In South Carolina. 475 



General Conference authorizes each Annual Conference to form 

 their own regulations relative to buying and selling slaves." 



1816. Paragraph 1 (see 1796) Avas altered so as to read: 



"1. We declare that we are as much as ever convinced of the 

 great evil of slavery ; therefore, no slave-holder shall be eligible to 

 any official station in our Church hereafter, where the laws of the 

 ^tate in which he lives will admit of emancipation, and permit the 

 liberated slave to enjoy freedom." 



1820. Paragraph 3 (see 1812), leaving it to the Annual Confer- 

 ences "to form their own regulations about buying and selling 

 slaves," was struck out. 



1824. The following paragraphs added : • 



"3. All our preachers shall prudently enforce upon our members 

 the necessity of teaching their slaves to read the word of God, and 

 to allow them time to attend upon the public worship of God on 

 our regular days of divine service. 



"4. Our colored preachers and official members shall have all the 

 privileges which are usual to others in the District and Quarterly 

 Conferences, where the usages of the country do not forbid it. And 

 the presiding elder may hold for them a separate District Confer- 

 ence, where the number of colored local preachers will justify it. 



" 5. The Annual Conferences may employ colored preachers to 

 travel and preach where their services are judged necessary, pro- 

 vided that no one shall be so employed without having been rec- 

 ommended according to the form of Discipline." 



In 1836 the following preamble and resolutions on 

 the subject of Abolitionism were adopted: 



Whereas great excitement has prevailed in this country on the 

 subject of modern Abolitionism, which is reported to have been in- 

 creased in this city (Cincinnati) recently by the unjustifiable conduct 

 of two members of the General Conference, in lecturing upon and in 

 favor of that agitating topic; and Avhereas such a course on the part 

 of any of its members is calculated to bring upon this body the sus- 

 picions and distrust of the community, and misrepresent its senti- 

 ments in regard to the point at issue ; and whereas in this aspect of 

 the case, a due regard for its own character, as well as a just concern 

 for the interests of the Church confided to its care, demand a full, 

 decided, and unequivocal expression of the views of the General 

 Conference in the premises. Therefore, 



1. Resolved, by the delegates of the Annual Conferences in General 



