History of the Free Methodist Church of North America, Volume 1

HISTORY OF THE FREE METHODIST CHURCH afterward enjoy the privileges of society and of the sacraments in our Church, without contrition and satisfactory reformation; but if, however, the society becomes convinced of the innocence of the expelled member, he may again be received on trial without confession;'' the principle in the conclusion, covering of course both cases, "member or preacher," in the premises.

2. I believe that such admission into the Church could not remove the ground of his appeal to the General Conference, because that body, I judged, could act in the case, only on those points submitted in the appeal; he being responsible for his subsequent acts to his Conference, should the General Conference reverse the decision by which he was expelled.

3. The next day after the expulsion, the appeal having been notified, the question of his admission into the Church was discussed informally, by Bishops .Jan es and Baker, and the Presiding Elders. The point was not, can he be received by confessing the alleged crime, for of course that would remove the ground of bis appeal ; but the question was, can he be received on trial, and not injuriously affect his appeal. Those aged and experienced Presiding Elders-for some of them were such,-with the two Bishops, were in doubt on the question, showing at least, that such a question had not, then, been definitely settled, in the administrative rules of the Church, as intimated by our president a few days since.

Subsequently, Bishop Janes, as Brother Roberts informed me, when I first met him in Pekin, said to him, that he had not lost confidence in him, and that he could join the Church again, or words to that import, leaving that distinct impression on his mind.

I put this and that together, and connecting both with advice from some eminent ministers, within and without our Conference bounds, and after receiving all the light then accessible to me, I received him on trial. I confess that I was in doubt on the ques路 tion, a year ago ; and, having occasion to act in this case, with such light as dawned upon me, I did what I thought was right and proper.

4. A fourth point in this argument is a case, perfectly analogous, in reference to the principle of receiving a person on trial "without confession," etc., of more than ordinary notoriety, that transpired within our Conference bounds. A prominent mem路 ber was expelled. He appealed. The quarterly conference, for some informality, sent the case back for a new trial. He was expelled the second time. Under the instruction and advice of the deeply experienced Presiding Elder of the district-a man of profound erudition-this expelled person was received on trial, without confession, in a charge a few miles distant; and then [228]