to the office of an elder or deacon, where the laws will admit of emancipation, and permit the liberated slave to enjoy freedom.

8. Every local elder, deacon, and preacher, shall have his name recorded on the journal of the quarterly meeting conference of which he is a member. And every licensed local preacher shall have his name enrolled on a class paper, and meet in class, if the distance of his place of residence from any class be not too great; or in neglect thereof, the district conference, if they judge it proper, may deprive him of his ministerial office.

Whenever a local preacher shall remove from one circuit to another, he shall procure from the presiding elder of the district, or the preacher having the charge of the circuit, a certificate of his official standing in the church at the time of his removal, without which he shall not be received as a local preacher in other places.

No preacher among us shall distil or retail spirituous liquors, without forfeiting his official standing.

SECTION XXI.

Of Baptism.

1. Let every adult person, and the parents of every child to be baptized, have the choice either of immersion, sprinkling, or pouring.

70 Lord's Supper-Public Worship. Ch. 1.

2. We will on no account whatever make a charge for administering baptism, or for burying the dead.

SECTION XXII.

Of the Lord's Supper.

Quest. Are there any directions to be given concerning the administration of the Lord's Supper?

Answ. 1. Let those who have scruples concerning the receiving of it kneeling, be permitted to receive it either standing or sitting.

2. Let no person that is not a member of our church be admitted to the communion, without examination, and some token given by an elder or deacon.

3. No person shall be admitted to the Lord's Supper among us, who is guilty of any practice for which we would exclude a mem ber of our church.

SECTION XXIII.

Of Public Worship.

Quest. What directions shall be given for the establishment of uniformity in public worship among us, on the Lord's day?

Answ. 1. Let the morning service consist

of singing, prayer, the reading of a chapter out of the Old Testament, and another out of the New, and preaching.

2. Let the afternoon service consist of singing, prayer, the reading of one or two chapters out of the Bible, and preaching.

3. Let the evening service consist of singing, prayer, and preaching..

4. But on the days of administering the Lord's supper, the two chapters in the morning service may be omitted.

5. In administering the ordinances, and in the burial of the dead, let the form of discipline invariably be used. Let the Lord's prayer also be used on all occasions of public worship in concluding the first prayer, and the apostolic benediction in dismissing the congregation.

6. Let the society be met, wherever it is practicable, on the sabbath day.

SECTION XXIV.

Of the Spirit and Truth of Singing. Quest. How shall we guard against formality in singing?

Answ. 1. By choosing such hymns as are proper for the congregation.

2. By not singing too much at once; seldom more than five or six verses.

3. By suiting the tune to the words.

4. By often stopping short, and asking the people, "Now! do you know what you said last? Did you speak no more than you felt ?"

5. Do not suffer the people to sing too slow. This naturally tends to formality, and is brought in by those who have either very strong or very weak voices.

6. In every large society let them learn to sing; and let them always learn our tunes first.

7. Let the women constantly sing their parts alone. Let no man sing with them unless he understands the notes and sings the bass as it is composed in the tune book. 8. Introduce no new tune till they are perfect in the old.

9. Recommend our tune book. And if you cannot sing yourself, choose a person or two at each place to pitch the tune for you.

10. Exhort every person in the congregation to sing; not one in ten only.

11. Sing no hymns of your own composing.

12 If a preacher be present, let him alone give out the words.

13. When the singers would teach a tune to the congregation, they must sing only the

tener.

14. Let it be recommended to our people, not to attend the singing schools which are not under our direction.

15. The preachers are desired not to encourage the singing of fugue tunes in our congregations.

16. We do not think that fugue tunes are sinful, or improper to be used in private companies but we do not approve of their being used in our public congregations, because public singing is a part of divine worship, in which all the congregation ought to join.

CHAPTER. II.

SECTION I.

The Nature, Design, and General Rules of our United Societies.

(1) IN the latter end of the year 1739 eight or ten persons came to Mr. Wesley, in London, who appeared to be deeply convinced of sin, and earnestly groaning for redemption. They desired (as did two or three more the next day) that he would spend some time with them in prayer, and advise them how to flee from the wrath to come; which they saw continually hanging over their heads. That he might have more time for this great work, he appointed a day when they might all