;

Majesty's High Court of Chancery, upon the acknowledgment of the said John Wesley, (pursuant to the Act of Parliament in that case made and provided,) UPON TRUST that the trustees in the said several deeds respectively named, and the survivors of them, and their heirs and assigns, and the trustees for the time being to be elected, as in the said deeds is appointed, should permit and suffer the said John Wesley, and such other person and persons as he should for that purpose from time to time nominate and appoint, might therein preach and expound God's holy word; and upon further trust, that the said respective trustees, and the survivors of them, and their heirs and assigns, and the trustees for the time being, should permit and suffer Charles Wesley, brother of the said John Wesley, and such other person and persons as the said Charles Wesley should for that purpose nominate and appoint, in like manner during his life, to have, use, and enjoy the said premises respectively for the like purposes aforesaid; and after the decease of the survivor of them, the said John Wesley and Charles Wesley, then upon further trust, that the said respective trustees, and the survivors of them, and their heirs and assigns, and the trustees for the time being for ever, should permit and suffer such person and persons, and for such time and times as should be appointed at the yearly Conference of the people called Methodists in London, Bristol, or Leeds, and no others, to have and enjoy the said premises for the purposes aforesaid, &c.-And whereas, for rendering effectual the trusts created by the said several gifts or conveyances, and that no doubt or litigation may arise with respect unto the same, or interpretation and true meaning thereof, it has been thought expedient by the said John Wesley, on behalf of himself, as donor of the several

chapels, with the messuages, dwelling-houses, or appurtenances before-mentioned, as of the donors of the said other chapels, with the messuages, dwelling-houses, or appurtenances to the same belonging, given or conveyed to the like uses and trusts, to explain the words " Yearly Conference of the people called Methodists," contained in all the said trust-deeds, and to declare what persons are members of the said Conference, and how the succession and identity thereof is to be continued: now therefore these presents witness, that for accomplishing the aforesaid purposes, the said John Wesley doth hereby declare, that the Conference of the said people called Methodists in London, Bristol, or Leeds, ever since there hath been any yearly Conference of the said people called Methodists, in any of the said places, hath always here. tofore consisted of the preachers and expounders of God's holy word, commonly called Methodist preachers, in connexion with, and under the care of the said John Wesley, whom he hath thought expedient, year after year, to summons to meet him in one or other of the said places of London, Bristol, or Leeds, to advise with them for the promotion of the gospel of Christ, to appoint the said persons so summoned, and the other preachers and expounders of God's holy word, also in connexion with and under the care of the said John Wesley, not summoned to the said yearly Conference, to the use and enjoyment of the said chapels and premises so given and conveyed upon trust for the said John Wesley, and such other person and persons as he should appoint during his life aforesaid; and for the expulsion of unworthy, and admission of new persons under his care, and into his connexion, to be preachers and expounders as aforesaid, and also of other persons upon trial for the like purposes; the names of all which per

sons so summoned by the said John Wesley, the persons appointed, with the chapels and premises to which they were so appointed, together with the duration of such appointments, and of those expelled or admitted into connexion, or upon trial, with all other matters transacted and done at the said yearly Conference, have year by year been printed and published under the title of the Minutes of the Conference. And these presents further witness, and the said John Wesley doth hereby avouch and further declare, that the several persons hereinafter named, to wit, the said JohnWesley, and Charles Wesley, Thomas Coke, of the city of London, Doctor of Civil Law, &c. &c. (naming ninety seven others, with the names of the several circuits in which they were stationed :) "These," says he, "have been, and now are, and do on the day of the date hereof constitute the members of the said Conference, according to the true intent and meaning of the said several gifts conveyances, wherein the words " Conference of the people called Methodists" are mentioned and contained. And the said several persons before-named, and their successors for ever, to be chosen as herein-after mentioned, are, and shall for ever be construed, taken, and be the Conference of the people called Methodists: nevertheless, upon the terms, and subject to the regulations herein-after prescribed.

and

He then prescribes, 1. That the Conference shall assemble once a year, and that the time and place of holding every sebsequent Conference, shall be appointed at the preceding one.

2. The act of the majority in number of the Conference assembled as aforesaid, shall be had, taken, and be the act of the whole Conference, to all intents, purposes, and constructions what

soever.

3. That after the Conference shall be assembled, they shall first proceed to fill up all the vacancies occasioned by deaths, or absence, as after-mentioned.

4. No act of the Conference assembled as aforesaid, shall be had, taken, or be the act of the Conference, until forty of the members thereof are assembled, unless reduced under that number since the prior Conference by death or absence, as after-mentioned; nor until all the vacancies occasioned by death, or absence, shall be filled up by the election of new members of the Conference, so as to make up the number of one hundred, unless there be not a sufficient number of persons objects of such election; and during the assembly of the Conference, there shall always be forty members present at the doing of any act, save as aforesaid, or otherwise such act shall be void.

5. The duration of the yearly assembly of the Conference, shall not be less than five days, nor more than three weeks, and be concluded by the appointment of the Conference, if under twentyone days; or otherwise the conclusion shall follow of course, at the end of the said twenty-one days; the whole of all which said time of the assembly of the Conference shall be had, taken, considered, and be the yearly Conference of the people called Methodists, and all such acts of the Conferences during such yearly assembly thereof, shall be the acts of the Conference, and none others.

6. Immediately after the vacancies occasioned by death, or absence, are filled up by the election of new members as aforesaid, the Conference shall choose a president, and secretary, of their assembly, out of themselves, who shall continue such until the election of another president, or secretary, in the next or other subsequent Con

ference; and the said president shall have the privilege and power of two members in all acts of the Conference, during his presidency, and such other powers, privileges, and authorities, as the Conference shall from time to time see fit to intrust into his hands.

7. Any member of the Conference absenting himself from the yearly assembly thereof, for two years successively, without the consent or dispensation of the Conference, and being not present on the first day of the third yearly assembly thereof, at the time and place appointed for the holding of the same, shall cease to be a member of the Conference, from and after the first day of the said third yearly meeting thereof, to all intents and purposes, as though he was naturally dead. But the Conference shall, and may dispense with, or consent to the absence of any member from any of the said yearly assemblies, for any cause which the Conference may see fit or necessary, and such members, whose absence shall be so dispensed with, or consented to by the Conference, shall not by such absence cease to be a member thereof.

8. The Conference shall and may expel, and put out from being a member thereof, or from being in connexion therewith, or from being upon trial, any person, a member of the Conference, admitted into connexion, or upon trial, for any cause which to the Conference may seem fit or necessary; and every member of the Conference so expelled and put out, shall cease to be a member thereof to all intents and purposes, as though he was naturally dead. And the Conference, immediately after the expulsion of any member as aforesaid, shall elect another person to be a member of the Conference, instead of such member so expelled.