plaintiffs, or if upon demurrer, judgment shall be given against the plaintiff or plaintiffs, the defendant or defendants shall have and may recover treble costs, and have the like remedy for the same, as any defendant or defendants hath or have for costs of Suit in other Cases by Law. XIX. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall be deemed and taken to be a Public Act, and shall be judicially taken notice of as such by all Judges, Justices, and others, without specially pleading the same. II. RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING FAMILY RELIGION. I. Q. WHAT further measures can the Conference adopt, in order to promote the spiritual benefit of the families of our people? A. We most earnestly recommend to all Methodist parents, and heads of families, regular and serious attention to the duty of catechising, and otherwise instructing, by free and affectionate conversations on the subject of religion, their children and servants. And we advise that in every family some convenient season should be statedly and sacredly set apart, on every Lord's Day, in the intervals of public worship, for these most important purposes; and that, according to the directions in our Minutes of last year, Mr. Wesley's Instructions for Children should be used in every Methodist house. 1809. II. Q. CAN any thing be done, in order more effectually to promote family religion among our people? A. 1. We again earnestly enforce upon all the people under our care a conscientious and uniform attention to this important subject; and solemnly exhort them to maintain the practice of daily prayer in their houses; to have stated times alloted for this purpose; to fix their morning worship, for instance, just before breakfast, and their evening worship just before supper; to make the daily reading of the Holy Scriptures a constant part of their domestic devotion; to require not only some but all the members of their respective families to be present at the time of family worship; and to allow of no excuses, except in case of sickness, or other unavoidable emergencies; and, once at least in every week, to catechise their children and servants, and converse with them individually on the business of religion. 2. We require all our Preachers to make particular inquiries into the state of family religion in their Circuits; to enforce the duties above-mentioned in the Leaders'Meetings and in the Society-Meetings; and to speak on the subject closely and strongly to every class, in their Quarterly Visitations of the Societies. 1811. III. FOR the spiritual benefit of our people, and in order that the blessing of God may rest upon their families, we earnestly press upon them the orderly and devout exercise of family worship, accompanied by a deliberate reading of the Holy Scriptures. In order to a due discharge of this most important duty, a suitable portion of time should be conscientiously set apart on the morning and evening of every day, when the attendance of all the members of the family, including the servants, should be required. 1821. The Funds of the Connexion. I. THE CONTINGENT FUND. I. Q. WHAT plan can we adopt to meet the increased expenses of our Connexion? A. 1. Let every Superintendent exert himself to the uttermost, in order to raise in his Circuit the sum of one shilling, on the average, for each member for the Yearly Collection. 2. Let no more than twelve pounds be allowed in future, from our General Funds, towards the funeral expenses of any Preacher. 3. Let the allowance granted, in certain cases, towards the purchase of furniture for new Preachers' houses, be reduced to twenty pounds. 4. Let no Circuit be divided, nor any additional Preacher sent to any Circuit in future, until it has been distinctly proved, first, that there will be sufficient employment for all the Preachers who are sent; and, secondly, That the expense resulting from such an enlargement of the work, can be provided by the Circuits concerned. 5. Let it be seriously inquired, whether several Circuits which have hitherto had single Preachers appointed for them, ought not immediately to make provision for an additional married Preacher and his family. shall 6. We once more recommend most earnestly to all our Societies, a strict compliance with that original Rule, which Mr. Wesley established at the first institution of Methodism; and which requires, that, upon an average, each member pay, for the support of the work, one penny per week in the classes; and one shilling per quarter, in addition to the weekly contribution, at each renewal of the tickets. And that this important part of our financial economy may be more fully known and observed, let our old Rules on the subject be re-printed in every future edition of the Society Rules. 1812. II. Q. How may we secure a greater degree of accuracy in our printed Minutes and Accounts? A. Let the proof sheets of all the Annual Accounts be sent to the Clerks, to whose departments they respectively belong; and let the proof sheets of all the other parts of the Minutes be sent to the Secretary, and to the Sub-Secretary; before the said Accounts and Minutes be finally struck off. 1813. III. It is agreed, that all claims on the Contingent Fund for travelling expenses, shall first pass through a Quarterly-Meeting, and be signed by the Circuit-Steward, as approved, before they are proposed to the DistrictMeeting, or to the Conference. 1815. IV. Q. WHAT measures shall be adopted with a view to the permanent improvement of our general Finances, as they respect the Contingent Fund? A. 1. We agree, that in future no Preacher shall receive from that Fund the allowance for a servant, unless he have travelled ten years at least, or unless he have one or more children. When a Preacher, not having travelled ten years, has only one child, he shall be allowed only four pounds annually, towards the expense of a servant; but if he have more than one child, he may claim the full allowance of eight pounds per annum. 2. No Circuit shall receive from the Contingent Fund any sum for its Ordinary Deficiencies, in which the regular allowance for board to each Preacher has been more than fourteen shillings weekly; except, (1.) The private yearly collection, raised in such Circuit, shall exceed the amount of its claims for Ordinary Deficiencies; or except, (2.) The family of the Preacher, towards whose support such Deficiencies are asked, shall include more than four children chargeable on the Circuit; or except, (3.) The Preacher towards whose support the Deficiencies are asked, shall have travelled more than twenty years; or except, (4.) The District-Meeting, on examining the case, shall be of opinion that there are peculiar circumstances which should induce them to recommend to the Conference, and the Conference shall consequently grant a special exemption from this Rule. N. B. Although the Conference have deemed it necessary to adopt the foregoing Regulations, in order to prevent a premature increase of allowances for board in those Circuits which are not able to provide for that increase by their own local resources, without bringing claims on the Contingent Fund, they at the same time take this opportunity of renewing their former recommendation, that the stated allowance for board shall not in any case be less than ten shillings and sixpence per week for each married Preacher and his family. 3. The Conference directs and requires the Chairman, and other members of every District-Meeting, to be very exact in the examination of all claims on the Contingent |