sional assistants to the higher ministry; and, in some cases, candidates for it, licensed by the quarterly conferences.

The temporalities of stations and circuits are committed to stewards, who are appointed by the minister in charge, and whose duty it is to collect and pay to the minister his support, to raise and pay out money for other appropriate objects, such as the relief of the poor, and to report to the quarterly conference an exact account of their doings.

The salaries of bishops and travelling preachers are the same. A single man has one hundred dollars; a married man, two hundred. Children under seven, sixteen dollars extra; from seven to fourteen, twenty-four, besides travelling expenses; and the bishops have house expenses. The Methodist church is governed entirely by its ministry. The laity is not known in any Methodist church courts.

CHAPTER III.

METHODIST CHURCH COURTS.

THE general conference consists of the bishops and a representation of one for every twenty-one elders from each of the annual conferences; appointed either by seniority or by election, that appointment being restricted to such as may have labored four years in the connection.

The general conference is moderated by one of the bishops, and, in the absence of a bishop, by an elder. It legislates for the entire church, subject to several restrictions, the principal of which are: 1, That it shall not revoke or alter the articles; 2, It shall not alter the ratio of representation in its own body, except within certain prescribed limits; 3, It shall not abolish episcopacy; 4, It shall not abolish the itineracy.

It is the supreme court of the church, and has appellate jurisdiction over all its ministers. It meets once in four years.

Under the general conference, and by its authority, the entire connection is divided into annual conferences, of which, in the Methodist church north, in 1850, there were twenty-nine, and in the church south, twenty.

Annual Conferences.

An annual conference is composed of such bishops as may be in attendance, and all the travelling preachers, elders and deacons, belonging to a defined portion of the church territory. The times of holding the annual conferences are appointed by the bishops, who are obliged to hold them at least one week. Each conference appoints the place of its meeting."

The annual conferences are moderated by one of the bishops, and reply to his inquiries on eighteen points: 1. What preachers are admitted on trial? 2. Who remain on trial? 3. Who are admitted into full connection? 4. Who are the deacons ? 5. Who have been ordained elders? &c. &c.

The annual conference elects elders and deacons, and has the general government of the church and clergy, subject to an appeal to the general conference. It receives and adjudicates complaints and charges against any of its members, and reproves, suspends or expels them, as the case may require.

Quarterly Conferences.

The quarterly conference is composed of the travelling and local ministers, leaders of classes, and stewards, within the bounds of a circuit or station. It has jurisdiction over local ministers and preachers below the order of travelling deacons.

It licenses, in the first place, all preachers and exhorters, and gives recommendation for admission into the travelling connection, without which such admission cannot be obtained. Appeals lie from the discipline of the church to this court; and from this to the annual conference.

Stations and Circuits.

When the minister in charge preaches at a single place, it is

called a station; when he preaches at several places, it is called a circuit.

The Methodist church, in any place, is a local society, with a board of trustees, elected by the congregation, for holding church property, and attending to the temporalities of the church. This society concurs with the minister in charge, in admitting and expelling members, either in general meetings or by its committees.

Classes.

Societies are divided into classes of about twelve persons, under the direction and supervision of a class-leader.

The class-leaders are required to see the members of their classes at least once a week, and, 1, To inquire how their souls prosper; and, 2, To advise and comfort, and exhort and reprove them, as occasion may require.

No candidate can be admitted to the church till he has joined a class, undergone a trial of six months under a class-leader, and is recommended by his leader. The church or society, at any station, has the full charge of discipline, subject to an appeal to the higher courts; but all the great interests of the order are in the hands of the bishops and other clergy.

The Methodist church north have book concerns in New York and at Cincinnati, for the purpose of furnishing its members with cheap religious books and periodicals, favorable to their order, with a capital of nearly a million of dollars. These book concerns have been powerful auxiliaries of their ministry, in diffusing and sustaining Methodism throughout the land. The Methodist church south has a similar book concern.

The salary of a Methodist minister is raised by the voluntary contributions of his charge.

CHAPTER IV.

THE METHODIST ITINERACY.

AN important feature in the character of Methodism is the itineracy. Other denominations have a settled ministry, and aim to make the pastoral relation as permanent as possible. Instances are frequent of the same pastor serving a church twenty, thirty, and sometimes forty or fifty years. There are great advantages in this, both to the pastor and people; and the plan is believed to be beneficial, on the whole, though liable to abuses, and attended, at times, with many inconveniences. When the pastorate is not settled permanently, but is hired by the year, it is still often continued in the same church for many years in succession, making a virtual settlement.

But the Methodist ministry is distributed on different principles, and undertakes to imitate the Saviour somewhat literally, by going about doing good. It also claims to imitate, in this branch of its polity, the practice of primitive times, as illus trated in the history of Paul and others, whose itineracy was scarcely less constant than that of their Master.

John Wesley commenced the system of the itineracy, as the best method possible, in his judgment, of meeting the urgent necessities of his first societies; and his observation of the benefits of this method was such as led him to adopt it, and impose it permanently upon his order, as one of the essential principles of the system, which the members are not at liberty to change. This establishes a circulating ministry, located, by the bishop, at the annual conferences, with the advice of the presiding elders, for the term of one year, and subject to reäppointment to the same charge a second year only.

This location is either as minister on a station, or on a circuit, with one stated place of preaching, or with several places. It is attended with the inconvenience of frequent removals on the part of the ministry, and frequent changes on the part of stations and circuits; but it relieves the minister from all concern in respect to these changes; avoids all considerable losses of time, by allowing no intervals between leaving one charge and assuming another; and distributes the talent, learning and ability, of the ministry, more equally than the independent system of permanent settlements and stated supplies.

When the independent system is well administered, it is the best; because it allows the greatest liberty both to the minister and people, and leaves the supply and demand to the same unshackled freedom, in respect to the ministry, which is found to be, on the whole, expedient in respect to other things.

Liberty is too precious ever to be surrendered but for the most weighty considerations. Churches ought not to give up the liberty of selection in respect to their ministers, nor the ministers their liberty of selection with respect to churches, on the ground of a slight temporary advantage, or a great temporary advantage, if it is not a matter of urgent necessity, or of advantage on the whole.

General principles ought never to be departed from without great and manifest necessity. It is a general principle that ministers and churches should retain their rights in their own hands to as great an extent as possible. This may not be best in every particular case, but it is likely to be best on the whole.

Ministers can find churches, and churches can find ministers. The supply and demand can meet on common grounds of freedom, without either party resigning its rights. If it is deemed best to allow a negotiator between these two parties, it may be on a system of freedom, as well as on that of despotism. Ministers and friends naturally become such negotiators. They say to a church, Such a man would be a good minister for you.