre ss them u p o n their

Heart s .

4. Talk with them every Time you see any

5. P r ay in Ear n e s t fo r them Dili gently .

instruct and exho rt all Parents at their own

Hous es .

6. Let the Elders Deacons and Preachers ,

take a List o f the Names o f the Children ; a nd

i f any o f them be tru ly awakened let them be ,

admitted into Society .

7 P reach
 39

7. P reach expressly on Edu cati o n ; But I

h ave no G i ft for thi s Gi ft o r no Gi ft y o u .
,

are to do it ; else y o u are no t cal led to be a

Methodist Preacher Do it as y o u c an till
-
.
,

you can do it as y o u would Pray earnestly .

fo r the G ift and use the Mean s for it ,

.

S E C T I O N XX V I I .

On Bu i ldi ng Chu rches ,

a nd on the Order
to be observed therei n .

T hi advisable in re ard
Q ues t .

I to Building ?
1 . ng S an y g

A ns w Let all o ur Churches be built plain

.

a n d de cent ; but no t m o re expen s ively tha n i s

abso l ute ly u n avoidable : Otherwi se the Ne

cess i t y o f raisin g M o ney w ill make Ri ch Men
n e ces s ary to us But if s o we must be de .
,

pendent o n them yea and go verned by them , ,

.

A nd t hen farewell to the Meth o dis t Disc ipline -

i f no t Doctrine to o .

N B 1
. That no pers o n shal l be e li gible
. .

a s a Truste e t o any o f o ur Churches o r Co l l eges ,

that i s no t in co n stant Church Co mmunio n and ,

a regul ar Leader or Member o f a Class 2 . .

That no Pe rson that i s a Trus tee shal l be ,

ejected while he i s i n j o int Security fo r M oney ,

unles s such R e lief be gi ven him that is de

m anded ; or that the Perso n who makes the
Loan will accept .

Q u es t 2 Is there
. any Ex c epti
. o n to the
R ul e ,
Let the Men and Wom en sit apart ? &

A nsw There is no Exceptio n Let them

. .

si t a part in all o ur Churches .

Q u es t 3 But .i s there no t
. a w o rs e Inde
ce n cy tha n this Talking in the Con gregatio n, ,
 40

befo re and after Se rvi ce ? How shall this be

cured
A ns w Let all the Ministers and P reachers
.

join as one Man and enlarge o n the Impro p ri

,

ety o f Talking be fo re o r alter Serv ice ; and

strongly exhort those that are conce rned to do
it no more In three M o nths i f we are i n
.
,

Earnest this vi le practice will be bani shed o ut

,

o f every Meth o di st Con gre gati o n Let none -

.

stop ti ll he has carried his Point .

S E C T I O N XX VI I I .

On r a i si n
g a
g ener a l Fund fo r the P ro
p ag a ti on f
o the Go spel .

OW may we rai se a genera l F und

Q ues t .

H fo r carrying on the wh o le Wo r k
of Go d ?
A nsw By a yearly Co l lec tion and i f need
.
, ,

be a quarterly one to be raised by e very A s

, ,

si s tant in every prin cip al Con gregatio n i n h is

C ircuit To this End he may then read and

.
,

enlarge upo n the fo llo wing Hi nts in every such

C o ngregatio n .

H o w shall we send Labo urers into t hose

Part s where they are mo st o f all want ed ?
Many are wil ling to bear but not to bear the ,

e x pence Nor can it as yet be expected o f

.

them : Stay till the Wo rd o f God has to uched

their Hea rts and then they will gladly pro
,

vide fo r them that p reach it Does it not lie .

upon us in the mean Time to supply their Lack

o f S ervice ? To raise a genera l F und o ut of ,

whi ch fro m Time to T ime that Expence may

be de frayed ? By this Mean s tho se wh o will
i ngly o ffe r themselves may travel throu gh ,

every
 4 1

every Part whether there are S ocieties o r not

, ,

and stay wherever there is a Call witho ut be ,

ing burdensome to any Thus may the Gospel .

,

in the Life and Power thereof be spread fro m ,

Sea to Sea Which o f you wil l not rejoi ce to

.

th row in your Mite to prom o te this glorio u s

Bes ides thi s in carrying on so large a

,

W ork thro ugh the Continent there are calls ,

for M o ney in v ario us Ways and we m ust ft c ,

quently be at considerable Expence or the ,

Work mus t be at a full S to p Many too are .

the occasional Distresses o f our Preachers or ,

their Families which require an immediate

,

S upply Otherw i se their Hands would han g

.

down i f they were not c onstrained to depart

,

from the Work .

The Money contributed will be brought

to the en suing Co n ference .

Men and Brethren help Was there ever

,

a Call like this sin ce y o u first heard the Go spel

So und ? Help to relieve yo ur Co mpani o ns in
the Kin gdom o f J es us who are pre s t abo ve ,

Measu re Bear ye o ne another s Burden s and

.
’
,

so fulfil the Law o f Christ Help to se nd fo rth .

able willing Labo urers into your Lord s Har

,
’

vest : So shall ye be assistant in saving So uls

from Death and hiding a Mul t itude o f Sins
, .

H elp t o propagate the G o spel o f your S alva

tion to the remotest Corners of the Earth till ,

the Kno wledge o f our Lo rd s hall c over the

Land as the Waters cover the Sea S o shall .

it appear to ourselve s and all men that we are ,

i ndeed o ne Body united by o ne S pirit ; so shall

the baptized Heathens be yet again constrained
to say See ho w these Christians l o ve o ne
,

ano ther .

S ECT .
 S E C T I O N XXI X .

O
f the Method of g ra i si n a Fund for
the Supera n nu a ted P reachers a nd the
Widens a nd Orpha ns of P reachers .

Q uest . 1w e
. pro v
H
ide fo r S
OWuper
annua ted Preachers , and the
ca n

W idows and Orphans o f Preachers ?

A nsw I Let every Preacher contribute two
.

Dollars yearly at the Co nference .

2 Le t every o ne when first admitted as a

.

Traveling Preacher pay twenty Shi llings Pen n ,

3 .L e t this M o ney be lod g ed in the Hand s

o f the T reasurers .

4 .Let the re be three T reasurer s th r ee ,

Clerks ( each o f whom shall keep a separate

Account) and three Inspectors who shal l an ,

nually lay be fore the C o n ference an exa ct Sta te

of the Fund .

5 .Let thes e nine form a Committee fo r

the Managemen t o f the Fund ; three o f wh o m

sh all be competent to pro ceed on any Bus iness ;
provided o ne be a Treasurer another an In ,

spector and the third a Clerk

, .

6 .Out o f thi s fund let Provisio n be made , ,

first fo r the Wo rn o ut Preachers and then fo r

,
-

the Widows and Children o f those that are

dead .

7 .Ever y W o rn o u t Preacher shall re c

-
ei v e ,

i f he wants it no t us ually m o re than T wenty

,

four Pounds per year Pennsylvania Currency , .

8 .Every Widow o f a Preacher sha ll re

cei ve yearly i f she w ants it durin g her W idow
, ,

hood twen ty Po un d s
, .

9 Ev e ry .
 43

9. E v ery Ch i ld o f a Preache r s hall re ceive

o n ce fo r al l i f he wa n t s it twenty Po u nd s
, , .

1 0 . But none shal l be enti tl ed to any Thing

fro m this F und ti ll he has pa id F i fty S hillin gs
, .

1 1 . No r any w ho neglects paying his Sub

scripti o n fo r three Years to gether unless he be ,

sent by the C o n ference o ut o f these United

State s .

I2 . Let the Fund never be reduced to less

than o ne h undred Po unds .

1 3 . Let every A ssistant a s far as pos sible

, ,

bring to Co nference the Co ntribution o f every

Preacher left behind in h i s Ci rcuit .

SECTI ON XXX .

Concern i ng Cohesbu ry Colleg e .

Col l ege has been erected with the A p

A probation o f the Co nference fo r the
S a

Benefit o f the Co nnectio n ; and as the who le

Direction of the S eminary ultimately rests w ith
t he C o n feren ce ; we are determ ined to s u ppo rt
it under such Regu l atio ns as the C o n ference
fro m Time to Time shal l o rder co ncernin g its ,

literary tempo ra l and S piritual Interests : And

,

therefo re the Co unsels the A uth o rity and A i d

,

o f the Co n feren ce are earn e stly reques ted fo r

the S uppo rt o f the Institution ; that t h e neces
sary Co llectio n s may be raised the Desi gn o f ,

the S eminary be ful l y exp l ained and stron gly

reco mmended to the Peo ple and al l the Obj ec
,

ti o ns which any o f o ur mistaken Friends may

entertain be fully answered
,
.

SECT .
 ( 44 )
SE CTI ON XXXI .

On the P ri n ti ng of Books , a nd the Appliea tion

f o the P r ofits a r i s i ng therefrom

A Preachers and Peo ple that such Books

S has been frequently reco mmended by th e
,

as are wanted be printed in this Country we

, ,

there fore propo se ,

r That the A dvice o f the Con ference shall

be desired concerning any valuable Impres
sion and their Consent be obtain ed before any
,

S teps be taken fo r the Printing thereof .

2
. That the Pro fits o f the Books after all ,

the necessary Expenses are defrayed shall be ,

applied accordi ng to the Discreti o n o f the

,

C o n ference towards the College the Preachers

, ,
’

Fund the Deficien cie s o f Preachers Salaries

,
’
,

the distant M i ssio ns or the Debts o n o ur

,

Churches .
 I ND E& .

S ECT ION I .

Of the Rise of Metho di sm (so ca lled ) Europe

a nd A mer i ca .

S ECTION II .

On the Method f
o holdi ng a Confer ence , a nd the
Busi ness to be done therei n . p .
4 .

S ECTION III .

On the Na ture a nd Consti tu ti on of ou r Chu rch .

A 5 .

S ECTION IV .

On the Consti tu ti ng of Bi shops a nd thei r D u ty .

p . 6 .

SECT ION V .

On the Consti tu ti ng of Elders , a nd thei r D u ty .

P 7
S ECT ION VI .

On the Consti tu ti ng of D ea cons , a nd the i r D u ty .

p . 8 .

S ECT ION VII .

On the Method f
o r ecei vi ng P r ea cher s , a nd thei r
D u ty . p . 1 1 .

SECTION VII I .

Of the Collecti ons tha t a re m ade , a nd how the

Money i s to be expen ded . p . 1 5 .

S EC TION IX .

S EC TION X .

On the D u ty of P r eacher s ,
to God , themselves,
a nd one a nother . p . 1 7 .

S ECTION XI .

On the necessi ty of U n zo n a m ong ou rselves .

p . 20 .
 IND E& .

S ECT ION XII .

Of the Tri a l of those who thi nk they a re moved

by the H oly Ghost to prea ch . p . 2I

S ECTION XIII .

Of the Spi ri t a nd Truth of S i ng i ng .

p . 22 .

SECTION XIV .

Ru les b
y whi ch we shou ld conti n ue, or desi s t
f m , P rea chi ng
ro at an
y P lace .
p . 23 .

SECTION XV .

On the Ma tter a nd Ma nner

of P r ea chi ng , a nd

other P ublic Exerci ses .

SECT ION XVI .

Ag a i nst A nti no m i a ni sm .
p . 24 .

SECT ION XVII .

H ow to p rovi de for the Ci rcu i ts i n the Ti me

Conference a nd to preser ve a nd
, i ncrea se
Work of God . p . 26 .

SECTION XVIII .

On emp loy i ng ou r Ti m e profi ta bly , when we

a re not tr a velli ng , or not eng ag ed

p . 27 .

SECTION XIX .

S EC T ION XX .

On the Lord ’
s S upp er.
p . 29 .

S ECTION XXI .

u nla w u l
f Ma rri ag es .

SECTION XXII .

p .
30 .

SECT ION XXIII .