M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH
182
M. E. CHURCH, SOUTH
sentative for every five members of the Annual Con- ference, nor allow of a less number than one lor every seven. 3. They shall not change or alter any part or rule of our government, so as to do away I-^piscopacy, or destroy the plan of our general supcrintendency. 4. They "shall not revoke or change the (ieneral liules of the United Societies. 5. They shall not do away the privileges of our ministers or preachers of trial by a com- mittee, and of an appeal; neither shall they do away the privileges of our members of trial before the society, or by a committee, and of an appeal. 6. They shall not appropriate the produce of the Eook Concern, nor of the Chartered Fund, to any purpose other than for the bcnetit of tlie travelling, supernumerary, superannuated, and worn-out preachers, their wives, widows, and chil- dren. Provided, nevertheless, that upon the joint rec- ommendation of all the Annual Conferences, then a ma- jority of two thirds of the General Conference succeed- ing sliall suffice to alter any of the above restrictions." In 1832 the proviso was changed thus : '•Provided, nev- ertheless, that upon the concurrent recommendation of three fourths of all the members of tlie several Annual Conferences who shall be present and vote on such rec- ommendation, then a majority of two thirds of the General Conference succeeding shall suHice to alter any of the above restrictions excepting the first article; and also, whenever sucli alteration or alterations shall have been first recommended by two thirils of the General Conference, so soon as three fourths of the members ol' all the Annual Conferences shall have concurred as afore- said, such alteration or alterations shall take eifect."
II. The Slavery Question. — From the beginning the American Methodists legislated on the subject of negro slavery— at first (1780) advising the members holding slaves to emancipate them ; then (1783) warning local jireachers that it may be necessary to suspend them if tliey did not in one year emancipate their slaves, if they held them -'contrary to the laws which authorize their freedom in any of the United States;" then (1784) or- dering that those who bouglit negroes to hold them as slaves, being previously warned, shoidd be expelled ; and forbidding them to sell them on any consideration ; and suspending the local preachers in Maryland, Dela- ware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey who refused to emancipate them, but "trying those in Virginia another year." All this was before the Church was organized. At the time of the organization of the Church, the I'ol- lowing rules were adopted :
" Quest. A\. Are there any directions to he given con- cerning the negroes? Anx. Let every pioMcher, ns often as poe'sible, meet them in class; ancl'lci \\w assistant al- ways appoint a proper white poisoi) as tlicir Icadei-. I-ci the assistants also make a rof^ular return to the Confer- ence of the niunber of negroes in society in their respec- tive circuits.
"Q»«?.^■^ 42. What methods can we take to extirpate slavery? Ann. We are deeply ccniscions of the imjiropri- ety of making new teiius ulCDininiiiiion for a religions pociety already eslablislicil, excepting on the most press- ing occasiou ; and such we csu'cni tlie i)rMctice of holding our fellow-creatures in slavery. \Vc view il, as contrary to the gnldeii law of Ond, on which liaiiu' all the law and the prophets, aiul the inalienable rijrlils of mankind, as well as every piinciiile of the IJovoUition, to hold in llie deepest dchascniiMit, in a mnw abject slavciy than is per- haps to be fonnd in any i)ait (^f the woild except Amer- ica, so many souls that arc all capable of ihc )mat;e of God. We therefore think it our innst bounden duty to take Immediately some eflcelual niethdd ti) exlirpale Ibis abomination from anioliL,' us ; :\\n\ fur that puiposc we add the following to the rules of our society, vi/. : 1. Every member of our society who has slaves in his possession shall, within twelve m'onlhs after noliie given to him by the assistant vwliidi notice tlie assistants are reipiired im- mediately, and without any delay, to givt' in tlieir resjiec- tive circiiits), le^rally execute and record an instrument ■whereby he emancipates and sets free every slave in hie possession who is between the ages of forty and forty-five immediately, or at furthest when they arrive at the age of forty-five: and every slave who is between the ages of twenty-five and forty immediately, or at furthest at the expiration of five ycais from the' date of the said in- Ktninient; and every slave who is between the aL'es of Iwentv and twenty-tive immediately, or at finthest when they arrive at the age of thirty ; aiid every slave under
the age of twenty, as soon as they arrive at the age of twenty-tive, at furthest; and eveiy infant Ixirn in slavery after the above-mentioned rules arc complied with, imme- diately on its birth. 2. Every assistaut shall keep a jour- nal, in which he shall legida'rly minute down the names and ages of all the slaves belonging to all the masters iu his resiiective circuit, and also the date of evei^- instru- ment executed and recorded for the manumission of the slaves, with the name of the court, book, and folio in which the said instruments respectively shall have been recorded; which journal shall be handed down in each cir- cuit to the succeeding assistants. 3. In consideration that these rules form a new term of conmuuiion, every person concerned, who will not comply with them, shall have lib- erty (juietly to withdraw himself from our society within the twelve" months succeeding the notice given :is afore- said: otherwise the assistant shall exclude him in the so- ciety. 4. No person so voluntaiily withdrawn, or so ex- cluded, shall ever partake of the Supper of the Lot d with the Methodists till he complies with the above requisi- tions. 5. No person holdint: slaves shall, in future, be ad- milted into society or to the Lord's Supper till he pre- viously complies with these rules concerning shivery. N.B. — These rules are to affect the members of our soci- ety no further than ns they are consistent with the laws of the slates in which they reside. And rcsiiecting our brethren in Virghiia that are concerned, and alter due con- sideration of their peculiar circumstances, we allow them two years from the notice given to consider the expe- dience of com|)liance or non-compliance with these rules. "■Qnetit.ii. What shall be done with those who buy or sell slaves, or give them away? An-t. They are inmie- diately to be expelled, unless they buy them ou purpose to free them."