ence shall appoint a committee of three, whose duty it shall be to examine the accounts of said agent, and report to the said conference annually; and in case of the death or resignation of the agent, the Ohio conference shall have authority to appoint : successor until the sitting of the ensuing general conference. 5. No books shall hereafter be issued on commission, either from New-York or Cincin nati. 6. Every annual conference shall appoin: a committee or committees to examine the accounts of the presiding elders, preachers and book stewards, in their respective dis tricts or circuits. Every presiding elde minister, and preacher, shall do every thi: in their power to recover all debts due to t concern, and also all the books belongi.g the concern, which may remain in the ha of any person within their districts or circa If any preacher or member be indebted the book concern, and refuses to make ment, or to come to a just settlement, let be dealt with for a breach of trust, and s effectual measures be adopted for the rec ry of such debts as shall be agreeable to direction of the annual conferences res ively. 7. At each annual conference next ing the passage of this resolution, the presi ding elders shall deliver into the hands of the book agents, (or book committee of such conference) for all the books in the several circuits and stations in their districts, the receipts of those persons in whose care such books shall have been left. After the ap pointments for the year ensuing have been announced, the agents or book committee shall give to each preacher, the receipts be longing to his circuit or station, retaining an exact account of the amount called for by such receipts which shall be charged against said preacher, and accounted for by huma the next annual conference; provided that e several presiding elders shall be at equal i erty to sell any such books on the same terms and principles with other preachers, reacher becomes account therefor with the preachers to they have been charged, or with the arial character in s, by any means, or the book commitees of dete, if it be praccern, after a suficient capital to carry on the 8. The pronts arising from the door business is retained, shall be ed to the support of the distri preachers and their fire orphans of preacher, dice book steward shall every gear send forward t each annual conference, an account of the state in which prudently enforce dividend which the several annual conferences may draw that year: and each conference may draw for their proportionate part, on any person who has book money in hands, and the drafts with the receipt of the conference thereon, shall be sent to the general: book steward, and be placed to the credit of the person who paid the same. 9. Any travelling preacher who may publish any work or book of his own, shall be responsible to his conference for any obnoxious matter or doctrine therein contained. SECTION VIII. Local Preachers to have an allowance in given cases. 1. Whenever a local preacher fills the place of a travelling preacher by the approbation of the presiding elder, he shall be paid for his time, a sum proportional to the allowance of a travelling preacher; which sum shall be paid by the circuit at the next quar terly meeting, if the travelling preacher whose place he filled up, were either sick or necessarily absent; or, in other cases, out of the allowance of the travelling preacher. 2. If a local preacher be distressed in his temporal circumstances, on account of his service in the circuit, he may apply to the quarterly meeting conference, who may give him what relief they judge proper, after the allowance of the travelling preachers and of their wives, and all other regular allowances are discharged. SECTION IX. Of Slavery. Quest. What shall be done for the extirpation of the evil of slavery ? Answ. 1. We declare that we are as much as ever convinced of the great evil of slavery : therefore no slave holder shall be eligible to any official station in our church hereafter, where the laws of the state in which he lives will admit of emancipation, and permit the liberated slave to enjoy freedom. 2. When any travelling preacher becomes an owner of a slave or slaves, by any means, he shall forfeit his ministerial character in our church, unless he execute, if it be practicable, a legal emancipation of such slaves, conformably to the laws of the state in which he lives. 3. All our preachers shall prudently enforce upon our members the necessity of teaching their slaves to read the word of God; and to allow them time to attend upon the public worship of God on our regular days of divine service. 4. Our coloured preachers and official members shall have all the privileges which are usual to others in the district and quarterly conferences, where the usages of the country do not forbid it. And the presiding elder may hold for them a separate district conference, where the number of coloured local preachers will justify it. 5. The annual conferences may employ coloured preachers to travel and preach where their services are judged necessary; provided that no one shall be so employed without having been recommended according to the form of discipline. THE END. |