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bleffed gospel far more extenfively through the fixteen states, and other parts of the continent; whilft the married preachers, whose circumstances require them, in many inftances, to be more located than the fingle men, will have a confiderable field of action opened to them; and alfo 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 conferences, is made, that our focieties and congregations may be fupplied with preaching during the conferences. We would, therefore, wifh to have a few of the travelling preachers among our dear flocks at thofe times. But as we defire to make the conferences as refpectable and weighty as poffible, we can fpare none at thofe important feafons, except the preachers upon trial. They, alfo, will be abfent from the yearly conferences only for one year, as they must be present on the fecond to be admitted into full connection.

SECTION IV.

Of the Election and Confecration of Bishops, and of their Duty.

Quest. 1.

OW is a bishop to be conftituted in future?

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Anfw. By the election of the general conference, and the laying on of the hands of three bishops, or at leaft of one bishop and two elders.

Queft. 2. If by death, expulfion, or otherwife, there be no bishop remaining in our church, what fhall we

do?

Anfw. The general conference fhall elect a bifhop; and the elders, or any three of them, who shall be appointed by the general conference for that purpofe, hall ordain him according to our office of ordination. Queft. 3. What is the bishop's duty?

Anfw. 1. To prefide in our conferences.

2. To fix the appointments of the preachers for the feveral circuits.

3. In the intervals of the conferences, to change, rective, or fufpend preachers, as neceffity may require. 4. To travel through the connection at large.

5. To overfee the spiritual and temporal business of the focieties.

6. To ordain bishops, elders, and deacons.

Queft. 4. To whom is the bifhop amenable for his conduct?

Anfw. To the general conference, who have power to expel him for improper conduct, if they fee it neceffary.

Quest. 5. What provifion fhall be made for the trial of an immoral bishop, in the interval of the general, conference?

Anfw. If a bifhop be guilty of immorality, three travelling elders fhall call upon him, and examine him on the fubject; and if the three elders verily believe that the bishop is guilty of the crime, they fhall call to their aid two prefiding elders from two diftricts in the neighbourhood of that were the crime was committed, each of which prefiding elders fhall bring with him two elders, or an elder and a deacon. The above mentioned nine perfons 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 fhall have authority to fufpend the bishop till the enfuing general conference, and the diftricts fhall be regulated in the mean time as is provided in the cafe of the death of a bishop.

Queft. 6. If the bishop ceafe from travelling at large among the people, fhall he ftill exercife his office among us in any degree?

Anfw. If he ceafe from travelling without the confent of the general conference, he fhall not hereafter exercife any minifterial function whatsoever in our church. N. B. The bishops have obtained liberty, by the suffrages of the conference, to ordain local preachers to the office of deacons, provided they obtain a teftimonial from the focicty to which they belong, and from the Rewards of the circuit, figned alfo by three elders,, three deacons, and three travelling, preachers.

N O TE S.

In confidering the prefent fubject, we must obferve, that no thing has been introduced into Methodifm by the prefent epifcopal form of government, which was not before fully exercifed by Mr. Welley He prefided in the conferences; fixed the appointments of the preachers for their feveral circuits; changed, received, or fufpended preachers, wherever he judged that neceffity required it; travelled through the European connection at large; fuperintended the spiritual and temporal business; and confecrated two bifhops, Thomas Coke and Alexander Mather, one before the prefent epifcopal plan took place in America, and the other afterwards, befides ordaining elders and deacons. But the authority of Mr. Wesley and that of the bishops in America differ in the following important points:

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1. Mr. Wefley was the patron of all the Methodist pulpits in Great Britain and Ireland for life, the fole right of nomination being invested in him by all the deeds of fettlement, which gave him exceeding great power. But the bishops in America poffefs power. The property of the preaching-houses is invested in the truftees; and the right of nomination to the pulpits, in the general conference--and in fuch as the general conference fhall, from time to time, appoint. This divifion of power in favour of the general conference was abfolutely neceffary! Without it the itinerant plan could not exift for any long continuance. The trustees would probably, in many inftances, from their located fituation, infift upon having their favourite preachers ftationed in their circuits, or endeavour to prevail on the preachers themfelves to locate among them, or choofe fome other fettled minifter for their chapels. In other cafes, the trustees of preaching-houfes in different circuits would probably infift upon having the fame popular or favourite preachers.* Here, then,

tees.

*We must repeat nearly the fame obfervations concerning trustees, which we have in our notes on the laft fection, concerning the fending of delegates to our conferences. We have a great respect for our trufWe confider 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 refponfibility for the debts of our buildings, and the difinterestednefs which must neceffarily influence them when they make themselves refponfible, lay our focieties under very great obligations. We both love and bonour them. But ftill 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 interefts of their own congre gations to any other. We Should probably act in the fame manner in their fituation.

lies the grand difference between Mr. Wefley's authority, in the prefent inftance, and that of our American bishops. The former, as (under God) the father of the connection, was allowed to have the fole, 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 ftationing the preachers in the epifcopacy? We anfwer, On account of their entire confidence in it. If ever, through improper conduct, it lofes that confidence in any confiderable 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 fuch cafe the power may be invefted in other hands! And alas! who would envy any one the power? There is no fituation in which a bishop can be placed, no branch of duty he can poffibly exercife, fo delicate, or which fo expofes him to the jealoufies not only of falfe 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 tendereft feelings: and it requires no fmall portion of grace for a preacher to be perfectly contented with his appointment, when he is ftationed in a circuit, where the focieties are finall, the rides long, and the face coarfe. Any one, therefore, may eafily fee, from the nature of man, that though the bishop has to deal with some of the best of men, he will fometimes raife himself oppofers, who, by Father over-rating their own abilities, may judge him to be partial in refpect to their appointments: and thefe circumftances would weigh down his mind to fuch a degree, as thofe who are not well acquainted with the difficulties which neceffarily accompany public and important ftations among mankind, can hardly

conceive.

May we not add a few obfervations concerning the high expediency, if not neceflity, of the prefent plan. How could an itinerant miniftry be preferved through this extenfive continent, if the yearly conferences were to ftation the preachers? They would, of course, be taken up with the fole confideration of the fpiritual and temporal interefts of that part of the connection, the direction of which was intrusted to them. The neceffary› confequence of this mode of proceeding would probably, in lefs than an age, be the divifion of the body and the independence of each yearly conference. The conferences would be more and more. eftranged from each other for want of a mutual exchange off

preachers: and that grand spring, the union of the body at large, by which, under divine grace, the work is more and more extended through this vaft country, would be gradually weakened, till at laft it might be entirely deftroyed. The connection would no more be enabled to fend miffionaries to the weftern-ftates and territories, in proportion to their rapid population. The grand circulation of minifters would be at an end, and a mortal stab given to the itinerant plan. The furplus of preachers in one conference could not be drawn out to fupply the deficiencies of others, through declensions, locations, deaths, &c. and the revivals in one part of the continent could not be rendered beneficial to the others. Our grand plan, in all its parts, leads to an iti nerant ministry. Our bishops are travelling bifhops. All the different orders which compofe our conferences are employed in the travelling line; and our local preachers are, in fome degree, travelling preachers. Every thing is kept moving as far as poffible; and we will be bold to fay, 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 extenfion of that circumference on every hand. And we verily believe, that if our epifcopacy fhould, at any time, through tyrannical or im-moral conduct, come under the fevere cenfure of the general conference, the members thereof would fee it highly for the glory of God to preferve the prefent form, and only to change the

men.

2. Mr. Wefley, as the venerable founder (under God) of the whole Methodist fociety, governed without any refponfibility whatever; and the universal respect and veneration of both the preachers and people for him, made them cheerfully fubmit to this nor was there ever, perhaps, a mere human being who ufed fo much power better, or with a purer eye to the Redeemer's glory, than that bleffed man of God. But the American bifhops are as refponfible as any of the preachers. They are perfectly fubject to the general conference. They are indeed confcious that the conference would neither degrade nor cenfure them, unless they deferved it. They have, on the one hand, the fulleft confidence in their brethren; and, on the other, efteem the confidence which their brethren place in them, as the highest earthly honour they can receive.

But this is not all. They are fubject to be tried by feven elders and two deacons, as prefcribed above, for any inimorality, or fuppofed immorality; and may be fufpended by two-thirds of thefe, not only from all public offices, but even from being private members of the fociety, till the enfuing general conference. This mode fubjects the bishops to a trial before a court of judicature, confiderably inferior to that of a yearly conference. For there is not one of the yearly conferences which will not, proba

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