whose bounds his Charge is embraced. The Presiding Eder shall call a Committee of three Local Preachers, which may suspend him; and the Quarterly or the District Conference may expel him; nevertheless, he shall have a right to an Appeal to the next Annual Conference.

The Trial of Local Preachers.

¶ 233. When a Local Elder, Deacon, or Preacher is reported to be guilty of some crime expressly forbidden in the word of God, sufficient to exclude a person from the kingdom of grace and glory, the Preacher in Charge shall call a Committee, consisting of three or more Local Preachers, before which it shall be the duty of the accused to appear, and by which he shall be acquitted, or, if found guilty, suspended until the next District or Quarterly Conference. And the Preacher in Charge shall cause exact minutes of the charges, testimony, and examination, together with the decision of the Committee, to be laid before the District or Quarterly Conference, where it shall be the duty of the accused to appear. If the accused refuse or neglect to appear before said Committee he may be tried in his absence.

¶ 234, The President of the Conference shall, at the commencement of the trial, appoint a Secretary, who shall take down regular minutes of

the evidence of the trial; which minutes, when read and approved, shall be signed by the President, and also by the Members of the Conference who are present, or a majority of them.

T 235. In case of improper tempers, words, or actions, the Local Preacher so offending shall be admonished by the Preacher in Charge. Should

a second transgression take place, one, two, or three Members of the Church are to be taken as witnesses. If he be not then cured he shall be tried at the next District or Quarterly Conference, and, if found guilty and impenitent, he shall be expelled from the Church.

¶ 236. When a Local Elder, Deacon, or Preacher disseminates, publicly or privately, doctrines which are contrary to our Articles of Religion or established Standards of Doctrine, let the same process be observed as is directed in ¶ 224.

¶ 237. When a Local Elder, Deacon, or Preacher fails in business, or contracts debts which he is not able to pay, let the Preacher in Charge appoint three judicious Members of the Church to inspect the accounts, contracts, and circumstances of the supposed delinquent; and if, in their opinion, he has behaved dishonestly, or contracted debts without the probability of paying, let the case be disposed of according to T 233.

¶ 238. When, in the judgment of the Presiding Elder, a fair and impartial trial cannot be had

in the Quarterly Conference where the accused holds his Membership, the Presiding Elder may refer the case to some other Quarterly Conference within the bounds of his District for trial.

Trial of an Accused Member.

I. FOR IMMORAL CONDUCT.

¶ 239. An accused Member shall be brought to trial before a Committee of not less than five, who shall not be Members of the Quarterly Conference, and, if the Preacher judge it necessary, he may select the Committee from any part of the District, in the presence of the Preacher in Charge, who shall preside in the trial, and cause exact minutes of the evidence and proceedings in the case to be taken. In the selection of the Committee the parties may challenge for cause.

T 240. If the accused person be found guilty by the decision of a majority of the Committee, and the crime be such as is expressly forbidden by the word of God, sufficient to exclude a person from the kingdom of grace and glory, let the Preacher in Charge expel him.

T241. If the accused person, after sufficient notice given him, shall refuse or neglect to ap pear before the Committee, he may be tried in his absence, and if found guilty he shall be ex. pelled.

II. IMPRUDENT AND UNCHRISTIAN CONDuct.

¶ 242. In cases of neglect of duties of any kind, imprudent conduct, indulging sinful tempers or words, the buying, selling, or using intoxicating liquors as a beverage, signing petitions in favor of granting license for the sale of intoxicating liquors, becoming bondsmen for persons engaged in such traffic, renting property as a place in or on which to manufacture or sell intoxicating liquors, dancing, playing at games of chance, attending theaters, horse-races, circuses, dancing-parties, or patronizing dancing-schools, or taking such other amusements as are obviously of misleading or questionable moral tendency, or disobedience to the Order and Discipline of the Church-first, let private reproof be given by a Preacher or Leader, and if there be an acknowledgment of the fault, and proper humiliation, the person may be borne with.. On a second offense the Preacher or Leader may take one or two discreet Members of the Church. On a third offense let him be brought to trial, and if found guilty, and there be no sign of real humiliation, he shall be expelled.

III. NEGLECT OF THE MEANS OF GRACE.

T243. When a Member of our Church habitually neglects the means of grace, such as the Public Worship of God, the Supper of the Lord,

family and private Prayer, searching the Scriptures, Class-meetings and Prayer-meetings,

§ 1. Let the Elder, Deacon, or Preacher having Charge, visit him whenever it is practicable, and explain to him the consequence if he continue to neglect.

§ 2. If he do not amend, let the Preacher in Charge of the Circuit or Station bring his case before a Committee of not less than five, who shall not be Members of the Quarterly Conference before which he shall have been cited to appear. And if he be found guilty of willful neglect by a decision of a majority of the Members before whom the case is brought, let him be excluded.

IV. FOR DISSENSION.

T244. If a Member of our Church shall be accused of endeavoring to sow dissension in any of our Societies, by inveighing against either our Doctrines or Discipline, the person so offending shall first be reproved by the Preacher in Charge; and if he persist in such pernicious practice he shall be brought to trial, and if found guilty shall be expelled.

V. DISAGREEMENT IN BUSINESS AND NONPAYMENT OF DEBTS.

245. On any disagreement between two or more Members of our Church concerning business transactions, which cannot be settled by the par