CHAPTER X I. Constituted ¶ 192. A Bishop is to be constituted by the election of the General Conference and the laying on of the hands of three Bishops, or at least of one Bishop and two Elders. ¶ 193. If by death, or otherwise, there be no Bishop remaining in our Church, the General Conference shall elect a Bishop, and the Elders, or any three of them, who shall be appointed by the General Conference for that purpose, shall consecrate him according to the Ritual. II. Duties ¶ 194. The duties of a Bishop are: § 1. To preside in the Annual Conferences. § 2. To form the Districts according to his judgment. § 3. To fix the appointments of the Preachers un-. der the following provisions and limitations: 1. He shall appoint the Preachers to the Pastoral Charges annually. 2. He shall not allow a District Superintendent to preside in the same District more than six consecutive years, nor more than six years in any consecutive twelve. Nevertheless, if in any case the term of six years shall expire in the interval between the sessions of the Annual Conference he may continue him until the next session, provided the time shall not be more than six months. But District Superintendents in either Missions or Mission Conferences in foreign lands may be appointed to the same District for more than six consecutive years. 3. He may make the following appointments annually: (1) The Corresponding Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries of our Connectional Benevolent Societies and Boards. (2) The Publishing Agents at New York and Cincinnati, (3) The Editors and Assistant Editors at New York, Syracuse, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago, Kansas City, San Francisco, Portland, and New Orleans, and the Editor of Zion's Herald. (4) Chaplains to Prisons, to Reformatory, Sanitary, or Charitable Institutions, and in the Army and Navy. (5) Preachers for the special benefit of Sea men. (6) Ministers in the service of the American Bible Society, or of any State Bible Society auxiliary thereto; or of the Sunday School League of America. (7) The Presidents, Principals, and Teachers of institutions of learning which are under our care. (8) The Secretaries and Superintendents of City Missions. 4. He may, if requested by an Annual Conference, appoint (1) An Agent to travel throughout such Conference for the purpose of distributing Tracts. (2) An Agent or Agents to promote the cause of Temperance. (3) Instructors in Institutions of Learning not under our care. (4) An Agent or Agents for the benefit of our Institutions of Learning. (5) An Agent for the German Publishing (6) Agents for other benevolent institutions. published in the interest of the Methodist (8) One or more Members of an Annual Conference to do evangelistic work on Charges within that Conference, if invited by their Pastors and in coöperation with them; or in neglected territory within any District, when requested by, and in coöperation with, the District Superintendent of such District; provided, the Conference shall determine by vote how many of its members may be thus appointed; and provided, further, that the said Annual Conference shall by vote of two thirds of its members present and voting request such appointment. § 4. To fix within their own Conferences the Quarterly Conference membership of all Ministers ap pointed under sub-sections 3 and 4 of § 3 above (except those who are Pastors of Churches), and also of those Ministers who are left without appointment to attend some one of our schools. ¶ 196. § 5. To change, in the interval between the sessions of the Annual Conference, the appointments of the Preachers as necessity may require and as the Discipline directs. § 6. To travel through the Connection at large. § 7. To oversee the spiritual and temporal business of our Church. § 8. To preside, when present, in the District Conference. § 9. To Consecrate Bishops, and Ordain Elders and Deacons. § 10. To decide all Questions of Law involved in proceedings pending in an Annual Conference, subject to appeal to the General Conference. But in all cases the application of law shall be with the Conference. III. Powers 195. The Bishops shall prescribe the studies upon which those applying for License to Preach, for Orders as Local Preachers, and for Reception on Trial shall respectively be examined; also a Course of Study for Local Preachers, extending through four years; and a Conference Course of Study, extending through four years, to be pursued by those who have been received on Trial in an Annual Conference. ¶ 196. A Bishop may leave without appointment a Preacher on Trial or a Member of an Annual Conference who desires to attend any of our literary or theological seminaries, whenever he shall be request ed so to do by the Annual Conference and it shall seem to him expedient; provided, however, that the time thus spent in school shall not count on that required for Trial in the Annual Conference, except when at least two full years have been spent in regular work under appointment by a District Superintendent who certifies, together with the Quarterly Conference, to the efficiency of his work. A preacher thus left without appointment may be employed as a supply in another Conference by a District Superintendent without transfer. ¶ 197. Bishops are relieved from the duty of investigating and reporting upon charges of misteaching in our theological schools; but when charges of that nature are made to or laid before them, they may, without action thereon, refer the same to the Annual Conference of which the accused is a member for such proceeding as such Conference may deem appropriate in the premises. If, however, the Professor is a layman, the charges shall be sent to the Pastor of the church of which he is a member and he shall be brought to trial according to the provisions of 262 of the Discipline. But in case the complaints affect the manner of teaching, or the personal fitness of the Professor for his office, and not his doctrinal soundness, the Bishops shall, after due consideration of the same, advise the governing board of the school in which he is a teacher of their judgment in the case. ¶ 198. A Bishop may, when he judges it necessary, unite two or more Pastoral Charges for Quarterly Conference purposes, without affecting their separate financial interests or pastoral relations. ¶ 199. If a Bishop cease from traveling at large |