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or in any wife appertaining: TO HAVE AND TO HOLD all and fingular the above mentioned and defcribed lot or piece of ground, fituate, lying, and being as aforefaid, together with all and fingular the houfes, woods, waters, ways, and privileges thereto belonging, or in anywife appertaining unto them the faid and their fucceffors in office, for ever, in truft, that they fhall erect and build, or cause to be erected and built thereon, a houfe or place of worthip, for the ufe of the members of the Methodist episcopal church in the United States of America, according to the rules and difcipline which from time to time may be agreed upon and adopted by the minifters and preachers of the faid church, at their general conferences in the United States of America; and in future trust and confidence that they fhall at all times, for ever hereafter, permit fuch minifters and preachers, belonging to the faid church, as fhall from time to time be duly authorifed by the general conferences of the minifters and preachers of the faid Methodist epifcopal church, or by the yearly conferences authorised by the faid general conference, and none others, to preach and expound God's holy word therein; and in further truft and confidence, that as often as any one or more of the trufces herein before mentioned, fhall die, or ceafe to be a member or members of the faid church, according to the rules and difcipline as aforefaid, then and in fuch cafe, it fhall be the duty of the ftationed minifter or preacher (authorifed as aforefaid) who fhall have the pastoral charge of the members of the faid church, to call a meeting of the remaining trustees, as foon as conveniently may be; and when fo met, the faid minifter or preacher fhall proceed to nominate one or more perfons to fill the place or places. of him or them whose office or offices has (or have) been vacated as aforefaid.. Provided, The perfon or perfons fo nominated, shall have been one year a member or members of the faid ehurch immediately preceding fuch nomination,, and of at least twenty-one years of age; and the faid truf

tees, so assembled, fhall proceed to elect, and by a majority of votes appoint, the perfon or perfons fo nominated to fill fuch vacancy or vacancies, in order to keep up the number of nine trustees for ever; and in cafe of an equal number of votes for and against the faid nomination, the stationed minister or preacher fhall have the cafting vote.

Provided nevertheless, That if the faid truftees or any of them, or their fucceffors, have advanced, or fhall advance any fum or fums of money, or are or fhall be refponfible for any fum or fums of money, on account of the faid premifes, and they the faid truftees, or their fucceffors, be obliged to pay the faid fum or fums of money, they, or a majority of them, fhall be authorifed to raife the faid fum or fums of mo ney, by a mortgage on the faid premifes, or by felling the faid premifes, after notice given to the pastor or preacher who has the overfight of the congregation attending divine fervice on the faid premises, if the money due be not paid to the faid trustees, or their fucGeffors, within one year after fuch notice given: And if fuch fale take place, the faid troftees or their fucceffors, after paying the debt and all other expences which are due, from the money arifing from fuch fale, fhall depofit the remainder of the money produced by the faid fale, in the hands of the fteward or ftewards of the fociety belonging to, or attending divine fervice on the faid premifes; which furplus of the produce of fuch fale, fo depofited in the hands of the faid steward or Rewards, fhall be at the difpofal of the next yearly conference authorised as aforefaid; which faid yearly conference fhall difpofe of the faid money, according to the belt of their judgment, for the use of the faid fociety. And the faid doth by these presents warrant, and for ever defend, all and fingular the before mentioned and defcribed lot or piece of ground, with the appurtenances thereto belonging, unto them the and their fucceffors, chofen and appointed as aforefaid, from the claim or claims of him the faid

faid

bis heirs and affigns, and from the claim or

claims of all perfons whatever.

In teftimony whereof, the faid

(if married

infert the name of his wife) have hereto fet their

hands and feals, the day and year aforefaid.

Sealed and delivered in the

prefence of us, (Two witneffes.)

the}

Grantor's (L. S.)

his wife's (L. S.).

Received, the day of the date of the above written indenture, the confideration therein mentioned, in full.

Witneffes.

County,

}

Grantor's (L. S.)

BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the

day of

thoufand

in the year of our Lord one perfonally appeared before

me, one of the justice's of the peace, in and for the county of

the within named

and flate of the grantor (if married infert the name of his wife) and acknowledged the within deed of trust to be their act and deed, for the uses and purposes therein mentioned and declared; and fhe the faid wife of the faid being feparate and apart from her faid husband, by me examined, declared that the made the fame acknowledgment, freely and with her own confent, without be ing induced thereto through fear or threats of her faid husband. In teftimony whereof, I have hereto fet my hand and feal, the day and year first above written.

Here the juftice's name.

(L. S.) N. B. 1. It is neceffary that all our deeds fhould be recorded after execution, for prudential as well as legal reafons.

2. Let nine truftees be appointed for preaching houfes, where proper perfons can be procured; otherwife feven, or five.

NOTE S.

1. We have already fpoken on the duty of raifing houses for the worship of God, in our notes on the 10th fection of the 1ft chapter.

We however think it our duty to remark concerning the paffage which relates to rich men, that those rich men who have joined us in America, have fhewn no defire at all to govern us: they have been neither haughty nor overbearing. The latter part therefore of the anfwer to the first question probably refers to fome rich people in other parts of the world. Matt. xix. 26. “ Jesus beheld them, and faid unto them, With men this is impoffible, but with God all things are poffible." See alfo Mark x. 27. and Luke xviii. 27.

2." The fitting of men and women apart" was the univerfal practice in the primitive church. A general mixture of the fexes in places of divine worthip is obviously improper. 1 Cor. xiv. 40. "Let all things be done decently, and in order."

3. Sufficient advice is given in the answer to the third question on the indecency there condemned. Holinefs becomes the houfe of the Lord. We go there to speak to God, and hear his word, and not to converfe with each other. Eccles. v. 1. (c Keep thy foot when thou goeft to the houfe of God, and be more ready to hear than to give the facrifice of fools: for they confider not that they do evil.

4. In refpect to the deed of fettlement, we would obferve, that the union of the Methodist fociety, through the states, requires one general deed, for the fettlement of our preaching houfes and the premises belonging thereto. In the above plan of settlement we have given to the trustees an authority and fecurity, they never poffeffed by virtue of our former deeds, namely, the power of mortgaging or felling the premises in the cafes and manner above mentioned. By which we manifeft to the whole world, that the property of the preaching houfes will not be invested in the general conference. But the prefervation of our union and the progrefs of the work of God indifpenfibly require, that the free and full ufe of the pulpits fhould be in the hands of the ge neral conference, and the yearly conferences authorised by them. Of course, the travelling preachers, who are in full connection, affembled in their conferences, are the patrons of the pulpits of our churches And this was abfolutely neceffary to give a clear, legal specification in the deed. If the local preachers, ftewards,

and leaders (who have an undoubted right to preach, meet their claffes, &c. in the preaching houses at due time, according to the form of difcipline) were specified, it would be neceffary to add a defcription of their orders; which would throw fuch obfcurity upon the whole, that a court of justice would either reject the deed, or be at a lofs to determine concerning the little peculiarities of our form of difcipline. But we do hereby publicly declare, that we have no defign of limiting, in the leaft degree, the privileges of any of the public officers of our fociety, but by this deed folely intend to preserve the property of our church by fuch a clear, fimple fpecification, as fhall be fully and easily cognizable by the laws.

SECTION II.

Of the Printing of Books, and the Applica tion of the Profits arifing therefrom.

Queft. 1.

WHO is employed to manage the print

ing bufinefs?

Anfw. John Dickins.

Queft. 2. What allowances fhall be paid him annual ly for his fervices?

Anfw. 1. 200 Dollars, for a dwelling-house and for a book-room.

2. 80 Dollars for a boy.

3. 53 Dollars, for fire-wod: and,

4. 333 Dollars, to clothe and feed himfelf, his wife, and his children. In all, 666 dollars.

Queft. 3. What powers fhall be granted him? Anfw. 1. To regulate the publications according to the ftate of the finances.

2. To complain to the yearly conference, if any preachers fhall neglect to make due payment for books. Queft. 4. What fum of money fhall be allowed diftreffed preachers out of the book-fund, till the next general conference?

Anfw. 266 dollars and per annum.

Quef. 5. How is the money mentioned above, for the benefit of diftreffed preachers, to be drawn out of the book-fund?

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