164 Provision for Circuits in time of Conference. [Ch. 1

SECTION XX.

How to provide for the Circuits in time of Conference, and to preserve and increase the Work of God.

The original provision on this subject may be found in the answer to Question 71. (See p. 65.) The following was substituted for it in

1789. "Quest. What can be done to supply the circuits during the sitting of the conference?

"Ans. 1. Let all the appointments stand according to the plan of the circuit.

"2. Engage as many local preachers and exhorters as will supply them; and let them be paid for their time in proportion to the salary of the travelling preachers.

"3. If preachers and exhorters cannot attend, let some person of ability be appointed in every society, to sing, pray, and read one of Mr. Wesley's sermons.

"4. And if that cannot be done, let there be prayer meetings.

"5. Wherever you can, in large societies, appoint prayer meetings.

Lastly, let a fast be published at every quarterly meeting for the Friday following; and a memorandum of it be written on all the class papers. Also be active in dispersing the books among the people."

1792. The last two paragraphs were struck out, the same duties being prescribed elsewhere. (See Sec. 10.) But the clause in the title, (" and to preserve and increase the work of God,") which seems to refer to them, has been retained.

SECTION XXI.

Of Local Preachers.

This subject was not treated in a distinct section until 1796.

* A similar provision was made in 1783. (See p. 20.)

Quest. 1. What directions shall be given concerning local preachers?

Until 1816 this question read, "What directions shall be given concerning our brethren the local preachers, in respect to their being received as preachers, or admitted into the order of deacons ?" As a variety of provisions have been embraced under it, they will be treated separately under the following heads-1. Licensing; 2. Election to deacon's orders; 3. Election to elder's orders; 4. Sundry requisitions.

1. Licensing. For the original provisions on this subject, see under the thirteenth direction to those who have charge of circuits, (p. 144.) Those of 1796 were as follows:

1796. "1. No local preacher shall receive a license to preach till he has been examined and approved at the quarterly meeting of his circuit; which license shall be drawn up in the following words, signed by the president of the meeting, namely:-'N. M. has applied to us for liberty to preach as a local preacher in our circuit: and after due inquiry concerning his gifts, grace, and usefulness, we judge he is a proper person to be licensed for this purpose; and we accordingly authorize him to preach.'

"2. Before any person shall be licensed as a local preacher by a quarterly meeting, he shall bring a recommendation from the society of which he is a member."

1816. Answers 1 and 2 were combined into one, and modified so as to read as follows:

"1. Before any person shall be licensed to preach as a local preacher among us, he shall bring a recommendation from the society or class of which he is a member, and be personally examined before the quarterly meeting conference, by the presiding elder, or, in his absence, by the preacher having the charge, touching his acquaintance with the doctrines of our church, (to which he shall declare his assent,) together with his

gifts and grace for preaching; and if he be approved by the quarterly meeting conference in these respects, and they believe that he will be generally acceptable and useful as a preacher, he shall then receive a license, signed by the presiding elder, or, in his absence, by the preacher having the charge, in these words, namely: -N. M. has applied to us for liberty to preach as a local preacher in our circuit; and after due inquiry concerning his gifts, grace, and usefulness, we judge he is a proper person to be licensed for this purpose; and we accordingly authorize him to preach,' which license it shall be the duty of such local preacher to have annually renewed."

1820. In consequence of the controversies which were then agitating the church, as to the rights of the laity and the local preachers, new regulations were made respecting the latter, by the organization of district conferences.

Answer 1 (1816) was struck out, and the following substituted :

"1. There shall be held annually, in each presiding elder's district, a district conference, of which all the local preachers in the district, who shall have been licensed two years, shall be members; and of which the presiding elder of the district for the time being shall be president; or, in case of his absence, the conference shall have authority to elect a president pro tem. It shall be the duty of the presiding elder of each district to appoint the time and place of the first conference, after which the presiding elder shall appoint the time, and the conference the place of its own sitting.

"2. The said district conference shall have authority to license proper persons to preach, and renew their license; to recommend suitable candidates to the annual conference for deacon's or elder's orders, in the local connection, for admission on trial in the travelling connection; and to try, suspend, expel, or acquit any local preacher in the district, against whom charges

may be brought, provided, that no person shall be licensed without being first recommended by the quarterly conference of the circuit or station to which he belongs, nor shall any one be licensed to preach, or recommended to the annual conference for ordination, without first being examined in the district conference on the subjects of doctrine and discipline.

"3. The district conference shall take cognizance of all the local preachers in the district, and shall inquire into the gifts, labours, and usefulness of each preacher by name."

In these provisions the following alterations were afterward made :

1824. At the end of Answer 1, was added the following:-" Provided, that if any district conference shall refuse or neglect to hold its regular sessions, then the quarterly meeting conferences of the circuits and stations respectively, shall have authority to transact the business of the district conference."

The renewal of licenses in the district conference was to be "annually, when, in the judgment of the said conference, their gifts, grace, and usefulness will warrant such renewal."

In the proviso to Answer 2, a clause was inserted, which provided that no person should be " recommended for admission into the travelling connection without being first recommended by the quarterly conference."

1828. It was provided that a majority of the members of a district conference should "be a quorum to do business." The words "refuse or neglect to," in the proviso of 1824, were changed to "not."

At the end of Answer 1 the following sentence was added:- Provided that no person shall be licensed to preach without the recommendation of the society of which he is a member, or of a leaders' meeting."

1836. The plan of district conferences had proved an entire failure, the local preachers themselves, for whose sake it was adopted, not approving

of it. It was therefore abolished, and matters restored, for the most part, to the condition in which they were prior to 1820.

The provisions of 1820, and all the subsequent modifications of them, were struck out, and the following substituted :

"1. The quarterly meeting conference shall take cognizance of all the local preachers in the circuit or station, and shall inquire into the gifts, labours, and usefulness of each preacher by name.

"2. The quarterly conference shall have authority to license proper persons to preach, and renew their license annually, when in the judgment of said conference their gifts, grace, and usefulness will warrant such renewal; to recommend suitable candidates to the annual conference for deacons' or elders' orders in the local connection, for admission on trial in the travelling connection, and to try, suspend, expel, or acquit any local preacher in the circuit or station against whom charges may be brought. Provided, that no person shall be licensed to preach without the recommendation of the society of which he is a member, or of a leaders' meeting. Nor shall any one be licensed to preach, or recommended to the annual conference to travel, or for ordination, without first being examined in the quarterly conference on the subject of doctrines and discipline."

2. Election to deacon's orders.

1789. The following provision on this subject was inserted under the duty of a bishop :—

"The bishop has obtained liberty, by the suffrages of the conference, to ordain local preachers to the office of deacons, provided they obtain a testimonial from the society to which they belong, and from the stewards of the circuit, signed by three travelling preachers, three deacons, and three elders, (one of them being a presiding elder;) the names of those nominated being read in the conference previous to heir ordination."