ship to be used by us, unless it be provided in such charter, deed, or conveyance, that the trustees of said house shall at all times permit such ministers and preachers belonging to the Methodist Episcopal Church as shall from time to time be duly author ized by the General Conference of the ministers of our Church, or by the Annual Conferences, to preach and expound God's holy word, and to execute the discipline of the Church, and to administer the sacra ments therein, according to the true meaning and purport of our deed of settlement.

SECTION IV.

Trustees, their Duties and Responsibil ities.

1. Let nine trustees be appointed for holding Church property, where proper persons can be procured; otherwise seven or five.

2. When a new board of trustees is to be created, it shall be done (except in those States and Territories where the statutes provide differently) by the appointment of the Preacher in charge, or the Presiding Elder of the district.

3. When any one or more of the trustees

shall die, or cease to be a member or members of the said Church according to the rules of the Discipline as aforesaid, then and in such case it shall be the duty of the stationed Minister or Preacher (authorized as aforesaid) who shall have the pastoral charge of the members of the said Church, (except in those States and Territories where the statutes provide differently,) to call a meeting of the remaining trustees as soon as conveniently may be: and when so met, the said Minister or Preacher shall proceed to nominate one or more persons to fill the place or places of him or them whose office [or offices] has [or have] been vacated as aforesaid. Provided, the person or persons so nominated shall have been one year a member or members of the said Church immediately preceding such nomin ation, and be at least twenty-one years of age; and the said trustees, so assembled, shall proceed to elect, and by a majority of votes appoint, the person or persons so nominated to fill such vacancy or vacancies, in order to keep up the number of nine trustees forever; and in case of an equal number of votes for and against the said nomination, the stationed Minister or Preacher shall have the casting vote.

Provided, nevertheless, That if the said trustees, or any of them, or their successors, have advanced, or shall advance, any sum or sums of money, or are or shall be responsible for any sum or sums of money, on account of the said premises, and they, the said trustees, or their suocessors, be obliged to pay the said sums of money, they, or a majority of them, shall be authorized to raise the said sum or sums of money by a mortgage on the said premises, or by selling the said premises, after notice given to the Pastor or Preacher who has the oversight of the congregation attending divine service on the said prem ises, if the money due be not paid to the said trustees, or their successors, within one year after such notice given; and if such sale take place, the said trustees, or their successors, after paying the debt and other expenses which are due from the money arising from such sale, shall deposit the remainder of the money produced by the said sale in the hands of the Steward or Stewards of the society belonging to or attending divine service on said premises; which surplus of the produce of such sale, so deposited in the hands of the said Steward or Stewards, shall be at the disposal

of the Quarterly Conference; which said Quarterly Conference shall dispose of the said money, according to the best of their judgment, for the use of the said society.

4. No person shall be eligible as a trustee to any of our houses, churches, or schools, who is not a regular member of our Church.

5. No person who is a trustee shall be ejected while he is in joint security for money, unless such relief be given him as is demanded, or the creditor will accept.

6. The Board of Trustees of every circuit or station shall be responsible to the Quarterly Conference of said circuit or station, and shall be required to present a report of its acts during the preceding `year.

SECTION V.

A Form of a Deed of Settlement.*

Quest. What shall be done for the security of our preaching-houses, and the premises belonging thereto ?

Answ. Let the following plan of a deed of settlement be brought into effect in all

For the old and full form of this deed, see Appendix, section 1.

possible cases, and as far as the laws of the States respectively will admit of it. But each Annual Conference is authorized to make such modification in the deeds as they may find the different usages and customs of law require in the different States and Territories, so as to secure the premises firmly by deed, and permanently to the Methodist Episcopal Church, according to the true intent and meaning of the following form of a deed of settlement: anything in the said form to the contrary notwithstanding.

ried, insert the name of his wife) of the one

part, and

trustees, in trust

in the State

for the use and purposes hereinafter mentioned, all of the

of

aforesaid, of the other part,

WITNESSETH, that the said

(if

married, insert the name of his wife,) for and in consideration of the sum of

specie, to

in hand paid, at

and upon the sealing and delivery of these