of not less than five Members of the Church who are not members of the Quarterly Conference. They shall be chosen by the Preacher in Charge, and, if he judge it to be necessary, he may select them from any part of the District; and the parties may challenge for cause. The Preacher in Charge shall preside in the trial, and shall cause a correct record of the proceedings and evidence to be made.

¶ 245. 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 in the word of God, sufficient to exclude a person from the kingdom of grace and glory, let the Preacher in Charge expel him.

¶ 246. But if in view of mitigating circumstances and of humble and penitent confession the Committee find that a lower penalty is proper, it may either impose censure on the offender, or suspend him from all Church privileges for a definite time, at its discretion.

¶ 247. If the accused person, after sufficient notice given him, shall refuse or neglect to appear before the Committee, he may be tried in his absence, and, if found guilty, he shall be expelled.

II. Imprudent and Unchristian Conduct.

1248. 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 or granting license for the sale of intoxicating liquors, becoming bondsmen for persons engaged in such traf161

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fic, 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 patrónizing 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 the Pastor or Leader, and if there be an acknowledgment of the fault, and proper humiliation, the person may be borne with. On the second offense the Pastor 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,

¶ 249. 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 Ab

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

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

IV. Causing Dissension.

¶ 250. 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-Arbitration.

¶ 251. On any disagreement between two or more Members of our Church concerning business transactions, which cannot be settled by the parties, the Preacher in Charge shall inquire into the circumstances of the case, and shall recommend to the parties a reference, consisting of two arbiters chosen by one party, and two chosen by the other party, which four arbiters so chosen shall choose a fifth; the five arbiters being Members of our Church. The Preacher in Charge shall preside, and the Disciplinary forms of trial shall be observed.

¶ 252. If either party refuse to abide by the judgment of the arbiters, he shall be brought to trial, and if he fail to show sufficient cause for such refusal, he shall be expelled.

¶ 253. If any Member of our Church shall refuse, in case of debt or other dispute, to refer the matter to arbitration when recommended so to do by the Preacher in Charge, or shall enter into a lawsuit with another Member before these measures are taken, he shall be brought to trial, and if he fail to show that the case is of such a nature as to require and justify a process at law, he shall be expelled.

¶ 254. If, in the case of debt or dispute, one of the parties is a Minister, the duties laid on the Preacher in Charge in the foregoing paragraph shall be performed by the Presiding Elder of the Ministèr concerned. If both are Ministers, the Presiding Elder of either may act in the case.

VI. Insolvency.

255. The Preachers in Charge are required to execute all our Rules fully and strenuously against all frauds, and particularly against dishonest insolvencies, suffering none to remain in our Church on any account who are found guilty of any fraud.

¶ 256. To prevent scandal, when any Member of the Church fails in business, or contracts debts which he is not able to pay, let two or three judicious Members of the Church inspect the accounts, contracts, and circumstances of the supposed delinquent; and if they judge that he has behaved dishonestly, or borrowed money without a probability of paying, let him be brought to trial, and, if found guilty, expelled.

VII. General Directions Concerning Trials.

¶ 257. In all cases of trial of Members let all witnesses for the Church be duly notified by the Preacher in Charge. The order concerning absent witnesses and witnesses from without shall be the same as that observed in the trial of Ministers. accused shall have the right to call to his assistance as counsel any Member or Minister in good and regular standing in the Methodist Episcopal Church.

The

¶ 258. When the Quarterly Conference, sitting to hear Appeals, remands a case for a new trial, the Preacher in Charge shall proceed to try the accused Member again unless the charges are withdrawn.

¶ 259. In all cases requiring the accused Member to be expelled the Preacher in Charge shall pronounce the sentence of expulsion.

¶ 260. An expelled person shall have no privileges of Society or of the Sacraments in our Church without confession, contrition, and satisfactory reformation.

¶ 261. In all cases of trial and appeal it is improper for the Presiding Officer to deliver a charge to the Committee explaining the evidence and setting forth the merits of the case.

CHAPTER VI.

THE JUDICIAL CONFERENCE.

¶ 262. The several Annual Conferences shall, at each session, select five Elders, men of experience and sound judgment in the affairs of the Church, who shall be known as Triers of Appeals.

¶ 263. When notice of Appeal is given to the President of an Annual Conference, he shall proceed, with due regard to the wishes and rights of the Appellant, to designate three Conferences conveniently near to that from which the Appeal is taken, whose Triers of Appeals shall constitute a Judicial Conference, and to fix the time and place of its session; he shall also give notice thereof to all concerned. When said Con. ference shall have assembled, it shall be competent to try Appeals which may be presented to it from