Restoration of Credentials of Traveling and ¶ 268. When any Traveling Elder or Deacon is deprived of his Credentials, by expulsion o! otherwise, they shall be filed with the papers of the Annual Conference of which he was a Member; and should he, at any future time, give satisfactory evidence to the said Conference of his amendment, and procure a Certificate of the Quarterly Conference of the Circuit or Station where he resides, or of an Annual Conference who may have admitted him on Trial, recommending to the Annual Conference of which he was formerly a Member the restoration of his Credentials, the said Conference may restore them. ¶ 269. When a Local Elder or Deacon shall be expelled the Presiding Elder shall require of him the Credentials of his Ordination, to be filed with the papers of the Annual Conference within the limits of which the expulsion has taken place. And should he, at any future time, produce to the Annual Conference a Certificate of his restora tion, signed by the President and countersigned by the Secretary of the Quarterly Conference, his Credentials may be restored to him. 149 PART III.-CHAPTER III. GENERAL DELIVERANCES. Concerning Dress. ¶ 270. Let all our people be exhorted to conform to the spirit of the apostolic precept, not to adorn themselves "with gold, or pearls, or costly array." 1 Tim. ii, 9. Rules Relating to Marriage. ¶ 271. Many of our Members have married with unawakened persons. This has produced bad effect; they have been either hindered for life, or have turned back to perdition. ¶ 272. To discourage such marriages, 1. Let every Preacher publicly enforce the Apostle's caution, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." 2 Cor. vi, 14. 2. Let all be exhorted to take no step in so weighty a matter without advising with the more serious of their brethren. ¶ 273. In general a woman ought not to marry without the consent of her parents. Yet there may be exceptions. For if, 1. A woman believe it to be her duty to marry: if, 2. Her parents absolutely refuse to let her marry any Christian: then she may, nay, ought to marry without their consent. Yet even then a Methodist Preacher ought not to be married to her. ¶ 274. We do not prohibit our people from marrying persons who are not of our Church, provided such persons have the form, and are seeking the power, of godliness; but we are determined to discourage their marrying persons who do not come up to this description. Divorce. ¶ 275. No divorce, except for adultery, shall be regarded by the Church as lawful; and no Minister shall solemnize marriage in any case where there is a divorced wife or husband living: but this Rule shall not be applied to the innocent party to a divorce for the cause of adultery, nor to divorced parties seeking to be reunited in marriage. Temperance. ¶ 276. Temperance, in its broader meaning, is distinctively a Christian virtue, enjoined in the Holy Scriptures. It implies a subordination of all the emotions, passions, and appetites to the control of reason and conscience. Dietetically, it means a wise use of suitable articles of food and drink, with entire abstinence from such as are known to be hurtful. Both science and human experience agree with the Holy Scriptures in condemning all alcoholic beverages as being neither useful nor safe. The business of manufacturing and of vending such liquors is also against the principles of morality, political econpmy, and the public welfare. We, therefore, regard voluntary total abstinence from all intoxicants as the true ground of personal temperance, and complete legal prohibition of the traffic in alcoholic drinks as the duty of civil government. We heartily approve of all lawful and Christian efforts to save society from the manifold and grievous evils resulting from intemperance, and earnestly advise our people to co-operate in all measures which may seem to them wisely adapted to secure that end. We refer to our General Rule on this subject, (¶ 32,) and affectionately urge its strict observance by all our members. Finally, we are fully persuaded that, under God, hope for the ultimate success of the Temperance Reform rests chiefly upon the combined and sanctified influence of the Family, the Church, and the State. Slavery. ¶ 277. We declare that we are as much as ever convinced of the great evil of Slavery. We believe that the buying, selling, or holding of human beings, to be used as chattels, is contrary to the laws of God and nature, and inconsistent with the Golden Rule, and with that Rule in our Discipline which requires all who desire to continue among us to "do no harm," and to "avoid evil of every kind." We therefore affectionately admonish all our preachers and people to keep themselves pure from this great evil, and to seek its extirpation by all lawful and Christian means. 158 |