Meeting," shall be repeated this year; and that the Preachers shall be required not to answer any letters of request, which may be written in violation of that Recom`mendation. 1823.

XII. In order to promote the ministerial improvement of our junior Preachers, during their probation, by facilitating their acquisition of our standard Works, and of other suitable Theological Books, we again earnestly recommend to the Quarterly-Meetings of those Circuits in which such Preachers are stationed while on trial, to allow them a sum of not less than One Guinea per Quarter, in addition to their usual salary, to be laid out in the purchase of Books under the direction of their Superintendent and other Colleagues. Every Superintendent is required to bring this Recommendation before the Quarterly-Meeting of his Circuit, if it have not been already adopted. 1826.

IV. RULES

OF THE

BAND SOCIETIES.

Drawn up Dec. 25, 1738.

THE design of our meeting, is to obey that command of God, Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another that ye may be healed.

To this end, we intend,

1. To meet once a week, at the least.

2. To come punctually at the hour appointed, without

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3. To begin (those of us who are present) exactly at the hour, with singing and prayer.

4. To speak each of us in order, freely and plainly, the true state of our souls, with the faults we have committed in thought, word, or deed, and the temptations we have felt, since our last meeting.

5. To end every meeting with prayer, suited to the state of each person present.

6. To desire some person among us to speak his own state first, and then to ask the rest in order, as many and as searching questions as may be, concerning their state, sins, and temptations.

Some of the questions proposed to every one before he is admitted among us, may be to this effect:

-:

1. Have you the forgiveness of your sins?

2. Have you peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ?

3. Have you the witness of God's Spirit with your spirit, that you are a child of God?

4. Is the love of God shed abroad in your heart?

5. Has no sin inward or outward, dominion over you? 6. Do you desire to be told of your

faults?

7. Do you desire to be told of all your faults, and that plain and home?

8. Do you desire, that every one of us should tell you from time to time, whatsoever is in his heart concerning you?

9. Consider! Do you desire, we should tell you whatsoever we think, whatsoever we fear, whatsoever we hear, concerning you?

10. Do you desire, that in doing this, we should come as elose as possible, that we should cut to the quick, and search your heart to the bottom?

11. Is it your desire and design, to be on this and all other occasions, entirely open, so as to speak every thing that is in your heart without exception, without disguise, and without reserve.

Any of the preceding questions may be asked as often as occasion offers: the four following at every meeting:

1. What known sins have you committed since our last meeting?

2. What temptations have you met with?

3. How were you delivered?

4. What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt whether it be sin or not?

DIRECTIONS

GIVEN TO THE

BAND SOCIETIES.

December 25, 1744.

You are supposed to have the Faith that overcometh the world. To you, therefore, it is not grievous,

I. Carefully to abstain from doing evil: in particular,

1. Neither to buy nor sell any thing at all on the Lord's Day.

2. To taste no spirituous liquor, no dram of any unless prescribed by a physician.

kind

3. To be at a word both in buying and selling. 4. To pawn nothing, no, not to save life. *

5. Not to mention the fault of any behind his back, and to stop those short that do.

6. To wear no needless ornaments, such as rings, ear-rings, necklaces, lace, ruffles.

7. To use no needless self-indulgence, such as taking snuff or tobacco, unless prescribed by a physician.

II. Zealously to maintain good works: in particular, 1. To give alms of such things as you possess, and that to the uttermost of your power.

2. To reprove all that sin in your sight, and that in love, and meekness of wisdom.

3. To be patterns of diligence and frugality, of self-denial, and taking up the cross daily.

III. Constantly to attend on all the Ordinances of God: in particular,

1. To be at church, and at the Lord's table every week, and at every public meeting of the Bands.

2. To attend the ministry of the Word every morning, unless distance, business, or sickness prevent.

3. To use private prayer every day; and family prayer, if you are the head of a family.

4. To read the Scriptures, and meditate therein, at every vacant hour. And,

5. To observe, as days of fasting or abstinence, all Fridays in the year.

* When this Rule was made, giving or taking things in pawn, was Illegal, as well as highly injurious, (as it ever has been,) to the morals of the people.

WE again exhort all our People, who have opportunity, to meet in Band, as an old established usage in our Connexion, and an important means of improvement in personal religion: and the Preachers are directed to hold General Meetings of the Bands in every Society where it is practicable. 1821.

V. PUBLIC WORSHIP

AND

FAMILY RELIGION.

I. RULES CONCERNING PUBLIC WORSHIP.

I. Q. ARE there any of our former Rules which are either forgotten or overlooked, and which it would be well to bring forward into the view of our Preachers and people? A. We conceive there are, such as the following:

Minutes, 1782. Let no anthems be introduced into our Chapels (unless on extraordinary occasions and with the consent of the Superintendent) because they cannot be properly called joint worship. Also we agree with our late Rev. Father that our own tunes should be learned and sung in preference to others, as in these the whole congregation can in general join.

See also p. 77, Large Minutes, namely, "Do not suffer the people to sing too slow. This naturally tends to formality, and is brought in by them who have either very strong or very weak voices. Let the women constantly sing