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must be at full liberty to follow the leader in prayer, whenever they kneel down together before God.

In large focieties, all the members of those little bands are to meet together once a week with the preacher, and to spend an hour in fpeaking their experience one after another, as in our lovefeafts: and thefe meetings have been rendered a great blefling to

many.

In very large societies, there fhould be a quarterly love-feaft for the bands, as well as for the whole focicty (which always in cludes the members of the bands.)

Wherever alfo it is practicable, there should be formed a felect fociety chofen out of the members of the bands. This fhould be compofed of believers who enjoy the perfect love of God, or who are earnestly feeking that great bleffing. In London, Briftol, &c. &c. in Europe, and in New-York, &c. on this continent, these felect focieties have been very profitable. They also meet once a week for an hour, and the preacher prefides among them. Each member is at liberty to speak his or her experience, the preacher giving fuch advice respecting the grand point their fouls are aiming. at, as he fees expedient.

Thus does our economy by its prudential ordinances, under the grace of God, tend to raise the members of our fociety from one degree of grace to another. And we have invariably obferved, that where these meetings of the bands have been kept up in their life and power, the revival of the work of God has been manifest both in the addition of members to the fociety, and in the deepening of the life of God in general.

We earneftly wifh, that our elders, deacons and preachers be · peculiarly attentive to these bleffed ordinances in their respective fpheres of action. They probably may find earnest believers in almost every circuit, who will be willing to meet in band, if pro-perly advised and encouraged. And when many of these bands are formed, the other me.tings may eafily be established and regulated. And we believe, hardly any thing will promote the genera work more than this.

The propriety of feparating the men and women in these bands, must be evident to every one who confiders the account here given of this means of grace. The feparating of the married and fingle arifes from the peculiar crcumftances in which they are fituated, and from the closer union which is likely to fubfift between thofe who are circumftanced alike. Widowers or widows may have their choice of me ting either with the married or the fingle, unless a band can be formed of them alone refpectively.

man.

The facial principle is one of the grand fprings in the foul of It was not the defign of chriftianity to annihilate this principle, but the very contrary--to improve it, to fpiritualize it, and ftrengthen it. O then let us exercife it in fpiritual intercourfes

as we well know that one part of our heavenly felicity will flow from friendship and union with our brethren the redeemed of the Lord to all eternity! Gal. vi. 2. "Bear ye one another's burdens, and fo fulfil the law of Chrift." I Cor. xii. 26, 27. "Whether one member fuffer, all the members fuffer with it: or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice-with it. Now ye are the body of Chrift, and members in particular." Phil. ii. 1, 2. "If there be therefore any confolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies: fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the fame love, being of one accord, of one mind." We have perhaps one hundred thousand believers in our church throughout the world; and if all were thus of one accord, "walking by the fame rule, minding the fame thing." Phil. iii. 16. What a glorious church fhould we make; and God would hear our prayers, and look down upon us with the fame delight, as if we were all affembled in the fame room, or in the fame temple.

Obferve, here is nothing of auricular confeffion or priestly abfolution: the whole is the fruit of holy confidence and christian love.

The directions for the bands are included in the rules of the fociety, and have been already confidered, excepting the last, "To obferve, as days of fafting or abstinence, all Fridays in the year.”. In every thing the true believer should be a pattern of piety and crucifixion to the world. The times of abftinence are therefore fixed, as being more eafily obferved than if they were uncertain; that at all events the difciple of Christ may keep his body under, and bring it into fubjection.

SECTION IV.

Of the Privileges granted to ferious Perfons who are not of the Society.

Quest. 1. H be prefent at the meeting of the fociety?

OW often shall we permit ftrangers to

Anfw. At every other meeting of the fociety in every place, let no ftranger be admitted. At other times they may; but the fame perfons not above twice or thrice.

Queft. 2. How often shall we permit strangers to be' prefent at our love-feafts?

among the people; and to afford them all neceffary information in writing or otherwife concerning the temporal affairs of the - circuit. 9. He is to keep the registers. Laftly, He is to be ready to promote the work of God in every thing which relates to his office, under the direction of the travelling minifters and preachers of his circuit: When we confider all thefe branches of his charge, we may truly fay, that his office is effential to the good order of the fociety, and highly honourable in the church of God.

In each large fociety, there are generally two or four stewards of that particular fociety, for the management of its temporal concerns. These are appointed as well as the circuit-stewards, by the preacher who has the charge of the circuit. He is himself to have as little as poffible to do with temporal affairs, but has the appointment of the officers of the fociety invested in him, as being likely to be the best judge of the fociety at large, and of each member in particular. Neverthelefs, he is to advise with the quarterly-meeting on the appointment of circuit-ftewards, and with the leaders of each fociety refpectively on the appointment of fociety-fterwards.

Prov. xxviii. 20. “A faithful man shall abound with bleffings." I Cor. iv. 2. "It is required in ftewards, that they be found faithful." See alfo James i. 27. and Matt. v. 9.

Quest. I. marriage.

SECTION VI.

Of unlawful Marriages.

D

O we obferve any evil which has prevailed among our focieties with refpe&t to

Anfw. Many of our members have married with unawakened perfons. This has produced bad effects; they have been either hindered for life, or have turned back to perdition.

Queft. 2. What can be done to put a stop to this? Anfw. 1. Let every preacher publicly enforce the apostle's caution, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers."

2. Let him openly declare, whoever does this, will be expelled the fociety.

3. When any fuch is expelled, let a suitable exhortation be fubjoined.

4. Let all be exhorted to take no ftep in fo weighty a matter, without advifing with the most serious of their brethren.

Queft. 3. Ought any woman to marry without the confent of her parents?

Anfw. In general fhe ought not. Yet there may be exceptions. For if, 1. A woman be under the neceffity of marrying: If, 2. Her parents abfolutely refuse to let her marry any chriftian: Then fhe may, nay, ought to marry without their confent. Yet even then a Methodist preacher ought not to be married to her.

N. B. By the word unawakened, as used above, we mean one whom we could not in confcience admit into fociety. We do not prohibit our people from marrying perfons who are not of our fociety, provided, fuch perfons have the form, and are feeking the power of godlinefs; but if they marry perfons who do not come up to this description, we fhall be obliged to purge our fociety of them: And even in a doubtful cafe, the member of our fociety shall be put back upon trial.

NOTE S.

We are well affured that few things have been more pernicious to the work of God, than the marriage of the children of God with the children of this world. We therefore think ourselves obliged to bear our teftimony, both in doctrine and discipline, against fo great an evil. We have added the explication in the nota bene, hoping that thereby the preachers who have the overfight of circuits, will be eafily enabled to determine on every point which may come before them, to the fatisfaction of the truly pious, and to the prevention of a practice fo exceedingly inju rious to vital religion.

We need only add a few texts out of the word of God for the confirmation of it. Gen. vi. I-7. "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them; that the fons of God faw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD faid, My Spirit fhall not always strive with man, for that he also is flefh: yet his days fhall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in

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those days; and also after that, when the fons of God ·came`in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them: the fame became mighty men, which were of old men of renown. And God faw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD faid, I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air: for it repenteth me that I have made them." We have given this long quotation, as it evidently fhews, that one grand cause of the universal and entire depravity of the human race just before the deluge, and of the univerfal deluge itself, was the intermixture by marriage of the children of God with the children of this world. Gen. xxiv. 2-4. “ And Abraham faid unto his eldeft fervant of his house,-I will make thee fwear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my fon of the daughters of the Canaanites amongst whom I dwell: but thou fhalt go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my fon Ifaac." xxvii. 46. "And Rebeckah faid to Ifaac, I am weary of my life, because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, fuch as thefe which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?" xxviii. 1. "And Ifaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan." Ver. 6-9. "When Efau faw that Ifaac had bleffed Jacob, and sent him away to Padan-aram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he bleffed him, he gave him a charge, faying, Thou fhalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan; and that Jacob obeyed his father, and his mother, and was gone to Padan-aram; and Efau feeing that the daughters of Canaan pleafed not Ifaac his father: Then went Efau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had, Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's fon, &c." Efau therefore married his first coufin. But did he please Ifaac thereby? No, nor God. Ifaac wanted his fons to marry thofe, who fincerely waited for the Meffiah, the promised feed of the woman. See Gen. iii. 15. Matt. xix. 5, 6. "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and fhall cleave to his wife; and they twain fhall be one fefb. Wherefore they are no more twain, but one fefb." See alfo Gen. ii. 24. and Eph. v. 31. 2 Cor. vi. 14-18. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteoufnefs with unrighteoufnefs? and what communion hath light with darknefs? and what concord hath Chrift with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath faid,

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